2008-02 Triathlete

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SPECIAL BEGINNER’S GUIDE GEAR >> TRAINING >> RACE SCENE >> LIFESTYLE

N O. 2 8 6

TRIATHLETES

OF THE

YEAR

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F E B R U A RY 2 0 0 8

NO FE AR

CONQUE THE

R

SWIM

7 LESSONS YOU DON’T WANT TO LEARN THE HARD WAY

DO YOU REALLY DESERVE

YOUR M-DOT? MARK ALLEN’S

4 SECRETS OF 70.3 SUCCESS

triathletemag.com

TOP SHORT-COURSERS

GREG AND LAURA BENNETT $4.99

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ENDURANCE SPORTS TRAINING

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CELEBRATING YEARS OF ENDURANCE

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CONTENTS No. 286

FEBRUARY 2008

TRAINING LANE LINES | 108 B Y T I M C R OW L E Y

THE BIG RING | 110 B Y M AT T F I T Z G E R A L D

ON THE RUN | 112 B Y L A N C E WAT S O N

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SPEED LAB | 116

BY TIM MICKLEBOROUGH

ROCKET SCIENCE | 120 B Y PA U L R E G E N S B U R G

NUTRITION | 124 B Y P I P TAY L O R

B Y R O C H F R E Y & PA U L H U D D L E

TRAINING FEATURE | 134 B Y T O D D PA R K E R , S R . , M A , M S

DEPARTMENTS FIRST WAVE “THE RAZOR’S EDGE”

B Y M I T C H T H R OW E R

EDITOR’S NOTE | 16 B Y T. J . M U R P H Y

MAIL CALL | 18 CHECKING IN | 21 News report; IndusTri; Second take; Training tip; Reality check; 70.3 series; Review; Selection; Beijing countdown; Point-counterpoint; Pro bike; Gatorade athlete; On the Web; Cadence Kona Challenge; Industry profile; NA Sports; Winter tri scene; Club profile; Travel talk; Light read; Looking back; Essay winner

AT THE RACES | 146 Ironman Florida, Escape to Bermuda Triathlon and more |

FEBRUARY 2008

B Y J AY P R A S U H N

CUTTING EDGE | 142 B Y T. J . M U R P H Y

GEAR BAG | 144

BY BRAD CULP

RACE CALENDAR | 160 TINLEY TALKS 168 COVER: GREG AND LAURA BENNETT PHOTO BY JOHN SEGESTA

STARTING LINES | 14

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BIKE OF THE MONTH | 140

BY SCOTT TINLEY

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BY ROBERT MURPHY

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XTERRA ZONE | 138 B Y K A H U N A D AV E N I C H O L A S

DEAR COACH | 128

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CONTENTS No. 286

FEBRUARY 2008

FEATURES

TRIATHLETES OF THE YEAR | 44 Triathlete magazine’s picks for the top triathletes from the past 12 month of racing

BY THE EDITORS

JUMPING IN | 60 The 6 key triathlon-training guidelines for newbies B Y M AT T F I T Z G E R A L D

TAKE IT FROM THE EXPERTS | 66 7 tri lessons you don’t want to learn the hard way

BY CAMERON ELFORD

FEAR FACTOR | 70 Tips to tackle your first triathlon swim B Y J AY P R A S U H N

12 ESSENTIALS FOR YOUR FIRST TRIATHLON | 76 The thrifty first-timer’s triathlon shopping list

BY REBECCA ROOZEN

YOUR PERFECT HALF | 78 12 weeks to a 70.3 PR

BY MARK ALLEN

RACING IN PARADISE | 84 Check out the Nevis tri if you want an early-season contest in the tropics

BY ROBERT MURPHY

RACING AROUND THE GLOBE | 91 The top news, racing and training from the tri scene in Australia

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FIRST WAVE

The razor’s edge

By Robert Murphy/bluecreekphotography.com ITU star Andy Potts opens the slimmest of margins at the Ford Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater, Fla., on Nov. 10. Potts would go on to a four-second win over Argentina’s Oscar Galindez. Please see page 146 for more Clearwater coverage.

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Presented by:

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www.hy-veetriathlon.com

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STARTING LINES No.286 • February 2008

Heroes defined: Members of the Chula Vista and Coronado fire departments bravely battled the San Diego wildfires to a standstill last October.

Spark, flame, embers and ash

After migrating to triathlon mecca San Diego from Connecticut in the 1990s, I purchased a book on where to bike in Southern California, and my very first ride was through the hills and valleys of Rancho Santa Fe. Beautiful eucalyptus trees and lush vegetation surrounded me. These trees had been left to grow tall almost a century ago when the railroad industry realized the wood was too soft for railway building. Over time, the trees’ presence transformed what had been a desert into a lush, wooded area.

My triathlon passion was fueled by breathing in the San Diego ocean air mixed with the hint of eucalyptus on my rides. I never imagined that just over a decade later—during the raging Southern California wildfires last October—I would be traveling on that same street in Rancho Santa Fe as a reporter with a fire crew as the sky exploded with blowing embers.

I was moved to tears by the scene, because it was grimly apparent that the wildfires had reduced an entire community that meant a great deal to me to mere ash. Steve Olson, who lives on Highland Valley Road, lost his entire avocado farm and was forced to evacuate and leave behind his German shepherd named Sport.

For years, Highland Valley Road was my refuge. I had even posted video of one of its climbs on my blog (and I have since put a post-fire video of this same climb on the blog; go to triathletemag.com for a link to Mitch Thrower’s blog site). This was an amazing place.

The fires truly changed my perspective on the powerful forces of nature. Disasters are always different when you are standing in the middle of them. Photographing and covering the fire crews who were working to save houses, I felt like I was standing in the middle of a nightmare. Even with my apartment miles away in La Jolla, I was standing in a neighborhood that was my home in a deep and meaningful way, as only a triathlete could relate to.

We have seen the dramatic power of our planet in the last decade affect so many lives.

Images of these disasters should ignite the spark of preparedness in triathletes, for this is a spark we know well. After all, in triathlon we spend months and even years preparing for one event that lasts just a few hours.

I will forever have burned into my mind the smell of smoke in that brief and painful purge of what was important and meaningful. But there will always be glimmers of hope.

When Olson got back to his house after the fires had destroyed it, he cried as he saw an ash-covered, but very much alive, Sport run to greet him, Train Smart, unharmed.

Mr. Olsen, I’m coming back to Highland Valley Road for a ride this weekend, and I’m going to leave a belated Christmas Mitch Thrower present in every mailbox that’s missing a house. Triathletes in San Diego and around the world, you are welcome to join me. mthrower@triathletemag.com 14

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T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

Courtesy of Mitch Thrower

Board of Directors Mitch Thrower Matthew Barger Russ Crabs John Duke Jean Claude Garot Steven E. Gintowt Bill Walbert Publisher John Duke Chief Executive Officer John Duke Associate Publisher Heather Gordon VP, Sales & Marketing Sean Watkins Chief Financial Officer Steven E. Gintowt Editor-in-Chief T.J. Murphy, tjmurphy@triathletemag.com Managing Editor/Interactive Brand Manager Cameron Elford, cam@triathletemag.com Senior Editor Jay Prasuhn, jay@triathletemag.com Assistant Managing Editor Rebecca Roozen, rebecca@triathletemag.com Photo Editor John Segesta, johns@triathletemag.com Associate/Interactive Editor Brad Culp, brad@triathletemag.com International Editor Shane Smith, shane@triathletemag.com Graphic Designer Oliver Baker, oliver@triathletemag.com Contributing Writers Matt Fitzgerald, Roch Frey, Paul Huddle, Tim Mickleborough, Scott Tinley Contributing Photographers Delly Carr Robert Murphy Medical Advisory Board Jordan Metzl, M.D., Krishna Polu, M.D., Jeff Sankoff, M.D. Advertising Director John Duke, johnduke@triathletemag.com Production/Circulation Manager Heather Gordon, heather@triathletemag.com Customer Service Linda Marlowe Senior Account Executive Sean Watkins, Cycling & Events seanw@triathletemag.com Senior Account Executive Lisa Bilotti, Nutrition, Apparel, Footwear & Auto lisab@triathletemag.com Marketplace Sales Laura Agcaoili, laura@triathletemag.com Office Assistant Shannon Frank, shannon@triathletemag.com Accounting Vicky Trapp vicky@triathletemag.com

Triathlete founded in 1983

by Bill Katovsky & Jean Claude Garot Triathlon Group North America Offices 328 Encinitas Blvd., Suite 100, Encinitas, CA 92024 Phone: (760) 634-4100; Fax: (760) 634-4110 www.triathletemag.com Attention Retailers: To carry Triathlete in your store, call Retail Vision: (800) 381-1288 SUBSCRIPTIONS: Your satisfaction is important to us. For questions regarding your subscription call (800) 441-1666 or (760) 291-1562. Or, write to: Triathlete, P.O. Box 469055, Escondido, CA 92046. Or, e-mail: subs@triathletemag.com.

Back Issues available for $8 each. Send a check to Triathlete Magazine Back Issues, 328 Encinitas Blvd., Ste. 100, Encinitas, CA 92024 and specify issues requested, or visit www.triathletemag.com.

Publication Mail Agreement #40683563. Canadian mail distribution information: Express Messenger International, P.O. Box 25058, London BRC, Ontario, Canada N6C 6A8 Submission of material must carry the authors’/ photographers’ guarantees that the material may be published without additional approval and that it does not infringe upon the rights of others. No responsibility is assumed for loss or damage to unsolicited manuscripts, art work or photographs. All editorial contributions should be accompanied by self-addressed, stamped envelopes. Printed in the USA.

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Doping sucks

Triathlete readers sound off on the problem and offer a few possible cures

By T.J. Murphy

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In the December issue, I put out a call out for ideas on how to protect triathlon from the kind of doping that has infected sports like cycling and track and field. Below are some of the thoughts from triathletes.

Fletcher Bauman, from Annapolis, Md., believes in enacting a lifetime ban for dopers: Nina Kraft should have been banned for life. She doesn’t deserve to take away a [Hawaii Ironman] slot from another individual. No way. If you test positive you are out for life. Pretty simple. It will clean it up straight away.

Alex Lietzan, from Appleton, Wis., believes the best revenge is living well: I think the only way to convince a cheater they shouldn’t be proud of winning dishonestly is to replace that winning pride with shame. But then if a person who cheats and wins still feels proud at their accomplishment, how ashamed could anyone really make them feel? The only thing we can do 16

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is to refuse to ingest drugs, resist joining those packs of drafters (even if they’re flying by), hope they get caught and disqualified and race our fastest, most honest race.

Triathlete John Barrett is in favor of making service to the sport a part of a doping penalty: Making those athletes found guilty of drug violations do some period of time in community service at races may hit home. To have them work at races at the local level, to stand on a corner directing traffic on a course, to witness those who spend double the time on a race course than do the top finishers might hit home with the dopers at just how lucky they are to do what they do. Maybe spending some time at the grassroots level will remind them why they got into the sport.

Phaedra Cote, of Spokane, Wash., is an age grouper and mother of two boys. She says she draws inspiration from the pros and presents a long-term penalty intended to scare off would-be cheaters: I think the punishment should be eternal. Adults are just big kids, and a child is a lot less likely to do something again if the punishment keeps on stinging long after the offense.

Cote suggests developing a plan that would calculate the amount of time illicitly gained by the doper through drug use and then apply this time as a deficit the triathlete would be required to race against throughout the rest of his or her career. Cote also supports some form of public shaming for the offender.

Maybe the race director could provide an official dunce cap the cheater would have to wear while waiting in the penalty box. In addition, they’d have to wear an extra big, bright race number that says “CHEATER” in all caps below their race number. It sounds cruel and terribly embarrassing, but total humiliation is the best deterrent.

On a final note, I was told that Nina Kraft, the winner of Ironman Florida 2007, gave a sincere acceptance speech at the awards and made a heart-felt apology. In my previous editorial, I said she was not being contrite following her 2004 doping infraction (and subsequent DQ and suspension) at the Hawaii Ironman.

I was wrong, and I apologize for the incorrect statement.

T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

EDITOR’S NOTE

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MAIL CALL

Sincerely, Joe Kingston Billerica, Ma.

Inspired in Iraq As a Marine F/A-18 pilot currently serving my second tour in Iraq, I want to send a big thanks to Triathlete magazine for several months of inspiring articles. A few months ago I was looking through some magazines at the Base Exchange, and I came across an issue of Triathlete. Before that, I had never seriously considered doing a triathlon. Since then, however, I have directed all my workouts toward training for my first triathlon when I get home. When I am not flying or doing my desk job, I run and swim several times a week. We have an indoor pool and several miles of concrete and dirt roads to run on. (The only difficulty is finding a decent bicycle to ride out here.) Nonetheless, I feel great and can’t wait to do my first triathlon when I get back to the States.

Also, I would like to thank Triathlete for their great article in the November issue: “Leaving no one behind.” My job is to support the brave men and women fighting the war on the ground.

Their courage is epitomized by those Marines who have sustained drastic combat injuries but still manage to compete in triathlons at home. The thought of doing a triathlon is daunting enough to most people, let alone doing a triathlon with a prosthetic limb. But I believe that is what makes the sport so appealing: the ability to challenge yourself beyond what you think is possible. I stand in awe of these remarkable people. Hopefully these Marines have inspired many other people as well. Thank you again for a great article, which highlights courage at its finest. Semper Fi and Semper Tri. Captain Jeff Dean Al Asad, Iraq

Ultramen: the new pioneers?

Now you have done it. You have gotten me to respond to a column (Point-Counterpoint, December 2007). Thank you for shining a light on the ultra-distance tri world. There is a fellow triathlete training with me who recently completed the Virginia Triple Ironman. Brad Culp talks about these “nuts” going slow.

These athletes may not be breaking land-speed records, but records they are setting. The top woman finisher covered the 7.2mile swim, 336-mile bike and 78.6-mile run in 44 hours, 55 minutes and 54 seconds. Sounds slow eh? That is until you realize the former record-holder’s time was 51 hours, 47 minutes. Try taking almost seven hours off any course record at your next race.

As for nuts, where would Kona be without those pioneers swimming in 1978 and a subsequent article published in Sports 18

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In early September I had the privilege of acting as crew captain for a participant in Ultraman Canada. I was hoping to find something in your November issue reporting what can only be described as a mind-blowing event of drama, excitement, anxiety, optimism, comradeship and reward that lasted every minute of the three-day event.

If Ironman racing is getting to be a run-of-the-mill affair, try Ultraman. Some of the old hands told me that the spirit evident throughout the event was reminiscent of the early days of Ironman when everybody knew everyone. If volunteering is something you like to do, then try crewing for an Ultraman athlete. Everything you do is absolutely essential and valued, and you will feel more like a participant than a volunteer. And for Triathlete magazine, it is a new opportunity to inject freshness into triathlon. I believe that Ultraman will be the next wave as Ironmen look for new challenges.

Martin Carney Ontario, Canada

All in the family?

I have one question for all the supposedly fellow triathletes out there. Are we or aren’t we a family? Since I’ve been doing triathlons for seven years all I’ve heard and read about in magazines and Web sites is that we are such a large family.

Training on the East Coast in northeast Philadelphia for much of my time as a triathlete I believed that saying and considered myself to be part of this family and treated everyone equally. I met one of my best friends, Jerome, because he is the very triathlete that treats everyone in this sport as his family. He was the first person I trained with, and on every ride he greeted everyone we rode past because we all are supposedly enjoying something in common. On many solo training rides I did the same thing.

So here I am in Phoenix, Ariz., and it seems I am in competition on the bike with every triathlete here! Maybe not every triathlete, but the bad ones definitely outweigh the good ones.

Nine times out of 10 if a fellow triathlete or group goes by me, I get nothing: no look, no comments, no waves, nothing! What the hell? I got passed by about five or six members of the Phoenix Triathlon Club and got nothing! And I was going to call them to join their club. Is it because I’m a pretty good cyclist and they tried to pass me but I ended up stuck in the middle of their group as they all coalesced around me?

The reason I wrote this letter is because I reached my breaking point when I was nearing the end of a 90-mile training ride on Sept. 22 and got a flat tire. About six or seven of you fellow triathletes rode right by me, and not one offered anything. The West Coast: every man for himself. It just sucks that some individuals and groups are too into themselves.

Jake Hamby Phoenix, Ariz.

Courtesy Captain Jeff Dean

Illustrated? Mind you, the writer of the Kona article was on the island covering a golf event. And how about the massive publicity stunt put on over 100 years ago that tested man and machine?

The Tour de France was started as a way to sell newspapers.

Ultra-athletes of today are the potential legends of sport tomorrow. I do not know if the sacrifices these athletes make will matter to anyone but them in the end. What I do know is they have the drive to train at intense levels like Lance Armstrong, Paula Newby-Fraser and Mark Allen, just not as fast.

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SUB HEADING

CHECKING IN

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

CHECKING IN

INDUSTRI | LIGHT READ | 70.3 SERIES | REALITY CHECK | TRAINING TIP | INDUSTRY PROFILE | SELECTION | REVIEW | POINT-COUNTERPOINT | PRO BIKE | WINTER TRI SCENE | ON THE WEB | GATORADE ATHLETE | TRAVEL TALK | NA SPORTS | BEIJING COUNTDOWN | CADENCE KONA CHALLENGE | ESSAY WINNER | LOOKING BACK T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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CHECKING IN McCormack and Counterpart Coaching to host training camps in Palm Springs and Kona Ironman world champ Chris McCormack will be the guest professional triathlete and coach at two Counterpart Coaching triathlon camps.

The first camp, Feb. 1-10, 2008, will be held in Palm Springs, Calif., and the second, May 24-June 1, 2008, will be in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Counterpart offers 10-day all-inclusive camps limited to 12-18 athletes. The camps focus on challenging training designed specifically for athletes competing in long-distance triathlon.

McCormack, along with the Counterpart Coaching staff, will guide each athlete through training sessions in swimming, biking and running. Attendees will receive information on topics like form and technique, race planning and execution, training periodization, injury prevention and the psychology of Ironman racing. For more information, please visit counterpartcoaching.com.

INDUSTRI

has collected over 2000 pairs of running shoes from triathletes and runners across the country. The charity primarily collects shoes at races in the southeast via its partnership with Team Magic events, but it has received shoes from all over the nation. Collected shoes have been distributed to such places as Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Sudan, Peru and local homeless shelters. The shoes are sent in small shipments via churches or other charities that are already working overseas. For more information, please visit triforafrica.com or triforhope.org.

Jumpstart the new season at the Multisport World Conference and Expo

Win a Trek Equinox TTX 9.9 and a case of BioBuilde Telethe Wery wins Triathlete magazine sweepstakes

Trek Bicycles and BioBuilde have announced a drawing where one winner will receive a Trek Equinox TTX 9.9 and a case of BioBuilde. The winner of the drawing will receive a silver Trek Equinox TTX 9.9 and a case of BioBuilde consisting of 24 bottles. The drawing began on Nov. 1, 2007, and runs through Feb. 29, 2008. More details can be found online at bodyhealth.com/drawing.

Non-profit donates thousands of running shoes Triathletes for Africa/Triathletes for Hope, a non-profit charity founded by triathlete Chad Nikazy in June of 2007, 22

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“Existing retailers will get more support, while there will be the opportunity to get the brand into more stores. Orbea is also looking to take on a wider range of Orca products. This means more Orca product will be available to triathletes in more places. That’s great news for everyone.”

Summer 2008 will bring the first full range of Orca wetsuits and apparel that Orbea will distribute. New to the wetsuit range will be the Orca RS1 family of products. The first of these race-tuned products was the RS1 SWIMSKN— Orca’s new non-wetsuit-legal swim skin, first seen at Kona. This is joined by an ultra-thin 1mm neoprene wetsuit in fullarm and sleeveless styles, designed for ocean swimmers and triathletes looking for an alternative to the heavier, more restrictive traditional wetsuits.

The triathlon range structure has been modified and simplified with the new Perform range, representing Orca’s top triathlon apparel. The popular Distance 226 range, designed to meet the needs of endurance distance athletes, has been updated, while the Race range features updated designs and colorways.

Telethe Wery, of Gotha, Fla., is the lucky winner of a 2007 Kuota Kalibur, the carbon-fiber bike Normann Stadler rode to victory at the 2006 Ford Ironman World Championship. Wery’s new Kalibur is equipped with SRAM’s recently launched tri group set.

Orca teams up with Orbea in the States Orca, the New Zealand-based triathlon brand launched in 1995, has signed a distribution deal with Spanish cycling giant Orbea. The deal has Orbea taking on the distribution of Orca in almost every market around the world.

This provides Orca with better representation in existing markets and the potential to move into new markets.

Orca’s CEO Scott Unsworth believes the partnership is great news for all of those involved in triathlon in North America.

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The Multisport World Conference and Expo will be held March 30, 2008, at the Zesiger Sports & Fitness Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Mass. Created by Sun Multisport Events and produced in partnership with USA Triathlon, Multisport World 2008 offers expert-led seminars, training clinics and indoor competitions. Coach Troy Jacobson, founder of Spinervals, headlines a list of speakers scheduled to talk on topics ranging from training and nutrition to injury prevention and recovery.

Multisport World also offers 75-plus vendors including Spinervals, Polar, FuelBelt, Vasa, ClifBar, AEGIS Bicycles, Total Immersion and REI. You’ll also find certified coaches, local tri clubs and race directors who collectively organize more than 50 multisport events. Admission to the Multisport World expo floor and seminars is free. All registered attendees are eligible to win valuable giveaways including a hand-made carbon bike frame from AEGIS Bicycles, and the first 500 registered attendees receive a free goodie bag. Visit multisportworld.com to register.

Courtesy Tyler Andrews Photography/tylerandrews.com

5:18 PM

Courtesy of Telethe Wery

12/9/07

Courtesy the manufacturers

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CHECKING IN

It’s all about Yu

Who is Charlie Yu, and what did he do to piss everyone off?

By David Wallach

In the March 2007 issue, Triathlete published an article you are, by now, probably very familiar with. The Light Read piece, “I may have the wrong tattoo,” spurred Charlie Yu to write a letter to our editor stating: “First of all, Mr. Wallach, you are not an Ironman. There is only one real Ironman race, and that is in Kona . . . Chris Hauth did not win the Ironman in Idaho last year, because the Ironman is not in Idaho; it is in Kona.

What he did is very impressive, but he did not finish the Ironman, so he does not deserve the title Ironman.”

From 1992-1995, Yu (yes, he is a real guy) was the Taiwanese national champion and was lucky enough to grab a Kona spot in 1993, where he finished in 11:12.

70.3 SERIES

Age-group superstar Janda Ricci-Munn blazes to amateur win at 70.3 champs

By Brad Culp

Triathletes are getting fast. If you need proof, look no further than 31-yearold Janda Ricci-Munn. The Massachusetts native was the overall amateur champion at the Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3, with a jaw-dropping 3:58:01 performance. Even more impressive than his finishing time is the fact that Ricci-Munn managed to do so after a not-so-fast 29:02 swim split. We caught up with the former pro shortly after the race to find out what makes him so fast and if he plans to take on pro racing for a second time.

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LIGHT READ

He never returned to race in any other Ironman, and he is very passionate about his accomplishment.

“I am sorry that people thought I was disrespecting them,” said Yu in response to the letter-writing firestorm his comments provoked (Triathlete ran a sampling of the letters received in Mail Call in subsequent issues). “That wasn’t the intention at all, but I do feel that Kona has lost its luster. Kona should be special and not lumped in with the others.”

“I understand the sport has to move on, and they have been great at promoting it, but people don’t recognize the Ironman as the Ironman,” continues Yu. “They do any 140.6-distance race and call themselves an Ironman. It’s not the same. These other events don’t have a history like Kona. The drivers that drive in the Indy series don’t claim to have driven in the Indy 500; it should be the same as the Ironman.”

“I should have given myself a little time to cool off before I wrote that letter,” Yu says now. “I am sorry for upsetting so many people, but I love this sport and what Kona stands for. Kona gets clumped in with the race in Madison; it’s kind of sad.

But I guess that’s what the sport has accepted; it’s time for me to accept it as well.”

Despite his apologies, Yu stands firm in his what-makes-an-Ironman beliefs. I asked him afterward if he’d call me an Ironman, “If you want to call yourself an Ironman, I’m not going to say you’re not.

[However,] I’m not going to consider you an Ironman, but go ahead,” said Yu. Despite not seeing eye-to-eye on several things, the one thing that Yu, 2006 Ironman Idaho winner Chris Hauth, the dozens of you who wrote in and I agree upon is our passion for the sport of triathlon. That’s the kind of passion that will keep the sport thriving and growing, which I think we can all agree is a good thing.

A 3:58 in Clearwater, not bad.

What was your goal going into the race, and did everything go according to plan?

I did a 3:57 at Eagleman earlier this year, and knowing the transitions are a little longer in Clearwater, I figured I would be close to that time. The dream goal was to break 3:55, but I was a little slower out of the water than I wanted to be. I ran into quite a bit of traffic in the water, and I never felt that great. My bike was right where I wanted it to be. I thought I may be able to run as fast as a 1:14, but I slowed a bit toward the end and ran 1:16. Overall, I was pretty pleased with it.

ten to the point where I no longer need to teach, so I’ll have more time to get in the pool. Right now I’m lucky if I can swim three times per week. This winter, I’d like to get in the water more often and do some more intense intervals. I’d like to bring my swim time to less than 26 minutes next year.

At just about every race you’re at you smoke the majority of the pro field. Why not race as a professional?

I’m definitely racing pro next year. I had some success the last time around [Ricci-Munn raced as a pro when he was 25], and this time I know a lot more. I’m doing it for the right reasons. I’m not doing it for the money or ego. I’ve reached the pinnacle of amateur racing, and racing pro is the next logical step.

You have to be the only person on the planet who can break four hours after a 29-minute swim split.

What are you currently doing to improve your swim time?

I coach about 30 athletes and I teach physical education. Just out of time constraints, swimming has been my last priority. My coaching business has got-

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Why do you like 70.3-distance races so much, and do you have any plans to focus on some shorter or longer distances in the future?

My key is going to be the 70.3 series. I’m pretty confident that with a little extra training I can ride or run with anyone on the circuit, even guys like Craig Alexander. I obviously need to work on my swim, but I’m excited to compete with those guys next year.

After I race Timberman [in 2008], I’ll do a little evaluation and then decide if I want to do Clearwater again or maybe Ironman Florida and try to qualify as a pro for Kona.

This month is a special edition geared toward beginner triathletes.

What one piece of advice can you offer to a couch potato who wants to become a serious triathlete?

I think the big mistake I see with a lot of athletes is they take too much of a roundabout approach to training. They swim bike and run about two times per week, which doesn’t allow enough time to get good at any one discipline. You need to be patient and attack each sport separately to allow enough time to develop.

Courtesy Janda Ricci-Munn

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TRAINING TIP

REALITY CHECK

Racing to get faster

By Troy Jacobson

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

Late winter is the perfect time to develop a running base and focus on skill development. It’s also a great time to add several 5K and 10K road races to your training schedule.

Scheduling several late-winter and earlyspring races can dramatically increase your running speed, enhance your ability to pace yourself and give you a head-start on your competitors in the first part of the season.

The key to embarking on an effective pre-season road-racing schedule is to prepare properly in order to avoid injury and overtraining. After your aerobic base-building period of lower-intensity run training, start incorporating striders or pick-ups into your regular runs one to three days a week.

These efforts usually consist of 15- to 30second bursts at about 90 percent of your maximum speed with short rest intervals of 30-60 seconds after each one, focusing on form and technique. Start with four repetitions interspersed within a regular aerobic 40- to 60-minute run and then increase each

Carbs!

When enough is enough

By Troy Jacobson

INDUSTRY PROFILE

A popular pre-race strategy for endurance athletes is to attend a carboloading party the night before a race and consume unbelievably large amounts of pasta, breads and other starchy carbohydrates. While having a full tank of muscle glycogen will extend an athlete’s time before hitting exhaustion and allow him or her to maintain a faster pace for longer, there is a more effective way to carbo-load that won’t potentially cause digestive-tract problems, race-morning discomfort and inconvenience. Large calorie-laden meals can slow the digestive process, causing you to have to stand in line for the bathroom on race morning.

The reality is you can carbo-load without overstuffing yourself at dinner the night before your race. Starting about three to four days prior to the event, start consuming a bit more carbohydrates than usual in your diet. During this time, eat smaller meals throughout the day, as they are more easily assimilated and transported through the digestive tract and eliminated. Aid the digestive process by thoroughly chewing your food, avoiding fatty foods and consuming fluids with your meals. This practice, combined with reduced training volumes, will super-pack your muscles with glycogen while leaving you feeling light and comfortable on race morning.

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Keith Simmons: XTERRA Wetsuits

By Brad Culp

Keith Simmons is a little obsessed with triathlon. In fact, every job he’s ever had has been in the multisport world. He started by managing a tri shop in 1984, and now he’s the owner of XTERRA Wetsuits. After Simmons graduated from college (after a successful NCAA cross-country career), he looked for a way to remain in touch with sport and founded Inside Out Sports in 1988. Seven years later, Simmons sold the shop to Cid Cardoso Jr. (see October’s Industry Profile) and decided to try out the wetsuit business. He purchased the U.S. distribution rights to Ironman Wetsuits in 1995, and in just three years it grew to the No. 1 wetsuit brand in the country.

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week by one or two reps until you get to about 10 repetitions.

This steady buildup of speed activates your nervous system and muscles and prepares you for the rigors of harder interval training and racing as you approach your first triathlon in 2008.

Then, use your weekend 5K or 10K road races as your weekly tempo workout. This is the time to start experimenting with your pacing and race strategy. PRs are not important at this stage of your program. The goal is to use your road-racing season as a building block to your competitive triathlon season.

Troy Jacobson is a former pro triathlete and creator of the Spinervals Cycling Series.

Read more informative articles about training at coachtroy.com. wanted to start his own wetsuit brand, which led to the creation of XTERRA Wetsuits.

“The XTERRA East Coast Championship was moved to Richmond [Virginia] that year, which was pretty much my back yard,” says Simmons. “I met up with some of their guys, and we decided to co-brand a wetsuit with their name.” It didn’t take long for the new brand to take off. The suits first gained popularity among the off-road triathlon crowd, but nowadays you can go to any major race and find hundreds of their suits.

Last year, XTERRA introduced the Vector Pro2, which was the first wetsuit to use the ultra-hydrodynamic Nano-SCS coating. XTERRA also applied the coating to its new Velocity Speedsuit, and if the swim results from Kona are any indication, the stuff really works. The Velocity was worn by the top overall swimmer and five of the top eight age groupers.

When Simmons isn’t busy finding materials to make his suits even faster, he’s spending time with his two-year-old son, Tyson.

Look for Tyson to be on an Ironman podium in a few decades, as he comes from some very solid triathlon roots (his mother is twotime world champion Lori Bowden). “He’s already receiving sponsorship offers,” Keith said. “His mother and I feel it’s best that he waits until age 3 or 4 for his first Ironman.”

To find out more about XTERRA Wetsuits, go to xterrawetsuits.com.

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

12/9/07

Courtesy Keith Simmons

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1080 When it’s all on the line.

