Alex Westover may just be the busiest man in Florida.
One of his latest ventures: racing in triathlons. It’s a journey that started on a whim.
“I started triathlon on a dare from my mom,” said Westover, a senior at the University of Miami. “I was like, ‘Okay, this might be a fun hobby to pick up.’”
That “fun hobby” has since evolved into a lifestyle for Westover, who qualified for a spot on Team USA in December. By finishing in the top 18 racers in his age group, he earned a trip to Australia later this year. There, he will compete at the World Triathlon Long Course World Championships, where he hopes to be the first American to win a medal since Matt Chrabot took home bronze in 2016.
“It’s really cool to be able to represent the United States that way,” he said. “All this stuff is exciting to me. There’s always something more to do, and that excites the crap out of me.”
While most athletes of Westover’s caliber tend to spend their free time either training or resting, he chose a different route: joining just about every club and activity under the Coral Gables sun. When he’s not working with TriCanes, the university’s club triathlon team, he oversees training and evaluation for the President’s 100, serves as vice president of the scuba club and works as a creative director with UM Athletics.
“I love operating at 110%,” he said. “It’s just how my mind is wired.”
Westover’s unparalleled time management skills have not gone unnoticed by his peers.
“It’s absolutely crazy what this kid is doing,” said Teddy Brenner, the president of TriCanes. “I have no idea how he does it.”
But Westover isn’t just some adrenaline junkie. He does everything with purpose, and this is especially true of his work as a tour guide with the President’s 100.
“At the end of the day, it’s really cool to walk around campus and have someone come up to you and go, ‘You don’t remember me, but you gave my tour and you’re the reason I came to the university,’” Westover said.
Westover’s attitude stems from “go one more,” a motto he initially adopted from a nutrition company.
“Those three words – I used to say them as a party trick,” he said. “But the more I’ve raced, the more I’ve trained and the more I’ve dove into this world, the more they’ve meant so much more.”
The triathlon community welcomed Westover as soon as he began racing.
“Triathlon is really all about building people up into the sport,” he said. “Once you’re in there, everyone loves you for it.”
As he ventured further into the triathlon world, Westover began writing “go one more” on his arm before every race. The mantra has even spilled over into other aspects of his life.
“Go one more. Whether it’s in training, whether it’s in academics, whether it’s in life in general,” he said. “You always have something left to give and you’re so fortunate that you’re able to do so.”
Westover refuses to keep his positive attitude to himself, instead spreading the virtues of “go one more” to everyone he knows, including his fellow triathletes.
“He’s one of the most encouraging people possible,” Brenner said about Westover.
In the summers, when all he does during the school-year has stopped, Westover applies his “operating at 110%” attitude to a different test: working as an emergency medical technician.
Being an EMT isn’t easy, but Westover approaches it with the same down-to-earth attitude that makes him a leader on campus.
“I take a very brotherly approach to it,” he explained. “The rapport you build with them goes beyond their condition.”
In these moments of crisis, he relishes the ability to stay level-headed and provide aid to those undergoing disaster.
“To your patient, it’s the worst day of their lives, right?” Westover said. “I thoroughly love the fact that in those really dark moments, you can be someone’s hope.”