Gloucester's Ricci-Munn continuing to climb triathlon ranks

By Nick Curcuru
Correspondent

July 18, 2008 12:05 am

—

Strength, endurance and experience.

According to professional triathlete and Gloucester native Janda Ricci-Munn, those are the tools needed to become a top-tier triathlete.

As it turns out, the 32-year-old Ricci-Munn has the strength, endurance, experience and the talent that has him rapidly rising up the ranks of the best professional triathletes in the world. A triathlon is seen as one of the most grueling sporting events in the world, consisting of three legs, each concerning a different skill. The first leg is a swim, the second a bike ride and the third a run.

This past Sunday, Ricci-Munn proved he belongs in the ranks of the elite triathletes with a sixth place finish at the Rhode Island 70.3 Triathlon in Providence, R.I. Ricci-Munn easily conquered the hill covered race course and called it one of his best races yet.

"It was a good race for me," Ricci-Munn said. "One of the best races I have had in my career."

Ricci-Munn has been a professional triathlete off and on since 1995 and has participated in between 70 and 80 races in his career. In last weekend's event, Ricci-Munn posted the best time in the 13.1-mile run and the fifth best time in the 56-mile bike ride. According to Ricci-Munn, his biking and his running are his two best events, and he admits he needs a little work on his swimming.

"Biking and running are equally my two strongest areas," Ricci-Munn said. "Swimming is my weakness. I didn't come from a swimming background so it has been a work in progress, but I'm working hard at it. Swimming is all about technique and I'm working every day to get it down and improve."

The teacher and personal trainer has improved immensely in recent years, and is looking to do so even more by devoting his time to training. Ricci-Munn will still be training athletes all around the country, but he will not be teaching this fall.

"I am going to have a lot more time to train now," Ricci-Munn said. "I love teaching but I have liked the way I have improved recently and I think with more training I can get even better."

Ricci-Munn credits his recent improvements in the game to experience and maturity. When Ricci-Munn first started in the sport, he had a tendency to get too pumped up and push too hard at points. With close to 80 races under his belt, he has learned to stay even-keeled during races, which has led to a drastic improvement in his times.

"When I was younger I showed flashes of brilliance but I wasn't mature mentally," Ricci-Munn said. "I would get too amped up when things were going good and too down when they were going bad.

"Now with more experience I take a different approach to my races. I know that in long races you have to roll with the punches when you're down and not get too excited when you're up. The race experience has really helped me mature in the sport."

Ricci-Munn says that his love for the sport, and his training business are what keeps him going through the ups and downs of the sport.

"I'm doing what I love," Ricci-Munn said. "Races and my business have brought me all over the country and I've met a lot of great people. I can't see myself doing anything else."

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.