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| August 25, 2008 | Police arrest "triathlon " suspect | | This article was originally printed in the StarTribune Minneapolis-St.Paul
A 51-year-old man found himself participating in an impromptu triathlon last Thursday while trying to escape Minneapolis police.
It all started when police got a call from a woman who reported that a man was rummaging through the glove box of her vehicle parked on a south Minneapolis street.
Officers interrupted the would-be thief, and the suspect jumped on a bicycle and rode off, cutting through yards in the area of Franklin and Girard Avenues, said Sgt. William Palmer.
Officers, along with park police, spotted the man a short time later in the vicinity of Lake of the Isles. This time, the man took off on foot.
But as police closed in, the suspect jumped into Lake Calhoun and swam to an anchored sailboat, Palmer said.
Police negotiated with the suspect, who surrendered and swam back to the dock. That's where he was arrested and taken to jail.
He faces charges of tampering with a motor vehicle and fleeing police, Palmer said.
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| August 24, 2008 | Bekele's 5000m completes distance double | | This article originally appeared on NBC. If you missed either of these events they are worth watching.
BEIJING - Kenenisa Bekele made it a unique double Olympic long-distance double for Ethiopia on Saturday with relentless front-running that wore down everyone who dared to keep pace in the 5000m.
In 86-degree heat, cutting through the muggiest of conditions at the Bird's Nest, Bekele took over from his teammates with 2 kilometers to go an imposed such a punishing pace that he didn't need an explosive late finishing kick this time, just unmatched stamina.
Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele wins gold, sets Olympic record
His win by 30 meters over Eliud Kipchoge added to his 10,000m victory for the first double since Lasse Viren in Montreal 32 years ago.
"It is fantastic. It is very special," Bekele said. "It is not easy to achieve double gold."
And with Tirunesh Dibaba doing the same in the women's distance races, it was the first long-distance sweep for one nation.
It was also redemption for Bekele, who had missed out by just .20 seconds for a similar double in Athens four years ago when he was beaten by Hicham El Guerrouj in the 5,000.
This time his tactics were totally different. Dragging all
others through in Olympic record pace, he finished in 12 minutes, 57.82 seconds, the first sub-13 minute Olympic race in history.
Victory also meant he now has one more Olympic gold than Haile Gebrselassie, who is considered Africa's greatest runner ever.
With Kipchoge and Edwin Cheryiyot Soi taking silver and bronze, it added to a great Olympics for Kenya, too.
World champion Bernard Lagat of the United States was flat again. Seeking to repeat the 1,500-5,000 double of last year's world championships, he failed twice, finishing only ninth to end a disappointing Olympics.
Bekele was a champion coming through when it counted.
Kenya extended its middle-distance domination with a golden double from Wilfred Bungei in the men's 800 and Nancy Jebet Langat in the women's 1,500m.
Despite civil unrest and riots which killed hundreds and disrupted Kenya's preparations, the east African nation had a great Games which already yielded four golds and 13 medals overall.
It all but assured Kenya of African domination. Ethiopia also had four gold but trailed badly in the overall standings with six.
Kenya got its first boost from Bungei in the 800 Saturday.
Arms flailing wildly down the finishing straight, the 2006 world indoor champion completed a great front-running race to win, pushing his chest first across the line in 1:44.65, beating Ismail Ahmed Ismail of Sudan by .05 seconds.
When world champion Alfred Yego of Kenya got the bronze, it made for the first ever African sweep in the event. It was another indication that Africa is spreading its running far beyond the traditional long-distance races.
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| August 17, 2008 | Michael Phelps - Simply Amazing | | Below is a recap of Phelp's amazing week. It was originally published on ESPN. You can blame Michael for the influx of folks at your Masters Workouts
BEIJING -- Michael Phelps' eight gold-medal swims were all magnificent. But the world needs lists, so we're here to rank his great haul of China from most memorable to least:
1. 100-meter butterfly
Yes, this was the only race in which Phelps did not set a world record -- but what he did to reach the wall first was the stuff of legends. Apparently beaten by Milorad Cavic in the final meters, Phelps somehow squeezed in a rapid-fire final arm stroke to touch and win by one-hundredth of a second. Still-frame photos show Cavic inches from winning before Phelps made up ground and splashed in at the last instant. The fact it was his seventh gold, tying Mark Spitz's Olympic record and securing a $1 million bonus from Speedo, didn't hurt.
