2008-08 Triathlete

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2008 HIGH-TECH GEAR GUIDE GEAR >> TRAINING >> RACE SCENE >> LIFESTYLE

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TECH 14 TOYS FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH NUTRITION BIKE FITTING:

HIGH-TECH or HIGH-TOUCH

$4.99

triathletemag.com

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TIPS TO BEAT THE LATE-SEASON BLUES

COLLEGIATE NATIONAL CHAMPION

AMANDA FELDER

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ENDURANCE SPORTS TRAINING

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AVIA, the Thunderbolt logo, Avi-Bolt are trademarks or registered trademarks of American Sprting Goods Corporation. Š 2008

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CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON

SPEEDSUITS 2008

CRAIG’S WEAPON OF CHOICE IS THE ORCA APEX 2 - WHAT’S YOURS?

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CRAIG ALEXANDER 2007 WORLD IRONMAN RUNNER-UP 2006 IRONMAN 70.3 WORLD CHAMPION

EMAIL: INFO@ORCA.COM OR VISIT WWW.ORCA.COM

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CONTENTS No. 292

AUGUST 2008

TRAINING LAB RABBIT | 133 B Y M AT T F I T Z G E R A L D

LANE LINES | 138 B Y PA U L R E G E N S B U R G

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THE BIG RING | 142

BY JIM RUTBERG

ON THE RUN | 146 B Y M AT T F I T Z G E R A L D

SPEED LAB | 150

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BY TIM MICKLEBOROUGH

XTERRA ZONE | 172

TECH SUPPORT | 154

BY ALEX WHITE

BY IAN BUCHANAN

UK JOURNAL | 174

NUTRITION | 158

B Y J AY P R A S U H N

B Y P I P TAY L O R

TRIATHLETE’S GARAGE | 178

DEAR COACH | 162

B Y J AY P R A S U H N

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

CUTTING EDGE | 182

TRAINING FEATURE | 168

B Y J AY P R A S U H N

BY MARK ALLEN

RACE CALENDAR | 219

FIRST WAVE

TINLEY TALKS | 232

“POST-RACE SHOWER”

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BY SCOTT TINLEY

BY ROBERT MURPHY

“FACES IN THE CROWD”

COVER: AMANDA FELDER PHOTO BY JOHN SEGESTA

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BY ROBERT MURPHY

STARTING LINES | 18 B Y M I T C H T H R OW E R

EDITOR’S NOTE | 20 B Y M AT T F I T Z G E R A L D

MAIL CALL | 22 CHECKING IN | 27 IndusTri; Medically speaking; Review; Training tip; Reality check; 70.3 series; Selection; Show off your ride; Life Time Fitness Series; Pro bike; Gatorade athlete; Cadence Kona Challenge; NA Sports; Club profile; Travel talk; Endurance corner

AT THE RACES | 193 T R I AT H L E T E

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GEAR BAG | 184

BY BRAD CULP

DEPARTMENTS

6

COLUMNS

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CONTENTS No. 292

AUGUST 2008

FEATURES

2008 HIGH-TECH GEAR GUIDE | 64 Let your inner tri-geek out with this season’s top high-tech toys

BY BRAD CULP

FUTURE COACH | 92 Joe Friel is the father of computer-assisted triathlon coaching—a service whose day has come B Y M AT T F I T Z G E R A L D

HEAD OF THE CLASS | 104 Among the sport’s fastest-growing population, college triathlete Amanda Felder sits atop the food chain

BY BRAD CULP

FINE WINE, RUGGED RACING | 114 SoCal’s wine country plays host to one of XTERRA’s marquee events

BY BRAD CULP

MANY THE MILES | 122 Spice up the long miles with these new running shoes B Y J AY P R A S U H N

ON THE COVER 14 TECH TOYS | 64 FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH NUTRITION | 158 BIKE FITTING: HIGH-TECH OR HIGH-TOUCH | 154 5 TIPS TO BEAT THE LATE-SEASON BLUES | 168

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息2008 Pearl Izumi

Proud sponsor of saverun.org

Pearl Izumi速 syncroGuide速2 featuring Seamless Race Upper & SKYDEX heel and forefoot cushioning and syncroFrame速 stability system. RunLikeAnAnimal.com

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FIRST WAVE

Post-race shower

By Robert Murphy/Bluecreekphotography.com The men’s podium from the Ford Ironman 70.3 Florida—Spencer Smith (from left), Paul Amey and Santiago Ascenco—celebrates with a little post-race bubbly.

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FIRST WAVE

Faces in the crowd

By Robert Murphy/Bluecreekphotography.com Triathletes work their way through a throng of fans at Ford Ironman 70.3 Florida.

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Courtesy Mitch Thrower

STARTING LINES No.292 • August 2008 Publisher John Duke Associate Publisher Heather Gordon VP, Sales & Marketing Sean Watkins Editor-in-Chief T.J. Murphy, tmurphy@competitorgroup.com Managing Editor Rebecca Roozen, rroozen@competitorgroup.com Senior Editor Matt Fitzgerald, mfitzgerald@competitorgroup.com Photo Editor John Segesta, jsegesta@competitorgroup.com Associate & Interactive Editor Brad Culp, bculp@competitorgroup.com International Editor Shane Smith, ssmith@competitorgroup.com Graphic Designer Oliver Baker, obaker@competitorgroup.com

Where is everyone?

Last weekend I met a great friend, Billy Gerber, for a mountain bike ride in San Bernardino, where his family had set up shop for his daughter’s horse show. After finding our way off the show grounds, we discovered a trail that lead to spectacular gravel and dirt pathways through the mountains.

We rode for quite a while, up steep inclines (I had to walk a few times) and down hillsides in what appeared to be a perfect recreational area. Laughing and pedaling, we looked across the mountains at the bright blue Pacific Ocean in the distance. At one point Billy said, “Where is everybody?” I shrugged my shoulders and lifted my eyebrows to say, “Who knows?” because we had not seen a single biker, runner or hiker for hours.

I remember feeling a similar emotion when racing triathlon in the ‘90s, when the sport was growing quickly but still far from mainstream. I would sometimes look around during races and when training and wonder why more people had not discovered this fantastic sport and lifestyle.

Once you’re a triathlete, especially during your honeymoon phase with the sport, you want everyone to try triathlon because you know what the sport can do for you. That’s why it is so refreshing today to see triathletes everywhere filling up races and joining triathlon clubs and to have multitudes now setting their sights on their first triathlon. Our sport and the fantastic products and gear that support it are experiencing a tremendous growth and sales explosion. I was biking last week in Solana Beach and a woman yelled from across the street as I passed by on my tri bike, “I’m a triathlete too!” She smiled with great pride as she waved. And as the numbers of triathletes worldwide grow, the sport is officially now entering mainstream media, the international psyche and more importantly, the realm of possibility for scores of triathlon hopefuls. If you want to start a profitable business with an instant recipe for success, consider starting a triathlon somewhere.

As Billy and I neared the end of our loop, we exited on some paved roads and passed a garbage dump and realized we were inside the garbage compound. A truck pulled up next to us and promptly notified us that all the unmarked trails were off limits and we needed to leave immediately--an answer to our earlier question that never occurred to us.

What else would beautiful trails be used for other than to work out?

In our lives, we have all been some place where, looking around, we may have wondered where everyone else was. These were the moments when we thought we were in the right place but because of the lack of the presence of others, we questioned our decision to be there. Triathlon remains a secret to some, but to those of you who have discovered this place, you know you are where you are supposed to be. Your decision to be here will consistently remind you there is no place in your soul that is “off limits.”

Train Smart, More and more people find their way into this lifechanging sport of triathlon every day and the question I happily ask myself now about our sport is not “Where is Mitch Thrower everyone?” but “Where did all these people come from?” mthrower@triathletemag.com 18

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Contributing Writers Roch Frey, Paul Huddle, Jay Prasuhn 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. Production/Circulation Manager Heather Gordon, hgordon@competitorgroup.com Customer Service Linda Marlowe Senior Account Executive Sean Watkins, Cycling & Events swatkins@competitorgroup.com Senior Account Executive Lisa Bilotti, Nutrition, Apparel, Footwear & Auto lbilotti@competitorgroup.com Marketplace Sales Laura Agcaoili, lagcaoili@competitorgroup.com Office Assistant Shannon Frank, sfrank@competitorgroup.com Accounting Vicky Trapp vtrapp@competitorgroup.com A publication of the Competitor Group Chairman David Moross President & CEO Peter Englehart Triathlete Magazine 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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In my first stint as a Triathlete editor, between 1997 and 1999, I wrote a column called “Dr. Jock’s Product Lab.” The column had no explicit purpose, but in effect it served as a parody of the conventional service magazine product review.

In some pieces I aimed for a comedic effect by reviewing silly products (e.g. the Kick Bike) with a poker face. In others I did silly things with legitimate products.

For example, I test-rode a Porsche-branded mountain bike and compared the experience to that of test-driving a Porsche Boxster. (I still can’t believe I was able to talk Porsche USA’s media relations department into letting me have that thing for three days.) And in still others I made a mockery of the genre by going off on crazy tangents, like the one where I focused on an altitude simulation tent’s negative effects on my sex life with my then-girlfriend and now-wife, Nataki.

If I had any serious intent in adopting my Dr. Jock alter ego it was, ironically, to encourage triathletes not to take the consumer aspect of their sport too seriously, as I felt many did. I worried especially about the potential for technology to steal the soul of the sport, at least for some susceptible individuals. In principle I had nothing against the use of advanced technology in triathlon; I just 20

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didn’t like seeing it distract men and women from the opportunities to journey within their bodies, to connect with nature and to redress the softening effects of today’s pampered lifestyle that the sport afforded.

As fate would have it, in the years since my first stint as a Triathlete editor and my current one I became a bit of a technology guy myself. I wrote a book called The Cutting-Edge Runner, developed online training plans and became an advocate of innovations ranging from carbohydrate-protein sports drinks to barefoot-simulating running shoes. While I still bristle at some of the top-down pushing of technology on triathletes the industry engages in—for example, I’m decidedly old-school on the matter of bike fitting (my motto: If you feel good, it’s a good fit)—I have developed a greater general appreciation for technology’s contribution to the fun of being a triathlete.

I appreciate how much more reliable today’s tri bikes are compared to those of a decade ago. Being a numbers geek, I appreciate how power meters and speed and distance devices enable me to quantify my training. And, among many other things, I appreciate the various newer technologies, such as the space-age video equipment used to retrain the running gate in some physical therapy facilities, which help triathletes prevent and overcome injuries.

The spirit that animates our neverending quest to find a faster way to the finish line is very much akin to the spirit that motivates innovators to find high-tech solutions to problems such as bike component breakdowns, our limited ability to quantify our training and injuries. Indeed, the right technologies, used correctly, can not only help us reach the finish line faster but also enhance the element of play in the sport (those interactive cycling workout videos come to mind).

The risk of becoming a tool of technology remains as present today as it has ever been, however. Take a word of advice from the writer formerly sometimes known as Dr. Jock: Don’t become the gal who is so obsessed with the weight of her bike that she buys every new product that promises to lighten it, or the guy who is so dependent on his heart-rate monitor he feels as though his workout almost doesn’t count when he accidentally leaves his monitor at home and is forced to run without it. Technology has a valuable place in triathlon. Keep it there!

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 2008 SWIMSUIT ISSUE FEATURING AMANDA BEARD GEAR >> TRAINING >> RACE SCENE >> LIFESTYLE

N O. 2 9 0

HOT

SUMMER

SWIMWEAR

6 STEPS

FOR A SWIFT 70.3 RECOVERY

REVIEW

WORKOUTS FOR A

FASTER 5K

Swimming in letters

I am writing to let you know how truly disappointed my husband and I are with the cover of June’s magazine. There doesn’t seem to be much of a difference between your magazine and Victoria’s Secret or FHM. Clearly your marketing strategy is sex sells. We don’t want half-naked women on our magazine covers, especially not a triathlete one.

We have enjoyed reading your magazine so far and are loyal subscribers but we will stop if the cover continues to be distasteful.

Regards, Tina Via e-mail

Once again brilliantly conceived and very, very tastefully executed. I have no doubt this is not the first letter on the subject. I’m so glad this issue continues despite the naysayers. As an Englishman all I can say is I’m glad “those people” left on the Mayflower so you guys got all the hang-ups.

Chris Johnson.

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JUNE 2008

Irritated with your choice, Jessica Kemeny Via e-mail

RACING-FLAT

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I just received my June 2008 issue of Triathlete and as John Duke predicted, I am writing to complain.

I have no issue with a swimsuit issue at all.

However, there are so many amazing women involved in tri that you could have given the cover to. WHY did you give it to Amanda Beard? I don’t care if she is an amazing swimmer. She still chose to degrade herself and female athletes everywhere by appearing in playboy. I participate in sports because I love the feeling. I also participate to give my daughter a strong and healthy attitude about herself and her body. Amanda Beard chose to take the amazing gift she has been given and turn it into something pathetic. I don’t want my daughter to think the only way female athletes get attention is by taking their clothes off. Summer Sanders was an amazing swimmer that developed a great career by using her popularity and her brain. What about an actual triathlete like Michellie Jones or Chrissie Wellington?

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Please allow me to respond to the piles of e-mails I am sure you are already receiving. Most of them go something like this: Dear Triathlete, WAAAAAAA!!! I am a big baby; I don’t like the swimsuit issue and do not like to look at other people in swimsuits.

OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST WAAAAAA!!!!! This really upsets me and I AMANDA BEARD don’t like it. WAAAAAAAA!!!!! Go back to triathletemag.com the way it used to be. WAAAAAAA!!!!

Sincerely, A Big Baby Well, let me say as a triathlete and devoted reader of your magazine, great job on the swimsuit issue. As a former swimmer I must say you made a great choice by putting Amanda beard on the cover. I was pleasantly surprised to see the cover. Triathletes in general are people who keep up great levels of maintenance on their bodies and should be proud of the hard work they and others have done.

Summer time is a time for swimsuits and I applaud the swimsuit issue. Let’s also not forget it had plenty of other useful info in regards to triathlon in it as well. Keep up the great work!!

Patrick Farwell Wilmington, N.C.

Dear editors, When my boyfriend brought in the mail last week, he said, “Uh-oh, you’re not going to like this!” referring to the current swimsuit issue of Triathlete magazine. Being a swimmer first and a triathlete only recently, I recognized cover girl Amanda Beard right away. I gave the swimsuit section a flip-through before pronouncing my judgment, and I am happy to report this issue is a

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MAIL CALL lot less sexist than your last issue! What do I mean? Well, it’s true that in your swimsuit-modeling section, you do have a lot more photos of women than men, but it’s also true the swimsuit industry makes a lot more cute suits for women than for men, so that seems reasonable. You could have posed some men in some tiny Speedos to parallel the very non-competitive range of bikinis worn by your female models in many of their photos, or had the men lying suggestively on the beach in a few shots as the women did, but it wasn’t terrible. Not like last month. Last month I received my first ever issue of Triathlete magazine and was very excited it was your retrospective issue—how better to learn lots about the history of my new sport? Overall it was a great introduction, but the “10 best covers” section was offensive. The few covers of women you selected did not show a single woman doing anything athletic; your photos of male triathletes did. As a result, I will not share that issue with any young girls I know. I would hate for girls to think the only way for a female athlete to get on the cover of a sporty magazine is by wearing body paint instead of a wetsuit or by dressing up like a pop star. I love seeing your photos of world-class triathletes

competing, and those really make great covers. I’m sure you have had some awesome covers of female triathletes competing over the years, right? Why weren’t any of them top-10 worthy?

Swimmingly, Sara

God am I glad I’m a woman! I have to say that women’s swimsuits are way sexier than men’s! They all look so good on the models, or should I say the triathletes look so good in them. Sure, form follows function, but isn’t this side effect much more rewarding than dizziness, nausea, fatigue, headaches, bleeding, anal leakage . . ? I wonder. Thank you so much for the swimsuit edition; indeed, beautiful athletic bodies are to be celebrated.

Sophie Meneut New York, N.Y.

My family has been into triathlons for over 25 years. We even have family members (Laura Bennett representing the U.S. and her husband Greg representing Australia) going to the Olympics to represent our country this summer in Beijing. I love triathlon because it is an honest sport: You work hard, you train hard, and you compete and see results. In general I enjoy your magazine— with the exception of the issue my 13-yearold daughter just brought in from the mail.

It may sell magazines to put a swimsuit issue out there, but in my opinion it is inappropriate. I mean, really, when was the last time you ever saw anyone COMPETE in a bikini?

I have 10 children. Four of them have competed in triathlons. Since I value their opinion on the sport too much to see it downgraded to what you have made it in the swimsuit issue, I hope you will understand why I find it necessary to cancel my subscription.

As long-time triathletes, my household just started getting Triathlete magazine again after a couple years of a hiatus. We had seen how the content of your magazine had improved. And I certainly understand the business decision of the swimsuit issue.

I would think, however, that you could have found a female triathlete to model your swimsuits. These three women, all beautiful, are not triathletes. I even think one of them was switching out wigs in your photo shoots! I don’t know any women in this sport that wear a wig! There are plenty of female bodies in triathlon that could have modeled these suits.

There is always next year...

Sincerely, Alyson Llerandi Via e-mail

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Tim Mantoani

Sincerely, Lyette Reback

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SUB HEADING

CHECKING IN

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

CHECKING IN

INDUSTRI | MEDICALLY SPEAKING | TRAINING TIP | REALITY CHECK | SELECTION NA SPORTS | PRO BIKE | GATORADE ATHLETE | REVIEW | CADENCE CYCLING CLUB PROFILE | TRAVEL TALK | 70.3 SERIES | SHOW OFF YOUR RIDE | LIFE TIME FITNESS SERIES | ENDURANCE CORNER T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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INDUSTRI

Campagnolo North America appoints new GM Italian bike components manufacturer Campognolo Srl has announced the hiring of Tom Kattus as the general manager of its subsidiary, Campagnolo North America, Inc. Kattus officially joined the company on May 1.