The 1080 is a Zipp wheel on the verge of fanaticism even for the most confirmed speed freak. 108mm of patented torodial rim and ABLC dimple technology that tames the wind making it faster than any other non-disc wheel. If you look forward to punishing others in the bike leg, this is your weapon. Shape, not just size, matters.

Michellie Jones - 2006 Ironman World Champion

Photo – www.tri-mag.de

800.472.3972 www.zipp.com

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Boost your VO2 max

These products will help make you faster, without the extra work

By Brad Culp

SELECTION

If you haven’t heard about the importance of your VO2 max, you’re probably in the wrong sport. It’s perhaps the best objective measure of fitness and potential. It’s often cited as being the reason why one athlete wins an Ironman and the other suffers just to finish. VO2

Kona Endurance

Sport Quest Vantage VO2 Max

$40 (40 servings)

With 330mg of rhodiola rosea and 1110mg of Cordycept sinensis per serving, it’s one of the most potent VO2 boosters out there. At $1 per serving, it’s also one of the most affordable.

Since returning to racing, Nina Kraft has chosen it as her new (and legal) method of performance enhancement. konaendurance.com

First Endurance Optygen HP $75

(30 servings)

Top roadies like Dave Zabriskie and Levi Leipheimer swore by the original Optygen for years, and now the guys at First Endurance have gone one step further. Our team of testers reported a noticeable delay of muscle fatigue in just one week. firstendurance.com

max is the measure of how much oxygen your body can use per kilogram of body weight each minute (ml/kg/min). So, if you want to boost your VO2 you can lose 20 pounds or try one of these products with ingredients designed to do the job for you.

$35 (30 servings)

These pills include rhodiola to increase your VO2, along with an onslaught of other nutrients to help you beat the burn.

Research on Vantage shows it can increase oxygen availability by 12 percent and maximal power output by 17 percent. sportquestdirect.com

Agel OHM Gel $60 (30 servings)

Admist Agel’s other gel products, it has a VO2-boosting pack containing a heavy dose of rhodiola, among other performanceenhancing extracts. Squeeze a pack before a tough workout or in the middle of a long race. gelnutritionman.com

Hammer Nutrition Race Caps Supreme $55 (about 30

servings)

Spark plugs for your training. These caps are formulated to help maximize the energy you get from food and oxygen uptake. Enzymes like CoQ10 support the ATP process, while Hammer’s exclusive Oxy-Assist blend gives your VO2 a boost. hammernutrition.com

Courtesy manufacturers

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When we first heard that Ironman had an official mattress, we were a bit skeptical. What makes one mattress better for triathletes than another? So, we did what we do with most new products out there and gave it a try for a few nights. First thoughts?

Okay, there’s something to it. It’s by far the most comfortable mattress we’ve slept on in its price range (not that we’ve slept on a whole lot of $2,000 mattresses). The foam contours to your body and adds just enough support where your body needs it. What we were most excited about was the temperature regulation. The Energia foam on the T3 doesn’t conduct body heat like a traditional or memory-foam mattress. Instead, the exterior of the mattress remains at a relatively neutral temperature, giving it that cool, other-side-ofthe-pillow feel. The mattress is available in a king or queen size, with three firmness options to choose from. For more, go to t3recovery.com.

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Courtesy the manufacturer

REVIEW

T3 Recovery Mattress $1,950-$2,300

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POINT-COUNTERPOINT

At issue: Do boastful loudmouths back up their smack-talk

Wanna be fast?

Better get cocky

By Brad Culp

Don’t even bother reading Jay’s half of this argument. It’s really not fair. Jay is a nice, girly, humble triathlete. He’s the guy you see walking through every aid station at a sprint-distance race and personally thanking each volunteer, in between complaining about the leg cramps that have humbled him to a sluggish walk. As he strolls down the finishing chute he applauds the 73-year-old woman who blows by him, and then he crosses the finish line just in time to avoid placing dead last in his age group.

That’s all well and good, but being Mr. Humble Nice Guy just ain’t me. While I don’t make a lot of friends on the racecourse, I do race faster than Jay. A lot faster. My best Ironman is three hours faster than my counterpart’s. I could run two marathons and still finish before him.

Actually, that’s just my cockiness talking. As I’m writing this, my best Ironman 30

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is a mere two hours better than Jay’s, but Ironman Florida is in four days and I’m so arrogant that by the time this hits the newsstand my PR will be another hour faster than his. Go ahead, send in a letter about how being humble is the way to go. That way Jay can frame it and hang it on his office wall.

It’ll give him the motivation he needs to break four hours at his next Olympic-distance event. I won’t even read it.

Truth is, if you’re humble, you’re slow.

Just look at the last three Ironman world champions on the men’s side (that is, Chris McCormack, Normann Stadler and Faris Al-Sultan).

Do you think they got to the top of the sport by thinking they were just average? Hell no. Macca got to where he is by believing he’s the best athlete on the planet. Likewise, Normann hammers everyone on the bike because he knows he’s the best biker in the world. Trust me, a humble Normann would not be bombing up to Hawi at 26mph.

So, if you want 2008 to be the best year of your triathlon career, you better get cocky. If you want to get to Kona, you better believe that you’re the best athlete in your age group at your next Ironman; otherwise, you’ll get dusted by some guy who already believes it.

I’ll leave you with a quote from the greatest athlete of all time, Muhammad Ali. “I am the greatest.” I may not be the greatest, but I’m a lot better than Jay.

Walk softly and carry a big stick

By Jay Prasuhn

You ever wonder why they never called Dave Scott “The Mouth”? Yeah, me neither. Scott, like Mark Allen, like Paula Newby-Fraser, like Ken Glah, Thomas Hellriegel, simply trained hard, showed up and raced. They didn’t talk about how they would pick their quarry apart. In

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1989, Scott and Allen ended up starring in Ironwar—probably the most intense battle between two men since the AliForeman Rumble in the Jungle. Between the two of them, the most inciting thing they’d say before a race was, “I’m looking forward to racing tomorrow.”

Not too exciting in the world of YouTube entertainment soundbites. I was surprised there wasn’t a live feed of our 2007 Triathlete magazine party the night after the Hawaii Ironman in Kailua-Kona to catch athletes talking junk. Instead, it was Torbjorn Sindballe, McCormack, Stadler and Rutger Beke all buying each other beers.

Believe me, I’m the first to laud Macca’s vocal approach and love that he finally delivered. But man, I really love the Mark and Dave, Cam Brown or Beke approach: bring the noise on the course. In fact, there’s only one Macca with that much self-confidence, and you ain’t him. And even at that, Macca had several ugly runins with fate over the last half decade.

Allen will be the first to tell you that a large component of this sport is coming to terms with the mental aspect—proving it to yourself. Why do some feel the need to prove to others by spouting their intentions?

If you insist, then you bring yourself in for a potential beating. In 2006, Cameron Widoff boldly detailed at the pre-Hawaii Ironman press conference how he was going to stomp all comers and that nobody trained harder than he did. Good on him, but it seems Stadler wasn’t aware that he was out-trained when he—and several other men—handed Widoff his ass.

I don’t think this mentality will take hold in the age-group ranks. There are too many polite athletes (well, save for our spunky young editor Brad, who wasn’t afraid to tell anyone within earshot his intentions of a 9:30 plus a Kona slot at Ironman Florida last November). Kudos on a great finish at Ironman Florida, Brad, but perhaps if you hadn’t yakked it up, fate wouldn’t have dealt you a 10:32— and no Kona slot.

Illustration by Oliver Baker

with better finishing times, or will the meek inherit the sport?

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PRO BIKE

L K K C

D

A I

H

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Luke McKenzie’s Litespeed Blade

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By Jay Prasuhn

ultra-aero NeoPro crankset, with the back part of each arm partially recessed to shroud the bottom-bracket cup for cleaner air flow. Good enough for Fabian Cancellara at the 2007 Tour de France prologue, good enough for McKenzie.

You can find more on McKenzie at lukemckenzie.com.

While looking at the collection of veterans in the main bike pack at the 2007 Hawaii Ironman, one athlete broke the mold: young Australian Luke McKenzie. McKenzie did fade to a still-impressive 19thplace finish in 8:44, but the 26year-old showed promise for a second race in Kona.

Tennessee-based Litespeed, a market leader in titanium, offers a bike with amazing ride quality and heirloom longevity. The Saber wears a traditional 78-degree seat angle, and McKenzie sets up his Fi:zi’k Arione in the center for a comfortable, balanced position over the aerobars.

In addition, Full Speed Ahead set McKenzie up with its

A Frame Litespeed Saber 54cm B Fork Real Design Aero HP, carbon steerer C Headset Cane Creek S-6, 1-1/8-inch external D Aerobar Vision Carbon base bar and Carbon Pro clip-ons, R-bend E Groupset Campagnolo Record 10speed, 11-23 cassette F Crankset Full Speed Ahead NeoPro, 54-42, 172.5mm G Wheels Xentis Mark I TT H Tires Vittoria Corsa EVO-CX, 700 x 19mm tubulars I Brakeset Full Speed Ahead SL-K J Pedals Speedplay Zero, titanium spindles K Hydration Arundel aero bottle, Profile Design Aerodrink, Xlab Carbon rear hydration unit with Profile Design Karbon Kages L Saddle Fi’zi:k Arione, DiLuca Killer limited edition

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Jay Prasuhn

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DIGITAL EDITION NOW AVAILABLE Our digital edition is an exact replica of the print edition of Triathlete magazine, delivered to your computer by e-mail. It looks just like the print edition and contains the identical training information, gear reviews, race reporting, news and nutrition tips as the mailed copy. But the digital edition offers several advantages that print doesn’t: •Links to all of the Web sites (URLs) and E-mail addresses • Download: Save a local version directly to your computer for off-line viewing • Tools that allow you to zoom, print or e-mail pages to a friend • Find anything in the magazine by typing a search phrase • View all available archived issues for this magazine • Environmental friendly: No trees are cut and no fuel is wasted to deliver this edition

PREVIEW OUR SAMPLE DIGITAL EDITION TODAY

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ON THE WEB

CHECKING IN

WINTER TRI SCENE

poweringmuscles.com

ered there was going to be a winter triathlon world championship in 2002 I thought it was perfect for me. I qualified and became a junior world champ in 2002.

Since its launch in 2004, the Web site poweringmuscles.com has established itself as a leading Internet provider of nutritional information for athletes. Over the past four years, the Web site has become a popular destination for triathletes, runners, cyclists and other athletes by providing useful, authoritative articles on sportsnutrition topics ranging from supplements to

weight loss. The editor of poweringmuscles.com is none other than Matt Fitzgerald, a longtime Triathlete contributor who is also a certified sports nutritionist and author of Performance Nutrition for Runners, as well as several other books.

Last year, the site was redesigned and introduced an array of nutritional tools that give its visitors some of the same benefits that sports nutritionists provide to professional and elite athletes. The enhanced site includes customized fueling and hydration plans, forums where sports nutritionists answer questions and even a special section that helps athletes identify the causes of common nutrition-related problems and suggests possible solutions.

New articles are posted to the site daily.

These include original articles from exercise scientists. A search function enables members to quickly find articles, and they can also post comments on articles and e-mail them to friends.

What do you consider to be your best of the three sports (crosscountry skiing, mountain biking, running)?

My best is cross-country skiing, and that is also the sport I enjoy most. I compete in a lot of cross-country ski races, and I did one World Cup last year. It is among one of the biggest sports in Norway, and I’ve done it ever since I was 10.

Getting to know winter triathlon world champ Arne Post

By Brad Culp

Norway’s Arne Post just may be the most dominant triathlete in the world, but chances are you’ve never heard of him. In 2005, the then 22-year-old Post burst onto the winter tri scene by winning the winter tri world championships in his home country. After failing to repeat the following year, Post dominated the field in Flassin, Italy, to regain his crown in 2007.

Post is the overwhelming favorite to win again at this year’s world championship, in Freudenstadt, Germany, on Feb. 22. We caught up with Post shortly after he returned home from a two week-long training trip to the Austrian Alps.

How did you get started in winter triathlon? It’s not exactly a sport that kids grow up doing.

What sports did you do as a kid?

As a kid, I tried all kinds of sports: ski jumping, tennis, handball, athletics and soccer. But after a while, I focused more on endurance sports such as orienteering, distance running, cross-country skiing and a little cycling. I found it hard to choose only one sport, so when I discov-

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What’s your training like during the winter? How many hours a day do you put into each sport?

During the winter I do a lot of competitions, so I don’t train that much. Last winter I had races almost every weekend from January through March. I put the most hours into cross-country skiing during the winter, because that’s when there’s always snow. Other than that, I just do some maintenance training on the running and cycling.

What do you do during your offseason, which is most triathletes’ peak season? Have you ever done any traditional triathlons?

The summer is when I do most of my base training. This summer, I spent two weeks in the French Alps with my road bike, doing some of the most famous Tour de France climbs. I don’t do traditional triathlon. My swimming skills need to improve before I try that. I watched the Ford Ironman World Championship on the Internet this year, and I would like to try that some day . . . but it won’t happen in the near future.

Who else do we need to look out for at this year’s winter world championship in Germany? Who are you most concerned about?

I think German Benjamin Sonntag will be one of my toughest competitors.

The Germans will want to do well in their home country. Also, some of the Italians like Daniel Antonioli will be strong.

However, I don’t like worrying about my competition. I would rather just focus on myself and train the best I can until the championship.

Courtesy J. Nordskar

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GATORADE ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

Joe Bonness NAPLES, FLA.

By Marni Rakes

Joe Bonness probably doesn’t need an introduction. You know him as the bearded guy who races Kona, then the Great Floridian and again at Ironman Florida. He’s that 52-year-old guy who usually wins his age group if he’s not the top overall amateur athlete.

After his wife Sue watched a broadcast of the Hawaii Ironman in the early 1980s, she convinced Joe he should try a triathlon. With 30 unwanted pounds, Joe decided to make some changes. It worked.

As the owner and CEO of a road construction/asphalt company, a 10 a.m. to 6

GATORADE ATHLETE or 7 p.m. schedule requires balance, discipline and time management. In addition, Joe is a member of several active committees dedicated to constructing better facilities for bike riders and pedestrians. When he’s not working or training, Joe enjoys sailing.

While Joe’s talent is impressive, he is lucky to have survived a brief scare from atrial fibrillation at IM Arizona a few years ago. Joe bounced back from his heart concerns and has been nothing but impressive every since. As the 2002 Ironman outstanding athlete of the year, Joe’s 2001 age-group win at Kona, followed by an overall win at the Great Floridian, couldn’t get any better—until he was the first overall winner at IMFL with an astonishing time of 9:11. As a three-time age-group winner in Kona, Joe says he feels satisfied with his triathlon accomplishments but wouldn’t mind breaking the nine-hour mark in an Ironman.

Courtesy Joe Bonness

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TRAVEL TALK

CHECKING IN Tinman Hawaii Triathlon

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Date: July 20, 2008 Distance: 750-meter swim, 40km bike, 10km run Company: Tinman Unlimited Web site: tinmanhawaii.com Inspired by the Hawaii Ironman on the Big Island, the Tinman Triathlon was started by four athletes who wanted to experience a triathlon but could not spend months of full-time training.

This is the perfect place in the world for some fun in the sun with a race in between.

Courtesy U.S. Multisport

James O’Rourke Memorial Relay and Competitive Triathlon

DeGray Lake Triathlon Festival

Location: Arkadelphia, Ark. Date: Aug. 16-17, 2008 Distance: Half-Ironman, Olympic and sprint distances

Company: DLT Event Management Inc. Web site: dltmultisport.com Nestled in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains is DeGray Lake. The bike courses for all the events include rolling hills with a little climbing.

Location: North Platte, Neb. Date: August 26, 2008 Distance: 500-yard pool swim, 15-mile bike, 5km run Company: North Platte Recreation Department Web site: orourketriathlon.org In memory of James O’Rourke, this event is a solid one for beginners and vets alike. North Platte has plenty of walking and biking trails along the river.

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NA SPORTS

CHECKING IN Ford Ironman Florida results The 2007 Ford Ironman Florida took place on Nov. 3 in Panama City Beach, in the Florida Panhandle. Below is a roundup of the top agegroup and pro results from the event.

Professional men Stephan Vuckovic,GER Sergio Marques, POR Bryan Rhodes, NZD

8:21:29 8:23:49 8:26:52

Professional women Nina Kraft, GER 9:05:35 H. Bij De Vaate, NLD 9:07:40 Tyler Stewart, USA 9:09:18

12:58:53 13:32:02 13:48:49

Men 70-74 Jay Lehr, USA

16:35:41

Men 75 + Frank Farrar, USA

16:51:20

Men 18-24 Marcel Bischof, GER Gregory Kopecky, USA Pedro Nuques, ECD

9:20:28 9:39:22 9:41:36

Women 18-24 Megan Knepper, USA 10:02:36 A. Braverman, USA 11:19:29 Claudia Miranda, CHL 11:21:44

Men 25-29 S. Loehnert, GER Rob De Wolf, SPN Michel De Wilde, BEL

8:48:22 8:54:13 8:56:17

Women 25-29 Sarah Lorenz, GER 9:48:47 Catherine Brown, CAN 10:05:20 Cathy Yndestad, USA 10:12:56

Men 30-34 Nick Frank, USA Tim Hola, USA Michel Kraeuchi, SWI

8:49:53 8:52:04 9:00:22

Women 30-34 Christina Robeson, USA 10:02:57 Kathrin Egger, GER 10:06:58 Karla VanKessel, CAN 10:22:17

Men 35-39 Anthony Philippe, FRA Martin Wimmer, AUT Mark Carey, USA

9:07:14 9:07:33 9:11:41

Women 35-39 Karen Smith, USA Karen Monks, USA Susan Stanley, USA

10:06:33 10:28:46 10:45:50

Women 40-44 Lisbeth Kenyon, USA L. Humphrey, CAN Sue Rubens, USA

9:41:38 10:08:17 10:14:31

Men 40-44 Keith Garbutt, GBR 9:10:36 Eric Millard, FRA 9:13:51 Doug Vander Weide,USA 9:20:31 Men 45-49 Andy Meyer, USA Bernd Kiele, GER Franck Jerome, FRA

9:24:57 9:26:35 9:27:43

Women 45-49 Kristen Kostecky, USA 10:42:15 Debi Bernardes, USA 10:51:15 Racheal Wood, USA 11:07:05

Men 50-54 Joe Bonness, USA 9:23:10 Michael Tasman, USA 9:46:14 Helmer Jacobsen, DEN 9:46:14

Women 50-54 R. Wedlake, CAN Nancy Smith, USA Nancy Lipira, USA

10:45:37 10:56:31 11:01:31

Men 55-59 Klaus Rosskopf, GER Jess Hickerson, USA Rick Vorick, USA

Women 55-59 Suzette Trainor, USA Fay Trimble, CAN Gael Gilmore, USA

12:33:14 13:42:55 14:01:50

10:32:57 10:32:57 10:46:35

Men 60-64 David Asp, USA 10:56:24 Bruno Billeter, SWI 11:06:28 Dick Weinbrandt, USA 11:15:39

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Men 65-69 H. Schicketanz, GER Tommy Lettner, CAN Roger Sprandel, USA

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Women 60-64 Helga Rinneard, CAN 12:12:06 Margaret Simpson, USA 13:50:36 K. Smith-Rohrberg, USA 14:24:37

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BEIJING COUNTDOWN

Four questions for Shoemaker

By Brad Culp

going through the 2005 season and racing my first World Cup races, I knew I was going to have to improve on my swim, and the possibility of 2008 was a lot smaller. However, with a lot of hard work, my swim improved.

Describe your race in Beijing. At what point did it hit you that you were going to make the team?

Going into Beijing I knew the hardest thing for me would be to have a solid swim. My swim has been up and down this year, and I knew I had to be with the other five Americans so I would not leave anything to chance. I survived the bike in our big pack, and we all came off the bike together. At the start of the run I knew my chances were good, but anything can happen. I worked my way up to Hunter and Andy and moved into the top American spot at about 4km. In the last lap I saw Hunter started to run really well and thought he might have a shot at catching me. Luckily, I held him off.

Sure, American Jarrod Shoemaker has always been fast, but for the past few years, the spotlight’s been on the likes of Hunter Kemper and Andy Potts, not Shoemaker.

That all changed when Shoemaker crossed the finish line at the September Beijing ITU World Cup as the top American and earned the first U.S. triathlon Olympic spot to this August’s Beijing Games. We caught up with Shoemaker shortly after the World Cup season ended to see what he has planned for 2008.

There are two spots left for the men's team. Who are your picks to take them?

With their races in Beijing, Hunter and Andy positioned themselves well, but triathlon and ITU racing are filled with surprises. The first U.S. male to cross the finish in Honolulu in April gets a spot, and I would not rule out anybody like Brian Fleischmann, Matt Reed, Doug Friman, Victor Plata and Mark Fretta.

I think anybody that wants it more in Honolulu will come away with that spot. It will be a small race of only 12 or so men. Don’t rule anybody out.

When did you start believing you had a shot to make the Olympic team? Was your goal always to make the 2008 team, or did you originally plan on 2012 or even later?

When I started triathlon and turned pro in 2004, I thought I would have a shot at the 2008 Olympic team, and then I found out how amazing the athletes are in this sport. I was way behind in the swim, having trouble hanging on the bike, but luckily my run transferred over well and helped me with some early results. After

Now that you're on the squad, what's your next goal?

What do you have to do between now and August to come home from China with a shiny medal?

I have started working toward Aug. 19 already. I have to develop my swim and be able to come out in the first pack on a consistent basis.

My run is always solid, but I have to work on feeling better coming off the bike and taking my run to the next level to beat Gomez or Kahlfeldt on a good day.

T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

Robert Murphy/bluecreekphotography.com

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CHECKING IN

CADENCE KONA CHALLENGE all the difference in my riding and have really mentored me from day one, something I'm continually grateful for.

The other key component is to find someone who is as crazy and committed as yourself and train with them on a regular basis.

Catching up with the Cadence Kona Challenge winners After the first few weeks of their new training programs, our six Cadence Kona Challenge winners are ready to make 2008 their best season yet. This month, as part of our special Beginner’s Edition, each one of the athletes and Cadence coach Brian Walton have offered up some advice on how to get started down the track toward triathlon greatness, or at least finishing your first race.

James Pearson: I joined a fantastic local tri team in Arlington, Va., called Team Z (triteamz.com) and find that training as a group helps me get through the longer sessions. Finally, Cadence gave me a three-hour bike fit, which has made a huge difference during longer rides.

Kate Conklin: I can’t believe what a difference it makes to get a professional bike fit. Cadence did a great job in taking my disability issues into mind when fitting me to my bike. Don’t let your disability keep you from riding. You will be amazed at what you can do.

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Randy Christofferson: Before starting the Cadence program, I just got back from a failed attempt to qualify for Kona at Ironman Florida. I began to lose it in the latter part of the bike and had a tough run. I finished in 11:19—a new PR, but not good enough. I’m excited to try to qualify again and will focus on the run for the next couple of months.

Scott Sharp: Being a true beginner, with only four sprint triathlons under my belt, the jump to Ironman training was a huge step. I am focusing on improving my swim stroke, concentrating on a stronger, smoother pedal stroke and better posture on the run. This will help as I increase my distances in the three disciplines. My coach, Dianna Ineman, has set out a solid training program that will provide a good base for me to go forward.

Mary Lou Hoffman: My advice for beginners: find a local triathlon, cycling, running or masters swim club or group to join. I found that just thinking about joining some of these groups was far more intimidating than actually showing up for the first time. The veteran riders in my cycling club have made

T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

Coach Brian Walton: As the weather deteriorates (in most states, yes California count your blessings right now), many of us are forced indoors for our training. I find that many athletes actually dread climbing on their bike trainer, stating that training indoors is about as exciting as organizing their sock drawer.

To mitigate the boredom factor, treat your indoor training sessions as a laboratory, where you can dictate the exact duration, profile and speed of your session, while focusing on refining your technique. We all know swimming is highly technique driven, but the same can be said for both running and cycling.

When riding indoors there are several drills one can do to become more efficient, such as high-cadence pedaling or over-gear strength exercises.

During the winter, analyze yourself as an athlete. How do you generate your power and speed on the bike? Are you a spinner that needs to work on muscular strength or do you mash those big gears?

If you improve from 90 to 99 RPM (in the same gear), then we are looking at a 10percent increase in wattage.

With so many months before your first event, realize the importance of building a solid foundation in the early season. Take a page from Lance Armstrong’s training; as Armstrong has often said, the Tour de France is won in December, not July. Use the off-season to focus on your technique and efficiency within each discipline so you can start the new season with a leg up on your competition.

To follow each of these athletes and check in on their training anytime, check out their blogs on triathletemag.com.

Courtesy 160 Over 90

Elizabeth Wittmaack: Learn to love what you hate. We tend to focus on what we are good at and often neglect our Achilles’ heels. If you dedicate some extra love to that nagging weakness, you will find your tri-journey sweeter and ultimately your success in the sport all the more lucrative. If only I could take my own advice, then maybe I wouldn’t be last out of the water.

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CHECKING IN

Essay winner

By Steve Heritage

Last October we posted an essay contest on triathletemag.com asking for stories from those who overcame obstacles on their journeys toward becoming triathletes. Our winner is Steve Heritage, a schoolteacher and triathlete from Wilmington, N.C., who broke 13 hours at last year’s Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene.

In my late teens and early 20s I began a long and painful experience with depression. What began as a nagging sense of despair rapidly grew into a suffocating state of being. I was diagnosed with clinical depression. Clinical depression weighs down every part of your life. You lose the will to move or even breathe. Without medical attention, it kills the will to live.

This development was hard for me because previously I had always found great pleasure in life. I had been brought up as an active child on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay and the mountains of Virginia. I loved swimming through the bay or hiking in the mountains all day with my brother and friends. Depression takes this pleasure away.

I was lucky. I have family and friends that care for me deeply and refused to let

ESSAY WINNER

go. They got me the help I needed. But ultimately it was running and triathlon that allowed me to heal and feel alive again.

During this time I was living in Seattle. I hadn’t run in a couple of years.

One day the sun rose over the Cascades after days of rain. I put my old shoes on and ran out the door. I ran around Green Lake once. The air was crisp and pure. A few months later I ran my first marathon.

I have run several since. Now I live in North Carolina. I am a teacher and years from that horrible experience.

Still, depression will always be with me, lingering like a weed in the corner of your garden that you just can't kill. One of the hardest parts of depression has been the feeling of dread and regret it fosters.

You spend so much time regretting things you did in the past and worrying about making mistakes in the future that you often miss out on the moment you are in.

Triathlon helps me to live in the moment.

Five or six years ago I began doing sprints. Each year I added more distance, and this past year I did two Iron-distance races, the Great Floridian and Ironman Coeur d' Alene. Physically I have been transformed over the years, losing 20 to 30 pounds. But it is the psychological transformation that takes place during an Ironman that has been profound. An Ironman forces me to totally focus on the

LOOKING BACK

David Costill interview Flashback: February 1987

In the February 1987 issue of Triathlete magazine, Hal Higdon, a runner/writer with a byline that dates back to a 1966 issue of Runner’s World, conducted an interview with noted sports scientist David Costill, Ph.D. Through his scientific investigations of elite runners, swimmers and cyclists at the Ball State human-performance lab in Muncie, Indiana, Costill had earned a reputation as the country’s leading exercise physiologist and had been referred to as “the Carl Sagan of human performance.”

In 1985, Costill turned his microscope onto triathletes, an extremely competitive group that, to date, had been living in a Wild West when it came to training. More was seen as better, and anecdotal reports of triathletes recording gargantuan amounts of raw mileage were becoming more frequent. Costill’s team performed a study on 11 triathletes picked from the field at the 42

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Muncie Endurathon. The subjects made three visits to the famed lab for VO2 max testing, muscle biopsies, body-fat analysis and other measurements.

Based on the data he analyzed, Costill noted: “I’m not sure volume is as impor-

T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

moment. From the moment I wake up on race day and step outside, to walking to the start, there is no yesterday or tomorrow. I am completely tuned into the moment: the air, the water, the darkness breaking into dawn. Then the cannon sounds and the journey begins.

During the race I am concentrating on my breathing, my heartbeat and the flow of blood and oxygen within. During an Ironman there is no past or future. I’m free of the crippling powers of regret and worry. I am alive and moving forward.

For his literary efforts, Steve wins a t3 heart-rate monitor from Suunto. Check out Suunto’s line of training technologies at suunto.com.

Courtesy Suunto

12/9/07

tant as some seem to make it—if it is indeed true that the top triathletes train eight hours a day. In running, the physiological top line for improvement comes at about 6000 calories burned a week: about 50-60 miles running. Above that, you don’t see much physiological change. So you ask yourself: do runners or triathletes, benefit from doing more volume? A swimmer doesn’t improve much above 15,00020,000 yards of weekly swimming. I can’t offer you figures for cycling, but you wonder what people gain by going for threeand four-hour bike rides. One gain might be an ability to pace yourself, learning what it takes to survive. Maybe there are some subtle adaptations that we aren’t measuring in the laboratory; otherwise elite triathletes put a lot of unnecessary effort into their sport. We’ll have to wait until some superstar arrives who succeeds on only a few hours a day to prove my point. My guess is that at least the average triathlete could perform very well—maybe not an ultimate best—by training for one hour three times a week at each activity.”

—T.J. Murphy

Courtesy Seth Goltzer

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TRIATHLETES OF THE

YEAR

Our take on the best of the best over the past 12 months of racing By the editors We will likely look back at 2007 as a year when the sport of triathlon made a big, explosive step forward. In North

America alone, the Life Time Fitness Series, ITU World Cups, Ironman, XTERRA and the upward spiraling growth of the half-Ironman distance and 70.3 series underwent dramatic expansion both in terms of participation and money. Below, we’ve selected what we feel are the top performers in the sport over the past 12 months. We’d like to hear from you on the matter. Please go to triathletemag.com and e-mail us your thoughts.

Overall: The best of the best Chris McCormack

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John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

Chris McCormack’s first win at the Ford Ironman World Championship in Hawaii in October may, at least thus far, be the high-water mark of his extraordinary career, but the talented Aussie won seven races altogether in 2007, including 70.3 races Baja and Honu, Quelle Challenge Roth, Memphis in May and the Silverman Half.

His Hawaii Ironman win, of course, was the biggie and came at a time when he was seriously questioning if Kona would forever elude him.

Considering he’s been collecting Ironman Australia and Quelle Challenge wins like a kid collecting bubble-gum cards, the drama grew around his crashand-burn attempts in the lava fields.

Over the years of his Ironman pursuit, McCormack was transformed from cocky speedster to a humble veteran and great champion. For that, as much as for his tremendous results this season, he is our men’s overall triathlete of the year.

OVERALL MALE

AUSTRALIA

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Long course athletes of the year Chrissie Wellington GREAT BRITAIN

Robert Murphy/bluecreekphotography.com

OVERALL FEMALE

Thailand is apparently a good place to prepare for the Hawaii Ironman: Two members of the Phuketsequestered Team TBB, Chrissie Wellington of Great Britain and Rebecca Preston of Australia, took places in the top five at the 2007 Hawaii Ironman. Preston was fifth, and Wellington, in her rookie appearance, was a world-shaking first. The two are coached by controversial Australian Brett Sutton, the champion-producing coach known for his prowess at supplanting doubt with swashbuckling confidence. While preparing for the race, Wellington began asking about the superstars she kept hearing about, namely reigning Ironman world champ Michellie Jones and six-time Kona champion Natascha Badmann. Any intimidation beginning to seep in was swept out to sea when Sutton told his team the best days of Jones and Badmann were slipping away. Wellington’s sleek, empowered performance defied the conventional thinking surrounding the event. Now, with the tri world tuned in to Wellington, 2008 will not be a year in which she can practice such stealth. Her rise to greatness is no matter for speculation. She’s the Ironman world champion and our women’s long-course triathlete of the year.

