Winter Warrior

BUTTE - Polson head cross country coach Matt Seeley is no

stranger to challenges. The thing is, he doesn't just take on a

challenge, he destroys it in a dramatic fashion that might make

Chuck Norris blush - and we're not talking about the striped

socks.

BUTTE - Polson head cross country coach Matt Seeley is no stranger to challenges. The thing is, he doesn't just take on a challenge, he destroys it in a dramatic fashion that might make Chuck Norris blush - and we're not talking about the striped socks.

The SKC math professor took second at the USAT Winter Triathlon National Championships two weekends ago in Butte, recording a time of 1:13:31 while completing a 5K run, 10K mountain bike course and a 5K cross-country ski course.

While it was Seeley's second try at winter triathlon, he competed in one 10 years ago in Seeley Lake, he had limited time to train for nationals, and still was able to qualify for the World Championships in Finland.

"A friend convinced me to do the Powderhound race only three weeks in advance so I would say my training consisted of my normal winter survival routine," Seeley said. "I spend hours every week slogging my bike through snow and ice on the way from my home in Polson to my job at SKC in Pablo, running and dancing down the slippery roads on my evening runs, so the snowy trails in Butte felt like business as usual."

The swimming portion of a standard triathlon is replaced by cross-country skiing in a winter triathlon, which presented a problem for Seeley. While he could train for the race with faster intervals on his bike riding and running sessions - even experimenting with different tires and shoes in the snow - his biggest problem was the lack of nordic skiing venues near Polson.

"I only get to ski a couple times each month and have to supplement by using my roller skis on the bare bike path or hockey skates on the lake when the ice is smooth," Seeley said.

Other changes from a normal triathlon was a switching of the event's order from a swim-bike-run to run-bike-ski.

"The other big difference is that the running and biking legs are completed on snowy ski trails so speeds are slower and traction and balance become much more important," Seeley said.

And it was traction - or lack thereof - that had Seeley thinking twice about his choice to do the race, but being the guy that he is, that hesitation quickly dissipated.

"The low point in the race was in the first mile of the bike when we hit a long gradual uphill with soft snow and we all had to dismount and push our bikes," Seeley said. "With feet sliding and progress brought to a standstill, I started to wonder if everyone was struggling as much as me and if the whole race was a bad idea. Of course, pushing through these moments of doubt and frustration is at the heart of why I like to do hard races."

This wasn't Seeley's first rodeo. He finished his first triathlon as a high school kid in 1987 and got more serious about it when he was running for Cornell University.

When he was in graduate school, Seeley formed the Stampede Triathlon team with some friends and finished more than 10 triathlons each year. After earning a silver medal at the amateur world championships in 1996, Seeley competed professionally from 1999 to 2008 and took two trips to Hawaii for the Ironman World Championships. He also had four top-five Ironman series finishes.

So in other words, Seeley knew what the heck what he was doing.

"All the young guys started really fast and I had to fight to hold back and stick to my pace," Seeley said. "I knew if I used my experience to be a little smarter at the start I would pass them later and have a strong finish. Later in the bike ride, the snow got firmer and I thoroughly enjoyed all the steep descents and fast, sliding corners. It was a whole new kind of riding and most of the racers were learning as they went. This type of race would probably never be the same twice."

The USA Triathlon National Championships was originally scheduled for Gilford, N.H., but a lack of snow on the East Coast forced a relocation to Montana. However, even the weather in the Treasure State was more than welcoming.

"The weather ended up being way too nice," Seeley said. "I would have much preferred cold wind and snow to make it tougher on everyone out there. I always figure I have a better chance when conditions get ugly. I will say that it was memorable to be racing in shorts in January at 6,300 feet though."

Seeley finished three seconds ahead of a teammate on his biking team, 16-year-old Landon Beckner of Helena. He had competed against Beckner's dad 20 years ago, so it was fitting that the two had an epic race to the finish line.

"I knew Landon would be strong in the second half of the race so I tried to get a big lead on the run and then had to give a huge effort to keep him from passing me on the final ski leg of the race," Seeley said.

Seeley said that while he's been racing for a long time, a close finish is still a big thrill for him.

"Landon is improving so fast that I probably won't be beating him too much longer," he added. "One of the cool things about endurance sports is that two guys with 25 years age difference can compete like that."

While Seeley qualified to compete in the World Championships in Finland, he turned down the opportunity due to the big financial and time commitments.

"After three previous trips to the world championships in standard triathlon, I feel pretty satisfied with a more relaxed focus," Seeley said. "Now, I would much rather do a special trip with my kids or travel to foreign places for my own personal endurance adventures."

That sounds about right, as in 2008, Seeley stopped competing professionally to spend more time at home, and after he said he started to notice how "much younger the competition suddenly seemed."

"Or maybe that is all just an excuse," he said. "I should be honest and admit that I am intimidated by those serious winter athletes in Scandinavia who would make my best efforts look pretty pedestrian."

However, when you consider that Seeley juggles his training sessions, biking and running, working at SKC, coaching the Polson high school cross country team and raising a family of three girls with his wife, Tana, his best efforts are anything but pedestrian.

"I use my daily commutes and workouts to relax, relieve stress, solve problems and generate new ideas," Seeley said. "This type of active downtime gives me more energy for work and family, plus I get to look forward to eating and sleeping well every day. My other great joys have been all the opportunities to enjoy the natural world and to meet and inspire so many great people along the way. Now I am passing the torch to high school runners, and my three girls are starting to learn and enjoy these sports so I get to be part of that too."