natbikes.com

Neither was sure what to expect from each other, but they trusted their coach.

Their maturity and focus have been the foundation for their early success.

“It was literally from dawn to dusk we were on the go,” said Faulkner. “Either training or getting the logistics of driving to swimming or meeting up with people for a bike ride.”

After two races in the United States, Faulkner, 29, has already qualified for his dream with a third-place overall and a first in his age (24–29) category to compete at the upcoming Hawaiian Ironman this autumn, while Bechtel captured the top spot in an early season race.

Neither knew how well they were training together until the results of those races.

Triathlon is not a team sport, and yet these two couldn’t be closer. Someone could easily mistake them for brothers, the way they wait for each other to speak and support one another in how they describe each other.

Faulkner said the partnership has been great and their personalities have meshed well. When one is down, the other is ready to pick up the slack.

“I’m pleasantly surprised at how well it has all worked out,” he said.

“If you’ve ever spent time with Nat, he is probably the easiest guy to get along with,” Bechtel said.

“I have never seen two more amazing athletes who have found a way to achieve world-class training and racing and the desire to help others achieve their optimal performance,” said Shepley, their coach.

After an intensive training regimen throughout the winter and spring preceding this season, and the two races in America, Faulkner was excited to compete close to home in front of friends and family.

“It is pretty exciting to be coming back and doing so well,” said Faulkner.

The self-confessed competition junkie is expecting to turn pro next year, adding he doesn’t have time to stay amateur for too long.

He said he owes a lot of his current success to Bechtel, a top pro triathlete in his own right, who has been a mentor, encouraging and providing insight into a sport that he has been absent from for more than 15 years.

Bechtel was a competitive swimmer who was bored with the summer off-season, so he got into triathlon to stay active. He ended up starting at the age of 16 and turned pro three years later.

“It’s a big race for both of us,” Bechtel said, last week. “For Nat it’s (near) his hometown, and myself, it’s a big race in Ontario. It’s a good way to get out and race well in front of a lot of people.”

Bad days are inherent in life as it is in sport, and for them, they take it just as seriously as any nine-to-five job.

“Because it is all we do, it is our job. In the same way somebody gets up and goes to work even if they didn’t want to do it,” he said.

Faulkner loves the multi-discipline aspect of the sport. He believes it is the foundation for why the sport is so collegial in spirit, rather than competitive like other sports.

“The big thing is because there are three sports involved everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. They are able to respect and work together,” he said. “Cyclists I found are much more hostile . . . in California at the start line I’m getting ready to gouge their eyes out, fangs and claws. (In triathlon) they are like ‘Hey, good luck, have fun with the race’. . . I wasn’t ready for that.”

Faulkner said cycling is natural for him after logging tens of thousands of miles a year, but the running is the toughest part of the sport to get used to.

“I’ve pushed myself hard cycling, but I’ve never ran vomiting,” he said.

He added triathlon is far more demanding. While in cycling there are lulls, triathlon never lets up, forcing the competitor to stay near the threshold of pain.

Injuries come from the running and the mileage necessary to make improvements in both swimming and running, so overuse injuries are common.

Ever since Faulkner was a young child, he used to watch the Muskoka Triathlon and wish he was in the field. He was never quite old enough to compete and as life drew him into competitive cycling, he strayed from the sport of triathlon.

“I’ve always dreamed of doing those races. It’s probably the only race my parents will watch. I’ve got a lot of friends that are driving up to Huntsville from Bracebridge . . . I’m a competitive person and want to be the first amateur across the line,” Faulkner said last week.

Bechtel has participated in the Huntsville race for five years and holds a special place for the event and area. Last year he came third overall and won the sprint distance two years ago.

He really enjoys competing on home soil in Ontario for the partisan crowd and the amazing feeling of support extended to the event.

“It’s a nice feeling for a race. You actually feel welcome,” Bechtel said.

Huntsville has given great opportunities to Canadian triathletes to get their start in competing against an international field, like in 1992 when the World Championships were held here. Specifically, Whitfield had his first major race in Huntsville.

Born and raised in Bracebridge, Faulkner has always been an athlete.

He attended Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Secondary School and was always involved in some sport or other, whether it was the cross-country running or nordic skiing teams. With this brother, he even started the nordic ski team, winning OFSAA for two straight years.

At 13 he was the Canadian and U.S. national title-holder in triathlon, but left the sport four years later and entered cycling seriously and won the Canadian national title his first year. His proudest achievement in cycling, he said, is holding the record with his four-person team that achieved the quickest time for the Race Across America, otherwise known as the RAAM race.

Bechtel has dreams of making the Olympics. Although he fell short this year for Beijing, he earned a spot on the team as one of the alternates this summer. After this season he expects he will be doing whatever it takes to make the 2012 Olympics in London.

Unlike Faulkner who is using his savings and money earned from selling swag on E-Bay, Bechtel, the pro, is making ends meet with sponsorships and is currently a spokesperson for AstraZeneca, Kinetico and the Asthma Marathon Challenge (associated with the Ontario Lung Association). He also copes with asthma and relishes his role with the association where he gets to help encourage asthma sufferers in starting and participating in sports.

Although his junior by five years, Bechtel sums up the sport in one sentence: it’s a 24-hour-a-day job.

For all their work up to this point in the season, the two will be rewarded with applause in Muskoka.

*****

Both athletes performed well at the Muskoka Triathlon this weekend in Huntsville, taking second (for Bechtel) and fourth (for Faulkner). Faulkner finished as the top amateur, less than two minutes behind the third-place pro finisher and less than six minutes behind his friend.

I am not sure how you are supposed to reference these things… here’s it’s original source: http://www.muskoka-news.com/muskokanews/article/108168