Evans will ‘tri’ his best to impress down Mexico way

Novice triathlete Darrel “DJ” MacLaren Evans Jr. competes in his first international event this weekend in Mexico with the backing of his Flashy Nation colleagues.  

Flashy Nation is a group of Caymanian athletes who train and compete collectively with the aim of becoming world-class competitors in their chosen sports.  

Evans finished ahead of Samuel Young, Marlon Crowe Jr. and Kevin Connolly at Public Beach a couple of months ago in a race monitored by the Cayman Islands Triathlon Association and the Olympic Committee.  

Evans competes in the Pan Am Olympic Festival in Monterrey, Mexico, in the 1500-meter swim, 40km bike and 10km run on Sunday.  

Preparations have been great, he said, although ideally he would have loved more time to prepare.  

“The great part about establishing these international relationships in sport allows athletes and organizers alike to lay out a race calendar that allows our countries athletes time to prepare,” said Evans.  

“We have evolved so much as individuals and athletes with coach William Balderamos’s guidance. It has been an exciting time.  

“Training like all things is a process, albeit a tough one for this particular dance, but I am passionate about triathlon and we will continue to train hard after Mexico. This is just the start.” The race starts at 10:30 a.m., so it’s going to be a hot one, he said.  

The 31-year-old auto body repair technician is not putting too much pressure on himself to finish high up.  

“My expectations on the race are to focus on each discipline at a time, stay within myself and push at the end,” he said. “Racing isn’t comfortable and you have to be willing to be unreasonable with yourself till the end.”  

He added that he is proud to represent the Cayman Islands, and he sees a vast array of opportunities for growth as triathlon gains more attention locally. 

He believes Flashy Nation is leading the way in creating outlets in life for youth and young adults through sports and that he is an example.  

“Sport is more about health than accolades, and we should start to rethink this model.”