The Dhaka Triathlon Club: DTC Member Spotlight-JEAN RENE (JR) RINFRET

The DTC Member spotlight will be posted every few months and our first spotlight is on one of DTC's first members and shining stars, JR Rinfret! Enjoy the interview with JR below and some photos showing his great finish at the recent Halloween 5K and his wonderful sense of humor!

1. What do you do for work in Dhaka?
I’m an engineer. I work at the Local Government Engineering Department in Dhaka, in the water resources development sector.

2. What do you do for fun in Dhaka?
Our family has been here 5 years now. During our first years, we explored Bangladesh quite a lot, but somehow we are now happy with our “regular life” in Dhaka, dinners with friends, events at school, etc, spiced up with short trips outside in the region. Our family also has this thing about inviting friends over for spaghetti…

3. How long have you been swimming or biking or running?
I ran a little all my life, but I only started running a bit more “seriously” in 2007. I started long bike rides in Dhaka in 2004, with my buddy Robert K. We must have done 100 rides between 2004 and 2008.

4. Why do you swim or bike or run?
I run because I thoroughly enjoy it and it’s good for my health. Improving my time on different distances also gives a great feeling of accomplishment. I also feel good after a run, when I return home, and get insulted by my two teenage kids. Ice hockey is still my favorite sport, though, but options are rather limited in Dhaka.

5. What is your strongest/weakest discipline?
Difficult question. I am equally weak in all disciplines.

6. What are you training for right now?
Khon Kaen marathon, Thailand, 25 January 2009.

7. What is your most memorable race experience (best or worst)?
My first (and only) marathon, at the age of 50, in Khon Kaen, last year. I had no idea that pounding your body for 4-5 hours could be so fun. I am now trying to convince friends to do the same stupid thing.

8. What are some of your PRs?
My PRs are so large that they won’t even fit on this page. I did 23’48” on the DTC Halloween 5K last week, and I am quite proud of that. My only marathon was 4:37:01. That’s what the certificate says, but it must have been a mistake as I am sure it was below 3 hours. I checked Boston, and I would qualify in the “75 years and over men” group. Feels great.

9. What are you goal PRs?
I would like to run a marathon below 4 hours. I think I can get there “shortly”.

10. What is your favorite running and/or biking route in Dhaka? Outside of Dhaka?
For both running and biking, crossing the “bamboo bridge” north of Bashundara leads to the Isapur road with tons of nice trails and villages. Yesterday on the long run, the newly marathon converted Jonathan and I had Expresso GU on the Isapur bridge at mile 7…. Italian bistros don’t serve better espresso….

11. What advice would you give to a newcomer to Dhaka that is interested in beginning or continuing to swim or bike or run here?
Joint DTC! Also learn to run in the mornings… cleaner air, no traffic; you get the whole town to yourself! Join one of the biking groups, it’s a great way to get out of town, meet people, and have fun. If you like tech stuff, get a GPS… with the new Google Earth high resolution images around Dhaka, you can see where you got lost. For swimming, don’t try the Gulsan lakes.