Meet our November Athlete Spotlight, Brad Bellamy! Formerly a motocross athlete, then a runner, Brad has turned his focus to triathlon in the past decade. He is still a family man first and gets on the bike before the sun or the kids wake up. We are inspired by Brad and happy to have him as part of the Team Paragon squad!
Age: 40 Occupation: Territory Sales Representative for Atlas Roofing Corporation How long have you been swimming, cycling, running, and/or doing triathlons?
I started running "casually" about 20 years ago and got into triathlon about 11 years ago due to some peer pressure from a friend. With no swim and bike training, I did the Dam 09 triathlon - ate twice the amount of oatmeal a normal person should eat before, rode a borrowed bike with NO CHAMOIS and may or may not have walked most of the swim. My friend Joe and I finished 13th and 14th out of 15 in our AG. We thought we just finished an Ironman and quickly went to Magnolia Pancake Haus to stuff our faces. Pretty standard race execution for a first timer. What aspects of triathlon do you enjoy most?
I love the positive vibe that comes from everyone in triathlon. It's a very encouraging sport... addicting too. Also, growing up in a lot of competitive sports and racing motocross for 10+ years, it was nice to get into a sport where the competition is more within yourself. Motocross is such a competitive sport and you have to be ON every time you throw your leg over a bike. Triathlon allowed me to focus more on the experience of sport rather than the results. If you don't enjoy the process then the results are meaningless. Triathlon gave me balance. What has been your favorite training or racing event, and why?
I have a few favorites. Running the Alamo 13.1 in 2013 with my wife Emily was awesome! It was her first half marathon and doing it together was pretty special. Austin 70.3 2012 was a fun race too. Tony Forinash and I finished the last 15-20 miles of the bike together then ran side by side for the run. Finishing with the exact same time. Those first Ironman finish line feels were pretty special too. What is your favorite post-workout or race meal?
A big greasy burger has become the standard post race meal... with a finely crafted frosty beverage. Most of my workouts are in the morning, so post-workout meals are typically oatmeal with peanut butter, raisins, banana, honey and some pumpkin seeds. Or, I eat whatever leftover biscuits or muffins my kids don't eat.
What is one recent accomplishment you are proud of?
With no races on the calendar, I wanted to do what was most fun. Which is the bike for me. I cut out swimming for most of this year as it just became more of a chore to do it. Running went into more of a maintenance mode. Strength training, core and flexibility increased along with a ton more saddle time. I have become a much stronger athlete overall and my output on the bike has increased tremendously. Proud of that and ready to throw some watts at a bike course! Career-wise, 2020 has been a very successful year. I am always proud of the growth my distributors and contractors have when utilizing the value and resources we provide to be successful. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Professional Athlete! Get paid to do the sport you love? What's better than that? I guess you can say I am what I want to be, sort of. I just don't get paid for it and drop the professional part. Ha! What is something no one knows about you?
I'm ordained! If you need someone to read you your vows and maintain Z3 wattage on the bike at the same time, I'm your guy.