Who would’ve thought that forgetting your shoes would pretty much start the most important thing in your life? Michigan native Ryan Petry didn’t. The cross-country runner from Ernest W. Seaholm High School did not realize at first the value of forgetting something.
“I didn’t even know what a triathlon was,” says Petry, a sophomore Marketing major. “Me and nine or 10 of my buddies did this sprint triathlon.”
Petry, transitioning from the swimming portion on to cycling and running, had spent a great deal of time trying to find his shoes among the several lined-up. He remembers being “frustrated for 10 minutes,” but in the long-run, that’s all it took. Those 10 minutes he spent looking for his shoes would then lead to a greater interval—from there on out he would begin his own transition from solely a runner to a triathlete. Petry, at the end of that race, signed up for another triathlon for the next weekend; he was a junior in high school.
Senior year had become more pivotal as he joined the swim team. The high school triathlete—cross-country, track and swimming—was on his way.
“Cross-country and track practice sucked but once I got into triathlon training, it was fun,” Petry says. “What motivates you is when you see improvement. I thought it was awesome.”
Whether it is from training or just knowing what his shoes look like, Petry had seen that improvement. Now in ASU’s cycling and triathlon club, he looks to capitalize.
“You have to want it for yourself,” Petry says. “You’re essentially alone, it’s not like anybody’s holding your hand.”
According to Petry, although a lot of the training is done “on your own time,” he is also thankful for his teammates. ASU has given him the extra push. His teammates, Ethan Millstein and Brenden Hernandez have been Petry’s “key to success.” Millstein helps with cycling, Hernandez with running.
“We definitely push each other on the bike. We’ll push each other to go faster and it’s good to have those people around you,” says Ethan Millstein, a sophomore Business major with a concentration in Law. “He’s pretty much a daredevil. He’s willing to try anything.”
Petry believes that along with being self-motivated, you “have to be a little crazy.”
“Me and Ryan’s relationship is what it is because we both push each other,” says Hernandez, a sophomore communications major. “Ryan and I met a year ago, freshman year, and immediately became close friends because we both wanted to do big things.”
Big things would be the product. Hernandez and Petry both had participated in the Pumpkinman triathlon this past month in Nevada. Hernandez—racing in his first triathlon since November 2010—placed ninth. As for Petry, according to Hernandez, he “racked up another win like he always does.”
Petry has founded upon similar success this year. Not only has he won in Olympic triathlons—1,500-meter swim, 24.8-mile bike and 10=kilometer run—he has also won in cycling events. Petry had won the Arizona State Championship race, a 64-mile bike; the win moved him up from a category 4 cyclist to a category 3.
In addition to his success, he participated in a mountain bike triathlon, the Urban Dirt triathlon where he placed third; Lance Armstrong won the race. Nevertheless, it was a good experience.
“He’s a hard worker. He said ‘hey, good job’ and I was like ‘woah…crazy,’” Petry laughs.
Petry, in general, looks for long-term opportunity. In high school, he started participating in sports complementary to triathlons and he looks for further success.
“I do everything with a long-term goal in mind, not for the goal right now. Sometimes, you have to learn how to deal with the pain, you have to yell at yourself to keep going,” Petry says.
With long-term on the mind, Petry looks to prepare his body. In April, he will be competing in the Collegiate Nationals in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. For this week, Petry looks to “give his legs a break” but thereon, get in shape so that he can train harder later.
“The goal is to keep building, to peak your fitness, recover, then peak it again. Always build on previous fitness,” Petry says.
By building his performance level, Petry will find himself building a new shelf for awards.
Questions or comments? You can contact me at bcapria@asu.edu.