Kattus will manage all the business affairs in the Carlsbad, Calif., office and work with Campagnolo’s manufacturing and distribution partners and with media throughout the USA, Canada and Mexico. “We are very happy to have Mr. Kattus join our team in Campagnolo North America,” said Angelo Caccia, President of Campagnolo NA and director of Campagnolo Srl international sales. “His depth of experience, reputation in the industry, and his excellent attitude, demeanor and integrity are exactly what we were looking for.”

An avid cyclist for 25 years, Kattus comes to Campagnolo with over 20 years of experience in the bicycle and triathlon industries. He served most recently as general manager of Zoot Sports, Inc.

Note to prospective insurance defrauders: If you want to collect money for a bogus disability and avoid jail time, don’t do any more triathlons. That was the mistake made recently by 33year-old Samuel Brabson of Richmond, Va. In April a Henrico County Circuit Court Judge convicted Brabson of trying to cash a $1.3 million accident insurance policy and receiving $100,000 in attendant care and equipment from the state Department of Rehabilitative Services for an accident injury that had supposedly left him wheelchair-bound.

Brabson really did suffer a spinal cord injury when his car was rear-ended by a garbage truck in Texas in 2001. However, he recovered fully and hid the fact from the government and his insurer. His cover was blown when he was seen doing things that he claimed he could not do, such as mow the lawn. A subsequent investigation revealed Brabson had also completed at least one triathlon since his accident.

He was scheduled to be sentenced in August and could serve up to 15 years in prison.

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Courtesy Robbie Franklin

Triathlete convicted of fraud charges

Son of Zoot Sports coowner raises $75k for Wounded Warriors at St. Croix 70.3 At 16, Robbie Franklin becomes the youngest-ever triathlete to conquer The Beast in St. Croix.

Tackling one of the toughest Ironman 70.3 races in the world at the age of 16 is an impressive feat in itself, but raising $75,000 for a charity in the process is even more remarkable. Robbie Franklin, son of Zoot’s co-owner Martin Franklin, spent the last year training for the St. Croix event and raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit charity that helps provide care for injured

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U.S. war veterans. When all was said and done, Robbie raised nearly six figures for the organization and he and his father finished the event together in 6:16.

Robbie first became interested in supporting the Wounded Warrior Project when he met Steve Robison, an Army veteran injured in Iraq. Robison “crewed” for Robbie’s father when Martin completed the grueling Badwater Ultramarathon and Robbie decided he wanted to help others like Robison.

“Steve just has an amazing attitude toward everything,” Robbie said. “I got to know him pretty well and I wanted to do something to help.”

To find out more about the Wounded Warrior Project, visit woundedwarriorproject.com.

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Courtesy Argon 18

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Rising Kiwi star Kieran Doe recently signed a sponsorship agreement with FRF Sports, New Zealand’s exclusive distributor of Argon 18 bikes. The “Doe-boy,” as he’s affectionately known, is the reigning Ironman Canada champion and most recently finished third at this year’s Ironman New Zealand.

Marc-André Perron, the director of sponsorship programs at Argon 18, noted that an outstanding athlete such as Doe makes an ideal ambassador for his growing company. ''Kieran is blessed with rare athletic talent. He's an excellent swimmer and strong rider. He is tenacious and always races at the front. There is a clear parallel between his qualities and the ones embodied in our bikes; it's a good match that came naturally.”

In his preparation for the Ford Ironman World Championship, Doe will 30

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ride the Argon 18 E-112—one of Argon’s new bikes from the company’s Element 114 project—which was awarded the Institute de Design Montreal’s first prize in 2007. Doe joins Ironman superstars Torbjorn Sindablle and Samantha McGlone in representing Argon 18 at Kona.

Co., a construction equipment company, Kane finished the Gulf Coast race last year with a time of 6:05:35.

Remembering Patrick Kane What was to be a routine race and a family getaway for triathlete Patrick Kane and his family ended in tragedy at Florida’s Gulf Coast Triathlon on May 10, 2008. Kane, 38, stopped and flipped onto his back during the swim and was pulled from the water and died en route to a hospital. "He was a big, strapping guy and an avid triathlete," said Kane's mother-in-law, Nancy Gaines of Novato, Calif.

Gaines said her son-in-law had no known health issues. A sales manager with Hilti

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Courtesy Kane Family

Doe-boy to ride Argon 18 in 2008

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3:01 PM

MEDICALLY SPEAKING

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

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The mystery of the side stitch

By Jordan D. Metzl, MD Paul, a 41-year-old triathlete, came into the office complaining of side pain.

“Doc,” he said, “I’m fine when I hang around. I don’t ever have pain when I’m biking or swimming. But when I run, I get this side stitch that is killing me. Every time I try to push it, my side won’t let me accelerate.”

As I explained to Paul, side stitches are a very common problem in triathletes, and can occur for a number of different reasons. The most common cause, 32

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especially in the early season, and with athletes who are pushing the run beyond their current capability, is a diaphragm spasm. The diaphragm is the muscle that separates the lungs and chest cavity from the abdominal cavity, and with every breath it expands and contracts. When it works too hard, it can spasm, causing a pain that is felt as a deep side stitch.

Another common scenario is when the diaphragm is working fine, but the breathing effort is excessive, due to panting and puffing, and the accessory muscles of breathing, the obliques, begin to spasm.

Other causes that are less common include exercise induced bronchospasm (EIB) and an anatomical problem with the lungs.

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One cause of side stitches that is specific to triathlon is the stress of transitioning from cycling to running. If the core muscles aren’t stretched after a long bike leg, they may spasm, a problem that can be fixed or prevented with a quick stretch in the second transition.

Since the most common causes of side stitches are muscle-related, increasing core strength through exercises such as planks and crunches, especially with rotation, often fixes the problem. If that doesn’t work as a first step, go see your doctor and try an inhaler, which is used to treat side stitches caused by EIB. At my suggestion, Paul started a serious regimen of core strengthening and was stitch-free in a month.

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TRAINING TIP

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Get aero

By Colleen Kelley, PhD and Troy Jacobson You’ve done the research on the aerodynamics of various bikes and wheel sets. You’ve made the purchase of an incredibly aero bike and aero racing wheels, and heck, you even bought an aero helmet. What’s next? Well, you set up an appointment at a local tri shop for a proper bike fitting to ensure that you have an effective aerodynamic position on your new aero bike with aero wheels and aero helmet.

Price tag so far? About $5500. You convince yourself, friends and family that it’s well worth it; aerodynamics is the quintessential factor for a good bike split.

However, on race day, it turns out to be overcast, with a chance of rain, and on the cold side. And, lo and behold, you roll out 34

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of T1 on your newly dialed-in aero bike wearing a neon yellow windbreaker. You head out on the bike looking like a big, neon yellow balloon on a very aero bike.

And now you’ve negated all $5500 worth of aerodynamic benefits you accrued.

All too frequently we see choices made with clothing and accessories that completely negate all the aerodynamic benefits gained from a good choice of bike, wheels and even helmet. And it doesn’t really look good, either. Here are some of the greatest offenders: The windbreaker jacket (especially the neon yellow ones–1987 called and wants them back).

Poor race number placement. Make sure that it’s not flapping around anywhere on your bike. It should be adhered snuggly to your aero frame.

Wearing your aero helmet on the back of your head and looking down frequently. All helmets are most effective

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(and aerodynamic) if they are fit properly and are kept flat along your back as much as possible.

Baggy cycling jersey. Wearing a loosefitting jersey with large pockets is akin to wearing a parachute. Wear something contoured to your torso.

Baggy shorts. Running shorts are for running. Don’t wear these on the bike.

The point here is for you to think about how each item you wear or put on your bike could affect your overall aerodynamics. Everything from positioning to clothing choices can impact your average speed at the end of the day. When it comes to being aero, the small details are important!

Colleen Kelley, PhD., a chemistry professor at the University of Arizona, is a long-time triathlete and an associate coach of Troy Jacobson’s Triathlon Academy. For more information, visit coachtroy.com.

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REALITY CHECK

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

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Myths of the water

By Colleen Kelly, PhD. and Troy Jacobson

Every triathlete knows good technique is critical to swimming performance. But not everything you think you know about effective freestyle technique is true. There are many myths floating around. Here are some of the ones to watch out for: 1. Triathletes don’t need to kick much.

While it’s true that triathletes need not rely on a hard kick for propulsion (that’s for pool sprinters), a good, steady kick will greatly enhance your body position and rotation. It will bring your hips closer to the surface of the water, allowing you to be more streamlined and enhancing your stroke efficiency. A “good, steady kick” is a noticeable kick (some would call it a four-beat kick, with four kicks for every stroke rotation) that provides some propulsion, enhances body position and doesn’t noticeably tire your legs. The key is to practice swimming with this kick so your muscles will develop to appropriately support this kick during a race.

2. A wetsuit minimizes the negative impact of stroke deficiencies. First of all, wetsuits are not even allowed in some races, including a little out-of-the-way event called the Hawaii Ironman World Championship. That’s reason enough alone not to depend too much on your wetsuit to make up for inefficiencies in your technique. But the bigger issue is the fact that a wetsuit can’t really make up for these inefficiencies. True, a wetsuit helps with buoyancy and body position for most swimmers, but it also helps efficient swimmers in the same way, so you don’t gain anything on them if you’re both 36

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suited up. And a wetsuit does nothing to ensure proper rotation, catching, pulling and recovery. It won’t swim for you.

3. You should breathe on both sides (breathe on every third stroke). Alternate breathing is a great way to train your stroke to become balanced, as it develops equal left-right muscular strength and reduces left-right technique asymmetries. However, in a long-distance swim, oxygen is very important, and you get more oxygen when you breathe on one side every second stroke. Over the course of a mile, 1.2 miles, and especially 2.4 miles, this will result in the uptake of significantly more oxygen than would occur if you were to breathe on every third stroke. And that’s more oxygen your body can use to power your working muscles. Analysis of the world’s best long-distance swimmers shows that 95 percent of them breathe on every stroke cycle for this reason. They can sustain a faster pace for a longer distance with more oxygen delivered to their muscles.

4. You should cup your hands to grab more water. Ironically, this results in grabbing less water. The surface area of your hand in a cupped position is much less than it is in a relaxed position. Try it: cup one hand and measure the area presented to the water and put the other hand in a relaxed position. In fact, research has shown that a hand in a relaxed position with fingers at their normal separation actually has a “webbing” effect and pushes more water than a flat hand with the fingers pressed together.

Colleen Kelley, PhD., a chemistry professor at the University of Arizona, is a long-time triathlete and an associate coach of Troy Jacobson’s Triathlon Academy. For more information, visit coachtroy.com.

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SELECTION

Free speed

Pick up one of these three aero helmets and you could save minutes at your next Ironman—or at least you’ll look really fast.

By Aaron Kamnetz A few years ago, aero helmets were seen as an unnecessary addition to any triathlete’s speed arsenal. However, after years of wind tunnel tests and countless comfort improvements, aero helmets now adorn the heads of scores of triathletes—from top-tier pros to back-of-the-pack age groupers. So, if you want to lower your drag coefficient at your next event, pick up one of these super-sleek helmets.

LG Rocket Air $150

Building on the original Rocket design, Garneau created the Rocket Air to provide increased ventilation on an already proven aero mold. Garneau’s Ergobuckle makes neck chaffing a thing of past and the Spiderlock device makes adjusting the fit on the fly a breeze. The Rocket Air is also extremely light, tipping the scales at only 14.8 ounces. louisgarneau.com

Spiuk Kronos $240

The retention system is Spiuk’s innovative COMPACTFIX technology, allowing for millimetric precision when adjusting the tension.

The Kronos also features a padded chinstrap and one-piece internal padding (both removable/washable). Two slice-vents in the front funnel airflow while maintaining the maximum aerodynamic integrity of the outer shell, which is solid even at the tail end. dpmsports.com

Giro Advantage 2 $150

The product of 20 years of elite-level competition and carefully refining with feedback from riders such as Lance Armstrong, the Advantage 2 represents the razor’s edge of aerodynamic performance. Using Giro’s patented Roc Loc 4 technology, the helmet is guaranteed to fit any size head. The helmet also features a unique internal ventilation system, born form hours of testing in the wind tunnel. giro.com

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Images courtesy the manufacturers

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Ford Ironman Arizona Kids Triathlon

By Helen Manning

Page 40

NA SPORTS

Ford Ironman Arizona has enjoyed a close relationship with the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) since the inception of the event. The racecourse travels through the community, whose members have become involved in the event as supporters and participants.

Among those who have taken up the Ironman challenge is Michelle Reina-Long, who has been a catalyst to getting the young people of the community involved in the sport.

Inactivity among young people in the United States is a significant problem and health issues that result from inactivity are of serious concern to the Native American population. More than 12 percent of Native Americans over the age of 19 have Type II diabetes. Two of the major contributing risk factors in Type II Diabetes are being overweight and an inactive lifestyle.

Reina-Long, along with her husband Eric, was a co-founder of the Salt River Tri-Athletes, who help organize the SRP-

MIC Kids Triathlon that takes place in conjunction with Ford Ironman Arizona.

The 2008 edition was the second annual event and saw the number of participants double from the first event in 2007. Many of the 59 participants were members of the Pima and Maricopa tribes, and several children of athletes participated in the Ironman event either as individuals or members of a relay team.

The race directors of Ford Ironman Arizona, Paul Huddle and Roch Frey, were on hand to help out with the organization of the event and to provide goodie bags courtesy of Ford Ironman Arizona sponsors: Gatorade, PowerBar, Blue Seventy, Wigwam and Fuel Belt. To the delight of the participants, 17 bicycles and 22 helmets were given away at the end of the event.

Through programs such as this one, the North America Sports Adopt an Athlete Program and the North America Sports Community fund we see that Ironman is about more than completing the 140.6 miles; it is about changing attitudes and impacting the lives of people in a positive way.

Courtesy NA Sports

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PRO BIKE K D

J C

A

H

G B

E I

Jay Prasuhn

F

Erika Csomor’s Cervelo P3 Carbon

By Jay Prasuhn

Standing in contrast to last month’s Cervelo P3 Pro Bike ridden by 42

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the form of a Wheels Manufacturing conversion cassette, which allowed her to achieve Campy spacing on the Shimano freehub body. It worked out in the end.

A Frame Cervelo P3 Carbon, 51cm B Fork 3T Funda Pro C Headset Full Speed Ahead Orbit IS,

1 1/8” D Aerobar Vision Tech Carbon Pro

E

F G H I J

K

Clip-on and Vision Tech Carbon Base Bar, Vision Tech aero brake levers Groupset Campagnolo Record 10-speed, Wheels Manufacturing 11-23 cassette Chainring Campagnolo Record Carbon, 53-39 Wheels Hed Stinger 60 tubular Tires Zipp Tangente, 700 x 21mm tubulars Pedals Campagnolo Record Hydration ZZYZX carbon bottle cages, Beaker Concepts HydroTail rear hydration Saddle Saddle Selle San Marco Aspide TriathGel

Jay Prasuhn

Canadian long-courser Sara Gross is the one ridden by TeamTBB’s hottest new commodity, Erika Csomor. While the friendly Hungarian’s name isn’t a familiar one, it ought to be: she is an accomplished duathlete, having won Powerman Zofingen, and finished in the top 10 in Kona last year. It’s only this year that she’s made massive strides, after joining her new team of All-Stars, training under Brett Sutton, developing her swim and becoming an all-around threat, as evidenced by victories at Ironman 70.3 California and Ironman Arizona this spring.

Csomor’s team-commissioned Cervelo is a study in balance. Her powerful riding style utilizes her quads on the flat, but she slides slightly back to engage her hamstrings on gradual climbs. Thus, she’s not as aggressively pitched as Gross is; Csomor’s seat angle relative to her saddle is 78 to 79 degrees, with a saddle nose that drops dead even with the bottom bracket shell.

When she received the bike, Csomor, a Campy-group rider, did not initially notice that she had been supplied with a teamissue Hed Stinger tubular—with a Shimano freehub body. She got a bailout in

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Age group triathlete Loves wine and jeans First triathlon was Tucson ‘96 Works in the mortgage industry

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS Qualified for Hawaii 3 times; won my age group at Ironman Arizona in 2007; I’ve completed 7 Ironmans... so far!

THE PERFECT RUN Early in the morning along the beach with my husband.

ON MY MP3 PLAYER Daughtry for tempo; Yo Yo Ma for long runs.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE SPORT I like love to watch it change people’s lives, and to watch people find out what they are capable of.

MY TOUGHEST TIME When my body gave out in Hawaii at the World Championships. Not being able to continue felt like failure– it was a defining moment for me.

I was afraid I lost my ability to tough it out. I signed up for IronMan Arizona the next day!

JEN’S WEARING Giro Convert glasses; 2XU 2-piece race kit; Women’s Comp Tri top and Hipster Tri shorts; Newtons Women’s Distance Racer shoes.

Learn more about Jen, the clothes she’s wearing and the gear she uses at TRIBUYS.COM

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Your one stop TRI shop

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GATORADE ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

Marit ChrislockLauterbach PENSACOLA, FLA.

By Marni Rakes

As an aspiring creative writer, 27year-old Marit Chrislock-Lauterbach never saw her own life as a page-turner. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, with a degree in eastern European studies, Marit began her triathlon career in 2004 after having previously expressed her love of sports as a runner, basketball player, shot putter, soccer player and nationally ranked rower. After getting married in 2003, Marit completed two sprint triathlons but then decided to focus on her

writing and photography.

However, marrying a ground officer in the Marine Corps means long months of loneliness and many days of worrying.

In order to pass the time, clear her mind and keep her body healthy, Marit decided to use triathlons as a positive focus in her life. She was very successful in her second attempt at triathlon. She finished as the first amateur at the Gulf Coast Triathlon, placed second in her age group at the Ford Ironman 70.3 World Championship and represented North Carolina in the Best of the U.S. Triathlon in addition to winning

her age group in some smaller events.

In 2006, Marit began racing in the elite category, and has continued to excel in the sport’s highest ranks, placing eighth in the elite division at St. Anthony’s and fifth overall at Timberman. “I want to better myself as an athlete,” she says. “I like the challenge and learning from every training session and every race.”

