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TRIATHLETE LAUREN JENSEN
In competition, she's shark in sheep's clothing
By Shannon Kring Biró
The first time I saw Lauren Jensen, she looked harmless enough. Having just won the Elkhart Lake International Triathlon, she stood surrounded by spectators who had just watched their first race. Flashing her bright smile, she answered their questions, laughing along with the crowd as she described what it's like to be a triathlete.
Upon first impression, I would never have guessed that this pleasant
33–year–old's nickname is Shark, a name given not so much for the fin on her helmet as for the visualizations she has of eating her "prey" along the bike course. Says Jensen, "When I am riding my bike, I see other competitors up the road as my prey. I try to catch them and eat them. I guess it's a psyche I bring into my race to be mentally tough."  Mentally tough, Lauren Jensen is also a tough one to peg. I have learned that under her determined gaze, grease mark, and muscular 5' 2" frame, Jensen is both the predator who ravages her competition and the soft, compassionate woman who says that her best moment in the sport was meeting her husband, Todd.
Born in Chicago in 1967, Lauren spent 1987 as a student
in England. It was there that she first displayed her mental toughness to the world, participating in her first five races. By 1991, Jensen qualified for the Ironman Hawaii, where she unveiled her famous shark fin helmet. In 1992, she qualified for the World Championships as a member of the USA Age Group team and, in 1993, Jensen joined the professional ranks, racing while earning her degree in physical therapy and working in the field. Throughout her more than 40
career wins, it is her love of challenges, of pushing herself to achieve her goals, that makes this shark stand out amidst the waves.
Jensen's biggest challenge came last year when, just nine months prior to the Olympic trials, she set her sights on being at the starting line.
In order to qualify for the trials, one must be ranked in the top 125 triathletes in the world. Jensen, a part–time triathlete, was not ranked.
Though catching up to fellow competitors, who had been accumulating points for three years, may have seemed impossible, Jensen's predatorial instincts took over – one by one ravaging the obstacles that surfaced along the way.
Jensen's own fear was the first obstacle that she needed to conquer.
"There was a little fear of failure," recalls Jensen, "that by making everything else take a back seat for a while – having a family, taking a
leave of absence from work, turning my training around – that what if I am not successful? Will I be disappointed? And I got to a point that said whether I get to my goal or not, it would be okay. And I think once I was at that point, I was able to happily go for it."
And go for it she did.
Taking a five–month leave of absence from her job, Jensen began preparing for World Cup races. Unlike most triathlons in which she had
completed in the past, these events allow triathletes to ride in packs, or draft, on the bike, which de–emphasizes the importance of being a strong cyclist. Consequently, Jensen was forced to change her training to focus on her weakness, swimming, instead of on her strength, biking.
"I needed to be in the best bike pack I could be in," she explains. "If you end up in the fourth pack out of the water, your race is over. So I had to
move myself up from the fourth pack to the second pack in a very short amount of time."
With this in mind, Jensen's coach, Al Rogers, developed an innovative way of training her. Instead of training her as a distance swimmer, he made Jensen do short intervals. It was this series of short power drills which changed her stroke and made her stronger.
"I started swimming when I was five," she says, "and after 25 years of
swimming, Al improved me more in under a year than I have forever."
After swimming five to six days and biking only 125 miles per week, Jensen was ready to set out for World Cup races around the globe.
With the support of Todd and Al, she maintained a rigorous racing schedule, at one time competing in Brazil, Hawaii,and Japan within a 15–day period. And then the other obstacles presented themselves. Jensen ended up in the emergency room in both Mexico and Brazil. She had a
pedal break and was responsible for a four–athlete accident in Ixtapa, Mexico. She even developed a gastrointestinal Infection while racing in Chile.
Still, she went on, gobbling up the competition. Up until the last minute, Jensen did not know if her efforts would be enough.
At her last qualifying race in Japan, she succeeded in surpassing the 125–point mark. "I don't even know if I had the words to say what that
meant. I guess it is like other things in life. If it is easy, it doesn't mean as much. This was a hard path, but I just learned so much about myself and I think I am so much braver now just to put my time where I feel it needs to go."
At the Olympic trials May 20–21, 2000, Jensen placed 12th, although she missed making the team.
Jensen is enthusiastic to share with others what she has learned along the way and has partnered with Al Rogers to offer swim and multisport clinics
to athletes of all abilities at Tailwind Triathlon Training. They regularly receive e–mails and letters expressing gratitude for having learned to shave five to ten seconds off their 100.
"It has been really neat to see so many athletes significantly improve their swimming and triathlon performances after attending one of our clinics," says Jensen. "We regularly receive e–mails and letters from wonderful athletes who have gone out of their way to thank us. The momentum of the
clinics is now feeding upon itself. So many athletes have made huge drops in their swim times, and they repeat the clinics, bringing their friends along with them. It feels great to give back to the sport by helping fellow athletes reach their potential."
Today, Jensen is preparing to brave new waters: motherhood. The Jensens are to give birth to their first child, a boy, in September. Though her physique and her training have changed, Jensen's determination remains unfazed.
"Some days I feel great and work out," says Jensen. "Other days I don't try or abort mission. But one thing I realized by having a year off of racing is that I am a lifer. The passion to compete is in my blood."
We can only assume she will be wearing her fin helmet when the feeding frenzy resumes.
Jensen resides in New Berlin, Wis. For more information about Tailwind Triathlon Training, see www.trifaster.com; e–mail: info@trifaster.com or call 414/427–1092.
Shannon Kring Biró is president of Biró Internationale Sports and
Marketing Consulting and can be reached at www.birointernationale.com.
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