Today we are spotlighting STEVEN OLGUIN, who is about to add DAD to his resume. He is an animal on the bike and if you haven’t met him yet, make time to do it because he’s an awesome guy!!!
WHEN DID YOU JOIN VALHALLA + VALKYRIE RACE TEAM?
Summer of 2022
WHEN DID YOU START TRIATHLON?
I expressed a desire to do a triathlon to my ever supportive wife, Nikita, in Summer 2019. She talked me down to a Duathlon, so my first event was the October Fest Du in Fulshear.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR TRIATHLON JOURNEY:
The start to all of this madness began when I was getting bored of doing my 30 minutes of cardio after lifting in the gym at 5am every day. I decided to start jogging in the park nearby, got a gravel bike, and went further…and further in the park…then on the country roads. I signed up for the Fulshear Du and started running after biking. After the Fulshear Du I told Nikita, “I want to do more and need to go faster,” so I bought my Baby Blue Cervelo P2 in early March of 2020 and then was stuck at home the rest of the year. I did a lot of the at-home and DIY multisport events that floated around. My first official triathlon was the CapTexTri in 2021, which was conveniently 2 months after I experienced a spontaneous lung collapse. If you’ve known me for any amount of time, this may have been an early sign that I should live in a bubble the weeks prior to a race. I completed more olympic distance races, and then we moved to Conroe. I met John Roche and Kim Van Pelt while training for Oilman where I learned that people on this team are a whole different level of athlete. After Oilman, things went off the rails. I signed up for IM Waco for 2022 after Volunteering at IMTX. Fun fact, IM Waco was the same day as my 6th wedding anniversary, the iron anniversary; ask me how that day played out over a beer. IMTX was in 2023 and I’m going back to IMTX in 2025.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RACE?
Hands down, Oilman. I’ve said it before, but it feels like Homecoming in a way: getting to see everyone from the area you’ve raced, trained, or met during the year doing the whole race or relay is just great and feels like a solid way to close out a year of racing.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN THIS SPORT?
Finishing Ironman Waco; that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Conditions wise, 700 signed up, 600 started and less than 300 finished thanks to the heat, time cuts, etc. Not a fun race to be at. I dropped two bottles of water on the bike because of the rough roads and didn’t go back for them. I ended up cramping on the run so badly I was on the ground unable to move. Thanks to my wife, she walked nearly 10 miles with me on that course. We asked if she could get a finishers medal or a bib or pizza, but no dice.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
Showing up to or completing a race 100% healthy. If it’s not one thing, it’s going to be another but never a DNF/DNS.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE POST RACE FOOD?
Like some others, I don’t like eating after a race but I’ll have a beer or three if they’re cold.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY
My wife and I have been married for nearly eight years now; she will not do multisports events, no matter how many times everyone asks. She likes attending OrangeTheory Fitness classes and if we could find an adult league nearby, she wants to get back into soccer. We have two dogs, Kratos and Kaia, they are both 10+ and are enjoying the quiet life in Conroe. The family will be growing by one baby boy in late August and we are both excited and procrastinating getting everything ready.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROFESSIONAL/PERSONAL LIFE
I am currently doing product marketing for HPE Networking Instant On, we recently rebranded so I will typically say HPE. I was in sales for Dell since 2013 and had the opportunity to move to marketing in 2023.
WHAT IS SOMETHING NO ONE WOULD EVER GUESS/KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I actually do not like open water swimming, but through years of positive self-talk and hundreds of OWS sessions, I have tricked myself into thinking it is the most fun part of triathlon.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT THIS TEAM?
How much everyone sand bags. “I have an easy ride today”, “Oh, my CSS isn’t that fast”, “it’ll be a fun race” Learned my lesson real fast. If anyone here, other than Steve H, says it’s going to be easy pace, bring your race gear out.
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR?
Jonathan Maberry, he has a really good series titled Joe Ledger. It’s got thriller/spy/triple plot twist kind of stuff that makes it a quick read.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT?
Any place with vegetarian options that aren’t “here’s a salad and two lima beans” or Thai Cottage, because it’s Nikita’s favorite.
WHO IS YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATION?
I’d say my dad. His side of the family battles weight issues and he was the only one that lost it with diet and exercise. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I would have pushed myself to get into this sport.
WHAT EXCITING PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE NEXT YEAR?
Nothing major. Side note: anyone know the most aero way to bike with a baby? BTA bottle-style or on the back? Asking for a friend.