Sam McGlone Sam McGlone is a spitfire, both on the course and off. A master of multitasking, she likes to keep busy, so it wasn’t much of a surprise that at 3 a.m., after a long day of racing her first Ironman (in Kona no less), finishing second behind 2007 world champion Chrissie Wellington, spending four hours in the medical tent, attending to a frantic media, frustrated she couldn’t get down a cold beer as planned, McGlone decided to write a blog entry in which she diplomatically turned down marriage proposals and asked if someone could save her a cinnamon bun at Lava Java if she overslept.

McGlone’s second-place finish in Kona followed a long season highlighted by records set at the 5430 half-Ironman and 70.3 Vineman and a career continuing to bloom since racing on the Canadian Olympic team in 2004. Remarkably, McGlone’s legs came back to life quickly after Hawaii as she attempted to defend her Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 title in Clearwater, Fla., in November. Although she was edged out in Clearwater by Australia’s Mirinda Carfrae, McGlone’s secondplace sealed it for us: She’s our women’s overall triathlete of the year and a star whose time is now.

LONG COURSE FEMALE

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

CANADA

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Craig Alexander AUSTRALIA

It was difficult not to pick Alexander for the overall triathlete of the year. Let’s shuffle through the Australian’s stack of victories in 2007: St. Croix 70.3 (a tough one), Florida Disney 70.3, Subaru Muskoka Chase Tri, Philadelphia Insurance, Vineman 70.3 and Newfoundland 70.3.

Then he ventured to Hawaii where if not for McCormack’s best effort Alexander probably would have won.

Instead, Kona rookie Alexander finished second, then made the trip to Clearwater 70.3 worlds and finished fourth. McCormack had a great season and beat Alexander in the greatest triathlon in the world. But you know Crowie has ambitious goals for 2008.

Until then, we honor his 2007 efforts.

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

Half-Ironman athletes of the year

Mirinda Carfrae Mirinda Carfrae, 26, is yet another in an impressively long line of talented Australians to make the jump from short-distance racing to long distance.

This year, Carfrae’s consistent halfIronman racing (second place at Wildflower, Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3, Eagleman 70.3 and Singapore 70.3) was punctuated by her first world championship at 70.3 worlds in Clearwater, a combination worthy of this award.

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

LONG COURSE MALE

AUSTRALIA

Torbjørn Sindballe

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Torbjørn Sindballe—you can call him Thunderbear—is known for combining hard training with a fetish for technology. Starting off 2007 with a third place at Ironman New Zealand, and later a fourth place at the ITU world long-distance champs, Sindballe then made his preparations for Kona. In Hawaii last October Sindballe was easy to spot wearing a white race suit with full-length sleeves, white compression socks and, of all things, a white glove. Thunderbear, the man who owns the second-fastest bike split (4:21:36) in the history of the Hawaii Ironman, doesn’t do anything without clear purpose, so when it was revealed the uniform was designed to deflect heat and the glove intended to carry ice to help monitor his core temperature, it all made sense. With McCormack winning the overall honors and Alexander winning the halfIronman category, we decided to acknowledge Sindballe’s breakthrough race in Kona. In 2007, after another field-leading bike ride (4:25:26), the Dane managed a 2:57 marathon to hold on for third place, despite hot conditions in which he has, in the past, struggled. A class act, Sindballe is our men’s long-course triathlete of the year.

HALF-IRONMAN FEMALE

HALF-IRONMAN MALE

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Laura Bennett

XTERRA athletes of the year

AUSTRALIA

While Greg was racing all over the United States, the other half of Team Bennett was traveling the globe on the World Cup circuit and posting some pretty impressive finishes.

She spent most of the summer chasing Vanessa Fernandes and Emma Snowsill, but Bennett came through when it

Jamie Whitmore

Conrad Stoltz SOUTH AFRICA

Short course athletes of the year AUSTRALIA

You don’t cash in on over $400,000 in one season by sitting on the sidelines. The male half of the sport’s fastest and now richest couple set his sights on the Life Time Fitness Series this year and swept all five races against stiff competition. Bennett was dominant in all five events, his only close call coming at the Los Angeles Triathlon, where he had to run down his friend and countryman Craig Walton in the final mile. This set the stage for the inaugural Toyota U.S. Open Championship, in Dallas, where a win would give Bennett an unprecedented $420,000 payday. The Aussie usually waits until the run to make his big move, but in Dallas he put the hammer down from the start en route to a 1:44:41 finish and the biggest win of his career. Five wins at five of the biggest races on U.S. soil are what make Greg Bennett our short-course triathlete of the year.

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XTERRA MALE

Stoltz blasted through 2007, accumulating XTERRA victories in South Africa, Temecula, Alabama, Virginia, Utah and Lake Tahoe. In addition—and most impressively—Stoltz won his third XTERRA world title, in Maui.

“I’ve raced Olivier [Marceau] many, many times over the last 15 years, and never have I even come close to outrunning him,” wrote Stoltz on his blog following his Maui win. “So I told myself, ‘Pucker up, this is going to be the toughest run of your life.’” Stoltz is our undisputed men’s pick for XTERRA triathlete of the year.

mattered most. She earned a cool $250,000 with her win at the HyVee Des Moines World Cup, out-running some of the fastest women in the world on a sweltering day. Getting paid is good, but the highlight of Bennett’s season came at the Beijing World Cup, where she finished third overall and was the top American, earning the first spot on the 2008 Olympic Team. Stepping up at the big races and competing alongside the best in the world is why Laura Bennett is our short-course triathlete of the year.

SHORT COURSE FEMALE

With more than 30 career victories to her credit, in 2007 Whitmore claimed the XTERRA U.S. national championship at Lake Tahoe, XTERRA Southeast champs in Alabama, XTERRA Mountain champs in Utah and XTERRA East champs in Richmond and third place at XTERRA worlds in Maui. Whitmore continues to reign as perhaps the best women’s off-road triathlete in the history of the sport.

XTERRA FEMALE

USA

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Rich Cruse

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ITU athletes of the year Javier Gomez

ITU FEMALE

This was the easiest pick of any of the triathletes of the year.

Fernandes was at the start line at 12 ITU events in 2007, winning all but one. The rest of the World Cup girls simply couldn’t run with the Portuguese speedster last summer. She had a seasonlong highlight reel, but the ITU Hamburg world championship had to be her most impressive performance.

Fernandes finished the race in 1:53:27, a time that would be competitive in most pro men’s races. She also threw in a win at the European Duathlon Championship and the Life Time Fitness Triathlon, just for good measure.

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Robert Murphy/bluecreekphotography.com Frank Wechsel

USA

2007 divided into three seasons for Potts. Coming out of the gate like he was being shot at, Potts won Ironman California 70.3, the ITU Honolulu World Cup and then Escape from Alcatraz, a trio of dissimilar races that show his range. Starting with the ITU Des Moines World Cup, he hit a skid, accumulating disappointing results through ITU worlds and ITU Beijing, in the latter losing out on an Olympic spot to Jarrod Shoemaker.

But Potts stormed Clearwater and walked away with the 2007 Ironman 70.3 world title. Potts, an incredible swimmer, will surely be focusing all of his 2008 energy on Olympic qualification, but it’s clear that in the future we’ll be seeing him on the long-distance circuit as well, and doing quite well at it.

Julie Dibens

GREAT BRITAIN 2007 was quite a year for British triathlon, with Wellington being one story and Julie Dibens being another. In 2007, Dibens scored victories in duathlon, XTERRA and 70.3 triathlon, adding podium finishes at each of the Life Time Fitness Series events (with a third in Minneapolis, second in New York, third in Los Angeles, third in Chicago and second in Dallas). Take a breath, there’s more: In XTERRA, she won XTERRA Guam, XTERRA UK, got second at XTERRA Saipan and took the world title in Maui. And then she added a fourth place at 70.3 worlds. Oh yeah, in her spare time she coaches.

Rich Cruse

PORTUGAL

Andy Potts

Frank Wechsel

Vanessa Fernandes

All-around athletes of the year

ALL-AROUND FEMALE

ITU MALE

Gomez started nine ITU races in 2007 and finished on the podium at every event, with five wins. Week after week, it seemed every World Cup event was a repeat of the previous race.

A huge pack would come off the bike together, and halfway through the run Gomez would break away and no one could go with him. He’s without a doubt the best runner in the sport and even managed to break 30 minutes for his 10km run split at the ITU world championships in Hamburg, Germany last summer. The highlight of the Spaniard’s season came at the Beijing World Cup, where he used a 30:41 10km to pull away from the toughest field of the year. Consistently running away from the best athletes in the world is what makes Javier Gomez our ITU triathlete of the year.

ALL-AROUND MALE

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Guys like us have always gone out and raced for our income and have never allowed ourselves to be completely controlled by the national triathlon federation. I believe that athletes who only take from these federations become weak. |

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John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

TRIATHLON’S

Greg Bennett gives his two cents on boozing, doping and the Olympic Games

By Brad Culp

$400,000 MAN

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You told us after the race in Dallas that you were planning on opening up a pretty big bar tab to celebrate the big win? How long did the celebration last?

The first celebration was the night after the event, and we took out some sponsors, media and other athletes. We followed that with an open-bar party back in Boulder [Colo.]. Most of the people in Boulder were athletes, so the ability to drink large quantities of alcohol was limited. Most of them were staggering around after only two or three drinks. There will be another celebration in Australia for the New Year, and then it’ll be time to focus on next year.

2007 was a hell of a year for you and Laura, between you sweeping the Life Time Fitness Series and her qualifying for the Olympic team. Would you say it was the best year for you guys yet?

How do you top something like that?

Both Laura and I have won plenty of races and I’ve held the world No. 1 ranking for two years, but as professional triathletes we race for our income as the first priority, so I don’t think we can compare any year to this year. We shoot to top performances like these by continuing our momentum and focusing on what brings out our best accomplishments. We believe this delivers the opportunity to make this kind of income in the future and hopefully add a couple of gold medals and world titles to the resume.

Aussie Greg Bennett has a lot going for him.

He’s arguably the fastest short-course triathlete in the world. His wife Laura will represent the U.S. in the Olympics. And, oh yeah, he cashed in on the single biggest payday in the sport’s history at the Toyota U.S. Open in Dallas last October. We caught up with Bennett shortly after the celebration died down to find out what triathlon’s most successful athlete has planned for 2008.

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In Australia, triathlon is not regarded as a lifestyle sport. It is accepted that we are professional athletes. In the U.S., if you tell someone you’re a pro triathlete, they always ask, “Can you really make a living doing that?” For guys like Macca and myself, we grew up in the sport in the ’90s, with a pro series where we got to race with the best athletes in the world. Guys like us have always gone out and raced for our income and have never allowed ourselves to be completely controlled by the national triathlon federation. I believe that athletes who only take from these federations become weak. We have to race to pay rent and eat, so there is another level of determination. I believe the U.S. can dominate the world in the future, but they need to have the best racing here, and that is where a series like the Life Time Fitness Series will help.

Young athletes can aspire to win that series. It is a natural progression that will instill desire and determination.

Rich Cruse

Across the board, why do you think Aussies are so much faster right now than everyone else? You’ve got guys like Macca winning Ironman and guys like you winning every race you enter.

What’s the trick?

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What’s the plan for 2008? Would you rather focus on World Cup racing to ensure you get picked for the Aussie Olympic team, or do you feel the Life Time Fitness Series is more important to you at this point?

I want to race the Life Time Series, and I want to make it the grand slam for pros, elite age groupers and aspiring young athletes. I want to bring short-course racing back on par with Ironman events in the U.S. I would also like to race at the Olympics next year, and yes, I feel I could win at the Games. The Australian Olympic team is handpicked by a panel based on World Cup performances. Two deserving men have already been selected: Brad Kahlefeldt and Courtney Atkinson.

This leaves only one spot.

The chairman of the committee said the selectors thought World Cup racing was very different from racing in the U.S. I then explained that I believed I was the only one who could speak with such authority on this matter, after having raced over 70 World Cups and winning that series twice. I don’t believe there is a major difference between World Cup races and events in the U.S. Both styles of racing are intense and require speed and explosiveness. I think racing in both the Olympics and Life Time series will complement each other well, and I look forward to doing both.

Do you think the competition will get even tighter at the Life Time Fitness races now that others see it’s possible to make a big chunk of change? Do you think we’ll see more ITU athletes at the events, maybe even someone like Javier Gomez or Andy Potts?

I definitely didn’t have an easy time winning the 2007 series, and that was largely due to the fact that I had to chase down Waldo [Craig Walton] at every race. Waldo is a monster in the swim and on the bike. I hear all the time about how fast some of these Euro or Ironman guys are on the bike. I can tell you right now none of them match Waldo on the bike over 40 kilometers. And they’d have to start the bike two minutes behind him after the swim.

I think we may see more guys trying to match Waldo, but I still see him as the toughest of them all. I would really enjoy the challenge of having more of these guys at the races, and hopefully they all start doing the math and start focusing on the Life Time Fitness Series.

Taking yourself out of the picture, who do you think will be on the men’s podium in Beijing?

I have enormous respect for all the top men. There truly is amazing talent out there. I’ll just pick for fun— with no disrespect for my peers—Simon Whitfield, Javier Gomez and Courtney Atkinson, in no particular order.

How about the women’s podium? Is Laura going to come home with a gold medal? Who do you think will give her the toughest challenge?

Going on current form, I have to say Laura has a good chance of a gold medal, but it is obvious the strongest two women in the world are Vanessa Fernandes and Emma Snowsill. Laura has been improving steadily for

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the past three years and is going into the final year of her four-year program that we put together. We have a great program in place for Laura, and I believe it will be what she needs to step up another level and take the gold.

I asked Laura about this last month, but I’d like to get your insight as well. There isn’t nearly as much doping controversy in triathlon as in some other endurance sports, like cycling. Do you think this is due to the fact that triathletes are cleaner than other endurance athletes or that testing procedures aren’t as widespread?

I think a big difference is that triathlon is not a team sport and there is little influence from managers and team doctors. We race for ourselves and every now and then for our countries. I believe that to be successful in triathlon you need to have a great understanding of how to keep your body healthy, and taking drugs only goes against that thinking. Even if you don’t notice any serious side effects, your future children might. It’s surprising more athletes don’t think about that.

I’d like to think Laura and I are examples of what can be done with consistent solid work. In Australia . . . the doping agency does athlete profiling, and I was targeted as an Olympic candidate. Every year I got about six to 10 tests, and I know that I’m not the only one who gets this much testing. I know the ITU enforces testing very well, and I hope other organizing bodies are doing the same.

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Do you think the recent increases in prize purses will make doping more of a problem in our sport?

Athletes want to win. They want to win for their ego, for stardom and for money. The fact that so many triathletes are chasing the Olympics for no money shows the importance of ego to the athlete psyche. I don’t believe increasing the dollars has affected doping in our sport among the top guys. I believe the person who would dope is more inclined to do it for stardom and their ego, and I think they would do it whether the money was increased or not. I’d rather keep the money increasing, as those who already dope will do so no matter how much money is on the line.

This month is our beginner’s issue. What sort of advice could you offer a beginner triathlete who is looking to make it to the top tier of the sport, not just a weekend warrior? How did you get your start? Who did you look up to as a new triathlete?

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Passion and consistent hard work together with some talent can make it happen. You need to maintain that drive for your entire career.

For many athletes it can take more than a decade to be successful. This sport will throw you massive ups and downs, and passion is the only thing that will keep you going.

I got my start watching the Bud Light Series in the ’80s and watching the Big Four compete [consisting of Ironman and shortcourse stars Mark Allen, Dave Scott, Scott Tinley, Scott Molina]. I decided I wanted to be a part of that, and I have been improving gradually since 1985.

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TRIATHLETE’S 2008

BEGINNER’S GUIDE

Triathlete helps you tackle the steepest part of the tri learning curve By the editors Even the top pro and age-group triathletes acknowledge that they learn more about the sport, and themselves, every time they race. Admittedly, the learning curve is steepest at the bottom, but participation in triathlon can lead to lifelong discovery and knowledge-building. In the following pages, we’ve put together a primer for first-timers to help you nail the basics, get a handle on all the gear you need for three sports as well as learn from the experience of some of the sport’s top coaches and athletes.

JUMPING IN | 60

The 6 key triathlon-training guidelines for newbies

B Y M AT T F I T Z G E R A L D

TAKE IT FROM THE EXPERTS | 66 Robert Murphy/bluecreekphotography.com

7 tri lessons you don’t want to learn the hard way

B Y C A M E RO N E L F O R D

FEAR FACTOR | 70

Tips to tackle your first triathlon swim

B Y J AY P R A S U H N

12 ESSENTIALS FOR YOUR FIRST TRIATHLON | 76 The thrifty first-timer’s triathlon shopping list

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TRIATHLETE’S

The 6 key triathlon-training guidelines for newbies

By Matt F itzgerald

There are many good reasons to become a triathlete. One of the best and most commonly cited reasons points to the physical and mental challenges the sport offers. It is human nature to enjoy a good challenge because we typically become stronger through the process of taking on the right sorts of personal tests.

Among the greatest specific challenges new triathletes face is learning how to train effectively. By virtue of the sport’s composite nature, triathlon training is more complex than training for most other sports. Many new triathletes find it downright intimidating to contemplate how little they know about effective training methods compared to how much there is to know.

One can only compress this learning curve and accelerate the learning process so much. You’re bound to make mistakes and find it necessary to correct your course as you go. The best way to minimize the number of errors you experience in becoming an effective triathlon self-coach is to learn and absorb the most basic core principles of effective training.

I have summarized the fundamental principles and the most effective methods of triathlon training in the form of six basic guidelines. These guidelines do not provide all of the specific practices you need to be familiar with to fully implement them.

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They represent a framework that will help you understand the big picture of physical preparation and steer your training with confidence. As such, these guidelines constitute not only a good primer for beginners but also useful review material for more experienced triathletes.

1. BALANCE ALL THREE DISCIPLINES Swimming, cycling and running are all equally important to triathlon success. Sure, you spend a lot more time on the bike than you spend in the water or on foot, but weaknesses in swimming or running are just as likely to limit your overall performance as weakness on the bike. Therefore, you should do a roughly equal number of swims, rides and runs each week. At a minimum, you should do two workouts per week in each discipline. Three workouts per discipline each week is a suitable schedule for most competitive triathletes. There’s nothing to be gained by doing more than four workouts per discipline each week. It’s a good idea to do one combined bike-run (or brick) workout each week. The bike and run segments of this workout can each count toward your total number of workouts in each discipline, or one segment can count as an extra session in that particular discipline.

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

2008 BEGINNER’S GUIDE

JUMPING IN

INTENSITY

DEFINITION

SAMPLE WORKOUT

% OF TOTAL TRAINING TIME (BIKE AND RUN)

% OF TOTAL TRAINING TIME (SWIM)

RECOVERY

SAMPLE WEEKLY WORKOUT TEMPLATE #1

this objective. Rather, the best way to maximize your race performance is to regularly train at a variety of intensity levels.

Most of your training should be done at intensity levels below race intensity, because doing so allows you to spend more total

A very comfortable effort that initially feels like a 4 on a 1-10 scale of perceived effort, where 10 represents your maximum intensity

Relatively short, slow recovery-oriented workouts undertaken between hard workouts (example: 30minute bike @ effort level 4).

Warm-ups and cooldowns.

Active-recovery periods between fast intervals within an interval workout

10-15%

5-15%

AEROBIC

Following are four basic weekly workout templates. One features two workouts per discipline per week; the second features three workouts per discipline per week; the third features four workouts per discipline per week; and the last features three workouts per discipline per week plus either a fourth ride or a fourth run (alternate the additional ride and run on a weekly basis, as outlined in template #4 below).

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A comfortable to moderate effort that initially feels like a 5 or 6 on a 1-10 scale of perceived effort

Steady, moderateintensity base workouts (example: 45minute run @ effort level 5-6).

Long workouts (example: bike 2 hours @ effort level 5-6)

60-70%

40-55%

ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD

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A manageably hard effort that initially feels like a 7 on a 1-10 scale of perceived effort

Threshold or tempo workouts (example: Run 30 minutes @ effort level 7 between warm-up and cooldown).

Long intervals (example: Swim 5 x 400m @ effort level 7 with 45-second recoveries)

8-12%

10-15%

VO2 MAX

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A hard to very hard effort you could sustain for no longer than 10 minutes

Hill repetitions (example: Bike 8 x 2 minutes uphill @ effort level 8 with 3-minute active recoveries)

3-5%

10-15%

SPEED

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A very hard effort you could sustain for no more than 4 minutes

Short intervals (example: Swim 10 x 100 @ effort level 9 with 20-second recoveries)

3-5%

5-10%

A maximal effort, sustainable for no more than 20 seconds

Very short sprints/steep hill sprints (example: Run 4 x 10 seconds up steep hill @ 100% effort after completing base run)

1-2%

5-10%

2 SWIMS, 2 RIDES, 2 RUNS MON

TUES

WEDS

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

OFF

SWIM

BIKE

RUN

SWIM

BIKE

RUN

SAMPLE WEEKLY WORKOUT TEMPLATE #2 3 SWIMS, 3 RIDES, 3 RUNS MON

TUES

WEDS

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

OFF

SWIM

BIKE

SWIM

RUN

BIKE

BIKE

RUN

SWIM

RUN

SAMPLE WEEKLY WORKOUT TEMPLATE #3 4 SWIMS, 4 RIDES, 4 RUNS MON

TUES

WEDS

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

SWIM

BIKE

SWIM

BIKE

SWIM

RUN

BIKE

RUN

RUN

BIKE

SWIM

RUN

SAMPLE WEEKLY WORKOUT TEMPLATE #4 MON

TUES

WEDS

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

OFF

SWIM

BRICK*

SWIM

RUN

BIKE

BIKE

RUN

SWIM

RUN WEEK 2: 3 SWIMS, 4 RIDES, 3 RUNS MON

TUES

WEDS

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

OFF

SWIM

BRICK*

SWIM

RUN

BIKE

BIKE

RUN

SWIM

BIKE * brick= bike and run

2. TRAIN AT VARIOUS INTENSITY LEVELS The body adapts differently to different speeds, or intensity levels, of swimming, cycling and running. Doing very short sprints at maximum speed enhances your ability to produce power and activate muscle mass to propel forward motion, whether it’s in the pool, on the bike or on foot. At the other extreme, doing very long workouts at a moderate speed enhances your body’s ability to use fuel efficiently and to continue moving efficiently despite mounting fatigue, again whether you’re swimming, cycling or running. And training at various in-between speeds carries other distinct benefits. (See chart at right for the varying intensity levels and workout examples.)

Your ultimate goal is to maximize your efficiency and fatigue resistance at your triathlon race pace in all three disciplines. But training at race pace all the time is not the best way to achieve

SPRINT

WEEK 1: 3 SWIMS, 3 RIDES, 4 RUNS

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time training than you could if you tried to train fast all the time, and spending a lot of time training is the most effective way to boost aerobic fitness. Still, you cannot truly maximize your race fitness unless you also regularly spend a small amount of time training at higher intensity levels.

The table on page 61 summarizes the fundamental trainingintensity levels and provides workout and training guidelines for each. Notice I recommend spending a greater amount of your total swim-training time at higher intensities compared to cycling and running. I could write a separate article on the reasons why, but suffice it to say this pattern represents the norm in triathlon training because swimming tends to create less orthopedic stress on the body, meaning you can recover more quickly from hard pool sessions.

3. TRAIN PROGRESSIVELY When you begin formal triathlon training, the challenge level of your workouts must be appropriately scaled to match your current fitness level. The result of doing such workouts will be an almost immediate increase in your fitness level. To continue building fitness, you must scale up the duration and/or speed of your workouts so they remain challenging throughout the entire training process, as you continue gaining additional fitness. This practice is known as training progressively.

For example, at the beginning of the training process, a one-hour bike ride at a moderate pace might provide an appropriate challenge to stimulate an increase in your cycling endurance. After completing one such ride, you may take advantage of the resulting endurance increase by completing a 70-minute ride the following week, and so forth. Similarly, at the beginning of the training process a swim main set consisting of 4 x 100 intervals at speed intensity with 30-second rest periods might provide the right level of challenge. But after doing this main set a couple of times, you will probably need to add one or two intervals to this main set to get the same level of challenge, and you should.

You cannot increase the duration and/or intensity of your workouts indefinitely, of course. Thus, when you begin training, take some time to sketch out the toughest workouts you would like to do before competing in the race you’re targeting. These workouts should all fall within the final four weeks of your preparation. The workouts you do between now and then should move steadily toward that peak level in small steps. For example, suppose you decide you would like to complete a peak long run of one hour before doing your first Olympic-distance triathlon, and you are currently able to run 30 minutes at a moderate pace.

In this case, you might increase the duration of your weekly long run from 30 to 60 minutes in six, five-minute steps.

4. GO FROM GENERAL TO SPECIFIC There are two ways in which your training should evolve from the beginning of the process to the end. The first, just discussed, is progression. The second is movement from generality to specificity. A workout is considered race-specific if it emulates both the speed and endurance challenges of racing. In other words, a race-specific workout entails swimming, cycling or running at a speed that’s close to race speed—either in a single effort or in multiple intervals—until you’re fatigued. General training encompasses every other type of workout. Workouts in the general training category establish a foundation for specific training by emphasizing either speed or endurance.

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establish a twin fitness foundation of speed and endurance. Your toughest workouts should be long, moderate-intensity swims, rides and runs plus interval workouts featuring relatively short efforts at speeds exceeding race pace. As weeks go by, make your training increasingly race-specific by doing your long workouts at faster speeds, by doing increasing amounts of training in the range of race speed and by doing longer intervals that are still fast but not quite as fast as the very short intervals you emphasized in the beginning.

5. OBEY THE HARD-EASY RULE Your hardest workouts provide the strongest stimulus for improved fitness, but you can’t train hard all the time. This is true in part because the physiological adaptations triggered by your hardest workouts don’t occur during those workouts but between them. If you do a second hard workout too soon after completing an initial hard workout, your body will not have the chance to fully respond to the stimulus of that first session. You will improve most consistently if you alternate hard workouts with moderate and easy workouts. Use this guideline regardless of your training frequency. If you train six times per week, do one hard swim, ride and run each week and one moderate or easy swim, ride and run. If you train 12 times per week, do two hard swims, rides and runs each week and two moderate or easy swims, rides and runs.

It’s also advisable to modulate your training workload from week to week. Some weeks should be hard so your body is carrying a fairly high level of accumulated fatigue by the end of it.

Some weeks should administer a moderate workload and others a fairly light one. The right mix varies from athlete to athlete. A good place to start is with the following four-week cycle: Week 1: Hard Week 2: Moderate Week 3: Very Hard Week 4: Easy

6. EMPHASIZE SWIM-TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT My sixth and last basic triathlon-training guideline is specific to swimming. Technique is more important to success in swimming than fitness. In this regard, swimming is very different from cycling and running. If you don’t come to triathlon from a swimming background, you will advance quickest in this discipline if you make technique development the highest priority of your swim training.

To that end, roughly 20 percent of your total swimming yardage should consist of technique drills. Also, executing at least one component of proper freestyle technique (which you can learn from magazines, books, videos, other swimmers or a coach) should be the top thought in your mind throughout the rest of each workout.

IT NEVER STOPS The learning process never ceases in triathlon—or at least it shouldn’t. Even the most seasoned veterans continue to make discoveries they use to improve their training practices. But learning is never more important than in the beginning. By applying the guidelines you’ve learned in this article, you will be able to hit the ground running, so to speak, as a triathlete.

Matt Fitzgerald is the author of Brain Training for Runners (NAL, 2007) and editor of poweringmuscles.com.

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ONE-TWO PUNCH FOR

WEIGHT LOSS

Trismarter.com seeks to marry dietary weight loss and beginner triathlon training to help overweight people shed pounds once and for all

By T.J. Murphy

As a teenager, Walter DeNino was drawn into competitive running, eventually turning to triathlon after injuries. “My dream was to make the Olympics,” he says, recalling the time he spent living and training in Colorado Springs, Colo., in his early 20s, at the home of the Olympic Training Center.

DeNino says that when he realized being an Olympian wasn’t to be, he refocused his energies on the bigger picture, eventually going to medical school at the University of Vermont and, after joining forces with dietician Marcus Garand, launching trismarter.com, a unique coaching/nutrition business aimed primarily at two groups: triathletes wishing to improve through a scientific training/nutrition approach and sedentary nontriathletes (including the clinically obese) wanting to supplant an unhealthy lifestyle with a healthy one.

DeNino has combined his medical background with his triathlon background to take up the cause of the obesity crisis in the United States. One of the programs trismarter.com offers is aimed at using the focus of completing a sprint triathlon as the motivating structure to help an obese client lose weight, become fit and get turned on to the fun of being an athlete.

“People associate losing weight primarily with diet and drugs,” DeNino says. “Typically an obese individual is too selfconscious about their weight to go to the gym. And they’re limited in what they can do in terms of exercise. An obese person 64

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simply may be too heavy to execute a training program out of Runner’s World. It will end in injury because of the stress on joints or other potential complications.”

DeNino also discusses how the average office visit to a physician is inadequate in regard to the needs an obese person has in their fight to get healthy. A quick talk simply won’t do it, and considering the magnitude of the problem, relatively few doctors have valuable, practical advice. The insufficiency, DeNino says, is in part due to a missing link in the medical education system. “There are no residential programs to train doctors on how to handle weight loss. There’s internal medicine, but it’s a very broad category.”

This is an alarming observation considering the obesity epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chart the rise of obesity cases from 1985 to 2006 with a PowerPoint presentation. A color-coded map of the U.S. shows, year-to-year, the prevalence of obesity by percentage of state populations. In 1985, each state with statistics reported an obesity percentage of less than 10 percent. As the slides progress through the 21-year period, new colors flush across the map, indicating increases in obesity percentages to 10-14 percent, then 15-19 percent until we get to 2006, with two states ranging between 15-19 percent, the bulk of the country between 20-30 percent and two states with the obesity percentage equal to or above 30 percent.

DeNino says dieting is an important part of helping an obese individual work his or her way down to a healthier weight, but research illuminates the limitations of such an approach. A study published recently in the Annals of Internal Medicine revealed that typical diets helped people lose an average of 6 percent of their weight, translating to around 10 to 15 pounds.

Unfortunately, most people will regain the weight in about five years or less. Another recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association comparing four diets—Atkins, Ornish, Zone and a low-fat, high-carb diet called LEARN—showed those following Atkins lost the most after a year—a rather paltry 4.6 kg. But as was pointed out by George L. Blackburn, MD, Ph.D., of the Harvard Medical School and Steven B. Heymsfield, MD, Global Director for Scientific Affairs for Obesity at Merck & Co., the participants in all of the groups were either gaining the weight back or stabilizing at a relatively low overall loss.

