The Art of Sherpa: How Elite Triathletes Approach Support

In triathlon, the focus often falls on athletes, but behind every great athlete is a support system that plays a crucial role in their success. One of the most important roles is the “Sherpa,” someone at the race to help with logistical and emotional support. They usually handle gear, food, travel, or other important details, so the athlete can maintain focus and perform their best. 

Do you NEED a Sherpa? It depends. Some athletes are fine flying solo. For others, having a friend or loved one at the race who has your back is more than a marginal gain; it’s the key to success. Sometimes, just having someone come watch you, track your progress, and provide encouragement can be the difference between pushing yourself to the finish or giving up. 

Supporting an athlete effectively requires a unique blend of empathy, preparedness, and passion. For two of Quintana Roo’s pro athletes, Jenna Haufler and Miguel Maddox (best known for their Freestyle Tri YouTube channel), love and support are essential. When one is competing, the other is dedicated to ensuring their day is as smooth and stress-free as possible. This enhances the racing experience and even improves performance. 

Jenna using her camera to help Miguel dial in the cockpit on his new V-PRi.

A great example was last spring, during Quintana Roo’s home event, IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga. Jenna took on the Sherpa role, ensuring Miguel’s pre-race needs were met while he stayed focused on the race. This was Miguel’s first race following the worst injury and toughest recovery of his career (a broken collarbone, scapula, and ribs) and his debut race on his new Quintana Roo V-PRi. Jenna ran 10 miles around the course during race day, providing consistent encouragement and time gap info while Miguel secured an impressive 7th-place finish and fellow QR pro Matt Hanson took the win! 

With IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga only a few weeks away, we thought it might be fun to look back at how our athletes handled the pressure last time around. If you want to see the power that love and support can have on performance, check out the excellent recap Freestyle Tri put out last year: 

We also sat down with Jenna to get her insights on how she and Miguel approach the Sherpa role as elite athletes, balancing her own athletic pursuits with Miguel's, and the little things that supporters can do that make a big difference on race day. 

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How To Be a Good Race Sherpa

"I tried to be a calming, steady presence anytime things got a little stressful." - Jenna Haufler

Quintana Roo: Since both of you are experienced triathletes, does that influence the way you support each other?

Jenna Haufler: Being an athlete myself does make it easier to support Miguel because I know exactly what he’s going through before a race, both physically and emotionally. I can foresee the potential issues that he may face leading up to the race much better than someone who has never competed in a sport. It’s hard to deeply understand the ebbs and flows of being a high-performing athlete, especially one who has faced recent adversity and illness, if you haven’t been there before.

QR: What does supporting an athlete during a race look like? How does that support role change when you’re both racing?

JH: Miguel’s a pro, both racing-wise and at the whole race prep process now, so my support was less necessary this race than at some in the past. We were also treated to all-hours bike support from the Quintana Roo mechanics, so there was less bike stress than ever leading up to a race. (Note: our pro mechanics are at our booth during most major North American and European IRONMAN and Challenge Family events, providing free bike support for any athletes riding Quintana Roo!)

Miguel handles a lot of the mechanical work before events. At major races, the QR mechanics are always there to provide extra support!

For Chattanooga, I assumed the typical roles of a weekend “Sherpa” though: I dropped him off at front doors and ran to meet him from the parking spot blocks away; I carried his bags and helped organize gear; I made sure food and drink were easily accessible at any moment; and I tried to be a calming, steady presence anytime things got a little stressful. And uniquely to the two of us, when only one of us is racing, the other becomes the solo film/media crew of the weekend. Our race weekends really mean two stressful jobs for us these days: racing and filming. So, to make life easier for the racer, the filming is primarily the job of the person supporting. 

When we’re both racing, the support role (and filming role) sits on both of our shoulders. As with any relationship, Miguel and I know how we can best support each other as athletes during the race weekend, and we’re able to quickly switch out of athlete mode into support mode when the other is in need.

QR: What is the most meaningful way to maximize the performance of the athlete you're supporting on race day?

JH: The best way I can support Miguel leading up to the race is by taking any unnecessary stress that I can off his plate and onto my own. Whether that means always having an extra water or bar in my bag so he doesn’t worry about getting hungry or dehydrated, or simply making sure we’re on time to where we need to be, I’m always trying to plan ahead to make the weekend move seamlessly. The little stressors ahead of race day always add up by the time the gun goes off.

QR: What are the little things that you don't want to miss, whether you're supporting or being supported?

JH: A recipe for a great race day (as both a supporter and an athlete) requires the following: sunscreen, cheering for all the other athletes on the course, and making sure everyone—athletes and supporters—eat and drink enough throughout the event. It’s hard work on both sides of the course!

QR: Any advice for partners who are in that athlete-supporting role?

JH: Before race weekend even arrives, ask your partner what you can do to best support them through the race process so you aren’t left panicking once things inevitably get stressful. Every athlete wants or needs something different from a support person, so it’s helpful to talk through how you can be there for them. And on race day, even if you’re at the race to watch just one person, there are hundreds of other people on the course who could use some encouragement. A “You look great!” goes a looonggg way when you’re dying at mile 8 of the run.

QR: Miguel had an awesome finish at IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga. What are you most proud of?

JH: We both went into this race with no expectations and were just grateful that he was able to get to the start line healthy again! Most of all, I’m proud of how he’s dealt with the whole recovery process from surgery, especially his positivity and open-mindedness about what this season would bring. And of course, debuting the race on the Quintana Roo V-PRi bike and placing 7th was an incredible achievement!

QR: Does being a spectator stress you out more than when you’re the one actually racing?

JH: If I had to pick, I’d almost always choose to be racing over spectating. When you’re racing, you have one job during race day: to race. You’ve practiced and visualized the day throughout the months prior, you have a swim/bike/run course set for you, and you know what you need to do in order to achieve your goals (and of course, are able to react to anything unplanned for that comes your way). 

When you’re just spectating, it’s almost like you’re in the passenger’s seat but don’t know where the driver is. I spend 90% of the day stressing about how Miguel is doing/feeling in the race, anxiously waiting for the next time check on the app (which are waaayy too few and far between), and sprinting around the course to get any race footage I can for the YouTube video afterwards. It feels like 10 jobs at once!

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