Self-discovery leads
Mike Coughlin to broaden his horizon
2005-11-08
by Randy Pascal
Sudburysports.com
People participate in sports for a whole
variety of different reasons. But it’s a pretty safe bet
that “self-discovery” will not likely often top that
list. Yet, that is precisely what thirty-two year old Mike Coughlin
has uncovered as he’s worked his way from using some basic
triathlon training as a way to stay in shape to recently undertaking
a journey that is sure to see him touched by the sport in a way
that will last a lifetime.
Over the weekend, Coughlin boarded an airplane
in Toronto, destination San Diego. It’s the first of a handful
of stops that will culminate with an eight-day training regimen
at the Epic Camp in New Zealand in January. With a motto that
reads “There’s no easy way!”, rest assured this
program is not for the faint of heart.
Along with daily run and swim training,
the camp includes cycling from Christchurch to the top of New
Zealand’s South Island and back, a route that will cover
more than 1500 kilometres. The camp website pulls no punches in
describing the service they provide as “an early season,
volume-oriented training camp for athletes serious about their
commitment to athletic excellence.”
With a coaching staff that includes World
Champion triathlete Scott Molina and winner of the 2002 Hawaii
Ultraman Gordo Byrn, Epic Camp will provide Coughlin with the
opportunity to train side by side with some of the world’s
top triathletes. So exactly how does the Markham native who, by
his own admission, was “an active kid but not an athlete”,
end up rubbing shoulders with icons of the sport half a globe
away?
His start in the sport dates back to hitting
the mid-20s age range when a good portion of the population feels
the need to undertake some sort of activity to recapture the athleticism
of their fleeting youth. I’m pretty sure even I went through
a similar five-minute experience at some point.
Coughlin recalls joining a group led by
current OCAA cross-country champion Amanda Kosmerly who at the
time was working at the YMCA. Within six months time, Coughlin
surprised even himself by competing in a sprint distance triathlon,
accomplishing this without any sport-specific background in any
of the three triathlon disciplines.
“The training took me from just working
out to realizing that it was possible for me to accomplish things
I never thought possible” explains Coughlin. In fact, he
points to his recollection of covering the full length of a pool
without taking a breath as being a formidable hurdle for a non-swimmer.
Moving along in his training, Coughlin
credits a form of “divine intervention” as providing
the impetus for his next leap forward as a triathlete. “I
remember when I first noticed that the Ironman Canada (held annually
in Penticton, B.C.) fell on the day of my 30th birthday in 2003…I
decided to complete the Ironman as a birthday gift to myself”
says Coughlin.
With previous experience at anything ranging
from sprint triathlon distances to the Olympic standards, the
move to an ironman involved a quantum step forward in terms of
the distances to be covered. And it was the ironman specific training
that provided Coughlin with his first glimpse of self-discovery.
“The process of training for an Ironman
provided a perspective of what the sport meant to me…I’ve
learned so much about myself, how I previously imposed restrictions
in what I could physically accomplish that had no basis in fact”
admits Coughlin.
Coming off the Lake Placid Ironman this
past summer in which the medical physics technician experienced
sufficient challenges to comprise the subject of a completely
separate article entirely, Coughlin notes that the Epic Camp came
about more from “circumstances that brought opportunity”,
again in his own words.
The decision to take a five-month leave
of absence from his work at the Northeastern Ontario Regional
Cancer Centre came as a result of some fortuitious timing, acknowledges
Coughlin. Looking to visit a friend in the San Diego area more
as a stopover for the lengthy flight to New Zealand, Coughlin
is now spending a full day at the Allied Aerospace Low Speed Wind
Tunnel.
The specially designed facility, a tandem
project between Allied Aerospace and multisports.com, houses an
“innovative testing protocol designed to give triathletes
the opportunity to optimize their cycling position and walk away
from the test knowing they have achieved the best possible position
on their bike.”
Coughlin explains that the San Diego area
is actually the birthplace of triathlons dating back to the mid
to late seventies as he looks to immerse himself in the culture
for his week-long stay. From Southern California, it’s off
to Hawaii where the aspiring triathlon coach was planning on simply
covering portions of the Hawaii Ironman course.
But as luck would have it, the timing of
his visit coincides with the running of the Hawaii Ultraman, a
competition that raises the bar on ultra-endurance athletics.
From November 25th to 27th, participants will cover a gruelling
schedule as follows: Day 1 – 10 km ocean swim followed by
a 145 km cross-country bike ride that climbs 6,000 feet; Day 2
– 276 km bike ride with vertical climb of a further 4,000
feet; Day 3 – double marathon, covering 84 kms.
No, Coughlin is not yet insane enough to
tackle this ordeal. But he has managed to hook-up with an athlete
from England who will be taking part in the three-day event and
Coughlin will form part of the support team, an opportunity that
will allow him to observe at close range the physical and mental
strain that this type of event presents.
On December 1st, Coughlin lands in Christchurch,
looking to prepare for the Epic Camp which kicks off on January
8th. He is the first to acknowledge that the program he is attempting
to conquer is not designed to optimize triathlon performances,
but rather provides the opportunity to “learn skills and
confidence and mental strength that comes from putting yourself
in an element of discomfort.” Not exactly the type of “beach
retreat” that so many Canadians heading south in January
enjoy every year. Of course, Mike Coughlin is not exactly your
“ordinary Canadian.”
(See
Mike's Tri Adventure
at bottom)
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