If the triathlon gods are trying to tell Michael Poole something, he isn't listening. A competitive cyclist from New Zealand who came to Tampa as a 19-year-old to study chemical engineering at USF, he quickly discovered triathlons.
He found he was just as good at running and swimming, and established himself as one of the top triathletes in the country. But while cycling one day, Poole had an epileptic seizure, his first. When he came to, he was on the ground and aching in pain. He didn't know if that meant the end to a promising triathlon career.
After taking time off and finding the right medication, Poole was able to get back to training.
"I am still having problems with epilepsy," he said. "I have a few seizures per year even though I am heavily medicated for it. It is hard because sometimes I need to withdraw from races or take days off training when I feel like a seizure is going to happen but I am managing it as best as I can."
In May of last year, he graduated from USF with a degree in chemical engineering. Single. Twenty-five years old. College graduate. Professional triathlete. Not a bad place to be.
But, of course, it couldn't be that easy. While cycling in north Tampa in July, Poole was hit by a car. He was thrown from his bike and landed on the pavement face first — just one day before he was to go to Ecuador for a race.
"I had too many fractures to count," Poole said. "They plated me up good and you can't really tell now, although it still hurts sometimes. I also had a very bad concussion and my bike was destroyed."
Poole said he hardly left his house for the next three months. He was unable to work out at all. He had no plans of ever competing in a triathlon again. But with friends encouraging him, and his return to health, Poole realized how much he missed the sport.
He decided to get back on the bike.
"I gradually started back although it was very hard to get my confidence back. I was very anxious my first couple of rides, and all my fitness was lost, too," Poole said. "So the first month training I suffered."
With months of training under his belt, Poole feels he is ready again to compete at the highest level. He is entered in Sunday's St. Anthony's Triathlon as one of 25 male professionals in the field. He said he has done a few local races in the past month but this will be his first real triathlon since the accident.
He spent last week training in Mexico to get away from any distractions. Aside from training more than 30 hours per week, he also works part-time as a dental assistant at Beltran Dental Surgery. Beltran did surgery on Poole after his accident and they are also sponsors for his training.
It helps that he gets to compete in his first serious triathlon since the accident in his hometown. And he hopes this won't be his last. He plans on having a full race schedule this year, including five or six 70.3-kilometer triathlons and an Ironman (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run).
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Explore all your optionsJust getting back in the race is victory enough for Poole.
"I prefer to focus on performance rather than which placing I get, especially with such a strong pro field this year," he said. "But I am confident in what I can do and I am just excited to test myself against the best and see where it gets me."