Kevin Collington finished second at the loaded Ironman 70.3 St. George and as the top American became the 2013 US Pro Champion. This may have been a bit of a surprise to some onlookers, but surely not to all. The biggest surprise to this editor was that Collington rode on a bike he bought on eBay.

Slowtwitch: Congrats on the fine performance in St. George.

Kevin Collington: Thanks, Herbert. It was an incredible day for me.

ST: Is it fair to say that this result is likely your proudest moment in triathlon?

Kevin: Yes, easily. Not only was it the best result of my career but also I am proud of the preparation I put in to get the result. To be able to execute on race day and come out with the result I thought I was capable of is very satisfying.

ST: What did you do different in terms of preparation here?

Kevin: The biggest difference for me was consistency of training. Over the past four years I was injured quite often. I would make gains in training then have injury setbacks. This pattern repeated itself several times from 2010 to 2012 in the lead up to the London Olympic Trials events. Now to stay healthy while training I periodically get two or three rest days in a row, then it’s back to the grind. This process works well for me.

ST: About a week ago you struck Gold in Kemah with some very good competition there, but do you to some degree think that you actually have to explain things?

Kevin: Yes, the Kemah Triathlon was turned into an aquathlon (swim-run) at the last minute. We raced a 1.5k swim/10k run. It was a fun day nonetheless, and great to cross the line first.

ST: Why was the bike segment cancelled?

Kevin: Severe thunderstorms moved through the Kemah area the night before the race. With flooding on the course, the race director made the call to cancel the bike segment. I was disappointed to not race the full triathlon because I wanted to see where my cycling fitness stood, but the decision was understandable. In these cases you have to roll with the punches.

ST: Looks like your bike fitness is pretty good after all.

Kevin: Definitely. Six months of making the TT saddle my office paid off.

ST: Was St. George on your calendar all along?

Kevin: I wanted to race St. George 70.3 since it was announced as the US Championship last summer. I trained there for a bit back in 2011 and knew the course well. The difficulty of the course was also something I thought would play in my favor.

ST: At what point of the race did you think that a podium spot was within reach?

Kevin: Around mile two of the run. At that point I had moved into the top five and I watched Brent run through the breakaway group of Potts and the Vasiliev brothers, just up the road from me. I knew that if I kept my pace I would move into podium position myself.

ST: Did you at all think that McMahon might be going too hard?

Kevin: Anything can happen in a 70.3, especially on a hard course like St. George, so I kept it as a possibility that Brent might start coming back to me. But he looked smooth and in control when I saw him at the run turnaround around mile 6, and from there the time gaps only increased. Brent put together a great race.

ST: Was the US Pro title at all on your mind, or were you just focusing on having the best race?

Kevin: The US Pro title was in the back of my mind but I knew it would require me to ride at a higher level than I’ve demonstrated in the past. I had to be there at the end of the bike. I worked a lot over the winter on my cycling and my time trialing skills so I was pleased to end up in the main pack with most of the major contenders. It wasn’t until I had Andy Potts in my sights on the run that I knew it was within reach. I was very happy to make that pass early in the run knowing how savvy a racer he is. I kept the pressure on all the way to the finish.

ST: Was he fighting hard to stay with you when you passed him, and do you think he knew who you were?

Kevin: My last name is on the back of my kit and Andy knows me as we have raced many times over the years. He did fight to stay with me when I passed him. Andy is not one to give up.

ST: With the US Pro title does that mean you will soon get to sport a newly themed kit?

Kevin: Yes, blueseventy has something in the works.

ST: Maybe a few more sponsors on it?

Kevin: I hope so! I am lucky to have excellent sponsors in the New York Athletic Club, Shimano, blueseventy and ON. As you pointed out, there is certainly more room on my racing kit.

ST: No bike sponsor?

Kevin: That’s correct.

ST: What were you riding in St. George?

Kevin: At the beginning of this year I needed a TT frame capable of integrating the wiring for Shimano’s 11 speed Di2 9070 group internally to the frame. I went with a used 2012 BMC TM02 that I got off eBay.

ST: Are you kidding? eBay?

Kevin: Well, you know what they say: “If it’s on your mind, it’s on eBay.” I hit a lot of dead ends trying to find a bike to ride for this year with the new components. In the end my best option was this lightly used frame.

ST: Wow, back to the race now. Who was first to congratulate you on your race, other than McMahon?

Kevin: Andy congratulated me, as well as Craig Alexander, Kris Gemmell – a lot of guys I really look up to. As a side note, the first person to offer congratulations was my girlfriend, Lindsey. She was also racing and we crossed paths on the run course. From the sound of it, she was pretty excited to see me in second.

ST: How did her race go?

Kevin: Lindsey is more of a short course athlete so she stepped out of her comfort zone to race a 70.3. She had a good swim and bike but dealt with stomach issues on the run. I think she’s eager to get back to short course.

ST: Looking back at 2012, was Timberman 70.3 your season highlight?

Kevin: Third at Timberman 70.3 or sixth at Rev3 Florida. Both were good efforts but riddled with mistakes. I was still very much learning how to race the 70.3 distance – controlling my effort, getting the nutrition right. And I really needed a winter to put in some big miles cycling and running.

ST: Is that the year when you moved away from ITU racing, or is this all just a temporary exploration?

Kevin: For now I am fully immersed in racing the half-Iron distance. I feel like this distance leaves the door open to return to short course if I decide to, but as soon as I race an Iron distance I know there will be no going back. I definitely see myself racing Kona one day.

ST: Sounds like you are somewhat decided.

Kevin: Yes, I just have to figure out the timeline. I’m 28 so I have time to decide.

ST: So what is next?

Kevin: My next race is Florida 70.3 – I’m excited to race in my hometown as I grew up in central Florida. Then Rev3 Quassy.

ST: Is there anything else we should know?

Kevin: I definitely have to thank my coach Jennifer Hutchison for bringing out my best. Also Joe Santos of Davis Wheelworks in Davis, CA – he has incredible knowledge of bike fit and basically taught me how to ride a TT bike correctly. I couldn’t have done this without them.

ST: So is that trophy from St. George at Davis Wheelworks or your home?

Kevin: It’s currently here at home with me. Jennifer will have first dibs. She probably just wants the race T-shirt so it could end up at Davis Wheelworks.

ST: Good luck at Florida 70.3 and thanks for the chat.

Kevin: Thanks, Herbert!


You can follow Kevin Collington on Twitter at @KevinCollington