Interests and Awards

John O'Shaughnessy: Survivor. Triathlete. Speaker. Advocate.

Born: Edmonton, Alberta.

Favourite sports: triathlon, cycling, sailing, skiing, watching hockey and can't get enough of Euchre.

Favourite teams: cycling: CSC, and hockey: Edmonton Oilers.

Favourite music: I love the Daves - Mathews, Gray and Gilmour; Pink Floyd when I'm feeling old, and Mozart, Beethoven and Bach when I'm feeling nostalgic for my childhood (my mother insisted we be cultured).

Favourite bike: Everti, and not just because I'm sponsored. It was always my dream to ride one of these, I'm just lucky enough to be recognized by their owner.

Favourite food: I love to cook, although I can't follow a recipe to save my life. I love spicy food, so Thai and Mexican get served up a lot. I try to eat lots of vegetables (almost always organic). I don't do dairy very much, or wheat. So my favourite dish that I make up at home after a hard workout, Thai-style stir-fry with tons of really colourful vegetables and usually a piece of free-range organic chicken sliced really thin. If I go out I am a sucker for a steak sandwich.

Favourite car (which I will never own): BMW M3. I believe my bike should always be worth more than my car so I am destined to drive 20 year old vehicles for the rest of my life; its a good thing we don't salt the roads here; you still see cars that are older than me being driven daily in Victoria.

Favourite Running Shoe: Mizuno Wave Precision 5 , nice and light - full of soft. But I do have my eye on the new Adidas adiStar models, I might be switching soon. What makes a shoe really great is that it fits your foot properly, not how it looks with my jeans (although there is bonus points for that).

What I do outside of sport: I read political blogs, all the time. I am very politically minded, although very-not politically active. I love getting into conversations around political theory and policy. I'm not a big fan of media politics and current political events as they tend to miss the bigger picture with 20 second stories. I also sit on the University of Victoria Senate; this is more of a service job rather than political appointment despite needing to be elected to the position.

Awards I have won: 2005 Regional ConvaTec Renaissance Award.

One place I want to see before I die: Mount Everest and Tibet.

Biggest dream to accomplish before I die: sail around the world.

Favourite Books: I love anything to do with Arthurian Legend, I am a big fan of books written by the Dalai Lama and I read books that help me become a better person - usually stories of other people's personal transformations.

Favourite Website: I can't seem to go without Slowtwitch.com for any great legth of time. The forum there can be both entertaining and informative for triathlon related topics.

Favourite Social Movements: I like what Make Poverty History is doing, I am a fan of the LiveStrong Foundation, and I think that the work of Right to Play is totally bang on. Oh and as an ostomate you can't forget Friends of Ostomates Worldwide.

People I admire most: the Dalai Lama and anyone who has the courage to dream big and the commitment to make their dreams a reality.

If I wasn't a triathlete I'd be: a sailor. Sailing is the ultimate expression of freedom and a really great metaphor for life.

What I am likely to do when I retire from triathlon: not sure that I will ever truly retire from triathlon, but when I am finished trying to be as fast as I can, or when I start a career that requires more time of me, I will likely put the same focus and intensity from triathlon into my new career. Whatever I do, it will involve helping people around me.

If I wasn't buying bikes I'd be buying: I wouldn't be buying anything. Christine nearly kills me everytime I buy a new bike - which happens too often for her liking - so I have let go of my material attachments to everything else. I can tell you if I spent less time on my bikes I'd be buying a lot less ostomy supplies... but then I'd be sitting on the couch eating chips and feeling sorry for myself. I'd have a pouch that stayed on ten days but zero quality of life in my eyes.

I change my pouch: often. Usually every day or sometimes every other day. If I am training as much as I should, its everyday. I only get two days if I skip a workout; not good.

Best thing about being an Ostomate: besides landing all the chicks, I get to go to the bathroom in the great outdoors anytime, anywhere without exposing myself and getting chilly.

Most extreme thing I have ever done: I used to ski in Banff, AB with a bunch of really talented, crazy skiers. We would 'huck' ourselves off cliffs and drop onto steep pitches of really deep snow. I was never very good at this and would often end up holding a yard sale! (Check out #3).