Spotted— Helen Huber, a first-year tri-athlete in the Beginning Triathlon class, walking through McElvaney’s halls in padded bike shorts. The cycling gear is not a fashion statement. They’re practical and nothing out of the ordinary for Huber, who returns home to two professional cyclists in Louisville, Ky.
Huber’s most recent Wellness choice thrills her mom and step-dad, Tracy and Curtis Tolson, the latter of whom is also a triathlon coach. “They’re obsessed with it,” she said. She expects a call from her mom after every group workout curious for details.
But Huber credited her own ambition as the factor motivating her enrollment in the class—not her parents’ enthusiasm. “I always thought it would be something that would be awesome to accomplish and I think I can do the little sprint one,” she said with a self-assured smile.
Her practices support her vision.
Without any competitive swimming experience, Huber reported that she finished a timed 100-meter swim on Tuesday in 1:40. That puts her in the first wave of times—just 20 seconds behind the class’s fastest time.
Scott Faulkner, a sophomore training in a neighboring lane, observed Huber’s speed. “She’s one of the fastest people in her lane it seems like,” he said.
Huber appreciates the scheduled workouts and already noticed physical improvements.
As a longtime athlete, she recognizes the value of coached training.
Huber has played lacrosse for eight years—so long that she had to tally on her fingers—and even plays for SMU. And the cross training benefits her on the field.
“When we run I kick their butts,” she said.
Having a pair like the Tolsons in her corner has its benefits.
Huber’s parents encouraged her to workout over winter break in their basement training room.
She mounted her road bike in the ‘trainer’ making it stationary and pedaled through half-hour workouts.
Her parents lead the pack with the latest cycling technology and equipped her with the right gear.
“I think it’s hilarious that I have all this stuff and like a $5,000 bike, and I’m a complete ‘noob’,” Huber laughed.
Huber’s familiarity with triathlons also gives her a head start.
Faulkner recognizes it.
“Clearly she has some kind of aptitude for athleticism,” he said.
But her experience with her mom’s two cycling crashes may also create some obstacles.
Huber says the crashes scare her, and she struggles to understand what gets her mom back on the road.
Regardless, the swim is what makes Huber the most anxious.
She’s worried she may “get really tired and just drown or something,” she said.
Although Huber may not be the next Olympic swimmer or appease her mom’s “secret plan” to gain a cycling teammate, she will—as Coach David Bertrand assures his tri-athletes—make it across the finish line and enjoy the experience.