2. 400 freestyle relay
It's hard to find good help nowadays -- unless you're Michael Phelps, and you need a relay mate to perform a miracle on your behalf. That would be anchorman Jason Lezak, who roared back from a considerable deficit in the final 50 meters to stun Frenchman Alain Bernard by 0.08 of a second. Phelps certainly did his part, leading off the relay by swimming what at the time was the third-fastest 100 freestyle in history -- in an event that's far from his specialty.
3. 400 individual medley
This was Phelps' first swim of the Games, and the pressure on him to perform was undeniable. Not only was he the centerpiece of the pre-Olympic hype, but President George W. Bush was in the stands to watch. Phelps delivered and then some, smashing his own world record and crushing fellow medalists Laszlo Cseh and Ryan Lochte.
4. 200 butterfly
Phelps said this was the only swim that disappointed him, because he expected to swim much faster. But the fact that he broke his own world record after his goggles leaked only adds to the Phelps mythology. He said he was basically swimming while blind, guessing at where the wall was on his turns. Who needs to see to win gold? Not Phelps.
Which one of Phelps' eight wins is most impressive?
100 butterfly
400 free relay
400 IM
200 butterfly
200 freestyle
200 IM
800 free relay
400 medley relay
5. 200 freestyle
Phelps only qualified fourth-fastest for the final, but he wasted no time in burying his competition. Phelps exploded to a fast start and led the entire race, leaving runner-up Park Tae-hwan of South Korea and bronze medalist Peter Vanderkaay of the U.S. in his wake. Phelps easily broke his own world record and won by 1.89 seconds.
6. 200 individual medley
Phelps beat Cseh and Lochte the same way he beat them in the 400 IM -- with a strong breaststroke leg that gave him separation leading into the final 50 meters of the freestyle. Whereupon he broke his own world record, of course. The impressive thing is the fact that Phelps' only "weak" stroke is the breaststroke. Turning that into his secret IM weapon only further validated his astonishing versatility.
7. 800 freestyle relay
This was an American tour de force, led off by Phelps. He gave the Yanks a huge, 2.6-second lead, and the rout was on. They wound up winning by three seconds and smashing their own world record, on a day when Phelps had to swim two finals.
8. 400 medley relay
The final swim of the meet, and of the Phelps program, was highly anticipated but largely anticlimactic. The American relay was pushed, but led fairly comfortably for the final 125 meters. Phelps took the Americans from third to first during his butterfly leg, then watched anchorman Lezak close the deal again by holding off the Australians.
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| July 23, 2008 | Billy Dean Johnson's Vineman 70.3 Blog | | 2000 of my best friends many of whom I had never met before met on Johnson's beach (no relation) in Guerneville California this Sunday for a little event know as Vineman 70.3. The weather was, well different… I think it was Twain that said, " the coldest winter I ever knew was one summer in San Francisco." Although we were 70 miles north of the Bay Area it was COLD!!! My day started at 7:26 which gave me a chance to see the pros who started at 6:30. I was able to see them head out on to the bike course and to cheer for Patrick Bless as he headed out. Then it was time for the 50+ wave, or as I like to call it the AARP special… Steam was coming off the river (creek???) as we started, unfortunately, I picked the wrong side to start on and missed the group, there was four or five guys up river from me from the get go. About 500 m into the race the river got so shallow that my hand hit the ground, I heard this could happen, I stood up and ran… yes ran in the water and moved up to the guy I was chasing… For once my mighty run helped… Well I hung tight to his feet I had and exited the water by my watch at 29:10, fifth out of my wave second in my age group.
One of the unique items about Vineman is T2 is fifteen miles Northeast of the swim, so everything has to be packed up for transport by the athlete before the bike out, this made for an agonizingly long and cold T1… Time for the bike… In short the bike course was a combination of hills broken up by long flat sections into a headwind that was out of the northeast… I loved it… Hard bike GOOD… easy Bike BAD… I was trying to keep track of the swimmers who beat me out of the water but at the same time take it easy on the bike keeping my heart rate under 130 bpm. I thought the conditions made the bike very slow, I had "cold legs" (did I mention the weather???)… I entered T2 with a 2:32 bike split an ok time, a harder effort than I wanted to make for that slow of a time.
