Over the next few days former UBC tri club presidents Matt Reeve and Nathaniel Janzen will square off at the ITU AG Wold Championships (along with Kevin Chariot).
The lack of trash talk surrounding the event is more a result of Vince's absence rather than an indication that this showdown will be anything less than the most intense encounter these two have experienced (and they've faced one another several times). This is no Kendra vs Vince Beer Mile challenge. Nor is it some silly intermural with an ugly t-shirt for 1st place. The winner will bask in the glory of all that is triathlon and will hold his head high for the rest of his life. The loser will become portly and feel the need to prove himself by finishing multiple Ironmans late into his thirties.
To whom the Victory? Let's look at the stats:
UBCTC Race series:
Nathaniel: 3 Race series wins
Matt: 3 Race series wins
Storm the Wall:
Nathaniel - Two individual wins
Twice Ironman Champion (narrowly beating out Matt the first time, beating the second place finisher by a mile the second time).
Matt - Two individual wins
Once Ironman Champion (beating the second place finisher relatively comfortably) and Once SUPER IRONMAN Champion.
Triathlons:
Their individual race results don't really help to determine who might come out on top in London. Although the'll be racing short course, the only thing that can be said about their triathlon history is that only Matt has come close to racing a REAL triathlon by completing a half-Ironman.
Personal Characteristics:
Nathaniel - a.k.a. Flipper (friends), Nacho (family), Pumpkin (Sophie)
Strengths: Nathaniel is an ex-varsity swimmer and ran track in high school. He's recently come close to the Club record for the Mile and has been banking some serious pool time. He also received not-so-secret coaching from Vince over the winter resulting in more power on the bike (although it's believed that his improvement on the bike is due more to being in the presence of Vince's mustache rather than any direct coaching).
Weakness: Untouchable at shorter distances, how will Nathaniel fare in the latter parts of the race?
Matt - a.k.a....Matt
Strengths: Matt is the consummate all-rounder. Not only is he consistently fast in the water, on the bike and on the run, one discipline doesn't impact the other. He's been lightning fast in both the club bricks and aquathons. He's a handsome Ginger that doesn't have the word quit in his vocabulary. The guy has biked across CANADA people! Even crazier, he spent an entire winter in Kitimat! Most of all though, he's hungry for revenge from Nathaniel's Storm the Wall victory.
Weakness: Has a year away from UBC tri club rendered him soft and chubby?
Joker - As with any great duel, this one's got a wild card: Matt's impressive ability to get it done, no matter what it takes.
During his failed attempt to take the Race Series lead from the Club's funniest and kindest member, Matt convinced both Brendan and Kevin to get hammered with him on St-Patrick's Day, the eve of the aquathon. Kevin obliged (very happily) and Brendan did his share by downing a Merlot in one swoop. Matt drank water. The moral of the story? Matt's ruthlessly competitive so never, ever, ever count him out - it can come back to bite you (perhaps literally).
With the above information, it's up to you to decide - seems pretty close to call.
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