DeNino and his group of dieticians and coaches have designed their weight-loss program to solve this problem. The basic structure is this: A client will enlist in a two-phase program, the first phase being intensive weight loss with focus on diet. An initial consultation is performed, along with a thorough analysis of the client’s diet, working one-on-one with a nutritionist. The initial training toward a triathlon is also started, but at a level easy enough to limit the potential for injury. When phase one is complete, the client segues into phase two, a weightmanagement program. Training for a sprint triathlon offers the client a goal-oriented situation, and within this approach, the competitive instincts of an individual and the joy of being in a sport are intended to produce a long-term solution.

Additionally, DeNino and his staff work with advanced triathletes, providing coaching and nutrition services for performance-enhancing weight management, fixing race-nutrition errors and modifying pre-race diets. Whether working with a newbie triathlete trying to escape from being overweight or helping an experienced triathlete elevate their performance, the key value trismarter.com offers is rigorous examination of an individual’s needs, genetics and habits. For more information, visit trismarter.com.

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

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7 HARD WAY THE

Experience may be the best teacher, but sometimes it’s best to leave the tough lessons to others

By Cameron Elford The “bleeding edge” is a co-opted term frequently used in business to describe those individuals or companies that charge into a new or unproven market or technology hoping to gain a competitive advantage by outpacing rivals’ ability to innovate, learn and adapt. Implicit in the term, however, is the notion that going first can be a painful experience without the benefit of guidance from those who have been there before. But regardless of the term’s origins, bleeding-edge pain can be felt as acutely (and perhaps more acutely, in some instances) in triathlon as in business—particularly when we make rookie mistakes. Of course, many of the sport’s lessons—especially those regarding the strategic application of Vaseline—must be personally learned to be fully appreciated. Still, we’ve spoken to a few top athletes and coaches below in an effort to save your skin (literally) and help you benefit from their mistakes. Perhaps the golden rule in triathlon is not to try anything new on race day; that is, be sure you have tested your nutrition, gear and pacing strategy in training. Below, however, we wanted to provide you with more specific, and at times more esoteric, advice than you might otherwise stumble across on your own.

EASY DOES IT: If I had a nickel for every time I have witnessed this scenario at races. I do understand the allure of heading out for a little extra training in the days preceding a key race, but ultimately athletes must have the maturity and restraint to stick to their taper plans and resist the urge to sneak in a final few unscheduled training sessions. That said, think about your goals for the event: Do you want to have a great personal performance in a race or a take a training/racing vacation? For any lower-priority events, even if they do involve travel, you may want to train through them or perform an abridged taper, depending upon your goals and fitness.

—Cliff English (USAT head coach)

PRACTICE WITH YOUR GEAR: Wear your race outfit several times in training before race day. What feels fine in the changing room can feel totally different when riding or running at intensity. And if you are a frequent porta-potty user consider a twopiece race outfit. No matter how super-cool that one-piece tri suit looks, it can be slower during bathroom breaks.

—Lance Watson (official Ironman coach)

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

KNOW THE COURSE: I would have to say a couple of the standout rookie errors I have seen over the years have to be watching athletes run up and down transition in a vain search for their spot and seeing athletes struggle to turn a over a massive gear as they begin a climb right out of transition. Both of these scenarios can be mitigated by a bit of pre-race homework to learn the layout of the race course and transition. Take the time to walk the transition area from the swim exit to your transition spot and then from your spot to the bike and run exits. While doing so, take note of key landmarks that will help guide you. It is equally important to drive the bike and run courses and check out some of the geographic features so you’ll know what gear to use out of T1.

—Cliff English (USAT head coach) T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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INVEST IN YOURSELF: Take care of little injuries before they become big ones: A day or two off from training won’t negatively affect your season but just might be enough to nip an injury in the bud. Training through and ignoring an injury can ruin a season and force weeks or months away from training. Additionally, just as you need to take care of yourself when you’re injured you likewise need to start out on the right foot. To that end, get a good swim coach.

The investment in proper technique and a structured swim program including drills and form work will pay tremendous dividends. Swimming is a sport in which you can’t just blindly pump out mileage and see results. Want proof? Go to your local masters swim meet and check out the out-of-shape ex-swimmer with the beer gut effortlessly kicking your skinny ass.

—Sam McGlone (2006 Ironman 70.3 world champion, 2007 Ironman and Ironman 70.3 world championships runner-up)

CHOOSE YOUR GEAR CAREFULLY: Bring both light and dark goggles to races. If it’s cloudy and you are wearing the dark goggles it makes it that much harder to see the buoys, and novice swimmers usually need all the vision they can get. Conversely, dark goggles on sunny days cut out the glare and brightness, again increasing clarity of vision. In addition, when it’s raining, bring a small towel to transition and dry your bike off before trying to tape anything (e.g. gels, bars etc.) to it. Electrician’s tape works well on bike frames but cannot be applied to a wet surface. If you tape onto a wet frame, your gels and number might fall off or flap all over the place, creating an annoying distraction and causing more stress than you need.

PLANNING MAKES PERFECT:

CHOOSE YOUR ADVICE WISELY:

The guy you just met on a group ride may not be the best resource for training information. Just because someone has been in the sport for years doesn’t necessarily make them an expert on good training protocols. Instead, seek guidance from a qualified, trusted source, such as a reputable coach. In a similar vein, you can’t sample your way to success. Bouncing between training programs is a recipe for never realizing your potential. You will always be just starting to enjoy the benefits of whatever philosophy you are following—but then you switch to another program before the first really gets a chance to percolate down to the core of your fitness and produce the results they promise.

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One issue I see fairly often at races involves a large gap in pre-race preparation: the early-morning bathroom stop. Seems pretty straightforward, but think again. It’s best to think ahead and be prepared. Athletes will head down to the transition area on race morning usually around 60-90 minutes before start time, claim a spot in transition and then set up their gear. Next it is time to get a little warm-up in.“But wait a second. I also have to go to the washroom.” Herein lies the problem.

About a 1000 people have the same idea. Most races have a good ratio of port-o-johns to athletes, but regardless this is something to plan for. A few solutions: • scope out plan B toilets at nearby coffee shops • depending on the race-start time and location, it may be possible to get in your warm up at your hotel and then take care of business before heading over to the transition area • ask someone to stand in line for you while you are setting up your spot in transition (sorry husbands and wives)

—Cliff English (USAT head coach)

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

—Lucy Smith (two-time duathlon worlds silver medallist)

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FEAR

FACTOR Six tips for conquering your open-water swim fears

By Jay Prasuhn

TRI08

at checkout

For a first-time triathlete, the excitement of your first race is palpable. Friends and family are there, maybe there’s an office pool on your finish time. But if there’s one area of apprehension, one element that makes the heart pound out of your rubber-clad chest, it’s the swim. “What’s underwater? What if my goggles fall off? Am I ready? Will I be the last one out?” In the following pages, we have solicited the help of two top coaches: Connecticut-based triathlon coach Al Lyman (pursuit-fitness.com) and Multisports.com coach Roch Frey (multisports.com) to demystify the swim.

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THE FEAR: GENERAL ANXIETY OVER THE SWIM It’s race day. You’ve racked your bike and you walk to the water—a chilly lake beset by throngs of nervous athletes awaiting their wave. The horn hasn’t even blown and you’re already contemplating the warm comfort of your car. Lyman notes that pre(and during) swim anxiety is the same for nearly everyone. “It’s normal to feel anxious and nervous. Everyone in this sport was a beginner and felt that way at one time, regardless of how experienced they might be now, so you’re not alone,” Lyman says.

After each training session or practice, know that you’ve made strides. “Find at least one thing you did well and pat yourself on the back for that one thing,” Lyman says. “Finish every session with a positive affirmation and acknowledgement of your successes and you’ll keep coming back. And speak the affirmation as if it is already happening, not waiting to happen in the future.

That is: ‘I swim like lightning,’ not ‘I will swim like lightning.’”

THE FEAR: I WON’T BE READY FOR MY RACE

THE SOLUTION: REMOVE THE FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN

When we’re trying to learn something new or improve our skills, we can get impatient and frustrated with our seemingly slow progress. But you can’t rush your progress.

“So many beginners think, ‘I don’t need to practice; I’ll be okay on race day,’ but it doesn’t work that way.” Frey says.“You gotta get out there, force yourself to get out in open water and practice.” Frey recommends swimming in the open water as often as three times a week within a month of a race—and bring friends who can join you in the water.“Surround yourself with people who are good swimmers,” Frey says. “If you can find someone with a paddleboard or a surf ski, even better, so you can hang onto the board if you need to. But having someone else in the water with you, that’s super-valuable in getting over any fears. And even if you swim for just five minutes, each time helps build a more confident athlete.”

Lyman notes that adaptation takes time, and you have to give your body the time it requires to learn. “Musculature has to change, body shapes and compositions change, flexibility has to change, neuromuscular coordination has to improve, and all this takes time regardless of whether we are doing something correctly or not,” he says. “But over time, if you keep focusing on the fundamentals and if you are patient, you do achieve.”

Frey concurs. “You should be able to do the distance of your swim in training,” he says. “So if you’re doing a sprint, you should be able to swim steady for 15 to 30 minutes.”

THE SOLUTION: ONE SWIM STROKE AT A TIME

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And so what if you’re still just cruising along at the back of the swim? Not only do you have a swim clear of all those people ahead, think of all the people you’ll likely pass on the bike and run. “I always tell people there’re plenty of people behind them, but more important, the swim is such a small part of the day,” Frey says. “What’s the big deal if you’re last out of the water? It’s a lot more fun riding past people once you’re out of the water than it is being a faster swimmer and getting passed— trust me, I know!”

THE FEAR: CLAUSTROPHOBIA Wrapped neck to ankle in a tight wetsuit, your first swim in a wetsuit can feel scary and claustrophobic. “A wetsuit can feel really restrictive at first, especially around the shoulders and arms,” Lyman says.

THE SOLUTION: SUIT UP AT THE POOL Before you even don your suit at the lake or beach, do it at the pool. “You have to be 100-percent comfortable in your wetsuit in a pool first to lose that feeling of claustrophobia,” Lyman says. It’s at the pool, absent all the distractions of the open water, where you can just feel what a wetsuit can do for you by providing buoyancy and warmth—and that it’s really not restrictive.

A drill Lyman suggests is to float. Just float. “Before you do start actually swimming, it’s important to learn what water can do for you. “We are often so anxious to move and put pressure on the water that we never truly relax and just let the water support us,” Lyman says. “Learn to relax with your head down into the water and feel the water supporting you,” Lyman says.

“Practice floating and find that perfect balance point. It is an amazing feeling when we get it for the first time.” Begin working on your skills in the shallow end of the pool first so you can put your feet down when you feel the need to. As you progress, move to the deeper end of the pool with confidence.

When putting your wetsuit on at the pool—or elsewhere— be sure you put it on correctly or it will restrict your arm movement. “Pull up from the thighs and hips to give you plenty of freedom around the hips,” says Lyman, “then pull up the torso, and especially pull up on the arms and from the tops of the shoulders to relieve any tightness around the arms and shoulders.” Don’t like the feel of it? Lyman suggests trying a different suit, noting that often retailers have suits for rent, so feel free to test suits to find the one that feels best.

THE FEAR: DIFFICULTY BREATHING When you get out of breath, the natural instinct is to stop, pull your head out of the water and breathe. But swimming requires that you’re comfortable with your face in the water—a major source of anxiety for many new swimmers. “It’s the buildup of carbon dioxide in our lungs that drives our perceived need for oxygen,” Lyman says. “When we’re anxious and nervous, we naturally tend to want to breathe more often and get more air.

As we get more oxygen in, carbon dioxide can build up, which in turn makes us think that we need more air—so we breathe in more, and so on to the point we are soon hyperventilating.” This is the downward negative spiral. You may gulp in the occasional bit of water and may cough a bit, but it’s quick to pass. “It’s very important to learn that focusing on the exhale and breathing out is the key to learning to relax,” Lyman says.

THE SOLUTION: EXHALE UNDERWATER Exhale through your nose and mouth with your face in the water, taking in air only when you roll to the side during your 72

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stroke. Your face doesn’t even need to be totally out of the water, since your nose creates a meniscus—a sort of bowl just a bit below water level—where your mouth can find a breath of air. You can even practice this at home with a big bowl of water—blow bubbles to exhale with your face underwater, turn your head to the side to sneak a breath, then return to face down to exhale.

Once you’re comfortable in your kitchen, Frey suggests moving to the pool. He also advises practicing bilateral breathing— that is, alternate breathing to each side. “In the race, you’ll want to be able to breathe to another side if you have the sun in your eyes, a buoy, a swimmer next to you,” says Frey. “Focus only on the exhale when your face is in the water, and the inhale takes care of itself,” he says. “As you exhale more deeply and forcefully, you will naturally become more relaxed, less anxious and realize you are not out of breath after all.”

THE FEAR: EXTERNAL FORCES From waves to sea creatures to fellow athletes, external forces are a part of any open-water swim. “Expecting these kinds of things and deciding in advance how you will deal with them is key,” Lyman says.

THE SOLUTION: PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Practice at the pool with friends tapping at your feet and bumping you. Also practice backstroking at the pool; it’s the perfect break when rolling waves might tire you out, giving you a chance to catch your breath and gather your composure.

Once race day comes, remember the swim is only a small percentage of any triathlon and serves as a warm-up for the bike and run, so take the time you need to avoid stress. “Be sure to take the time to do a short warm-up swim just to get those first jitters out of your system,” Lyman advises. “It will make the actual race start easier because you will already be familiar with the environment.”

Just before the start, Lyman suggests that you seed yourself honestly and be willing to start off to the side or behind the main pack to avoid the contact and chaos of a frenzied swim start. How? Think about the swim course. Is the first buoy a right-hand turn? If so, the best place to be is at the back, off to the left of the group. As swimmers reach the right-turn buoy, they’ll coalesce to the right and create a traffic jam of arms and legs.

“Stay outside, wide at the buoys,” Frey concurs. “It’s better to swim a bit longer and go outside than to go inside and contend with a bunch of people.” If you’re unsure, ask the race director or experienced athletes the best place for a beginner to be; they’ll be able to point out the best place to avoid contact.

And when that horn blows? While we all get excited and want a great start to the day, novices may need to let those arms and legs go on ahead to allow for a stress-free, clear path through the swim. So as the horn blows, give yourself a second, walk in calmly and find some clear water ahead.

“It’s okay to let the main pack jump out first, and then follow behind,” Lyman says. “The time you will lose is only a small fraction of the race and simply doesn’t matter. Let them go.”

If someone knocks your goggles loose, simply clear them of water and continue on. Someone tapping your leg? Swim away to the left or right. Caught in the middle? “You may be getting banged from the left and right, but you just gotta suck it up,” says Frey. Look up for a second, find an open spot and slowly veer to it and out of the melee. By the same token, be mindful of fellow competitors and avoid banging into them.

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

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THE FEAR: BIG WAVES Open water can muster up a scary challenge: waves. These ominous walls of crashing water can thump you, or you can just let them thunder right over you.

THE SOLUTION: USE YOUR DISCRETION For those who show-up on race day and still haven’t done an open-water swim, doing it on a day with overhead surf may not the right time to begin. The race may have cost you $80, but discretion is the better part of valor. Save it for another day and try to get the entry rolled over to another event, perhaps a duathlon attached to the race. “If you’re already timid about the race and there’s big surf, don’t put yourself in that position. There’s no shame in backing out and saving it for another day,” Frey says. “At some of the sprint races we put on, we give athletes the opportunity to skip the swim and join the race as the swimmers come out.

They may not get an official time, but they get to take part without putting themselves in danger.”

But if you’re ready to play in the waves, Frey explains big waves are easy to contend with—just duck-dive the wave, and go deep, where the turbulent action of the wave is virtually nil. He suggests diving hands first immediately before the wave

approaches, reaching for the sandy bottom. Then wait as the turbulence passes overhead. “A lot of beginners pop up too soon,” Frey says. “Go down, grab the sand for a second or two, then push off forward and up, not just up.” By then, the wave has roared over you and passed, leaving you ready to continue your swim out. As subsequent waves come, just swim right underneath them, letting the turbulence pass you overhead.

Yes, it can be a challenge, but the swim doesn’t need to be the scariest part of a triathlon (and of course, what would triathlon be without its challenges?). As you walk down to the water’s edge, remember that you can set your own pace in the swim, complete it with a smile and head to the bike with the perfect warm-up for the rest of your race.

NEWBIE SWIM WORKOUT Flip turns? 1:30 base minus five? Taking off at the bottom?

Forget it. Organized swim workouts are a great way to build fitness, but for the first timer, they can be downright confusing. Al Lyman has constructed an easy-to-follow first-timer’s swim program that will not only get you comfortable with the water but will also build your swim fitness.

7 STEPS TO GET YOU STARTED Activity

Distance

Description

Rest

Do this 4 times over half the length of the pool

Kick very slowly on your front with your arms by your sides, and just float.

Let the air out slowly through your nose, and when you need a breath, relax and let your legs drop gradually before lifting your head. This will help you stay loose. Your hips should float at the surface of the water if you are balanced correctly. Get your head down and your hips up. After half the length of the pool, go back and repeat from the wall.

20 seconds after each trip up and back

Prone balance: Arms at sides

Do this for 2 lengths of the pool

Like in the first set, kick very slowly on your front with your arms by your sides and just float. The difference here is when you need a breath lift your head momentarily to get the breath and then put it back down and reestablish balance and relaxation. Go the length of the pool. Let the air out slowly through the nose only. Work on keeping your kick consistent and avoid sculling when taking the breath.

30 seconds after each length

Prone balance: Arms in front

Do this 4 times over half the length of the pool

Same distance as the first set above but with your arms in front in a streamlined position. Remember to breathe out slowly through your nose.

20 seconds after each trip up and back

Prone balance: Arms in front

Do this for 2 lengths of the pool

Same as above, but this time go the entire length of the pool.

30 seconds after each length

Add in the arms

Do this 4 times over half the length of the pool

Add 4 to 6 relaxed arm strokes to the above. Note: do not attempt to breathe yet while stroking. It will disturb the sensation of relaxation you need to feel. Can you feel your hips drop at any time? If so, relax your head down. This helps by counter-balancing the weight of your arms. After those 4-6 strokes, return to the wall and repeat, all in the shallow end.

20 seconds after each trip up and back

Increase your distance

Do this for 4 lengths of the pool

Same as above, but this time take as many strokes as you need to go the entire length of the pool.

30 seconds after each length

Swim

Do this for 4 laps of the pool

You are now ready to swim a full lap (i.e. 2 lengths). Continue to focus on breathing out through your nose as you keep your head down and your hips up. When you reach the wall, turn around and come back to your starting point.

45 seconds to 1 minute after each lap

Prone balance: Arms at sides

At this point, take 1 to 2 minutes rest, and then if you have time, go back to the beginning and repeat the entire progression, but don’t deliberate on any drill or swim for too long. Your goal is always complete relaxation with no tension. Be patient and persistent and have fun.

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TRIATHLETE’S

FIRST TRIATHLON The thrifty first-timer’s triathlon shopping list

By Rebecca Roozen

Training for three sports can be overwhelming at times. And buying all the gear for three sports can be a whole other beast. But it doesn’t have to be. If hightech gear is your thing, then you’ve settled into the right sport. If you’d rather do without the gadgets—or at least the cost of them—you can certainly get by and have fun—and actually do well—with just a handful of key pieces of equipment. So if you’d rather keep your money in the bank, concentrate on the essentials below . . . at least for now.

WETSUIT. Depending on where you live and what time of year you intend to race, you’ll likely need a wetsuit. You have a few options: a full-sleeve suit, a sleeveless suit or a two-piece suit, which comes with a bib-john and either a vest or a full-sleeve top. Again, if you know you’ll be racing in April in the Pacific 76

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Ocean, go with the full-sleeve suit (plus, once you get used to full sleeves these suits will typically be faster for most athletes than sleeveless suits). Regardless of what you decide, it’s important to buy—or borrow—a triathlon-specific suit rather than one for surfing or diving. Triathlon wetsuits are manufactured with more flexible neoprene that accommodates the movements of swimming. If your races all feature pool swims, then you can forgo the wetsuit in favor of a swimsuit or trisuit (see below).

WETSUIT LUBE.

This may seem like a small detail, but you’ll understand its importance when you forget it and come out of the swim with a raw neck. Wetsuit lubes are made to protect your skin from the way the wetsuit rubs as you move your arms and turn your head from side to side. Apply in all areas where chafing is a concern, such as the neckline and under the arms.

Robert Murphy/bluecreekphotograpy.com

2008 BEGINNER’S GUIDE

12 ESSENTIALS FOR YOUR

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GOGGLES. Finding the right goggles is a bit of a trial-anderror process. The key is to find goggles that are comfortable and don’t leak. Test a few different pairs during your training swims to see which ones fit your face the best. Clear and comfortable vision during racing is crucial. (The event will provide a swim cap.)

HELMET. This is a non-negotiable item. The helmet should

TRISUIT. You

to remove your tire; a patch kit and a good pump. This is everything you’ll need for basic repairs while training and on race day.

You can find ready-made tool kits at bike shops. Attach it under your bike seat so you’re never without it.

may have been training in old gym shorts and T-shirts, but you’ll need something more tri-friendly on race day. Again, you have a few options for underneath the wetsuit: a one-piece trisuit or tri shorts and a tri top. The trisuit will take you from start to finish. In a non-wetsuit-legal swim, its slick design allows for minimal drag in the water. Trisuits have a padded chamois for the bike. However, some say there isn’t enough padding for the ride, and larger-busted women often report there isn’t enough support on top for the run. If trisuits aren’t working for you, you’ll need tri shorts and a tri top.

TRIATHLON SHORTS AND TOP.

Most tri shorts are made of a nylon and spandex. The material makes for a smooth layering under the wetsuit and dries quickly once on the bike and run. Like tri shorts, tri tops are designed with quick-drying materials. Make sure your tri top has adequate pockets on the sides and/or back so you can stash your energy gels/bars for the ride and run in longer-distance events.

BIKE. The bike is where you can either spend a lot of money or save a lot, depending on what you’re going for. Newbies, know this much: It makes perfect sense to either borrow a bike or use the one you already have for at least your first race. No tri bike needed. A 10-year-old mountain bike will do. A neighbor’s road bike works, too. Many of the fastest professionals started out the same way— just be sure the bike you ride is mechanically safe by dropping it by your local bike shop for a tune-up. What matters is that you put in your training miles. If you don’t have aerobars for your road bike, skip them. That said, if you’re itching for a new toy, first settle on a budget (because there’s a wide range) and then check out our annual bike-buyer’s guide in the April issue for more direction.

sit level on your head and should line up with the middle of your forehead. You should not be able to wiggle the helmet forward or backward on your head. If you can, it’s too loose.

TOOL KIT. A basic tool kit includes a spare tube; tire levers

SUNGLASSES. You’ll want to wear shades on the bike and the run. Sunglasses shield your eyes from the wind, dirt and insects coming at you. Look for sunglasses that have UVA and UVB protection, and make sure they’re shatterproof. Even if it’s not a sunny day, the rays can still irritate and eventually damage your eyes, so it’s best to wear them throughout the run, too, unless you’re sporting a running cap.

RUNNING SHOES. Many running injuries stem from having the wrong type of shoe for your biomechanics. The bottom line: go to a running specialty store and have them observe your running style and ask for their recommendations. You can wear your running shoes on the bike as well, if you opt to forgo cycling-specific shoes and pedals, which is a perfectly reasonable choice for your first tri.

SOCKS. Unless you consistently run without socks and don’t get blisters, don’t try it at your first race. The last thing you want is to have to limp across the finish line because of burning, bloody heels.

HYDRATION AND NUTRITION. If your first race is a sprint-distance triathlon, which is likely to be the case, there’s really no need to over-think nutrition. A balanced breakfast a few hours prior and a pre-race energy bar should do the trick. Then take two water bottles on the bike, one with sports drink and one with water. Aid stations on the run should be sufficient for hydrating on the last leg.

THE WHOLE KIT AND CABOODLE For some, shopping for gear is fun. For others, it’s a complete pain in the butt. If the latter applies to you, check out the Triathlon LAB starter kit. “We were trying to make it more affordable for people who were participating in our triathlon training camps to purchase everything they would need,” says Lloyd Taylor, CEO/founder of Triathlon LAB. For $950, the package includes all of the gear listed below.

Hassle-free.

12. Race belt 13. Body Glide For more information, go to triathlonlab.com.

Courtesy the manufacturers

TRIATHLON LAB STARTER KIT 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

Felt Z100 bicycle (complete bike) Profile century aerobar Water bottle Water-bottle cage Rocket Science Sports long-john wetsuit Triathlon shorts, either men’s or women’s tri shorts from De Soto, Zoot Sports, Sugoi, Pearl Izumi or Profile Design Triathlon top, same options as above Uvex Hawk helmet TYR Racetech goggles Latex TYR swim cap Rocket Science transition duffle bag T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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15% DISCOUNT TO TRI-CLUB MEMBERS* (Proof of membership required.)

AH, 70.3. IT’S THE MAGIC NUMBER. THE 140.6 MILES OF AN IRONMAN CAN BE DAUNTING AND REQUIRE TIME-MANAGEMENT SKILLS THAT STRETCH THE PERSONAL CALENDAR TO ITS LIMIT. Training for a half-Ironman is more manageable, yet it is still an experience worth adding to life’s logbook. It may be the perfect triathlon distance. A half-Ironman requires both speed and endurance. It requires brute force and patience. It’s the ideal mix, giving you the best of both worlds.

Part speedster, part endurance animal, the perfect half starts with the same protocol that all triathlons do: base training. As uneventful as base training can seem, it is what enables you to hold a higher intensity for hours on end. If you refer to the chart on page 82, you will see that base training is going to monopolize your attention for at least half of the time you are gearing up for your goal half-Ironman, which falls at the end of our 12-week cycle. Follow the chart to plan your 70.3 training, but be sure to pay special attention to the four below key workouts during your 12-week training progression.

YOUR 4 KEY WORKOUTS

25662 Crown Valley Parkway #H-2 Ladera Ranch, CA 92694 Phone: 949-429-7784 www.laderacyclery.com

1. BASE-PHASE TEMPO SESSION: During your base phase, tempo is a pace or power output that works the very top end of your aerobic heart-rate zone. This workout will eventually evolve into your speed workout as you get closer to race day. The tempo workout length is 25-50 percent of your endurance workout. The goal of these tempo sessions is to work on specific race-cadence rates while running and cycling and correct stroke mechanics while swimming, all achieved at the high end of a conversational effort. It’s not a casual outing but, rather, one where you are on top of the pace shortly after your warm-up and continue to hold it for the duration of the workout.

What makes this workout so crucial is that it is just below the pacing you will eventually hold in your race. Of all the race distances, the half-Ironman is where this workout comes into play the most. It is not a speed or anaerobic session; those come later.

But it is a challenging workout because it will work the top end of your aerobic fat78

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By Mark Allen

AVIA AVI-TRAIL

12 weeks to a 70.3 PR

ORANGE COUNTY’S LEADING TRIATHLETE HEADQUARTERS

YOUR PERFECT HALF

LADERA CYCLERY

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burning physiology. It’ll teach your body to sustain a steady output without any dips or rests where your heart rate drops, allowing for recovery.

2. ENDURANCE TRAINING: Of equal importance to your tempo sessions are your endurance workouts. Endurance days hold the key to building the aerobic fitness you will need to handle the anaerobic work of speed sessions later on. Gradually build your

THE PERFECT HALF-IRONMAN PACE The ideal pace for a half-Ironman is just below what you would hold for an Olympic-distance race. An Olympic-distance race feels like you are redlining the whole way, whereas a half has an element of holding back from that level a small amount. There should be a bit of ease to the intensity. It is going as fast as you can while keeping your muscles relaxed and controlling your breathing.

To find this perfect level in relation to heart rate, try the following: • After a 20-minute jogging warm-up, run 8 x 400 on the track with a half lap easy jogging between 400s.

• The effort should be such that the last two 400s are as fast as you can go without losing good form.

• Take your heart rate at the end of each 400, then calculate the average. Let’s say it comes out to 165 beats per minute. Your ideal half-Ironman pace is going to be roughly five to 10 beats below that average. It is not comfortable, but it is not so intense that you feel you are anywhere near a meltdown.

endurance days during the base phase to end up at a distance or time equal to the following: Swim: 150-200 percent of the race distance Bike: 100-175 percent of the race distance or time Run: 75-150 percent of the race distance or time Just how you progress from your current fitness level to the above volumes is going to depend on your general fitness and years of racing experience. In general, it is safe to build up for two weeks in any given sport and then cut back and recover in the third week.

3. WEIGHTS: A third key workout, and one that is overlooked by many triathletes, is strength work. Strength work will enable you to have the power to actually do the other key workouts and recover from them, especially if you have passed your mid-30s.

But every triathlete, regardless of age, benefits from weight training. It generates shoulder integrity and power in the swim, the ability to turn gears over at a good cadence on the bike and the capacity to recover well from run workouts. The most timeefficient routine is to do full-body work twice a week, working 12 key muscle groups (see below). Your entire weight-training routine should only take you only about 45 minutes to complete. Here is an outline of the exercies you want to include: Lateral pull-down Beginning position: Grasp bar with arms straight and slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Push chest forward, arch lower back.

Ending position: Pull bar down, in front of head, to shoulder level.

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Leg extension Beginning position: Sit on machine. Rest shin pad just above ankle. Line knee with pivot point of machine.

Ending position: Extend both legs fully to straight line.

Leg curl Beginning position: Lie face down on machine bench. Place leg pad just above ankles. Keep legs slightly bent.

Ending position: Contract fully. Keep stomach on pad at all times.

Bench press Beginning posiition: Lie face up on bench, hands slightly wider than shoulder width. Bar in line above mid-chest.

Ending position: Lower bar to one inch above mid-chest. Keep lower back on bench at all times.

Squats Beginning position: Stand with legs wider than shoulders. Arch lower back. Keep weight over heels at all times.

Ending position: Push butt back. Bend knees until upper leg parallel to floor. Knees should never extend in front of toes.

Side lateral raise Beginning position: Hold a weight in each hand, elbows even with the plane of your body and slightly extended away from your torso.

Endiing position: Extend arms out sideways, keeping elbows still in the plane of your body. Stop arms parallel to ground.

Calf raise Beginning position: Place one foot on a step and the other raised off the step just slightly. Hold the weight in the arm on the same side as the calf you are working.

Ending position: Lower the heel until you feel a moderate stretch, then raise up again.

Dumbbell pullover Beginning position: Clasp dumbbell between both hands with arms straight.

Ending position: Fully extended behind your head, with weight touching floor if you are that flexible.

Forward lunges Beginning position: Stand with legs together, rest the bar comfortably on upper back.

Ending position: Step back, extending leg out behind. Returning to the starting position, drag the toes of the extended foot on the floor on the way back up.

Bicep curls Beginning position: Start with weight lowered, elbows tight against the side of your body and arms slightly bent.

Ending position: Arms contracted up, still supporting weight with your biceps. Make sure to keep elbows locked tight against your side.

Triceps extension Beginning poosition: Place one leg on the bench, the other foot on the floor. Place the weight in the hand on same side as the leg that is on the bench. Keep elbow tight against your side.

