32 MARCH/APRI L 2012 33

A peek behind the Bennett curtain reveals what makes triathlons most successful couple tick.
BEING BENNETT
BY HOLLY BENNETT
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MATT HARBICHT
BEING BENNETT
2012 OLYMPIC SERIES
PART 2 of 4
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Thats when it will be decided whether the
pairtwo of the most talented and success-
ful short-course triathletes in history, with
30 World Cup podiums between themwill
score berths on TeamU.S.A. bound for
Londons Olympic Games. Oddly enough, as
rmly focused on the ve-ring circus as the
Bennetts remain, speak to themlong enough
and it becomes apparent that racing in the
2012 Olympics is not a deal-breaker for
their happiness. They want it badly. Theyre
driven to get there, having crafted their life
together into a targeted four-year block. Yet
theyll be categorically OKif selection does
not sway in their favor.
The politics of Olympic selection are
nothing if not complex. Chances for selec-
tion run highest for Laura, 36, originally
fromWest PalmBeach, Fla. She simply
needs to best her close friend and only
remaining rival for the third U.S. womens
spot, Sarah Haskins, at the nal qualier, the
ITU World Triathlon Series San Diego race
in May, and place in the top nine in the pro-
cess. If neither Bennett nor Haskins places
in the top nine women overall in San Diego,
their fate will be decided at the discretion of
USATriathlons selection committee.
For Greg Bennett, 40, an Australian by
birth who nowenjoys dual citizenship and
races under the U.S. ag, the probability of a
teamposition is far more tentative and con-
fusing. Simply put, qualifying for the U.S.
Olympic triathlon teamis all about navigat-
ing the ITUs complicated race seriesits
World Triathlon Series (which has only
been around since 2009), World Cup series
and Continental Cup seriesand earning
enough points to qualify for the U.S.s two
Olympic Trials: the World Triathlon Series
race in London this past August and the
San Diego race in May. The World Triath-
lon Series races are weighted more heavily
points-wise, ofer larger prize purses and
more media recognition, and drawstronger
eldsall factors that Greg favors. The Cup
races are less competitive, yet occur more
frequently, thus they are favored by athletes
considered to be strategic points chasers.
Early in 2011 Greg focused on the World
Triathlon Series races; however, his per-
formances were not up to par. When he
failed to earn a start at the London race he
could have then packed his schedule with
late-season World Cup events to erase his
The month of May
looms large in the
household of Greg
and Laura Bennett.
View a video of the Bennetts photo shoot on your
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download the free app at http://gettag.mobi and
scan over (or take a picture of) this barcode.
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36 MARCH/APRI L 2012 37
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points decit. But he recognized the risk
in taxing his 40-year-old body too close to
San Diego, digging a hole from which hed
be unlikely to emerge. Instead, when an
invitation came to race the renowned Hy-
Vee 5150 U.S. Championship, Bennett toed
the non-drafting start line and crushed the
world-class eld. His victory conrmed
his standing as one of Americas premier
short-course professionals and earned him
a lucrative $151,500 prize.
Bennetts business-mindedness and
desire to face of against his ercest rivals
have always played a hand in his planning,
though perhaps to the detriment of his
Olympic dream. While hes been in close
communication with USATriathlons high
performance director in regard to his race
choices, he knows USATriathlons hands
may be tied when it comes to naming the
U.S. mens team.
USAThas been brilliant, doing every-
thing they can to help me make the team,
said Greg. I understand that the path
Ive chosennot to run around chasing
pointshas put themin a dif cult spot. But
do I believe Imgood enough to represent
the U.S.A.? Absolutely! Ive balanced my
choices against my big-picture goals, but
Imnot shutting the door on my Olympic
hopes. USATwill have to shut it for me.
Right now, that door remains ever so
slightly ajar. Greg will not race for points
heading into San Diego in a nal efort to
make the start list. If two Americans place
top nine overall in the race, theyll automati-
cally earn spots on the U.S. mens Olympic
triathlon team. However, if two men do not
automatically qualify, the selection com-
mittee may opt to pull strings in Gregs favor
with an outright teamappointment.
Adding to the complexityand allureof
Gregs impending 2012 season is the World
Triathlon Corporations (WTC) recent rule
change for professional qualication to its
championship events. As the 2011 Hy-Vee
champion, Greg is now granted automatic
entry to all of WTCs 2012 champion-
ship races, including the Ironman World
Championship 70.3 in Las Vegas and the
Ironman World Championship in Kailua-
Kona, Hawaii, as long as he validates his
qualifying spots by completing WTC races
of equal distance. Immediately on the heels
of WTCs January announcement, Greg
proclaimed his intention to race the inau-
gural Ironman Asia-Pacic Championship
in Melbourne, Australia, on March 25 in
order to secure his place on the start line in
Kona, come October.
