Sandpoint triathlete breaks into pro ranks

SANDPOINT — Sandpoint triathlete Jeff Smith recently completed his first race as a professional, finishing 23rd in the pro division of the XTERRA West Coast Championships in Temecula, California last weekend.

The off road triathlon featured a stacked field with more than 550 competitors, including athletes from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, a few of which are Olympic athletes.

Heat played a huge factor for Smith, whose body was not acclimated to the near 100 degree heat he faced. He was fifth out of the water after the mile long swim, upholding Sandpoint’s reputation for strong swimmers, and was in 16th place after a 25-mile bike ride with sand, dirt and climbs. By the time the six-mile run hit, Smith was bordering on exhaustion.

“I had to stop twice at aid stations to dump water on my head,” said Smith, a personal trainer at Coldwater Creek. “Everything was starting to go dark.”

Smith plans to race in a dozen triathlons this year, half of which are of the off road variety, and a couple half-Ironmans. He said he learned much last weekend, including not getting behind slower bikers on the single-track bike course. He also learned that he can compete with the top racers in the world.

“It used to be that I’d look down the line and say ‘that person won XTERRA and that person is an Olympian,’ and would be intimidated,” he said. “Now I’m right there with them.”

His next race is this Saturday in Walla Walla, Wash., and then he’s off to Alabama on June 8 for the XTERRA Southeast Championships. Smith thinks as he prepares more for racing in the heat and humidity, that he’ll be able to crack the top 15 in Alabama. He plans to focus more on off road races this year after specializing in Olympic distance road triathlons in the past.

“It’s the best possibility to do well on the world circuit,” said Smith, who has a pro card in both disciplines. “More of a chance to compete for cash prizes.”