Ending position: Arm extended back fully in straight position.

Leg press Beginning position: Start seated on the sled with your knees bent and feet roughly shoulder width.

Ending position: Legs extended fully.

4. SPEED WORK: No half-Ironman program is complete without speed work. These are the weekly workouts in each sport that begin at the end of your aerobic-base period. Your anaerobicinterval time for the entire workout should range between 10-25 minutes. You can mix this up with short intervals (400s on the track or one-minute intervals on the bike) one week, then do longer ones the next week. Examples of this include fartlek run80

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ning sets lasting up to 10 minutes or a 10-mile time trial on the bike. The idea is to put in training efforts that are well above any pace or power output you would need in your race. High-intensity workouts enable you to sustain a lower but still fairly intense effort for the duration of a half-Ironman.

A key to making your half-Ironman speed sessions count is to have part of your brain always trying to get you to go as fast as you can but still remaining focused on being relaxed and loose. Being tight translates into a long, hard day at a 70.3 race.

INTERVAL MISTAKES

There are a few common mistakes people make when approaching their interval sessions. The first is doing too long of a workout. Doing 15 minutes is great, but doing 30 is not going to give you double the benefit.

In fact, there is a fall-off point where if you try to do too much high-intensity work in one session, your overall heart-rate average drops way down and it becomes impossible to sustain a high enough heart rate to get the desired gains from the session. The big payback from speed work comes when you approach your max heart rate. If you are 15-20 beats below that, you are most likely tired and would benefit from taking an easy day.

The second mistake is going too hard for your current fitness level.

This is the easiest mistake to identify and correct. Going too hard for your fitness level is signaled the moment you start to lose your form. Once that happens, you aren’t able to absorb the benefit of whatever speed you are going. Most triathletes have likely experienced the signs: shoulders coming up around the ears, getting the high-speed shakes while running, hips and upper body swaying from side to side on the bike, or dropped elbows and tons of bubbles on your hands in the pull phase of your swim stroke. Regardless of where your heart rate is the moment this happens, slow things down a notch or two until you regain form. Then you are at an intensity level that will actually make you faster.

NUTRITION Eating right is the final piece of the half-Ironman puzzle.

Usually what works in training will work on race day. But practice it. Use it. Calibrate it, so you know how many calories per hour you will need during the race, and practice using the exact form of calories you will have with you in the event. A good starting point is to take in 300-350 calories per hour and then adjust up or down depending on what happens. Also practice taking in your calories at race heart rates. Everything works wonderfully when you are stopped at a convenience store during your long ride and your heart rate is 75 beats per minute. It can be another story at 160 bpm in the heat of competition.

On page 82 you’ll find a 12-week training schedule that plots the above workouts while preparing you to race 70.3 miles. Also included is an additional moderate workout in each sport to bring you up to three workouts per week in each sport plus two weight sessions for a total of 11 workouts per week. If you have more time to train you can certainly add in additional weekly workouts in each sport, but the following will more than get you going.

Best of luck. See you at the races.

Mark Allen is a six-time winner of the Hawaii Ironman. For information about Mark’s speaking availability, please call 800-9945306. To learn about his state-of-the-art triathlon-training programs or the sports drink he has developed in conjunction with infinIT Nutrition, check out markallenonline.com. For more information on Allen’s Fit Body, Fit Soul seminars, go to shamanism.com.

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TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

Week 1

Moderate run (35 mins)

Tempo swim (2000 yrds)

Tempo run (40 mins)

Moderate swim (2000 yrds)

Tempo bike (1 hr)

Weights

Moderate bike (1:30 hrs)

Weights

Long bike (2:30 hrs)

Long swim (2500 yrds)

Moderate run (45 mins)

Tempo swim (2000 yrds)

Tempo run (45 mins)

Moderate swim (2000 yrds)

Tempo bike (1:15 hrs)

Weights

Moderate bike (1:45 hrs)

Weights

Long bike (3 hrs)

Long swim (3000 yrds)

Moderate run (40 mins)

Tempo swim (2500 yrds)

Tempo run (40 mins)

Moderate swim (2500 yrds)

Tempo bike (1 hr)

Weights

Moderate bike (1:30 hrs)

Weights

Long bike (2:30 hrs)

Long swim (3000 yrds)

Moderate run (50 mins)

Tempo swim (2500 yrds)

Tempo run (50 mins)

Moderate swim (2500 yrds)

Tempo bike (1:30 hrs)

Weights

Moderate bike (1:30 hrs)

Weights

Brick workout (3-hr bike/30-min run)

Long swim (3500 yrds)

Moderate run (1 hr)

Tempo swim (2500 yrds)

Tempo run (55 mins)

Moderate swim (2500 yrds)

Tempo bike (1 hr)

Weights

Moderate bike (2 hrs)

Weights

Brick workout (3:30-hr bike/30-min run)

Long swim (3000 yrds)

Moderate run (50 mins)

Speed swim (2500 yrds)

Speed run

Moderate swim (2000 yrds)

Week 6

MONDAY Long swim (2500 yrds)

Week 2

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Week 3

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FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Long run (1:15 hrs)

Rest

Long run (1:30 hrs)

Rest

Long run (1:20 hrs)

Rest

Long run (1:40 hrs)

Rest

Long run (1:50 hrs)

Rest

Long run (1:40 hrs)

Rest

• 15-min warm-up • 4 x 15-sec pickups with 10 secs rest • 2 mins easy • 4 x 3 mins on 1 min rest • 2 x 6 mins on 2 mins rest • 6 x 1 min on 30 secs rest • Cool-down: 10 mins easy Speed bike

Weights

Moderate bike (1:45 hrs)

Weights

Long bike (3 hrs)

• 15-min warm-up • 4 x 15-sec pickups with 10 secs rest • 2 mins easy • 4 x 6 mins on 2.5 mins rest • 4 x 1 min on 15 secs rest • Cool-down: 15 mins easy spinning Long swim (3500 yrds)

Moderate run (1:10 hrs)

Speed swim (3000 yrds)

Speed run

Moderate swim (3000 yrds)

Long run (2 hrs)

Rest

Week 7

• 10-min warm-up • 4 x 100 pickups with 100-jog recovery • 400 easy • 4 x 400, 2 x 800, 4 x 400. Recovery = half the work-interval time • Cool-down: 10 mins easy Speed bike

Weights

Moderate bike (2 hrs)

Weights

Brick workout (3:30-hr bike/30-min run)

• 15-min warm-up • 4 x 15-sec pickups with 10 secs rest • 2 mins easy • 2 x 10-min time trials with 5 mins easy spinning between • 3 x 2 mins on 15 secs rest, accelerate throughout each 2 mins • Cool-down: 15 mins spinning easy

Week 8

Long swim (3500 yrds)

Moderate run (3500 yrds)

Speed swim (2500 yrds)

Speed run

Moderate swim (3000 yrds)

Long run (1:50 hrs)

Rest

• 10-min warm-up • 4 x 15-sec pickups with 10 secs rest • 2 mins easy • 1 x 12 mins on 5 mins rest, 1 x 9 mins on 3 mins rest, 6 x 1 min on 30 secs rest, 6 x 30 secs on 15 secs rest • Cooldown: 10 mins easy Speed bike

Weights

Moderate bike (2:15 hrs)

Weights

Brick workout (4-4:30-hr bike/30-min run)

• 15-min warm-up • 4 x 15-sec pickups with 10 secs rest • 2 mins easy • 2 x (3 x 1 min on 15 secs rest, 1 x 9 mins on 2 mins rest) • Cool-down: 15 mins easy Moderate run (45 mins)

Speed swim (3000 yrds)

Speed run

Moderate swim (2500 yrds)

Long run (1:40 hrs)

Rest

• 10-min warm-up • 4 x 100 pickups with 100-jog recovery • 400 easy • 8 x 400 with recovery at half the work-interval time • 2 mins easy jog • 4 x 100 on infield grass with 10 secs recovery • Cool-down: 10 mins easy Speed bike

Weights

Moderate bike (2:05 hrs)

Weights

Long bike (3:40 hrs)

• 15-min warm-up • 4 x 15-sec pickups with 10 secs rest • 2 mins easy • 1 x 20-min time trial, negative split • 8 x 30-sec accelerations with a high rpm on 15 secs rest • Cool-down: 15 mins easy

Week 10

Long swim (3000 yrds)

Moderate run (40 mins)

Speed swim (2500 yrds)

Speed run

Moderate swim (2500 yrds)

Long run (1:25 hrs)

Rest

• 10-min warm-up • 4 x 100 pickups with100-jog recovery • 400 easy • 3 x 1600 with recovery at half the work-interval time • 2 mins easy jog • 8 x 100 on infield grass with 10 secs recovery • Cool-down: 10 mins easy Speed bike

Moderate bike (1:50 hrs)

Brick workout (3:15-hr bike/30-min run)

• 15-min warm-up • 4 x 15-sec pickups with 10 secs rest • 2 mins easy • 2 x (2 x 2 mins on 15 secs rest; 1 x 8 mins on 2.5 mins rest) • Cool-down: 15 mins easy

Rest

Taper swim (2500 yrds)

Week 11

Swim (1000 easy)

Workout 3

Run Speed Workout

Bike Speed Workout

Week 9

Long swim (4000 yrds)

Rest

Speed bike

Moderate swim (2000 yrds)

Tempo run (1 hr)

Speed swim (2500 yrds) Tempo bike (1:30 hrs)

Long bike (2:30 hrs)

• 15-min warm-up • 4 x 15-sec pickups with 10 secs rest • 2 mins easy • 3 x 5 mins with 2 mins rest • Cool-down: 15 mins easy Speed run

Moderate run (35 mins)

Moderate run (35 mins) Week 12

Workout 1

Workout 2

• 10-min warm-up • 4 x 100 pickukps with 100 jog recovery • 400 easy • 1 x 4000 accelerate on the straights, jog easy on the curves • Cool-down: 10 mins easy Moderate swim (2000 yrds)

Rest

Moderate swim (1500 yrds) Moderate bike (1:30 hrs)

Moderate bike (1 hr)

Moderate run (30 mins) 82

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Rest

Swim (500 yrds easy with 5 x 10sec accelerations) Bike (15 mins easy with 5 x 10-sec accelerations)

HalfIronman race

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Triathletes of the Caribbean

Thanks to the Nevis Cycle and Triathlon Club, Nevis Island is one of the sport’s ultimate hiding places, where you can go back in time and enjoy triathlon the way it used to be

Photos by Rober t Murphy

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Nevis Island, all 36 square miles of it, is located in the Caribbean approximately 200 miles south of Puerto Rico. Last year, Triathlete photographer Robert Murphy went to the island for the Nevis Triathlon. In the following pages, you’ll see the race through his lens.

The Nevis Cycle and Triathlon Club will be hosting the 2008 Carino Health Spa Triathlon on March 18, with distances ranging from the Try-a-Tri (250-meter swim, 10-kilometer and 3-kilometer run) to a standard Olympic-distance event. In addition to enjoying a low-key race, you can fill your time before and after exploring the island’s archeological ruins, hanging out on the beach and snorkeling with sea turtles. For travel and race information, go to neviscycleclub.com.

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TRAINING PEAK’S Training Plans Training Peaks has developed a series of triathlon-training plans for all levels of multisport athletes.

There are 40 complete plans for every level of triathlete, from newbies to pros, and for every distance, from sprints to Ironman.

Each plan has been designed by Matt Fitzgerald, a Triathlete contributing editor, certified coach and author of Triathlete Magazine's Complete Triathlon Book and Triathlete Magazine's Essential Week-by-Week Training Guide.

Everyone who signs up for a training plan will receive a free copy of Essential Week-by-Week Training Guide

EVERY PLAN INCLUDES: • Nightly e-mails of your workouts • A daily log to track your workouts • Powerful calendar lets you change the plan to fit your schedule

• Interactive graphs to track your progress • Monitor your nutrition with the integrated Nutrition Tracker • Moderated message boards to get your tough training questions answered

Sign up for your interactive plan at

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Get something back for your everyday purchases. Use your Triathlete MasterCard® credit card with WorldPoints® rewards from Bank of America, and you’ll earn points you can redeem for cash, travel, merchandise, even unique adventures.쩡 Rewards for the things you buy anyway.

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For information about the rates, fees, and other costs and benefits associated with the use of this Rewards card, or to apply, call the toll free number above, or write to P.O. Box 15020, Wilmington, DE 19850. 쩡 Terms apply to program features and Credit Card account benefits. For more information about the program, visit bankofamerica.com/worldpoints. Details accompany new account materials.

This credit card program is issued and administered by FIA Card Services, N.A. The WorldPoints program is managed in part by independent third parties, including a travel agency registered to do business in California (Reg. No. 2036509-50); Ohio (Reg. No. 87890286); Washington (6011237430) and other states, as required. MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated, and is used by the issuer pursuant to license. The WorldPoints design is a trademark and WorldPoints and Platinum Plus are registered trademarks of FIA Card Services, N.A. Bank of America and the Bank of America logo are registered trademarks of Bank of America Corporation. All other company and product names and logos are the property of others and their use does not imply endorsement of, or an association with, the WorldPoints program. ©2007 Bank of America Corporation T-709149-092107 BAD-10-07-10543

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RACING AROUND THE GLOBE International editor’s note International editor Shane Smith writes about the responsibility of paying it forward | 92

News Down Under Triathlete magazine takes a look at the news from Down Under | 94

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

Noosa Triathlon and Multi-sport Festival Lisa Pringle reports from Australia’s biggest event, a race Craig Walton and Emma Snowsill have won a combined 10 times | 96

Racing Down Under The race season marches on with Port Macquarie, Shepparton and the Queensland and Victorian Gatorade series | 100

Tips for racing Geelong Ironman 70.3 Ironman 70.3 specialist Chris Legh gives his tips on racing the new event in Geelong | 102

Off the Back Jay Prasuhn on the challenges and rewards of racing Down Under | 104

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Paying it forward

By Shane Smith

When in 2000 the film Pay It Forward hit the big screens, it sparked a reaction around the globe. The simple concept of paying it forward—or giving back—became a catch phrase, and organizations around the world began using the movie and its meaning to show how the generosity of one can make a difference to many.

The idea, as expressed in the movie, goes something like this: If someone does you a favour, instead of paying it back, pay it forward to three people. The next day if those three people each pay it forward to three more and the day after those 27 people each pay it forward to another three and so on; in two weeks time that comes to 4,782,969 people.

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Although I didn’t actually watch the movie until I began this editorial, I did know and trust the formula, believing that one good turn deserves another. I was actually introduced to the theory of paying it forward by one of the sport’s true gentlemen, Paul Huddle, a top coach and athlete based in San Diego, Calif. Huddle had coached me while I trained in San Diego back in 1996. Not only did he set out my workouts and teach me about the sport but he also allowed me to stay with him and his partner, the great Paula Newby-Fraser, in their Encinitas, Calif., condo. Looking back it must have been tough having a strange Aussie sleeping in their spare room and eating all their food, especially as it was the year Paula was preparing to race in Kona after her collapse there just meters from the finish 12 months prior. Not once did I feel unwelcome or that it was a bother to them having me there.

But it wasn’t until I was about to leave that I got my first lesson in paying it forward.

As I was leaving to fly out to the Hawaiian Ironman in Kona in October of that year, I went to pay Huddle for my living expenses. But Huddle refused to take it. He said, “Shane, just remember to look after the next lot of athletes coming through and pass on your knowledge and help to them.” I protested and wanted to pay, but Huddle insisted it was more about the lessons learnt than the money.

Huddle saw a bigger picture for not only the good of the sport but for life in general.

That moment has stuck with me for over a decade now and is one of the most valuable lessons I learnt during my time racing. I have tried to honor the notion of paying it forward by helping a number of athletes through training with them, passing on advice and giving them a place to stay while they were training. We’ve even had athletes share Christmas with us when they’ve been away from home. In fact, now my whole motivation within the sport is built around helping people achieve their goals, which always gives me a great deal of satisfaction. To see an athlete realize their dream, and to be able to play a small part in that, is a rewarding experience.

So the next time someone needs a favor, instead of looking at the possible returns, encourage the recipient of your actions to pay it forward—the long-term rewards will be far greater.

Thanks Huddle, you taught me well.

Train hard, Shane

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

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News Down Under

It’s good to see even the professionals remembering that the main ingredient of triathlon should be fun.

It’s always exciting when new corporate sponsors jump on the triathlon train, and this time it’s Triumph International, a world leader in the lingerie industry, and it’s no surprise they have selected Aussie golden girl Emma Snowsill to promote their sports bras.

Triumph’s association with triathlon not only extends to sponsorship of Snowsill but it also includes official bra status (similar to official shoe status) at the Noosa Tri and the Mooloolaba Triathlon Festival, which includes the ITU World Cup and the Gold Coast Triathlon. The deal will also encompass the 2009 BG World Triathlon Championships to be staged on the Gold Coast.

Triumph national marketing manager Lynda Bundock said she was thrilled to have forged the association with Snowsill due to her outstanding triathlon achievements. Snowsill is equally excited about the association with Triumph and will be included in the future design and development of the sports bras.

25 Noosas on the board

Another triumph for Snowsill

This year in Noosa, various athletes wore different-coloured race vests, highlighting who was racing in their 10th, 15th, 20th and 25th event. Peter O’Neill, in an extraordinary achievement, was the only athlete to don the red 25-year bib.

O’Neill has come back every year for 25 years, proving that Noosa has a very special appeal that entices athletes back time and again. And at just 56, he has no plans to retire anytime soon.

“I wouldn’t miss it for quids; as long as the body holds out I’ll be competing,” quipped O’Neill after crossing the line.

Icing on the cake for Barny After training and racing in the U.S., Paul “Barny” Matthews returned to Australian shores and finished third at the Noosa Tri. “It’s a great result and a great end to the year,” said Matthews. “I got caught up a little in the swim and came out first in the second pack.

Luckily, I came out with Steve Hackett who I’d been training with the whole time in America, so I knew he would be hungry to get to the front.”

“We both took a while to find our legs on the bike, and it wasn’t until after 10km into the bike that we both got going, and by then we had no chance of catching the front pack, so it was a matter of limiting the time and trying to pull them back.”

Robbo’s inspiration

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Eyes Wide Open

Although he finished way back in the field at Noosa—21st, fourth girl and five minutes off the pace—Peter Robertson walked away from the Noosa Tri inspired.

“I really enjoyed the weekend and the vibe that the weekend offers. It has been an extremely tough year for me, and this has shown me how great triathlon can be. I have gained a huge boost of motivation from the weekend.” |

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Eyes Wide Open

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The Noosa triathlon A jewel in the crown

By Lisa Pringle

There is something very special about Noosa that lures athletes back every year with the promise of five days of sport and entertainment in a location drenched with sun, sand and surf. The mix is irresistible, and the draw-card is the Noosa Triathlon Multi Sport Festival. Last year, the event celebrated its 25th anniversary, and the party left no one disappointed.

There is a wonderful history that surrounds the Noosa Triathlon. The event has grown into a multisport festival with athletes and spectators making the annual trek from all over Australia and around the globe to be part of something unique.

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From the beginning, Noosa has welcomed other sports to celebrate exercise and a healthy lifestyle. Because of this, much older sports, like running, cycling, swimming and golf, are invited to join the party every year. And now 8500 competitors and thousands more spectators, industry and media flock to the town each November.

Upon arrival, everyone shifts down a few gears from the frantic city pace, easily slipping into the lackadaisical mode that is Noosa. The mere thought of missing out on competing with everyone is what drove three-time ITU short-course world champion Emma Snowsill from her sickbed to race.

“Before the race I was fighting with myself as to whether I should do it. But it’s special to me this race. It’s captivated me ever since I came here as a swimmer 11 years ago and watched it,” said Snowsill.

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On Wednesday we ease into the festival with a twilight runswim-run held on Noosa Main Beach. Thursday brings Celebrity Golf, the first of two golf days. High-profile celebs come to rub shoulders with sponsors and other golfers. Later that night is the official launch with celebrities, sponsors and dignitaries, and then keen enthusiasts head to the Rolling Rock for the Noosa Tri Model Search, where Miss and Mr. Noosa Tri are crowned.

Frantic Friday The Friday before the race, the Cannibal Tour de Noosa, a ride over the triathlon bike course with some of the Tour de France stars headed by Robbie McEwen, begins at 6 a.m. and is followed by breakfast. Meanwhile, the Fun Run gets underway with over 1500 men, women and children donning decorated bras to take part in the 5km run/walk to raise money for breastcancer research.

Decorum is returned to the golf course with the Legends Corporate Day, and the expo opens with 60-plus exhibitors.

Thousands gather on Noosa Main Beach at 4 p.m. for the Eyeline 1000 ocean swim, with categories ranging from Tadpoles (under 13) to Pioneers (70-plus). This year, Commonwealth Games 800meter silver medallist Melissa Gorman created a Noosa dynasty, making it three Eyeline 1000 titles on the trot, defeating her training partner Kate Brooks-Peterson and local Amy Thompson.

“The open water is fun for me and something different from the pool. I have aspirations for Beijing in pool and open water, but my main focus is the 800 freestyle in the pool,” said Gorman.

In the evening, the Hastings Street Fiesta starts up with street theatre, a Halloween treasure hunt, the Yalumba Waiters Challenge, fireworks and a live band on the beach that get this party started.

Super Saturday In 2007 there were 700 kids, ages 7-13, who competed in the Superkidz Triathlon. The biggest thrill for them is receiving a finisher’s medal, presented by one of the many celebrities at the finish line. A truly special part of the festival follows. The Noosa Special Tri gives people with disabilities the chance to experience the fun of triathlon. Each athlete is accompanied by a buddy to provide companionship and support.

As the bagpipes play it is the signal to gather on Noosa Parade for the afternoon’s entertainment when the big boys and girls come out to strut their stuff. In 2007, crowds reached 25,000 along the course. First up, the Aussie football legends take part in a 200-meter swim, 4.8km bike and 2km run, locking horns on a different kind of field. The Cannibal Women’s Noosa Criterium is up next with the best of Australia’s women cyclists on display. The Asics Bolt follows, featuring some of Australia’s best middle-distance runners in an invitational 5K road race.

The 2007 race lived up to its reputation as one of Australia’s premier road races, with defending champion Martin Dent making it three wins from three starts in Noosa. The 2007 Bolt also unearthed some outstanding new talent in the women’s event, with vivacious 19-year-old Lara Tamsett proving she is a talent to watch as she cruised to the line for a win on debut.

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Australian professional rider Aaron Kemps produced an explosion of speed to pick up AUD$50,000 in the richest one-day criterium in the country in the Ridley Dash for Cash at Noosa.

The grand finale to Super Saturday delivered everything it promised last year, with Kemps upsetting the pre-race favourites, including Tour de France legend Robbie McEwen, to steal the money with a blistering last lap and a frantic sprint for the line.

The criterium at Noosa is always a high-pressure affair, and the added incentive of two $5,000 AUD primes ensured there were no cruisy laps. Kemp picked up the first of three primes for each lap, making his total payday $55,000 AUD. There are many gems in the crown at the Noosa Triathlon Multi Sport Festival, but the triathlon remains the jewel, where this year 2400 individuals and 900 teams took to the challenge of the 1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10km run.

Perfect double He was flat, tired and nervous and she was battling a mystery virus, but triathlon glamour couple Craig Walton and Emma Snowsill still defied the odds to claim historic triumphs at the 25th anniversary Noosa Triathlon.

Walton, at 184cm and close to 80kg, making him one of the biggest men in triathlon, broke the speed limit as he hit 95km/h on a descent in the bike leg en route to his record sixth win in the biggest triathlon in the Southern Hemisphere. Among the women Snowsill, one of the smallest women in triathlon at just 161cm and 49kg, battled through new pain thresholds to become the first female in the history of the Noosa event to win the race four times.

It was a result the pair doubted they could achieve pre-race.

Snowsill raced within herself, exiting the swim with Annabel Luxford and defending champion Felicity Abram. The elite pack stayed together on the ride and early into the run before Snowsill got the okay from her body to lift the pace. “I just got caught up in the atmosphere and wanted to finish the day like everyone else—exhausted and sun burnt,” said Snowsill, still hindered by the effects of a bug picked up at the Beijing ITU World Cup in September. Snowsill completed the race well off her best pace, with Beijing Olympic aspirants Abram second and Luxford third.

For Walton, his win signaled the end of a series of bad luck that had left him without a major race win all season. His win was all the more impressive considering the field included Courtney Atkinson, David Dellow, Simon Thompson, Peter Robertson and two up-and-coming athletes hot off the back of great U.S. seasons, Paul Mathews and Steven Hackett.

Exiting the water with Atkinson, Clayton Fettel, David Dellow and Joshua Amberger, Walton showed his cards early, breaking from the group in the opening stages and building a three-minute buffer heading into the 10km run. Walton made it look easy, but pre-race he had severe doubts about his ability to keep his winning streak intact. “At the halfway mark I was unsure. I think I only had a minute, and it wasn’t due to a lack of hard work. I really had to push today,” said Walton. “In some ways I feel like I have to come here and perform, so I put a fair bit of pressure on myself. The bottom line is the course suits me down to the ground, and I love it.”

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Coming into Round 5 of the Snap Australian Half Ironman Series, the women’s series lead was being fiercely contested by Lisa Marangon and Elly Franks. Both women desperately needed to win to gain an advantage before the series headed to Canberra in December for Round 6, and it was Sydney’s Marangon who ended up taking line honours.

“I am so excited winning today as I have had a huge week of training before I start tapering for Ironman Western Australia,” said Marangon who won the Busselton Half Ironman in May.“The ride was tough today with the winds and the storm coming in, but I felt great.” Having gained a large lead on the bike, Marangon traded her bike for running shoes and continued to increase her lead.

“My run is something I have been working on really hard for Busselton, and today it seemed to click,” said Marangon. Amelia Pearson from Tasmania produced one of her best results in the Snap Australian Half Ironman Series, crossing the line ahead of Victoria’s Kelly Jarrett to gain second place in 4:33:52.

Berkel wins Shepparton Half Ironman, Marangon gains series lead Much-needed torrential rain greeted the 600 competitors at the 10th anniversary of the Campbell’s Shepparton Half Ironman. Like most of Victoria, Shepparton and the surrounding farming area had been plagued by drought, so the athletes welcomed the unfamiliar rain. However, distant lightning that appeared while competitors were on the bike course caused some alarm for race organizers. “There were some concerns over the lightning that was hovering around, but the technical team monitored it closely and it was deemed to be safe to continue. It is ironic that we planned for a 35-degree day and were looking at shipping more water and ice into the race area, but the fickle Victorian weather turned around and the rainstorm was of more concern,” said Ken Baggs, the Snap Half Ironman Series coordinator.

The rain didn’t dampen the efforts of Port Macquarie youngster Tim Berkel, who claimed his first half-Ironman title in Shepparton. Berkel led the 1.9km swim with fellow Port Macquarie athlete Adam Holborrow close behind as the two stormed the first half of the 90km bike.

“At about the 70km mark I noticed Adam was starting to cramp, but I’d been feeling strong all day, so I just went for it to get the lead,” said Berkel. By the second transition Berkel had gained a minute on Holborrow, and from there he cruised to victory by over five minutes. “During the run I’ve never felt more relaxed in a race. It almost felt easy. My training had been going really well, and my coach Grant Giles and I had worked hard toward this race to lead into Ironman Australia, which is my main focus,” said Berkel. Holborrow fell back to fourth place, while South Australia’s Matt White took second and Troy Drinan took third.

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Peter Loveridge and Charlotte Paul won the Scody Half Ironman Triathlon Port Macquarie on Nov. 4, 2007. Loveridge ran his way to victory with a scorching 1:20:19 split to take out the men’s event. Peter Schokman narrowly held on for second, with local favourite Tim Berkel finishing third.

The women’s race heated up when the leading female, Lisa Marangon, served a five-minute penalty that handed the fastest bike split to Charlotte Paul. Paul came into T2 about 50 meters behind Marangon, as she was exiting the penalty box, but then Paul kicked in the fastest run of the day, in 1:30:20, to take out the female pro title. Amelia Pearson ran herself into second place with a 1:33:45; Marangon finished third.

Emma Carney makes a successful return Former world champion Emma Carney has had a successful return to the sport, finishing seventh at the Victorian Gatorade Series in a time of 1:05.21. Carney, 36, was diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia—a condition that causes the heart to accelerate to abnormally high levels—three years ago and had a defibrillator implanted.

However, it was 22-year-old Erin Densham, who headed the wrong way out of T2 but quickly realized her mistake and overtook Victorian Institute of Sport training partner Meg Russell, who posted a comfortable win. With only two weeks of training behind her after a post-season break, Densham completed the 500m swim, 20km bike and 5km run in 1:01:44, 38 seconds ahead of Russell and 40 seconds ahead of fellow Victorian Institute of Sport triathlete Holly Aitken.

Runner-up for the past two years Josh Rix stormed past leader Jamie Rhodes to win the men’s race. Rix (55:26) and fellow podium winners Jamie Huggett (55:31) and Craig McKenzie (55:34) caught Rhodes, who had led the entire race, at the 4km mark in the run. Rix, 29, said he wanted the win badly after being the perennial series bridesmaid. “It’s the first round, all my sponsors are here—it’s important to put on a show,” Rix said.

“I’ve been second two years in a row, and I want to win it [the series] once.”

Supersportimages.com

Peter Loveridge and Charlotte Paul win Port Half

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Courtesy City of Greater Geelong

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Overlooking the finish-line area of the new Geelong Ironman 70.3.

3. Purpose

Sweat the small stuff

4 tips for racing the Geelong Ironman 70.3

By Chris Legh

Australian professional athlete Chris Legh is lining up for the inaugural Geelong Ironman 70.3. As he prepares himself for the new course, he lets us in on some of his secrets.

1. Consistency With six weeks until Geelong, you have already covered the base-building and strength-training elements of your program and now are in the threshold phase just before your taper. You have competed in some appropriately positioned shorter races and are ready for the final stages of your race prep. Consistency is the key to success as you build momentum and confidence. Each training phase should have a purpose, and each session should have a purpose. It just takes a little discipline to achieve these goals along the way. Be sure to build in regular recovery weeks (usually reduced volume every third or fourth week, depending upon your schedule and fitness) to avoid injuries and overtraining.

2. Know the course To appropriately prepare for an event you need to ensure your training is specific to the course. If the course is flat you need to develop raw power and maybe set yourself up in a more aggressive position, while a more undulating course, such as Geelong, requires a higher cadence, a more relaxed position and most likely a wider range of gears.

Ensure you are familiar with the topography of the course and design a program based on its demands. Look at the event’s Web site; if you live close to Geelong make an attempt to drive, ride and run over the course so you have a good feel as to what you are in for. Include some race-pace sessions over the course. This obviously takes commitment, but the rewards are unquestionable.

Make the Geelong course your home ground and this will give you an advantage over those who neglect to prepare properly.

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As noted, each training phase and session should have a purpose. Whether you are in the base-building and strength/endurance-training phase in the early months or scheduling a recovery session mid-week or a long ride or run on a Sunday, you must ensure you are not tempted or driven by ego beyond the purpose of these sessions.