T2 was another long transition I had to remember that these conditions were that same for all… all part of what makes Vineman unique. Did I mentioned the weather it was COLD… I had shivers throughout the ride but now I had numb feet so the long T2 did help wake up the feet… Now the moment of truth… Would I have my slow run or no run???
As I was leaving T2 the Pro's were finishing, one more chance to Cheer for Patrick… I was kind of worried as my transition mile was not good, even for me, I took a quick "natural break" and all was well… It did not hold off the runners, they were coming… I got passed at mile 1 by the first one. The run was rolling with very little level ground and a few very steep sections… I was running 8:30/mile for the most part a good effort for me so I was happy and enjoyed the race. I got passed the second time at mile 5, at mile 6 the run loops 1.1 mile through the vineyard and then heads back. On this loop both of the guys that passed me were just 15-20 second in front of me. I did not know if that was first and second or second and third. My run was holding up but then a few fast runners ran me down now I was out of the top five, my goal. My only goal at this point was PR and to enjoy the day. Then something very new in triathlon happened to me, I was going to catch someone who had passed me early in the run. I got him on an uphill section and ran hard past him… It was a great feeling… He was the feet I had in the river… Who ever said the swim doesn't matter is just… wrong!!! Thank you Jonnie
The fans were great at Vineman, when I got off my bike I said to no one in particular, "I had never been this cold before", when I was in the chute to the finish line one of them remembered and yelled" are you warm yet???" At the finish I took a pose from Lewis and showed them the guns… well at my age maybe they are muskets… I want to thank my teammates especially Preston and the rest of the crazy ass Saturday crew for all their help this year. Laura, Jonnie, Simon and Sun Devils Masters Swimming. Sole Sports and Scottsdale Running Company and running group. Last but not least Marc, who has reminded me in word and action… Fat triathlete will not win… All in all a good day however, I don't know if I mentioned the weather… it was cold… not in a, I will never do this again… just cold. In the end I finished fifth about seven minutes out of 1st with a time of 4:59:05… a PR and a top five… I'll take it… even with the cold…
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| July 21, 2008 | 2008 Mountainman Race Report | | We certainly had a great group and perfect conditions for the 24th Annual MountainMan Triathlon. Abby's Race Report with Results follows below, but there is much more to tell. As you will see in the results, there were many awards carried home by TriScottsdale / Village triathletes, but none more precious than "The Shirt." Last year at Alcatraz, Marc and John Dean "bet their shirts" on the race and Marc was the recipient of a very stylish dress shirt. He wore it to dinner at Pesto Brothers Saturday night. (By the way, Abby, thanks for a terrific job all weekend, especially the huge dinner.) John arrived in another stylish shirt and the negotiations ended with Marc spotting John EIGHT MINUTES as they once again "bet their shirts". As you can see from the times shown below, there will soon be a time and place for the "Return of the Shirt".
Also arriving at dinner after driving over 3500 miles and stopping over in Flagstaff on the way home, was "O.C." or Shawn O'Connell. He had competed in a tri in Wisconsin so he had all his stuff and promptly signed up and won the Sprint Tri on Sunday. Way to go, O.C.!!!
Stephen Stromberg experienced a nasty flat and was walking his bike back when a vehicle stopped and asked if he wanted a ride. After a brief conversation, Stephen borrowed a wheel from him and continued the race, although much time had passed. His time was still respectable and he was seen tracking down his benefactor after the race since the guy had his somewhat more expensive ZIPP wheel.
Take a look below and you will see the real Mountain Man, with leather suit, rifle, some animal for a hat, and riding a mule. If you look a little closer at a few of the photos, he starts to look a lot like Marc Rubin. It's a scary thought. There are many more pictures in the photos section.
Quite a few folks stayed at the race until Brian Henry finished the Half-Ironman. He looks good in the photos and I'm sure he appreciated the support. Paul Beckert's times are not shown in the results because he lost his chip. His total time was 2:26.
