Matthew Grabau, M25-29

tucson, arizona

Describe your athletic background. I played all of the typical team sports until I was twelve, when I started playing baseball year-round.  I played baseball competitively through high school. I also water-skied and wakeboarded as much as possible.  I finally started running as a sophomore in college and was hooked.  My first race ever was the Tucson Marathon (2001), and I have been hooked on distance running since.  I started triathlon training during the summer of 2007.  I had never ridden a road bike before, and my only structured swimming experience was for lifeguard training.  It has been a learning experience!

How long have you been competing in multi-sport races? My first race was a mock triathlon at the University of Arizona TriCats 2007 fall training camp.  My first “real” triathlon was the Tinfoilman Triathlon in October 2007.

What is your favorite product available at TriSports.com? I can narrow it down to two… I love my Zoot tri bag and my Hed Jet C2 wheels.

How did you get your start in Triathlons? I finally decided to join TriCats after talking about it for several years.  Bought a road bike, and haven’t looked back.

What is your favorite workout? Anything difficult that gives a sense of accomplishment (something like a Mount Lemmon climb), or an epic trail run when an hour run “accidentally” turns into a two hour run.

“When I’m not training/racing, I enjoy…” Hanging out with the family and friends, doing something outdoors: fishing, snowboarding, wakeboarding, hunting, and stuff like that.

If you could train for a week with one other triathlete who would it be and why? Anyone with a good, positive attitude, but who doesn’t take it too seriously. Several fellow TriCats and Trisports.com folks come to mind…

If you could do any triathlon in the World (regardless of monetary restrictions) which one would you do? A 70.3 event in a country I haven’t been to. A challenging distance, but not so difficult that you are spent for the days after.  That way I would have energy to see the sights and meet lots of locals.

Describe your biggest race disaster. The second time I did the Tucson Marathon, my wife and I caught one of the later buses to the start line. The bus driver got lost in Oracle and had to stop and ask a police officer for directions. We got to the start line about five minutes before the start, and the gun went off when I was in the porta-potty. It was a good day to have a timing chip!

Do you have a non-negotiable pre-race ritual? Oatmeal and good music…

What culinary indulgence do you allow yourself after a big race (that you don’t normally partake of)?  Nothing really.  I’m boring like that.

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.) Luckily nothing big.  I did lose a pair of Rudy Projects that I think I left sitting on top of my car. But they will probably turn up.  It has only been two years since I last saw them.

What is the worst job you’ve ever had? Research Technician for my Master’s.  Sampling and doing microbial analysis of biosolids (Google it ).

What adjective describes you best? Determined

Finally, do you have any advice for athletes new to multi-sport competition?  Go for it!

Race Results: Havasu Triathlon (Olympic) – 2:13:39, 16/316 OA, 11/87 collegiate; Tucson Triathlon (sprint) – 1:02:31, 10/315 OA, 1/24 AG; USAT Collegiate Nationals (Olympic) – 2:24:08, 18/57 Graduate, 123/422 collegiate; Spring Cross-Country Classic 5k – 00:19:45, 19/107 OA, 3/10 AG; Cinco de Mayo 10k, 5/3/09 – 0:41:23, 2/23 AG, 40/607 OA; Tempe International Triathlon 5/17/09 – 2:17:56, 21/540 OA, 4/35 AG; Sahuarita Triathlon 5/17/09 – 1:22:04, 17/306 OA, 2/15 AG; Vineman Ironman 70.3 7/19/09 – 4:58:29, 164/2286 OA, 28/142 AG