'It's cool having Flora here competing'

FRIDAY, JULY 27: Most of us gravitate to what we are good at. It’s no different with triathlete Tyler Butterfield. He started at an early age as his family — dad Jim, mom Debbie and brother Spencer — spent most weekends competing in a variety of sports. Tyler produced results and saw it as a way to travel the globe and meet new people.

How old were you when you started triathlon and what got you involved in the sport?

I was seven when I did my first Iron Kids.

My brother was doing it and my parents also did triathlons so it was just something to do on the weekend. It was a big event every year, and still is.

When I was 13 I started to train and take it more seriously, competing in cycling races and running races to stay fit.

What do you enjoy about the sport?

I guess I knew I was good at it. Not the best, but always good enough.

And it was an avenue to travel and race around the world.

I saw other people racing around the word and thought that is what I want to do.

When did you believe or what made you think might be good enough to be an Olympian some day?

I don’t really know. In 2000 Triathlon was in the Olympics for the first time, and that was cool.

I knew I wasn’t going then, but it planted a small seed that must have grown.

What are you taking from the Athens’ Olympics to help you this time around?

Enjoy it. Before you know it, it is all over. I was really quite nervous for Athens, especially eight to 10 weeks before the Games.

By race day I was calm, but the lead up was stressful. Into London I’ve enjoyed the whole road to get there.

How will have Flora Duffy also doing triathlon add to these Olympics for you?

It is always great to see other athletes going to the Games from Bermuda, but then to see another in the same sport is cool. It shows the talent in Bermuda.

It will be great to see Flora race on the Saturday before the men go off on Tuesday. Both of us are ready and sure to have great races, I’m excited.

Besides the competition, what are you most looking forward to about the Olympics?

To be honest, I’m not sure. Other than the competition I haven’t thought or looked into much.

I guess it is just the atmosphere that is nice to be a part of.

What’s your goal for placement at the Olympics and why?

If every athlete had their best day, I should be between 20th and 30th. That is just where I lay in terms of states and race results coming in.

But the reality is not every athlete is going to have their best performance on the day.

So I might be 35th like Athens or even 40th, but then I might also swing the other way and be 15th or 12th. (Laughs) That is the joy of racing, the unknown. Everyone wants things to play in their favour.

I have done the training to give myself the best odds for that to happen, but then it actually has to go that way and I have to make it happen on race day to work.