A recovery run should be exactly that. If you start racing head to head with your training partner, then you are not recovering. You will wake up the next day and head to the track for a hard interval session but you will not get close to your target times because you are tired from your recovery run. Then you will be angry with your poor performance at the track and push a little harder on your next run. By the weekend you will hit your most important sessions too tired to either care or perform.

Sound familiar? Train with purpose and you will be amazed by how good you feel in each session and, more importantly, by how well you race.

4. Seek out experts Before you progress too far into your program and establish bad habits, seek some advice on all three disciplines. We all have the ability to smash ourselves on the training track.

For swimming, it may only take a couple of stroke-correction sessions to point you in the right direction. Let your coach know what you are attempting to achieve, then he or she will be able to make constant adjustments. On the bike, proper position is one of the most important aspects of cycling. Look for a position that is aerodynamic, but don’t compromise power to look like your cycling heroes. Finally, don’t overlook the run when it comes to expert advice. For example, it may just take some strengthening of your core, a boost in hamstring flexibility or an improvement of pelvis tilt to increase your efficiency. The experts will recognize the need for these little adjustments, and it may make a huge difference in your performance.

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North vs. south

Who comes out on top in the quest for tri supremacy?

By Jay Prasuhn

Is there a tangible difference between Australian and American triathletes? Of course, you Aussies will say, “Damn right. We train hardest, race hardest, suffer the most.” Throw a “mate” in there somewhere and there it is. But as an American who has raced on both continents, I’d say we hold up our end of the bargain pretty well, but I’ll concede that there’s something to be said for Aussie grit.

In 2006 I entered the Port Macquarie Ironman 70.3. I thought I would cross the Pacific, earn an easy 70.3 worlds slots in my age group and write a story about kangaroos and cuddly koalas.

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The reality?

It was one of the hardest halfIronman-distance races I’d ever done, against fast athletes. Flats, rollers, steep climbs, there was more variety than an episode of Ronnie Johns. I had my ass— er, bum—handed to me.

But the real wake-up call for me was not my disappointing result but the fact that the event even went forward: Race day in Port Macquarie was a torrential downpour. Yet it did go on, full field.

Michellie Jones was there in four centimeters of standing water in a grassy field, handing out finisher medals to athletes happily sloshing through the gantry.

Point being, y’all really are a tough lot.

But let’s take a look at American pros.

Where else would you find men of steely resolve with nicknames like “The Grip” and “The Man”? Mike Pigg? You beat him in your dreams and you better wake up, find him and apologize. Ken Glah? It’s like he’s chipped out of ice and been sent forth every year in Kona since 1921.

DeBoom? I’m surprised he still has his teeth; I’d have ground them to powder if I were running 6:30 pace while a kidney stone was ripping my insides up. And Karen Smyers . . . downed by an 18wheeler, sliced her leg open while changing a storm window and battled thyroid cancer. And a first-rate drinker.

Aussies? You guys have athletes with mouths, but I’ll admit they also have the legs to back the chatter: Macca, Welchy.

Then you have the very definition of Australian tough: Belinda Granger. I had a chance to train with her in San Diego and had a hard time staying on her feet at masters and staying on her wheel on the bike. When it’s time to train and race, she’s like a dog with a bone. Good luck getting close.

As for nutrition, we Americans tend to adopt a more scientific approach: a high-tech blend of carbs and proteins loaded into our special-needs bags, to be taken at 12-minute increments for an optimal balance of quick and sustained energy. Aussies have Vegemite sandwiches. Brewer’s yeast, celery and onion for flavor and lots and lots of salt, spread on buttered bread. Yum. I know, it’s an acquired taste, but so is chewing on tinfoil.

But after the race is where I have to hand it to the Aussies: They can party. They train hard, can drink anyone under the table that night, then back it up with a training beat down the next day. We’re good for an aspirin and a case of bedspins (well, save for Smyers).

Consensus? I think both continents have their flaws and draws. Really, there’s no place to resolve it but on the field of competition. And next time, I won’t be taking the blokes Down Under so lightly.

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

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TRAINING “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.”

[Sir Winston Churchill]

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THE BIG RING

ON THE RUN

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LANE LINES experimenting with different stroke rates you can find the turnover rate that gives you maximal wattage with minimal effort.

• Warm up for 3-5 minutes (vary strokes and drills) • 5-20 x 1-minute maximal power output, with one minute of rest between efforts Calculate the average watts for the first two intervals. This now becomes your goal wattage for the remainder of the workout. Maintain the same stroke rate, and aim to keep the watts within 10 percent of this goal wattage. Example: interval one is 68 watts and interval two is 72 watts. Goal wattage is 70 watts.

If the subsequent 1-minute power intervals drop below 63 watts (10-percent decay) then the workout is over and it is time to cool down.

STRETCH-CORDS SESSION

Power up your swim stroke

Dry-land training helps get the job done in the water

By Tim Crowley

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While there’s nothing as essential for swimming as water, there are plenty of ways you can improve your swimming performance without getting wet. For those athletes who have trouble getting to the pool as often as they might like, effective dry-land training can be a helpful fallback.

Optimal body position and stroke technique are crucial for a fast swim, but they’re not the only key elements. Applying more force to the water throughout each stroke—while maintaining correct technique and body position—will also make you go faster. By building power and the endurance to deliver that power efficiently, you will be able to swim faster with no increase in exertion.

Dry-land training with ergometers and stretch cords is very effective for developing power and muscular endurance because both ergometers and stretch cords deliver consistent resistance throughout an exercise set. You can also develop the muscles responsible for stroke recovery by changing your position relative to the stretch cords, which is particularly vital to athletes unaccustomed to swimming in a full wetsuit.

For a faster, more efficient swim leg next season, try incorporating these exercises into your swim training this winter.

SWIM-ERG SET Vasa makes an innovative dry-land swim ergometer, which is basically a power meter for swimming. As you “swim” using the paddles and cables, you’re able to monitor pace per 100m, watts and stroke rate, as well as right-arm and left-arm power, which allows you to visually monitor each stroke for balanced power output. Even if you only have occasional access to a swim ergometer, you can do some specific testing to determine power output while comparing wattage for each arm. By 108

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While swimming ergometers may not be available to everyone, stretch cords should be part of all triathletes’ swimming toolkits. Workouts with tubing can be done anywhere in as little as 10 minutes’ time. Since there is no objective feedback, as in ergometer workouts, you will need to pay close attention to your form so you do not develop any bad habits.

Inserting tubing sets on days between pool workouts or before or after swim sessions will inject some power-endurance into your swim training.

To keep the workout interesting, use a variety of simulated strokes: freestyle, butterfly, reverse free and fly (resisted recover stroke) and catch-up stroke. Below is a sample session. If you use a tempo trainer or metronome, replicate your normal stroke rate. Modify the resistance by changing how far you stretch the cords. Make sure the tubing allows you to complete the entire stroke and that it is free of cuts and nicks, so it doesn’t snap.

• Warm-up: 3 x 45 seconds easy arm swings at light resistance, 15 seconds rest between sets • Main set: 3 x 50 seconds each exercise: freestyle, reverse freestyle (facing away from the tubing anchor point), butterfly and reverse butterfly, with 10 seconds rest between sets Working out with tubing sets allows you to “swim” when you are traveling or can’t get to the pool. By integrating swim-specific power training, you can maintain or lessen pool time while sustaining or even improving performance. This tactic is similar to using an indoor cycling trainer or treadmill for specific interval sessions. Although there is no substitute for swimming in the water, these two workouts are certainly the next best thing.

Tim Crowley is a Pro Level Coach with Carmichael Training Systems. For video clips of the tubing exercises, visit trainright.com.

Take-home message For athletes having trouble getting to the pool as often as they might like, effective dry-land training can be a saving grace, as it is very effective for developing power and muscular endurance.

While swimming ergometers may not be available to everyone, stretch cords should be part of all triathletes’ swimming toolkits.

By integrating swim-specific dry-land power training, you can maintain or lessen pool time while sustaining or even improving performance.

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

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explosive jumping exercises with 30-second high-resistance intervals on stationary bikes. On average, members of this group improved their 1km power by 8.7 percent, their 4km power by 8.1 percent, their peak power by 6.8 percent, their lactate-profile power by 3.7 percent 1. GLUTE-HAM RAISE and their energy economy by 3 percent, while members of the other group made no improvements in these measures.

There are various ways you can combine resistance training and cycling into a single workout, but according to Cressey 3 power exercises to strengthen your glutes you’ll get the best results if you use the following parameters:

By Matt F itzgerald // Photos by John Segesta 1. Do the resistance portion of the workout first 2. Perform resistance exercises that are functional for cycling Dede Griesbauer surprised a lot of people last October, coming (see examples above, below and at right) off the bike in first place at the Ford Ironman World 3. Follow the resistance session with a ride featuring highChampionship and holding on to finish seventh. The previous intensity intervals. A total workout time of one hour (30 minyear she finished 484th. What caused her dramatic improve- utes in the gym, 30 minutes on the bike) is plenty, although you ment? A year of hard training, the coaching of Karyn Smyers and can ride longer if you’re fit enough a better nutrition plan were all major factors. But another factor 4. Do two resistance sessions per week, perhaps following was the strength and power training she did under the guidance the second weekly resistance session with a high-intensity run of Eric Cressey, CSCS, a strength coach based in Boston, Mass.

Cressey works with a number of endurance athletes and is SAMPLE EXERCISES familiar with research showing that the right types of resistance Here are examples of three exercises Cressey used with training can dramatically enhance cycling performance. One of Griesbauer to strengthen her glutes and hamstrings and thereby the key differences between the best cyclists and less proficient improve her cycling. One or two sets of each exercise per session cyclists is that the best cyclists activate their gluteal muscles will suffice. Combine these exercises with a couple of core exermore during pedaling, while less proficient cyclists rely more on cises and one or two upper-body exercises that are functional for their quads. But simply willing your butt to work harder won’t swimming and you’re good to go. help you ride any better. You have to increase the capacity of your glutes to contribute to your pedal stroke with resistance 1. GLUTE-HAM RAISE: Lie face down on the floor and have a partexercises that specifically challenge these muscles. ner press your lower legs down into the floor so your body can In an initial evaluation, Cressey determined that Griesbauer’s glutes were not strong enough to contribute opti2. SINGLE-LEG BOX JUMP mally to her cycling performance. Therefore, strengthening her glutes—and hamstrings, which work cooperatively with the glutes—became a high priority of the twice-weekly resistance workouts Cressey led her through beginning in January of 2007.

You can make similar gains in your cycling performance by developing these powerful muscles groups. But unless you’re a pro athlete who gets paid to train, you’re probably not too excited about the idea of adding yet another type of workout to your schedule.

Fear not. There’s a time-efficient way to incorporate resistance training that complements the bike training you’re already doing. Cressey makes resistance training time-efficient by having his athletes do brick workouts consisting of a short, intense resistance-training session followed by a short, intense ride.

The benefits of such hybrid workouts are scientifically proven. Researchers from the Waikato Institute of Technology in New Zealand divided a pool of 18 club-level cyclists into two groups of nine riders. One group did its normal base training for four to five weeks. During the same time period, the other group replaced some of its rides with hybrid workouts combining

Boost your biking

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only move from the knee up.

Contract your hamstrings and lift your body (from knees to head) upward until you are in a fully upright kneeling position.

Lower yourself back to the floor.

Try to keep your torso erect throughout the movement, and then use the hamstrings to pull your body up and the glutes to finish the movement (by tilting the pelvis back; just think of popping the hips forward to get your body upright).

2.

SINGLE-LEG BOX JUMP: Balance on your left foot facing a sturdy platform (such as an exercise step) that’s 10-18 inches high. Leap up onto the platform, landing on your left foot, then immediately leap back down to the floor. Do 12 repetitions and then switch to the right foot.

3. SUITCASE DEADLIFT: Stand with your arms hanging at your sides and a dumbbell in one hand. Push your hips back and bend the knees as you do in the lowering phase of a standard deadlift. Reach the dumbbell down as close to the floor as you can without rounding your lower back, and then stand up again. Don’t allow your torso to tilt to either side while performing this movement.

Complete 10 repetitions, rest for 30 seconds, and then repeat the exercise while holding the dumbbell in the opposite hand.

Matt Fitzgerald is the author of Brain Training for Runners (NAL, 2007).

Take-home message One of the key differences between the best cyclists and less proficient cyclists is that the best cyclists activate their gluteal muscles more during pedaling, while less proficient cyclists rely more on their quads Make strength sessions time-efficient by including brick workouts consisting of a short, intense resistance-training session followed by a short, intense ride Key strength exercises to boost your cycling include: glute-ham raises, single-leg box jumps and suitcase deadlifts T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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ON THE RUN

Head to the hills

Winter hill work equals summer speed

By Lance Watson

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For years I have been advocating hill training for my athletes. While training in the hills is valuable all year round, it is particularly useful early in your annual preparation to boost both strength and muscular endurance.

Propelling your body weight upward against gravity increases the load on your muscles. It also emphasizes the drive phase of the run stride (the segment of your stride that begins when your foot is directly below your center of gravity and continues through to point at which you toe-off and your foot leaves the ground).

Another benefit of running uphill is the reduction of impact on the lower leg bones (the tibia and fibula) and ankle and knee joints compared to running on level ground.

Obviously, the impact is exponentially greater when you’re running down hills, but hill sets

that emphasize a hard uphill section with a gentle jog back down can mitigate this. That said, your muscles are not only active movers of your body but also function as shock absorbers that protect your bones and joints, so there is significant value in running downhill more aggressively, to enhancing the muscles’ shock-absorbing capacity as your legs adapt to the stress.

In addition, hill training boosts muscular endurance in the calves, hamstrings and hip flexors, which contributes to strength and endurance and prepares you for faster running as you move closer to the race season. This durability also helps you run well off the bike on tired legs.

To reap these benefits, do the following three hill sessions for six to eight weeks during your early-season training.

CLASSIC HILL REPS Perform this session once a week or once every two weeks. Run on a 4- to 8-percent incline.

The grade must be reasonable and not so steep that you can’t run with rhythm. The effort should be steady and not too intense. The idea is to build strength without working toward a race effort.

Stay below your anaerobic-threshold heart rate (your AT heart rate corresponds to the pace at which you would typically run a 10K).

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

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After a good warm-up, do 10-25 minutes of hill work, as described below: • Your first two to three sessions should involve shorter hills and more rest. Keep your heart rate 10-15 beats below AT. • Example: 5-15 x 1-2 minutes uphill, with 100 percent rest (one minute of rest for every one minute uphill; two minutes of rest for every two minutes uphill, etc.).

• Over your next two to three sessions, work toward longer hills at a sustained effort. Let your heart rate rise to five to 10 beats below AT, and perform 4-8 x 3-5 minutes uphill on 75 percent rest.

TREADMILL HILLS Perform this session once a week or once every two weeks, alternating it with the classic hill reps described above. Treadmill hill sessions are good for athletes living in colder climates and are useful for shorter-rest hill sets, as you can simply step off the treadmill to recover. Think of this workout as an uphill temporun effort with periods of rest.

After a good warm-up, perform the following: • Put the treadmill grade at 6-8 percent.

• Your first two to three sessions should be shorter, controlled efforts on short rest. Let your heart climb from 10-15 beats below AT to five to 10 beats below.

• For example, perform 10-15 x 1 minute uphill with 50 percent rest (30 seconds of rest for every one minute uphill). Do 1015 minutes of total work.

• For your next two to three sessions, increase both the hill length and the duration of the set while maintaining pace and

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grade. Let your heart rate rise to five beats below threshold.

Do 15-25 minutes of work as 10-15 x 1.5-2 minutes uphill with 50 percent rest.

HILLY BASE RUN Perform this session once per week: • Start with 10-15 minutes of easy running on level ground to warm up.

• The middle 75 percent of the run should be over hilly terrain. Your heart rate can climb to 15-25 beats below AT. Choose a route with hills of varying length and grade. Trails are great if they are available. Overall, keep the effort aerobic and in control.

• This should be your weekly long run. Gradually increase it from 45-60 minutes up to 90 minutes to two hours.

LifeSport coach Lance Watson is the official coach of Ironman.

He has coached athletes to 16 Ironman wins and also works with successful age-group athletes. To learn more about LifeSport, contact coach@lifesport.ca, or visit lifesport.ca.

Take-home message Hill training is particularly useful early in your annual preparation to gain strength and muscular endurance.

Try these three sessions for six to eight weeks during your early-season training: classic hill reps, treadmill hills and a hilly base run.

Run a hilly base run once a week. Add one other hill session once per week, either the treadmill or classic hill reps.

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SPEED LAB

By Tim Mickleborough

taking oral supplements is that they believe the iron is absorbed more quickly.

They do not regularly get their iron medically checked. Their reason for injecting the iron is they feel tired a lot. Isn’t there some medical risk to this, such as hemochromatosis?

DEAR SPEED LAB,

Kevin Tucson, Ariz.

When do endurance athletes need iron supplements and post-race IVs?

Some friends of mine, who also compete in endurance events, supplement with iron by using injections. Their rationale for doing injections rather than 116

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iron deficits by increasing the production of red blood cells (RBCs) in the body sooner than orally ingesting iron is a misconception. In addition, unchecked iron injections are potentially very dangerous and may result in complications. For instance, hypersensitivity reactions such as difficulty breathing and shock, although rare, may occur with injections.

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after the administration of the therapy. If you suspect you are iron deficient, the best course of action is to have your blood iron levels measured by your physician and to take an oral iron supplement if a deficiency is found. Endurance athletes should have their haemoglobin, serum iron and ferritin levels checked on a regular basis.

Secondly, iron supplementation should not continue indefinitely and should not be conducted without bloodchemistry monitoring three to four times per year. Approximately 5 percent to 10 percent of the population is subject to iron overload, or hemochromatosis, which causes symptoms of fatigue and malaise similar to those of iron inadequacy and may create a dangerous situation for an athlete. Typically, in these individuals, serum ferritin levels are high and can be easily detected using blood-chemistry profiling. There are two types of hemochromatosis: the primary, or hereditary, type and the secondary, or acquired, type.

Primary hemochromatosis is more common in men, since women lose iron during menstruation, and is caused by a defective gene, which results in abnormal absorption and storage of iron from the small intestine. When ferritin is fully saturated with iron, the storage of iron bound to ferritin is no longer possible. At this point, the surplus iron must be stored in the heart, liver, pancreas, pituitary and adrenal glands, testes, kidneys and joints.

Secondary hemochromatosis can be caused by excessive iron intake, either from supplements or injections, or by an underlying pathology (e.g. chronic destruction of red blood cells and liver disease). Normal ferritin levels are between 13-370g/L for men; however, routine blood checks in professional cyclists often show high serum ferritin levels, and levels exceeding 500g/L are not unusual. Under normal conditions the body contains 3-4 grams of iron. The daily loss of iron (approximately 1 mg/day) is compensated for by iron absorption from nutrients in the small intestine. When the iron supply to the small intestine increases, it will not necessarily lead to more iron absorption. In fact, only when the body is in an iron-deficient state will the intestines absorb more. This is due to a regulative system in the small intestine that prevents over-absorption.

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gory—in the form of weekly bloodletting of 500ml/week, until normal ferritin and haemoglobin levels are reached—to the pharmaceutical, with the preferred option being injection a substance (iron chelator desferal) that binds iron and causes it to be excreted via the kidneys and bilious ducts. When hemochromatosis is detected, it’s very important that the patient’s relatives are screened as well. If the illness is diagnosed and treated before organ damage occurs, life expectancy is normal. Returning to your specific question, I suggest you advise your friends to cease taking unmonitored iron supplementation immediately and to get their blood iron and ferritin levels checked.

Suggested reading: Herbert, V. (1987). “Recommended dietary intakes (RDI) of iron in humans.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 45: 679-686.

DEAR SPEED LAB, Over the summer I competed in two Ironmans and four half-Ironman-distance races. What alarms me is the number of athletes who are receiving IV fluids upon finishing these races. I admit that some of them look like they may need an IV, but most do not. Upon discussing this with some of my training partners, they admitted they have received an IV at the end of race, even though they felt okay. They say you recover quicker.

What is your opinion on this subject?

Matt, Littleton, Colo.

DEAR MATT,

There seems to be a worrying increase in the number of athletes receiving intravenous (IV) fluids in order to improve their recovery, rather than to treat a medical condition such as dehydration, following a marathon or Ironman. IV fluids are used in medical practice to correct for electrolyte, fluid and carbohydrate deficits when drinking is not a viable option (e.g. if an athlete has diarrhea, severe vomiting or gastric shut-down).

An IV also provides an effective and fast method of getting fluids and carbohydrates into the body for those individuals who are unable (e.g. asleep, unconscious, etc.) to consume either solid food or drink.

Many athletes claim that receiving intravenous fluids makes them feel better and recover quicker. However, many medical personnel say this is more likely a placebo effect and perhaps also a result of the fact that the athlete is required to be still for a couple hours after the event. Another serious concern is fluid overload. Some athletes who finish an endurance event may exhibit low plasma-sodium levels, a now well known condition called hyponatremia. Administering more fluids to these individuals can be extremely dangerous and can lead to unconsciousness, coma and even death. Therefore, unless you have been medically diagnosed to require IV fluids in the medical tent following an event, you should refrain from asking for IV fluids. Complete rest for up to a week after the event should be sufficient to replenish your fluid and carbohydrate stores.

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ROCKET SCIENCE

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Take it to go

Box your bike to keep it safe and secure on your next trip

By Paul Regensburg // Photos by John Segesta

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With few races in the Northern Hemisphere this time of year, you may be planning to head south to squeeze in a fun off-season event. And if you are, you probably aren’t looking forward to dismantling your bike and trying to wrestle it into a bike case.

But it doesn’t have to be that bad. Here are some tips on how to dismantle your bike and successfully pack it in a traveling case.

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1. Remove the pedals

Required tools: A 15mm pedal wrench or a 6mm or 8mm hex wrench (Allen key) depending on the type of pedals

Start with the left side of your bike (opposite the chain-ring side), and turn the crank to the forward horizontal position. Set the pedal wrench on the spindle of the pedal so the wrench handle points toward the rear wheel. Push the handle down (clockwise) to pry the spindle loose from the crank, then turn the wrench several times to completely remove the pedal. Sometimes the pedal is threaded too tightly into the crank; in this case, use a rubber mallet to tap on the wrench handle.

Now, go to the right side of the bike where your chainrings are (see photo 1). Put the chain on the biggest ring to prevent

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your hands from getting cut by the ring’s sharp teeth. Perform the same procedure as you did on the left side, but this time turn the wrench counterclockwise as you push the handle down.

2. Remove the handlebar

Required tools: 4mm or 5mm Allen key, or a 6mm one in rare cases, tape

If you have a computer, remove that first, and tape it to your frame or fork. Then use tape to mark the position of your bars— both up and down and left and right. Your handlebar is bolted to a stem that is secured to the fork’s steering tube. The handlebar stem has a front plate that holds the handlebar in place with either two or four bolts.

Remove these bolts, take the handlebar off the stem and let it hang loose on the cables. (see photo 2) Reinstall the top plate onto the bar stem so you do not lose any of the small parts. Any small parts that are not reinserted into the bike should be stored in a bag for safekeeping. If you have clip-on aerobars you may be able to leave them on and simply loosen the bolts to adjust the angle for the right fit for packing.

3. Remove the seat

Required tools: 4mm or 5mm Allen key

Again, use the tape to mark your correct seat height. Then open the bolt on the seatpost clamp by turning it counterclockwise to the point you can pull out your seat post.

Remove the seat post from the seat tube.

4. Remove the wheels

Required tools: Small bag

Start with the front wheel. First, open up the brake calipers (by moving the lever upward) so they are farther away from the rim. Then open the quick-release lever that secures the wheel’s axle into the fork’s dropouts. Hold the lever and unscrew the opposite-side adjuster nut counterclockwise until the wheel drops out of the forks. Pull the quick release and skewer out of the wheel axle and thread the adjuster nut back onto the QR spindle so it doesn’t go missing in transit. For the back wheel, shift into the smallest cog on the cassette and follow the same sequence as above. Remove the skewer.

Lift the bike with your left hand and apply some force to the top of the tire with your right palm to pop the wheel out (see photo 3). Lift the chain over the rear cog and remove the wheel. Place your pedals and skewers in a small bag. If you are using a cardboard box to ship or transport your bike, leave the back wheel on the bike and shift the chain to the largest cog to protect the derailleur.

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5. Place the frame and loose parts into your traveling case

Required tools: Frame and fork saver, rag and zip ties

First, insert the frame and fork savers into the dropouts (see photo 4), or insert the fork into your bike case’s fork mount (if applicable) and secure the quick release. Most bike cases conT R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

tain these parts; if not, bike stores usually have them free of charge. Put the bike on the ground with the drive train facing up. Wrap the chainstay with a rag. Shift the derailleurs toward the center of the frame by downshifting. Secure the rearderailleur cage to the frame with a zip tie.

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floor, turn the fork to the right so the brake on the fork directly faces you and lay the bike on its side into the box. Set the handle bar between the fork and the down tube with the top of the handlebar facing you (see photo 5). Secure the frame with the supplied straps, keeping the frame in the center of the box. Put a layer of foam on top of the frame.

6. Place the wheels in the case Required tools: Rag or cloth

Let the air out of the tires, leaving a maximum of 30 psi. Place your front wheel on top of the front section of the frame. Wrap the cassette on the rear wheel with a rag and place the wheel with

the cassette facing up close to the rear of the frame (see photo 6). Place your seat in the case, wrapped in a rag, away from sharp edges. Do not forget your bag with your small parts. Cover your wheels with foam and put the lid on securely. To put your bike together when you arrive, follow the steps in reverse order, taking careful note of the measurements you preserved with the tape. Bon voyage!

Special thanks to Gabor Herner, triathlete and expert bike mechanic. Paul Regensburg is an Olympic, Pan Am Games and Ironman coach and team manager. Visit lifesport.ca for more information or coaching inquiries.

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NUTRITION

Fueling up

Hit the start line with a full tank at your next 70.3

By Pip Taylor

T

Triathlons of any length can be classified as endurance races. Even sprint-distance events are not true sprints, considering they can take over an hour to complete. It seems obvious then that nutrition can play a crucial role, especially as the distances stretch even longer. Here, we will tackle a few of the core principles of sound race-day nutrition as they apply to 70.3 racing. That said, many of these concepts can easily be extrapolated and applied to longer or shorter triathlons, so read on even if you don’t plan to race a half-Ironman-distance event this season.

Let’s begin with the fundamentals. The two major fuels for energy are fat and carbohydrate (CHO). Even for the leanest athletes fat supplies are almost limitless, whereas CHO, stored as glycogen mainly in the liver and muscles, is rapidly depleted with exercise (although the rate of depletion is more or less rapid as exercise intensity waxes and wanes). While the body’s glycogen stores can be increased prior to racing

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THE PRE-RACE CARBO LOAD

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NUTRITION through practices such as carbo loading and tapering, they will still not be sufficient to carry an athlete through an entire 70.3mile race.

Carbo loading has been shown to be beneficial for events that last over 90 minutes, but this isn’t a green light to pig out. Instead, over the final two to three days before your race, increase your daily CHO consumption to 8-10 grams of CHO per kilogram of body weight. For example, a 70-kilogram (155-pound) athlete consuming 9g/kg CHO would consume 630g CHO per day during the final few days EXAMPLE of a daily carbo-load- pre-race. Well-trained athletes, however, can ing diet providing a 70-kilogram saturate their CHO athlete with 9g/kg of CHO stores in as little as 36 hours, since they are • Breakfast: 2 cups cereal with 7oz more fuel efficient and (200ml) low-fat milk; banana; 9oz will likely be on the (250ml) fruit juice course for less time.

• Snack: 2 slices toast; 1tbsp jam; one During your apple; 34oz (1000ml) sports drink carbo-loading phase, • Lunch: 2 bread rolls with lean meat and focus less on your salad; 9oz (250ml) soft drink; 7oz long-term nutritional (200ml) flavored yogurt goals and more on • Snack: 10oz (300ml) flavored milk; taking on high-densibreakfast bar ty, low-fiber foods, • Dinner: 2 cups pasta; salad; bread roll; which will meet your 2 cups fruit salad; 2 scoops ice cream; energy needs for the 9oz (250ml) soft drink/sports drink race and can reduce Total: 630g CHO

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the amount of time you spend in the port-a-johns on race day.

Now is not the time to be upping your servings of fresh fruit or whole-grain breads (you can get back on nutritional track postrace), nor is it the time to be experimenting with new foods— yes, that includes the free samples in the race goody bag. Fluids are also important, so stay hydrated, but not overly so. You want pale to clear urine, but you do not want to be running to the bathroom every 20 minutes.

As for the pre-race pasta party, if it is the night before the race the last thing you want to do is stuff yourself and then carry the half-digested food with you for the whole race. It is probably better to eat more on Friday night than on Saturday night for a Sunday morning race.

EARLY-MORNING NUTRITION TACTICS Do not be tempted to sleep in on race morning and skip breakfast: This is the last chance to top up energy reserves, and you want to eat your morning pre-race meal two to four hours prior to the start. The amount and time you eat will depend on what you are comfortable with, but even if you are not hungry you do still need to eat something—and be aware that there is often a significant difference between what your stomach can handle in training vs. racing. Your pre-event meal should be based in carbohydrate-rich foods, such as bread, pasta, rice, cereal, sports drinks, and it should be low in fat so it is emptied from the stomach before the event begins. Liquid meals or a low-fat smoothie may also suit some athletes who are too nervous and cannot tolerate solid food. If you have a favorite lucky

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NUTRITION

EXAMPLES of early-morning meals providing a 70kilogram athlete with 2g/kg of CHO • • • • •

4 thick slices toast with honey/jam; 10oz (300ml) flavored milk, or 1 cup tinned spaghetti; 2 slices toast; 9oz (250ml) fruit juice, or 60g sports bar and 18oz (500ml) liquid meal, or 2 cups rice/pasta; 7oz (200ml) flavored yogurt, or 2.5 cups cereal; 7oz (200ml) milk; large banana

food that meets these requirements, then eat that. Do not underestimate the power of psychology and food.

Specifically, aim to eat 1-4 grams of CHO per kilogram of body weight in your early-morning meal (see above for meal suggestions). Hydration is also critical: Drink at least 10-20oz (300600ml) of fluid with your pre-race breakfast and then another 1015oz (300-450ml) about 15 minutes before the start. This can be either water or sports drink depending on taste and if you need the drink to boost your CHO intake pre-race. The sodium in sports drinks will also help keep you hydrated through increased water retention and fewer toilet stops. You may want to also have a final energy gel about 15-30 minutes prior to the start.

DURING THE EVENT The swim affords no possibility to take in any CHO or fluids, and even the run can be limiting in this regard, especially if you are moving quickly. So the bike offers the best opportunity for you to refuel and hydrate. One mistake that athletes make, however, is to wait until they feel hungry or thirsty before they

begin consuming. Note that it is critical to start taking fuel on board early, since hunger and thirst are not reliable indicators of nutritional needs while you are in race mode and working hard.

Instead, intake needs to be regimented to ensure availability. If you are someone who just forgets to eat/drink, then consider setting a beeping reminder on your watch or picking out other cues on the course prior to the race.

Aim to consume 30-60 grams of carbohydrate per hour (depending on experience, size and tolerance) and to drink at a rate that replaces as much of the fluid lost through sweating as is comfortable and practical: This will probably be somewhere between 20 and 35oz (600 and 1000ml) per hour.