In theory, Bennett could race in Mel-
bourne, receive a discretionary invitation
to Londons Olympics, then compete in all
three WTC championship events5150,
Ironman 70.3 and Ironmanin a single
season, providing him a smorgasbord of
the marquee races he savors. In practice,
this may prove quixotic, yet one thing is
certain: The triathlon public will watch
with eager anticipation to see how Gregs
plan plays out.
Meanwhile, at this point its still anyones
guess as to howmanytwo or threeand
which American men will race in London.
Simply understanding the selection
process is exhausting enough, never mind
the painstaking preparationphysically,
mentally and emotionallyrequired to
compete at the highest level of the sport.
Olympic athletes are often singularly fo-
cused to a fault, honed in laser-like on one
event on one single day every four years. The
Bennetts have both been down that road
before, with Greg racing in Athens in 2004
and Laura in Beijing in 2008. Both nished
fourth, the most painful position to land
in a competition where medalsand the
media and nancial opportunities they often
bestoware only awarded three deep.
But the Bennetts hold no remorse over
their bridesmaid spots.
I think we are two of the most fortunate
athletes in the sport, said Greg. Yes, we
have both come fourth in the Olympics, but
put it in perspective. Its not a bad result,
and we still had an amazing experience for
both of us.
Thats what we talk about, said Laura.
The journey. Because at the end of the day,
you may or may not get the result you want-
ed. But if you didnt notice what happened
every step of the way, all the way up to it,
and experience everything you could all the
way, then youve really missed out. When
I was swimming [at Southern Methodist
University] there were so many Olympians
who were super-depressed after the Olym-
pics. Even sometimes the people who had
won, because they were expecting a certain
amount of recognition and they didnt get
it. Adiver I heard about was almost suicidal.
Or people who didnt perform, they didnt
remember the whole process. All the experi-
ences they had, all the friends they made,
none of that. And its like, Really?
Minus an outright Olympic obsession,
one might wonder what does drive Greg and
Laura Bennett to train and performat the
pinnacle of short-course triathlon as they
have for more than a decade.
Its all about experiences, said Greg.
Going back to the 04 Olympics, what I
really remember is the eight weeks before.
Laura put her own training aside and the
two of us trained everything together. Every
workout. It was the intensity and focus of
that period that sticks in my mind for-
ever. That, and the opening ceremony and
all the activities leading up to the Games.
The fourth place is irrelevant. My Olympic
experience is that eight-week block and the
experiences surrounding the race. We did it
together. The journey is all of it. It really is.
Its a journey the Bennetts intend to make
hand-in-hand if either of themwinds up
competing in London. Indeed, Gregs im-
petus in gaining American citizenship was
largely inuenced by his desire to race on the
same national teamas his wife.
It was always a case where both of our
countries would let the other one intocamp,
but they wouldnt let either of us out. So if we
both raced the same Games, wed be split up
the entire time,explained Laura.
Its been that way since back when we
were doing the World Series together, from
2000 to 2006, said Greg. We were always
staying in diferent hotels. It was crazy. We
both had great teams, but it was always
challenging trying to juggle and see each
other. And when youre used to spending
your time 24/7 with someone, well, it kind
of sucked! That wasnt what I wanted from
the experience. I wanted to be with her and
she wanted to be with me.
Teamwork and togetherness are dening
themes for this twosome, and nearly a dozen
years into their relationship they showno
signs of weakness in their united front.
Sometimes they still are like teenagers
in love, said longtime friend, fellowpro and
frequent houseguest Mathias Hecht. They
really are a perfect match. They both laugh a
lot. Greg doesnt work or function the same
way without Laura, and the same the other
way around. I have the greatest respect for
what theyve achieved in their careers, but
I think they are also role models as human
beings. Living together under the same roof
with themshowed me what an amazing
teamthey are.
Greg and Laura are side-by-side almost
constantly, and they wouldnt have it any
other way. They speak using I and we
interchangeablya habit that can be con-
fusing to an outside observer, if not for the
undeniable bond that links themtogether.
Some particularly close couples nish one
anothers sentences. The Bennetts seem
to complete one anothers thoughts and
glances. Its as if they share a collective
consciousness.
Its so true! exclaimed Laura. Some-
times hell bring up something and Ill say,
Whered you learn that? I dont think you
knowthat! You must have been studying. I
knoweverything you know!
