Fishers couple will represent the U.S. in international triathlon in Canada
By Ann Craig-Cinnamon
By a show of hands, how many of you could swim a mile? How about bike 25 miles? Okay, how many of you could run 6.2 miles? No sweat, you say? Here’s the real question: How many of you could do all three in a row? Well, there are at least three Fishers residents who can.
Swimming 1500 meters, then biking 40 kilometers and finishing up with a 10 kilometer run is a triathlon. It’s akin to an Iron Man competition, only with shorter sprints. Ellie and Jeremy Lindauer and Frank Troiano, all Fishers residents, are so good at it that they will be representing the United States at the International Triathlon Union’s event in Canada on Sept. 1.
The Lindauers, who have been married for six years, met while on the swim team at the University of Indianapolis. Jeremy, a Fishers police officer and member of the Fishers Police Dive Team has been competing for six years and Ellie for four, after taking a year or so off to have the couple’s 2-year-old daughter.
“We both swam in college. I swam my whole life. But then once college ended, swimming ended and it was like you still have that competitiveness in you. So we got into some local running races and then he decided to do a full iron man distance race and signed up and from then on we’ve been hooked on the triathlons,” Ellie says.
They participate in five or six triathlon events every year and last year both qualified at the USA National Triathlon in Milwaukee for the international event, which will be their first time competing on a world stage.
It’s no small feat qualifying either. It’s an endurance event and Jeremy says the hardest part of the race is the transitioning between sports.
“You get the biggest disparity on the run because that’s when everybody feels the pain from the bike. So the run is actually the critical element. That’s where the race is won or lost. You can’t win on the swim and bike. You can if you have a solid run to back it up. You can’t just go swim and bike and then jog through the run and expect to win. There’s always somebody who can run really fast off the bike,” says Jeremy who hasn’t lost a local sprint race in two years.
Both Ellie and Jeremy have been ranked “All American” for the last couple of years. The designation means they are in the top 10 percent of their age group nationally.
They try to train everyday and doing it together allows them to hold each other accountable.
“We definitely feed off of each other. If she stopped, it would take a lot of the fun out of it. It’s a lot of fun to have her there racing too. It’s always fun when we can win a race together so we’re both on the podium,” Jeremy says.
The first time they did an iron man competition together though, she almost beat him.
“I didn’t want to live the rest of my life having to say that my wife beat me so I had to turn on the jets. I had about another 10 kilometers to run but I ended up beating her. So I pulled it off,” says Jeremy. Ellie adds, “I had him running scared.”
The Lindauers say that the Indianapolis area is surprisingly strong in the triathlon world with lots of races to choose from and lots of great competitors. Fishers, they say, is a great place to train.
“With all the paths that you have as far as running goes, there’s so many areas with these long paths that make it easy. Now on 126th Street there are sidewalks the whole way which makes it extremely nice. And cycling now with all the signs up to make cars aware; that’s been huge. I feel that people are becoming more aware. The roads around here are good but the downfall to Fishers is not many hills. When we go to Edmonton, there’s going to be hills on the course so you have to work your training around that,” says Ellie.
They run for the Team Heroes Foundation which is an organization that raises money to help families that are going through cancer.
Frank Troiano is a physician who started competing in triathlons at the age of 46 because of knee injuries from tennis and high school football.
“I started surfing at age 10 and it is still my favorite sport at age 60,” Troiano says. “I am a lifelong athlete. I enjoy social sport as many lessons there apply to all aspects of life.
I am competitive but it really is about reaching one’s potential more than winning – although that is icing. I have won and finished last: It is all fun. Team USA means much to me.”
There will be 4000 athletes from as many as 50 countries competing at the International Triathlon in Canada. Three of them will be representing Fishers as well as the USA.
“America has so much depth in amateur sports. We meet so many fine people. It enriches my and their life. You feel good physically and mentally/socially,” says Troiano.