If you go to the full results, you will see that both Jane and George Esahak-Gage won the Masters Division of the Sprint and both were 2nd Overall. I saw George briefly on the bike course and then he just flew by. He continues to amaze with his recovery.
The great news is we had 38 triathletes and a host of supporters at MountainMan. Flagstaff is an interesting place, but a little quieter now that we're gone. Congrats to all and thanks again to Abby for all her planning and assistance.
Thanks to all who came out to cheer us on Sunday morning(I'm sorry if I forget some names here): Clem, Suzanne, Max, Tom, Alicia, Angela, Barry, Faith, Elisa & Matt, Cindy, Christine, Abbe & Ally Gugick, Scott & Ainsley and many more!
Here are the results in no particular order:
Relay-OLY
Team PAHL
1st pl overall relays
s-25:16 b-1:08:09 r-50:35 2:28:11
Susan, Heidi Pahl
Tri then Wine
4th pl females
s-28:06 b-1:15:19 r-59:23 2:45:07
Lisa Alison, Tracy Britton, Amber Meid
Tri Revolution
2nd pl females
s-21:47 b-1:21:14 r-57:57 2:42:59
Laura Hays & two other fabulous ladies
Olympic Triathlon
Taos Poole
5th A.G. 2:24:22
s-30:31 b-1:06:30 r-43:46
Abby Forsberg
5th A.G. 2:48:17
s-29:04 b-1:19:31 r-55:16
Erin Miller
14th A.G. 3:13:58
s-37:14 b-1:26:38 r-1:04:23
Stephen Stromberg
7th A.G. 2:31:26
s-24:33 b-1:18:20 r-45:05
Brett Miller
15th A.G. 2:41:27
s-31:23 b-1:10:04 r-54:57
Ryan Luedecke
16th A.G. 2:43:28
s-30:35 b-1:06:04 r-59:03
Cortney Ellish
14th A.G. 3:37:05
s-47:00 b-1:31:36 r-1:10:24
Chris Stalzer
9th A.G. 2:39:58
s-28:00 b-1:08:37 r-59:20
John Ballard
14th A.G. 2:44:04
s-26:40 b-1:12:09 r-58:24
Adam Gugick
17th A.G. 2:45: 15
s-29:26 b-1:12:37 r-58:14
Kari Boesen
2nd A.G. 2:36:38
s-27:58 b-1:11:33 r-51:01
Karen Lewis
6th A.G. 2:53:05
s-37:57 b-1:15:31 r-55:32
Christina did the run!
Amy Janetsky
9th A.G. 2:58:51
s-34:57 b-1:17:49 r-59:58
Marc Rubin
4th A.G. 2:19:42
s-24:05 b-1:02:33 r-50:01
John Dean
5th A.G. 2:24:16
s-24:58 b-1:06:38 r-49:15
Jim Naroski
6th A.G. 2:26:04
s-28:45 b-1:06:37 r-47:11
Robert Clinkenbeard
14th A.G. 3:03:59
s-47:26 b-1:14:27 r-55:31
Rob Kelly
9th A.G. 3:18:52
s-36:06 b-1:26:44 r-1:04
Preston Miller
1st A.G. 2:45:11
s-35:36 b-1:10:03 r-55:28
Sprint Triathlon
Shawn Oconnell
1st pl overall 1:04:33
s-10:55 b-29:06 r-22:06
Jeff Wescott
3rd A.G. 1:16:28
s-17:29 b-30:58 r-24:48
Markus Zimmer
7th A.G. 1:24:20
1st triathlon!!
s-16:25 b-32:45 r-29:21
Shawn Treglia
2nd A.G. 1:23:10
s-16:13 b-36:14 r-26:44
Sharon Johnston
3rd A.G. 1:29:05
s-21:22 b-33:57 r-29:49
Jeff Kootman
8th A.G. 1:18:15
s-16:23 b-33:34 r-24:35
George Catalano
9th A.G. 1:20:05
s-17:14 b-31:08 r-28:16
Rob Dunaway
14th A.G.1:45:36
1st triathlon!!
s-21:48 b-40:04 r-33:21
Alveratta Petta
5th A.G. 1:38:37
s-22:30 b-36:14 r-33:00
Ken Lewis
1st A.G. 1:20:21
s-16:19 b-34:05 r-26:28
Dwight Lundell
1st A.G. 1:34:05
s-24:28 b-32:50 r-31:50
Half-Ironman
Brian Henry
13th O.A. 5:14:42
s-34:41 b-2:41:57 r-1:53:0
2nd A.G.
