Hamilton’s Spencer Blackwood is growing up and developing into a fine young triathlete right before our eyes here at the HSBC Triathlon Series. A regular since 2005, he started with the Kids of Steel races, moved on to the GT 12.9 Series (winning the Series Championship in 2007), and this year stepped up to the sprint distance.
“I completed my first sprint distance triathlon this year at Lakeside and can't wait to do even longer distances. I would like to improve on my running times. After this year especially, now that I am at an older age level.
The Hamilton Hammerhead athlete trains a maximum of 10.5 hours per week but there is a lot of flexibility in his program to deal with everyday life activities of a normal teenager.
“My training schedule is made so that it will affect my other schedules (school, homework, free time) the least. If I need to miss a certain practice during a week, I would confirm it with my coaches, then make up for it later by doing a solo practice.
Spencer’s success in the sport can be attributed to his training with the Hammerheads, his passion for going fast, along with his vast sports background, one that saw him take home Athlete of the Year honours in grade 8 and 10.
“I played house league soccer, baseball, basketball, and karate. Throughout middle school, and now high school, I participated in basketball, baseball, volleyball, orienteering, football, indoor & outdoor track, cross-country, swim team, and water polo.
He started doing triathlons because his sister joined the Hammerheads. One year after she started, Spencer joined the team and now cannot imagine not being part of the team. Current coach Kevin Mackinnon (former pro triathlete, writer and race announcer extraordinaire) has a lot to do with that since he is a person that Spencer admires.
“His great experience, achievements and stories encourage me to be a greater person in life and in racing, said Spencer.
Spencer likes racing for sake of completion and not for competition, taking the opportunity to cheer on and encourage other athletes on the race course. He especially loves racing in the HSBC Series due to its race day organization, its friendly and welcoming atmosphere, and likes all of the different races that it offers.
“My favourite races are Lakeside because the lake is always the warmest, Toronto Island because it is the flattest, and Bala Falls because the hills are a great challenge.
The will to win cannot be achieved without the will to practice and the heart to go along with it. This is a statement that Spencer believes in, and there is no doubt that as he continues to love the sport and work hard, that we will see more bright moments from Spencer in the future.