By Miguel Feuermann
Sports run in our family.
Although many comment from the sidelines and think we are absolutely crazy because of what we do, we think ours is a super healthy dose of life!
With the kind of sports we do — gymnastics, swimming, triathlon, cycling, running, football and more — you can imagine what our home looks like. Water bottles everywhere, stretching aids, bosu balls, swiss balls, kettle bells, elastic bands, bikes, goggles, cycling shoes, helmets, wheels, sunscreen, nutritional supplements, running shoes (they line our floor everywhere: Nike, Saucony, Newton, Brooks, Hoka Hoka One…we are like the United Nations of running shoes!) Our washing machine operates on overtime 24/7 to keep up with the demands of our daily lives. Alone we couldn’t do it. We have a team for: logistics, nutrition/chef, talent manager (wife/mother), physio therapist, Masseur, Ironman training coach (online from Vancouver). Together, they make our lives much easier.
All this started approximately 8 years ago and has since become an addiction and part of our daily routine. Luckily, it is an addiction worth keeping.
As in most families, kids can pick up their parents’ habits. In our humble abode, it was no different. Ariel, who is turning 11 this year, took on the best habits of both mother and father.
A daredevil on her own, swimming became her sport from an early age. People recognized her ability and dolphin style…we couldn’t get her out of the water. We then introduced her to competition and she never looked back!
Our motto is to enjoy what you do to the fullest.
Results will come on their own. Apply yourself 100% in everything that you do. Results speak louder than words. Winning is the outcome of a well-executed training plan.
As a father who eats, breathes and sleeps the endurance sport of triathlon, I mentor Ariel whenever possible on the rigors of hard work, and the commitment and determination required to compete at a high level. Seeing her athletic development, her mental strength, and her confidence gives me tremendous satisfaction and provides me with a certain level of reassurance that we, as a TEAM, have chosen the correct path.
The endless early mornings, late nights, and long training sessions feel like nothing, especially when you are able to spend part of it together with your children.
As a dad, it means so much that I can celebrate how far we have come, how strong and united we are. And I hope that this is only the beginning of an awesome journey to last a lifetime.
Chat with Miguel about endurance racing, juggling training with a career and family
— and even kids’ triathlons! —
on social now!