Meet our August Athlete Spotlight, Christian Larsen! Christian started as a swimmer. He has been working with Coach Mark as an Assistant Coach for San Antonio Christian School's swim team, and he recently got the triathlon then IRONMAN itch. Christian completed his first sprint triathlon in 2018. He raced his first IRONMAN 70.3 event last month in Lubbock, and he's on his way to IRONMAN Waco in October!
Age: 20
Occupation: Student at Biola University
How long have you been swimming, cycling, running, and/or doing triathlons? I have been swimming since freshman year of high school, 2015. My first real bike ride was November 2017, a 50 mile ride. I really started cycling around October of 2020, when I started training for Lubbock 70.3. Running would have the same timeline as I did a few runs in high school but nothing serious until I stared to train for Lubbock.
What aspects of triathlon do you enjoy most? Since I would consider myself a relatively new triathlete, I would say that improving so much, at such a fast rate, would be one of the things I love most. Who doesn’t love to improve and get better? Another main source of enjoyment is running. If you would’ve asked me to run a mile a year ago I would have laughed. But now I can go out and run for a couple of hours and still have a smile on my face afterwards. Lastly, I love that I can eat ungodly amounts of food and I end up burning it all off the next day.
What has been your favorite training or racing event, and why? Without doubt, Ironman Lubbock 70.3. This was my first half Ironman and I loved every second of it. From the crowds, to the banquet, to the actual race itself, everything was just so much fun and enjoyable. That is day that will never been forgotten.
What is your favorite post-workout or race meal? That is a hard question because I just love all food in general. But if I had to narrow it down to one or two things, a giant bowl of mac and cheese or Chick-fil-A will do the trick.
What is one recent accomplishment you are proud of? The first thing that comes to mind is Lubbock. For the past several months, I’ve been training for Lubbock and Waco (October 2021) and it’s just such a huge accomplishment to me. I’ve put in so much time and effort and have been more determined than ever.
What do you want to be when you grow up? I would love to work in the broadcast journalism industry. I took broadcast in high school and loved every aspect of it. But as I have learned, life throws some curveballs at you sometimes, so I try to stay very open and optimistic about a future career, whatever it may be.
What is something no one knows about you? I feel like I am an open book, so this was a hard one. But if I had to pick, I still sleep with a stuffed animal. Yes, I am 20 years old.
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