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http://www.tri-a-run.com/Resultsalph.htm
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| July 20, 2008 | Marc Rubin's 2008 Mountainman Race Report | | On Sunday, my wife, my youngest son, Max, and I made an effort to escape the desert heat. We headed North to Flagstaff where I participated in the 5th oldest triathlon West of the Mississippi, the Mountainman Triathlon. Some folks argue that this is the most beautiful course in the Southwest. This is my third time to compete in this event. I also competed in 2005 and 2006. All three times I have completed the Olympic Course, a 1500 meter swim, a 40K bike and a 10K run.
We had a wonderful time. In addition, to my wife and son, I was joined by at least thirty other Tri-Scottsdale folks. We had a blast. On Saturday night, we ventured out and had a pre race meal at Pesto Brothers. It was darn good. Sometimes big crowds are a hassle but this time the crowd made the venue. My thanks to Abby Forsberg for making the evening happen.
The race had me very concerned. As many of you know, my last race was an absolute disaster. Accordingly, I had no idea what to expect. To be honest, I was a bit scared, a little intimidated and just a tad unsure of myself. As late as Friday afternoon, I was not going to do the event. However, John Dean gave me a call and made me laugh about the whole thing. (There is a picture of John and I below just after the race.) He reminded me of why we do all this - to get fit and have fun!!! Needless to say, I decided to venture 140 miles North to the INN SUITES MOTEL.
The INN SUITES MOTEL should be called the no tell motel. My god it looked fine from the outside but the inside had deteriorated over time. For example, I think the drapes were original issue circa 1932. There was a spot in the corner were there was at least four different colors of paint present. Probably 1960, 1970, 1980, and 1990 vintage.
While all the above was a bit laughable it was somewhat troubling that getting the door to open was somewhat like playing the lottery. That is if you play enough you win. In this case the door opens. Anyway, it wasn't that bad it was just funny.
As dawn broke on race day, the doubts resurfaced. To be sure, during breakfast with my buddy Steven Stromberg, I lamented the fact that we were doing this event. I was begging for a way out. On our way to the venue, I even told my wife I was unsure and that I really had doubts about this day. She assured me and asked me what time it was. I told her the time. She was a bit sad. She reminded me it was GAMETIME and asked why I had not called and texted everyone to tell them as much. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks - I was actually scared about the day. Scared that I would have another day like Ironman Couer d' Alene.
Rather than the miserable, rotten, wished I was dead, hoped I would die, day I had at CDA I had a good day in Flagstaff. I did not set a Personal Best at the Olympic Distance, but I did improve my previous best time on the Mountainman Course by 6 minutes. Here is what happened. First, I got to sit on the Mountainman's trusty steed. He let me wear his coyote mask and tote his shotgun. This was way cool. This was the highlight of my day.
The swim is a 1500 meter event in Upper Lake Mary. I started wide and went out hard. I was a bit worried about this approach at 7,000 feet but that was a decision I had to make given some of the guys in the field. I just did not want to start off poorly.
I jumped on the back of the lead pack and headed for the first bouy. All systems were go. I did not feel the dreaded pull or hypoxic moment that I dreaded (I swear at 7,000 feet when you tae your heart rate from 70 to 180 in a matter of seconds you think your are going to die.). I paid attention to my surroundings and made darn sure I was on their feet.
At the bouy I went a bit wide to avoid the scrum. Immediately, I realized the bubbles were gone. I looked up and the pack had gone tight around the bouy and was now about 4-5 feet away. I was in trouble. I tried to get back on but I was not able. Unfortunately, I was all alone. There was a huge pack about 100 yards behind and ones and two's spread out. I decided to go it alone. I paid attention to my sighting and excited the water in the top 15 out of 263 overall and 5th out of 30 in my age group.
Transition went well. However, as I hopped on my bike, I realized my visor was around my aero bottle. Now what? I threw it to a volunteer and told him to leave it right next to the cone and I would get it on the run. It was actually there.
