Today we shine a spotlight on JOE CHEVALIER, one of your Valhalla Team Board members. Joe is an outstanding athlete and a great role model. We will get to see him in action here shortly at IMTX!
WHEN DID YOU JOIN VALHALLA + VALKYRIE RACE TEAM?
2016. One of the OG’s like Steve Hardy. I don’t remember how exactly I found out about the team but I remember seeing something in my race packet for Oilman 2015. Have been on the team ever since!
WHEN DID YOU START TRIATHLON?
2012 at the CB&I Triathlon. I challenged myself to complete all 3 of The Woodlands Township races that year. I ended up falling in love with triathlon.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR TRIATHLON JOURNEY:
I grew up playing sports pretty much all year round. Soccer, basketball, baseball, football, golf, and whatever else had a ball involved with it. In high school I was heavily into football and all the weight lifting that comes with it. When my football “career” ended, I kept up with weight lifting. I missed the competitive side of sport after I graduated college and decided to sign up for the 10k turkey trot in my home town of Erie, Pennsylvania. I enjoyed pushing myself like that and seeing how I stacked up against others. I started looking for races to do around The Woodlands and the inevitably led to racing the CB&I triathlon. I did the practice swim the week before the race and nearly drowned. I ran into a swimmer who randomly stopped along the course. When I picked my head up to see what was going on, I ended up inhaling a bunch of water. After spending a few minutes with a lifeguard, I tried to keep swimming but was still struggling to breathe. Then the fire department hauled me out. I went home and told my wife I wasn’t racing anymore and I can’t swim. I still remember, word for word, what she told me next. “Suck it up buttercup!” That’s love! I completed the race and haven’t looked back since.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RACE?
CB&I/Woodforest Bank/The Woodlands Triathlon! The race the started it all for me. I have done this race every year (minus the weather years and covid). Unfortunately, there is a chance I’ll miss competing this year due to work…but we’ll see. A close 2nd place is Cypress Triathlon.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN THIS SPORT?
After I completed the CB&I triathlon back in 2012, I think I subconsciously told myself I wasn’t going to stop until I won the race. Last year I finally took home the Overall Male AG award. I usually throw out my awards after a few months (years if they get forgotten about in a drawer) but that one will stay with me. It actually sits right next to my bachelors and masters degree in my office if that shows some insight on how important it is to me.
Also, learning how to swim. Growing up playing sports all year round, I think I jumped into the water back in 2012 thinking I could easily conquer the sport of swimming. How ignorant! I remember researching every website possible on how to improve my swim. I use to lay on the floor and try to figure out how my arms and body were supposed to line up in the water. Then one fateful day in 2016 I sat down to this cool lady with an accent at the first Valhalla team meeting. I visited her lap pool in her backyard to get a swim analysis and everything changed. Suddenly I went from surviving the swim to thriving in the swim. It wasn’t a magic potion that suddenly changed everything from that analysis. It was hours and hours of hard work in the pool gained from the insight that came from that analysis. Thanks Gemma!
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
I’m with Cate Kehn on this one. Time management. Prioritizing family, work, and training is a tough line to walk. Luckily I now have a bit more flexibility with a new job I started last year to be there for my family, which is priority #1.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE POST RACE FOOD?
I’m one of those people that can’t eat immediately after a race. Normally I just want a pop (yes it’s called pop where I come from). If you offer me a beer, 110% chance I won’t turn it down. Can we get race directors to bring soft serve ice cream machines to races? Would love a twist cone.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY.
I have been married to my smoking hot wife since 2010. We have two kids, my son Dylan (11) and my daughter Emma (
. We also have a 2.5yr old mini Australian labradoodle named Piper.
. We also have a 2.5yr old mini Australian labradoodle named Piper.TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROFESSIONAL/PERSONAL LIFE.
I am Wells Engineer in the oil and gas industry. I’m usually the guy who fixes or gets rid of old wells.
WHAT IS SOMETHING NO ONE WOULD EVER GUESS/KNOW ABOUT YOU?
This is a tough one to answer. I played the (upright) bass growing up. I was voted MVP of my high school football team. I had an internship in college where I got to test toilets by flushing all sorts of stuff down them. I also had a toilet converted into a fish tank with a goldfish next to my desk at my internship.
A big one might be that I almost died from appendicitis back in 2016. A few weeks after finishing Ironman Texas that year I got really sick. Turned out it was from appendicitis. Unfortunately I blew out the staple/stitch they used where they cut out my appendix. I ended up bleeding internally and losing 3 liters of blood. Losing 2 liters of blood normally leads to death. I really think being a trained endurance athlete kept me alive through that event in life.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT THIS TEAM?
The camaraderie. I have made lifelong friends through this team! It’s also not just about the individual racers on the team either. Everyone’s family members inherently join the team too!
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR?
I don’t have a favorite author but I have a few books that top my list:
“Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
“Why GREAT leaders don’t take Yes for an Answer” by Michael Roberto
“Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT?
I know there is a lot of good restaurants around Houston and I’ve enjoyed each and every one of them. Going to Texas Roadhouse for the rolls alone is worth it. A few that top my list are:
1) Kitchen Tales (Hwy 105)
2) Tony’s Italian Deli (Hwy 105) – The best subs
3) McGarrey’s Oakwood Café (Erie, PA) – The best Rueben sandwich. Never visit home without stopping
WHO IS YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATION?
My late grandmother has been at the top of my list since I was a kid. She helped raise my sisters and I. She was just one of those ladies you just never wanted to let down or hear her say she was disappointed in you. She loved cardinals so whenever I see a cardinal when I’m working out, I always thank her for continuing to look out for me.
My kids! They are starting to get into the pre-teen years where they are discovering life isn’t all that easy. Emotions, school, after school activities/sports are starting to ramp up. It motivates me to keep working hard, whether that’s professionally or physically through triathlon, to show them you are tougher than you think.
I pull a lot of energy and inspiration from the team as well. I love scrolling through the team page after a weekend of racing and see how everyone did. It also gives me FOMO and motivation to keep training.
WHAT EXCITING PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE NEXT YEAR?
Finish Ironman Texas 2024. Then who knows. I normally just go with the flow and don’t make any serious race plans until a few months out. More than likely you’ll see me at a few local sprints this summer and hopefully a 70.3 (Oilman?) by the end of the year. Outside of triathlon, the family has booked a week at Disney World and we will likely make a few local trips later this year.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?
Thanks to Ironman training, my involvement in the “Talk Like a Viking” podcast hasn’t been as much as I would like it to be. Hopefully after April 27th, I can find time to start giving everyone on the team something good to listen to. Subscribe to our Youtube channel to stay up to date.
If you have ever seen me running around in a pink hat at races, I am supporting my cousin who recently lost his daughter to DIPG. DIPG is a form of pediatric brain cancer that is incurable. If you know of anyone fighting this disease, look up Ayla’s Army or visit aylasarmy.com. My cousin and his wife are great advocates for DIPG.