Electrolytes, specifically sodium, are also lost during intense exercise, and it has become standard practice to consume sodium supplements to avoid hyponatraemia (low sodium plasma levels)—however, be sure to practice this in The following foods/drinks training. Race day is not provide you with approxithe time to begin popmately 50g CHO apiece: ping unfamiliar pills.

• 20-35oz (600-1000ml) sports Also, note that it will drink (commonly around 7% CHO be virtually impossible to concentration) meet your fluid require• Soda: 17oz (500ml) ments on the run, so you • 1.5-2 sports gels (60-70% CHO) need to make the most of • 1 banana your time on the bike to • 1 chocolate bar set yourself up for a • 1-1.5 sports bars strong finish.

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DEAR COACH

Running amok

Don’t fall victim to the suggestive blah, blah

By Roch Frey and Paul Huddle

I’m a relatively new triathlete and come from a running background with three solid 1:32 half-marathons this past year. Is it pie in the sky to try and carry that over to a 70.3 race? I’ve come to terms with the Vineman 70.3 and that I don’t do well in heat (1:56 run). My teammates tell me you automatically lose time on the run from your open halfmarathon time, although this doesn’t seem to be the case for me in short-course races. I appreciate your experience and thoughts.

Thanks, Cindy

CINDY,

“

One, learn to be patient and two, beware of the fine art of suggestive blah blah.

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”

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

Most athletes will run slower in a triathlon than they would for an open half-marathon, 10K, marathon, etc. Intuitively, it makes sense that you’d run a faster time for any distance if you didn’t have to swim and bike first. That said, it’s interesting that the best triathletes tend to run very close to their open run times in triathlons. It’s also interesting to note that athletes who have a great deal of running experience and have maximized their running potential often have the biggest slowdowns on a percentage basis in their triathlon runs (initially, anyway), while those who are picking up their running from a limited background as part of their triathlon training tend to run closer to their open-run potential.

Regardless of your background or talent level, the question is how can you minimize the slowdown in triathlon running compared to your open running times? The fact that you don’t seem to slow much in your sprintand Olympic-distance triathlon running compared to your stand-alone 5K and 10K running times gives us hope. It tells us that maybe the duration of the swim and bicycle portion of a 70.3 event fatigue you to the

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DEAR COACH point where you aren’t able to meet your running potential. Maybe you’re not pacing yourself appropriately through the first two disciplines and this is impacting your run more than it needs to. Maybe your nutrition or hydration is lacking during the bicycle portion of the race and this is putting you on the run course with a quarter tank of gas.

While it makes sense to think you need to bump your run training back up to your pretriathlon-training levels, this is just your running ego talking to you without regard for what’s really going on. You’re becoming a triathlete and, along the road to becoming a better, more experienced triathlete, your running will slowly but surely improve and start to more closely approximate your true running ability. This won’t happen without some pain and suffering along the way, but adding more run training is not what will get you there.

We’d suggest, in addition to looking at how your run training has changed or decreased, considering how long you’ve been consistently training for swimming and/or cycling. It sounds like it hasn’t been that long.

Now, look at how many triathlons you’ve done. Now look at how many half-Ironman

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

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triathletemag.com •News •Training Tips •Race Events Triathlete Online will get you there faster.

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DEAR COACH

triathlons you’ve done. Are you seeing what we see? It’s really an issue of limited triathlon experience in general. You’re going to have to be patient and continue to work on your swimming and cycling at the expense of your running prowess, knowing you’ll become a better triathlon runner as a result.

Remember, the total amount of endurance training you’re doing now is probably greater than the time you used to spend just running. This means you’re probably increasing your cardiovascular fitness, even though your running hasn’t shown it yet. It will.

Continue to swim, bike and run, and make sure you’re running after riding at every possible opportunity. No, don’t do your harder (high-intensity) run workouts or long runs after riding, but all of your other running can be done off the bike.

Speaking of the bike, make sure you’re doing enough. Many triathletes who come from a running background will cling to their six or seven days per week of running and only ride two to four days a week. While it’s time-intensive, spending a bit of extra time on the bike—even at the expense of your running— might allow you to get off the bike feeling a little fresher and able to make use of your running ability. This, coupled with more racing, will make you a better triathlon runner.

The other issue to look at is how hard you were riding in your half-Ironman and whether you paid close enough attention to your nutrition, hydration and electrolyte status. Pushing too hard or failing to consume adequate fluid and energy on the bike could lead to a drastically slower run time than you’re capable of. Think about it. Your best half-marathon times are around

1:32. That’s 92 total minutes of racing. Now, you’re starting your triathlon half-marathon having already spent around four hours at race intensity.

So, yes, it’s natural to lose a little time in your triathlon runs compared to your stand-alone runs, but going from a 1:32 to the 1:50s is not an acceptable drop-off, even given the fact that you don’t do well in the heat. So try training more in the heat, and make sure you’ve given your body the opportunity to adapt—as little as 10 to 14 days of training in hot conditions should do the trick. You should be capable of 1:40 in a triathlon half-marathon and, when you really start to adapt to being a triathlete, even a 1:37 or so on a course similar to your 1:32 course.

By the way, those teammates saying you automatically lose time on the run from your open-run time sound like they are well practiced in the fine art of SBB (suggestive blah, blah).

They’re doing their best to keep you in their sights during the run by planting unsubstantiated thoughts in your mind. It’s similar to what we tell our single-sport friends who are much better than we are at a particular discipline and decide they want to try a triathlon. You should have heard us at the pool the other day: “Yeah, you can’t expect to still swim fast once you start cycling and running. It’s well documented that your legs get heavier due to these activities and negatively impact your buoyancy by virtue of Bernoulli’s Principle and the hydrodynamic issues associated with post-run latent ankle dorsiflexion, blah, blah, blah.”

Works every time.

Paul and Roch

Olympic & Sprint Distances

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The mental battle

Incorporate these fundamental psychological components into your training

By Todd Parker, Sr., MA, MS

W

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edge in their training and racing.

Athletes as diverse as Ironman champions Peter Reid and Mark Allen and Yankees hall-of-famer Yogi Berra have all pointed to the importance of mental training. But what exactly is mental training, and can it mean different things to different folks?

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THE IMPORTANCE OF IMAGERY First, let’s explore imagery, which is often referred to as visualization, mental rehearsal or mental practice.

Skill development: Imagery creates familiarity with tasks that may be unfamiliar or daunting (such as a mass-start open-water swim or tough climb on the bike) and generates positive feedback for an athlete’s imagined performance in the given task (Hardy et al., 1996). While athletes and coaches usually associate imagery with competition preparation, imagery is just as useful for skill development in the form of technique correction: Specifically, athletes can improve by learning to visualize proper technique.

Subsequent physical training will then be more effective as cognitive images of proper technique are transferable to the actual execution of the activity, such as your freestyle catch or smooth pedal stroke on the bike.

Anxiety and injury: Additionally, imagery can be effective in behavior modification (i.e. reducing anxiety levels). Not only can imagery aid in reducing stress and facilitate relaxation but it has also been reported to reduce the potential for injury, facilitate the healing process of injured athletes, increase adherence to rehabilitation regimes and help maintain skills during rehabilitation.

In addition, for many athletes, once at the race site, anxiety builds. Athletes must remind themselves they can control how they feel and their focus. According to Karen Smyers, the 1995 Ironman world champion, “I understand I can control only how I perform, not how others perform. Competition is a positive force, not a negative one, and you cannot control who is showing up for the event, either” (Evans, 1997). Key to this is one’s locus of control—that is, maintaining an understanding that while you are acted upon by outside forces you ultimately control your own outcome. So concentrate on what you can control and ignore what you cannot.

Through this process, athletes can visualize themselves successfully coping through the entire process. It is important for athletes/coaches to think through and discuss the entire range of stressinducing aspects that are normally experienced. Some athletes may have a tendency to experience elevated anxiety levels due to certain race venues or weather conditions and may benefit from a checklist of reminders. The point is not to limit mental imagery to only seeing T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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yourself swimming, cycling or running.

Imagery sessions during race week can focus on various areas of the upcoming competition and can alleviate other sources of stress.

DEVELOPING A MENTALTRAINING PROGRAM Consider the below components to establish a foundation for a mental-training program. Guide your approaches based on what are widely considered the four fundamental C’s of competition: concentration, control, confidence and commitment.

Associated with concentration, consider: • Identifying attentional styles (what you focus on/attend to) • Tailor strategies toward improving your individual attentional focus • Incorporate pre-season races into your training schedule, then use them as developmental tools to help identify anxiety issues and build strategies to improve relaxation, confidence and focus • Incorporate mental-training time into your weekly training Associated with control, consider: • Learn what aspects are controllable (things you can influence), such as mental race preparation, and those that are uncontrollable (beyond your ability to influence), such as the weather conditions on race day • Coinciding with concentration above, remind yourself that you are in control and by using negativethought stopping techniques you can regain control, focus and momentum • Practice control in your mentalimagery sessions by acknowledging that negative or faulty technique images will often be visualized during a training session, and recognize the importance of regaining control and visualizing the moment again with correct form • Teach yourself to use cue words such as “smooth, even pedal stroke,” “rotate hips” and “relax shoulders and elbows” to regain or maintain control when technique falters, terrain changes or focus drifts Associated with confidence, consider: • Establish realistic but challenging short- and intermediate-term goals, which breed confidence and facilitate progress toward longerterm goals |

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TRAINING • Clearly identify goals or objectives for training each day • Reinforce positive summaries of weekly training • Reinforce positive thoughts, perhaps capitalizing on recent successful performances, training sessions and preparation • Incorporate pre-season races into your training schedule • Develop self-efficacy (belief in your effectiveness) • Utilize imagery training to visualize defeating competitors Associated with commitment, consider: • Ensure daily training goals, expectations and responsibilities are clearly defined and understood • For coaches, maintain fair, firm and equal accountability • Occasionally choose an alternative

or fun exercise regimen (on a recovery day) to avoid training boredom • Highlight and post progress throughout the season and place in a visible area • Try to create fun and friendly competition on occasion among teammates or training partners as 24/7 seriousness will adversely affect long-term commitment • Incorporate steps/techniques to mitigate performance anxiety.

Todd Parker is a former professional triathlete and holds a master’s degree in exercise physiology & human performance from San Jose State University.

Parker is a multisport coach at Cadence Cycling & Multisport Centers in Philadelphia and can be reached at 650353-6094 or tparker@cadencecycling.com.

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

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XTERRA ZONE

Rich Cruse

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Honoring the best

XTERRA salutes Kerstin Weule as 2007 Hall of Fame inductee

By Kahuna Dave Nicholas

When, in 2005, XTERRA celebrated its 10th season, the founders created the XTERRA Hall of Fame, naming Ned Overend as the inaugural member.

Overend, aka Deadly Nedly, was at the first-ever XTERRA in ’96 and won backto-back world titles at ages 42 and 43. At age 50, Overend had the ninth-fastest bike split in Maui, and race commentators respectfully called him The Old Man of the Mountain.

In 2006, triathlon great Scott Tinley—one of the first and most promi138

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nent ambassadors of the sport—was given a spot in the hall. In 2007, the award went to another blue-eyed blond.

If you saw her walking down the street in her home of Evergreen, Colo., her blond hair would probably be in a braid and skin aglow from spending a little too much time in the mountain sun. She’d definitely be smiling, and her blue eyes would have that telltale glint of adventure.

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simply did not gel with Weule’s strengths as an athlete. As such, she nearly quit the sport. Instead, however, Weule discovered XTERRA. Weule’s name was synonymous with XTERRA for years. She was fifth at Maui in 1997 after a second place in Kirkwood and a third place at Big Bear. The winning started in 1998 in Louisiana, and she won the next two big races. In her career, Weule won at almost every U.S. XTERRA venue, plus races in the UK and Canada.

Her battles from 1997-1999 with Lorraine Barrow and Jody Purcell were wonderful to watch, but during those years she simply could not get it right at Maui. But the new millennium was the key for Weule, as she stood on the top as world champion in 2000.

Weule brought much to XTERRA: an open disposition, the ability to share all that she knew at XTERRA University clinics, a great laugh, her cartwheel at the finish line and her blue, painted toenails on race day. Weule retired from XTERRA racing in 2003 while still able to podium anywhere.

Today she is a practicing massage therapist. She skis in the winter, still runs or bikes every day but hasn’t swum in years. Maybe it was that mean German coach who got to her many years ago.

For her early contributions and influence on the sport, XTERRA salutes Kerstin Weule as the 2007 inductee into the XTERRA Hall of Fame.

Rich Cruse

one until Jamie Whitmore took on the challenge. Weule won 19 XTERRA titles, including the U.S. pro series, in 1999 and 2000, plus the 2000 world championship.

Born in Braunlage, Germany, in 1966, Weule credits much of her athletic ability to her parents. “Growing up, they used to drag me to the running track twice a week, where we would perform all kinds of track-and-field disciplines,” says Weule. “Also, the Germans are very well organized . . . where you don’t just practice one main sport but lots of other ones, too. I think all this early activity probably helped me in my coordination and balance.”

Weule’s foray into competition started with swimming at age 11. A strict German coach engrained in her the value of hard work, big volume and athletic suffering. By the time Weule was 17, however, swimming wasn’t enough, and she ventured into the original multisport, modern pentathlon, for four years. The triathlon bug finally bit her in 1991, and it shaped her life in big ways.

Weule moved to the United States (Colorado, to be exact) because she loved the climate. In 1994, she was ranked fourth in the U.S. among short-course triathletes. In 1996, her involvement in the sport spurred her to become an American citizen.

Despite being ranked 17th in the world in 1997, the drafting format of short-course racing on the ITU circuit

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BIKE OF THE MONTH

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By Jay Prasuhn

T

The 2008 Specialized Transition marks a striking new direction for Specialized. For years, the company has made great aluminum bikes, but triathletes have, over the past several seasons, increasingly focused on carbon. So Specialized started from scratch and took the tri bike to the front of the company’s lengthy to-do list. The result—the 2008 S-Works Transition—has thrust Specialized to the top of the tri market inside a year. With the Transition not only does Specialized have a bike of a) carbon; b) amazing geometric variability; and c) striking aerodynamic merit; but they also have d) an Ironman world title on it, courtesy Australia’s Chris McCormack.

Visual accents on this barely UCI legal-rig include a curved seat-tube fairing the rear wheel and unique stays that ride the rear wheel in parallel, flaring at the back to meet the dropouts.

Add internally routed cables and unique brake calipers (using a brake cable that pulls the calipers equally from the center of a straddle wire) tucked neatly out of the wind, a blade-thin top tube, a 1-inch steerer and my favorite feature, a fork crown cut on an aero bias, and the bike demonstrates the engineers were thinking outside the box in the interest of aerodynamics. And a recent test at the Wright Brothers low-speed wind tunnel at MIT showed the Transition scoring well enough on its aerodynamic torture test to place it among the very top industry performers.

And the fit range is unbelievable. The Transition is sized S through XL but adopts elements of Dan Empfield’s Stack and Reach fitting, taking into account not only the rider’s inseam but also upper-body reach. Additionally, S-Works buyers have the option of a zero-offset post or a layback, with each post having two clamp positions. So on a medium frame with a nominal saddle height of 75cm, the bike can have a seat angle as far back as 74 degrees or as steep as 78 degrees with the layback post. Switch to the zero offset and you go from 78.5 to an astounding 82.5 degrees.

We garnered the most feedback while racing the large (56cm) Transition at a Half Ironman in late October. First 140

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Courtesy the manufacturer

Specialized S-Works Transition

thoughts? With a great fit, narrow profile and all cables ported away, it cuts a narrow swath. With much less training in my legs (exposed by a horrendous run), I managed a three-minutefaster bike split over 56 miles than I did on the same course under similar conditions two years prior—for what that’s worth.

The integrated brakes had commendable stopping power on descents or entering corners. Smart carbon layup meant for a stiff bottom bracket (a surprise considering the narrow stance of the rear stays) with no spoke rub on the stays no matter how hard I wrenched on climbs. And the front-end stiffness was a match. The leaf gussets flanking the down tube at the fork serve a structural as well as aerodynamic function, helping drop torsional flex when climbing or steering.

So while the slack 72-degree head angle should have, in theory, made the bike a more sluggish handler, front-end stiffness brought the snappiness right back. The Transition was stiff accelerating out of U-turns, but the slack head angle (coupled with a low bottom bracket that drops the center of gravity) helped the Transition maintain a straight line when I fatigued and my bike handling got sloppy.

Not to be lost in the fawning over the bike is a stunning SWorks crankset. Hollow crankarms joined by a jagged Hirth coupling interface make for a stout crank that complements the frame’s drivetrain. Not only is the crank a featherweight at 635 grams but it’s also unbelievably stiff, and an interchangeable spider allows for either standard or compact rings. Additionally, the Specialized rings are Ni-Boron coated, hardening the rings and giving them a champagne finish. We found this helps shifting to the big blade with significantly less delay and grinding.

One final note: While the S-Works was impressive, we’re rapt with the entire range. While all Transition models below the SWorks have a slight frame weight increase due to a different carbon layup (and consumers get a choice of one post instead of both), the buyer spending $3,000 on the Transition Comp gets a bike very similar to that on which Macca won Hawaii. Doesn’t get much better than that.

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Courtesy of ZOOT

CUTTING EDGE

High Zoot

Zoot Sports has unleashed a running shoe designed just for triathletes

By T.J. Murphy

A

At the Interbike industry trade show last year, Eli Carlson, marketing director for California-based Zoot Sports, had a chat with elite triathlete and Ironman champion Heather Gollnick. The subject was socks. Carlson asked Gollnick why she wore socks during a race. Gollnick replied that there was only one reason: to prevent blisters. Considering all the money, experience and science poured into running-shoe research, why does it seem that so few companies have asked this key question?

In fact, running-shoe companies have addressed the blister question (or have tried to) with certain models over the years, and there are a number of runners and triathletes who race, if not train, sockless. One current example is the Nike Free 5.0, a shoe Nike says simulates the feel and action of barefoot running and by virtue is often worn without socks. Certain factors seem to come into play for athletes who successfully go without socks: The shoe must fit right, the inside of the shoe must have few seams and the runner/triathlete must have spent some time getting physically accustomed to the shoe.

Zoot Sports is getting into the running-shoe market this spring with a product line that, among other things, is meant to fulfill the needs of triathletes who don’t want to wear socks.

Hitting the shelves in March, Zoot calls it the Ultra Collection.

That Zoot has designed its introduction into the running-shoe market to be worn sockless is an indication of its overall intent: Make shoes specific to the needs of triathletes.

If you’ve felt frustrated that major running-shoe companies are far more interested in the mainstream market’s appetite for running shoes (a $3.5 billion annual market) and are not paying attention to multisport, Zoot’s expansion into running shoes should be a welcome sign. And in contrast to many of the larger shoe companies, which appear to be neglecting multisport, Zoot’s first step was to talk to triathletes.

According to Zoot’s Aaron Azevedo, a 17-year industry veteran (formerly with Saucony and Hind) and leader of Zoot’s running-shoe team, the beginning of the Ultra Collection began when it put together a summit composed of triathletes, runners

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and ultra-runners and asked: What is it about running shoes that drives you crazy? What’s missing? What doesn’t work?

“We wanted the horror stories about what they were using,” Azevedo says. “Our goal was to have athletes be involved throughout the entire process.”

Azevedo says that after a series of such focus groups, prototypes were created to solve four core problems. “We fine-tuned our thinking after a focus group composed mostly of triathletes.

It was intense. The problems we decided Zoot needed to solve are what we call the four key differentiators.”

The differentiators, as Azevedo referred to them, consist of the following: Speed of entry: The need to get in and out of T2 as quickly as possible Sockless wear: Triathletes don’t want to take the time to put on socks Water retention: Studies have shown that traditional running shoes can gain an additional 30 percent of weight during a race Biomechanics: Athletes run differently after racing on a bike During the prototype stage, Zoot experimented with technologies to solve these problems. Azevedo says that, for example, they played endlessly with the lacing system. They also looked hard at the way cushioning was doled out, with typical running shoes manufactured with the bulk of cushioning under the heel.

“Every company has a big squishy thing in the heel,” Azevedo says. “But this is done with no thought that good runners are not slow [i.e. heavy heel strikers].” Instead, Azevedo says Zoot designed its shoes for mid-foot strikers, with a shank of carbon fiber to help generate a strong push-off.

The 2007 Hawaii Ironman was the stage for the Ultra Collection’s soft launch. Some 350 athletes tested the shoes during the week, and Carlson says she had cases of triathletes, despite the newness of the product, who elected to use the shoe in the race. In Kona, Carlson says Zoot received feedback suggesting that its shoe design and production process was a success. Triathletes particularly liked the sockless design and the fact they could pour water over their heads and the shoe would permit the water to drain through instead of saturating and weighing down the shoe.

Zoot’s shoes will be available for the ultimate focus group—the triathlon world—in March. For more info, go to zoot.com.

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Potts sprints to world title Australia’s Carfrae sets world-best time in Clearwater

By Brad Culp

About 1,500 athletes stormed into the Gulf of Mexico to start the secondannual Ford Ironman 70.3 World Championship on Nov. 10, in Clearwater, Fla. After an incredibly fast day of racing, which included age groupers breaking 146

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four hours and plenty of bike splits near two hours, American ITU star Andy Potts and Aussie Mirinda Carfrae ran to their first world-championship titles. Potts used his short-course speed to take a sprint finish over Brazilian Oscar Galindez, while Carfrae came from seven minutes down off the bike to win by four minutes and set a new world-best time at the Ironman 70.3 distance.

The pro women hit the water first, and as expected Great Britain’s Julie Dibens quickly assumed control of the 1.2-mile swim and led throughout. Close on her heels heading into the first transition were Pip Taylor (AUS), Leanda Cave (GBR) and Becky Lavelle (USA). Returning champ Samantha McGlone (CAN), who was still recovering from her runner-up finish at the Ford Ironman World Championship in Hawaii the month before, headed out onto the 56mile bike course about two minutes behind the leading women.

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AT THE RACES

Ten minutes after the women plunged into the gulf, the pro men hit the water, with nine of the top 10 finishers from last year’s event on the start line. The most notable addition to the men’s field this year came in the form of Potts, who won Ironman California earlier this season before shifting his focus to the ITU World Cup scene.

Alongside Potts at the start was returning 70.3 world champ Craig Alexander (AUS), versatile Kiwi Terenzo Bozzone (NZL) plus last year’s Clearwater bronze medalist Richie Cunningham (AUS).

In typical fashion, Potts flew through the swim in just under 23 minutes and headed into T1 with a slight lead over the trio of Bozzone, Fraser Cartmell (GBR) and Stephan Bignet (FRA). Bozzone made the quickest transition and was the first to start the bike, with a large group in pursuit.

As the men made their way out of T1, the pro women were already well on their way through the 56-mile ride. From the

2006 Ironman 70.3 world champ Sam McGlone finished second this time around in Clearwater, as she did at the Ford Ironman World Championship less than a month earlier.

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moment Dibens got on her bike, it was clear she was hungry for her second world title in three weeks, after winning the XTERRA world championship in Maui in late October. Just past the halfway point, the Brit had already built a four-minute lead on Lavelle, and the gap was growing with every mile. Lavelle and Cave hung onto second and third, respectively, for most of the bike, with a larger group another 90 seconds back.

In the men’s race, a pair of super-bikers moved to the front of the race during the early miles of the bike. David Thompson (USA) had a surprisingly strong swim and led the top men through the first 20 miles. However, Bjorn Andersson (SWE) was making up huge chunks of time behind him, and just past the halfway point the big Swede took over the race and began to ride away. A drafting penalty relegated Thompson to the back of the pack and took him out of contention.

Staying in relatively close contact with Andersson were Bozzone, Galindez, Chris Lieto (USA) and TJ Tollakson (USA).

After a record-breaking 1:59:37 bike split, Andersson headed into T2 with a lead of just under a minute on Bozzone and Galindez, both of whom are typically much stronger runners than Andersson.

Once onto the run, both the men’s and women’s leader boards completely changed. For the women, Carfrae started the run seven minutes down on Dibens but quickly began making up ground.

“I had a lot of time to make up,” Carfrae said after the race, “But I just started getting into my rhythm, and I felt great.”

With about four miles to go, Carfrae overtook Dibens, who was struggling in the final miles after leading for the entire day. Carfrae quickly opened up a huge gap, but both McGlone and Cave were closing hard as they neared the finishing chute.

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Andy Potts made up a good chunk of road on the bike, but it was on the final stretch of the run where he powered through for the win.

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Closing up a seven-minute deficit out of T2, Mirinda Carfrae made a run for it in the final minutes for a world-championship win.

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Carfrae continued her assault on the 70.3 world-best time as she sprinted to the line in 4:07:25, breaking Switzerland’s Natascha Badmann’s mark (set at the Eagleman in Maryland in 2007). Four minutes later, McGlone finished an incredible season, finishing one minute ahead of Cave. Dibens fought through the final miles to hold on for fourth.

“This year, I forgot about ITU racing and focused all my efforts on non-drafting events,” Carfrae said, “And it really paid off.”

While Carfrae got to enjoy high fives from spectators as she finished, Potts would not have that luxury. During the second half of the run, both he and Galindez stormed to the front of the race, but neither man was able to pull away from the other. The pair made its way back to the beach running side-by-side, and even with a quarter-mile to go the race was still up for grabs.

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AT THE RACES

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FORD IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 70.3 Clearwater, Fla.

As the leading two men entered the finishing chute, Potts put in a huge kick to hit the finish line in 3:42:33, just four seconds in front of Galindez.

“It’s hard to put into words what I’m feeling right now,” Potts said shortly after crossing the finish line. “I’ve dreamed about being a world champion. I lived my dream today.”

Great Britain’s Andrew Johns finished 30 seconds behind Galindez, with last year’s winner Alexander running his way into fourth place. Cunningham rounded out the top five and then collapsed at the finish with severe cramps.

“Looking ahead to next year, I just want to focus on getting on the Olympic team,” Potts said after the race, “But right now I can also say that I really want to do Ironman, and I will hopefully follow Crowie’s [Craig Alexander] footsteps and race Kona next year.”

This year, the Clearwater 70.3 champions did not earn a slot for the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, so Potts will have to qualify at another event if he decides he wants to race in Hawaii.

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Nov. 10, 2007 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

Women 1. Mirinda Carfrae (AUS) . . . . . . . . . 4:07:25 2. Samantha McGlone (CAN). . . . . . 4:11:29 3. Leanda Cave (GBR) . . . . . . . . . . . 4:12:29 4. Julie Dibens (GBR) . . . . . . . . . . . 4:12:53 5. Catriona Morrison (GBR) . . . . . . . 4:14:40 6. Sibylle Matter (SWI) . . . . . . . . . . 4:16:59 7. Becky Lavelle (USA) . . . . . . . . . . 4:16:59 8. Kate Major (AUS) . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:18:20 9. Monika Lehmann (SWI) . . . . . . . . 4:18:31 10. Michelle Lee (USA) . . . . . . . . . . 4:19:08 Men 1. Andy Potts (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:42:33 2. Oscar Galindez (BRA) . . . . . . . . . 3:42:37 3. Andrew Johns (GBR) . . . . . . . . . . 3:43:11 4. Craig Alexander (AUS) . . . . . . . . . 3:44:10 5. Richie Cunningham (AUS) . . . . . . 3:45:05 6. Stephan Bignet (FRA) . . . . . . . . . 3:46:03 7. Fraser Cartmell (GBR) . . . . . . . . . 3:49:03 8. TJ Tollakson (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:49:39 9. Terenzo Bozzone (NZL) . . . . . . . . . 3:50:10 10. Santiago Ascenco (BRA) . . . . . . 3:51:45 Amateur women 1. Caroline Smith (USA) . . . . . . . . . 4:23:43 Amateur men 1. Janda Ricci-Munn (USA) . . . . . . . 3:58:01 T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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Germans take top honors at Ironman Florida

Vuckovic holds off Marques, Kraft smashes course record

By Brad Culp

After a record-breaking day of racing, a pair of Germans stood atop the podium at Ironman Florida on Nov. 3 in Panama City Beach. Stephan Vuckovic, the 2000 Olympic triathlon silver medalist, won a tight race over Portugal’s Sergio Marques, while Nina Kraft, who earlier this year returned to racing Ironman events after serving a two-year ban for recombinant EPO use at the 2004 Hawaii Ironman, squeezed out a win over the Netherlands’ Heleen Bij de Vaate en route to smashing the course record.

The pros took to the Gulf of Mexico 10 minutes in front of the 2,200 age-group athletes, with Kiwi Bryan Rhodes leading the men out of the water in 49:02. The ocean proved to be much more tame than in past years, which made for some blazing-fast swim times. First-year pro Chris Hauth was only a few seconds behind Rhodesy, followed by another American, Heath Thurston.

On the pancake-flat bike course, France’s Damien FavreFelix took over the race, battling the wind to a 4:28:39 split (averaging 25mph). Favre-Felix was the 85th athlete out of the water but headed into T2 with a slight lead over Slovak Filip Kristl, who would later pull out of the race. Favre-Felix went 152

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on to finish 11th, in 8:40:58. Rhodes headed out onto the run in third, after a 4:37:03 split and a trip to the penalty tent, due to an ejected water bottle.

“The penalty may have actually been a good thing,” Rhodes said after the race.

“It gave me a bit of a rest, and it let me go out and run my own pace, instead of chasing the guys in front of me.”

While there were some fast times on the bike course, the marathon ultimately decided the podium. Vuckovic started the run in sixth but quickly made his way to the front of the race. The German assumed control around the halfway point, but Marques was making up huge chunks of time behind him. Vuckovic barely held him off, winning in 8:21:29, just over two minutes in front of Marques, who closed with a 2:46 marathon. Rhodes paced himself well on the run and finished third.

“Stephan [Vuckovic] and Marques had a great day,” Rhodes said. “They were the two that I was most worried about before the race, and sure enough they were the two ahead of me at the finish. I have to say I was pretty happy with third though.”

German’s Stephan Vuckovic won a close race, finishing in 8:21:29, just two minutes in front of Portugal’s Sergio Marques.

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AT THE RACES

Nina Kraft outran Heleen Bij de Vaate for a 9:05:35 win.

In the women’s race, Kraft stormed to the front from the start with an incredible 50:43 swim that gave her a three-minute cushion over Canadian Marie Danais.

Kraft, who was competing in her third Ironman event since her return to racing (she won Ironman Brazil earlier this year and finished second at Louisville), continued to look strong on the bike and blazed through the course in less than five hours. While Kraft was impressive on the bike, there was another German, Katja Schumacher, who made a big move. The former Ironman Wisconsin champion posted a 4:53:18 bike split and hit T2 with a three-minute lead on Kraft. However, Schumacher struggled on the run and went on to finish sixth.

Only American Tyler Stewart was able to better the Germans, with a 4:47:59 ride (better than most of the top men), to pull into third at the start of the marathon. Stewart’s time was the fastest Ironman bike split ever by a woman, bettering Karin Thürig’s 4:48:08 at Ironman Switzerland in 2005.

