Jimmy O’Donnell

riverton, new jersey

What is your favorite product available at TriSports.com? My favorite thing has to be the tons of bike components. Whenever i get money from something or somewhere I head straight to the computer and get the newest little gadget or accessory available.

How did you get your start in Triathlons? I’ve been a runner all my life due to my dad, who has ran since he was little also. After the road races we did started getting boring we decieded to venture into the TRI scene. So we both bought bikes and signed up for a Total Immersion tri camp in vermont. We went into that week long camp not able to swim a lap or bike around block. We came out of there with the skills and knowledge to compete in a local sprint triathlon on the last day!

What is your favorite workout? There’s something that my family and I like to do called an "extreme run" Basicly when ever there is "extreme" weather we go out and seek the craziest things to do. We've done things such as swim/run through the ponds at the local golf course and jumped off a dock into the Deleware river at 12:00 at night when its 45 degrees out and pouring.

"When I'm not training/racing, I enjoy…" searching for the next adventure and hanging out with friends/family.

If you could train for a week with one other triathlete who would it be and why? I would love to train with Lance Armstrong! This is because im actually in a pretty similar situation with my racing as he was when he was my age. I would love to hear his advice on how he balanced being a kid and also being a hardcore athlete.

If you could have one superhero power what would it be? I would love to be able to breath under water. There’s so many cool things to explore underwater and I think it would be awesome to experience it with out special equipment.

Describe your biggest race disaster.  It was the first race of the year last year. I had been well trained and was super psyched up for this race. As we waded out to the start line and I looked down into the water it was pitch black. It really freaked me out and I had to get kayaked back to shore. My big mistake was not doing any open water swim training. I ended up doing the bike and run but made sure to tell the directors to DQ me.

Do you have a non-negotiable pre-race ritual? Yes, before a race I make sure to get into a really happy mood. I talk with everybody there that morning. If I’m at all nervous this really calms me down.

What culinary indulgence do you allow yourself after a big race (that you don't normally partake of)? After just about every ride home from a race I keep my eyes opened for a place to get a nice big juicy cheeseburger!

Have you ever accidentally destroyed a very expensive piece of gear? (For example, have you driven into the garage with a bike on the roof, run over race wheels, etc.) During one race I snapped a carbon bottle cage in half when I missed it with the water bottle. It wasn’t to expensive to replace but for the whole bike leg it made the loudest, most annoying noise you could imagine. Nobody tried drafting off me that race, haha.

What adjectives describe you best? Energetic and motivated!

Finally, do you have any advice for athletes new to multi-sport competition? When you are both training for a race, or you’re at a race, and you don’t understand something, make sure to ask someone. Triathletes are very friendly people who would be overjoyed to give you a hand with stuff like setting up your transitions area and many other things that will help your race be fun and go smoothly.