The bike is an out and bike affair on a well paved road. There are three stairstep hills on the course as you approach the turn around. Other than that there are some false flats but other than being at 7,000 feet it is not so bad.
I hammered the bike. I have not felt this good on a bike since the U.S. Open last October in Dallas. I realized I had some some power going out but whoa I had no idea until I hit the hills.
As I mentioned before, I got out near the front of the swim so there were not many people to catch. There were however some stragglers from the 1/2 Ironman that started 30 minuted before us. Needless to say, I blew right threw them. I hit the hills and rolled past two or three people in my wave. As we hit the turn around I realized I was not that far behind the leaders. I estimated about 3-4 minutes.
I hammered out of the turnaround hoping to put some time into those guys. It was then that I realized that I had some power that I had not felt in a long time. I went up the first climb in my Aero Bars feeling great. As I crested the hill I geared down to a 54-13 and hit it hard. I must have had 100 rpm so I went into the 54-11. I actually spun out. I have no idea how fast I was going but it must have been over 50. At one point, I looked at my front wheel and then the pavement and decided it was best not to think about it.
As we approached transition, I passed the guy who went on to win my age group. He is strong competition but someone who I had held off a month or two earlier. I really liked my chances at this point. .
The run is a 6.2 mile out and back on a paved road. There is a massive 2 mile hill followed by a short trail run. I excited transition and tried to run as hard as I could. Within a mile two guys in my age group passed me. Including one that I had beaten two months earlier. I did not get down and I continued to run hard. A few more passed me but not many.
In the end, I finished 19th out of 263 overall and 4th out of 30 in my age group. It felt great to have a good Olympic race again. I think the experience excised some demons that jumped on me at CDA.
It was great to see so many Tri-Scottsdale folks out at the event. It is great to see your buddies when you are hurting.
Props to my buddy Brian Henry who had a great day and completed the 1/2 Ironman. I have no idea why someone would do a 1/2 at 7,000 feet but he did. In so doing, he improved his PR by 25 minutes and finished 2nd in his age group and 12th overall. Great stuff.
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| July 19, 2008 | Korey Bachelder's Lifetime Fitness Triathlon Report | | This was the race I was focusing on all year. Last year I had an absolute meltdown and still placed 3rd in my age group and 43rd overall. I knew that if I put the work in, I could place well at this race. Before the season started, I put this race on my calendar as my top "A" race. The 2 months of early base training set up the peak for this event. I couldn't believe that I was finally here!
First off...I can't agree that this race is run optimally. Olympic distance goes first, then Sprint distance. Generally it is the oldest athletes first and the younger athletes last. This creates the immediate problem of congestion...as "generally" a wave of younger athletes is faster than a wave of older athletes. On this day...no joke..I probably passed 500 people! It must work as I didn't hear about too many incidents. On to the race - the swim course is a triangle out-and-back. The swim start is by age group and individually timed at 3 second intervals. Awful idea. I knew from the gun that I was going to have to swim wide to avoid the congestion. I probably did an extra 50m of work. My goal was to swim fast using as little exertion as possible; really work on pulling the water and keeping my hips up. The swim is quick so there really wasn't much to it, I felt okay...but didn't feel fast. I didn't know my split until after the race was done...and that was a good thing. It was super slow! Yuck. Like most 1st/2nd yr triathletes I have some problems with open water swims...getting comfortable and getting in open water race situations comes with experience.
On to the bike and I had a lot of energy, I blazed through the transition and was off on the road. The course was the same from last year which included rolling hills, several corners and 1 tricky hairpin corner which rolled up and around on to a bridge. I had a secret weapon...a new Cervelo P3C with all kinds of space age parts. It didn't disappoint. I posted my fastest bike speed of the year. My coach told me to stay at threshold (160 bpm) but I was feeling good so I avg'd around 165. The wind really picked up during the bike...something the Pro's and Olympic distance athletes didn't have to deal with. Made for some sketchy corners. For the most part I stayed aero and had a good cadence. I also did a lot of screaming for people to get right which reminded me a lot of the 101!
