Neo Gleason has shown Alberta he’s not just a force to be reckoned with in the pool.
Gleason finished fifth at the Youth Triathlon Nationals in Magog, Que., solidifying his ranking as one of Canada’s brightest prospects in the sport.
“It was honestly crazy. I didn’t know I would do that well,” Gleason said.
In the U15 category, where he was challenged with a 500 metre swim, 10 km bike and 4 km run, Gleason surprisingly made his move on the bike on what was a foggy Quebec morning.
A star with the Bow Valley Riptides, Gleason is an absolute beast in the water. He joined the Rundle Mountain Cycling Club Rampage program to improve his cycling, and he saw those efforts pay off in the triathlon.
“The swim distance in my age group doesn’t give me the best advantage because it is still short compared to the bike and the run, but I’ve been training with the RMCC Rampage for the last few years, and that has really improved my bike skills,” Gleason said.
With such a short swim, Gleason said the entire field charged through the water, catching him off-guard. Undeterred, he attacked on the bike, where several of the riders showed their nerves in the pack.
“The bike course is a lot like the hills in Canmore. I dropped quite a few on the chase pack,” Gleason said. “Definitely the big change is I was draft legal. That mattered a lot. Drafting helps with the chase pack.”
He moved up into seventh spot on the bike, blowing the wheels off his competitors on the climbs. He knew the run was his weakest discipline, but he managed to pass two more athletes to cross the line in the top five.
Despite his surprise, Gleason has had a slew of strong results this season in triathlon. He started his season off right with a win at the Alberta Provincial Triathlon championships in Calgary, and took gold at the Living Sky triathlon at Pike Lake, Sask. Against a stronger field in Quebec, he wasn’t sure where he would slot in. He’ll go for gold again twice more this season, as he’s scheduled to race in Kelowna and Edmonton later this year.
“Not many from the east show up there, so I have a good chance at the podium,” Gleason said.
Even though he’s broken many records with the Riptides, he struggled at swim provincials this year, hitting a wall in his progress. Triathlon gave Gleason another outlet, although he’s unsure if it helped or hindered his pool times. He’d love to train for both sports next year, but is unsure if that’s possible.
“At provincials, I was disappointed with my results. I didn’t have many best times. Honestly, I told myself it was because I was focusing on triathlon. Next year, I want to focus on both.”
