Athlete Interviews: Get to know Chris Fetter
Chris is a great athlete and even better friend. Always a positive attitude and inspires everyone around him. He works crazy hours and still finds a way to compete at a high level.
I got a chance to ask him a few questions about his day to day training life. Check it out.
Name : Chris Fetter
Hometown: Dana Point, CA
Current City: Las Vegas, NV
Race Divison : M35-39
Fueling Choice: For sprint/olympic I eat a peanut butter and honey sandwich about 3 hours before race start and a banana about an hour before race start. Hydrating all the way until race start even bringing a bottle of water to the swim start.
For my ironman and 70.3 events last year I stuck with GU nutrition. I practice with what I'm going to use in my race so my body is used to it. I buy it in bulk off Amazon and take it as I need. I believe you need to practice what you will need on race day. Even though buying so many gels gets expensive, you must practice it. We are spending over $800 for a race. Splurge a little bit on your preparation.
Post race I love Pizza. This is my comfort food. I work had and race hard therefore I earned it.
Post workouts I rely heavily on chocolate milk. Recovery doesn't stop there. When training big races I get a massage at least once a week. I put it in as part of my program. Stretching is something that as well is often ignored. I was given yoga once a week as well. Sounds simple but a part that is overlooked.
Tell us about you. : I grew up in Southern California and moved to Vegas in 2003. I have worked in the service industry for over 20 years now and I love it. I bartend in a casino on the strip. When I'm not at work or training I like to spend my time with my 2 cats or traveling at any chance I get. Try and get back to Cali as often as possible to get back in the surf. I first saw the Hawaii ironman on TV when I was young and that sparked my interest. But I wouldn't do my first Tri for many years later. I did my first Tri on a mountain bike (road Tri) and had a great swim run. But smashed on the bike. Next race I got myself and faired much better.
How did you get involved with endurance sports? What got you hooked? : When I was in 8th grade I had to ride my bike to school with got me for and I ended up being one of the fasted runners at the school. I then found out about cross country and participated in that in high school. I loved the challenging workouts and the crazy group of people that endurance sports breed.
What is it about Endurance Sport that you love so much? : My favorite part about the sport is meeting people from all over the country and world. The relationships I have gained from the sport is amazing. Some of my best friends I have because of sport. The training and suffering as well is something I love. The challenge of putting my mind and body through things most people think are impossible.
What is your favorite race? Tell us about it, why? : My favorite race is probably one of the BBSC races in Utah because I love the race crew, venue and we all know each other when we are out there. Everyone is cheering for each other on the course and everyone stays after the race for a while. All the Vegas and Utah people really get to hang out together. What a great experience.
What's the rest of your season's schedule look like? : The rest of my season is pretty blank. I'm focusing on a few out of sport things at the moment. But hopefully I will get myself out to the local races even if not just for a relay.
What is your full time job? : I am a full time bartender on the Las Vegas strip. I love my job and I work all nights. Mostly til 4 am. Although I lack in the sleep department. I love to have my days free to train.
Tell us about your training. Tell us about how you manage work/life/training balance: After working til so late at night I then come home and sleep for a few hours. If I have a hard race coming up no excuses. If it's hot, cold, windy rainy... I still get it done. Sometimes just have to either treadmill run, trainer ride or get hot and or wet. You must follow the program.
If you could give one piece of advice to a newbie endurance athlete, what would it be? : Get with a club and coach. So much to learn in this sport. The progress will happen so much faster with help from others. It will be more fun when you make fun in the sport. Be nice and have fun.
I know it's fun training with your friends all the time but you don't always have the same races planned. You have different programs and different goals. If you have recovery days you need to go easy. It can be hard to hold back and stick to your numbers when you are with a group. Learn to be able to train alone or be willing to stick to your goals if if sometimes it means getting dropped.
