LON
ONNELL SAVED’S LIFE (POSSIBLY) EB: But you were still on the swim team.
TO: I didn’t race tris much my freshman year. Sopho- more year I did a couple of races. I couldn’t tell my swim team coach I was doing triathlon. One time I had to go to a tri in Tennessee, but I also had to go to swim practice on Saturday. So I practiced, flew to Tennes- see, did the race on Sunday, flew back on Sunday night and was at practice on Monday morning. I went to USA Triathlon Collegiate Nationals that year and that’s when I decided I wanted to do triathlon. Nationals were at Wildflower, and it was a cool experience. At the start of my junior year, I decided to focus on tri, but I stayed on the swim team as a manager just so I could get out of drill practice.
EB: At what point did you start thinking about the Olympics?
TO: The Olympics were always there. As a swimmer, that’s all there was; you want to go to the Olym- pics. So coming into triathlon, being a swimmer, I was like yeah, I want to go the Olympics. For me, I knew in the back of my mind that I’m better in long course triathlon than ITU races. But I wanted to give the Olympics a shot and chase that dream for a little bit.
EB: After the 2008 Olympic Trials, where you placed sixth, did you immediately decide you’d do long course, or did you want to try for the next Olympics?
TO: I sat on the fence for a long time. In 2009, I started doing a lot more half-Ironmans, but I still did some ITU races. I was second at [USA Triathlon Elite] Nationals in ’09, so here I am, loving long course, but I’m running well, and I’m competitive for an Olympic spot. So I kept dabbling in both, then in 2010, same thing. I was second again, so I was still on the fence. What changed my mind was going to Kona.
EB: What about Kona? TO: Rinny [Ironman World Champion Mirinda Carfrae, now
O’Donnell’s wife] and I had just started dating, and I went to Kona to watch her race. I watched her win in 2010 and it was really an unbe- lievable experience. It made me realize that this is what I want to do. If I did one thing, I decided I wanted to win Hawaii. I felt like it was a goal I am capable of achieving, but I’d have to focus my efforts
and step away from short-course racing.
EB: I read you have a master’s in Naval Architecture and in Ocean Engineering. If you weren’t a Kona contender, would you be building ships?
TO: I would not get in a Tim O’Donnell-designed sea vessel at this point. I don’t know if I’d call it sea-worthy.
EB: How about exploding things? TO: My career path was in explosive ordinance
disposal. I picked that out at the Academy before I really realized my potential in triathlon. I did my dive training but didn’t do the more in-depth explosives training because at that point, I was accepted into the Navy’s World Class Athlete Program. My family considers me a klutz, so they were super worried about me handling bombs and IEDs and stuff.
EB: I’m writing down that triathlon saved your life. Let’s close with a corporate interview question: Where do you see yourself in five years?
TO: In five years, I’ll be 38. Hope- fully, I’ll be talking about my experiences winning in Kona.
All right, talk to you then.
Paul Phillips/Competitive Image
USATRIATHLON.ORG USA TRIATHLON 43
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