Hi Eric, first of all, congrats on your win at Escape Alcatraz. How does it feel to win this iconic race?
Absolutely amazing. It’s still sinking in honestly. It’s been on my list of races I’d like to win for a while, I just didn’t think it would happen this soon.
You won in an epic sprint against Andy Potts. For how long were you running with him and who made the first move?
We ran together the entire time. He dropped me with 3 miles to go, then I brought him back with 2 miles to go and we ended up sprinting it out at the end!
Do you consider yourself as a good sprinter or you are more a “diesel” type of guy? The fact that the finish was on grass must have made it a lot harder to sprint?
I would say I can do a bit of both. I’m pretty strong at « half iron pace » and have a decent sprint. It’s the 10k sustained top speed that I’ve been having to work on. The grass was pretty rough, I was jealous of Andy’s long legs.
You had a really great start of the season and you seem to have really improved your run? Did you put more emphasis on running during the off-season or it’s simply the results of many years of constant work?
Thanks! It is the result of two years of work with Paulo to lay the foundation and then a long stretch of staying injury free. I’ve also lowered the stress in my life a lot and gotten back to having fun with triathlon. Low stress=good recovery.
Even though you are one of the many USA triathletes that could compete in Rio 2016, you are also competing in non-drafting raced? Could you explain your decision?
I decided to go this route before my run starting picking up. I got pretty fed up with chasing ITU points (and not getting many) so I decided it was time to make my way into non-draft and start building a brand and sustainable business in the sport.
Contrary to the American women who are dominating the WTS races, the American men are not as much competitive in WTS races. Do you think it’s only a question of time before the American men will be as competitive as the American women?
It’s definitely a matter of time. We had a period where our development pipeline had it’s head chopped off and a lot of very young guys were expected to step up in the course of a year or two. The men’s field is just so deep that it takes 5 years of racing and training at the WTS level before guys « break through ». We’ll be up there, just bear with us everyone 🙂
What are your plans for the rest of the season and for the following season? Will you compete in the PanAm Games in Toronto? Will you only do ITU races next year to get as much points as possible?
I will compete at the PanAm Games, which I’m extremely excited about! A chance to represent the USA at a major games is something very special. I’ll put my name in for the end of season WTS races and hope that I get some selection entries. While I have had a great start to the season, I haven’t built up the ITU points necessary to get into WTS races ahead of the top Americans at this point. Any chance I do get though, I’ll be sure to capitalize on.
Do you think you are better suited for non-drafting races and longer races like 70.3’s? Is Ironman racing something that seems like a possibility in a couple of years?
I think non-draft is a bit better for me, just because it gives strong cyclists a chance to use that strength to the fullest. Like I said above, I do think I am a bit of a diesel, so I’m looking forward to giving 70.3 a go in the near future. Ironman.. not so sure about that yet. Maybe for my 35th birthday!
You train with the Triathlon Squad and are coached by Paulo Sousa. Where do you usually train?
Yes I am! I owe a lot to Paulo and the Squad. The environment we have here in Poway, California is the definition of « high performance » and it’s what has taken me from 35 minute 10k’s to sub 32 minutes and being very well rounded.
Do you think that the fact that you train with both ITU and Ironman triathletes is one of the things that make the squad better?
I think it brings a lot of balance to the group. Sometimes I get to ride with the Wurteles and talk to them about the way they think and sometimes it’s an all ITU crew and we talk Olympics. Everyone on the squad is great and everyone brings something valuable to the group.
Is there a lot of rivalry and competition during workouts or is it a relax atmosphere?
O yeah there is! Whenever it’s a hard workout, it’s all on and nobody holds anything back. It’s generally a very positive competition and even if we don’t « win » the workout, we can be excited for teammates doing well. I think that’s what sets our group apart. We’re all friends and genuinely want each other to succeed. After workouts we shut it off completely and just hang out.
Let’s talk more about you. What is your background? When did you start doing triathlon?
I grew up in the sport. I started swimming when I was 6 and did my first triathlon when I was 12. From then on I slowly transitioned from « swimmer doing tri » to full time triathlete. I didn’t like running much, but competed in Cross Country and track in college. Cycling was what I truly loved and I competed as a bike racer between triathlons every summer.
Was ITU or Ironman racing the first thing that interested you?
ITU was definitely my interest. Coming from swimming, I had Olympic fever and Ironman didn’t make much sense to me. Not that it does now! I just can’t wrap my head around RACING for 8 hours right now, but I have a massive amount of respect for everyone who does. Especially age groupers with families. That blows my mind.
What are your plans for your post-triathlon career? What are your other interests in life?
After triathlon I’d love to stay in the sport in some capacity. I’ve got thoughts of starting a super sprint series here in the states similar to French Gran Prix, that would be a dream come true. I probably won’t do a ton of aerobic exercise right after I finish competing; I think I’ll get a downhill mountain bike and move to Squamish. Seriously, it’s the coolest place I’ve ever been!
Feel free to give a shootout to your sponsors! Thanks for your time.
You can find all my amazing sponsors on my website ericlagerstrom.com, but specifically I’d like to thank Athletes Lounge for being with me from the very beginning of my triathlon career and Equal Earth for making this season incredible. I’m privileged to work with some amazing companies that believe in me as much as I believe in them. This is a team effort.