MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis' Seth Rider competed in his first triathlon at just six years old. Now 20 years later, he is set to compete on the biggest stage of all.
Rider was selected as one of two men on a five-person team for USA that will head to the Paris Olympics in July 2024.
The Germantown native got the call that his dream was coming when he was on a bike ride in the mountains of France.
"When he finally told me I was on the team, I was just so happy and relieved and kind of speechless," Rider said. "To finally accomplish a goal you've worked so hard for is pretty amazing."
Triathlons are a Rider family tradition with both his dad and older brothers competing in the sport. But Seth was the only one that chose to stick with the sport.
"Eighty percent of the training I do doesn't really feel like [training]," Rider said. "I don't need to get psyched up to do it. I just enjoy it."
Naturally the guy with the last name rider enjoys riding his bike over the swimming or running leg of the triathlon. It's been that way since he was a young guy because riding gave him the freedom to get out and explore Memphis more when he was a kid.
"That's still like my favorite part about training because I get to travel around the world, and the bike is definitely like, yeah, you just see the most," Rider said.
Riding around the world and being a pro athlete was a dream Rider had at 10 years old, even writing it as his future career in his elementary school yearbook.
But it wasn't until the 2014 Youth Olympics that he started taking the sport more seriously.
"That's kind of when I started to believe that I could really be a professional and make it my job," Rider said.
Making it his job was one thing. Believing he could make the Olympic team was another.
"I went to Tokyo as a reserve and basically just sat in a hotel room for a week," Rider said. "I was watching the race on TV just wishing I was racing. That definitely gave me the extra motivation to improve everything I could and leave no stone unturned for the next three years."
Seth may have one of those coveted Olympic spots now, but he's still turning over every stone in the leadup to the games, which includes four to five hours of training every day in the high altitude mountains in France.
The Olympics begin Friday, July 26, and the triathlon men's final is on Tuesday, July 30, while the mixed relay is on Monday, Aug. 5.