Ben Hoffman
They call me Hoff.
My life in triathlon began when I was a university student in Missoula, Montana, in the fall of 2003. Looking for a way to get some fitness back from the halcyon days of youth when I played soccer, basketball, golf, and rock climbed, I jumped in with the squad and began the arduous journey of learning to swim. Cycling came fairly easy from the days of riding tours with my parents across the American west, and I had run enough playing ball sports and two years of track in High School that I was able to get that back to a respectable level. After a couple of seasons with decent results, and a trip to South America to study for 6 months, I returned to get serious about the sport in late 2005. 2006 was the Summer of Glory, in which I lived out of a car with my friend while racing across Canada and the Pacific Northwest, earning enough money to put gas in the vehicle and pay for food. Upon returning to Missoula that fall, I had spent all of my money in Europe during a month-long adventure by rail, and I took care of a cabin high in the woods for a month. During the weeks of simple living, and running in the snow, I had the time I needed to figure out what I wanted to do next.
And what to do next was move to Durango, Colorado, where I could commit to the pursuit of professional triathleticism, logging the miles at altitude and even scoring a 3rd place at my first pro race at Wildflower in 2007. After a few years of doing the part-time work gig, I bagged my other job and went all-in with racing and training, winning an Ironman and 70.3 in 2010, and spending winters in Tucson, AZ. Feeling the need for a change of scenery and a boost to the training resources, I moved to Boulder in 2011, and have made it my summer base. I always told myself that I would only keep racing triathlon as long as it was fun, and so far I’m not too worried about that. The camaraderie amongst athletes, the challenge of training and competing, traveling to new places, helping develop the best equipment, and dedicating my days to health are all reasons why I have the best job around.
Here are some super interesting facts about me, and some not so interesting ones too, depending on your outlook!
Favorite Rides:
Mt. Lemmon, Coalbank and Molas Passes, Engine Creek Trail, Lefthand Canyon
Favorite Races:
Grizzly Triathlon, Boise 70.3, Wildflower, Ironman Lake Placid, Ironman St. George
Favorite Foods/Beverages:
Good pizza, fish tacos, bacon, chocolate, bacon chocolate, COFFEE, Pellegrino, wine.
First Bike:
Huffy with tiger stripes, but I still consider my 2001 Specialized Allez Elite M4 (a.ka. The Green Machine) the first bike I really rode hard, touring Colorado and other places, racing my first triathlons, and then converting to a fixed gear that caused me to crash on my face once when I tried to answer a phone call from my mom while commuting to work.
Future Goals:
I would like to keep winning races, and then win some bigger ones, like world championships. I like the half distance, but Ironman is where you always see the most potential for improvement, and the biggest stage, Kona.
What I ride:
Shiv- Wicked fast, comfortable for the long distances, and damn sexy!
Tarmac SL4- My go to for long road bike training rides. Incredibly light and stiff, yet plush for the miles ahead.
Venge- With a name like Venge, you know it’s good! Fast, fast, faster.
S-Works Epic 29er- Best mountain bike. Ever. Lighter, stiffer, and rolls over anything. Love me some trail shreddin’!
Specialized saddles (Toupe, Phenom, Romin), Shoes (S-Works road, S-Works MTB, S-Works Tri), and Helmets (TT, Prevail).
Support Crew:
Specialized has the best support around for its athletes, and it’s only getting better. Big shout out to ace wrenches Joe and Jeff, Mal and Sean, and all my teammates.

4th Place Ironman St. George
May 24, 2011
It has been a little over two weeks since I put myself through the most grueling Ironman
on the circuit for the second time in two years. I had hopes of getting
this blog up immediately after the race, but I've been enjoying some
slow and low days of recovery, clearing my mind of the triathlon world a
little before beginning my next build.
holds a special place in my heart. I first spent time there as a member
of the University of Montana triathlon team in 2004, doing a spring
training camp before our National Championship race in Lake Havasu
that spring. We came back again in 2006, and then I returned last year
to train on the course and race in early May. It's a fantastic venue
with amazing community support, and I am guessing that it may be the
most honest Ironman
on the circuit, with incredibly challenging bike and run courses. There
is nowhere to hide in this race... the strongest athlete wins.
goal for the race was to win, and I believed it was possible after a
hard-earned second place in 2010. My spring training was not perfect,
but it was very good, and I toed the line with confidence that I could
execute a race capable of taking the top spot.
swim started out like any other, with the top swimmers pushing hard in
the opening meters. I gave everything to find some good feet early, but
instead found myself popped and leading a small chase pack with Maik Twelsiek and another athlete in tow. Around the midway point, I surrendered lead duties to Maik and prepared for a very hard bike...
pushing hard to close the 2+min. gap to the leaders, and we switch hit
the pacing duties until he pulled away around mile 30 or 35. We were
steadily gaining time on Ambrose and Hecht, and Maik
eventually made it up and through them, but I could not match his power
on the hills of the first lap. With everyone fearing the eventual
appearance of Weiss, we all continued to hammer the pace. At mile 37 or
so, I passed TJ Tollakson,
and rode alone the rest of the day. It was a great test of solo riding,
and I am happy to report that I was able to maintain good power for the
duration.