On the run, it turned into a threewoman race. Kraft hammered through the first 13.1 miles in 1:31 to assume control, but Bij de Vaate was making up ground

T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

behind her, with an amazing 1:29 opening leg. Bij de Vaate would finish with a 3:06:02 marathon, but it wasn’t enough to catch Kraft, who won in 9:05:35, 20 minutes better than Schumacher’s course record. Bij de Vaate came in two minutes later, with Stewart finishing third, another two minutes back.

FORD IRONMAN FLORIDA Panama City Beach, Fla.

Nov. 3, 2007 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run

Women 1. Nina Kraft (GER) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:05:35 2. Heleen Bij de Vaate (NED) . . . . . . . 9:07:40 3. Tyler Stewart (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:09:18 4. Bella Comerford (GBR) . . . . . . . . . 9:13:34 5. Tamara Kozulina (UKR) . . . . . . . . . 9:20:10 Men 1. Stephan Vuckovic (GER) . . . . . . . . 8:21:29 2. Sergio Marques (POR) . . . . . . . . . . 8:23:49 3. Bryan Rhodes (NZL) . . . . . . . . . . . 8:26:52 4. Stephen Bayliss (GBR). . . . . . . . . . 8:30:59 5. Massimo Cigana (ITA) . . . . . . . . . . 8:31:26 Amateur women 1. Lisbeth Kenyon (USA) . . . . . . . . . . 9:41:38 Amateur men 1. Sebastien Loehnert (GER) . . . . . . . 8:48:22 |

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AT THE RACES

Kemper, Ertel win at Treasure Island The 2007 running of this fall classic saw a change in name (from the Treasure Island Tri) and status (hosting the ITU Pan Am Cup race). And thanks to a wayward cargo ship that bumped the Bay Bridge and spilled thousands of gallons of oil into the bay, the race was changed from a triathlon to a duathlon, supplanting the 1.5km swim with a 6.5km opening run.

Hunter Kemper flicked a season-long hip and back injury, chasing down early leader and experienced duathlete Derek Kite on the bike, then ditching Mexico’s Arturo Garza out of T2 for the win. Beijing qualifier Jarrod Shoemaker took second, with Kite third.

In the women’s race, Julie Ertel (formerly Swail) was joined by Sarah Haskins, Sarah Groff and Jillian Peterson in a breakaway as the four sailed into the second transition together. But it was SAN FRANCISCO Ertel who outdistanced the remaining trio to take the TRIATHLON AT win. The victories earned both Ertel and Kemper the TREASURE ISLAND USA Triathlon Haul to the Great Wall series titles.

San Francisco, Calif.

Nov. 10, 2007 6.5km run, 40km bike, 10km run

Women 1. Julie Ertel (USA). . . . . . 2:08:47 2. Sarah Haskins (USA) . . 2:09:44 3. Jillian Petersen (USA). . 2:09:52 4. Sarah Groff (USA) . . . . 2:10:40 5. Justine Whipple (USA) . 2:11:25 Men 1. Hunter Kemper (USA) . 1:54:18 2. Jarrod Shoemaker (USA) 1:55:28 3. Derek Kite (USA) . . . . . 1:56:07 4. Victor Plata (USA) . . . . 1:56:12 5. Mark Fretta (USA) . . . . 1:56:20

Courtesy Event Organizers

12/9/07

American women, Canadian men dominate podium in Cancun Ertel, Whitfield out-kick the competition

By Brad Culp

American Julie Ertel made her case as a serious contender for the 2008 Olympic Team with a win at the Cancun ITU World Cup in Mexico on Nov. 4. On the men’s side, Canadian Simon Whitfield sealed up the world No. 2 ranking for 2007 with his third World Cup win of the year.

Ertel was in a tight pack off the bike, which included her countrywomen Sarah Haskins, Sara Groff and Laura Bennett, and then used a day’s best 36:32 10km run to win by 12 seconds ITU CANCUN over France’s Carole Peon.

WORLD CUP The men’s race came down to the final few meters, Cancun, Mexico with Whitfield out-kicking his countryman Paul Nov. 4, 2007 Tichelaar to win by only one second.

1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run Women 1. Julie Ertel (USA) . . . . . 2:03:22 2. Carole Peon (FRA). . . . 2:03:34 3. Sarah Haskins (USA). . 2:03:37 4. Jodie Swallow (GBR) . . 2:03:39 5. Laura Bennett (USA) . . 2:04:15 Men 1. Simon Whitfield (CAN). 1:52:05 2. Paul Tichelaar (CAN) . . 1:52:06 3. Volodymyr Polikarpenko (UKR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:52:08 4. Brent McMahon (CAN) 1:52:09 5. Yulian Malyshev (RUS). 1:52:12 156

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get your groove on.

JOHN SEGESTA

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AT THE RACES

Colting, Armstrong win Ultraman After three days of racing on Hawaii’s Big Island, Sweden’s Jonas Colting and American Shanna Armstrong were the first of 16 athletes to cross the finish line at the 23rd annual Ultraman World Championship on Nov. 2325. Both athletes were dominant throughout the race: Colting finished over an hour in front of the competition and Armstrong cruised to the win with a comfortable 50minute margin. Armstrong’s final time of 26:43:24 was the second-fastest Ultraman finish of all time for a woman and made her the first-ever athlete to win the ULTRAMAN WORLD Ultraman on four sepCHAMPIONSHIP arate occasions.

Big Island, Hawaii Nov. 23-25, 2007 Day one of the 6.2-mile swim, 261.4-mile bike, 52.4-run Ultraman kicked off with a 6.2-mile swim Women from Kailua Pier to 1. Shanna Armstrong (USA) 26:43:24 Keauhou Bay, followed 2. Ann Heaslett (USA) . . . . 27:18:32 by a 90-mile bike leg.

3. Iona Mackenzie (USA) . . 27:54:58 The second day was all 4. Vanusa Maciel (BRA) . . . 29:44:53 on the bike, covering 5. Suzy Degazon (PR) . . . . . 29:46:49 over 171 miles and Men 8,000 feet of climbing.

1. Jonas Colting (SWE) . . . . 21:59:44 The final day was a 2. Alexandre Ribeiro (BRA) . 23:05:04 double marathon on 3. Tim Sheeper (USA). . . . . 23:19:03 the Queek K Highway 4. Peter Mueller (SWI) . . . . 24:29:51 from Hawi to Kailua5. Miro Kregar (SLO). . . . . . 24:45:26 Kona.

Carfrae, Cunningham win six-man race in St. Croix

By Brad Culp

Six pro triathletes were handpicked by race director Tom Guthrie to participate in the third-annual Caribbean Classic Triathlon, in St. Croix, USVI, on Nov. 18. Only one week removed from her win at the Ford Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater, Florida, Aussie Mirinda Carfrae ran her way to a win and the biggest share of the $10,000 prize purse in the women’s race. Her countryman, Richie Cunningham, who was also recovering from Clearwater, won a tight men’s race over Kiwi Bryan Rhodes.

France’s Benjamin CARIBBEAN CLASSIC Sanson took a big lead TRIATHLON out of T1 but broke his St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands seat post at mile five of Nov. 18, 2007 the bike and was forced 1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run to drop out.

Women 1. Mirinda Carfrae (AUS). . . . . 2:17:12 2. Karen Smyers (USA) . . . . . . 2:19:09 3. Dede Griesbauer (USA). . . . 2:27:27 Men 1. Richie Cunningham (AUS). . 2:05:49 2. Bryan Rhodes (NZL) . . . . . . 2:06:40 Amateur women Theresa Harper (USA) . . . . . . . 3:01:52 Marjo Aho

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Hot temps, times at SOMA Tempe Half

By Jay Prasuhn

The Southwest season-ender for over 1,900 competitors on Oct. 28 in Tempe, Ariz., threw athletes a curve by holding out that traditional summer heat, with the mercury topping 96 degrees on race day. Best in the heat was Team Timex pro Jordan Rapp, whose day-best 2:08 bike on the pancake-flat course set the table for another day-best 1:22 run and a dominant 4:01:46 win for the New Yorker over runSOMA TRIATHLON ner-up Karol Kristov.

Tempe, Ariz.

The women’s race saw Oct. 28, 2007 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run young up-and-comer Katie Ellis of Phoenix Women use a strong 2:24 bike to 1. Katie Ellis (USA) . . . . . . . . . 4:32:26 hold off Canadian pro 2. Donna Phelan (CAN) . . . . . 4:39:07 Donna Phelan and take 3. Kimberly Ivey (USA) . . . . . . 4:40:10 the win in 4:32:26.

4. Michelle Wedemeyer (USA) . 4:42:05 5. Susan Rains (USA) . . . . . . . 4:45:30

asiphoto.com

Men 1. Jordan Rapp (USA). . . . . . . 4:01:46 2. Karon Kristov (USA) . . . . . . 4:10:41 3. Andrew Hodges (USA). . . . . 4:12:08 4. Nicholas Thompson (USA) . 4:14:22 5. Craig Turner (USA) . . . . . . . 4:22:24

Potts, Lavelle lead Americans in Bermuda

1. Evan Naude (BMU) . . . . . . . 2:10:08

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A top-notch field of pro triathletes headed down to Bermuda on Oct. 21 to tackle the Escape to Bermuda Triathlon. A pair of Americans, Andy Potts and Becky Lavelle, used blistering bike splits to pull away from the competition and secure the wins.

In typical fashion, Potts took control of the race from the start with a 17:27 swim and increased his gap ESCAPE TO BERMUDA with a sub-58-minute TRIATHLON bike split. Aussie St. George’s, Bermuda Simon Thompson was Oct. 21, 2007 1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run the only athlete who was able to outrun Women Potts, but it wasn’t 1. Becky Lavelle (USA) . . . . . . 2:05:51 enough to close the 2. Rebbecah Wassner (USA) . . 2:07:23 huge gap, as Potts 3. Lauren Groves (CAN) . . . . . . 2:09:00 cruised to the win in 4. Karen Smyers (USA) . . . . . . 2:11:26 1:51:39.

5. Alicia Kaye (CAN) . . . . . . . . 2:14:38 Lavelle also Men stamped her author1. Andy Potts (USA). . . . . . . . . 1:51:39 ity early on by surg2. Brian Fleischmann (USA). . . 1:54:20 ing past the faster 3. Matt Reed (USA). . . . . . . . . 1:55:29 swimmers in the first 4. Simon Thompson (AUS). . . . 1:56:10 few miles of the bike.

5. Benjamin Sanson (FRA) . . . 1:58:23 She took a comfortable lead into T2 and Amateur Women continued to pull 1. Kim McMullen (BMU) . . . . . 2:26:08 away en route to a Amateur Men 2:05:51 finish.

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TRIATHLONS • DUATHLONS • MARATHONS • ULTRAS • ADVENTURE RACES • CYCLING EVENTS • WINTER SPORTS

By Brad Culp

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INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLON & DUATHLON RACE CALENDAR

Triathlon. CGI Racing. 750m S, 17-mile B, 3.1mile R. 07/27- West Windsor, NJ—New Jersey State Triathlon. CGI Racing. 1.5K S, 40K B, 10K R; 500m S, 13.5-mile B, 5K R. 08/17- North East, MD—North East Maryland Triathlon. CGI Racing. 1.5K S, 23.2-mile B, 10K R; 750m S, 15.5-mile B, 3.5-mile R.

MOUNTAIN PACIFIC

Triathlete endeavors to present the most comprehensive calendar of tris and dus. However,because event dates are subject to change,please check with race directors to confirm event information before making plans.

See Multi-Event Contacts for contact information for promoters that have multiple listings. Listings printed in red indicate Triathlete-sponsored races. USA Triathlon-sanctioned races are designated with a #.

Register at active.com for events designated with @.

RACE DIRECTORS: For online race listings,please go to triathletemag.com and post your races under our Calendar link. Allow one week for your events to become live.

For listing in our print calendar, e-mail your information to rebecca@triathletemag.com or fax it to (760) 634-4110.

MULTI-EVENT CONTACTS 3 Discliplines Racing: www.3disciplines.com; 866.820.6036 5430 Sports: Barry Siff,1507 North St.,Boulder,CO, barry@5430sports.com, www.5430sports.com; 303.442.0041.

AA Sports: 503.644.6822; www.racecenter.com; events@ racecenter.com.

Blue Sky Sports, LLC: 678.237.0308; director@ tribluesky.com; www.tribluesky.com.

Bradventures LLC. Producer of Auburn International Triathlon.www.auburntriathlon.com; 530-888-9911; info@bradventures.com.

By the Beach Productions: 5153 Soquel Dr.,Soquel, CA,831.465.6517; www.bythebeachproductions.com; info@ bythebeachproductions.com.

Capri Events: 773.404.2372; www.caprievents.com.

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Entries submitted before Nov. 30 have been included in the February issue. All entries that were submitted after that date will be in the March issue.

Please note that most XTERRA global tour events consist of approximately a 1.5K swim, 30K mountain bike and 10K trail run.

SOUTH ATLANTIC

04/13- Miami Beach, FL—Nautica South Beach Triathlon. .5-mile S, 18-mile B, 4-mile R. 04/20- Austin, TX—Cactus Challenge IV. 1.5K S, 40K B, 10K R. 500m S, 20K B, 5K R.

Reminder: If a race’s contact information is not listed with the event in the preceding section, refer to the Multi-Event Contacts listings below. There, you will find a list of race organizers who put on either multiple races or series events.

For more events and online race registration, be sure to check out triathletemag.com and active.com. Both sites offer up-to-date racing and training information, as well as the most recent news and coverage of triathlon’s most popular events. To list your event in our online calendar, please go to triathletemag.com.

XTERRA TV SCHEDULE (

NORTH ATLANTIC

06/01- Poconos Mts., PA—Black Bear Triathlon.

CGI Racing. 750m S, 18-mile B, 3.1-mile run.

07/06- Philadelphia, PA—Philadelphia Women’s

In 2008 the XTERRA USA and World Championships will each air in more than 80 markets across the U.S., reaching more than four million viewers. Check your local listings to see when the shows are on in your area, and visit xterraplanet.com for an updated broadcast schedule for all the award-winning TEAM Unlimited TV productions.

CFT Sommer Sports: 838 W. DeSoto St., P.O. Box 121236, Clermont, FL 34712; 352.394.1320 (p); 352.394.1702 (f); info@triflorida.com; http://greatfloridian.com.

CGI Racing: 856-308-7522; www.cgiracing.com.

Cutting Edge Events: 217.347.3739; www.cutingedgeevents.net,beccakoester@yahoo.com, www.sign meup.com.

Danskin Women’s Triathlon Series: 800.452.9526, www.danskin.com, triathlon@ danskin.com.

Elite Endeavors: Jim & Joyce Donaldson,8963 Stoneybrook Blvd., Sylvania, OH 43560; 419.829.2398, jdjp@sev.org.

Emerald Coast Events Commission: 850.784.9542; www.emeraldcoasstevents.com; jlynch@knology.net.

EndorFUN Sports: 603.293.8353, 512.535.5224; www.endorfunsports.com, keith@timbermantri.com.

Envirosports: P.O. Box 1040, Stinson Beach, CA

94970, 415.868.1829 (p), 415.868.2611 (f), info@envirosports. com, www.envirosports.com.

Event Power: 22 Jagger Ln.,Southampton,NY 11968; 631.283.7400; eventpower@aol.com; www.swimpower. com.

Exclusive Sports Marketing & Nestle Sprintkids Series: 1060 Holland Dr., Ste. 3-L, Boca Raton, FL 33487; 561.241.3801; 888.ESMSPORTS (376-7767); tjcesarz@ exclusivesports. com; www.familyfitnessweekend.com.

Fat Rabbit Racing: Craig Thompson,614.424.7990, 614.306.1996; craigthompson@fatrabbitracing.com; www.fatrabbitracing.com.

Finish Line Productions: 475 Tinker’s Trail, Boulder Creek, CA. 831.419.0883; info@finishlineproduction.com; finishlineproduction.com.

FIRM Racing: 66 Bruce Rd., Marlboro, MA 01732;

T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

Robert Murphy/bluecreekphotography.com

06/08- Makena, HI—Kings Trail Triathlon. Maui Multi Sports Club. 1.5K S, 40K B, 10K R.

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P: (508) 485-5855, F: (508) 229-8394; bill@firm-racing.com, www.firm-racing.com.

Firstwave Events: P.O. Box 321269, Los Gatos, CA 95032; P: 408.356.0518; F: 408.356.0534; www.firstwave-events.com..

Georgia Multisport Productions: Jim Rainey, 4180 Liberty Trace, Marietta, GA 30066; 770.926.6993, 770. 928. 9292 (F); jim@gamultisports.com, www.gamultisports.com.

Great Smokey Mountains Triathlon Club: www.gsmtc.com; tri2000@dnet.net.

Greater Knoxville Triathlon Club: Kevin Mahan, 205 Cross Creek Private Ln., Lenoir City, TN 37771, 865.675.BIKE (2453) (p), 865.988.9250 (f), www.knoxtri.org; kevinmahan@char tertn.net.

Green Brook Racing LLC: Joe Patanella,P.O.Box 825, Green Brook, NJ 08812-825, 732.841.2558; greenbrookracing@aol.com, www.greenbrookracing.com.

HFP Racing: P.O. Box 375,Thornville, OH 43076; shannon@hfpracing.com, 740.743.2418; scott@ hfpracing.com, 440. 350.1708; www.hfpracing.com Ironhead Race Productions: Jack Weiss,P.O.Box 1113, Euless, TX 76039-1113; 817.355.1279; ironjack@ironheadrp.com; www.ironheadrp.com.

HMA Promotions: 216.752.5151; www.hmapromotions.net Ironman North America: 4999 Pearl East Circle Suite 301, Boulder, CO, 80301; 518.523.2665; 518.523.7542; imanusa@capital. net.

J&A Productions: www.japroductions.com; info@japroduc tions.com.

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JMS Racing Services: P.O.Box 582,Marion,IN 52302, 319.373.0741; www.pigmantri.com/ jmsracing.html; jim@ pigmantri.com; john@pig mantri.com.

KOZ Enterprises: San Diego Triathlon Series. P.O. Box 421052, San Diego, CA 92142; 858.268.1250; www.kozenter prises.com; info@ kozenterprises.com.

Lake Geneva Extreme Sports: P.O. Box 1134, Lake Geneva, WI 53147, www.lakegenevasports.com; lgsports@lake genevasports.com; 262.275.3577.

Lakeshore Athletic Services: 847.673.4100, lakeshoreinfo@aol.com.

Mattoon Multi-sport: mattoonbeachtri.com; ltgarrett@hughes.net.

Maui Multi Sports Club: P.O. Box 1991, Kihei, Maui, HI 96753; trimaui.org.

MESP, Inc. Racing Series: 29395 Agoura Rd., Ste. 102, Agoura Hills, CA 91301; 818.707.8867 (p); 818.707.8868 (f); www. mesp.com.

Mountain Man Events: P.O. Box 255, Flagstaff, AZ 86002; www.mountainmanevents.com; admin@mountainmanevents.com.

New York Triathlon: P.O.Box 50,Saugerties,NY 124770050; 845.247.0271; www.nytc.org.

North Coast Multisports, Inc: P.O. Box 2512, Stow, Ohio 44224; 216-272-0064; mrzymek@aol.com.

On Your Mark Events: 209.795.7832; info@onyourmarkevents.com; www.onyourmark events.com.

Pacific Sports, LLC: 1500 S. Sunkist St., Ste. E,Anaheim,CA 92806; 714.978.1528 (p); 714.978.1505 (f); www.pacificsportsllc.com.

Palmetto Race & Event Production: P.O. Box 1634, Bluffton, SC 29910; 843.815.5267 (p);

T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

843.785.2734 (f); andy5267@ aol.com; www.palmettorace.com.

Personal Best Performance: Michael Hays, 808 Saturn Ave.,Idaho Falls,ID,83402-2658.208.521.2243; Michael@PB-Performance.com.

PCH Sports: www.pchsports.com; 2079 Cambridge Ave.,Cardiff by the Sea,CA 92007; 760.944.7261.

Piranha Sports, LLC/ Greater Atlantic Multisport Series/Greater Atlantic Club Challenge/Escape from School Youth Triahtlon Series: Neil Semmel, P.O. Box 150, Kirkwood, DE 19708; nsemmel@piranha-sports.com; www.piranha-sports.com.

PR Racing,Inc.,P.O.Box 56-1081,Miami,FL,33256; 305.278.8668.trimiami.com,trimiami@gmail.com.

Premier Event Management: P.O.Box 8764,Metairie, La. 70011. 504.454.6561. www.pem-usa.com.

Race Day Events: P.O. Box 31333, Knoxville, TN 37930; 865.250.5948; www.racedayevents.net; Kevin@racedayevents.net Score This!!!, Inc.: 15 Ranch Trail Ct., Orchard Park, NY 14127; 716.662.9379; www.score-this.com; info@score-this.com.

Set-Up,Inc.: P.O.Box 15144,Wilmington,NC 28408; 910.458.0299; set-upinc.com; billscott@set-upinc. com.

Shelburne Athletic Club: 802.985.2229; www.shelburneathletic.com.

TBF Racing: Bill Driskell, 5209 Blaze Ct., Rocklin, CA 95677; 916.202.3006; bill@totalbodyfitness.com; tbfracing.com.

Team Magic, Inc.: Therese Bynum, Faye Yates; 205.595.8633; www.team-magic.com; races@ team-magic.com.

Team Unlimited: XTERRA Series; 877.751.8880; www.xterraplanet.com; info@xterraplanet.com.

Time Out! Productions: Rich Havens, P.O. Box 543, Forestdale, MA 02644; 508.477.6311 (p); 508.477.6334 (f); timeout@ capecod.net; www.timeoutproductions.com.

TriAthlantic Association: 410.593.9662; www.triath.com.

Triathlon Canada: 1185 Eglington Ave., East Suite 704,Toronto, Ontario M3C 3C6; www.triathloncanada.com; 416.426. 7430 Tri-California Events,Inc.Terry Davis,1284 Adobe Ln., Pacific Grove, CA 93950; 831.373.0678, www.tricalifornia.com.

Tuxedo Brothers Event Management: Don Carr, 317.733.3300; tuxbro@indy.rr.com; www.tuxbro.com.

UltraFit/USA: P.O.Box 06358,Columbus OH 43206, 614.481.9077, www.ultrafit-usa.com.

Updog Sports LLC. www.updogsports.com, info@updogsports.com.

Vermont Sun Sport & Fitness: 812 Exchange St., Middlebury,VT 05753; 802.388.6888; www.vermontsun.com/ triathlon. html, vtsun@together.net.

YellowJacket Racing: 6 Regent St., Rochester, NY 14607; 585.244.5181; www.yellowjacketracing.com, yellowjacketracing@hotmail.com.

Robert Murphy/bluecreekphotography.com

CALENDAR

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CALIFORNIA Armadillo Distributors Inglewood 310.693.6061 B&L Bike and Sport Solana Beach 858.481.4148 City Bicycle Works Sacramento 916.447.2453 Competitive Edge Rancho Cucamonga 909.483.2453 Fleet Feet Davis 530.758.6453 Fleet Feet Sacramento 916.442.3338 Forward Motion Sports Danville 925.831.3745 Hazard’s Cyclesport Santa Barbara 805.966.3787 Metro Sport Cupertino 916.933.2627 Metro Sport Folsom 916.984.4333 Metro Sport Palo Alto 916.933.2627 Metro Sport San Francisco 916.933.2627 Motocross International Chatsworth 818.727.7896 Nytro Multisport Encinitas 760.632.0006 or 800.697.8007 Runner’s Factory Los Gatos 408.395.4311 Runner’s High Menlo Park 650.325.9432 Runner’s High II Los Altos 650.941.2262 San Diego Running Institute San Diego 619.265.7374 Snail’s Pace Running Shop Brea 714.529.3290 Sporteve Culver City 310.838.688 Transports Oakland 510.655.4809 Willow Glen Runner’s Supply San Jose 408.294.1522

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Bob’s News and Books Fort Lauderdale 954.524.4731 Chainwheel Drive Inc Clearwater 727.442.6577 Front Running Sports Lake Mary 407.322.1211 Dragon Sports Ft.Walton Beach 850.863.8612 Gear for Multisport Inc. Clermont 352.394.7434 Orange Cycle Orlando 407.422.5552 RB Cycles Coral Gables 305.666.4898 Southlake Bicycles Minneola 352.394.3848

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INDIANA Athletic Annex Run Shop Indianapolis 317.872.0000 Runners Forum Carmel 317.844.1558

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TriSpeed Timonium 410.823.7000

MICHIGAN Gazelle Sports Grand Rapids 616.940.9888 Hanson’s Running Shops Royal Oak 248.616.9665 Running Fit Ann Arbor 734.769.5016 Team Active Cycling and Fitness Battle Creek 616.962.7688 Tortoise & Hare Ann Arbor 734-623-9640

Schedule your call at www.RacerWakeUpCall.com OKLAHOMA

Eclipse Running Reno 775.827.2279

Fleet Feet Sports Tulsa Tulsa 918.492.3338 OK Runner Norman 405.447.8445 Runner Oklahoma City 405.755.8888

NEW JERSEY

OREGON

NEVADA

Beacon Stores Northfield 609.641.9531 Cycle Craft Parsippany 973.227.4462 Cyclesport Park Ridge 201.391.5291 Miles Ahead Sports Manasquan 732.223.0444

NEW YORK Carl Hart Bicycles Middle Island 516.924.5850 Fleet Feet Syracuse 315.446.1444 Jackrabbit Sports Brooklyn 718.636.9000 New York Running Co New York 212.823.9626 Placid Planet Bicycles Lake Placid 518.523.4128 R&A Cycles Brooklyn 718.636.5242 Runner’s Edge Farmingdale 516.420.7963 Sunrise Cyclery West Babylon 631.587.6200 Super Runners Huntington 516.549.3006 Ubiquity Distributors Brooklyn 718.875.5491 Ultimate Triathlon New York 212.399.3999

NORTH CAROLINA Inside Out Sports Cary 919.466.0101

OHIO Bob Roncker’s Running Spot Cincinatti 513.321.3006 Frontrunner Columbus 614.486.0301 Tri Tech Multisport Columbus 614.846.1516

Bend Bike N Sport Bend 541.322.8814 Eugene Running Company Eugene 541.344.6399

PENNSYLVANIA Aardvark Sports Shop Bethlehem 610.866.8300 Cadence Philadelphia 215.508.4300

RHODE ISLAND Camire’s Athletic Soles Wakefield 401.782.8353 East Providence Cycle East Providence 401.434.3838

SOUTH CAROLINA Try Sports Mt. Pleasant 843.849.9292

RacerWakeUpCall .com

Footsteps of Reston Reston 703.476.1022 Gotta Run Running Shop Arlington 703.415.0277

WASHINGTON Everyday Athlete Kirkland 425.821.4301 Redmond Foot Zone Redmond 425.556.0383 Runner’s Soul Spokane 509.624.7654 Speedy Reedy Seattle 206.632.9879 Super Jock and Jill Seattle 206.522.7711 Train or Tri Bellingham 360.647.8048 Triumph Multisport Seattle 206.328.4676

WISCONSIN Middleton Cycle & Fitness Middleton 608.836.3931 Yellow Jersey Madison 608.251.3189

CANADA ALBERTA

TENNESSEE R3, Running, Racing, Relaxing Clarksville 931.233.1808 Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville Knoxville 86.675.3338

The Runner’s Den Red Deer 403.341.4446 Way Past Fast Calgary 403.202.1030

TEXAS

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Austin Tri-Cyclist, Inc. Austin 512.494.9252 John Cobb’s Bicycle Sports Austin 512.472.5646 Richardson Bike Mart Richardson 972.231.3993 Run On Dallas 214.821.0909 The Bike Shop Wichita Falls 940.322.7301

La Biciletta Vancouver 604.872.2424 Ray’s Sports Den Penticton 250.493.1216 Speed Theory Vancouver 403.202.1030

UTAH

Enduro Sport North York 416.449.0432 Runner’s Choice Kingston 613.542.2410 Runner’s Life Peterborough 705.876.8960

Salt Lake Running Company Salt Lake 801.484.9144

VIRGINIA Final Kick Sports Virginia Beach 757.481.3400

T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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NEW BRUNSWICK Tri-Athlete Authentic Fitness Fredericton 506.455.7946

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rubber is left where it landed: dispersed, depressed and road-weary.

Substitutes? Oh, teammates, I’ve tried them all: yoga, kava-rooted kayaking, climatic rock climbing, aromatherapy and apple chondroitins, float tanks, tranquilizers, tall tales, paint ball, train-surfing, sand sailing, rock and roll, roller ball and a hundred rituals meant to send the demons of spam and dinner-time doorto-door magazine subscriptions away.

Take this to your orthopod, your psychoanalyst and your palm reader. Trust me, oh fellow travelers—when the soft-tissue levee breaks there is no artificial turf that will roll any ball toward its hole. Nothing under the sun will set you free from all that is and all that might encumber a snappy six miler around the park.

But I digress, for many are the affected ones, the arthritic gen-xers, the mid-life genetic pain-swallowers, the formerly motioned and trauma-affected who, Rocky-esque, eagerly prance into surgeon’s quarters and quip, “Cut me doc! Make me whole again.”

From where my sun now stands, and from where the Everyman’s sun always rises and sets, the view is an ever-evolving place. Today, with my worn-out hip, I cannot run without great pain and consequence. I walk, I suck. Not tomorrow, but sooner or later, medicine and spirit will heal me—or at least bolster my defense against high blood pressure.

And with 21st-century cobalt chrome alloy and 1st-century faith, I might be able to deflect society’s virulence while embracing ancient precepts of that swift-moving release.

I don’t aspire to quantified success and sub-40 anything. I just want to feel the air on my furled brow, the sun on my back and, if I can dream, the space between my feet and what is left of this earth. I just want to run again, or at least to know that, for me, it feels like I’m running. I want to shed tired skin, snakelike, letting go of all that has made fast to me in my forced dormancy.

Is that so much to ask? Lie to me, teammates, tell me it’s more than achievable. Tell me that two hours under the knife, two weeks of rehab and I’m two months from a 22-minute 5K. Give me hope, as the character Red says in The Shawshank Redemption, “because hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things.”

I hope to God that I will run again. And though I don’t need to kick anyone’s ass, I need to see my body in the moving morass of sublimated physical humanity.

I will become a jogger if that’s what it takes to be a runner. It will be fun. I’ll buy new shoes.

ST

Cut me doc, let me run

By Scott Tinley

I

I am writing now about what once was. I can no longer move across the terrestrial plane with that constant sweet space beneath my feet. What motion propels me across rooms and parking lots and empty beaches is pedestrian. I can no longer run. For some time now, the flight has left me.

Even walking hurts.

Like most things worth both forgetting and remembering, it must’ve hatched many years ago in some momentary violence. It might’ve been a bike crash, a torn muscle never quite repaired, something misaligned that stayed crooked. There are those exacting moments of trauma that I can conjure, still seeing though not feeling that abjection of flesh from its rightful place on my hip. I had my eye on the trophy then, with no time to set things straight.

And now that other place where soft tissue used to be, that insular island, that barriered atoll between the head of my femur and the scallop of my acetabulum is nearly empty and dry-reefed.

Perhaps the daily grind of bone, that silent sand-in-the-teeth tenor singing disjointedly, is simply the result of use. Thirty-five years of running—timeless miles but not ageless wear—and the

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