If you want life advice, here it is. If you are THAT good at triathlon, then you probably wouldn't be going to bed school so I will assume you are not. You can do triathlon anywhere in the U.S. You need a reality check on your priorities. I would suggest to anyone going to grad school to either (1) pick the "best" (which, without getting into further debate, I'll define as highest ranking) school or (2) the one in the city where you want to live.

Location will be important, but not for triathlon. It is not uncommon for the region you are training in to become your permanent residence. This is happens more often in residency than medical school, as this is where you are establishing contacts. A rural location will perhaps make this slightly more important, and those are more limited choices. Of course, you CAN go anywhere, I am just speaking in general terms that people tend to gravitate towards family/friends, etc.

Also, where are you at with medical school application? Sometimes there is no choice (even for the most qualified of applicants), you just go where you get in.

Jason

Get into the best school you can. There are races everywhere.

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All I Wanted Was A Pepsi, Just One Pepsi

Team Zoot, Team Zoot Mid-Atlantic

Just my two cents cause that is all it worth. First and foremost get in. Jason D makes an excellent point and medical school admissions is only getting more competitive every year. If you do have a choice at options make sure you figure out what is the best fit for you. Sometimes rankings are not all that they appear to be unless you are in that upper tier for research schools and want to go down that path. I'm going to med school in the fall in Chicago. I'm a front BOP at best but I do the sport cause its fun and it affords me the number 1 life luxury on the weekend. (Pizza and Beer)

Tim if you have any questions on the admissions process let me know. I am a non-traditional student and worked in the medical admissions game and test prep industry for 6 years before applying. Best of luck in the application cycle!

In the end, I think to balance both (and you have a hell of a resume) you are just going to have to love the black line, trainer road, and the sound of a treadmill. Maybe you could rig up a book stand next to the trainer?

To answer your question, I would say that anywhere on either coast is going to offer decent racing opportunities. That said, once you take that dive into MS1, you are not going to have time for racing, unless you are some sort of super academic who can transdermally absorb textbook information by sleeping on it (lol). I think the other posters are right- pick one. It should be med school. Good luck!

This.

I'm heading to law school in the Fall, but instead of me heading off to UC Boulder or UCLA, I chose University of Florida because it gave me the best ROI by far. Gainesville isn't the most magnificent training hub, but school comes first despite how good I may be at swimming, biking, and running.

But that's my .02 and you may be much better at triathlon.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

Echoing what others have mentioned:

Priority ranking:

1. School
2. Where you would want to live
3. Triathlon training/racing

As far as location for triathlon training and racing, it is highly overrated largely due to the fact that many pros train at _________ location (insert Boulder, AZ, etc.)

A large number of elite AGers come from winter climates such as the Northeast and upper Midwest. Also pros such as Thomas Gerlach (Wisconsin) and Andrew Starykowicz (Illinois).

Probably due to the fact that there is nothing better to do during the winter around here (half pink) .

IMHO Worry more about the school or where you want to live. You can Tri anywhere.

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"Just don’t abandon everything you’ve ever learned because of something someone said on the internet." - Eric McGinnis

Thank you all for the input. To answer the question of where I am in the app process, it's still a ways out. I took 2.5 years off after graduating with BS in Exercise Science, now I'm at Stony Brook taking pre-reqs, just need organic chemistry (this fall and spring). I'm doing well, my post-bac GPA is 3.85 (compared to 3.56 undergrad first time around). I appreciate the whole "go where you get in" approach, but the thing is I haven't even decided where I want to apply.

Another short story, I lived in Saratoga Springs (just under the Adirondacks) for about 7 years before moving to Long Island last fall. It was a great place to live, lots of quiet training roads. Go north and I could ride 3-4 hours and not unclip the pedals once! Now I don't have a single stretch of road longer than a mile without stop lights and stop signs, and forget about the traffic at literally all hours of the day. Wherever I go next, I want to be able to ride/run safely and effectively. Right now I only ride indoors except for weekend getaways and run on a treadmill for about 50% of my mileage. So for those who say prioritize, "where I want to live" and "training/racing" are really one in the same.