miles from T2, I transitioned fast and hit the marathon course with a
vengeance. My Dad was on course yelling splits, and I dug deep feeling
that I could close the 3 minute gap to the lead with a great run. I felt
smooth climbing the hills, and I could see Hecht
after a few miles, closing the gap from 3 min. to 2:40, 2:20, and
eventually down to 1:20 near the halfway point. He was running the
downhills exceptionally well, and I was pulling time back on the
uphills, but as I headed out between miles 13 and 14, my 1:26 half split
caught up to me quickly, and I had to slow for aid. The next 10 miles
were my darkest racing moments in recent memory, going way inside my
mind to battle the demons and keep moving forward. TJ
was closing hard and made his pass for 3rd around mile 22, but I was
too empty at that point, and he was running well. With only a couple
miles to go, 5th
was closing hard, and I made the decision that I would not give up the
place I had worked so hard for all day... I put the head down, and
clicked out two downhill miles at 5:50, letting the legs fly wildly on
the verge of buckling. Crossing the line brought the usual surge of
emotion, mostly happiness for having finished, and to have shaved nearly
11 minutes off my time from the year before on a day that saw much
harder conditions. I'm still blown away by Hecht's gutsy performance for his first Ironman victory, and the class he showed afterwards.
with the dust settled, I look back on another memorable experience in
St. George with an eagerness to return in 2012 and take the win. I could
not have put together the race I did without the fantastic support I
enjoy, and I must thank my family, Lynne and Bill Cobb who graciously
hosted us for the long weekend, Brian Mueller for providing the perfect
spring training arrangement in Tucson, and my incredible sponsors: Zoot, Specialized, Clif, Zipp/SRAM, FuelBelt, TriBike Transport, and Wattie Ink.
-
Back [But Not Back to Back to Back] in Branson.
September 27, 2012 -
Putting the "W" in Wisconsin
September 17, 2012 -
Season Update
August 30, 2012 -
3rd Place Ironman Kansas 70.3
June 21, 2012 -
Ironman St. George Victory at Last
May 9, 2012 -
Oceanside
April 12, 2012 -
Desert Classic Duathlon Disaster
March 12, 2012 -
Doing Work
March 11, 2012 -
Chile
January 26, 2012 -
1st Place Ironman Branson 70.3
September 27, 2011 -
1st Place Ironman Muncie 70.3
August 9, 2011 -
1st Place Ironman Boise 70.3
August 9, 2011 -
4th Place Ironman St. George
May 24, 2011 -
Oceanside 70.3
April 14, 2011 -
4th Place Desert Classic Duathlon/ 2011 Kickoff
March 24, 2011 -
12th Place Abu Dhabi International Triathlon
March 24, 2011 -
Almost to Mexico...
December 28, 2010 -
Running.
November 10, 2010 -
Seasons of change
November 8, 2010 -
Island time... Pt. 3/Back home
October 25, 2010 -
Island Time... Pt. 2
October 20, 2010 -
Island Time... Pt. 1
October 19, 2010 -
Kona Race Report.
October 19, 2010 -
Aloha!
October 13, 2010 -
1st Place Black Canyon Sprint Triathlon
October 3, 2010 -
The Gathering.
September 29, 2010 -
Kona.
September 29, 2010 -
1st Place Ironman Branson 70.3
September 21, 2010 -
The past few weeks...
August 23, 2010 -
1st Place Ironman Lake Placid
August 16, 2010 -
Activation Energy.
July 7, 2010 -
3rd Place Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3
June 30, 2010 -
2nd Place Ironman Boise 70.3
June 18, 2010 -
1st Place Xterra Four Corners.
June 7, 2010 -
Iron Horse Weekend
June 7, 2010 -
I am Specialized.
May 11, 2010 -
2nd Place Ironman St. George
May 10, 2010 -
Spring Campaign
April 22, 2010 -
St. George.....
April 6, 2010 -
7th Place Oceanside 70.3
April 5, 2010 -
Happiness as Survival
March 10, 2010 -
2nd Place Desert Classic Duathlon
March 2, 2010 -
Triathlon Bootcamp/San Diego
February 22, 2010 -
Tucson Training
February 1, 2010 -
2010 Kickoff
January 21, 2010 -
Arizona Weekend/Offseason....
November 30, 2009 -
Winter Running
November 16, 2009 -
Perth/Offseason
November 10, 2009 -
Kona Report
October 23, 2009 -
Kona Week 3
September 28, 2009 -
Past the Illusion
September 24, 2009 -
Kona Week 2
September 22, 2009 -
1st Place Lavaman Keaohou Triathlon
September 15, 2009 -
Aloha!
September 14, 2009 -
Lake Stevens 78.3
August 22, 2009 -
2nd Place Ironman Calgary 70.3, Montana/Canada Roadtrip
August 3, 2009 -
6th Place Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3
July 5, 2009 -
4th Place Ironman Boise 70.3
June 15, 2009 -
Know your limits... and then change them.
May 26, 2009 -
Another solid week of training
May 12, 2009 -
9th Place Wildflower
May 6, 2009

