Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Fall/Winter 2019 | Page 9

SUBARU 360°
Master Technician,
Superior Athlete
I
n life, it’s rare to encounter someone who’s a clutch
performer in two different disciplines. But this is a great
description for Kevin Jickling, a Subaru technician with
Jim Pattison Subaru Victoria, who’s also making waves as a
competitive triathlete.
In 2008, Kevin qualified for his first Subaru Master
Technician competition, one of 12 individuals selected from
retailers across Canada to compete for top honours. Over
the course of the one-day challenge, competitors tackle a
written exam and a shop floor hands-on test.
“In the first competition, I was not so knowledgeable
about Subaru vehicles at the time,” he admits, describing
the most difficult task he’s encountered over the years. “The
testers created an internal vacuum leak in the test car and
it was incredibly hard to find—only the technician who won
overall figured it out.”
Not content with just qualifying for the Subaru Master
Technician competition, Kevin was selected to compete
again in 2009 and ended up winning the whole shooting
match. But he didn’t let off the gas—he qualified for the
competition again in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016, winning
overall in 2011 and placing third in 2016.
Away from the dealership, in 2015, Kevin starting diving
back into another passion: athletics. “I was always a runner
as kid, placing well in all the cross-country runs,” he says. “As
I entered the adult years, I started to slow down. I stepped
on the scale and realized I was 45 pounds heavier than when
I graduated, so I started running again.”
Regaining his physical fitness was the first step, getting
back into competition was the next. In 2016, he entered
the Ironman 70.3 in Victoria and finished well. He returned
to the race the following year, but had over-trained and
struggled with injuries. At that point, he decided to step
back from racing and resume a less aggressive training
regimen, focusing on trail runs.
But a recent development convinced him to reverse
course: “When I learned that the Subaru Ironman was
returning to Penticton next year, I decided to go for it.
I may do the Ironman 70.3 in Victoria in late May as a
training race, but I may just focus on training instead of
racing before the Ironman.”
His first goal for the Subaru Ironman is just to finish, then
to finish in a respectable time. “My best Ironman 70.3 result
was in 2016 when I finished in six hours without really training
beforehand. This time around, I’m going to work with a
coach so that I’m ready—my goal is to finish in between 11
and 12 hours. Coming home in the top-third would be good
and it should be possible.”
Competitive on the shop floor and out on the open
road, Kevin Jickling is blazing a trail wherever he goes.
The Subaru Ironman Canada 2020 takes place in Penticton
on August 30.
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PHOTO: FINISHERPIX