BENTONVILLE -- Kyla Templeton always considered herself to be active, but not really competitive. At least not until this triathlon season.
Templeton finished the season by placing first in the women's 30 to 34 age group and the fourth woman overall at the International Triathlon Union's World Championships in Chicago, which was held Sept. 15 to 19. She competed in an age group division, but the elite divisions included professional athletes seeking Olympic qualification.
Tips for Training
Triathlete, wife and mother of two, Kyla Templeton, shares a couple tips about training.
• Find a buddy to work out with, especially if it’s an activity you know you should do but don’t want to do. For her, it’s weight lifting.
• Find time gaps and fit workouts into them. For example, go for a run while your children are at sports practice. “You find time for things that are a priority,” Templeton said.
Source: Staff Report
The International Triathlon Union is the international governing body of the sport. It brings the world's fastest athletes together to compete in standard and sprint distances.
Templeton competed against 1,400 others in the sprint triathlon, which was composed of a 750 meter swim in chilly Lake Michigan, a 20 kilometer bike ride and a 5 kilometer run. Her overall time was one hour, 12 minutes and 29 seconds.
It was her fourth triathlon this year. She won the other three and was pleased with her performance in Chicago.
"I'm really proud for what I accomplished," Templeton said. "My training was all targeted for Chicago. The other races were training for Chicago, and I couldn't have done anything that I've done without Alan (Ley)."
Ley is the former director of Bike Bentonville, the current director of Arkansas' chapter of the Interscholastic Cycling League. He is a Level 2 International Triathlon Union coach and a Level 4 facilitator, which are the highest ITU certifications recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
It was Ley who encouraged Templeton to compete in Chicago competition and helped her train.
Ley has seen Templeton's confidence grow over the few years he's known her, he said.
"I sort of saw that in her even though she said she wasn't interested in being too competitive," he said. "I could sense there was more there than what she was always saying."
Templeton said she doesn't like passing people because it may discourage them. They've trained and are competing hard, too, she said.
The trophy she won in Chicago has been added to the other three she's claimed this season.
"I think I cannot deny at this point that I'm competitive," she said with a laugh and slight lack of conviction.
Templeton signed up for the Chicago race in December, the earliest she's ever signed up before. She wanted to compete and to watch the best triathletes in the world compete.
"It was just awesome," she said. "It's fun to see them compete like that and know how much work goes into that."
Templeton works her training around her two boys, who will turn 2 and 4 in December, and her volunteer work with Girls Bike Bentonville, which she organizes. She's also assisting Ley with the Arkansas chapter of the Interscholastic Cycling League. Her husband works at Walmart.
Time management juggling family obligations and training was one of the challenges Ley worked with Templeton on, he said. She couldn't have any "junk miles" while training. Every mile, whether swimming, biking or running, had to be focused, Ley said.
"The intensity had to be elevated in many workouts," he said. "She really had to make the time she spent training count because she didn't have a lot of time."
Templeton trains for sprint triathlons as her responsibilities keep her from training for longer distances. The standard, or Olympic, distance is double that of a sprint event. A standard triathlon includes a 1.5 kilometer swim, a 40 kilometer bike ride and a 10 kilometer run.
She'll run pushing a double stroller carrying her boys, alternating 90 seconds of hard running and 60 seconds of easy running, she said. She bikes solo but will sometimes use an indoor trainer to bike at home after her sons have gone to bed.
Templeton said she trains between six and eight hours weekly. Most days will included two workouts if she's training for a race.
Success will look different to different people, Ley said. Just getting in the water and starting a triathlon may mean winning for some, while others would consider race completion a success and others race to win.
It's important to remember that the bottom line is to be active, feel good and have a good time, Ley said.
Sports on 10/06/2015