My wife and I recently met up with Magali Tisseyre after her second Ironman 70.3 win, this time at the tough Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon in Lubbock, Texas. We waited for her to complete her well-earned post-race massage while she chatted with a lean, attractive woman we assumed was her sister, coach, or a fellow competitor. As our conversation progressed, however, we learned otherwise.

LAVA: So you're from Quebec?

Magali Tisseyre: Yes, that's why I have a weird accent and a name that's hard to pronounce.

How do so many Canadians, who live and train in cooler weather, race so well in hot places like Hawaii and Texas?

I owe a lot of that to my coach, Lance Watson. He's been acclimatizing me for this race. Last week I started working out at the pool, where it's warm and humid. I don't use a fan, just the CompuTrainer at the pool. And I trained with extra clothes the week before I arrived here, on Tuesday [before the Sunday race]. I also had some time to do some heat acclimatization here. He had me do a couple of hard workouts in the heat on Wednesday.

Of all three phases today, which worked out best for you?

We've been working very hard on my bike recently. It went all right, but it didn't go as I wanted. For the run I was a little tired from working so hard on the bike. I can't say I'm totally pleased with any individual part, it wasn't my A-race.

Do you come from an ITU (short-course) background?

No, I started when I was 22, and I didn't have a swim background so I kind of got discouraged from sprint racing because I didn't come out of the water soon enough. I thought because I was strong on the bike, I had a profile for long distance, and I didn't waste time to meet a fit profile that wasn't really mine. I'm 28 now.

Is this the first Ironman 70.3 that you've won?

I won last year in Boise. I had a really good race. I'm trying to match it . . . being sick just before the season when I was really fit put some perturbation into all the training and racing this year.

Are you going to try to do Kona or a full Ironman?

My dream is to have a podium finish in Hawaii, but I think I need to keep racing 70.3 events for awhile, because I'm good at them and I need to do better. And I'd like to be a World Champion in 70.3 before I move on to Ironman.

Like Craig Alexander?

He’s a very good example for me.

Photo by Tuula Rodgers

Do you think you might come back to race here again?

Yes, definitely. I really liked the fact that the race organizers were very laid-back. They were festive, and so much fun.

This is one of the oldest Ironmans 70.3’s in the world, as I’m sure you know ...

It's the "old school" race—I like it.

What was the hardest part of the race for you?

For me it was the bike course, the last ten miles.

Because of the wind?

Oh yeah, the last stretch, with the wind in your face, when you start getting tired, and you get the wind ...

What makes this course hard is that it mixes hills on the bike and the run.

The more hills there are, the better my racing is. Every time I would see Angela on the hills, I would stay even, but as it would be flat I would lose some. I was far back by the end of the bike. She is very strong on the bike. She had quite a big lead. I am usually pretty confident about my run.

So you had enough endurance?

Just endurance, stable running, nothing extraordinary.

So you're going to Clearwater this year?

Yes, that's my big race.

When is your next 70.3 race?

I'm supposed to do Racine 70.3, but I'm feeling a little tired at this race, I don't know why. I'm going to talk to my coach, and I totally trust him in my race choices. So we'll see. Racine, Augusta, and the Philippines for sure.

Is there anything else you'd like to say to our readers?

[Smiling] Maybe about the drafting in Clearwater.

But there's almost no drafting here! Even if you tried to draft, people pull away in the hills.

Photo by Tuula Rodgers

At this point in our conversation with Tisseryre, the lean, attractive woman we mentioned in the introduction joined in. It didn’t take long for us to find out that the woman was actually Tisseryre’s mother.

LAVA: [To Tisseryre] This your mother? We thought she was your sister!

[To Kiki] I'm sure you are proud of your daughter.

KIKI: Very proud.

LAVA: You look very fit. Do you swim or bike or run?

TISSEYRE: She was a skier.

KIKI: Yes, I was a skier, and I love to run.

LAVA: May I ask how old you are?

KIKI: 54.

TISSEYRE: The guys like her better than they like me!

LAVA: That's great that you support your daughter.

TISSEYRE: Me and the dog! (Mom is holding a cute, red-haired dog named Lucas). She and I flew in separately, so we meet at races a lot. She's always supported me in my race, because she was an athlete herself. And she's my mom and my dad at the same time ... I lost my dad when I was eleven.

LAVA: He would be proud, too.

TISSEYRE: I think so. I think he helps me a lot.