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Jim Lubinski
Professional Triathlete

JIM LUBINSKI grew up in Niles, Illinois, a suburb outside of Chicago. He has always had an athletic lifestyle playing all kinds of sports including ice hockey, soccer, baseball, basketball, and track. In 7th grade, he actually won the state championship in the mile race with a time of 4:59. Jim truly excel led at ice hockey. He played on a club team throughout high school and, post graduation from high school, went on to play Junior A ice hockey in Bismarck, North Dakota. Jim was a scrappy player who could grind it out in the corners, drop the gloves, and put points on the board. He was the captain of the team and a fan favorite in Bismarck. Jim made a name for himself through his hard work, intense training, and dedication to the team. This earned him a scholarship to Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut to play Division I ice hockey. At Fairfield, Jim continued his extreme training regiment with consistent practice on and off of the ice. He was a 6'2, 210 pound power forward who did what it took to get the job done. He was always ranked at the top of the team in penalty minutes and points. He graduated in four years with a major in Political Science, and minors in Business Management and Communications. Post college, Jim went on to play professional ice hockey. He started his career with the Greenville Growl of the ECHL in Greenville, South Carolina, but was quickly moved to the Ft. Worth Brahmas of the CHL in Ft. Worth, Texas. He stayed in Ft. Worth for approximately half of the season, until he was traded to the Winston-Salem T-Birds in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Jim played the rest of the season in Winston-Salem, once again becoming a fan favorite with his hard -nosed play. He finished the season ranking at the top of the team in both penalty minutes and points. After one season as a professional ice hockey player, Jim decided to hang up the skates. He moved to Los Angeles, California to start his professional career.

Once in L.A., Jim had the inkling to start training again. Knowing he had always excelled at running and biking, he took up the sport of triathlon. In 2005, his first season as a triathlete, he raced about 5 times, always with an average finish. His second season, in 2006, he raced a few more times with average results. In 2007 Jim took a year off of training and racing. He enjoyed the L.A. lifestyle, but was unhappy with his everyday life. He knew he was capable of more in the sport of triathlon. In 2008, he got back into a basic triathlon training regiment and competed in Ironman Arizona in November. With minimal training, he finished IM Arizona in 10 hours and 1 minute. This was an eye opener for Jim. He was 30 years old, in the prime of his endurance sport athletic career, and knew he could achieve a lot if he put his mind to it. In 2009, he started to train as intense as he did when he was a Division I/Pro ice hockey player. He made every workout hurt. His saying became, "If it doesn't hurt, you're just wasting time." With his experience in dealing with pain and suffering through all of the years of ice hockey training, Jim pushed his body to limits many believed were unattainable. He worked out 4 hours a day, all while maintaining a full time job as a sales representative. In just 6 months of intense training Jim racked up 5 age group wins in 6 races, 2 overall wins, including an overall amateur win at the very prestigious Vineman 70.3, and he earned his qualification to become a professional triathlete. Jim has a very promising and bright future in the sport. He is dedicated, strong, and will not accept failure. He knows it will be a long, hard road to become the best, but is determined to get there.

Jim's Athletic Highlights

Event Overall Place Division Place Time Swim Bike Run
2009
Vineman 70.3** 13th 1st 4:11 32:14 2:21 1:15
Breath of Life Olympic 1st 1st 1:53 20:18 59:50 32:59
Boise 70.3* 21st 1st 4:15 36:48
2:15 1:21
Florida 70.3 65th 3rd 4:34 44:16 2:12 1:33
Superfrog Half 4th 1st 4:14 30:40 2:17 1:24
Desert Intl. Tri 15th 1st 1:56 21:18 59:41 33:51
Upcoming Events for 2009
IM Canada August 30th
Ford IM World Championships October 10th
Ironman 70.3 World Championships November 14th
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*2nd overall amateur at Boise 70.3, qualified for professional status
**1st overall amateur at Vineman 70.3





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