Triathlon: Josh Ritchie

March 30, 2005

EnduranceRadio.com

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “Hi this is Tim Bourquin. Thanks for joining us at EnduranceRadio.com for another interview today. 

Today we’re going to be speaking with Josh Ritchie.  He’s a multisport athlete, just recently named to the Timex Multisport Team.  We’re going to be talking about his background in the sport, his family’s background in the sport and what’s ahead for him in 2005.

First thing, the Race of the Day today is the fifth annual McNaughton Park Trial Runs, which will be held on April 16 and 17 at Pekin, Illinois, but you can find out more about this race that offers three ultra distances, by clicking on the Race of the Day link right below the link to this audio interview.

So we’re going to be right back to speak with Josh Ritchie in about 30 seconds.”

“Fleet Feet Sports is a unique specialty store catering to the individual needs of runners, triathletes, walkers and anyone interested in getting and staying fit.  Specializing in footwear, apparel and accessories for athletes, you’ll find everything you need to perform and look your best.  Fleet Feet Sports, your headquarters for races, training, seminars and clinics related to running, multi-sport, swimming and fitness.  Come in today or visit us online at www.fleetfeetln.com.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “Josh thanks very much for joining us today.  I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us on the phone.”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “Hey Tim, thank you.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “So I’ve got a press release that said that you’d been named to the Timex Multisport Team.  Talk about what lead up to that and how you got on the team.”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “I had a pretty good season year, and I think what Timex is looking for is some athletes to develop and add to their program and with me becoming pro this year they wanted to get two or three first year pros to add to their team, so they could grow and get some experience.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “You did have a fantastic year last year.  It also says here that you were the USAT Duathlon national age champion and you broke the record for your age group at Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.  Talk about both of those races.”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “National duathlon was a key race for me last year.  It was definitely something that I wanted to do well in and I really trained for it.  Things went well, I had a great in Alpharetta, Georgia, and things panned out.  The triathlons have been coming along really well and Alcatraz, which is kind of a fun race, a little bit different, going out and swimming in the San Francisco Bay; I wasn’t sure what to expect being it was the first year I was out there, but I had a good race and performed well and happened to get the course record at the time, and I think what really helped with that was currents helped us out in the Bay, it was going the right direction on that particular day.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “Well you’re probably modest.  I’m sure it had more to do with the current, but that’s a fantastic feat in itself.  So your whole family, we were talking before we started recording, you’re the youngest of 16 brothers and sisters, and your family has owned a sporting goods shop and so was everybody into the sports from your background in business.”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “Yes, 14 or 15 of us have been runners in the past and we started off as Running Ritchie’s, hence my last name and our sporting goods store, and my dad started 25 years ago and sold running shoes and we’re developed since then and continued to sell sporting goods to area schools and local businesses and things like that.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “So it sounds like you come from a strong background in sports just from the whole family.”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “Yes.  Six of us went on to college and competed in athletes scholarships and running.  It was just a great way to develop and grow up and try to continue the Ritchie name in the running area.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “Now what does it mean to be part of Timex Multisport Team?  What does that do for you?  Do they determine your races?  Do you train as a team?  What does it mean?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “We will have a training camp in April for a week.  The team gets together and meets each other, and then they encourage you to do certain races throughout the year.  Timex is a big sponsor of a number of triathlons throughout the country, and those will be races that each one of the team members will key on for the particular year.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “You kind of make sure that you’re at your peak for those particular races then?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “Yes, exactly.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “What kind of things will you be doing at this training camp that comes up for the week?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “It kicks off by the Ironman Arizona, which is a first year race this year, which Timex is a sponsor of.  Some of the members will participate in that, and then we’ll get a chance to meet each other, we’ll do some training and just have a good time in some weather in Arizona.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “You said you come from a running background, what was the first time you said, ‘I’m going to try this triathlon thing’?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “I had some injuries after college and just really had to curtail running high mileage so I started to do some cross training and just started to do some local low key triathlons and was hooked after that and my competitive spirit continued to keep growing and I just developed and enjoyed the aspect of cross training and the triathlons have worked out very well for me.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “Obviously you’ve had great success in doing that.  Did you find that you found your nitch there in combining all of these sports together?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “I think so.  The biking came relatively easy for me, and with the running background I had two real strong points, and my swimming is coming along so it’s a great opportunity for me continue to use some of my athletic ability that I’ve been given.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “So the triathlon, was that the first time you swam competitively then?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “Yes it is.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “Did you have a coach help you with that aspect or did you just jump in and go for it?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “I swim with a masters swim club and a number of different people help me with my technique and things like that.  I do have a coach, Pete Gladden, he’s through Excel Adventure, and he’s helped me out quite a bit just combining all three aspects of the run and the bike and the swimming.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “Excel Adventure you said?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “Yes.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “How long have you had him as a coach?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “He’s been my coach now for three and a half years, and he’s done a great job just corresponding back and forth and making sure that I don’t over train and setting up proper races to make sure that I peak at the right time of the year and things like that.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “Now do you have ambitions for the Ironman Championships in Hawaii?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “I definitely do.  Timex is a big component of the Ironman distance so I’m very excited to get in and get with some guys that are doing the longer distances, and I hope to qualify in the next couple of years.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “Is the Arizona triathlon a qualification race?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “Yes it is.  I will not be competing in that this year, but hope to probably next year.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “You will not train to go for the Ironman Hawaii this year or you won’t be competing in Arizona?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “I probably won’t try to qualify yet.  I’m still developing into the longer distances.  I started off in sprint and Olympic distance and moved up to the half Ironman, and when they do a marathon this fall to prepare me to do my first Ironman next year.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “So you’ve gone with the shorter distances so far in triathlon, but you want to work up to the Ironman?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “Correct.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “So what do you think it’s going to take for you to get to those kinds of distances and compete at the level you want to be?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “I think the main thing is just support from Timex and our sporting goods store just to give me the opportunity to do some extra training, just take that one extra step to do a little bit of additional training, to put in some of the longer miles and I’ll be able to jump up and do the longer distances.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “So tell me what your first race will be this season.”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: I’ll be starting off with Wild Flower out in California at the half Ironman.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “What’s your training regime look like right now?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “I’m training on a 700 hour schedule for the year, so it breaks down to about 20 hours a week and I combine running and biking, swimming and lifting in that 20 hours a week.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “How important is the strength training portion of the workout for you?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “I think at this time of the year to get a base is very important.  I’ve been working on weight training three to four times a week and I think it’ll help very much with the strength and being able to do the longer distances.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “And in terms of running and biking, talking about how much volume you’re doing for each of those.”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “Right now I’m probably running 30 miles a week and I’ll bike two hours, three to four times a week, so its eight hours a week.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “Mileage wise, what do you think?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “Probably 150 to 200 miles a week.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “Will you be doing some tapering off before the May 1^st race or what will that look like?”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “Probably a little bit.  I’ll change over from my base period mid-April, have a little bit of a break and jump into that first race May 1^st, and strategies will change depending on how the race goes.”

<<Tim Bourquin>>: “Well Josh we’re about out of time now, but for listeners you can check out the Team Timex by clicking on the link right below the link to this audio interview as well.

Josh thanks very much for taking time to talk to us today, I appreciate it.”

<<Josh Ritchie>>: “Thank you Tim, I appreciate it.”

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