BCHS graduate plans to compete nationally

Seasoned triathlete and 2021 Boulder City High School graduate Ethan Porter will compete in the 2021 Zone3 Junior Nationals at Voice of America Park later this month.

The competition takes place from July 31 to Aug. 1 in West Chester, Ohio.

Heading to this competition for the fifth and final time, Porter said he hopes to end his journey at nationals near the top of the pack, after finishing 24th in 2019.

“I am super excited to be racing at nationals this year,” he said. “This will be my last year to compete in these races. I have a couple of goals this year. I would like to get a top 15 finish, give it my all for the whole race and have as much fun as I can throughout the whole trip.”

The 2020 competition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Porter also said he’s ready to soak up the moments from the competition for the last time and that he has found a new love for the sport.

“This last year the whole race series was shut down due to COVID-19,” Porter said. “Not being able to race definitely put me down and it was hard to stay motivated to continue to train. But in the end I still had hope that this year’s races would happen. It definitely gave me a different outlook on how much I love racing and how much it is a part of my life.”

Competing in the junior age bracket (16-19 year old), Porter will partake in a 750-meter swim, a 12.4-mile bike ride and a 3.1-mile run. Ready to give it his best, Porter admitted training during the early months of the pandemic were difficult, but that has changed.

“The pools were closed so we were stuck to swimming in our backyard swimming pools … or at the lake by riding down to the water,” he said. “Now that everything has opened back up training has become a lot easier.”

Heading off to Utah State University this fall, Porter is undecided as to whether he’ll compete in college triathlons moving forward, but he did say that he would like to introduce the sport to his new peers in Logan, Utah.

“This is my last year to compete in this series,” Porter said. “I can compete in college races and U23 races, which are the next caliber of races. Once I get into college and figure out how much time I have away from my studying, I will figure out how far I will go with triathlons. I am going to try and start a triathlon club at Utah State after I have made connections.”

Contact Robert Vendettoli at BCRsports@gmail.com.