Regrettably, Marit’s big plans for the 2008 season, including her first Ironman, St. Anthony’s and the age-group championships in Vancouver, were dashed by a terrible bike crash. “I am a very positive person and I am thankful to be alive,” she says of the accident, which left her with nerve damage and a fractured sacrum. “In life, you can’t pick where you want to go,” she reflects.“However, you can decide how you will respond. An injury or crash isn’t the worst thing in the world, so I am trying to turn it into a positive.” A silver lining to Marit’s setback is that it has given her more time to focus on her writing, including her blog (marit-chrislocklauterbach.blogspot.com/), which chronicles her determination to resume racing in the near future.

F i e l d Te st e d By Michae l L o v at o

Two-time Pro Ironman Champion Michael Lovato demands the very best. He knows winning at the highest level of triathlon requires the most advanced technology available.

That’s why he relies on the First Endurance system to help him go harder and recover faster day after day.

2X Ironman Champion, 2X Ironman National Champion 1st Place 2006 Ironman Arizona

Shouldn’t You?

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Courtesy Marit Chrislock-Lauterbach

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REVIEW John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

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$ 0 . 1 & 5 * 5 * 7 & 5 3 * "5 ) - & 5 & 4

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The makers of Enduro-Plex™, have spent years researching this breakthrough product. Now they want to test it in the real world with competitive triathletes like you. You don’t have to be a nationally ranked competitor to qualify.

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

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Total Immersion Swimming

By Brad Culp

Water is 829 times denser than air. It’s because of this that water is extremely unforgiving of stroke defects. Even the slightest bit of added drag can have a substantial effect on your swimming performances. Recognizing that swimming is an inherently low-efficiency activity, Terry Laughlin developed the Total Immersion (TI) method of training, whose objective is to make you more efficient in the water.

Laughlin and his legion of Total Immersion coaches believe that endless laps of pulling and kicking will only serve to make you frustrated instead of making you fast.

Instead of focusing on developing strength and power in the water, the TI method teaches the importance of fishlike swimming. Athletes become faster by slicing through the water instead of fighting the water and trying to power through it with their arms and legs.

Laughlin offers a variety of tools to instill his unique technique. A number of two-day camps are staged throughout the country. These camps give athletes the chance to be videotaped and to have their strokes personally analyzed by a TI instructor. If you’re more of a one-on-one learner, there’s also a network of TI instructors who are available for personal coaching. If you would prefer to teach yourself the TI method, Laughlin has authored a pair of books to help you learn the nuances of efficient swimming. Extraordinary Swimming for Every Body and Triathlon Swimming Made Easy are both available online, along with a number of TI stroke technique DVDs. Perhaps the most impressive part of the TI method is that it’s guaranteed to work. If any TI product fails to make you a better swimmer, you get your money back. And if your camp experience isn’t beneficial, you get a free private lesson. For more information, go to totalimmersion.net.

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CADENCE CYCLING is the ability to find the exact amount of watts that I can sustain for a given period. Now that I know these numbers, I know exactly how hard I can go without exhausting myself, no matter what the conditions are like. It’s an insurance policy that makes sure I’ll always finish the ride without blowing up. I’ve trained with power before, but I still don’t own a power meter. I frequently dream of owning an SRM. James Pearson:

In observance of our annual High-Tech Gear Guide, our six Cadence Kona Challenge athletes have chimed in with their take on high-tech gadgets. Some of them keep it old-school and need nothing more than a chronographic Suunto, while others have embraced the world of high technology and can’t train a day without their power meters. Cadence coach Mikael Hanson also checks in with a coaching tip about how he uses technology to improve his athletes’ running mechanics.

Heart rate-based training has been a very cheap and efficient way for me to get into shape. You have to know what your heart rate zones are for it to work properly, so I highly recommend a VO2 max or lactate threshold test. I’m considering purchasing a power meter, since I can really see how it would help to manage my power output.

Other than the heart rate monitor I don’t really have any gadgets. I find anything designed to measure my speed, like a Footpod, is unnecessary, as I will always base my effort on heart rate and perceived exertion.

Randy Christofferson: Besides my wicked-fast Zipp wheelset, nothing

Coaching tip

By Mikael Hanson Through the use of biomechanical video analysis, we can point out inefficiencies in an athlete’s running style and make subtle changes to improve running economy.

The first thing we examine with video analysis is an athlete’s posture. The most efficient position for running is an upright, straight posture, with the head, shoulder, hip and ankle in a vertical line. It’s also important to keep the upper body relaxed, as tension in the arms can draw blood away from the legs, which is where you need it most. Lastly, we encourage athletes to press their hips forward while they run, which improves the legs’ range of motion.

After we make the necessary adjustments to an athlete’s posture, we next use freeze frames to examine the foot plant. When running with the correct posture mentioned before, the most efficient foot plant position is directly under the hips, which offers the greatest amount of support to the running mass (the center of gravity). A slight forward lean (while still keeping the body in line) will help you land on the forward portion of the foot, instead of on the heel.

Elizabeth Wittmaack: For me, the biggest advantage of training with power 48

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has been as much of a plus to my riding as the incorporation of power measure-

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ments. I benefit from riding with power by utilizing a Computrainer and an SRM power meter. I’m using these tools to track my fitness via Training Peaks software. From this data, I’m able to establish very precise output targets for interval work, tempo rides and endurance rides. I also use the SRM during races to monitor my power, which allows me to better manage my race tactics. For example, I know that my Ironman target zone is 215-225 watts.

Mary Lou Hoffman: While I claim to be totally low-tech when it comes to training, I do know a lot of science has gone into making our equipment light, fast and reliable, especially for cycling.

I’ll take every advantage I can get, so I must confess that I love the Cyfac bike we were given through the contest. I love everything from the aerodynamic frame, to the SRAM components, to the carbon Zipp Vuka aerobars and, of course, the Zipp 606 wheels. Even if I don’t ride fast it makes me feel like I might someday.

Now if I can just make my body light, fast and more aerodynamic, I’ll be set for the season!

Scott Sharpe: Last October I was using a speed sensor for my bike and that was it. I had never even used a heart rate monitor. Now, I'm fully equipped with the Suunto heart rate monitor that I won in New York, as well as a Footpod, and a new computer for my bike that displays power, cadence, speed, and pedal stroke efficiency. Some might think this is overkill, but I think it’s the best way to train. It’s so important to know what you’re actually doing compared to what you think you’re doing. I have found that I gradually slow down while I run, so checking the data from my Footpod always reminds me to keep pace. Training with power on the bike allows me analyze real data that can be used for future workouts. These toys seem expensive at first, but in the long run, it’s money well spent.

Kate Conklin: I just finished my first marathon! My heart-rate monitor was critical to my race. It prevented me from going out too fast, which I normally do because of excitement. The first half of the race felt awesome and my heart rate was in the correct zone. When I started to have trouble from the pain, my heart rate started jumping all over the place. The monitor gave me lots of information that I will use for my Ironman and in my training as well.

Courtesy Judy Christofferson

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CLUB PROFILE

Courtesy Tom Hamilton

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Des Moines Tri Club Des Moines, Iowa

One of the Midwest’s largest USATcertified clubs, The Des Moines Triathlon Club, grew out of a small club founded in 2002 (Central Iowa Multisport).

“We wanted to re-brand the club [in a way] that clearly communicated what the club does,” said Tom Hamilton, President and cofounder of the Des Moines Triathlon Club.

With the new name, Des Moines Tri’s 13-person board created a simple mission statement: “To encourage a fun, competitive triathlon network promoting education, fellowship and physical fitness.”

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The club emphasizes education by providing seminars on nutrition, injury prevention, bike maintenance, open water swimming and transitions.

“The club is a place where new athletes can feel welcome and learn from more experienced triathletes,” said Steve Blazek, Club Vice President. Membership has gone from 30 to 270 members in just a few short years.

The club has more than 20 USAT AllAmericans who have accounted for a plethora of podium finishes at major races. Members have also finished many Ironmans, including the world championship in Kona. Most notably, up-andcoming pro T.J. Tollakson is an active member of the club.

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The club also played a major role in bringing the Hy-Vee Triathlon ITU World Cup and premier amateur races to Des Moines. Club members presented the race idea and a $1.5 million budget for an urban triathlon in downtown Des Moines to Ric Jurgens, CEO of Hy-Vee, Inc. Ric had participated in the Big Creek Triathlon just outside of Des Moines and he recognized the potential opportunity of bringing the world’s best triathletes to Des Moines.

Triathletes of all abilities are always welcome to join the club. If you are visiting Des Moines, feel free contact the club through its website to join in a workout.

DSMTri.com

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TRAVEL TALK

Courtesy U.S. Multi-Sport Publications

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Munice Endurathon

Date: July 12, 2008 Location: Muncie, Ind. Format: 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1mile run; 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike; 400yard swim, 12.3-mile bike, 3.1-mile run Web site: muncieendurathon.com Race director: Bryan Myrick Contact: 765.759.8778 The Muncie Endurathon is in its 29th year of existence. Old-schoolers know it as one of the world’s most venerable half-irons, but it also offers a sprint triathlon for those just getting into the sport of triathlon. And if running is a major weakness for you or your knees won't allow it, try the aquabike. Muncie, Ind., is a conveniently central location for travelers hailing from all four corners of the U.S. The Endurathlon is a truly classic American triathlon that is not soon forgotten by anyone who experiences it.

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DeGray Lake Sprint Triathlon

Date: August 17, 2008 Locationn: Arkadelphia, Ark. Format: 500-yard swim, 14.6-mile bike, 3.2mile run Weeb site:: dltmultisport.com Race directoor: Fred Phillips Contaact: 870.246.6686 This event, now in its 11th year, started out as a fundraiser for a local Boy Scouts troop. Located in southwestern Arkansas, DeGray Lake is one of the top-10 cleanest lakes in the country--just one of many factors that make the DeGray Lake Sprint Triathlon a great travel destination race. The feature triathlon is part of a multisport festival weekend. Go to dltmultisport.com for more information on the weekend’s events.

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Crested Butte Bank XTERRA

Date: July 27th, 2008 Locatiion: Crested Butte, Colo.

Format: 1K lake swim, 24K mountain bike, 9K trail run Web site: cbbanktri.com Raace director: Tina Kempin Coontact: 970.349.0170 As if Crested Butte didn’t already offer enough for the multisport traveler, now there’s the Crested Butte Bank XTERRA to draw you there. It’s perfectly timed at the end of July. Take the kids along, sign them up for the kids fun run, and take advantage of one of the many beautiful campgrounds in the area. The even weekend also features a Saturday clinic hosted by a well-known XTERRA pro. Sound good? Get those lungs ready!

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70.3 SERIES

Fueling for 70.3

On the bike:: One 750 ml bottle of Clif Shot Electrolyte Drink, plus four Clif Shot Gels (three of them are caffeinated) and two large bottles of water throughout the ride.

On the run: I take along a Fuel Belt Gel Flask filled with four Clif Shot Gels and a little bit of water, which thins out the gels a bit. I’ll sip on that throughout the run along with a cup of cola and water at each aid station.

One size doesn’t fit all

By Brad Culp We know there’s no single, surefire way to fuel up for a 70.3 event, or any triathlon, for that matter. Different strategies work for different athletes and often it takes a long process of trial and error to dial in your race-day nutrition. No one has his or her nutrition more dialed than a toptier pro triathlete, so this month we asked a few of the sport’s best pros to share their Ironman 70.3 race-day nutrition plans. Check them out and see if there are a few tips you can steal for your next 70.3 event.

In the morning: Two high-protein Ensures, one banana and one cup of oatmeal or a bagel. I also sip on a sports drink throughout the morning.

On the bike: One bottle of Infinit (about 500 calories) and five PowerGels.

On the run: A cup of Gatorade and a cup of water at each aid station.

Michellie Jones (AUS)

In the morning: One muffin, maybe two if I’m hungry. I’m usually still pretty full from the previous night’s dinner. Then I’ll hydrate with a bit of PowerAde while I set up transition.

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Bryan Rhodes (NZL) In the mornning: One or two cups of coffee (with sugar and milk), one bottle of Ensure, one Clif Builder Bar and then one regular ClifBar just before the start.

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Courtesy Bryan Rhodes

Andy Potts (USA)

In thee morning: A bowl of oatmeal plus toast with peanut butter and jam. After that I’ll sip on a mix of Motor Tabs and CarboPro. Thirty minutes before the start I’ll take a GU and three tablets of Vantage VO2 Max. On the bike: I take two Thermolyte tabs as soon as I get on the bike and continue to take two every 3040 minutes. Throughout the bike, I’ll drink two bottles filled with Motor Tabs and three scoops of CarboPro. If I feel like I need GU during the last few miles I’ll take one.

On thhe run:: I’ll continue to take two Thermolytes every 20-30 minutes, along with a GU Roctane every 2-3 miles or as needed. I take SportQuest Motivator tablets during the last half of the run and drink water whenever I feel I need it.

Delly Carr/triathlon.org

Blake Becker (USA)

In thhe morning: One bagel with cream cheese and jam. About 45 minutes before the start I’ll have half of a Promax bar and I’ll sip on a mixture of Gatorade and CarboPro. On thhe bike: I try to aim for about 250 calories per hour. I take along one bottle filled with just Gatorade and then one bottle of Gatorade with two scoops of CarboPro. I’ll also drink one Enervit Cheer Pack in the middle of the ride and one more just before getting off the bike. I sip water at every aid station and take up to four Thermolytes per hour.

On the run: I carry a flask filled with Gatorade and one scoop of CarboPro, which I sip for the first few miles. After that, I alternate water, Gatorade and cola at the aid stations. I take two Thermolytes every half hour and carry along two gels so I have them whenever they’re needed.

Courtesy Blake Becker

Heather Fuhr (CAN)

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SHOW OFF YOUR RIDE

Courtesy Christophe Joly

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Christophe Joly’s Cervelo P3C

Frame: Cervelo P3C custom painted by

Starting this month, Triathlete will give readers the chance to show off their ride. We’re not looking for just any old store-bought tri bike, however. We want to see the best of the best: top-notch components, super-deep wheels and stealth-like aerobars. Custom paint gets bonus points, of course. If you’d like to enter, please send a high-resolution image of the bike, a spec list, your name, hometown, best race result and the story behind your ride to triathletemagcontest@gmail.com.

To kick things off, we’re featuring the winner of our sexiest bike contest on triathletemag.com. If you think your ride can top this custom-painted Cervelo P3C, we want to see it.

Rider: Christophe Joly Hometown: Mountain View, Calif.

Best race result: 9:31:53, Ironman Arizona 2008 (1st, M40-44)

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hottubes.com Wheelset: Zipp 909 Crank: Zipp 300 Carbon with Zipp 185 Ti BB Pedals: Speedplay Zero Ti Aerobars: P.R.O. Missle Carbon Group: Shimano DuraAce 10speed Weight: 16.3 lbs.

The story: A few years ago I decided it was time to replace my 6-year-old Kestrel. One of my top criteria was looks, so that every time I saw it, I would want to ride it. I decided that the easiest way to make a dream bike totally unique was to go with a custom paint job. I contacted my local bike shop, Front of the Pack, and they ordered a bare P3C and then sent it to Hot Tubes for painting. I chose a mix of yellow and blue paint and then had my daughters

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draw three pictures depicting swimming, biking and running, which were painted on the downtube.

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LIFE TIME FITNESS SERIES

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

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Lights, camera, triathlon!

The race

Take an Olympic-distance tour of L.A. this September

By Brad Culp The Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon, part of the Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series, is one of those races that you have to do. On any other day of the year, Hollywood Boulevard is crammed with cars, tour buses, tourists and street vendors, but when the triathlon rolls through town, you’ll have the boulevard all to yourself (and about 1,500 of your closest friends). It’s truly a unique way to take in the City of Angels and we think it’s a much better option than trying to negotiate L.A.’s legendary traffic.

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After a true ocean swim at Venice Beach, athletes are treated to an epic 40k bike course, without a doubt the gem of the event. Riders start off heading east on Venice Boulevard as they make their way toward the glitzy streets of Beverly Hills. From there, athletes head up Hollywood Boulevard and take in the sights, including Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame. Don’t take too much time finding your favorite actor’s star, though: remember, it’s a race. The second transition takes place in front of the Staples Center, in the heart of Downtown L.A. The 10k run is probably the most challenging part of the race, with a steep climb up Grand Avenue on each of the two laps.

Where to stay It’s a point-to-point race, so it’s really

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up to you as to whether you want to stay near the start or the finish. If you prefer to be close to the start, the Marina del Rey Marriott is the place to be. However, if you want to be close to downtown and the finish area, The Club Hotel offers a huge discount for athletes and is also home to the renowned Los Angeles Athletic Club—the perfect place to squeeze in any pre-race workouts.

While you’re there Take a stroll down the Santa Monica pier, located just north of Marina Del Rey. There you’ll find a seemingly endless array of shops and restaurants, along with plenty of family-friendly entertainment.

If you’d rather experience the TV and movie scene, check out the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Museum of Television and Radio, both located in Beverly Hills.

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ENDURANCE CORNER

Get cornered

By Cour tney Johnson The Endurance Corner, located in Boulder Colo., is one of the latest sports science testing outlets. The Corner’s philosophy is “helping people help themselves” and stems from the personal interest of professional triathlete Gordo Byrn. “I saw a tremendous opportunity in the field of human performance and wellness,” says Byrn. “I have always been interested in exercise physiology and gradually I met the right people to make the business happen.”

The Endurance Corner offers a full range of sports testing for athletes from VO2 max to lactate step testing and even bike fits.

“There remains a disconnect between the best sports scientists and the best ultra-endurance coaches,” says Byrn. “I was curious why this exists and wanted to make a contribution to our understanding of what drives long-course performance.” The progressive bike test is what the Corner is becoming known for. The test they provide is longer and more gradual than traditional ramp testing at other outlets. “This provides a more accurate picture of metabolic efficiency and overall fitness,” says Byrn.

