Jeff Fairbanks just wanted to survive his first sprint triathlon.
About two years ago, he borrowed a bike from a friend and slipped into uncomfortable spandex gear. The 37-year-old chuckles when noting that he even brought his surfing wetsuit to the Clear Lake Triathlon in Skagit County.
Fairbanks — a former Redmond resident who recently moved with his family to Carnation — said he wasn’t a cyclist, swimmer or runner before tackling the event, but that all changed when he crossed the finish line. The man who felt like he didn’t fit in with his lack of triathlon experience and body emblazoned with tattoos made it unscathed the whole way and was ready for more.
“It totally hooked me,” Fairbanks said after finishing his swim workout on a recent afternoon at Gold’s Gym in Redmond. “None of the sports themselves were of interest, but when they got combined, it was something else. That challenge, that looking forward to different things (interested him).”
Just as important as finishing the event, Fairbanks said he felt welcomed by the triathlon community and was encouraged to push forth. He’s since completed about nine more sprint triathlons, two half triathlons and an Olympic-distance triathlon.
Competing in triathlons sparked an idea for Fairbanks to begin work on “The Triumph Project,” a documentary about the sport and the people who gut it out to get triathlon finishes under the their belts.
Fairbanks initially wanted to make a brief video about the triathlon scene, but as he spoke with more people at events, his aspirations grew and he felt a full-length documentary was in order. It’s been a year in the making and he hopes to have it finished by next November or December. The film will feature professional triathlete Rachel McBride; BMX star Dave Mirra, who also does triathlons; and Jack Toland, sprint- and Olympic-distance under-20 world champion triathlete. Fairbanks, who will also be in the film, has put $10,000 into the project.
“My perspective in this whole project has been kind of to be the ‘average Joe.’ I’m kind of showcasing the juggling of what I would call other responsibilities,” Fairbanks said of family, work, triathlons and being “The Triumph Project” creator. “I hope that I can help showcase all these different people’s pathways and kind of how they came into it and break down the exclusivity.”
Fairbanks wants people to challenge themselves and give triathlons a chance.
“I bet you could do more than you think you could. That to me was kind of what I felt transcended everything for me,” said Fairbanks, who trains four to five times a week for a total of about 10 hours, including swimming at Gold’s, running two- and four-mile sessions and cycling on a Wahoo Kickr, an indoor bike trainer.
“It’s changed my life. It’s made other situations in life not seem as daunting,” Fairbanks added. “For myself, I see progression. I felt like I’ve seen a positive impact to my physical being, and I think in my mental fortitude.”
However, there are times when Fairbanks feels things get a bit too cumbersome on the triathlon course. But then he digs down deep into his psyche and springs back to life.
“I feel like when those things come, those are some of your most building moments,” he said of the struggles. “I use those as a reflection to my daily stuff. I realize, ‘I can do this.’”
For more information, visit thetriumphproject.org.
There’s also a Kickstarter page at: tinyurl.com/nlyva5u
