Kellen Hood is an Austin, Texas resident with a lot of moxie and during Movember he used it well to raise money, but now it is time to race, train and have a great time.
ST: Thank you for your time.
Kellen: No problem. Thanks for your interest.
ST: Can you tell us about your ranch?
Kellen: We have a small 150 acre ranch about 45 minutes outside of Austin in Marble Falls, TX. I head out there every once in a while to check on the property and do some maintaining.
ST: So no animals?
Kellen: Just the protein god provided us with. We hunt deer and hog on the ranch but don’t raise any cattle or anything.
ST: Is that time on the ranch the calm before the storm your 70.3 Texas event?
Kellen: Time at the ranch is usually bust your ass and get things done time, not so much about calm and relaxation, unfortunately. My calm before the storm is hanging out with my team leading up to the race. It makes me feel comfortable and relaxed when we are all together and acting a fool.
ST: What was the goal for 70.3 Texas?
Kellen: Being as 70.3 Texas is a race with deep fields, my main goal switched from getting on the podium to having a solid run. I changed my racing strategy and nutrition recently and tested it in Galveston. People bring the heat on that course and if you can't tap into the hurt locker and stay in there then you are left behind.
ST: Did you attempt to access the hurt locker, or maybe own it?
Kellen: It is not a question if I will access the hurt locker or not, but when will I do that. I’ve always had a Chris Lieto syndrome where I own the swim, crush the bike and hope I can hang on for the run. I would say that I’m a strong swimmer and powerful cyclist but when it comes to the run that’s when the hurt locker really comes into play. This season I’m racing with power and trying to hold back on the bike so I can have a good run.
ST: Well, how did the race go?
Kellen: The race started off pretty, bad but ended well. I was leading the swim with only pro women ahead. I passed a few of them and then I sighted the last turn buoy wrong and cut the course. I went about 100m off course towards the wrong buoy and had to turn around go back to the turn buoy. By the time I got back there the second place guy had passed me. I went hard after him and caught a calf cramp and had to call over a lifeguard. I thought my day was over. I worked it out then pushed in and came out of the water second. My power meter wasn't working on the bike so my whole plan went to shit. I just rode hard and didn't look back. I resorted to my old racing technique. I came off the bike in second and pushed hard on the run trying to hold into whatever place I could. I ended up 8th and had an okay run. All in all I was happy I was able to finish and with a 4:41.
ST: No wrong turn on the run like some of the pros?
Kellen: Nah, I've done that course before so I knew what to expect. I heard people got confused coming out of transition but I had that on lock.
ST: Did you wear a budgie smuggler or not?
Kellen: If I had a taint of steel then I would do a 70.3 in my Speedo but I usually save that for Olympic distance and under. We just got our new kits, which are so sick by the way, and I that is what I wore in Galveston. Look out for the Blue and Green.
ST: What about a mustache or other facial hair growth?
Kellen: Man, you know I just shaved my mustache last week for some reason. I had a little scruff, but no baller lip rug this time.
ST: During the Movember effort you did really well with the fundraising and your outfits. What do you think folks will most remember?
Kellen: I got a lot of love during Movember and still thank everyone for the support. People seemed to really love the Santa photo and the construction worker pic as well. That was a fun day of shooting and my problem now is where do I go from there? Trust me, I'm brainstorming daily for new ideas.
ST: I think you made the calendar, or am I mistaken?
Kellen: Sure did. I shared February with Brach Myers and Mark Miller.
ST: Going back to racing, is 70.3 Texas the only half on your schedule right now?
Kellen: This season is up in the air for me. I raced Oceanside 70.3 a couple weeks back and ran into a few cramping issues. My nutrition was way off and it resulted in me getting 3 IVs after the race. I think I fixed the issue and will see how it turns out this weekend. If things go smoothly then I might add 1or 2 more 70.3's this season.
ST: How did that cramping impact your performance?
Kellen: Every time I came out of the saddle my quads started locking up. I would take my power down and try to spin it out. When I hit the run I felt okay as long as I wasn’t going up an incline. That’s when it started happening again. It really kept me from getting in a grove and keeping a steady pace.
ST: Also, no racing outside of Texas left this year?