The E.C. also provides an online forum where coaches, sports scientists and athletes can share thoughts and ideas about long-course triathlon training. With the testing center and online forum Gordo is hoping the disconnect between scientists and coaches will begin to disappear. The forum already has more than 150 members.

Courtesy Courtney Johnson

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CHECKING IN The Corner caters to all kinds of athletes but is most beneficial for athletes just starting out and serous elite and amateur athletes. “If you are starting out then our testing helps you accurately target your fat-burning zone,” says Byrne. “Most of our clients are surprised to find out that they can burn more fat by going easier in their training.”

Serious athletes benefit from testing that helps them set appropriate goals and track their progress toward them. “I have used the metabolic testing to accurately target my moderately hard zone (Friel Zone 3) to get the most out of my endurance training,” says Byrn.

The Endurance Corner is currently located in the basement of Byrn’s home.

The lab features $65,000 of top-of-the-line equipment, including a Parvo Medics True Max 2400 Met Cart for exercise metabolism testing. “The Parvo machine may cost 10 times more than the competitors’ product but is far more accurate,” says Byrne.

“It’s the same machine used at the Olympic Training Centre.”

The facility’s director of lab testing, Mat Steinmetz, has a Masters degree in

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sports science and is trained to perform every test offered. “We have built our testing protocols to offer the clearest view of an athlete's metabolic efficiency and aerobic economy,” says Byrn. With lab results in hand staff exercise physiologist Alan Couzens will sit down with each client and put the results into language they can understand. Alan analyzes the results to find each athlete’s strengths and weaknesses. Reports of the results are given to the client to take home. “We have structured our reports to give our clients information that can be immediately applied in their training,” said Byrn.

In the future Byrn hopes the Endurance Corner will become the “Olympic Training Center” for amateur athletes in Boulder. “There is limited knowledge of the science behind endurance events lasting longer then four hours,” he says. “We would like to study and contribute our collective knowledge on going long. To sum it all up, The Corner is uniquely experienced athleteconsultants using specific tests to provide our clients with accurate data that can be immediately applied in the field.”

Why Does Heather Gollnick Rely on First Endurance?

5X Ironman ‘08 Pucon 70.3 ‘07 Ford Ironman Arizona ‘07 Ford Ironman Louisville

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Five-Time Ironman Champion Heather Gollnick is busy. She raced in four Ironmans and four half Ironmans in 2007. She won two of the Ironman races, one of the half Ironmans, had numerous podium finishes and set an Ironman personal record along the way. She also has three young children and manages the IronEdge training camps. How does she do it all without burying herself? For one thing, she relies on First Endurance to help her go harder and recover faster day after day. See for yourself how the award-winning, critically acclaimed First Endurance system can help take your training and racing to a new level.

“First Endurance offers the most-effective endurance nutrition available” – Heather Gollnick

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firstendurance.com • 866.347.7811

Courtesy Courtney Johnson

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2008

HIGH-TECH

GEAR GUIDE Let your inner tri-geek out with this season’s top high-tech toys

By Brad Culp P h o t o s b y J o h n S e ge s t a

Few sports rival triathlon when it comes to embracing high-tech gear. NASCAR may have a leg up on us, but other than that, we’re at the top of the tech food chain.

Join the legions of tri-geeks worldwide and pick up some of this season’s hottest technology. There’s something out there for everyone, whether you’re in the market for a power meter-compatible GPS system or a watch that doubles as an MP3 player.

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OAKLEY O ROKR PRO $249 You no longer have to choose between work and working out. The O Rokr Pro wirelessly syncs your iPod and cell phone through you sunglasses, allowing you to get some business done or rock out to “Eye of the Tiger” while you turn the cranks.

Simply toss your Bluetooth-enabled iPod and phone in your jersey pockets and you’ll be able to control both with buttons on the O Rokr frame. Oakley has also introduced the Split Thump, which has a one-gig MP3 player housed within the frame, eliminating the need for an iPod altogether. oakley.com

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GEAR GUIDE

BLACKBURN NEURO 6.0 CYCLOMETER $225 Nothing sucks more than having your computer fail midway through an Ironman bike leg. To keep it from happening to you, pick up the new Blackburn Neuro 6.0â&#x20AC;&#x201D;one of the most technologically advanced and reliable cycling computers on the market. The 2.4GHz transmission system rivals that of your home phone and provides wireless measurements of speed, cadence, heart rate and even altitude. To top it all off, Blackburn includes a lifetime warranty on its entire line of cyclometers, so feel free to put it to the test. blackburndesign.com

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SELLE ITALIA OPTIMA TEKNOLOGIKA $555 If you have a food scale at home, try finding the combined weight of your saddle and your rear-mounted hydration system. Chances are they weigh more than 135 grams.

The OPTIMA Teknologika doesn’t. It’s the first saddle to be designed in the wind tunnel and the result is a perfect blend of aerodynamics, functionality, aesthetics and low weight. selleitalia.com

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GEAR GUIDE

TYR TRACER TRIATHLON SHORT JOHN $192 Apparently Teflon coating is good for more than just making your eggs slide out of the skillet. The hydrophobic properties of Teflon also make it perfect for shedding water away from a swimsuit, so TYR decided to cover their entire Tracer Triathlon suit in the super-slippery coating. TYR has been using the Tracer Light technology in their swimsuits for over a year and now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s available in a triathlon-specific one-piece suit. The new suit is ready for all three sports, featuring an antimicrobial pad and compression panels throughout the legs to keep blood flowing on the bike and run. tyr.com

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LIKE NO OTHER

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JAGWIRE BARCON TRIATHLON SHIFTER MOUNT KIT $75 Here’s one for the dedicated weight-weenie who wants to shave a few grams while also boosting his or her bike’s bling factor. By using an external mount for the bar-end shifters, Jagwire is able to eliminate heavier internal expansion plugs, which can save as much as 66 grams off a set of Dura-Ace shifters. The gold mounts will no doubt get you noticed, but if you really want to pimp your ride, check out Jagwire’s line of fluorescent cable housing. jagwireusa.com

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GEAR GUIDE

IBIKE AERO $999 In a perfect high-tech world, we’d all have wind tunnels in our back yards and we could take precise drag measurements anytime we made minute changes to our bike or position. That probably won’t happen anytime soon, but the new iBike Aero is the next best thing. This futuristic unit measures the aerodynamic drag coefficient (CdA) by combining applied force measurements (power) with opposing force measurements (gravity, wind, inertia and rolling resistance).

Measuring these forces allows the computer to compute real-time drag, so riders can see how minor changes in their position or equipment affect aerodynamics. In case that isn’t enough, the computer also delivers real-time measurements of power, calories burned, speed, distance, altitude, hill gradient, elevation gain and temperature. Oh, and it only weighs two ounces. ibikesports.com

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CAMARO MODETEC SKIN SHORTY $200 What makes this speed suit high-tech is what it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have: stitching. Austrian wetsuit manufacturer Camaro has been the pioneer of seamless bonding for years and they now offer a seamless solution for non-wetsuit racing.

The neoprene of traditional wetsuits and speedsuits tends to be slightly more taut near the seams. By eliminating the seams altogether and welding the neoprene layers together, Camaro is able to create a suit that fits uniformly around the entire body. The result is a speedsuit that feels like a second skin. A womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s version is also available. camaro.at

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GARMIN EDGE 705 $500 Now you can no longer use the excuse, “I got lost,” when your spouse asks why your ride lasted three hours longer than you had planned. The new Edge 705 provides turn-byturn directions on a color screen, so you can always find your way home, no matter how many hours you spend in the saddle. Want to pre-ride an Ironman course before the big day? Load the course into your Garmin and it’ll take you on a precise 112-mile tour. The new Edge is currently compatible with SRM and Quarq power meters, which means you no longer have to choose between GPS and power. garmin.com

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KNOG GATOR 605 LIGHT $399 Just because it’s pitch black outside doesn’t mean you can’t squeeze in a quick ride—at least not if you have the Gator 605. It’s the ultimate headlight system for late-night or early-morning commuters, 24-hour mountain bikers and just about anyone else who waits until the sun is down to pound the pedals. The bar-mounted light has two three-watt bulbs (spotlight and floodlight) and one flasher.

The top tube-mounted battery pack lasts for approximately four hours on a single charge. knog.com.au

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POLAR RS800 G3 $489 At Polar, the word “multisport” means more than just swimming, biking and running, so they designed a GPS system that’s versatile enough for any activity you can think up. The RS800 system provides heart rate, speed and distance readings while you bike and run in the summer and then dishes out altitude profiles while you cross-country ski and hike in the winter. The next generation of the RS800 will be available this fall and will include Polar’s new ProTrainer software, which will allow you to export your workout data directly to Google Maps. polarusa.com

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SKULLCANDY MACGYVER MP3 WATCH $200 The guys at Skullcandy are all about consolidation. Why carry around a one-gig MP3 player, a thumb drive, a voice recorder and a watch when you can have it all in one package?

The appropriately named MacGyver watch delivers all four of these devices in a tiny wristwatch. The body of the watch houses a one-gig drive, enabling you to carry over 200 songs or a seemingly endless amount of data on your wrist. Included in-ear headphones connect directly to the watch body. skullcandy.com

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GEAR GUIDE TISSOT T-TOUCH EXPERT $1,095 (WITH TITANIUM BAND) Swiss manufacturer Tissot has been building precision watches since 1853, so you might assume they like to keep things old-fashioned, but the T-Touch Expert blends old-school looks with new-school tech.

Since it costs about as much as a new set of carbon wheels, we wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recommend racing with it, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got the features to do just about everything else. The T-Touch gives precise measurements of direction, temperature, altitude and air pressure, making it the perfect companion for anyone who really likes to take in the great outdoors. tissot.ch

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TANITA BC-558 BODY COMPOSITION MONITOR $300 Every serious athlete knows body composition is a better indicator of fitness than weight. You could pay a few hundred bucks to have your body composition analyzed by a healthcare professional a few times a year, or you could pick up Tanitaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new BC-558 and get a reading as often as youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like. The new body composition monitor is as high-tech as they come, providing measurements of weight, body fat, body water, muscle mass, basal metabolic rate, bone mass and visceral fat. The BC-558 uses handgrips along with standard feet electrodes and can deliver full-body measurements, or segmental readings of the arms, trunk and legs. thecompetitiveedge.com

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GO DEEP. COMING SOON YOU’VE DECIDED YOU’RE GOING TO SET A NEW BEST TIME, OR MAKE UP THAT DEFICIT IN THE BIKE SEGMENT. YOU DIG DEEPER. AND THEN A LITTLE DEEPER. YOU GO SO DEEP THAT THE PAIN IS LIKE A DEAFENING WHITE NOISE, AND IT KEEPS GETTING LOUDER, BUT THIS TIME, YOU WON’T LISTEN. AND YOU KNOW THAT YOUR EQUIPMENT ISN’T HOLDING YOU BACK; IT’S LETTING YOU SQUEEZE EVERY LAST OUNCE FROM YOUR EFFORT. Blackwell Research was the first to offer a commercially available 100mm carbon wheelset – the “Hundo.” Our engineers have spent as much (or more!) time in wind tunnels than you have training.

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H I G H -T E C H

GEAR GUIDE

ROADBIKERIDES.COM (FREE) Traveling to Dallas for work and don’t know where to ride? Log on to RoadBikeRides.com and you’ll be able to find detailed route descriptions for local rides nationwide. Ride routes are submitted by users and can be printed out on Google Maps. RoadBikeRides.com also lists elevation profiles, popular re-fueling spots and comments from other users. It’s not just for the traveling triathlete either—log on and see if you can find a new route in your own backyard. roadbikerides.com

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Future coach Joe Friel is among the world’s leading practitioners of computer-assisted coaching for endurance athletes.

Perhaps best known as the author of The Triathlete’s Training Bible, whose third edition will be released by Velo Books in September, Friel is also the founder of Training Peaks, an Internet provider of training tools for endurance athletes and coaches, and Training Bible Coaching, an online coaching group.

Friel got a late start as a coach and as a triathlete.

Throughout the 1970s he worked as a high-school teacher and was also a competitive runner. In 1979 he left the classroom and opened a running store, which eventually became a triathlon store. Meanwhile a rash of injuries led him into cross training, which in turn led him to do his first triathlon in 1983. Friel’s brilliant third career as an endurance sports coach grew out of the free advice he gave to customers in his store, which he sold in 1987.

In observance of this, the annual technology issue of Triathlete, we called Friel at his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., to chat about computer-assisted triathlon coaching and training.

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mputer-assisted triathlon co of r he fat e th is el Fri Joe day has come coaching—a service whose

By Ma tt F itz ge ra ld

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John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;I started by handing athletes handwritten schedules in my store. Then I was writing out training schedules and sticking them in the mail for athletes who lived far away.

Eventually it became faxes, then e-mails and then attachments to e-mails.â&#x20AC;?

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Triathlete: How did you transition from being a teacher and an athlete to a teacher of athletes?

JOE FRIEL: As a runner I got interested in learning as much as I could about performance and went back to school to get a master’s degree in exercise science. When I opened my running store, people kept on coming in and asking me how to train. So I started coaching people.

Do you have a particular coaching philosophy?

I can put it in a nutshell, and the nutshell is this: Athletes should do the least amount of training necessary to achieve their goals. I find that, once I figure out what’s the least amount of training an athlete needs to achieve their goals, they usually achieve their goals. Before they were most likely doing too much to achieve their goals and fatigue was a constant factor. I don’t know that I would call myself a minimalist, but I tend to hold down volume and watch specificity very closely. I’m always making sure the athlete has things dialed in closely to what they’re trying to accomplish.

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What sorts of tools does Training Peaks offer, and how do athletes benefit from using them?

They can benefit in lots of ways. Probably the most basic way is to just use it as a training diary, much as they would with paper and pen. We have a free version athletes can use to record information. You can download workout data from virtually every training device on the market into your log.

You can also buy training plans that are loaded directly onto your Training Peaks calendar. Some athletes use it to coach themselves. There are more than 500 workouts they can select from to create their own training plans. And we’ve got

“Athletes should do the least amount of training necessary to achieve their goals. I find that, once I figure out what’s the least amount of training an athlete needs to achieve their goals, they usually achieve their goals.”

My coaching quickly evolved during the 1980s from being local to international. I started by handing athletes handwritten schedules in my store. Then I was writing out training schedules and sticking them in the mail for athletes who lived far away. Eventually it became faxes, then e-mails and then attachments to e-mails. Eventually I started playing with the idea of creating software that would make it easier to communicate with athletes.

In the late ‘90s my son Dirk came on board with me as a coach and he came up with the idea of creating something that was more Web-based. He took all the stuff I’d been doing and put it in a format that worked on the Web. We launched trainingbible.com in 1999.

[The company changed its name to Training Peaks in 2004, after acquiring Cycling Peaks.] We quickly realized we should look into increasing the usage of it, so in 2000 we decided to allow people to take out subscriptions to it. It started slowly and remained that way until 2003, when it began to really take off, and it’s been growing very fast ever since then.

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John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

How did your coaching develop into the Internet-based phenomenon it is today?

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athletes that use the Virtual Coach, which is software that can help athletes design their annual training plan and lay it all out for them so they don’t have to do a whole lot besides provide the same basic information they would give me if I were coaching them directly.

I imagine some triathletes might be skeptical of the notion that a “robot” could coach them effectively. What do you say to such skeptics?

One of my partners, Gear Fisher, is a pretty sharp software writer, and back in 2001 or 2002 he and I began to talk about creating a software program that would automatically make the same kinds of decisions I would make as a coach. I wrote out the workouts and the logic tree that would be used to make training-plan design decisions based on information the user provided, and Gear did all the work of translating that to code.

It really asks the same questions I do as a coach: What is your sport? What are your goals? What are your limiters? How much time do you have to train? Each answer allows the software to make a decision that shapes the training plan that comes out as the end product. It’s actually pretty refined. I think it’s a good tool for most athletes. They may want to do a little tweaking themselves as they go, but the plan itself is not much different from what I would create with the same information.

You’re a strong proponent of training with a power meter on the bike. How did that come about?

I got my first power meter in 1995 and used it for one year and then had to give it back to SRM. I didn’t get my next one until 1998 and I’ve been using it ever since. The learning curve was very steep for the first three or four years.

“Heart rate is a very Very few people had a indirect measure of power meter and nobody really underwhat the muscles stood what to do with are doing. It’s kind them. Over time that changed. We’re at a point of like using your where we still don’t gas gauge to figure out know everything about training with power but how fast you’re going we’re quite far advanced in a car. A power meter compared to where we tells you directly what were even two years ago.

It provides an infinite your muscles are doing wealth of information and that is really the about the athletes and their training. most important thing.”

Four years ago we realized the power analysis software we had with Training Peaks left a lot to be desired.

So we began to look around at what else was out there and found this software called Cycling Peaks and realized it was exactly the sort of thing we would like to offer ourselves. We were fortunate enough to be able to get its creator, Hunter Allen, to join our group and bring his product on board. That product is now called WKO+, and it works with speed and distance devices for running as well as power meters.

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You said it took you years to learn how to use a power meter effectively. That might make the average age-grouper say, “Why should I bother?”

The typical athlete who gets a power meter and doesn’t have someone teach them how to use it is going to have to go through the same learning process, and it’s going to take them a few years to learn how to use it, quite honestly. They can speed up that process and make it a few weeks if they read a book such as Hunter Allen’s Training and Racing with a Power Meter. But if all they do is clip the power meter to their handlebars and look at the numbers and say, “Gee Whiz,” they’ve wasted their money.

They need to figure out what all these numbers mean, and not only that but also how to analyze the numbers.

For most athletes that is asking too much, because they just don’t have the time. They’re already working 50 hours a week and trying to train another 15 hours a week, and they’ve got a spouse they need to spend time with and kids they need to take to soccer practice and a lawn they have to mow and all that. So it’s very difficult for the typical athlete to learn how to use a power meter effectively unless they become very dedicated to it.

Do you see power meters as a complement to, or as a substitute for, heart-rate monitors?

A lot of athletes are too reliant on their heart rate monitors.

