With his wife, Hélène, and his three daughters, Adrien Leroux flew last Thursday to the American continent. It’s something the 33-year-old triathlete has been waiting for a long time: “I wanted to realize one of my dreams by participating in an international competition. And then, as a bonus to be able to share all this with my family and to be able to make them discover another country, and in particular the United States, it is something special and even exceptional for me. So I’m very happy to be here and I’m going to give my best.“
On the program next Saturday (October 29): 1900 meters of swimming, 90 kilometers of cycling and 21 kilometers of running. That is just over four hours of effort for those who have been practicing the discipline since 2014 and who are double champions of France: “I set myself some goals. We often say ‘you have to believe in your dreams’ so if everything goes well and I manage to achieve the perfect race with the sensations that were good in training, I hope to get closer to the podium. A top 10 would already be a great satisfaction and a top 5 even better and if I can get on the podium, the objective would be completely achieved.“
Three other Mayenne at the start
Adrien Leroux has a total of thirty triathlon victories. He has in particular won the 2022 edition of the Laval triathlon. Director of the Ernée swimming pool, the adopted Mayennais especially fears the bike part: “you will have to maintain the intensity all the way, and depending on the wind direction, it can be difficult because the course is a bit hilly. There will be a high level with the other competitors. I’ll have to be able to ride a ‘big bike’ and keep a little underfoot to keep a good pace on foot. I don’t fear much otherwise, it will be a bit of the unknown and the discovery but I will give myself the chance to have a good race.“
The Mayenne flag will be flying in Utah over the next few days, with three other representatives at these half Ironman world championships: Fabien Termeau from the Ernéeenne triathlon as well as Carole Savary and Pascal Durand from the Mastria 53 triathlon club in Mayenne.