Tristan Nelson (Left) turned 21 last April. He is a young ball of fire. A few words from this busy young man.
Will: You just made your half iron man debut. Top 10 in your age group. Congratulations! Tempe, Arizona?
Tristan: Thank you, 2 of the guys in my age group were top 10 overall. The youth will prevail. Tempe was hot and the roads during the bike were arguably of the worst roads I’ve rode on simply put there were bumps and cracks everywhere and the course was a 3 loop course so it kinda dragged on but I had a blast to say the least.
Will: How do you think your strength as a runner served you on the final leg? Did you pass a lot of people?
Tristan: I laughed when you asked this question as for some reason the swim and bike were most certainly my strongest part of the race. Which is funny to me as I am a runner first. Which makes me glad though because as I get to the point where I’m at Ironman 3-5 I should be a seasoned Vet when it comes to the run. I definitely had a better stride than 95% of participants though. Just have to get my body used to running after doing all that work before the run and I’ll be doing big things in the sport in no time!
Will: You are a very busy young man. Race Director for the Valley 7 Lakes Marathon. Can you give our readers two good reasons to run in Valley next April 27th?
Tristan: After doing this Ironman and seeing all sorts of different courses throughout the states into short time on this earth I would say that this course for the most part is a one loop course and a good amount of the roads are newly paved in the valley area. Most importantly, this course is flat as a pancake and the route is truly gorgeous when you are running through each one of these lakes and my favorite part is the SMALL TOWN CHARM, I’m a sucker for that because Valley is 12 minutes from Omaha where the hustle and bustle of the city is and out west it’s so much more peaceful and calm.
Will: Election day is coming up and you are running for the DC West School Board. Here’s your chance for a free pitch, let’s hear what you got!
Tristan: I was extremely involved when I was in high school, 5 sport athlete, student council, quiz bowl and much more. After I graduated I have found ways to get involved in my community and it is truly amazing at the opportunities that people can find simply by getting involved and that is my incentive is to get students as involved as they can be. Because if they do one sport or join band/choir they could meet someone that could change their life for the better rather than going home after school and drowning in boredom/homework wondering why they aren’t happy. There are many more things I could talk about but we can keep this answer short STUDENT INVOLVEMENT
Will: You were elected as the Nebraska Association LDR Chair at last September’s meeting. Anything you’d like to tell us regarding your vision for the program?
Tristan: Slowly but surely I would like the LDR programs to have as much participants as the youth programs do. Mainly because when these kids can look up to the LDR program in their own state and see these elite level athletes working their tails off and having fun while doing it and sometimes making a living from it. That will hopefully push these kids to want to be like the people in the LDR programs. Also, I have a deep passion for the sport of long distance running and what better way to advance the program than having a kid right out of the youth and college program from an athletic standpoint as I was a cross country and track runner in high school (as well as baseball, basketball and hockey) and at the University of Midland!
Will: I know you’ve been studying hard for your Realtor’s license, are you about ready to shop the Bar None around for Linda and me?
Tristan: Aha, I have been so busy with Ironman training and this upcoming election. I am glad it’s almost over so I can get back to the books and get my license. I’ll help you guys sell the bar none only if you want to relocate to one of the 16 beautiful lake communities we have here in the Waterloo/Valley area (; . As I like to say if you need to know any info about lakes in the area I’m truly the guy with all the answers. I’ve ran and swam the length of EVERY lake but 3.
Will: You are at the vanguard of some youthful energy the likes of which it is ever so refreshing to see. What is it about you and your peer group, especially in Valley and the surrounding area, that has you grabbing the world by the tail?
Tristan: I believe the source of all of it is DC West Schools. Mainly because we are a small town community where if you are an outgoing person like myself you can easily take advantage of all the connections and people in the schooling system and what I’ve found more importantly the community itself. All the knowledge you need about this community is someone sitting at the tavern or at the gas station or walking their dog by the lake. It’s so simple when you can start a conversation with a deep breath and “hello” and after that you can pick most anyone’s brain about what they know in the area so I’ve found it extremely fun to know as many people as I can in Waterloo and Valley because I know that one day it will all pay off.
Will: Your mom is a hoot. She recently spent a weekend at William Shatner’s. What’s up with that?
Tristan: She is childhood friends with Williams wife, so my mother went to Indianapolis recently to visit her sister (aunt Dawn). She ended up staying an extra week with Liz (Bills wife) to hangout and catch up at her family farm outside of Indy. And yes the old coot is a hoot alright.
Will: What’s your favorite beer?
Tristan: I enjoy the finer things in life, I have never liked to drink. I like to call myself a well water connoisseur but I will say when I do head to the Spruce street tavern I like to enjoy a Blue Moon WITH an orange. I’d also say I’m a Miller High life guy, Simply because of the high life baby.
Will: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Tristan: This is a tricky question for people my age and I always thought it was funny because as a young kid I really wanted to be a well know businessman who owned a breakfast, lunch and dinner place so I’d always have free food. But as I’ve gotten slightly older, I always tell myself I just want to be the happiest person in the room with a smile on my face no matter where I go. With that being said, my best trait is that I am extremely adaptable to my surroundings. So, if you were to ask me 10 months ago that I’d be doing a half Ironman, be elected Nebraska LDR chair, running for school board, getting my real estate license, helping to coach the local CC team and even be a race director for a full marathon in my home town…my goodness would I think not only you are crazy for saying that I would be doing these things; but me the craziest for wanting to put all that on my plate, I’m coming back for thirds… So the real answer to this question is that you can never truly predict the future and what exactly you are going to do with your life. But you can take advantage of the people you meet (in a good way) and the opportunities that are put upon you. As of right now I’m a very busy person and I strive to be busy the rest of my life. From a young age I would be at school all day then go straight to practice, go home do homework then after that go to hockey practice. So as long as I’m busy and doing things I’m passionate about, I could care more about who or what I am! I also have big plans for my far future that I cannot attain until I grow into the person that is able to do those things so until that day I’m just getting closer to that person I want to be every day.
About Author
