It’s been fewer than three years since Sophia Howell swapped her soccer cleats for running shoes, cycling spikes and a swimsuit, and the 16-year-old is loving life as a competitive triathlete.
“It’s a really motivating sport,” the Airdronian said. “I like the fitness aspect of it, obviously, and the determination it requires.”
Howell, who will enter Grade 12 at Edge School in the fall, said she was always curious about triathlon and decided to give it a shot in 2017.
“I’ve always ran, and my mom’s friend, who was also training for triathlon, got me interested in the sport,” she said. “I decided to try it out to see if I liked it.”
After immediately taking to the three-discipline sport, Howell said, she decided to quit competitive club soccer and focus on triathlon.
She is currently a member of the Kronos Triathlon Club in Calgary where she trains under Lisa Mensink, who competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Mensink said Howell’s progression in the sport has been steady.
“When she came to the club, she didn’t have a swimming background, so we’ve been working on her swim strokes,” she said. “But she’s a natural in the water, which makes coaching a lot easier.”
According to Mensink, Howell’s soccer background made the other two disciplines a natural fit.
“She’s confident on the bike, and she came in really good technically,” she said. “It’s just been more about getting some miles on the road, and some of the tactics, to get her strong on the cycling part.
“Running, we’ve just been working a bit on her form and it’s slowly coming along.”
As a junior athlete (ages 16 to 19), Howell competes in sprint races, meaning she’ll swim for 750 metres, bike for 22 kilometres and run five kilometres.
Her performances this season have garnered her plenty of hardware – she picked up a silver medal May 11 at the Drayton Valley Super Sprint and followed it up June 8 with a first-place finish at the Lethbridge Sprint Distance race.
Howell also topped the podium June 23 at the Calgary Kids of Steel Super Sprint, qualifying her for this year’s Western Canada Summer Games. She said she’s looking forward to representing Alberta at the multi-sport event, Aug. 11 to 18 in Swift Current, Sask.
“I’ve been used to racing and pushing myself against the next level of athletes who are elite/pro,” she said. “In the Western Games, going into it, I’m probably one of the top contenders, so [I want to see] how I can transfer that into my race.”
To prepare for the games, Howell said, she will maintain her strict training regimen with Kronos. The club’s athletes train two or three times a day, she noted, for a total of three to five hours per day.
“We see each other every morning and every night, so we’re really close and we’re always motivating each other,” she said.
Alongside her junior competitions, Howell races in the National CAMTRI Series, an elite international triathlon series. Racing against older athletes, she finished 19th in Montreal, Que., June 29, and 13th in Kelowna, B.C., July 7. Her time in Kelowna was the second-fastest for female junior athletes from Canada.
“Last year, we had some big [lessons],” Mensink said. “We had to clean up some transitions and a few mistakes. This year, she’s been able to show how far she’s come and place well.
“She’s a very committed and driven young athlete, and has great potential in the sport. I’m excited to see how the next few years go for her.”
Howell said her long-term goals are to compete at the Olympics and race in an Ironman triathlon.
