Lamprecht humble as he qualifies for world triathlon championships

New Kent's Isaac Lamprecht stands atop the podium as the champion of the U20 National Triathlon championships in Milwaukee.

Some kids dream of traveling the world and seeing locations only pictures could put in books. For rising New Kent High School Senior Isaac Lamprecht, his athletic talents have put many stamps in his passport.

Lamprecht emerged as the U20 Sprint Triathlon National Championship, earning him an opportunity to participate in the Triathlon World Championships in Malaga, Spain.

For Lamprecht, his journeys began at a young age. What started off as casual runs quickly homed in on a talent that opened doors for unimaginable opportunities.

“I started running when I was seven, but I didn’t start participating in triathlons until I was 12,” he said in a Tuesday morning interview. “Triathlons go into a much broader area and it makes it more fun and easier to get training in my opinion.”

Lamprecht’s talents saw him part of the American U20 Triathlon team that captured gold medals in Hamburg, Germany in July as part of a mixed relay team. There, he finished fifth overall, but the senior athlete is hungry for more.

Using that as motivation, Lamprecht launched his efforts into an all-out comeback at the national effort at the U20 National Championships in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There, he went from eleventh place after completing the swimming portion of the triathlon to working to making up lost time in the running and cycling portion. By the time he crossed the finish line, he emerged as the winner, finishing two seconds ahead of the next closest competitor.

“What I did in Germany is going to help my competitive spirit in a larger way than in local races,” he said.

Lamprecht mentioned how his training focuses on his VO2 Max intake. VO2 Max is the maximum amount of oxygen that an individual can utilize during an exercise. The senior credited this training, along with his teammates Jake Alder, Andie Psilopoulous, and Ava Pfaff, for pushing him.

“Every event consisted of four people and without them, we might not have been able to do it and they are very talented,” he commented.

But there have been a couple of items on Lamprecht’s checklist that he has failed to mark off yet.

“I want to bring a state championship to New Kent for cross-country and track,” he said emphatically. “I am going to try and get my teammates to rally and really try to get as many people as possible to state. We have to perform all year long.”

That competitiveness has orchestrated the senior’s overall message that sports grow relationships and friends.

“Those relationships make training easier,” he said as he wrapped up his comments. “When you have people to push you even when you don’t feel like being pushed, then you can be your best.

“Accomplishments mean nothing without having good people,” Lamprecht added. “You have to have a good support system around you.”