Chris Hess

TriDot Ambassador

Race Distances

Sprint, Olympic

Performance Level

Beginner

I feel like triathlon has slowly been pulling me in over the last few years. I started off running a few obstacle course races, but those events are more for fun and lacked the competitive aspect (mostly against myself) that I really wanted. Triathlon obviously never lacks on that front. I signed up last year for my first sprint triathlon and loved it - struggled through the swim with very little training and bought a road bike days before the race. I was hooked and now would probably say that the run is possibly my weakest aspect even though I have the most experience there. This year I plan to do a couple of Olympics, a sprint, another half marathon and might sprinkle some other races in there as they come up. From there, who knows, but I am hooked!

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.