Becky Gibbs

With a fresh invitation to the Goodwill Games in her hand, 26-year-old Becky Gibbs is eager to capitalize on early-season successes with a strong showing in Edmonton. Now in her fourth season of full-time triathlon, Gibbs has held her own against the world's best several times already this season. A second place at Wildflower, a third at Escape from Alcatraz and another second in the Victoria ITU points race have brought her and her sponsors a welcome turn under the spotlight.

Slowtwitch caught up with Gibbs, a Minnesotan, in sunny Los Altos, Calif., where she lives with boyfriend and fellow pro Brian Lavelle.

SLOWTWITCH: So why triathlon?

BECKY GIBBS: Each summer at LSU [where Gibbs gained her bachelor's degree in kinesiology], I'd go home and stay with my family. My brother, Randy, is a cyclist and cross-country skier, and he kept on bugging me to do a race. Finally I gave in. I did, like, one two-hour ride and ran a couple of times but I was first or second in my age group despite riding my dad's custom-made bike, which was way too big for me. The next summer I did a couple more races and qualified for nationals and worlds.

Then when I graduated I didn't feel ready for a real job, and figured triathlon was fun so I turned pro in 1998, based in Minneapolis with my family.

ST: You've met with more success since moving to Los Altos in the San Francisco Bay Area. What brought you here?

BG: I met Brian at a training camp in Hawaii. We didn't want to be apart and given the choice between living and training in Minnesota or California... Now, I'm working as a personal trainer at the Almaden Valley Athletic Club, where Pete Kain has a performance center.

The balance between work and training has enabled me to do better, since now there's less pressure on me to do well just at triathlon. I don't think I was overtraining before, but I'd gotten to the point where I was just going through the motions. I also had a hip injury last year, which kept me out for three months and that really made me refocus.

ST: Sounds like you just needed a break. Do you think pros take enough time off?

BG: For the most part, I think we probably don't. In hindsight, I probably needed some sort of a rest—probably not three months, though. In future, I'll try to have a month or so at the end of the season where I just mess around, with no structured training.

ST: Can you describe a typical week during the season?

BG: Well, it depends on whether I'm racing. Earlier this year, I raced four weekends in a row where it was just a question of racing and recovering, with maybe just a couple of speed workouts during the week. Typically I swim three times a week or four if I'm feeling really motivated. I swim really early in the morning, come home and then usually head out on a ride, a run or a brick. I'm self-coached, so my track workouts and rides are often with some of the many groups of triathletes that train in the Bay Area and with Brian. Then from noon until seven or eight I head off to work. By the time I get home, I'm usually ready to just eat and collapse.

ST: Racing often seems to be common for triathletes on the ITU circuit...

BG: Yes, and right now there are six of us U.S. women in the top 20. After worlds this season, I'd like to do Corner Brook, nationals, New York, and then the World Cup races in Greece and Italy. Athens in 2004 is my long-term goal, and I'd like to make sure I stay in the top 25 until then.

ST: As a former NCAA All-American IM swimmer, you're clearly up there with the other top Americans. With so many strong swim-bikers among the U.S. women, will we ever see you adopting a team approach to try and get away from the runners?

BG: It's great when we can get away, and a group of four of us did at Tampa. I'd like to see it. Triathlon is such an individual sport right now, it would be really hard. But there has been talk of approaching some of the World Cup races like that and then splitting the prize money. It would certainly add another dimension to racing and improve the sport, but I think it'll take a while. In the meantime, I'll continue to hit the track and work on my run to help place higher.

ST: And have your successes this year brought you some financial freedom?

BG: Well, the exposure has certainly helped my relationship with my sponsors, like Zoot, which also provides my bike, Clif Bar, Aquaman, Rudy Project and Reebok. Right now, I can get all the product I need and there are bonuses for media placements. I'm hoping my performances will give me some leverage for next season's deals too. Moving into the top 25 has also put me into the USAT Gold Team, which has been just great. I get a fairly small monthly stipend but then a lot of help with travel expenses for World Cup races and so forth. I think that funding is one reason why former swimmers are being attracted to triathlon.

I expect when USAT opens the new center in Clermont, Florida, we'll be having camps there too, together with regular testing. Lately, most of the testing I've been getting is for doping.

ST: Do tell...

BG: Since I've been doing ITU races this year, I've already been tested a few times at races. And then they randomly show up at your house or where you're training to test you as well. Once I wasn't there, though. They came to the pool and I'd just slept in that day. Every quarter, you have to account for your whereabouts on an hourly basis––work, training, the pool, wherever––so you have to be really careful about even the cold medicine you use if you're sick in case it contains something on the banned list.