I have athletes who get a power meter and then continue to train based on heart rate. They don’t quite grasp the concept of what power is telling them. Power is so much more valuable than heart rate. I’m not saying heart rate isn’t good information—it is—but I’m afraid we’ve gotten to a point where athletes believe heart rate is the end-all and be-all of training. They think they’re trying to train their hearts, which is really not the case. After two years in the sport what they really should be trying to do is train their muscles. Heart rate is a very indirect measure of what the muscles are doing. It’s kind of like using your gas gauge to figure out how fast you’re going in a car. A power meter tells you directly what your muscles are doing and that is really the most important thing.

Would you say a speed and distance device serves the same function vis-à-vis running that a power meter serves vis-à-vis cycling?

Pace monitoring is similar to power monitoring but it’s not quite as good. For example, it doesn’t tell you about the effect of running into a wind, whereas a power meter does account for such factors. I know a company that’s now working on developing a power meter for runners. It’s a device that goes in the insole of your shoe and connects to a watch through a wireless interface and allows you to track your power information as you go.

I’m afraid runners won’t buy it because runners won’t buy anything that costs more than their shoes. But triathletes are different. Once they understand what it’s all about they will begin to understand that having power on the run is just as valuable as having power on the bike and more valuable than speed and distance, which is better than having heart rate only.

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John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

“The basic idea is you can’t develop fitness unless you experience fatigue. That’s something athletes don’t fully grasp. So, anytime you stress the athlete, which obviously produces fatigue, the athlete’s body adapts to that stress and grows stronger...”

How has your role as a coach changed with the advent of all of these new technologies?

The data I get out of a power meter and a speed and distance device has revolutionized the way I coach athletes. It’s dramatically different than it was even two years ago—much more effective.

At the end of every week I go back and pick out workouts for my athletes that were important and I grab the graphs of those workouts and show what we accomplished or didn’t accomplish.

I take a screen shot of the graph and then annotate it with my own notes. On Sunday I send the graphs to them through the Internet. I also summarize graphically how they’re coming along in terms of fatigue, fitness and form. And if there’s any other data I believe they can benefit from seeing I make a screen shot of that, annotate it and send that as well. So at the end of the week they’ll get two, three, four, sometimes half a dozen charts from me. After they get all of that I call them and we talk about all the things I’m seeing. Having seen all of the charts and talked about them, athletes not only have a better idea of what we’re trying to accomplish and can therefore be more purposeful in their training, but they also have greater motivation to do work98

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outs designed to accomplish things that we’ve agreed are necessary to achieve their goals.

Some of the new concepts that are incorporated into WKO+— namely, training stress score, acute training load, chronic training load and training stress balance—seem to be really catching on with athletes. Do you believe these concepts will eventually become universal in endurance sports?

I think it’s certainly headed in that direction. There’s an awful lot of conversation around those concepts I see on the Web, and I’ve written quite a bit about them for magazines and books also.

Can you explain them briefly?

I try to simplify them. Instead of calling it “chronic training load,” I call it “fitness.” Instead of calling it “acute training load,”

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I call it “fatigue.” And instead of calling it “training stress balance,” I call it “form.” Those terms are less scientific but easier for athletes to understand.

The basic idea is you can’t develop fitness unless you experience fatigue. That’s something athletes don’t fully grasp. So, anytime you stress the athlete, which obviously produces fatigue, the athlete’s body adapts to that stress and grows stronger, which we call “fitness.” As long as the stress is manageable, the athlete’s form continues to increase.

Form is something cyclists have talked about for decades, but without really understanding it in most cases. What it means in Training Peaks terminology is “fitness minus fatigue.” Fitness makes a positive contribution to form while fatigue makes a negative contribution. But since training produces both fitness and fatigue, you have to sacrifice some fitness to reduce fatigue if you want to maximize your form. I call this “race restedness.”

I’ve found that form is usually best when the athlete builds as much fitness as possible and then sacrifices about 10 percent of that fitness over a three-week period by reducing their training to minimize fatigue.

These concepts are so basic that one might wonder why they weren’t used decades ago. Is it because we lacked the ability to quantify them until power meters and speed and distance devices came around?

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That’s right. Without some way of measuring, we’re really guessing. For example, training stress score is a combined measure of the intensity and duration of a workout, where intensity is relative to your current fitness level. With power meters and speed and distances devices we can come up with a very reliable score for each workout, which indicates how much stress the athlete experienced.

Is the typical self-coached triathlete able to benefit from using an application such as WKO+, or is he or she better off using it with the help of a coach?

It’s always best done with the help of a coach. A coach who has experience using the software and the concepts will bring the athlete along much faster than if they try to do it themselves. But they can do it. I’ve talked to many athletes who have done it and who have become really rather sharp in this way of looking at training.

Earlier you stated that your coaching philosophy is essentially one of efficiency. Do the new training technologies make training more efficient?

Not only more efficient but also more effective. For example, the other day I told one of my athletes to do an easy day of training. He’s the kind of athlete who doesn’t like easy days of training.

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I told him what we really wanted that day was about 80 TSS [that is, a training stress score of 80 points], but I wanted it to happen over an hour and a half to two-hour period of time. I said, “If you hit 80 TSS in less than an hour and a half you’re working way too hard.” So it gave him some guidelines he could use to gauge what he was doing and hold himself back a little bit.

Will we soon see the equivalent of a power meter or speed and distance device for swimming?

It could be done quite easily. It could be done with a wristwatch accelerometer, for example. Every time you did a flip turn the accelerometer would register a change in direction. That’s the way the device would tell us the time we were swimming for every 25- or 50-yard lap in a pool. We’ll probably see devices like that on the market within two years.

Are there other advancements in computer-assisted coaching and training you see coming along?

One I’m most interested in right now is based on the WKO+ stuff. So far we’ve been using it as an analysis tool. It’s postscriptive.

The athlete does the work and then we analyze it. But someday, not too far in the future, we’ll be able to use that very same software to prescribe training. The athlete will decide when they want to come into form, and what level of form they want to achieve, and then we’ll drag a marker up to that point on the performance management chart [a chart in WKO+ that graphs acute training load

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(fatigue), chronic training load (fitness) and training stress balance (form)]. The software will be able to calculate what level of fatigue and fitness the athlete will need to have experienced prior to that time based on where the athlete is now and a standard view of how fast they’ll progress. The end result is that the software will graphically lay out the training stress loads the athlete will need to experience on a weekly and daily basis.

The next step is that athletes will be able to specify that they are training for an Olympic-distance triathlon or an Ironman triathlon (or whatever) along with the form level they hope to achieve and the software will be able to suggest not only a weekly and daily workload but also specific types of workouts that are appropriate to that goal. It’s going to keep becoming more and more refined as the software takes on more and more of the functionality of a coach, although it will never be able to make all of the decisions that a human coach can make.

Could such a program eventually become adaptive, so that it changes the plan based on the training the athlete actually does and how the athlete responds to it?

That’s certainly possible. It would get into artificial intelligence, which is a little more sophisticated. At that point we’re now making “what-if ” decisions about how to react when circumstances change. It’s certainly more challenging to build, but it can be done.

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HEAD OF THE CLASS Among the sport’s fastest growing population, UCSD’s Amanda Felder sits atop the food chain

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

By Brad Culp

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Tucked away in a corner of the University of California, San Diego’s campus there’s a eucalyptus forest with about four miles of trails cutting through the trees. You can find me there three or four mornings a week, slogging my way through a tempo run. I’m not much of a runner, but running in those woods makes me feel damn near Kenyan, since the majority of runners I breeze by are freshman sorority pledges, whose lone goal is to turn the dreaded “freshman 15” into the freshman five or six. However, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I can count on my ego getting a stiff crosscheck, courtesy of 26-year-old PhD student Amanda Felder. It’s on these mornings

“We do a little training together,” Felder says. “It’s hard that Felder performs her furious “turbo” sessions, because he’s always training for stuff. Sometimes I’ll do which make my tempo workouts look exception- longer long rides with him and sit on ally pedestrian. At least I’m not alone in my humil- his wheel.”

Derkacs is quick to object.

“She never really sits on anyone’s ity, since the rest of the UCSD Triathlon Team wheel,” he says. competitive nature (men included) are left sucking wind as Felder andFelder’s passion for endurance sports was cultivated at an early drops the hammer a bit more with each stride. age, as her parents had her competing in swim meets by the age Felder captured the overall women’s title at this year’s USAT of six in her hometown of Houston. She stuck to the water Collegiate National Championship in Tuscaloosa, Ala., marking throughout high school, but had an abrupt change of heart the second time she’s won the event. Felder is a professional upon enrolling at Rice University, and opted to try her luck as a triathlete, but she’s able to compete in the non-varsity world of walk-on to both the cross-country and track teams. collegiate triathlon—an unfortunate circumstance for any After four years, Felder left Rice with a degree in mechanical other female coed with dreams of being crowned national engineering and some very fast legs. She wound up at UCSD and champion. The aspiring biological engineer should have her shifted her academic focus to biological engineering and her PhD wrapped up by next summer, which means the rest of athletic focus to triathlon. triathlon’s top student-athletes will only have to deal with her “After swimming and running, triathlon just seemed like a for one more season. natural progression,” Felder says. “I obviously needed a little In case a budding pro triathlon career and the pursuit of a work on the bike, but I seemed to pick it up pretty quickly.” doctorate isn’t enough to fill her plate, Felder also has a wedding Making the transition easier for the then 22-year-old tri-newto plan—eventually. She and UCSD teammate Daniel Derkacs bie was Sergio Borges, UCSD Triathlon’s head coach of 10 years. got engaged this past spring, but they have agreed that their The coach knew from day one that Felder had a special talent and degrees should come before the wedding bells (Derkacs is in the she adapted quickly to Borges’ rigorous training program. electrical engineering PhD program). While Felder may be the “After you’ve been coaching for a while, you can tell pretty standout athlete of the pair, her fiancé is far from average, and quickly if an athlete has what it takes to compete at a high level,” has a 9:44 finish in Kona to his credit.

Borges says.“I knew right away that Amanda had tons of potential.”

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was back on top of the podium at this year’s event, finishing in 2:07:30—four minutes faster than her winning time in 2005.

Now entering her athletic prime, Felder will no doubt look to defend her title at next year’s Collegiate Nationals, but in the meantime, she and Borges are focusing on ITU racing.

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

It didn’t take long for the pair to realize that potential. After less than two years of training under Borges, Felder won the overall women’s title at the 2005 USAT Collegiate National Championship in Lake Havasu, Ariz. She had disappointing finishes at Collegiate Nationals the next two years, but Felder

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TODAY’S COEDS, TOMORROW’S OLYMPIANS In addition to Felder, look out for these youngsters in 2012

pretty quickly if an athlete has what it takes to compete at a high level...I knew right away that Amanda

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Kevin Collington (2008 University of Florida graduate) - 1:50:45 at 2008 St. Anthony’s Triathlon - 2nd at 2008 Collegiate National Championship - 2007 Collegiate National Champion

Steve Sexton (University of California grad student)

- 2008 Collegiate National Champion - 2nd 2007 Collegiate National Championship - Wildflower Olympic-distance course record holder (1:58:55)

Tim Carlson

“I’ll be doing a few Continental Cup races this season and I’ll see where that takes me,” Felder says. “I’d like to put together the kind of results needed to make it onto the World Cup circuit.”

Her coach realizes that while winning among the collegiate ranks is tough, competing in the ITU universe is a completely different game.

“If she’s going to be competing on the ITU circuit, we need to bring her racing to a whole new level,” Borges says. “Some of the girls on the ITU circuit get to rest all day after a hard morning of training. Amanda can’t do that. She has to finish a workout and then get right to class, or the lab or work.”

Dreams of competing on the World Cup level make Felder a bit of an anomaly among collegiate triathletes. There are a handful of other coeds who compete professionally—and do quite well—but for the most part student-athletes treat triathlon as a lifestyle sport and not a full-time job. The rapid growth rate of students picking up the triathlon lifestyle is remarkable. Just two years ago, 750 athletes from 60 schools participated in the collegiate nationals. At this year’s event, the 1,200 slots were sold out only a few days after registration opened, with 120 different institutions represented. USAT was forced to cap registration at 20 athletes per school, to allow as many schools as possible to participate. For the first time, many clubs were forced to have tryouts to narrow their “national team” down to 20 athletes.

One reason for triathlon’s recent boom among college students is simply that racing is more accessible for student-athletes than it was 10 or 15 years ago.

Realizing that today’s student-athletes are the future of our sport, USAT has made a firm commitment to developing collegiate racing, going so far as to set up individual racing conferences across the country. The result is that more clubs are springing up nationwide, and more students have triathlon as an option upon entering college.

Andy Jones, an active member of the Purdue University Tri Club, is like many collegiate triathletes in that he was simply looking for another athletic outlet after graduating from high school.

“I ran cross country and swam in high school,” Jones says. “After doing a triathlon relay and a sprint

Tim Carlson

had tons of potential.”

Andrew Hodges (University of Virginia grad student)

- 1st amateur at 2006 Ironman World Championship 70.3 (3:59:15) - 8th overall at 2008 Ironman Florida 70.3 - 2005 Ironman Hawaii finisher

Leah Larson (University of Colorado undergrad) - 2nd 2008 Collegiate National Championship - 5th 2007 National Age Group Championship - 2nd 2007 ITU Age Group World Championship

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XTERRA AMERICAN TOUR 2008 SCHEDULE XTERRA Saipan Championship Saipan, CNMI XTERRA Guam // Piti, Guam XTERRA Miami // North Miami, FL XTERRA REAL // Granite Bay, CA XTERRA Ft. Yargo // Winder, GA XTERRA Arizona Xtreme // Mesa, AZ XTERRA Gator Terra // Ruston, LA XTERRA Uwharrie // Uwharrie, NC XTERRA WEST CHAMPIONSHIP TEMECULA, CA 5/18 XTERRA Patanella’s King of the Hill Lebanon, NJ 5/18 XTERRA Caloosahatchee // Ft Myers, FL 5/18 XTERRA Last Stand // Augusta, MI 5/18 XTERRA Dirty // Canyon Lakes, TX 5/25 XTERRA Smith Lake // Fort Bragg, NC 6/1 XTERRA ACE Big Canyon // Oak Hill, WV 6/1 XTERRA Deuces Wild // Show Low, AZ 6/7 XTERRA Eureka Springs // Eureka Springs, AR 6/7 XTERRA Four Corners // Farmington, NM 6/8 XTERRA SOUTHEAST CHAMPIONSHIP PELHAM, AL 6/15 XTERRA EAST CHAMPIONSHIP RICHMOND, VA 6/21 XTERRA Dawg Dayz // North Little Rock, AR 6/21 XTERRA Buffalo Creek // Buffalo Creek, CO 6/21 XTERRA Solstice // La Grande, OR 6/22 XTERRA Torn Shirt // Brighton, MI 6/28 XTERRA Tahoe City // Tahoe City, CA 6/29 XTERRA Race at the Rez // Essex, VT 6/29 XTERRA Trimax // Mifflinburg, PA 7/6 XTERRA Lock 4 Blast // Gallatin, TN 7/12 Quarq XTERRA Iron Creek // Spearfish, SD 7/13 XTERRA EX2 // Flintstone, MD 7/13 XTERRA Vashon Island // Vashon Island, WA 7/19 XTERRA Hammerman // Anchorage, AK 7/20 XTERRA Thompson Lake // Poland, ME 7/20 XTERRA O.N.E. // Ravenna, OH 7/20 XTERRA Austin // Austin, TX 7/20 XTERRA Wild Horse Creek // Bozeman, MT 7/26 XTERRA DINO New Castle // New Castle, IN 7/27 XTERRA First Coast // Jacksonville, FL 7/27 Crested Butte Bank XTERRA // Crested Butte, CO 8/2 Fleet Feet XTERRA Indian Peaks // Nederland, CO 8/3 XTERRA Sky High // Grafton, NY 8/3 Nature Cure XTERRA Appalachia // Indiana, PA 8/3 XTERRA Panther Creek // Morristown, TN 8/3 XTERRA Black Diamond // Black Diamond, WA 8/3 XTERRA Snow Valley // Running Springs, CA 8/9 Jamba Juice XTERRA Mountainman // Kualoa Ranch (Oahu, HI) 8/9 XTERRA Beaver Creek // Avon/Beaver Creek, CO 8/10 XTERRA STOAKED // Hanover, NH 8/10 XTERRA Iron Will // Jonesboro, AR 8/16 XTERRA MOUNTAIN CHAMPIONSHIP OGDEN/SNOWBASIN, UT 8/16 XTERRA DINO Logansport // Logansport, IN 8/17 XTERRA M2Xtreme // Ellicottville, NY 8/17 XTERRA Charlottesville // Charlottesville, VA 8/17 XTERRA Camp Eagle // Rock Springs, TX 8/24 XTERRA Schiff Scout // Wading River, NY 8/24 XTERRA Blackhawk // Muskegon, MI 8/24 XTERRA Wild Ride // McCall, ID 8/31 XTERRA Onteora // Livingston Manor, NY 10/4 XTERRA Nevada // Lake Tahoe, NV 10/5 XTERRA USA CHAMPIONSHIP LAKE TAHOE, NV 10/26 XTERRA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MAKENA, MAUI, HI

Brightroom Photography

3/8 3/29 3/30 3/30 4/26 4/26 5/3 5/4 5/18

race with some friends, it seemed to be the only logical way to continue doing what I loved to do.”

While the sport’s growth is not expected to slow among college students, there’s still plenty that can be done to make competing more accessible and affordable. Christina Mei-Lan Leong, who competes for the University of California (Berkeley) Tri Team, is hopeful that race directors and organizers will work together to make racing a more economically feasible option.

“Make races more affordable—that’s

the number one thing we need to see happen,” Mei-Lan Leong says. “No one has $175 to spend on their race entry if they’re already spending a lot on their bike, travel and books for school. That’s the one thing that I see as a major issue.”

