Name a city in the U.S. or abroad and, chances are, Toby Mollett probably has been there at some point.<\/p>\n
The self-labeled Army brat has racked up more frequent flier miles than he has time to count. From Fort Lewis to Germany, to Kansas and Oregon, among other places, Mollett has seen it all, whether it be on his bike, in the water or pounding the trails with his own two feet while quenching his triathlon thirst.<\/p>\n
Today, Mollett is living, breathing proof that some voyages take several off-road routes to find the right destination.<\/p>\n
When he\u2019s not training or working, the 27-year-old Mollett, who now lives in Black Diamond, looks to a support system that includes his wife and three sons. It\u2019s a system that has watched Mollett go from triathlon standout to a dedicated coach and event director at Raise the Bar, a Covington-based triathlon club that trains professionals and educates anyone interested in swimming, cycling and running.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of me out there training myself and putting in the time in training myself and racing, I\u2019m helping other people do that,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve learned so much by coaching and being able to teach that it is pretty awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Raise the Bar, which started in 2003, manages the largest triathlon team in the Pacific Northwest, organizes training events for athletes and hosts events, including the XTERRA off-road triathlon series. The XTERRA American Tour makes its next stop on Sunday at Lake Sawyer in Black Diamond, and the bulk of the participants will be coming from Covington, Kent, Black Diamond, Maple Valley and Auburn, among other South County communities.<\/p>\n
The Lake Sawyer race will mark Mollett\u2019s first try at organizing a triathlon, and Raise the Bar founder Patty Swedberg couldn\u2019t be more pleased with the results. It\u2019s the first time the XTERRA race series has come to the Northwest.<\/p>\n
And Mollett was just the man for the job, Swedberg said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight when I first met him, he told me about his passion for XTERRA,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s just a real mature middle-20\u2019s guy who has a passion for racing and has a passion for XTERRA.\u201d<\/p>\n
The national off-road event includes a 1,000-meter swim, 15-mile mountain bike ride and a four-mile trail run. Competitors have the opportunity to tally points and earn a shot at the national and world championships, which will take place in Maui in October.<\/p>\n
A new point of view<\/b><\/p>\n
As the director, Mollett is seeing first-hand an entirely different dynamic to the grueling competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely an enlightenment seeing the other side of triathlon in the actual directing of it instead of actually competing in it,\u201d Mollett said. \u201cYou definitely see what it takes to put one of those on \u2013 and it\u2019s way more than what you think.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad I got to see this side of it, and I love it. It\u2019s really fun to make that available to athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Mollett knows all about the competitive side of triathloning, too.<\/p>\n
Shortly after his high school days in Bonanza, Ore., were finished, Mollett \u2013 who was born at Fort Lewis, learned his ABCs and multiplication tables in Germany, then lived for a time in Manhattan, Kan., before he and his family came to Oregon \u2013 served in the Army for one year at a base just four miles from the Korean Demilitarized Zone.<\/p>\n
It was in that locale \u2013 one of the most dangerous places in the world \u2013 where Mollett found his inspiration to give this a try.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe watched a lot of television while I was there because there\u2019s not a lot else to do,\u201d Mollett said. \u201cWe watched the Summer Olympics, and that\u2019s the first year the triathlon was entered into the Olympics.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I saw the triathlon in the Olympics, I thought that was really cool,\u201d Mollett said. \u201cI jumped into the pool that night, started swimming all year and trained myself to swim, and started to do triathlons when I got back to the base.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been racing ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mollett left the Army in 2001 and traveled back to Bonanza, a football town, but one that hails all local sports as a religion. During his high school days there, he had found niche in football and especially in track and field, discovering his passion for running. Mollett wanted to reunite with his athletic aspirations, and also wanted to attend Oregon State University in Corvallis, but he wasn\u2019t finished fine-tuning his goals.<\/p>\n
After switching majors, he decided to attend the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls, the only Oregon school to offer a four-year program in land surveying. He earned his degree in 2005.<\/p>\n
Making his mark<\/b><\/p>\n
It was in 2004, during his junior year at OIT, when Mollett discovered the XTERRA race series, a triathlon tour that includes stops in 14 countries. The races are open to both pro and amateur competitors.<\/p>\n
Mollett started to rise in the triathlon sports. He finished in the top 15 in the Triple Threat series at Fort Lewis and earned appearances at national events.<\/p>\n
Something just seemed to click between Mollett and the triathlon. But a missing piece of the puzzle remained.<\/p>\n
In order to compete on a regular basis and fuel his desire, he required guidance from a coach.<\/p>\n
So he turned to Raise the Bar and received more than he ever imagined.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was looking for a triathlon coach, and I ended up being a coach,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd with starting the family, I ended up actually not racing as much because I was starting a career and starting a family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having joined the Raise the Bar team four years ago, the relationship has become a match made in heaven for both Mollett and the Covington-based club.<\/p>\n
Especially when it has come to organizing this weekend\u2019s Lake Sawyer event.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s done a fabulous job and has thought of details that I wouldn\u2019t have thought of,\u201d club founder Swedberg said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s going to run a first class event.\u201d<\/p>\n
National off-road triathlon series<\/p>\n
\u2022 WHAT: XTERRA Off-road triathlon. The event will include a 1,000-meter swim, 15-mile mountain bike ride, and four-mile trail run. Most of the competitors will be from Washington while only a few are from out of the state. The triathlon is being put on by Raise the Bar and Yarrow Bay Communities. Raise the Bar is a triathlon training and events business located in Covington.<\/p>\n
\u2022 WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 3 at 9 a.m.<\/p>\n
\u2022 WHERE: South end of Lake Sawyer Park in Black Diamond.<\/p>\n
\u2022 WHO: Athletes of all levels are invited and encouraged to participate either individually or as teams. Age-group and overall cash awards will be presented to the athletes, as well as a large number of raffle prizes such as wetsuits and racing gear. Residents of Black Diamond, Maple Valley, Covington, Kent, and all surrounding areas are invited.<\/p>\n
\u2022 ON THE WEB: For more information, log onto www.weraisethebar.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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