Back to the Start

Nearly a decade ago, Hagg Lake served as a launching pad for Mark Fretta. Now, with his standing as an elite triathlete firmly in place, the venue takes on new meaning.

Since he first competed at the Portland-area lake nine years ago, Fretta has raced in numerous elite events, suffered a career-threatening injury and started law school at Willamette University in Salem, Ore.

The Portland native will return to Hagg Lake, the site of his first triathlon, to compete at the USA Triathlon Elite National Championship on Sept. 20, where experience will be on his side and the stakes – namely a national championship – will be much higher than in his initial visit to this venue.

A lot has changed since that race nine years ago – the race that effectively put Fretta’s budding law career on hold and gave him his start in the sport. But Fretta, who since has competed on just about every continent as one of the United States’ top triathletes, still remembers that race just as vividly as his most impressive performances on the world stage.

"I remember borrowing my old swim coach’s bike, which was far too large for me, and using his dreaded ‘clip-in’ size 13 cycling shoes – I wear a size 9.5,” Fretta said.

With his feet sliding around in oversized shoes, Fretta learned more than the importance of proper equipment – he experienced what it felt like to be in the hunt for a title. Fretta finished a surprising second. He was hungry for more. He continued to race triathlons and began his ascension in the U.S. elite ranks, earning the opportunity to train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

When Fretta returns to Hagg Lake this fall, he’ll have top-of-the-line triathlon equipment and all the training and experience to make a run at a top performance. Plus, he’ll have the support of his family members, who Fretta says are happy to finally be able to watch him race as an elite so close to home.

Home for Fretta is Northwest Portland, where he grew up and attended Jesuit High School, collecting all-state accolades in track, cross country and swimming. For college, he went to Holy Cross and set four school records in swimming. He continued his success as a two-sport star and qualified for the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championship in the mile (indoor) and 1,500 meters (outdoor).

After college, he planned to start law school, but triathlon took over for a while. Now he’s managing to do both.

Returning to the Portland area is always special for Fretta. He speaks highly of the running and triathlon communities in Portland, which often is recognized among the most fit cities in the country.

“Portland has the best running community I've ever seen, and I've been around the world,” Fretta said. “People around here just like to be active whether that means getting out on their bikes, going running, or going for a swim.”

The fit community is only one of the factors that brought Fretta back to his roots in the Portland area to finish law school and continue his triathlon career. Combining law school and elite-level triathlon training is a daunting task, but Fretta is ready for the challenge.

He has proven throughout his career that he can make the best of a difficult situation. From handling the pressure of being ranked No. 1 in the world early in the 2006 season to recovering from a serious cycling crash that left him with a clavicle broken in five places, the 31-year-old Fretta accepts the fact that there aren’t many easy days in the near future.

“Doing law school and staying fit at a world-class level is a complete balancing act,” Fretta said. “The only thing typical about my day is that it is very busy, involves a great deal of reading and studying, includes two to three workouts during scheduled spaces, and ends with me completely exhausted.”

Despite his busy schedule and split focus, Fretta is confident that he will have a good showing at Elite Nationals. After that, he plans to compete at the season-ending ITU World Cup in Mexico and possibly at the Treasure Island Triathlon in San Francisco.

Regardless of the outcome of this season, Fretta revels in the opportunity to compete in his hometown again. The difference this time around is that he’ll be labeled as a threat, not an unknown wearing shoes four sizes too big.