Race director Bart Davis recognized the need for affordable collegiate racing and started the United States Collegiate Triathlon Series (USC TRI) last year. This season, USC TRI will host six races at major campuses across the country (Texas A&M, Boise State, Florida State, Michigan State, Penn State and Stanford).

Schedule subject to change. As of 2/16/08.

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“We want to make it easier for schools to host events,” Davis says. “The commitment to be a successful student and triathlete is incredible.

It’s not always easy for kids to get organized and put on a race themselves—there’s simply not enough time or resources.”

In addition to making races more accessible for students, Davis also hopes that his races can become fundraisers for the host teams. Like other non-varsity sport clubs, many tri teams end up selling magazine subscriptions or organizing bake sales to raise necessary funds. A triathlon would be a logical—and potentially lucrative—means for tri teams to raise money. Even though Davis would like to see each team raise as much money as possible, he has placed a 50-dollar registration cap on his races to ensure that all the local teams can afford to attend.

While the cost and accessibility of races is certainly an issue, it’s unlikely that many students will be forced out of the sport because of it. In a recent Triathlete survey of collegiate triathletes, 100 percent of respondents said that they will continue racing after they graduate.

Purdue’s Jones sums up the sentiment of his peers quite well: “Triathlon is a life-long sport. I plan on continuing in it for quite a while.”

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REDEFINING HUMANLY POSSIBLE

Photo courtesy of Leland Black

Nathan products help you achieve your goals, no matter how impossible they may seem.

Our Speed 2 is ideal for triathlon training and competition. A bounce-free, adjustable belt carries two 10 oz. Nutrition Flasks for water, carbo gels, or your own special concoctions. Our unique molded holsters allow you to remove and replace Flasks effortlessly, with one hand. No more fumbling or breaking stride. Silicone grips inside the holsters ensure Flasks stay securely in place.

Nathan Performance Gear is available at specialty running and triathlete shops as well as sporting goods stores or at www.NathanSports.com.

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Chip Morten/Temecula Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau

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r u g , g e e n d i w racing e n i F

By Brad Culp

ee events TERRA’s marqu X f o e n o o t plays host SoCal’s wine countr y

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Northern California’s Napa Valley may have the best reputation for red wine and epic single-track, but SoCal’s lesser-known Temecula Valley is a close second—especially if you’re an XTERRA addict.

Temecula, Calif. is located about 70 miles northeast of San Diego, in the western foothills of the Santa Rosa Mountains.

While the climate isn’t quite as harsh as that of Palm Desert and Palm Springs (located on the other side of the range), Temecula’s weather is desert-like for most of the year—just ask any of the competitors from this year’s XTERRA West Championship. 2008 marked the fourth year Temecula played host to the event and it was the hottest on record, with the mercury rising close to 100 degrees F on race day. While this year’s temperature was somewhat of an anomaly—average high temps for mid-May are between 80 and 85 degrees—it’s probably a good idea to do some heat training if XTERRA West is on your schedule in 2009.

Blazing temps couldn’t keep a top-notch field of XTERRA pros from making their way to SoCal for this year’s event on May 18. Headlining the men’s field was reining XTERRA world champ Conrad Stoltz of South Africa, along with his countryman, Dan Hugo, and Americans Brian Smith and Josiah Middaugh. Leading the way for the women was three-time world champ Melanie McQuaid of Canada. Aussie Michellie Jones, who won the inaugural XTERRA Maui championship in 1996, was also on hand for her first off-road event in a dozen years.

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Chip Morten/Temecula Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau

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roller-coaster ride. There are two long, gradual climbs, followed by a series of gnarly descents.

“The descents on the bike are really fun,” McQuaid said after the race. “It’s almost like a BMX course.”

While none of the short and steep descents are too technically demanding, you’d be well served to practice dropping downhill before race day.

The course is tailor-made for Stoltz, whose powerful 6’3” frame makes easy work of tough climbs. The big South African was able to storm away from the rest of the contenders except for Hugo, who stayed right on his wheel throughout most of the ride. Stoltz is accustomed to breaking his competition on the uphills, but in Temecula he was forced to shake his 23-year-old protégé with his technical skills.

“Conrad’s technical skills are so good. He’s just too fast and his cornering is amazing,” said Hugo.

“Someday there has to be a changing of the guard, but right now he’s still the man, still the king.”

Stoltz’s technical prowess over the rocky single-track proved he’s more than just a climber, and the “Caveman,” as he’s known on the XTERRA circuit, made it back to transition with a narrow gap on his countryman.

“We dropped everyone pretty quickly, but I couldn’t shake Dan and I had to fall back on my technical skills,” Stoltz said. “I don’t like to take big risks, but when it comes down to it I will.”

The battle for the best bike split among the women wasn’t nearly as tight. Despite being stung by a bee, McQuaid was able to power away from the rest of the women’s field and entered T2 with a three-minute gap on German-born American Marion Summerer.

The race kicks off with a 1500-meter swim in Vail Lake, a tiny reservoir located 15 miles east of downtown Temecula.

The water is typically warm in May and this year no wetsuits were allowed, as the heat wave hiked water temps above 72 degrees on race day. American Craig Evans led the pro men out of the lake, but the pair of South African super-bikers (Stoltz and Hugo) were hot on his feet and ready to take charge. In the women’s race, Canadian Christine Jeffery led the way, putting a whopping three minutes on McQuaid, who is usually one of the first ladies out of the water.

Once the top pros made their way onto their bikes, it was all about Stoltz and McQuaid. The 30-km bike course on the fire roads and single-track surrounding Vail Lake can best be described as a 118

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The mercury finally reached its afternoon high as the race leaders began the run. The 10-km run course is without a doubt the most grueling portion of the race and this year its difficulty was compounded by the reported 104-degree heat index. It’s 6.2-miles of murderous terrain, with each step being straight up or straight down—there’s really no between.

Both Stoltz and McQuaid managed to maintain their leads throughout the run, with both athletes finishing about two minutes ahead of their closest competition. The biggest surprise of the day came from American Brian Smith, who posted a ridiculous 34:07 run-split—the fastest of the day by over two minutes.

Smith’s blazing last leg catapulted him to third place in the men’s race, three minutes behind Hugo. Summerer hung on for the runner-up position in the women’s race, finishing almost seven minutes ahead of American Jenny Tobin.

XTERRA WEST CHAMPIONSHIP

Temecula, Calif.

May 18, 2008 1.5-km swim, 30-km mountain bike, 10-km run Men 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Conrad Stoltz (RSA) Dan Hugo (RSA) Brian Smith (USA) Josiah Middaugh (USA) Seth Wealing (USA)

2:23:02 2:25:20 2:28:21 2:30:05 2:31:47

Women 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Melanie McQuaid (CAN) Marion Summerer (USA) Jenny Tobin (USA) Danelle Kabush (CAN) Amber Monforte (USA)

2:51:31 2:52:58 2:59:48 3:00:42 3:01:19

Amateur men 1. Trevor Glavin (USA)

2:41:59

Amateur women 1. Cary Kinross-Wright (USA)

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GETTING THERE

If you’re flying in from out of town, you have plenty of airport options.

Temecula is a quick and easy drive from San Diego International, LAX, Long Beach Airport and John Wayne Airport (Orange County/Santa Ana).

The San Diego and Orange Country airports are the closest to Temecula (about 65 miles from each), although LAX typically has lower fares.

If you’re coming from California, Arizona or Nevada, Temecula is a reasonable drive and is located just off the I-15 freeway. Getting to Vail Lake takes about two hours from Los Angeles, four hours from Las Vegas and five hours from Phoenix.

WHERE TO STAY

The Embassy Suites Temecula is the official host hotel and offers discounted rates for XTERRA West competitors (group code: XXW). For more information visit temecula.embassysuites.com.

If you’re looking for a truly rugged XTERRA experience, plenty of campsites are available around Vail Lake for $35 per night (RV sites are

Chip Morten/Temecula Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau

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Rich Cruse

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$52 per night). You can reserve your campsite by calling 866-VAIL-LAKE. If you’re not into roughing it and you’re looking for a truly lavish getaway, try the South Coast Winery Resort & Spa, located about 10 minutes from Vail Lake. Nestled in the heart of Temecula’s wine country, the resort offers 75 elegant guest rooms and an on-site winery. You might want to wait until after the race to indulge in South Coast’s renowned reds. For more information visit wineresort.com.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE

Northern California may have a leg up when it comes to smashing grapes, but the Temecula Valley is a worthy subordinate. More than 30 wineries are located within 15 minutes of Vail Lake and the dry

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climate yields excellent syrah and cabernet.

Ponte Family Estate, located on Rancho California Road, is an absolute must-visit.

They have a seemingly endless variety of reds and breathtaking views of the Santa Rosa Mountains. If posh wineries aren’t your style, head down Glenoaks Road to find Footprint Winery. It’s nothing more than one barn and one vintner, but the prices are

great and the wine is on par with that of any of its more chic counterparts.

A visit to Old Town Temecula is also in order while you’re visiting. Adjacent to downtown, Old Town is a throwback to the 19th century and retains many historical features. You’ll find plenty of Wild West-themed restaurants and art galleries and even an entire store dedicated to beef jerky.

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Many the miles 10 new running shoes for fall

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The race season is winding down, and with it goes that hyper-intensive speed focus. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to settle into some easier miles. Miles to maintain your general fitness, keep your sanity. So, put away the racing flats and pull out your trainers. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve compiled a collection of kicks that will move you from a quality workout to something just as rewarding: a quality run.

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Avia Avi-Lite II

$99

When you demand a fast shoe but your tired legs can’t be held to the same standard, the Avi-Lite is a savior. It’s a lightweight racer with a layer of tough rubber to make it durable. The Avi-Lite has a fair bit of medial support in the form of a stiffer rubber in that section of the shoe and a hard plastic heel cup to help limit pronation in those who tend to over-pronate.

avia.com

Images courtesy the manufacturers

Saucony ProGrid Xodus

For your off-road adventures, Saucony debuts the Xodus.

Features include a low-to-the-ground sole, tough and dark ripstop upper (to hide all that trail dust) and a plate that protects the sole from jagged rocks. But this new model also uses, for the first time, a Vibram rubber compound for increased durability.

And it’s fairly light for an off-road shoe at 12.3 ounces.

$100

saucony.com

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K-Swiss Keahou

$90

A long run in the Keahou is like sliding into a Lincoln Town Car, thanks to the shoe’s fine frontto-back cushioning. A full-length blue layer of GuideGlide is the main comfort provider, while a perforated SuperFoam layer underneath adds even more cush. You’ll have to leap from a second-floor balcony (not recommended) to feel the road. Finished with a wide platform and a flexible forefoot, the Keahou is surprisingly durable, despite all of that lightweight foam, with a rubber compound across the sole.

Newton

kswiss.com Distance S $155 The Distance S will help you keep your form with forefoot lugs that help runners develop an efficient, balanced stride. While it’s a light runner at just 9.5 ounces, it also has medial posting to keep pronation at bay.

Want a better run next spring? Use the Distance S to work on it in the fall.

newtonrunning.com

The perfect complement to PI’s new Peak race shoe, the SyncroInfinity provides cushioning and a bit of stability—perfect for the taxed, tired athlete looking to close the season with some good miles. It provides a plush, protected ride, thanks to PI’s unique Syncro Stability frame and a deep rearfoot channel that helps stall overpronation.

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Pearl Izumi SyncroInfinity $110

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Diadora Mythos Star

$99

It looks like a simple cushion trainer, but the Mythos has more tech than we expected. The Axeler string wall is a harmonic alloy stringer that zigzags from forefoot to midfoot, creating a design purported to recover energy during toe-off. This lightweight cushion trainer with moderate stability is definitely capable of a snappy race-day performance.

The jack-of-all-trades Defyance is a neutral trainer that provides cushioning, a smidge of control and a bunch of comfort. We found that the HydroFlow fluid from heel to forefoot provides one of the smoothest impact-thrust transitions among all the shoes tested.

It’s light stability touch is just right for biomechanically sound, but not perfect, striders. It’s not the lightest, but it may well be one of the most comfy running shoes you’ll every wear.

brooksrunning.com

Images courtesy the manufacturers

Brooks

diadora.com Defyance $90

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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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Asics Gel-Nimbus 10

$120

The super-cushioned run of the Nimbus is as reliable as death and taxes. The most recent iteration has a new asymmetrical upper that conforms to the bony architecture of the foot for a smarter fit. Also noteworthy is the plush, padded heel and the smooth, cushioned transition from heel to toe that remains this shoe’s signature.

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Mizuno Wave Precision 9 $90 The Wave Precision 9 is Mizuno’s centerpiece neutral racer/trainer, presenting a blown-rubber forefoot for a cushy, flexible ride that runners with high, rigid arches will appreciate. Our wear tester said he liked the “lightness and airy feeling,” adding, “it’s a surprisingly supportive, stable shoe for being a lightweight trainer.”

mizuno.com $140

For those rocky, muddy and sandy running adventures, call on the Mudslinger II. A nylon mesh upper makes it breathable, while a GoreTex insert sheds muddy puddle water and a thick rubber toecap flicks trail debris aside. A rubber outsole delivers great traction in nasty conditions, keeping you upright and moving forward. A bit of overkill for your late-season 10k?

Probably. But Xterra Maui? Bring it on.

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Ecco Mudslinger II

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cycle faster run faster increase VO2 max reduce risk of injury rehab if injured

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Dr. Day is the inventor of PowerCranks. He is a physician and experienced ultramarathoner and triathlete, having particpated in the very first Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon in 1978

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ON THE RUN

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

Champions

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SPEED LAB

TECH SUPPORT

NUTRITION

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TRAINING

The virtually coached triathlete The final segment of a three-part series

By Matt F itzgerald // Photos by John Segesta

I

In the first part of this three-part series on self-coaching with digital tools (June 2008), we met Steve Turner, a 52-year-old age-grouper undertaking a “virtual coaching” experiment with the aid of a Polar CS600, which monitors power and heart rate on the bike, a Polar RS800, which monitors speed and heart rate on the run and a software application from Training Peaks called WKO+, which allows him to analyze all of his workout data. Steve was then four weeks into following an online version of a 12-week Level 4 Sprint Triathlon Training Plan from my book, Triathlete Magazine’s Essential Week-byWeek Training Guide. In part two (July 2008) I sheepishly confessed that Steve’s progress had been derailed by a computer meltdown (or “technology injury” as he cleverly called it) and a minor running injury.

This month I’m happy to report that Steve’s computer has been fixed and he has been able to bring his digital training log up to date. He is also healthy again and has completed the 12week sprint triathlon training plan, although he did not do the race in which the plan was intended to culminate. I called Steve recently to ask for his reflections about his computer-assisted training experience thus far. He told me he’s in much better shape than he was when he started, and his workout files prove it: His pace and power numbers in recent workouts have been significantly better than those from two and three months ago.

Hearing Steve discuss his progress reminded me of our first phone conversation, in which he described how hard my swim workouts were. I believe that Steve is swimming, cycling and running so much better now precisely because some of my workouts were so hard—and not only that, but also because the whole virtual-coaching system encouraged him to train hard in a focused and purposeful way. Indeed, perhaps the greatest potential benefit of training with high-tech devices is strikingly old-fashioned: it simply helps you work harder.

The primary importance of hard work has been obscured by the physiology-based training approach that has dominated our sport for more than 15 years. This point is illustrated by a recent e-mail exchange I had with Rick, another triathlete who was following one of my online triathlon training plans.

Rick e-mailed me to express his confusion about how to do workouts such as one described in the plan as a 45-minute ride at “moderate aerobic intensity” (which is essentially one’s default cycling intensity when just logging miles by feel and not consciously trying to hold back or push hard). He noted when he started such a workout, it took his heart rate 10 or 12 minutes to rise to the level associated with moderate aerobic intensity. So, Rick asked, should he add 10 or 12 minutes to the workout to ensure he got a full 45 minutes at moderate aerobic intensity, or was the workout really designed to conT R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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sist of a 10- to 12-minute warm-up and 33 to 35 minutes at moderate aerobic intensity?

In my reply, I explained to Rick that exercise intensity is not defined by heart rate. Thus, even though it might take his heart rate 10 or 12 minutes to reach a plateau at the beginning of a workout performed at the effort level associated with moderate aerobic intensity, he’s already working at that intensity from the very first pedal stroke.

Rick’s confusion about the relationship between heart rate and exercise intensity is representative of a general bias among triathletes—caused largely by the popularization of heart-rate monitors—to view their training in terms of physiology instead of performance. I believe this bias reduces the effectiveness of many triathletes’ training by discouraging them from pushing themselves as hard as they would push if they kept their focus on performance. When your main concern in workouts is to stay within a target heart-rate zone, you place a somewhat artificial ceiling on your performance. But when you focus instead on performance variables such as speed, distance and power 134

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output, you naturally push to beat the standards set in previous workouts—that is, you work harder, and as a result you get a bigger fitness stimulus from the session.

Now, I know what all of the heart-rate junkies reading this article are saying: “It’s not good to treat workouts like races! It’s just as important to avoid working too hard as it is too avoid going too easy, and heart-rate monitors help with that!”

Fair enough. But I’m not talking about treating workouts as races, where the goal is to hold nothing back and finish with nothing left. I’m talking about aiming to perform just a little better in each workout of a given type than you did in the last workout of the same type. This sort of performance mindset encourages you to work slightly harder than you might do otherwise but still involves a measure of restraint.

The use of a power meter on the bike and a speed and distance device in running (we must still rely on split times in swimming for now) facilitates this performance-based approach. Every second of every workout is “tagged” by these technologies, allowing you to make complete apples-to-apples comparisons of your performance in separate workouts. Your performance in each workout of a given type thus becomes the standard you try to meet or exceed in your next workout.

Naturally, this approach is not appropriate to every workout.

Pushing for performance is not the point of recovery and basebuilding workouts, for example. But in order to get the results you seek as a competitive triathlete, you must complete challenging workouts that drive you deep into fatigue several times each week. And in these workouts it is wholly beneficial to try to beat your performance of one or two weeks earlier. You might not succeed every time, but you will succeed more often than not, and by simply trying you will push your fitness development forward more quickly than if you always controlled your workout intensity by trying to stay within target heart-rate zones, neither too high nor too low.

