Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 56, March 2014 | Page 14

Feature

Not bad, Brad!
trip, because then I have many opportunities to win
prize money, earn bonuses and get incentives from my
sponsors, instead of putting all my eggs in one basket.
But this year I have structured my season around
Maui.”
Born in Somerset West, Brad (24) is currently living in
Stellenbosch, having attended school and studied for
a B.Comm Management Accounting degree at varsity
there as well, and is currently racing professionally for
Team Hydrotec Faktory. “Many professional athletes
regret not getting some form of tertiary education,
and the truth is that at some stage in every athlete’s
career, they will have to retire and enter into a working
environment. I will have a degree to fall back on, which
is something I am very proud of.” And he’ll be the first
to acknowledge that his first triathlon outing made a
long-term back-up plan look essential…

LATE STARTER

Coming home
third at the
Totalsports
XTERRA
Buffelspoort.

Having played traditional sports like rugby and cricket
in high school, and never done athletics, cross-country,
cycling or swimming as a sport, it was only when he
was at varsity in 2008, aged 19, that Brad tried his
hand at triathlon, along with his father Trevor and two
brothers, Clinton and Jeremy. “My dad, who ran 13
Two Oceans and two Comrades, found a road sprint
triathlon race online, at Club Mykonos in Langebaan,
and asked if we’d be interested, so we took our heavy
aluminium mountain bikes, put slick tyres on them
– the ultimate rookie move – and went for a family
outing. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though I came
close to last, because I beat my brothers and my father,
which was the goal of the day!”
That first tri was the proverbial bug that bit for Brad.
“At that time I was into gymming for rugby, because
I was smaller than the other guys, which meant I had
to bulk up, but when I did triathlon I realised here’s

a sport where there’s actually an advantage to being a
smaller, lighter athlete. So I did a bit of research online,
found some good training tips, and then found some
more races. One thing just led to another, and I saw an
opportunity for a lifestyle change and a potential career.
In the triathlete lifestyle, everybody tends to live a lot
cleaner than the gymming lifestyle, and the great vibe in
the Western Cape triathlon scene also played a role in my
decision.”

INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS
Brad soon found himself racing amongst the top guys and
in 2010 he was selected in his age group for the SA team
for the World Champs in Istanbul, but could not go due to
his studies. The following year, having finished varsity, he
could go, and came home with two third positions in the
20-24 category from the ITU World Triathlon Champs in
China and the ITU Cross Triathlon World Champs in Spain.
The following year he was crowned World Champion in
the under-23 category at the ITU Cross Triathlon Champs
in the USA, and also won the 20-24 category at the
Specsavers Ironman 70.3 back home, while 2013 saw him
score three third places, two fourths and another two top
10 positions at various XTERRA events in the Pacific and
the USA, to go with fifth at the SA XTERRA Champs.
His focus now is on the off-road triathlon scene, as he
believes he is not competitive enough in draft-legal road
events. “My swim is definitely improving at a really good
rate, and in XTERRA terms I’m one of the strongest
swimmers now, but if I had to compete in an ITU world
circuit race, I would really be on the back foot. I am just
not fast enough in the water to stay with the top guys, and
if you miss that lead pack on the bike, you are not going
to feature in a drafting race. On the other hand, XTERRA
racing is really a niche sport, because if a triathlete is not
focused on XTERRA, it means they don’t ride a mountain
bike that often, meaning that even with the fastest swim,
they’re going to lose 10 to 15 minutes on the bike!”

Having successfully defended his
Totalsports Challenge Terra Firma
title in January and then recorded a
solid third in the Totalsports XTERRA
Buffelspoort triathlon and fourth in
the Totalsports Xterra SA champs
in Grabouw, Brad Weiss is looking
forward to his most successful
year yet as a professional off-road
triathlete. – BY SEAN FALCONER

14

ISSUE 56 MARCH 2014 / www.modernathlete.co.za

Hard training and dedicated focus are
paying off for Brad in his pro career.

Images: Volume Photography

T

his year, Brad’s ultimate goal is to get to the
XTERRA World Champs in Maui, Hawaii in October
for the first time. “I have yet to race XTERRA World
Champs, so my goal for 2014 is to get there in a
competitive form and race for the win,” he says. “In
the past it hasn’t made financial sense to go all the
way to Hawaii for just one race, because normally
when I travel to compete, I do several races in one