It’s easy for football to steal the spotlight when it comes to fall sports, but Northwestern’s Triathalon team also features some amazing athletes. This past weekend, they had an incredible meet where team member Jason Riddell took home a first place finish. Beyond his insane stamina, what makes Jason such a great athlete is his dedication to the team. His love for the sport and his fellow triathletes will warm your heart and may even inspire you to take on the challenge yourself!
Name: Jason Riddell
Year: Senior
Major: MMSS
Hometown: Warren, New Jersey
How did you become interested in triathlon?
I was a swimmer and soccer player in high school and I wanted to try something different. Triathlon seemed really cool and unique so I thought I would give it a shot. And then I stayed around because of the incredible people on the team.
What does it feel like to compete?
Competition is always something I look for because I love to adrenaline rush. Since it is an individual sport mostly and it is a long race (over 2 hours long), it has a much different feel than a game or a swim meet, but the adrenaline is still there. This weekend, we were down in Purdue, and if the men’s team won the race, we were going to win the conference for the season, otherwise we would get third so it was pretty high stakes. In the end, crazy enough, it actually came down to a 100 meter sprint to the finish between this kid from U of I and me. Whoever won, his team would win the race and I out sprinted him and NU Tri won. Now that type of finish and competition like that does not always happen, but when it does, all of that excitement and adrenaline is really apparent.
Triathlon takes a ton of endurance. How do you stay in shape outside of practice?
To stay in shape outside of tri, I do a bunch of different things. Usually it isn’t too serious. I’ll play soccer and go kick a ball around for an hour or so with some friends, I’ll lift with some buddies, or I’ll play IM sports. When I’m not training for something, I am much more laid back about working out and use it more as a social time and I have fun with the time by doing things with friends.
What else are you involved in on Campus?
Outside of tri, I am also in Sigma Chi, and have been since freshman year. I am an NU Tutor and was a part of ISBE up until this past year. I’ve been in a bunch of different organizations throughout my time here, but triathlon is really where I found my home