By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Iain Alexandrias knows he needs plenty of support as he pursues a career as a professional triathlete. And the Princeton resident has that at home and in his training.
“It’s really nice,” the Hun School graduate said. “My parents and family are super supportive. My dad has never done a triathlon or endurance sports but he really gets into it. He tracks how far I am from second or third whenever he is at a race and it is great to have that support.
“I have been working with a new team this year that has been really supportive, DCL Multisport out of Tempe, Arizona. Also a big change I have made in the past year and a half has been my coach, Brian Stover. He has helped me to develop further into the professional field.”
Alexandrias recently competed on what is essentially his home turf when he finished second in the Olympic Distance event at the New Jersey State Triathlon, which was held at Mercer County Park and the surrounding area. Alexandrias finished in one hour, 43 minutes, nine seconds and trailed only Justin Galbreath, who was 19 seconds ahead.
“I was definitely happy with the race,” Alexandrias said. “It is always a fun time. It is a great local race and I am able to catch up with a lot of people I haven’t seen since the year before. It is always well organized. I keep going back. This is the fifth year in a row doing it. A couple years I did the sprint, but that weekend I’m always doing New Jersey State.
“Usually in July there are not a whole lot of races going on around North America so this fits in. I love it. You know it is going to work out to be one of the hottest days of year. This year was better than last year. Last year was really rough.”
Alexandrias started competing in triathlons while he was in high school and continued while attending Virginia Tech. He turned pro last year and will be able to devote even more time to the sport now that he has graduated from college.
“I have been racing for a while,” Alexandrias said. “This is my sixth or seventh season. I turned pro about a year ago. This year I have done five races all over North America I am headed to Europe to do two races back to back in one week This will be my first time ever racing in Europe and my first time in Europe since I was very young. I was born in Europe but we moved when I was very young.”
Alexandrias plans to race in Denmark next week and then Finland the following week. Now that he has graduated college, Alexandrias will live a bit of a nomad existence. His family is still on Princeton, but without a permanent base he will be training in different areas depending on the time of the year.
“I will be spending the summer here and maybe spend the month of November somewhere that I want to race,” he said. “In the past I’ve spent a month or so in Florida in December. It is a decent spot to train.
“You just need the right environment. For me, I can’t have too many distractions. I live in Princeton and if I don’t ride at the right time there can be a lot of traffic. I will ride out to Hunterdon County and Frenchtown and Stockton.”
Alexandrias knows the competition well on the professional circuit. He’s seen the top performers and hopes to one day join those ranks.
“You definitely see a lot of the same people,” he said. “It’s tough. There is a main circuit through Iron Man. That is the big circuit for professionals. Everyone is hoping to qualify for Kona. It is highly competitive. I have been to many races where 50 guys show up and if I finish 15-20 that could be a great race, There is definitely a steep learning curve. It is a lot of fun. I am really enjoying it.
“I am one of the younger pros. A lot of the pros are between 26 and 28, I just turned 23. I am learning some things. New things happen each time and I just stay positive.”
After the two races in Europe, Alexandrias will take a little time off before getting ready for the next set of races.
“It will be like a mid-season break,” he said. “I will have a chance to let my body reset about five days after the race. I’ll fly out a week or so after the race and spend some time with my parents and sister, who are going to come over for the races. It’s nice to enjoy it and then come back here for some races in September.”
Alexandrias loves to compete and plans to continue for as long as he is able.
“The thing of it is, the minute it is not fun that’s when I move on to something else,” he said. “There will be plenty of opportunities in front of me. It’s not like I am going to make millions racing. This is just purely a passion and fun and enjoyable. Once it is not like that then it is time to pull the plug.”