Itll be something fromthe 20 minutes
Ive had on the Frontier Airlines television
If a race doesnt go my way, Im
allowed to be disappointed for an
hour. And thats important to meI
need that time. I cant just wave it of.
But then I move on. Greg Bennett
38 MARCH/APRI L 2012
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when Ive gone to a race without her, said
Greg, laughing.
Laughter punctuates nearly every conver-
sation the couple shares, both of them erupt-
ing into good-natured giggles at the slightest
provocation. They laugh at themselves, at
each other, at every opportunity; theyre
simply a happy pair. Theyre also uncan-
nily similar. Both Bennetts come from solid
family foundations with a 12-year spread
among their siblings (Lauras four and Gregs
two). Both their mothers are competitive
go-getters (Lauras in real estate sales, Gregs
in fundraising); their fathers are the families
even-keeled, sporting inuences.
Greg and Laura were encouraged by
their parents in every pursuitathletic and
otherwiseand each was introduced to tri-
athlon in the mid-1980s, albeit on opposite
ends of the globe. Their Olympic fourths
are not their only identical results: In 2009
the couple won Ironman 70.3 Augusta in
tandem, during a brief foray into long-
course racing. They each own numerous ITU
World Cup titles and were named Triathlete
magazines Triathletes of the Year in 2007.
The two self-professed late-bloomers even
look alike and could easily be mistaken for
brother and sister, until the moment they
speak and Gregs impassioned Aussie accent
bounds about in contrast to Lauras all-
American purr.
Finding one another was a perfect gift of
fate, they say.
In 2000, Greg was questioning his future
in the sport. Hed been controversially left of
the Australian Olympic Team, despite a No. 2
world ranking. He was bitter and burned out.
I was pretty despondent with the sport,
a little bewildered with it all, Greg said.
Then my longtime friend Simon Whit-
eld said, Come to Victoria [Canada] and
help me get ready for Sydney [the 2000
Olympics, where Whiteld won gold]. I
was kind of in no-mans land wonder-
ing whether I should retire. So I moved to
Canada and suddenly there was a squad
where everybody was happy and having a
good time. I hadnt experienced that for
about four yearsit had felt like work. But
in the forests of Canada I got my passion for
running. I found new life in the sport. And
then Laura came in August of 2000. I almost
feel that, had I gone to the Olympics, maybe
I wouldnt have met her. So in the end, good
luck/bad luck, who knows? Around every
corner, after every disappointment is
Winning is great, but its more about the
process than the result. If you look at life
like that, I think it helps a lot. Its so easy
to be serious, and we try constantly not
to go down that road.Laura Bennett
40 MARCH/APRI L 2012
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something new. Laura was also questioning
if she should continue with the sport, and
here we are 11 years later and loving it!
Laura, who was then Laura Reback, had
indeed gone to Canada to prepare for her last
hurrah as a professional triathlete.
I was getting ready to go back down to
Australia in 2001 for one more go at the old
Formula One series, and then I was plan-
ning to call it quits. Id only been racing
professionally for a couple of years, but I had
realized it was a lot of travel. I loved hanging
out with all my girlfriends on the circuit,
but I kind of wanted to get my future life
going, you know? I knew if I had one person
to share it all with, to do everything togeth-
erthat would make every experience that
much better. Otherwise I was done!
It didnt take the two long to realize they
were each others special someone. Greg
was smitten the moment a bikini-clad
Laura stepped onto the pool deck, and Laura
noticed the able-bodied Aussie during a run
session. That afternoon they shared a cofee
and started a conversation that cemented
their connection, and they have been talking
ever since. Five short weeks following their
rst Starbucks date, the Bennetts were co-
habitating. Both were headed from Victoria
to Australia to train under the guidance of
renowned triathlon coach Lance Watson,
so the decision to set up house in their new
environs made perfect sense.
I must say that rst year living together
was probably worse than the rst year of
marriage, Laura recalled. Because we knew
we wanted to make this work forever. So
everything meant something.
We both knew this was the One,
agreed Greg. But you dont know what the
boundaries areyou dont know the rules
and that rst year we had to get a lot sorted.
The one thing weve done really well is keep
open communication. That was paramount
from the beginning, getting our relationship
established. We set up certain ruleswe had
to! We always had to give each other a kiss
good morning and a kiss good night. No one
was allowed to go to bed angry. Those types
of rules. And weve kept that going.
The biggest rule has always been keeping
our relationship rst. When you decide to do
that, once you have that baseline, everything
else falls into place. I mean were together
24/7, so clearly were compatible, Laura
added with a characteristic giggle.