Let’s consider an example. Suppose you are training for an Olympic-distance triathlon. Your bike training includes a series of lactate interval workouts on the bike. These workouts consist of intervals of three to five minutes performed at roughly 10minute maximum intensity (that is, the fastest pace you could sustain for 10 minutes in race conditions) with three-minute active recoveries between them. Your first such workout should be relatively manageable, with fewer and shorter intervals, to get your body accustomed to this particular type of training stress.

It will also have to be paced by feel (that is, you’ll have to consciously ride the intervals at a pace that feels like the fastest pace you could sustain for 10 minutes) because you don’t yet have data from previous workouts to go by and because three-minute intervals are too short to govern by heart rate anyway (your heart rate will climb throughout each interval).

Let’s also suppose you have a power meter and your average power output in these intervals is 292 watts. This number becomes the standard you will try to match or beat in subsequent lactate interval workouts, even as you gradually add intervals and increase the interval duration. If your average power output is 295 watts in your second lactate interval workout, you will then try to match or beat that number in the third, and so forth.

Your average heart rate will probably also increase from one lactate interval workout to the next. Does this mean you’re progressively increasing the physiological intensity of the workout and thus eventually training at an entirely different intensity than the initially targeted one? Maybe, maybe not. It doesn’t really matter. The point is that you’re riding harder because you

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can, and you can because you’re trying to. Keep this thought in mind: Whoever wins that Olympic-distance triathlon you’re training for will likely have the highest average heart rate in the entire field. He’ll win because he’s able to work the hardest.

THE PLAN: WEEKS 9-12 Below are weeks 9-12 of the 12-week sprint triathlon training plan that “virtually coached” age-grouper Steve Turner recently completed.

WEEKS 9-12 OF YOUR SPRINT-DISTANCE TRAINING PLAN Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Rest

Swim WU: 250y DS: 6 x 25y MS: 9 x 100 moderate, 4 x 25 sprints KS: 6 x 25 CD: 250y

Bike 1 hour 5 min. moderate w/ 24 min. @ threshold

Run 10 min. WU 18 min. @ threshold 10-min. CD

Swim WU: 250y DS: 6 x 25y MS: 7 x 75 @ VO2max, 30-sec. rest KS: 6 x 25 CD: 250y

Bike 1 hour 30 min. moderate

Run 45 min. moderate

Rest

Swim WU: 250y DS: 6 x 25y MS: 10 x 100 moderate, 5 x 25 sprints KS: 6 x 25 CD: 250y

Bike 1 hour 10 min. moderate w/ 26 min. @ threshold

Run 10 min. WU 20 min. @ threshold 10-min. CD

Swim WU: 250y DS: 6 x 25y MS: 7 x 75 @ VO2max, 20-sec. rest KS: 6 x 25 CD: 250y

Brick Bike 45 min./Run 15 min. moderate

Run 50 min. moderate

Rest

Swim WU: 250y DS: 6 x 25y MS: 11 x 100 moderate, 6 x 25 sprints KS: 6 x 25 CD: 250y

Bike 1 hour 10 min. moderate w/ 9 x 1-min. hill climbs @ VO2max + 10min. transition run

Run 10-min. WU moderate 22 min. @ threshold 10-min. CD

Swim WU: 250y DS: 6 x 25y MS: 8 x 75 @ VO2max, 20-sec. rest KS: 6 x 25 CD: 250y

Bike 1 hour 45 min. moderate

Run 55 min. moderate

Rest

Swim WU: 250y DS: 6 x 25y MS: 9 x 100 moderate, 4 x 25 sprints KS: 6 x 25 CD: 250y

Bike 1 hour moderate w/ 2 x 12 min. @ threshold

Run 10-min. WU 16 min. @ threshold 10-min. cooldown

Swim WU: 250y DS: 6 x 25y MS: 6 x 75 @ VO2max, 45-sec. rest CD: 250y

Bike 20 min. moderate

Sprint Triathlon

Week

9

Week

10 Week

11 Week

12

WU=Warm-Up, DS=Drill Set, MS=Main Set, KS=Kick Set, CD=Cool-Down, Threshold= 60-minute maximum pace, VO2max=10-minute maximum pace 136

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Mark Sisson, 54 2:18 marathon, 4th Hawaii Ironman Author, coach, ITU anti-doping exec Master Formula designer

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The world’s best open-water swims Five swim spots you don’t want to miss

By Paul Regensburg

D

During my travels as a triathlon coach I have been fortunate enough to coach training sessions at the best open-water training venues in the world. Each time I was preparing for our next camp my friends would ask me which beautiful location in the world I was going to this time. When I told them where, and quickly added that it would be hard work, I got very 138

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little sympathy. It occurred to me one day that the reason we are always training and racing in beautiful areas is that there are only a certain number of places on the planet where the water is warm enough for a human being to swim comfortably. These places tend to be stunningly beautiful with great weather conditions—possessing the same virtues people look for when

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planning a nice vacation. Following are the five best places to transfer all of that hard work in the pool to a glorious openwater workout.

NOOSA, AUSTRALIA—MAIN BEACH Noosa is a quaint resort town on the Sunshine Coast less than a two-hour drive from Brisbane. It is well known for its surfing festivals, shops and the Noosa Triathlon. If you head down to the Main Beach on Wednesday morning you will find a group of more than 50 swimmers gathered at 5:15 a.m., just as the sun is starting to rise on this fabulous beach. It is quite a mixed group of surf lifesavers, age-group triathletes, nippers (young kids) and some of the world’s best triathletes, including Greg and Laura Bennett and Andrew Johns, who call Noosa home.

The workout is lead by legendary surf life-saving coach Max Pettigrove, who perches on a surfboard. Max’s tips cover it all, from how to body surf a wave into shore to how to move forward when a wave comes at you like a wall. If you’re fearful of the waves at the beginning, you’ll most likely have a few terrifying moments.

But by the end of one workout you’ll be asking for more.

The workout consists of multiple swim loops on a buoymarked course and straight swims along the shoreline between buoys. After the workout you can stroll down Hastings Street, where you can relax in one of the cafes and have a post-workout recovery breakfast.

VICTORIA, CANADA—THETIS LAKE Thetis Lake has served as the training grounds for many of

the world’s best triathletes, including Peter Reid, Lori Bowden, Simon Whitfield and Melanie McQuaid. The lake is located in a regional park that includes more than 1500 acres of lakes, forest and hilltops, just seven miles from the Victoria city center. The lake is not open to motorboats and is clean and peaceful.

Surrounded by rocky cliffs and forest, the lake features two small islands situated perfectly for training purposes. From the main beach, the swim around the first island is just over half a mile (900m); the swim around the second island is 1500m. If you are looking for a longer workout you can venture your way up a narrow channel under a tiny bridge to discover Upper Thetis, where you will likely have the entire lake to yourself and can reach remote beaches.

You’ll find triathletes gathering at Thetis’ main beach most mornings from June to September and you will usually find a large group heading out for a swim on Fridays at 6 p.m. While you’re in this park you must also experience the extensive networks of dense forest trails, so take your run gear.

AUSTIN, TEXAS— BARTON SPRINGS POOL Within Zilker Park’s 358 acres lies one of Austin’s crown jewels: Barton Springs Pool. The pool is three acres in size and framed by century-old pecan trees. Concrete has been added to the banks to form uniform sides to this 1,000-foot by 125-foot swimming pool, making it the largest natural swimming pool in the United States located within an urban area.

The pool is fed from underground springs that pump an

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LANE LINES average of 32 million gallons of water a day. It feels like a hybrid of a small lake and a pool, so you get the best of both worlds. The pool is open year-round for swimming, as the temperature remains a constant 20°C (68°F) all year so you can swim with or without a wetsuit.

You’ll have to pay an access fee ($1 to $3) during warmer parts of the year. Lap lanes are not designated, but the swimmers swim early in the morning to avoid the crowds and they have an unspoken understanding on how to divide the lanes. You may want to join the Polar Bear Club that swims year-round, but just remember not to show up on a Thursday, as the pool’s closed to have its limestone bottom cleaned.

Nearby is the Barton Creek Greenbelt, a 7.8-mile trail for hiking and bicycling. It cuts through scenic cottonwood trees, limestone cliffs, caves, meadows, swimming holes and waterfalls.

GÉRARDMER, FRANCE— LAKE GÉRARDMER Gérardmer is a quaint, picturesque multi-seasonal resort positioned alongside Lake Gérardmer in the heart of the massif of the Vosges. The elevation of the lake provides breathtaking views, as a coniferous forest with hills and mountains surround you.

Gérardmer has the whole package for triathletes and there is a very well developed triathlon race series in the area, which also hosted the 2008 European Long-Distance Triathlon Championships. The beauty and cycling-friendly terrain attracted the Tour de France in 2005, so be sure to take your bike along, as you’ll be enticed to explore the surrounding areas.

TRAINING

KONA, HAWAII—KAILUA-KONA BAY Kona is home to the Ironman World Championships.

Enough said.

As you swim through the crystal-clear water of the racecourse you will feel like you are swimming in an aquarium as you pass by tropical fish, coral reefs and turtles. It is sometimes difficult to concentrate on your swim as you marvel at the wildlife below.

If you start at the pier in Kailua it is possible to swim sections or all of the Ironman World Championship course, as the small buoys remain in the water year-round.

You will see swimmers in the bay daily and a local group often heads out on Sundays. The best time to swim is in the morning when the surf is calmer; the safest route is along the Ironman course parallel to the shore to avoid traffic from the massive cruise ships that fill the horizon. The ocean current often propels you toward shore as you make the turn back to Kailua pier, so don’t fret on the way out and enjoy the ride on the way in. You may also encounter spinner dolphins, which have been known to visit the Kailua-Kona Bay and accompany the swimmers.

Paul Regensburg is a senior coach at LifeSport, the Official Coaches of Ironman. Paul is an Olympic, Pan-Am Games and Ironman Coach, and has coached athletes from beginners to world championships at all distances. Visit LifeSport.ca or contact coach@lifesport.ca for more information or coaching inquiries.

®

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NEW H.5c Aluminum Version for P3c and P2c!

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The upside of a rainy day

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cially true if you’re racing at altitude in events such as the 5430 long course triathlon in Boulder, Colo. If rain is threatening, leave T1 with a rain jacket. If the rain is warm and you don’t use it, no harm done. But if the temperature drops significantly and you can’t stay warm through exertion alone, then get that jacket on quickly.

By Jim Rutberg

STAYING SAFE

One of triathlon’s minor virtues is that races are rarely cancelled due to rain. Auto racing and baseball have their rain delays and cancellations, but a downpour won’t stop triathletes from pushing on. Sure, some races get delayed and some have to be cancelled or altered due to lightning or high winds, but if you’re going to be a triathlete you’re eventually going to ride through a soak-you-to-the-bone bike leg. Yet rain doesn’t have to spoil a beautiful day if you know how to ride fast and stay safe despite water.

Besides, heat, not water, is an endurance athlete’s greatest enemy, and rain can help keep you cool. Because it’s cooler than your skin, rain soaks up some of the excess body heat that your working muscles produce. As a result you can ride harder while maintaining a safe body temperature.

Of course, the same rain that keeps you from overheating can also cause your body temperature to drop too much, and hypothermia is not out of the question even in the summer.

Sudden rainstorms can drop air temperatures 20 degrees in less than an hour and the rain itself can be cold. This is espe-

Staying warm is part of staying safe when you’re riding in the rain. As you get cold you lose focus, or you focus more on being cold than on controlling your bike. Either way, you’re not concentrating on going fast or keeping the rubber side down. But if you can ride safely and manage your core temperature, you can have a great race in the rain. Here’s what you really need to remember about staying upright on wet roads: Avoid road paint, grates and manhole covers. Wet steel and paint are among the slipperiest materials you’ll encounter on wet roads. Ironically, a lot of athletes make a habit of riding on top of white lane lines because they’re sometimes smoother than the road surface, but they’re slick when you go to turn. Also watch out for painted crosswalks, directional arrows in intersections and railroad crossings.

Brake early and in a straight line. Some brake/wheel combinations work better in rain than others, but none works as well as when they’re dry. It will take longer than usual to slow down, and you want the vast majority of your braking done before initiating a turn, so think ahead. Grabbing a handful of brakes in the middle of a wet corner is likely to be the start of a wild ride.

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Test your equipment in training. Too many triathletes never think to take their race gear out for a rainy-day test ride to prepare themselves for the possibility of rainy races. Get out there with the carbon wheels and your full race setup and make sure you know how your bike’s going to handle.

Keep the bike more upright through corners. All right, so you have the right brake pads and you’ve controlled your speed and avoided the painted crosswalk; now you have to turn. Since your tires have less traction on wet pavement, you can’t lean your bike into corners the way you can when the weather is dry.

Instead, keep the bike more upright, focus your eyes on where you want to exit the turn, put your outside pedal down and plant your weight on it. Maintain light and steady pressure on both brakes if you need to, and be patient. A lot of crashes occur when athletes get overzealous about accelerating out of a corner.

They shift their weight and jump on the pedals just after the apex of the turn, and it’s enough to break what little traction they had. Get through the corner and then start accelerating.

Apply a hydrophobic coating to your glasses. I doubt sunglass manufacturers will approve of this tip, but rain repellents like Rain-X can help water bead and clear off your glasses quickly. It’s a lot easier to ride confidently in the rain when you can see where you’re going.

A lot of athletes associate rain with misery and automatically assume their performance is going to suffer when the skies open up. In truth, as long as you can manage your core temperature you can perform just as well in the rain. Learn to be comfortable and confident riding in wet conditions, and all your competitors will see is the spray coming off your rear wheel.

Jim Rutberg is a pro coach for Carmichael Training Systems, Inc. and coauthor of five books with Chris Carmichael, including the NYT bestseller, Chris Carmichael’s Food for Fitness: Eat Right to Train Right and The Ultimate Ride.

404s, 808s,1080s, Disc, Sub9, Zed Tech, Power Tap, Clydesdales

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ON THE RUN

A fresh look at threshold runs

By Matt F itzgerald

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Runners and triathletes have been doing anaerobic threshold runs—also known as lactate threshold runs, just-plain threshold runs and tempo runs—for ages. Within the past several years, however, the primary physiological rationale for these workouts has been obliterated by advances in exercise science.

Does this mean you no longer should do threshold runs? Of course it doesn’t. While threshold runs may not work in the way we once thought they did, they still work. But the new scientific rationale for threshold runs does free us up to approach them in a slightly different way.

In the past, threshold runs were defined as runs performed at lactate threshold speed, or the running speed (on flat terrain) just above which the blood lactate concentration increases rapidly. It was considered very important to run at precisely this speed in such workouts, because doing so would stimulate physiological adaptations that increased the lactate threshold far more effectively than running a little slower or faster would do.

Therefore runners and triathletes took great pains to measure their lactate threshold and lock onto it with the aid of heart rate monitors and split times in workouts.

The problem with this rationale is that the lactate threshold is not a precise phenomenon. Several different protocols are 146

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used to measure it, and each produces results that are slightly different from those yielded by the other methods. There is also evidence the lactate threshold is sensitive to conditions such as fatigue and therefore changes a bit from day to day.

Consequently, nobody is really able to train consistently at precisely lactate threshold intensity. Thus the lactate threshold exists only fuzzily in theory and not at all in practice.

What’s more, there is no evidence that the effort to train at precisely lactate threshold intensity stimulates special and unique physiological adaptations that training at slightly higher and lower intensities fails to match. Consider a study by British researchers in which 14 moderately trained runners were separated into two groups that followed slightly different training schedules for four weeks. Members of one group incorporated two conventional threshold workouts—consisting of continuous running at lactate threshold intensity—into their weekly regimen. (Actually, they ran at maximal lactate steady state speed, which is considered synonymous with lactate threshold speed by some scientists and slightly below lactate threshold speed by others, including these researchers.) The second group of runners did a matching amount of variable-intensity workouts in which they alternated between running 0.5 km/hr faster than lactate threshold speed and 0.5 km/hr slower than lactate threshold speed.

Before and after the four-week training period, all of the runners were tested for their maximum lactate steady state speed and their lactate threshold speed. Those who did traditional threshold runs saw a bigger improvement in their velocity at maximal lactate steady state speed than those who did the variable-intensity workouts, who in turn saw a bigger improvement in their lactate threshold speed, which was fairly close to the speed at which they performed the faster segments of their workouts. What do we learn from these results? Runners seem to improve more at the speed they focus on in workouts, whether that speed is at, above or below the lactate threshold.

This study is just one of many recent studies whose results suggest it is rather pointless to base workout intensities on targeted physiological states or desired physiological adaptations.

Consider another recent study on exercise at maximal lactate steady state intensity, this one involving cycling. French researchers tested 11 cyclists to determine the power output level that correlated with their maximal lactate steady state on a bicycle ergometer and then asked them to pedal at this power level until they were too tired to sustain it a second longer. The researchers monitored a number of physiological variables throughout the test with a view toward isolating the cause of their fatigue. Interestingly, they found that although heart rate, breathing rate, blood carbon dioxide pressure, blood lactate concentration and muscle acidity increased significantly, none of these variables reached the level associated with exhaustion during a maximal exercise test. In other words, there was no single cause of fatigue at maximal lactate steady state intensity.

So where does this leave us? We know it is impossible to consistently train precisely at lactate threshold intensity, no matter how hard we try. We know that nothing magical happens at this intensity anyway. And we know that training at intensities slightly above and below the lactate threshold is equally beneficial in somewhat different ways. In my view, there are several practical implications of this knowledge. First, you need not bother figuring out what your lactate threshold heart rate or running pace is.

Instead, keep it simple and base your threshold workout intensities on your performance profile, or how fast you can run in

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races. Second, don’t target a single intensity all the time in your threshold workouts. Instead, do threshold workouts at a variety of pace levels within a range. Brad Hudson, an elite running coach with whom I coauthored the book Run Faster from the 5K to the Marathon, has his runners target their marathon pace, half-marathon pace and 10K pace in threshold workouts, and that makes sense to me.

