Nick Dorsett was dominant on the local scene in 2018, notching overall wins at Salem, Daybreak, East Canyon, and Kokopelli, 2nd's at Echo and Jordanelle, and a 4:24, podium-placing performance at Ironman St. George 70.3. Here he talks about the Utah tri scene vs. other states, his biggest local rival, and whether or not he has the goods to go pro.
Thanks for the time, Nick!
ps. Nick is nearing completion of his Masters in Mechanical Engineering at the U, and his dream is to work in the bike industry... if you can help him network with the likes of Enve, Reynolds, Specialized, or others, let's try to keep this guy in state!
What’s your athletic background and how did you get into triathlon? Where have you lived before coming to UT, and when did you move here?
My athletic background is primarily in swimming with some running thrown in as well. I joined a summer league swim team when I was 8 and started swimming year-round a few years after that. Once I hit high school, I ran cross country and swam all four years, also doing track my senior year. I got started in triathlon the summer before my freshman year of high school. My dad and brother wanted to do a race as a team, and they wanted me to swim for them. I thought the experience was so cool that the next year I did the race solo, and have been hooked ever since. I grew up in Washington state, and moved to Montana to do my undergrad. I graduated in 2017 and moved to Utah that August to start grad school.
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| East Canyon |
What races did you do this year, and how would you summarize your season?
I started my season this year racing the Lake Havasu Triathlon, our collegiate conference championship. I went on to do Salem, Collegiate Nationals, 70.3 St. George, Daybreak, East Canyon, Echo, both the sprint and Olympic distance races at Age Group Nationals, Jordanelle, Kokopelli, a draft legal sprint at the Oktoberfest Tri, and Pumpkinman. I also did the Sugarhouse Crit, my first ever road race which was a blast.
What was the highlight and lowlight from all your racing this year?
The highlight of my season was definitely my finish in the sprint race at age group nationals. 4th in my age group and 7th overall was by far the best finish I’ve ever had at a race of that caliber. This was also especially good after the low point, which happened the previous day in the Olympic distance race. I thought I had a chance for an even better finish there, but two flats left me on the side of the road for an hour.
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| Nick is the reigning Championship Belt holder for the M2024 age group |
What are your race plans and goals for next season?
I’ll be graduating this spring, so most of next season is an unknown for me. Right now I’m planning on doing a U25 draft legal race in Clermont in early March, travelling to Lake Havasu City in mid-March for our collegiate conference championship race, and then racing Collegiate Nationals the first weekend of April. After that we’ll see.
When did you realize you had the goods to shoot for a pro card? Was there a specific race and/or moment when that became a goal?
Not sure I actually have the goods yet! In my very first tri, I remember seeing a local pro flying out of the water and taking off on the bike and thinking “man, I really want to be that guy someday.” As time has gone on, I’ve gotten faster and am seeing that it’s a possibility at least. I’m also pretty competitive, so if I have a chance to race at that kind of level I’m going to go for it.
The Utah tri scene is way more vibrant than either Washington or Montana. Not only are there a lot more races, but going to the races it seems like everyone knows each other and it’s clearly a pretty tight-knit community. I’ve also really appreciated everything Wes and BAM have done to help me with getting the collegiate team at the U going. I put out some feelers to see if anyone was interested in joining and he pretty much immediately jumped all in to help us out.
Have you developed any friendly rivalries on the local scene? Who can give you a run for your money at any given race?
My biggest rival this season was definitely Jorge. I was really disappointed to not have been able to race at Brineman, because after seeing his times there I think we would have had a really close race. A few months ago, Colorado pro Ernie Mantell moved here, and after doing some training with him I’m really excited to race head to head next season.
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| Jorge de Amorim Filho on his way to winning the 2018 State Champs race at Brineman |
I’m just finishing up my third semester of my Master’s (Mechanical Engineering), with one more to go. Working for a bike company has always been a dream job of mine, and this is a good place to do so, with Enve, Reynolds, and Specialized among others in the area.
What are your 3 favorite local races you’ve done and why?
Of the races I did this summer, I think my favorite was Daybreak. The point-to-point swim there was really interesting and it was probably my favorite run course of all the races. Second favorite was Kokopelli, not sure if that really counts as a local race although it is in the Championship Series. Can’t really go wrong with St. George, it’s just gorgeous. Third favorite race I think was Salem, with a really solid course for each leg.
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| Salem, site of the State Champs race in Sep 2019, is open to all abilities and experience levels |
Anything else you want to share?
I just want to say that I think everything you do to promote local racing is awesome, and thanks for everything you do. Also a huge thanks to Wes for both his help with the collegiate team and for coaching me. I wouldn’t have had anywhere near the level of success I’ve had without him.
UTAH TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES 2019 DETAILS --> SEE POST HERE !!!
Below are links to all the races in the 2019 Championship Series:
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If you enjoy Utah Tri Buzz and would like to pitch in, any amount would be greatly appreciated... (there may be something in it for you as well!)
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