And they dont get boredor do they?
Ummm teased Laura.
Dont um! retorted Greg, feigning
defensiveness.
And with this, both Bennetts immediately
crack up.
Only when we get tired do we argue,
said Greg. What happens is you nd your-
self wanting to have an argument, and you
dont even know why. The other one will say,
Youre tired, and immediately you come
back and say, Oh no Im not! And then you
go put your head on the pillow and boom!
Youre out. So weve gotten really good at
understanding when were tired. Weve
worked hard at that.
We know were not going to break up,
so why argue? Were not going anywhere,
said Laura, expanding on their commitment.
And we like to do the same things. Were
similar athletes, but were diferent in some
areas. We denitely complement each other
in a positive way, but the way we deal with
things is each a little diferent.
Since the couple began coaching them-
selves in 2005, Greg has mapped out their
overall training program while Lauras
focus has been on nutrition, recovery and
daily details.
Lauras the one who holds us together,
Greg admitted. Im the big-picture plan-
ner. I need to be able to plan in four-year
blocks. The day-to-day stuf is more Laura,
hour-to-hour. And shes the one who can
handle emotions. Her emotions manage my
emotions very well!
Laura agrees with her husbands assess-
ment of their individual strengths.
My role is to help him get to the starting
line without taking himself out of the race.
He knows exactly what hes doing once the
gun goes of. Im there to calm him down
before the start.
Indeed, Laura functions as the pairs sport
psychologist.
One of the things early on with Greg that
I tried to get across was that when people
tell you, Youre going to win today, theyre
just backing you, she said. Think of it as
backing you, not as pressure. Theyre say-
ing, I believe in you. I love you. Go for it!
And Ill be here if it falls apart. Its not like,
Im not going to talk to you when its over
unless youve won!
Greg appreciates Lauras emotionally
mitigating inuence.
I sort of negotiate with Laura, he said.
If a race doesnt go my way, Im allowed to
be disappointed for an hour. And thats im-
portant to meI need that time. I cant just
wave it of. But then I move on. Thats what I
try to explain to the younger guys coming up
in the sportyoull lose far more often than
youll win. Its about dealing with disap-
pointment and dealing with expectation.
A year in the life of Greg and Laura Ben-
nett includes a happy-go-lucky, party-
fueled winter break, balanced against
an admittedly boring in-season routine.
Indeed, the couple has a reputation for be-
ing anti-social, even invisible, during peak
training and racing monthsa tough rap
to shake when dinner happens at 5 p.m.,
bedtime at 8 p.m. and the morning alarm
sounds as early as 4 a.m.
Thats denitely my fault! claimed
Greg. I think Laura would choose to be a lot
more social.
I would, she agreed, but it would be
irresponsible of me.
We end up setting a routine, she con-
tinued, For training, dieteverything. We
basically have a ve-meal dinner rotation
its down to that level of routine. We dont
have to think about it and thats exactly
why we do it. Youre so tired and you cant
be bothered to think what to cook tonight,
so we just buy ve meals in a row. At that
point, its not really like were enjoying food
anymoreyou just have to get it in so youre
ready for the next day.
This practiced discipline will surely prove
benecial when the Bennetts move beyond
racing to the next stage of their professional
lives. Their company, Bennett Endurance, is
a work-in-progress in terms of its specic
direction, but its evident the pair intends
to do something with the knowledge theyve
gleaned through their years in the sport.
At the moment were just getting all sorts
of peoples input, Laura said. Were in a
really good part of our lives. Weve experi-
enced so much that now we can make good
decisions about the future. But we also know
we dont know everything. Were really
willing to listen to peoples ideas. Theres
opportunity knocking every dayyou just
have to be ready to listen.
Absolutely, Greg agreed. I think well
always be involved in triathlon in some
way. But maybe well do something com-
pletely different. It could still be some-
thing to do with endurance. Everybody in
the world is enduring something, whether
youre working a 9-to-5 job or whether
youre a parent, whether youre an athlete
or not. The lessons weve learned in the
sport, with all weve endured, I think we
could go down several avenues helping
people follow their own path, whatever
that is.
Again, the couples complementary
differences benefit their emphasis on
teamwork.
Im not too much of a dreamer because
Im very realistic, which is kind of a dream
killer, said Laura with a laugh. Im very
practical, where he can dream really well.
She can be hard to brainstorm with
sometimes! acknowledged Greg. But she
gets things done.
