American Matt McElroy grabbed podium spots at the ITU World Cups in Mooloolaba and New Plymouth this year and we talked to him about racing, training and the lessons learned since our interview with him in November of 2015.

Slowtwitch: Thank you for your time Matt.

Matt McElroy: I’m stoked to get another slowtwitch.com interview. Thank you!

ST: I last chatted with you about 28 months ago when you still competed in U23.

Matt: The last time we spoke it was about my U23 Duathlon World title. I was just getting into the sport of triathlon.

ST: And you got into it for sure. Last weekend you finished 3rd at the New Plymouth World Cup in New Zealand, and in that race the top 5 were separated by only 6 seconds. Do you consider yourself a decent sprinter?

Matt: Yes, I would consider myself a good sprinter. I ran track and cross-country throughout middle school, high school, and college. I did not always have great finishing speed, it has been something that I have developed over the years. Towards the end of high school and in college I was able to close in under 60 seconds at the end of 5,000 meter races. New Plymouth was a really tough race to begin with. I felt terrible on the bike and started cramping on the run. In the last 400 meters seven athletes were in contention of the podium, I knew if it came down to a sprint finish I would have a chance of being on the podium.

ST: Wilson the race winner had apparently a gap on you chasers during the run and was the battle thus mostly for the next spots or did it seem possible to reel him in?

Matt: I was just hanging on for dear life. I had moments during the run where I didn’t think I was going to finish. Trying to catch Declan was not even on my mind. When I hit the last hill before the blue carpet I got a burst of adrenaline. I felt confident in my sprinting ability and went to the arms.

ST: Did you see them out of the corner of your eyes or were you just digging deep?

Matt: When I made my move I started driving my arms and didn’t look back. As I got closer to the finish I looked back and saw that I was in the 3rd position. Sam Ward from New Zealand passed me with about 50 meters to go.

ST: Last year you finished second to Richard Murray there. How would you compare the 2 performances?

Matt: Last year I felt amazing on the run. I was able to run away from the main pack with ease. This year was more about surviving the run. I also think the new bike course this year made it harder to run fast off the bike. They added a hill that is about 1 kilometer long, making the bike course more challening. I personally like the old course because it was more technical.

ST: Earlier this year you also finished 3rd in Mooloolaba. Again with Richard Murray the champion.

Matt: I was happy to start the first race of the year behind two very strong athletes. Murray has a lot of racing experience and is always aggressive. I have a learned a lot watching him race over the years.

ST: Is there someone else you look up to or try to learn from?

Matt: When I started triathlon I looked up to Joe Maloy and Manny Huerta as role models. Training with Joe allowed me to learn more about how to pace each invidual session. Manny would keep my ego in check anytime I was running too hard or if I started talking about winning races. Between the two of them I felt like I had 20 years of triathlon experience crammed into 1 year.

I try to learn from watching Mario Mola race. I think he makes very smart tactical decision. Mario is always coming out of the water in the main pack and works his way to the front on the bike and run.

ST: Last year you also started well, but in the end had 3 DNFs. What is on schedule for this year to change that?

Matt: I was in a bad crash last year at WTS Montreal. My training partner Eric Lagerstrum fell right in front of me and I was lucky enough to dodge the first crash. The second crash took place on these cobble stones where a GB athlete fell off his bike sliding on his hip. I immediately smashed into his bike and went flying over my handlebars landing on my arm. I was going about 22mph and sent to the hospital. I was not able to race the grand final because I had a nagging sciatic nerve issues that started right after the crash. The difference this year is consistency. I am training a lot more consistent and taking more ownership in my day to day process. Things like going to the physio, strength training, and diet, have really helped my racing this year.

ST: When we last spoke you had no sponsors and I believe there have been changes there.

Matt: When we spoke last my ITU ranking was around five hundred. I had no sponsors, no money, and barely getting by. I was running road races to pay for food and gas. At the time my coach Paulo Sousa let me live in a room for free, with 2x Olympian Manny Huerta. When I first moved to San Diego it was a huge investment for Paulo. My career as a triathlete would not be possible if it weren’t for those early days in my career where we just grinded with no support. Now I have the best support team. USATriathlon helps me with travel and housing. My managers Shawn Frack and Guillermo Rojas at Torre Consulting. Sponsors: KTTape, Hoka One One, Roka, and New York Athletic Club.

ST: Where do you think you have most improved?

Matt: The swim! I have a cool video on my Instagram of me swimming 50 yards in 48 seconds on April 8th 2014. I am swimming a lot faster than that.

ST: And where do you think you can still get better?

Matt: I think my swim is still coming along. Unless you are coming out in the front pack of a WTS I think the swim can always be improved.

ST: How much do you swim each week and could you describe a hard swim workout do you do?

Matt: When I first started with Paulo I was swimming 40k in 6 days. I was also running 30miles a week and biking 150-200miles a week. Now I swim about 31k a week. A classic Paulo workout would be 800 warm up, 4x150 descend, 8x50 1-4 descend, 12x100meters Long Course on 1:30. average 1:08-1:09, 5x200 paddles, 14x100 free on 1:25.

ST: With all these long flights how do you entertain yourself?

Matt: Dude, I got the set up. I use the neck pillow, mask for my eyes, bose head phones, and Spotify primium with a super Zen playlist. I try and sleep! If not sleeping, I’m that guy stretching in the back of the plane. Recommended bands for flights are Tycho & Boards of Canada.

ST: Your friend Andy Trouard recently stunned folks when he beat Justyn Knight at the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, TX in the 3,000 meter race. Maybe it is not as stunning to you as a fellow NAU athlete?

Matt: I am not surprised Andy won the 3k at Nationals. He was a teammate of mine at NAU and he was extremely talented. I am rooting for him to win the 1,500 or 5k this outdoor season.

ST: Trouard swam in high school. What about triathlon?

Matt: Andy used to swim with me my senior year at NAU. Paulo was sending me swim workouts and Andy would hop into the pool a couple times a week. He is a very good swimmer. He would destroy me in the pool. I’m a completely different swimmer now. Hopefully I can go for a swim with him in Flagstaff this summer. He could be a very good triathlete. Just like Alan Webb and many other collegiate runners that have failed - it has shown, triathlon is very hard and takes more than just a strong swim, bike, run.

ST: So what is next?

Matt: Surf City Escape from Alcatraz on April 22nd in my hometown Huntington Beach. Everyone I know is coming out to watch me race. It’s going to be a party!

ST: Anything else we should know?

Matt: If you are racing the Surf City Escape race good luck, come find me after the race and say hi. It would be awesome to see some support in my hometown.

You can follow Matt McElroy on Twitter via @mcelroystudio