Off the bike and blazed another good transition. I was very happy with my transitions on the day...clocking one of the best combined transition times. It was tough to pace myself as I blasted off to a quick 6:10 first mile. The 2nd mile I felt some fatigue..I would guess from the quick bike ride. I did 6:20. Around Lake Nokomis, I was passing people by the pack. Mile 3 I let it all hang out...a quick 1k and I absolutely put the hammer down. I sprinted 600m in. Can't say I've ever done that, but it felt great. I closed in under 6:00 min which makes me feel good about my prospects for the fall. I told my girlfriend Kaela immediately after the race that I didn't win as I knew the times from last year by heart. 30 mins later and I got the results...2008 champion of the LifeTime Fitness Short Course! Unbelievable! I was surprised by the result, I thought my swim and bike were much too slow. As teammate Shawn O'Connell put it...it was a come from behind victory. Haa, I'll take it anyway I can get it. It felt great to see a goal through and taking 10 mins off of my time from last year was a good way to end the first half of the season. Time to rest up and examine the first part of my season and look to continue to improve.
(Note: 2 days after the race the results were changed, showing my placing as 2nd overall. Peak Timing has been contacted and at this point there is an unresolved issue regarding the swim start timing for the current 1st place overall athlete. Regardless of who is named champion, I am still very happy with my results).
Times:
LifeTime Fitness Triathlon (Minneapolis, MN) - 7.12.08
644m (0.4 mi) swim: 11:00, 1:42/100m
15mi bike: 41:08, 21.9 mph
3mi run: 18:33, 6:11/mi
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| July 16, 2008 | 2 runners die during Zugspitz Extrem-Berglauf | | The next time you go for a run and feel like complaining about the heat consider the following:
A sudden weather change with sub freezing temperatures caught the participants at the 8th Annual International Zugspitz Extrem-Berglauf by surprise and 2 runners ended up dead seemingly from exposure and exhaustion, reports the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
The Zugspitz Extrem-Berglauf roughly translates as "Zugspitze extreme uphill running race" and is 16.5km in length and goes up around 6,889 feet to the top of the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain peak (9717 feet). Roughly 600 runners started the race on Sunday, July 13 in Ehrwald, Austria under rainy conditions and temperatures around 50 degrees. As the runners got higher and higher the temperatures started to drop and soon the runners saw rain changing to snow and the wind picking up. Some of the participants only wore shorts and t-shirts and were now exposed to sub freezing temperatures. Alarms went out as people noticed participants in trouble and over 80 mountain rescue guides were sent to assist. 6 runners were transported to the Garmisch Partenkirchen Klinikum and treated for exposure and exhaustion, but for 2 runners all help apparently came too late. They died about 2,524 feet below the top as the could not be resuscitated.
This brings up the heated discussion again as to who is to blame for such an incident. Should the organizers be held responsible for not canceling the event or finishing the run at a lower altitude? There is also the school of thought that these extreme athletes know quite well what they are in for during events like this. The event was shortened the year prior and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung quoted 2 time World Berglauf Champion Helmut Reitmeir that the runners then were "very upset." We also have noticed heated debates about this topic in the Slowtwitch forum when a race director for example has opted to cancel the swim or considers shortening the run course for safety reasons.
The district attorney's office in Munich is now checking into the Zugspitze case to see if any charges need to be brought up.
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| July 14, 2008 | Andrew Schear's Chino Valley Race Report | | I want to start out by saying that I never though I could be the guy who exercised for fun, but the adrenaline generated by triathlon training and racing proved otherwise. In January I weighed in at 197 pounds and by March, I was 175 (gym cardio & circuit training). My reward to myself was to race in a Sprint Triathlon, even though I was not a strong biker, swimmer or runner. I was hooked, just like that. In my first race I swam slow, averaged 16 mph on the bike and ran 11 minute miles, but I finished.
Now the trick was getting faster, stronger and leaner. My buddy Jeff at Right Honda suggested that I tag along with him on a ride with his tri group, Tri Scottsdale. I showed up at 5:30 in the morning at Gainey Village only to see a group of like dressed athletes greet me with a smile and a "thanks for coming out to ride with us" attitude. It was inspiring! My first Tuesday morning ride was tough, in fact, I only made it to mile 7 before falling behind. When I returned at the end of the ride I was once again greeted by the guys and gals in blue jerseys. Their word of encouragement told me it was only a matter of time before I "could hang".
