Hi Sam, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. For those who don’t know you, can you tell us who you are?
No worries at all. My name is Sam Betten and I have been racing triathlons for around 10 years. I was born in Australia where I continue to live and train to this day.
What is your sport background? When did you start competing in triathlon?
When I was in primary school I tried many different sports such as football, cricket, soccer and tennis. I always enjoyed cross-country running at school and also swam at the local swim club. My dad was a semi-professional cyclist when he was younger and so this inspired me to start bike riding and compete in some cycling events. When I was in my final year of primary school there was a local triathlon club that started up at the pool where I was swimming and so I signed up.
Where do you train and with which squad?
I train under Stephen Moss who is an Australian Olympic Games coach. The squad I train in is more focussed on ITU short course triathlon which I find is a benefit to me being the only long course triathlete in the squad. I am a very competitive person so I find being the only long course athlete in the squad better for me in training as I do a lot of my training alone.
You have had some success on the ITU circuit: Australian ITU Junior Elite Champion 2006, 2007, 2nd U23 Oceania Championships 2009, 2010, ITU Junior Elite Oceania Champion 2006, 4th U23 ITU World Points Ranking 2010 but you are now mostly competing in non-drafting races. When and why did you make the move to non-drafting racing?
I made the move to non drafting triathlon a few years ago after missing selection for the ITU short course world championships as an U23 athlete. Not to go into too much detail but ultimately I didn’t like the notion of putting my triathlon career in the hands of national sectors that made the decision of who raced and who didn’t. My passion has always been for long course triathlon and this side of the sport excites me a lot more than the ITU short course events ever did. I know that if I want to be success in the sport of triathlon I have to follow my heart and passion, which is what I have done.
You seem to like to do both 5150 races and 70.3 races, what is your favourite type of race and do you put more emphasis on one type of racing?
I enjoy both equally. It is hard to do a lot of 70.3 racing and I find that if I mix up my year with racing both 5150 and 70.3 events I am able to race a lot more. As a professional triathlete this means that I give myself more chances at winning prize money and making a living from doing the sport.
You competed in the Moollolaba OTU ITU Oceania Cup and finished 12th. Was it only a “training-race” or do you want to do a comeback in ITU racing?
This was really just a training race for me and a good opportunity for me to work on my speed against some ITU short course specialists. I had a great swim and came out of the water in the front group and then rode away with a few others but unfortunately the gap didn’t get much larger than 1 min. In previous years the chase pack has been 2 minutes or more down on the lead group leading into T2 which, if that would have happened this year would have meant I would have finished 2nd. Unfortunately for me the gap didn’t open up enough with the highly motivated chase group riding really strongly this year. I was still happy with the performance but I would have been more satisfying to have been on that podium.
You have competed in the 2014 ITU long distance championship, where you finished 8th. Do you think this type of triathlon is advantageous for you due to the fact that you are a good swim/biker? Are you considering competing in Ironman races in the following years?
ITU LD World Championships I believe is a great stepping-stone for me leading into Ironman racing in the future. Unfortunately this year due to the cold water temperature the swim was cut down from the usual 4kms to just 1.5kms which was disappointing for me being a strong swimmer. I really believe that I would have been inside the top 5 if the swim at this race would have been the correct distance but that is racing and you can’t change what happens with the weather.
Anyone following you on instagram (@SamBetten) knows that you are a coffee lover. You are even sponsored by BARE coffee company. What is your favourite type of coffee and how do you usually make your coffee?
Yes I LOVE my coffee! It has been really good to work with BARE Coffee Co. and have the opportunity to share their passion for good coffee. I have a Rocket Espresso machine at home which makes an amazing coffee. I love my coffees nice and strong with a touch of milk so I usually make a double shot short latte before I head to training every morning. If anyone is interested you can order BARE Coffee online from barecoffee.com.au
You are racing on a really nice Specialized Shiv. Since when are you sponsored by Specialized and how does it feel to have the support of a big company like Specialized?
My relationship with Specialized is a something that I am really excited about. I actually bought myself a Specialized Tarmac and Specialized Transition TT bike before I was sponsored by the company as I believe that they are the best bikes on the market and I wanted to ride on the best. The relationship started about 5 years ago now and I am very fortunate to have the support of such an amazing group of people and company that helps me to ride faster. As an athlete you want to have confidence that you are using the best products out there to go as fast as you can on race day and Specialized really ticks that box for me. No one is doing what they are doing and every year they are releasing new products and setting a new benchmark in performance.
You have a bachelor in business, a major in sport management and a minor in marketing, since when have you graduated and how were you able to find time to train/compete and study? What are your plans after your triathlon career?
I always wanted to pursue University studies and it was actually more of a benefit than hindrance to my training. I believe that my time at university really made me more time aware and helped me to balance everything else that was going on in my life. It also allowed me to mentally focus on something other than triathlon which was a good thing. In addition to that when I had downtime in my training due to injury/break from training then I could go full stream ahead with my studies and take on a higher study workload. My degree also has differentiated myself from a lot of other professional athletes who don’t understand sports marketing and sponsorship like I do after have studied Business, Sports Management & Marketing at University which I know has been valuable when I have approached sponsors. Being able to understand how to service sponsors and meet their goals is something that I really pride myself. So if anyone reading this article is looking to sponsor a triathlete please let me know.
Feel free to give a shootout to all your sponsors! Anything else you what to add?
Thanks for this opportunity to tell my story! My sponsors/team include SCODY who make all my amazing custom race suits to keep me looking good and racing fast, Specialized for the FAST bikes and gear, SportsMed who are an innovative company working on developing software to support athletes so they can manage, push harder and be smarter in their preparations. Ther is also Saucony, BARE Coffee Co, Flight Center Active Travel, Oakley, Moore Stephens, PowerBar, Musashi and HUUB.