The dream of parenthood is one the Ben-
netts are also entertaining, balancing the
42 MARCH/APRI L 2012
best-laid practical plans against the uncon-
trollable unknowns.
Its one of those things of thinking
forwardif we do have kids, how would we
want to do it all? How do we maximize the
next few years racing to make sure that the
next life we have is as preparedand enjoy-
ableas possible? asked Laura.
Kids will throw you every loop imagin-
able, but I still think you can have an overall
plan for what you want, continued Greg.
And then you roll with it.
Totally roll with it, still trying to keep
that its an experience outlook when you
take that responsibility on, agreed Laura.
Im sure its scary as hell, but there really is
no rule book.
And if we do have kids, added Greg, Id
almost rather they dont know our triath-
lon history. Its why we never had Olympic
rings tattooed on ourselves. I dont want our
kids to ever feel that they have to compare
themselves to us at all. Then they can do
whatever they want. We did our lives; they
can do theirs.
But Greg and Laura Bennetts rich life
experiences arent limited to the race course.
Weve had our long breaks and big experi-
ences away from the sport. After the 04
Olympics we had three months totally of.
Its nice to know we still like each other when
were away from it! Greg said, laughing.
Following the Athens Olympics, the
couples focus was on their impend-
ing nuptials rather than any finish line.
They married in November of 2004, then
honeymooned in South Africa. Laura
briefly returned to race in Europe (she
was on a French team at the time). Then,
in early 2005 they discovered a deal on
first-class round-the-world airline tickets
and purchased the journey of a lifetime.
The adventure was highlighted by a stay
at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, touted as the
worlds first seven-star hotel. It culmi-
nated with a Mediterranean cruise to cel-
ebrate Lauras parents 40th anniversary.
We were completely spoiled! said
Greg. We havent done anything like it
sincewe cant aford that. I remember
at one point, Laura and I had gotten in the
habit of waking up at 9 a.m. One morn-
ing Laura rolled over and said, I could get
used to this. I said, Laura, you know this
is not what we get to do if were not doing
triathlon? Well have to get a real job! It
was a reality check! We decided wed bet-
ter continue racing and started putting
plans in place. There was a void in that
Laura hadnt been to the Olympics yet, so
we focused on Beijing. Around that time
was when Life Time Fitness put up all that
money and the huge series [which Greg
PART 2
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When I was swimming there were so many
Olympians who were super-depressed after
the Olympics. ... They didnt remember
the whole process. All the experiences they
had, all the friends they made, none of that.
And its like, Really? Laura Bennett
44 MARCH/APRI L 2012
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went on to win with a perfect series record,
netting the sports single-largest prize
purse of $500,000], so for me it was an easy
avenue. And since then weve been like,
OK, what next?
The sport is simply a process to let
us experience more things together, he
continued. Beyond triathlon, we just want
to go experience things. So the sport really
doesnt change who we are as people. We
found each other and now its like, OK, lets
go nd stuf out. Lets go do stuf.
Whatever the result from San Diegos
qualifying race, the Bennetts holistic
outlook allows them to use London 2012 as
a pivot point for the next stuf they do
together.
Thats the beauty of the sport, said Laura.
There are so many opportunities. If we make
the Olympics, well go for it with everything
weve got. Its 100 percent the focus for now.
But if we dont make it, well go down path B.
We already have it mapped out.
Nothing illustrates this attitude of accep-
tance better than Laura Bennetts reaction
to Gwen Jorgensen, who, virtually out of
the blue, secured a U.S. Olympic triathlon
team spot by placing second in London. It
was a spot that many had expected would go
to Bennett. Nevertheless, when Jorgensen
passed Bennett in the race, Bennett reached
out and gave her rival a congratulatory tap
on the behind.
Im not a poor loser, Laura said. I appre-
ciate how hard it is to have a great day. Gwens
race unfolded perfectly. This sport is so
humbling, and its so hard to get it all right. If
anyone does, Im right there to say, Good job!
Its about experiences, she continued,
repeating the couples oft-spoken mantra.
Anything more than an experience is a bo-
nus. We absolutely love to race. We love the
game. Winning is great, but its more about
the process than the result. If you look at
life like that, I think it helps a lot. Its so
easy to be serious, and we try constantly
not to go down that road. And truly, we
have no real responsibilities. Everything on
our plates, weve put there. Weve chosen to
try to be the best in the world.
Take a good look at the team of Greg and
Laura Bennett and the life and passions
they share, and its clear theyve chosen
wisely.
I T
Holly Bennett, who shares no relation to Greg or
Laura, is a Colorado-based freelance writer.