People have one of two reactions to witnessing their first triathlon in person. Some come away think they would never pay money to put themselves through such torture. Others are inspired to chase the sense of accomplishment they see expressed on the faces of finishers.

When Randy Kinsey stumbled upon the 2012 Lavaman Triathlon while on vacation with his wife, Irene, and their two children, he had the second reaction. A few months later, he completed his first sprint triathlon and was hooked. But after several years of making progress, Randy, who is now 49 and works in construction and design in St. Louis, hit a plateau. When the pandemic hit, he decided to take advantage of the competitive hiatus to try a different way of training. You guessed it: 80/20.

Having already seen “incremental gains” and “increased durability” in his first few months on the program, Randy can’t wait to put it to the ultimate test on the racecourse, and he’s already persuading other athletes to make the leap. “Trust it,” he says. “Stay in the prescribed zones and really embrace the feel of the workouts. This program relies on the time-tested methods of consistency and incremental gain. I am looking forward to completing the build in 2021 and racing to new PBs, even at 50 years old!”