Kellen: Other than Oceanside? I don’t have any planned for this year, but just signed up for the 2016 Lifetime South Beach Olympic yesterday. That will be a super fun race with a lot of my teammates out there laying it down.
ST: Tell me about the Moxie Multisport team, and when did you join?
Kellen: Moxie Multisport is the brainchild of Blake Uptain and has been a part of my triathlon life since 2010. I'm an OG in the Moxie crew and have been a part of it since day one and will be as long as I'm in the sport. Moxie is first and foremost a multisport family. We ride together on Thursdays and have a family dinner after an intense TT workout. This is something that has been happening since the beginning and allows us to spend time together and push each other to the max. We call it LTDTCTT (Le Tour de Twin Creeks Time Trial).
It’s a group that has insane energy, dedication, spunk, creativeness, cohesiveness, shows massive support and has one heck of a talent pool. It is such a great team to be a part of and if you are racing alone then you need to check us out. We're headquartered in Austin, TX but expanded the team nationally last year, so we have teammates across the country. We also have a team out in Australia. It's always great to see people posting on our team Facebook page, someone traveling here or there and wanting to train with the local folks, or needing a place to stay for an out of town race. There's always a teammate willing to help out. It's a rare and beautiful thing.
ST: How big of a team is that?
Kellen: I think the team is over 100 people now including a group down in Australia. Blake grew it from a couple friends with no sponsors to a global team with major sponsorships.
ST: What is your day job?
Kellen: My day job is building/remodeling houses. It is tough work but rewarding at the same time. I'm in the process of getting my Home Inspection License and will be switching gear to that later this year.
ST: Is there anything else we should know?
Kellen: You forgot to ask about IMTX. That is going to be the big show this year. Although we have brought the house down out there every year, it's not going to have anything on this year's show. IMTX is like our team's Spring Break and shit gets real in the Woodlands. It is a full day party including short jean cutoffs, cheering, whistles, ladies in Bikinis, mucho drinks, Speedos, pin wheels, chalk art, more drinking Thanks Blue Nectar Tequila, light shows, dancing like you have never seen and new for this year, a DJ under the bridge. We are always located under the same bridge outside of T2 along the run course. We stay out there until midnight and keep the party going for everyone out there battling the course. It's rewarding and fun to give someone a brief relief from the pain that is an Ironman. We are a part of everyone's family that day and do our best to support the triathlon community to the end. We've been told that our bridge is the only thing that got people through the race-- that's powerful stuff. We're honored to do our part for the athletes out there! Please feel free to join us out there and show your moxie.
ST: How do people best show their moxie?
Kellen: There are so many different types of people on the team displaying different types of moxie. Some are loud and crazy, some play the supportive roll, some are media whores and then you have people like me that just want to be naked in public. However you look at it if you are having a good time, doing what you want, and enjoying/progressing the sport then you moxie can shine with many different colors.
ST: And will you be racing or running the show under the bridge?
Kellen: I will be running the show under the bridge. I’ve always aspired to say that line. Mom, aren’t you proud of me? What I wanted to say about IMTX is that its our Big Bad A weekend of the year. I would even say its Moxie’s Spring Break. We all get hotels and travel down to the Woodlands to party hard and most importantly cheer even harder. This year is going to be the biggest of them all, as we will have a DJ in our area. Club Moxie powered by Blue Nectar Tequila, Wattie Ink and a few other sponsors.
We post up under the first bridge on the run course just out of T2 every year and get the racers and spectators fired up. Not only is it fun but its rewarding as we get countless emails and post thanking us for being the sole reason people enjoyed the race, finished the race, are signing up for the race etc. Oh and don't even think about walking through our famous No Walking Zone or you will have more whistle blowing, Speedo wearing motivators around you than you can imagine. All in all it is just a straight up fun time with the family and great for the triathlon community. This year we will be hosting a HH on Friday before the race with Blue Nectar Tequila. We will have event t-shirts that will be posting soon for pre sale and the proceeds will go to help the Marsh fund. These shirts will be $30 and the proceeds will go to help Amy's fight against cancer. We hope that everyone will participate and show their love by coming to the event.
