This is the continuation of the series called the Athletes in Transition Project (ATP). The columns result from my informal discussions with some of our superstar athletes from the Laurentians: Magali Tisseyre, Xavier Desharnais, Ariane Lavigne, and Erik Guay.

To read about the genesis of this series, please see: tremblantexpress.com/projet-athletes-entransition-ariane-lavigne-premiere-partie

This month’s column features Magali Tisseyre, two time top-three finisher in the 70.3 Triathlon World Championships who joins me on August 17, 2022, in the week before the Mont-Tremblant Ironman competition. We are on a balcony near the Ironman hub, but all is quiet.

John Maunder: First of all, how are you?

Magali Tisseyre: I’m pretty good…I’m better, let’s say. Not perfect, but happy.

J.M.: Let’s begin at the beginning. What started you on your path as an athlete? Natural talent? Family or friends? Love of speed?

M.T.: I went to a private school where there was a certain judgmental attitude from the other students. I was a bit short, a bit small, maybe I dressed differently… for several reasons I didn’t initially fit it. Even in gym class, which I really liked because we wore uniforms so everyone looked alike or equal, I was not picked for teams…until they started to see what I could do.

My mom was talented at many sports, a real kamikaze. She encouraged mastery in sports and in art. (Little-known fact: Magali was an excellent violinist, studying the instrument for 11 years). And instinctively, I knew that I had to do something outside of school.

So I played all the sports, especially the real Laurentian sports like skiing, boarding, hockey, biking, and running. I still have metal in my leg from breaking it in boarder-cross!

When I was about 11, my father died. Around the same time, I entered my first cross-country running race… and beat all the girls and all the boys. I wanted to beat the teacher, too, but he was way ahead! And I scored the final goal in the big hockey game!

J.M.: You gave yourself a chance to find your talent.

M.T.: I guess I was looking for it… or trying to find my place.

J.M.: Did you feel proud?

M.T.: I felt accepted to some degree, but never completely or unconditionally…it became more and more evident that popularity was based on performance success.

J.M.: Did you feel confident?

M.T.: Only a little. No, it wasn’t really confidence… there was always the question, “Am I good enough?”.

J.M.: What was the best thing about your life as an athlete?

M.T.: I loved the technical aspects of training for triathlon. I didn’t like to suffer (as many do), but I liked to immerse myself in learning. Simon (Whitfield, Olympic triathlon champion) told me, “if you are getting nervous about the results, just focus on the process”. That’s what I love: comprendre et maitriser le geste technique.

My first real triathlon victory was at la Coupe de Québec, even though I was the last swimmer out of the water…but with time and a lot of focus, my swimming improved, and that was very satisfying. [Magali’s eyes light up when she talks about this process.] There is also the fact that we were training and competing in beautiful surroundings, like Maui… mixing heaven and hell. It is an incomparable feeling. Sometimes real magic happens, too.

For example, I had a good lead at a major race in Brazil (the 70.3 World Triathlon Championships), but was I was losing ground fast…when big, black storm clouds rolled in. Just what I needed! The rain cooled me off and slowed down the racer behind me. And my mom, brother, and friends were there to see it.

Boise, Idaho, was a special race, too, because I broke through the ranks there (by beating one of the world’s best triathletes).

Mont-Tremblant was always special, but I particularly enjoyed riding down Montée Ryan on my way to winning, remembering all the times I bicycled to work on that road when I worked at the mountain a few years earlier. (End of Part one)

More from this author by clicking on his photo below.