Bellevue man preparing for World Triathlon Championship Finals in Spain

Competing in triathlons takes tremendous determination and discipline.

Bellevue resident Andrew Tupper fueled his journey to the international triathlon stage with this mindset. On Saturday, Tupper will be one of 18 Americans competing at the World Triathlon Championship Finals in Spain.

Most would consider 32 total miles of swimming, biking and running daunting.

But Tupper trains every week, waiting for the chance to do each.

“I'm just kind of there for the experience, honestly,” Tupper said.

At a national event in Milwaukee last summer, Tupper qualified for this year’s World Championships with a time of two hours, 14 minutes.

Torremolinos, Spain, is hosting the international competition. This is not the full-time gig for the competitors heading to the Mediterranean. Fellow triathletes refer to the amateurs as age groupers.

“This is just for us average Joes,” Tupper said, “the age groupers that are grinding a nine-to-five job and then like to do triathlon on the side.”

Tupper’s nine-to-five is as an Air Force pilot stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue. Tupper has served there for about seven years and more than nine in the Air Force overall. He flies the RC-135, a reconnaissance aircraft.

In Japan and Germany, Tupper has deployed nine times. But during this weekend’s overseas adventure, he will substitute his uniform for a red, white and blue wetsuit.

“I always kind of explain it to people as like, ‘Oh yeah, it's the average person’s (chance) to be able to get that Olympic experience,’” Tupper said.

Tupper was active from a young age, and discovered his love for triathlons while attending the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

“The passion definitely started in high school," Tupper said. "I swam all four years in high school. Going off to college, I started running more with being an ROTC and still wanted to do something competitive in the swimming realm, and then just growing up, always riding the bikes around the neighborhood. So really, kind of putting those three disciplines together was pretty natural.”

He didn’t get here alone. Runners and supporters are riddled throughout the Tupper Family, including his dad who did track in college and his cousin who runs marathons. Family gatherings occasionally include running outside together, he said.

His brother, Mathew, is also a triathlete and flies planes for the Air Force. He will be cheering on Andrew in Spain.

Andrew’s girlfriend, Bailey Benson, is also joining on the trip. Benson ran track in high school and describes herself as more of a “short sprints kind of gal.”

When the couple met about a year and a half ago, Benson said they immediately realized their shared love for staying active.

“It was like, ‘Oh, wow. This man has some goals, some priorities, some discipline here,’” Benson said.

Even though Tupper’s training sessions are intense, they find time to jog or ride bikes together when he needs a recovery day.

“When he says, ‘Oh, I'm gonna hop on the bike,’ he means for at least two hours,” Benson said.

She said what makes Tupper special is his ability to solve problems quickly and calmly.

“He has a good way of talking about big challenges, whether it's in his job or this triathlon, and making them seem like, ‘Oh no, this is manageable,’” Benson said.

That attitude pays dividends on the racecourse. Tupper said self-reflection and experience get him through the toughest of uphill climbs.

“I kind of rely back on those hard workouts knowing that, ‘Hey, I've been in this position before, I can do it,’” Tupper said

But sometimes experience goes out the window. Tupper deployed to Japan this summer, which derailed his training regiment. Even after 15 years of swimming, biking and running, he said returning to triathlon was not easy. But he kept pushing anyway and finished a race just weeks after returning from Japan.

That determination is within most people, he said, adding that new and aspiring triathletes are likely more capable than they think.

“A goal could be just finish, regardless of how it is, and just have fun,” Tupper said. “That's what I like about the community, they're really supportive.”

Tupper, who played soccer in high school, hopes to see El Classico, the annual soccer rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona while in Spain.

No matter where he places in the race, Tupper plans to have fun and encourage his fellow racers.