Testing the waters
Grant Wiggins wasn’t on the right track as a collegiate runner, so he became a triathlete
Grant Wiggins had big dreams when he when arrived on the campus of Villanova University near Philadelphia.
Wiggins, from Virginia Beach, had completed an impressive high school running career at Norfolk Academy that included school records, Tidewater Conference championships and VISAA state titles.
He hoped for the same success with Villanova, considered to be one of the nation’s top middle-distance programs.
But his running career never materialized as injuries plagued him.
“I started to realize that track wasn’t going as I had planned,” he said.
During his junior year, he was swimming laps in the pool to maintain his fitness for track, when Villanova’s swim coach spotted him. He talked to him about coming out for the team.
That intrigued Wiggins because at the same time, he was looking for something to take the place of track. He was also considering getting involved in triathlons, which combine running, swimming and biking.
“It was at that point that I knew I needed something new since track wasn’t working out,” he said. “It was definitely an entirely different path.”
Before joining the swim team, he knew he’d have to discuss it with the track coach.
“I was like, ‘Look, I think we both know that running hasn’t panned out for me here. Would you be willing to let me split time with track and swimming?’”
here. Would you be willing to let me split time with track and swimming?’” Wiggins said. “And he was like, ‘Absolutely.’”
Wiggins completed every swimming workout, even when he got lapped most times.
“Everybody was super supportive, and I slowly got better,” he said. “I was progressing at the levels that I needed to.”
About the same time, Wiggins contacted Barb Lindquist, who was then the USA Triathlon College Recruitment Program Coordinator, who helped guide him toward a career as a professional triathlete. She competed at the second Olympic triathlon at the 2004 Summer Games, where she placed ninth.
Wiggins graduated with a degree in biology, but wasn’t ready to give up his dream.
“I didn’t have a calling to go to med school,” he said. “I could never have envisioned myself not being an athlete after college. So this was a natural progression, and I wanted to give it a shot.”
He then had to share his idea with parents André and Eva.
“They were very understanding and supportive,” he said.
André Wiggins said, “His college athletic career did not meet all of his expectations. His mother and I both knew that he had some unfinished business in his mind.”
Grant Wiggins started with one coach but then moved to another after attending the Olympic Training Facility in Colorado
Springs. He met James Petersen, the head coach and founder of JP Elite. Petersen has extensive experience in developing and coaching elite triathletes.
The team splits time in New Hampshire, during the summer, and Florida, for the winter months.
What intrigued him about Wiggins was his athletic background.
“Grant was one of those ones that he is actually a more well-rounded athlete than most,” Petersen said. “He’s a pretty good runner, a pretty good swimmer and a pretty good biker, but not great at any one. He’s kind of really good at everything.”
Wiggins trains 25 hours a week of strictly swimming, biking and running. He also spends time in the gym and therapy.
“I take no days off,” he said. “Every day has some sort of training aspect, although we do have easy weeks mixed in.”
He also places a high importance on sleep and recovery.
It’s not an easy life.
“They upend their lives, move away from home and they go into an environment where they’re training fulltime,” Petersen said. “But they know what they’re getting themselves into.”
The busy schedule doesn’t leave much time to find a job.
Petersen said many of the triathletes contact companies to get sponsors. Some also have part-time jobs.
Wiggins, 23, has had many different odd jobs. He’s worked as a barista at a high-level café outside of Orlando. He’s also conducted water-quality tests for a local lab in central Florida to ensure the lakes are safe for swimming.
“This requires wading into swampy water where there were no doubt some alligators,” he said. “But you try to not think about that.”
Wiggins is still fairly new to competition, having competed in 10 triathlons. It involves a 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike and 10-kilometer run. He’s competed in Florida but also has gone outside of the United States to Colombia and Montreal.
“This was planning to be a big season for me,” he said. “But then the coronavirus shut everything down.”
Instead of staying with his team in Florida, Wiggins came back to Hampton Roads. He trains on the Eastern Shore to put in long bike rides and runs in First Landing State Park. He also swims in the marina at Cape Charles or off the Bay at Fort Story since pools are closed.
The good news for Wiggins is he wasn’t planning to compete for an Olympic spot until Paris 2024. What keeps him motivated is a chance to represent the United States.
“It’s hard at times, the waiting, the process,” said Wiggins, who thanked numerous coaches for getting him to this point. “I definitely take a lot of pride in doing something that many people don’t get an opportunity to do. And I’m very grateful that I have the support I do from USA Triathlon, sponsors and, of course, my parents. I truly believe that I have the physical capabilities and mental capacity to make it happen and make lot of people very proud.”