Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson

Quesnel, B.C. – Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson has been doing a lot more than just running for office lately.

The 60-year-old Simpson is an accomplished triathlete who’s participated in the sport since the 1980s and is fresh off a first place finish in the sprint at last weekend’s Prince George Triathlon.

He hopes to build on that experience by reaching the podium at the world championships in Cozumel, Mexico this September.

This will be Simpson’s fourth appearance at the worlds, he finished third at Cancun in 2002.

“Yeah, everything seems to be tracking so touch wood. I’m swimming and cycling faster than I have in my life because of a different training regime and I’m slowly kind of setting my run time back despite this injury,” he says.

“I’m having to do a lot of treadmill running because of a small stress fracture on the tip of my tibia on my right leg so I have to baby it and not do a lot of road running. So if I can baby that I have good potential.”

More than just reaching the podium, Simpson says the sport also serves as a great stress reliever.

“Absolutely. I’ve always found that when I’m working out or I have a distraction like this, I find that I’m more balanced and more settled,” he says.

“I’m focused on whatever the training is, it completely clears my head of all of the other things that are going on.”

Athleticism seems to run in the family. “I have a brother who does this as well and we both seem to have the right kind of body form and muscle configuration to put the three sports (swimming, cycling and running) together.”

Prior the world championships in Cozumel where he’ll run the standard, or Olympic course in the 60 to 64-year-old category, Simpson will take part in the provincial championships in the sprint during the August long weekend in Victoria.

Three weeks later he’ll participate in the provincial championships in the standard race in Kelowna.