“If I could describe Victoria in one word it would be dedicated. She is always at practice doing anything possibly to get better,” Alex Lorenz said.

Ironman is a swim, a bike and a run. That is what junior Victoria Clinton does every day.  Clinton practices every day a week, anywhere from two to five hours.

Clinton used to play soccer and always enjoyed to run. She went to her first race a couple years back and that is when she was first approached by some girls who competitively compete in triathlons. She was asked to join a program called MMTT. MMTT is the most experienced youth and junior elite triathlon program in the country. At the program, athletes are trained by a professional coaching staff that is committed to inspiring individuals to seek challenges and unlock their potential.

Clinton’s coach Steve Brandes has been working with the program for eight years now but has only been working with Clinton for a couple months. Just in those few months, Brandes has already seen so much maturity and growth in Clinton as an athlete.

“Victoria has been one of the best, self-determined athletes I have ever worked with,” Brandes said.

Lorenz has known Clinton for almost four years now. In those four years she has seen Clinton grow as an athlete, she thinks and executes her races, and grows stronger every practice.

This March, Clinton will be attending the Ironman 70.3 in Monterrey, Mexico. She will be competing against the most elite junior triathlon racers in the country.  If she is able to win first place she will then, go on to train for the Junior Olympics.

Clinton’s triathlon training is very beneficial when it comes to her cross-country career, but when it comes to track season it is hard for her to manage both triathlon racing and track, considering they are both very time consuming and are unfortunately during the same time of the year.

Due to Clinton’s busy schedule she really doesn’t have much free time. She is usually up into the wee hours of the night working on homework and studying for school. Clinton’s intense training schedule can get very stressful at times but luckily for her, she has a great support system which includes her family, teammates as well as her coaches.

“Victoria is a tremendous person, she has been knocked down so many times yet she continues to get right back up with a smile on her face,” Brandes said.

Clinton’s advice towards anyone interested in the sport is to push excellence every day, and never stop trying to build your way to the top.

“The team pushes one another by words of encouragement and having great teammates only makes us strive to become better athletes,” Lorenz said.