ELITE PROFILE/PRO KIT
Martin Sobey
Martin Sobey is a name rising quickly to the forefront of Canadian short-course triathlon. He recently topped the podium at the CAMTRI Event (Confederation of American Triathlon run through the ITU) held in Richmond, B.C., his first victory at this level of competition. The 22-year-old from Charlottetown, P.E.I., now trains in Victoria, B.C., at the Triathlon Canada National Performance Centre (NPC) under the tutelage of esteemed coaches Marc Christin, Jono Hall and Cody Flegel.
Sobey grew up playing hockey, soccer and running track and cross-country, and then began to harness his endurance and speed skills via mountain biking and downhill skiing. He began competing in triathlon seven years ago at the age of 15.
“I grew up intrigued by endurance sports,” says Sobey. “This interest prompted me to start running cross country in grade three and, while I always did quite well in cross country and track, I never took it seriously. In grade 11 a friend told me about triathlon and his plan to go to the Canada Summer Games. I knew very little about the sport, but given my running and cycling background, I was curious.”
Spurred by the prospect, Sobey joined a local tri club. He had no background in swimming, but had spent a lot of time around bikes growing up and was already a strong runner. Later that summer, after some basic multisport training, he raced his first draft legal race and, with an element of surprise, he qualified as the third member of the Triathlon PEI Canada games team for 2013. “From there,” adds Sobey, “I was hooked.”
Through the tri club, his skills were honed by three coaches – Kara Grant, Jamie Whynacht and Kris Taylor – who played a key role in guiding his early years in the sport.
“I wasn’t really aware of it at the time, but I was very fortunate to receive world class coaching and guidance in my small hometown province of P.E.I. Kara, Jamie and Kris have a wealth of knowledge and experience between them, and to this day I am lucky to have them as mentors,” he says.
Sobey raced a small number of Canadian junior draft legal races in 2014, but the following year was his first taste of international competition. He raced at the North American junior championships in Sarasota, Fla., and performed above expectations, qualifying for the junior American championships later that year.
“Neither race was an outstanding performance, to be honest,” says Sobey, “but they provided a taste of international competition that ultimately hooked me on pursuing the sport at an elite level.”
Sobey’s passion for the sport continued to grow until it was fully integrated into every aspect of his lifestyle. In 2016, at the age of 19, he took a big step forward and
committed wholeheartedly to triathlon by relocating from Charlottetown to Victoria to join the NPC program.
After a string of mixed results over the next three years, April 2019 saw him claim the win at the Richmond CAMTRI event. A decent swim allowed him to exit the water only 10 seconds down from the front group of eight athletes.
“We worked hard in the chase group and eventually caught the leaders halfway through the bike portion of the race. I made my way to the front of the group heading into T2 and had a clean transition. For most of the run we ran as a group of four. It was quite tactical with several surges throughout, but I remained patient until the final 150 m.”
Then Sobey made his charge, despite not being super-confident in his sprint finish.
“My legs were feeling good so I went for it and was able to just hold off the competition at the line. I was ecstatic.”
Athletes at the NPC in Victoria have, according to Sobey, a pretty consistent weekly training template. They usually log 20 to 25 hours a week which includes six swim sessions, six runs, four rides and three gym sessions.
“The weekly schedule does not change much throughout the season, however the focus of the sessions and duration can change drastically. As is normal, the fall and early winter is geared towards building a solid aerobic base, then slowly we ramp up the intensity for race season.”
Like almost all elite younger triathletes, Sobey has one golden aspiration; to represent his country at the Olympic Games. That said, his attention now is much more immediate.
“I am focusing on progressing each year and developing the complete triathlete package across all three disciplines,” he says. Outside of triathlon, he is steadily working toward finishing his economics degree at the University of Victoria.
Sobey concedes that the world of triathlon has more than its share of peaks and valleys. He uses them as learning opportunities. “I am very fortunate to have a support system that supports me through the inevitable ups and downs,” he adds, “and that helps immensely.”