Sun, Sep 10, 2023Athlete Spotlight - Hussein Al-Mufti

Meet our next featured athlete - Hussein Al-Mufti! He has had a whirlwind of a journey into Triathlon from "hating cardio" only two years ago to then completing his first ever triathlon this May and first ever Iron 113 distance at this year's The Canadian on September 2nd 2023. Hear more about his story below.

How did you get into triathlon/duathlon?

During a dinner at my friend's house, two years ago, one of my friends asked me if I run outside. My answer was "No I hate doing cardio!!". He replied, "Then come and give it a try with us, we run every Sunday on 1 Cooper Street- Ottawa, at 7 am!!"

Since then, I have not missed any Sundays for my runs, not even during the winter season, Yes, we do run outside! You can check out my Instagram account @almuftihussein to see these runs!

A year ago, another friend called me from overseas and said "I am checking your stories on IG and I see that you are running a lot, why don't you try doing an Ironman race!!" and that's how it started :)

As for the swimming part, I was already a short-distance swimmer, so I have a good background in swimming. I used to be a national team swimmer in Iraq.

I needed to buy a bike, so I started looking into Tri-bikes and I came across Mike Osborne (who is now my friend and coach), he is the one who opened my eyes and sent me the link for my first ever Triathlon with Somersault which was Early Bird - Long Triathlon- May, 2023.

What is your favourite Somersault event? What is your favourite event distance?

Event: The Canadian Iron 113 Triathlon, not because I came 5th place, but because the vibe was amazing and there was lots of energy from spectators along the course.

Distance: I think my favourite distance would be the Olympic Triathlon.

Describe your 2023 achievements and journey from first tri to Iron 113 this year.

The journey started with the Early Bird in May 2023, my first Triathlon. it is an excellent introduction to a triathlon. Then I decided to take a longer distance race so I did Meech Lake in June 2023, because I work in Brockville, there is no way I would miss the 1000 Islands Tri, in August 2023, then to serve my vision and dream which is to do an Ironman distance, I decided to go ahead and register for the Canadian Iron 113 Triathlon in September 2023.

I did four Triathlons with Somersault this year, and I have noticed that my times, ranking, and performance are all getting better with every race. Not only that, but even my endurance. Thanks to my family who have supported me along the way and my coach Mike Osborne, who went above and beyond to get me where I am today in Triathlon races.

The Last race was the Canadian Iron 113 Triathlon, doing an Ironman distance was more of a mental challenge than a physical one.

Having the opportunity to do those races locally means a lot to me. It's wonderful to have the community to come together and enjoy these moments of achievement.

Lastly, doing these races helped me to meet and connect with other athletes, who I learned a lot from both directly and indirectly.

Somersault has proven to me in every race that the standard for organizing such big events and taking care of every single detail is one of the reasons why they are so successful.

Many thanks to the whole Somersault Crew and to the volunteers.

What is your best piece of advice for someone new to multisport racing?

Don't wait to be invited, just look up Somersault and register. Hurry!

Thank you Hussein, for sharing your story! We loved having you in our 2023 multisport series!

Did you accomplish a memorable 2023 goal or are working on a multisport journey that you would like to share? Email elizabeth@somersault.ca if you want to be featured in our next athlete spotlight.