Two months and more than 1,000 miles later I can hang! Mind you I'm at the back of the pack, but I now have a greater understanding of what the human body is capable of with the right training and discipline.
On to my race report:
The Chino Valley Sprint Triathlon was my first race after training with Tri Scottsdale and swimming with Anne Wilson at the JCC. I knew I felt better on the bike, smoother in the pool and thanks to Tuesday/Thursday bricks, better off the bike into the run. The weather in Chino Valley was humid, but cool, probably 72 degrees or so. The altitude at 5,300 feet would definitely play a part, but I preferred the altitude to the heat.
The race consisted of a short 300 meter pool swim, 15 mile country-landscaped rolling hill bike course and a 3 mile out and back run. I traveled up to Prescott the evening before to avoid an early morning drive. Knowing full well that side cramps were an issue during my three previous races, I began to supplement my diet with salt tablets, more water than usual and bananas 24-hours before the race.
On race morning I felt good, rested and calm and ate a breakfast of PB, honey on whole wheat with a banana. I arrived early to get situated in the transition area. One hour prior to the race I began my nutrition of water and Hammer Gel. Once in the pool I felt that the temp was great and my new Tri-Scottsdale jersey was comfortable. The swim went by fast as it was 300 meters of crowded pool with racers traveling bith directions in the same lane before switching lanes. I was out of the pool in 5:58 about 10-seconds faster than I had swam the day before during practice. T1 was quick and easy, unfortunately I had forgotten my nutrition, but the course was two laps and required the racers to go through the transition area before a second lap. I would get my nutrition then. On the bike I felt strong, I knew that it was my strongest of the three sports so I would have to make up as much time as possible. I passed quite a few athletes and felt good about my pace. Off the bike I was showing 19.8 mph as an average and I knew this meant I needed to run faster than 9:30 miles to meet my goal of 1:25:00. I was out of T2 in under a minute and off on my run. My legs felt like lead the first half mile but my pace was an 8:30 and strong. It was 2% downhill and this helped me adjust to the run, after the turn around my pace slowed to a 9:50, I was a little tired and I had really hammered on the bike. I was able to move my pace to a 9:33 and hold it up the 2% grade back. Seeing the finish line meant I was near the end and moved my pace to a 7:30 for the last half mile. Sprinting through the finish line my time was a 1:22:50, good enough for 2nd in my age group and 24th overall. The competition was tough but I had felt good the entire race and best of all, had no cramps during my run!
It's back to my training routine and that means Tuesday speed ride and brick run tomorrow with Tri-Scottsdale. Soma is only 15-weeks away and I'll be ready!
Cheers,
Andrew Schear |
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| July 9, 2008 | More Hidden Hills Developments - City-brokered deal aims to fix rift between homeowners, bikers | | Scottsdale brokered an agreement Tuesday between a wealthy neighborhood and a bevy of speedy bicyclists.
The Scottsdale City Council voted unanimously to approve a development agreement with the Hidden Hills homeowners association. The deal calls for Scottsdale to spend $70,000 to design speed bumps or other measures to slow bicyclists on 145th Way.
Neighbors of the Hidden Hills subdivision have complained of the number and speed of bicyclists who like to use the steep, private road for training. They told Transportation Commissioners that the groups of bicyclists riding at top speed made them fearful of backing cars out of driveways.
The homeowners association had asked the city to abandon its public easement on the street, but Scottsdale and nearby Fountain Hills balked. The street is the only access between Fountain Hills and Scottsdale that is safe for bicycles, officials said.
Scottsdale years earlier had agreed not to extend Via Linda through the neighborhood. As part of that deal, the Hidden Hills developer allowed the public easement to remain open for bicyclists and pedestrians.
The Transportation Commission spent months working out the alternative plan to try and satisfy both the neighbors and the bicyclists. | |
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08.25.08 Police arrest "triathlon " suspect This article was originally printed in the StarTribune Minneapolis-St.Paul A 51-year-old man found himself participating in an impromptu triathlon last Thursday while trying to escape Minnea... More>>
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