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Tim Russell, Pro Triathlete

Instagram- @timbikerun

- Choose MD over DO
- get in first, grades are just one piece of the puzzle, MCAT + Work/backround and interviews are very important
- go to the best school you get into, apply to a lot of schools, its very competitive
-you will need to put tri on hold during med school, you can still train some but your focus should be 100% on becoming a medical professional.

Let me also add "apply where you receive in-state tuition".

In medical school you are building the foundation for your career as a physician. If you want to succeed at the highest level, delayed gratification is the name of the game. It WILL be hard and the better you do the closer you get to your final speciality choice is important. I think that if you get to residency match day and you don't get the residency of your choice or even more difficult you go unmatched, you are going to wish that you had spent more time studying or in the hospital working.

I will therefore agree with previous posters and say that you need to keep your eye on the ball and in this case the focus should be becoming the best physician possible.

This is another huge point. As mentioned above, I'm sort of far out from application time, and it may be an option to move someplace before applying to get in-state tuition. Texas has a huge draw here, since in-state tuition in under $20k for most of the programs. But then there is the risk of not getting in, and having to move again anyway. Do you happen to know which schools favor in-state applicants?

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Tim Russell, Pro Triathlete

Instagram- @timbikerun

Just wondering why Burlington Vt. would be on your list. Although beautiful setting it is certainly not low cost of living and certainly not great for triathlon training.
I agree with the poster who stated that if you are going to be a medical student then would be advisable to put triathlon on the back burner. As in way back burner. I'd say you will be lucky to get out the door with a pair of running shoes.
Best of luck.

Can't help but love VT... Born and raised.

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Tim Russell, Pro Triathlete

Instagram- @timbikerun

Is it true that only 10% of premed students end up going to med school? Heard the statistic earlier today...

Assuming at least three-quarters still want to pursue med school when they get out of undergrad, that's disgustingly competitive.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

Not able to verify the #, but if that's true, I was with the 90% my first time around at undergrad. 19 year old Tim had no interest in working that hard :)

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Tim Russell, Pro Triathlete

Instagram- @timbikerun

Hah! A story I have heard so often from friends who went down other avenues. One went into healthcare management and the other is finishing up PA school. Seems like law school is a breeze compared to med school... Good luck, man.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

Granted, med school is very difficult, but even the most dedicated med student is going to fuck around for at least an hour a day. When I look back on med school I can't believe how much time I truly had. If a student manages their time well they should have ample opportunities to get in a daily training session. I'm not saying that working out should be the focus of your existence, but an hour a day of training can help keep you sane and make the work a little easier to concentrate on. It might get a little tougher when you get to clinical rotations but that is a couple years down the road at most schools.

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Jason
None of the secrets of success will work unless you do.

Is it true that only 10% of premed students end up going to med school? Heard the statistic earlier today...

It depends on when you measure the percentage. There are a lot of Freshmen premed students who either don't have the talent or desire to be there (many are premed because of pressure from mommy and daddy). Some schools have very good records at getting students into med school because they do a good job weeding out students who don't belong and give realistic advice on where to apply. There are schools that get 80% of their graduating premed students into medschool.

you expect time to train and race??? in med school and residency? you are delusional.

I'll put in a plug for my current city of Charlottesville, VA. First of all, there is a first-rate medical school at the University of Virginia. But its also a fantastic place for triathlon training (and general enjoyment of the outdoors). There's endless miles of country roads and all sorts of terrain from flat/rolling hills to very challenging climbing. You'll also find a great local community of triathletes/runners and cyclists.

There's a medical school in Phoenix? I thought the only MD / DO programs offered were at U of A in Tucson.

2 DO programs in Phoenix area, one in Mesa, one in Glendale

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Tim Russell, Pro Triathlete

Instagram- @timbikerun

Charlottesville is on my radar, thanks for your opinion! My little brother lives in Manassas, not super close but better than now. So that would be a big plus.

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Tim Russell, Pro Triathlete

Instagram- @timbikerun