40 | AustrAliAn triAthlete
Tim Reed
a self-confessed ‘overthinker’, it is a case
of monitoring his analysis and practising it
in training and minor racing so that major
races become rudimentary simple, and
easier to execute without distraction.
‘Like most things, I’ve ‘overthought’
about this a lot. I think you tend to find
‘over thinkers’ and ‘under thinkers’ at
the top of the sport, and not much in
between. Both need a very healthy dose
of talent, however, I think ‘over thinkers’
tend to find their way to the top of the
sport over a more gradual and
undulating progression of learning from
what doesn’t work and making changesafter Artie, while I trained through the
day on the days Monica worked. There is
no doubt in my mind that my bond with
Artie is not the same as Oscar, which
makes me quite sad. I’m a distant
second preference to Mum because of
the time I spent away, training and
racing, and because of nanny time.
The triathlon results have been very
pleasing over those years, but it
certainly doesn’t come without a cost
for both Monica and the kids.’
Tim’s reflective angles on many
subjects are remarkable, his emotional
intelligence is apparent. As a reluctant
sports hero himself, with children
immersed in his career and racing, what is
his stance on his own kin’s involvement in
sport? How does he encourage and
support, without pushing and glamorising
a life in sport?
‘Monica and I are very cognisant that
my life in high-performance sport could
lead to Oscar, in particular, who is very
competitive (Artie not so much)
thinking that winning is everything.
We’re big on drilling in that what makes
us proud is not the outcome but his
effort. I also make sure that any
inter-father/son contests we have,
I never let him taste the sweet nectar
of victory. He is getting quite used to
losing thanks to me, which will prepare
him well for the cruel world beyond
our backyard.’
I like ‘thinkers’ in sport and many,
particularly in endurance sport, are highly
intelligent, rare is it for a ‘jock’ to win at
Ironman. With the ability to think, comes a
tendency to over-complicate the simple
act of physicality that sport is. For Tim,I think you tend to find ‘over thinkers’
and ‘under thinkers’ at the top of the sport,
and not much in between.Both need a very
healthy dose of talent, however.
— Tim ReedFUN TIME: It’s not all about endless laps in the pool. Tim enjoying time in the pool with Oscar.