Biography of Jarrod Shoemaker - U.S. 2008 Olympic Men's Triathlon Team

This unauthorized biography of Jarrod Shoemaker, the first man selected to the U.S. 2008 Olympic Triathlon Team, may be modified from time to time, as additional information becomes available:

Born July 17, 1982, Jarrod Shoemaker was born in Massachusetts, where he still resides. He credits his parents with inspiring his athletic career. They had both run the Boston Marathon many times before Jarrod began competing.

In more recent years, other family members have become involved in athletics. Jarrod’s sister is a professional triathlete. His uncle competed in the Ironman World Championship in 1998.

In middle school, he joined his school’s cross-country team. In high school he ran track and competed in cross-country. While in high school, he competed against U.S. athlete Alan Webb, with whom he maintains a friendship.

During college, his mind turned to the triathlon. "During my last two seasons in college I rode my bike and swam constantly to build up for my new sport," Shoemaker explained.

In June of 2004, Shoemaker graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in History. Immediately after graduation, Shoemaker began training as a professional triathlete. He competed in his first race as a professional only one month later, in July of 2004.

Shoemaker competed in numerous triathlons in the years to follow, and won the Under 23 World Championship in 2005.

On September 15, 2007, he surprised many by being the first American man to cross the finish line in the first U.S. Olympic trials for the 2008 Olympics. Along the way, he beat out two former U.S. Olympians. Only four years after picking up the sport, he will be representing the United States in the Beijing Olympics.

Describing his love for the triathlon, Jarrod said: "It's hard, but it's fun... I love getting on the starting line and pushing myself harder than I thought possible, and seeing how I match up against the other competitors."

Sources:

http://www.triathlon.org/media/profiles/jarrod-shoemaker.pdf

http://universalsports.nbcsports.com/articles/show/18176

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/09/20/sudbury_athlete_qualifies_for_olympic_triathlon/
http://www.jarrodshoemaker.com/journal/static.php?page=bio

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