“Run, Fat Boy, Run! Mike Leader jokes that the title of the new film describes him, however, while he may be a big boy, he can certainly hold his own, especially in the water.“Run, Fat Boy, Run! Mike Leader jokes that the title of the new film describes him, however, while he may be a big boy, he can certainly hold his own, especially in the water.
Hailing from Markham, the father, husband and banker enters his fifth season in triathlon, looking to defend his HSBC Triathlon Series Clydesdale under 40 title. One look at his race results and you will quickly realize that his strength is the swim and there is a good reason why.
“I have been swimming competitively since I was 10 years old, I was a provincially ranked age group swimmer and an undefeated swimmer in high school (not one loss at Scarborough Championships), Mike explains, “It’s the one leg that I can feel like I am on top of the game and it’s always fun to be a clyde (Clydesdale) coming out of the water with the top swimmers and ahead of most in my age group and wave.
Since the swim portion is a challenge to most, Mike offered a favourite workout of his that may be beneficial to those of use wanting to get faster.
“Kamikazes are always a fun way to mix it up from time to time. Not ideal for long course but fun to see how much free speed you might have. Basically, start with a 50 on a minute and then each rep you leave one second earlier. Go until you miss your split.
While Mike loves swimming, and his biking is getting faster (his goal this year is to average over 35 km/hr in a race), he openly admits to not having an extreme passion for the run.
“Let’s put it this way. I’m a clyde and I have to work hard to not be a clyde. Running and being over 200lbs is very difficult, Mike said.
Having completed two Ironman races in the past two years (Lake Placid in 2006, and Florida in 2007), he has decided to put that type of racing on the backburner for time being, seeking to further improve that dreaded run before making a return to longer distance racing.
“I need to get smaller to run faster so it is always a struggle since my weight is always an issue for me, I come from a family of big people and I don’t mean tall, Mike revealed. “I’ve decided this year, to focus on the short stuff, get faster, build a better base in running and then progress back to the long distance. It ill probably be a 3-4 year plan, but when I get back to Ironman, I want to be able to bring it on the run.
Putting in long and stressful hours at work, Mike treasures the time he spends with his wife and two young kids. To maximize that time, he juggles family life, work and training by doing much of his training at home indoors (bike trainer and treadmill) since there is less time spent on prepping equipment or traveling to workouts. This strong devotion to family also drifts over to his feelings on the HSBC Triathlon Series.
“I love the family feel to it. I basically race HSBC exclusively now, and I love the fact that I get to see the same people race in and race out. I’m also a big fan of the fact that although it is very competitive, it doesn’t feel overly competitive like some other races out there, said Mike.
With his drive to succeed, and his relatively rapid success in the sport, it will not be long before the self-description of “Run, Fat Boy, Run! turns into “Run, Fast Boy, Run!