There are two other things we know about lactate threshold training that should also be factored into your approach to threshold workouts. First, training at or near lactate threshold speed increases one’s time limit at lactate threshold speed (that is, how long you can sustain this velocity) to a far greater degree than it increases lactate threshold speed itself. Second, a modest amount of threshold training is better than a lot. In a welldesigned long-term study involving high-level runners, those who did one threshold workout per week improved more than those who did two.

Finally, I hold an experience- and common sense-based belief that every triathlete should do some amount of threshold training throughout the training cycle. Doing just a mile or two of threshold running each week even in the early base phase of training will enable you to develop this aspect of your overall fitness faster and to a higher level once you get serious about it. A good way to start is with progression runs, in which you run a few easy miles and then run a mile or two at your marathon pace (not the pace at which you would run a marathon today but the pace at which you would run a marathon in peak shape, or 1112 percent slower than your best 10K race pace).

After doing a few such runs, begin extending the progressions a bit and including some half-marathon-pace running (56 percent slower than your best 10K pace) within them. Your toughest progression run should not be particularly challenging—say, 4-8 easy miles followed by 1.5 miles at marathon pace and 1.5 miles at half-marathon pace. When you reach this level, WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

it’s time to switch over to formal threshold workouts. The precise structure of these workouts doesn’t matter. Precision in general is overrated in training. It’s the direction, or evolution, of your threshold workouts that matters. Simply put, your threshold workouts should evolve in the direction of becoming more race-specific in the challenge they impose. The general idea is to gradually increase the duration you can sustain your peak marathon, half-marathon and 10K race pace by gradually increasing the amount of time you spend running at these pace levels in your threshold workouts. This approach will also serve to gradually close the gap between your current and peak marathon, half-marathon and 10K race paces.

If you’re training for sprint and/or Olympic-distance triathlons, emphasize marathon pace in your earliest threshold runs and then shift the emphasis to half-marathon pace and finally 10K pace, which is the most race-specific of the three thresholds. If you’re training for Ironman 70.3 events, maintain a more even balance among the three thresholds, with a modest prioritization of marathon pace and 10K pace over halfmarathon pace until the final six weeks before competition, when half-marathon pace should get the priority. If you’re training for an Ironman, emphasize 10K pace in your earliest threshold runs, then half-marathon pace and finally marathon pace.

If you’re a slower runner, you should bias your training a little more toward half-marathon and 10K pace. That’s because slower runners can handle more training at these pace levels than faster runners, as these pace levels represent a lower relative intensity for slower runners. For example, 10K pace corresponds to roughly 95 percent of VO2max for a 33-minute 10K runner, but only 85 percent of VO2max for a 60-minute 10K runner. We can’t ignore physiology completely.

To illustrate these ideas, here’s a full 18-week threshold training progression that’s appropriate for a moderately competitive triathlete training for an Olympic-distance event: WEEK 4

WEEK 5

WEEK 6

Progression Run

Progression Run

Progression Run

Progression Run

Progression Run

Progression Run

• 4 miles easy • 1 mile @ marathon pace

• 5 miles easy • 1 mile @ marathon pace

• 5 miles easy • 1.5 miles @ marathon pace

• 5 miles easy • 1 mile @ marathon pace • 1 mile @ half-marathon pace

• 5 miles easy • 1.5 miles @ marathon pace • 1 mile @ half-marathon pace

• 5 miles easy • 1.5 miles @ marathon pace • 1.5 miles @ halfmarathon pace

WEEK 10

WEEK 11

WEEK 7

WEEK 8

WEEK 9

Threshold Run

Threshold Run

Threshold Run

Threshold Run

Threshold Run

Threshold Run

• 1 mile easy • 4 miles @ marathon pace • 1 mile easy

• 1 mile easy • 2 miles @ marathon pace • 0.5 mile easy • 2 miles @ halfmarathon pace • 1 mile easy

• 1 mile easy • 6 miles @ marathon pace • 1 mile easy

• 1 mile easy • 3 miles @ marathon pace • 0.5 mile easy • 2 miles @ halfmarathon pace • 1 mile easy

• 1 mile easy • 5 miles @ halfmarathon pace • 1 mile easy

• 1 mile easy • 2 miles @ marathon pace • 0.5 mile easy • 3 miles @ halfmarathon pace • 1 mile easy

WEEK 13

WEEK 14

WEEK 15

WEEK 16

WEEK 17

WEEK 12

WEEK 18

Threshold Run

Threshold Run

Threshold Run

Threshold Run

Threshold Run

Threshold Run

• 1 mile easy • 3 miles @ halfmarathon pace • 0.5 mile easy • 2 miles @ 10K pace • 1 mile easy

• • • •

• 1 mile easy • 4 miles @ 10K pace • 1 mile easy

• 1 mile easy • 2 miles @ halfmarathon pace • 0.5 mile easy • 3 miles @ 10K pace • 1 mile easy

• 1 mile easy • 5 miles @ 10K pace • 1 mile easy

• 1 mile easy • 4 miles @ 10K pace • 1 mile easy

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Breathe right

DEAR JENNIFER,

The skinny on VO2max and breathlessness in cold-water swims

By Dr. Tim Mickleborough DEAR SPEED LAB, What is the deal with women having lesser maximal oxygen uptakes than men? I am sure it is related to our smaller size but are there other factors that play a role in the difference?

Thanks, Jennifer Conway, South Bend, Ind. 150

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Women do, as a group, have smaller absolute VO2max (maximal oxygen consumption) values than men. While the difference in aboslute VO2max values is partly due to the fact that men are larger than women, if VO2max values are expressed in ml/kg/min (that is, if mass differences are accounted for) the difference still remains. For this reason, some scientists suggest it might be more informative to express VO2max values as ml/kg/min of fat-free body mass (or lean body mass) when comparing menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s VO2max values. Muscle tissue processes oxygen for activity and fat tissue does not. Women have a larger percentage of body fat than men as a result of their higher concentration of estrogen (a fat-storing hormone). In

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addition, men have higher levels of testosterone, and consequently have more skeletal muscle mass. However, when comparisons are made between men’s and women’s VO2max values using fat-free mass, the difference between VO2max values lessens but still remains.

Another factor contributing to the gender difference relates to men having higher circulating levels of hemoglobin.

Hemoglobin binds oxygen in the red blood cell and delivers it to the muscle cell. Men’s higher hemoglobin levels are related in part to the anabolic (protein-building) effect of testosterone. Testosterone stimulates production of the hormone erythropoietin, which in turn stimulates the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells, and therefore hemoglobin. Because 98.5 percent of the blood-borne oxygen is transported by hemoglobin, more hemoglobin means greater oxygen-carrying capability. On average, women have approximately 21 percent less hemoglobin per kilogram than men.

REFERENCES 1. Morgan, W.P. (1979). Negative addiction in runners.

Phys Sportsmed, 7, 57-70.

2. Morgan, W.P. (1985). Affective beneficence of vigorous physical exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 17, 94-100.

3. Fallowfield, J. and Williams, C. (1993). Carbohydrate intake and recovery from prolonged exercise. Int J Sports Med, 3, 150-164.

4. Nicholas, C., Green, P., Hawkins, R. and Williams, C. (1997). Int J Sports Med, 7, 251-60.

5. Kiens, B. and Richter, E. (1998). Utilization of skeletal muscle triacylglycerol during postexercise recovery in humans. Am J Physiol, 275, E332-7.

DEAR SPEED LAB, I compete in a fair number of cold-water swims, in both triathlons and open-water swim competitions. I have been doing these types of races for five years and each time I experience a sort of breathlessness or respiratory distress at the start of the swim. Can you shed any light on why this would occur?

Interestingly it occurs whether or not I am wearing a wetsuit.

Regards, Peter Cowan Vancouver, Canada

DEAR PETER,

Your experience is not uncommon and is related to the fact that body heat is dissipated approximately two to four times as fast in cool water as in air of the same temperature.

During exercise in cold water, skin heat loss can be 70 times greater than in air of equal temperature.

On immersion in cold water, exercise performance may be significantly impaired at

first, as a result of the initial physiological responses to cold. The respiratory response may cause swimming failure within a few minutes, as high breathing rates make the synchronization of breathing and swim stroke impossible, thus resulting in the inhalation of water.

It has been reported that compared to thermo-neutral water, cold water

increases oxygen demands during moderate exercise requiring oxygen consumptions up to 2.0 l/min, but not intense exercise at 3.0 l/min.

Approximately three minutes after cold-water immersion, peripheral cooling may begin to affect performance.

The hands are particularly susceptible to cooling, largely because of their high

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ratio of surface area to mass and, to a lesser extent, their low level of local heat production and variable blood supply.

The effects of peripheral cooling are primarily due to alterations in muscle and nerve function. Low muscle temperatures affect several chemical and physical processes at the cellular level, including metabolic rate, enzyme activity and calcium and neurotransmitter release from nerves. In addition, there is increased muscle tone of both protagonist and antagonist muscle groups.

The rate of conduction of nerve impulses is slowed in water temperatures below 20 degrees C. The cooling of peripheral motor and sensory nerves leads to dysfunction equivalent to peripheral paralysis. The result of these alterations is that performance is reduced, as maximum power output is reduced by 3 percent per degree fall in muscle temperature and mechanical efficiency is also reduced.

By contrast, muscle temperatures above 27 degrees C are associated with greater ability to sustain muscle contractions. This may be due to slower production and accumulation of the metabolites that cause fatigue. At muscle temperatures below 25 degrees C muscle fatigue occurs earlier as cooling begins to impair neuromuscular function in peripheral muscle fibers, leaving a smaller number of fibers to produce the same amount of force. The changes in neuromuscular function resulting from cooling explain, in part, the reduction in work capacity in cold water. Other reasons for this decline are alterations in central circulation and reduced core body temperature.

The shivering evoked by cold-water immersion increases oxygen consumption.

This effect becomes increasingly pronounced as more and more muscle groups are recruited and as skin and deep body temperatures continue to fall. There is progressive involvement of the muscles of the neck, torso and finally the extremities. It is possible for shivering to occur during exercise but this reflex is progressively centrally inhibited with increasing exercise intensity.

Shivering has been reported to be 80 percent suppressed by exercise at an intensity of 50 percent VO2max and totally suppressed at workloads requiring oxygen consumptions exceeding 1.2 l/min.

Higher fitness levels may protect against the long- and short-term responses to cold-water immersion. If all else fails, the initial responses can be attenuated by slowing the rate of entry into cold water, 152

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SPEED LAB while swimming performance is significantly improved if the initial ventilatory responses are allowed to subside before swimming is commenced. A fitter individual will also have a greater capacity to cope with the increased work requirements associated with exercise in cold water.

With less fit individuals, the combination of the reduction in body temperature and the increased oxygen requirements for sub-maximal work in the cold may seriously impair physical performance.

Maintenance of normal levels of muscle glycogen in large muscle groups may be an important factor in protection against the cold. It has been reported that low skeletal muscle glycogen levels are associated with more rapid body cooling during coldwater immersion in humans1.

Commercial and recreational divers, long-distance swimmers and triathletes who spend long periods in cool or cold water may experience considerable bodyheat loss. However, if exercise is performed at a high intensity, it is theoretically possible that normal body temperature could be maintained. Most swimmers in longdistance endurance events wear a wetsuit for thermal insulation in cool/cold water.

However, at least two studies have shown that wearing a wetsuit in moderately cold water does not prevent a decline in body temperature. For example, 1.5 hours of water immersion (14 degrees C, 57 degrees F) performed by a wet-suited breath-hold diver caused rectal temperatures to fall from 37.7 to 36.9 degrees C (99.9 to 98.4 degrees F)2. Of course, triathletes typically spend less time than 1.5 hours in cool to cold water.

Finally, with regard to thermal comfort, heat flux and maximal swimming performance, the optimal pool temperature for competitive short-distance swimming is 28 to 30 degrees C. For longer distances, water temperature should be lowered to about 25 degrees C, as this will enable thermal balance to be maintained. Outdoor, long-distance swimmers are advised to train in water at temperatures they expect to encounter in competitive events.

REFERENCES 1. Martineau, L. and Jacobs, I. (1986). Muscle glycogen availability and temperature regulation in humans. Journal of Applied Physiology, 66: 72-78.

2. Shiraki, K, et al. (1986). Energetics of wetsuit diving in Japanese male breath-hold divers. Journal of Applied Physiology, 61: 1475-1480.

Have a question for Speed Lab? If so, please e-mail it to speedlab@juno.com.

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Motion-capture technology: Better than a good bike fitter?

All your motion-analysis fitting tech questions answered here

By Ian Buchanan

R

Recently, motion analysis- (aka motion capture-) based fittings have become more popular. At Fit Werx we use motion-analysis technology in our fittings and agree that the technology has recently come into its own. Dynamic motion-capture fitting is the most promising methodology in bicycle fit and, when properly utilized, is quickly becoming

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the gold standard for the future of bike fitting.

That said, it is important for riders to understand what these systems can and cannot do and how their capabilities and limitations relate to the end result of your fitting session.

Some common questions regarding motion-capture fitting technology are answered below.

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WHAT IS MOTION CAPTURE AND ANALYSIS? In regards to cycling position, it is the act of digitally video recording a rider in motion in a simulated riding environment and then using software to analyze the motions and alignment in key riding positions during active pedaling. Frequently, stop-action and slow motion will be used in combination with tracking devices in this process.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 2D AND 3D MOTION CAPTURE? A 2D system uses video cameras to cap-

ture the rider from one or more vantage points. These systems can be used with a single video camera (usually positioned at the riderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side) but are most effective when they incorporate multiple cameras that allow the motion to be captured from a variety of angles.

The video sequences can then be analyzed concurrently or independently

with measuring tools in a frame-byframe setting. In addition to allowing a fitter to see key angles and motions in a given plane and at very specific points in the pedal circle, the rider also has the ability to see what his or her posture and technique are like while pedaling under loadâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a very nice feature.

Dartfish is currently the most common

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TRAINING 2D system used in bike fitting, but other 2D motion-capture systems from companies such as Specialized and Dialed-inMotion are also available.

3D systems use markers (usually LED or reflective) on the body and detection devices (cameras or motion detectors) to track multidimensional distance and angle changes in the markers throughout the pedal circle. Retül is the most commonly used 3D system in bike fitting and it detects motion in LED markers placed on the rider’s joints. On the fitter’s computer screen, the rider becomes an active and moving stick figure and the program supplies body angle and joint tracking information based on where the LED sensors are at a given moment. The primary advantage of a 3D system such as Retül is that it can provide the fitter with a lot of numerical data from a subject in motion in a short amount of time.

In the right hands, 2D and 3D systems can be helpful tools. Both 2D and 3D technology have their place, but it is important to understand what they can and cannot do when considering what you want out of your fitting.

HOW DO BIKE FITTERS USE THIS INFORMATION? Some fitters rely solely on determining key average angles on the body at specified key positions and set up everyone to these averages. Some use motion capture as an additional bell or whistle to increase the “wow factor” of their fittings.

The most comprehensive fittings mix manual assessments and dynamic fit techniques with motion capture. Just as the best-equipped hospitals need good doctors, a fitter can use motion-capture technology to enhance his or her fittings, but it cannot make an unskilled fitter skilled and will not result in a great bike fit on its own.

HOW CAN MOTION ANALYSIS BE USED IN A BIKE FITTING? There is a multitude of ways motion capture can be used in bike fitting. Right now, the technology is best suited to help the fitter see motion in ways the human eye cannot by slowing the action and providing finite measurement and tracking capabilities. By creating as realistic a riding environment as possible during a fitting and then recording the rider in motion in this environment, the fitter who uses motion capture can see exactly what is occurring at a certain point of the 156

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TECH SUPPORT pedal stroke under realistic pedaling loads in ways the human eye on its own cannot.

For example, if we want to see whether a change in foot support or angle has improved knee alignment, we can use motion analysis to compare the trajectory of the knee before the changes to the trajectory afterwards. In such comparisons it becomes clear whether a change has helped the rider’s alignment or not.

Video-based systems (most commonly 2D systems) are also great technique analysis tools and a good fitting will consider not only rider positioning, but also how a rider’s technique and posture relate to that position.

ARE THERE DOWNSIDES TO A MOTION-CAPTURE FIT? Cycling is done by a wide variety of people for a variety of reasons. Bicycle positioning should be unique to each individual. The risk of motion-capture systems is that they can encourage a fitter to depend on computer-generated images and angles to determine the end riding position at the expense of effective communication and dialogue with the rider. When this happens, motion capture becomes little more than a high-tech (and expensive) basic fit formula.

Motion-capture systems used in this way have the same reliability issues and make the same compromises as age-old fit formulas; by generalizing, they miss the details that often make or break a position. The best bicycle fittings still look at each rider as an individual and do not categorize or make blanket generalizations based on formulas; they are based on sound communication between the fitter and the rider.

Motion capture is a great technology and is helping bike fitters achieve greater accuracy and see things we could not easily see without the technology. But the fitter is still the key to a great fit and looking for the right fitter (not the right technology) is still the most important means to a quality bike fitting.

Ian Buchanan is co-owner of Fit Werx. Fit Werx has locations in Waitsfield, Vt., and Peabody, Mass., and offers cycling and triathlon products, specialty fitting and analysis services, consultation and technology research. Fit Werx can be reached in Vermont at (802) 496-7570, in Massachusetts at (978) 532-7348 or online fitwerx.com.

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Eating back the clock

The right nutrition habits will minimize the negative effects of ageing on your health, fitness and performance

By Pip Taylor

I

In a triathlon, no concessions are made for anyone. No shortcuts are offered, even for the 80+ age group. Everyone does the same race. The mastersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; age groups are growing quickly in many sports, especially in triathlon. Many older athletes are healthier than some people who are half their age and sitting on the couch watching not only their belt but their list of health risks expand. Personally, it is something I aspire to be: out there racing for many decades to come.

But do these mature athletes have different nutritional requirements than their younger counterparts? The truth is that there has been little research on the special nutritional needs of older athletes. The majority of sport-specific studies focus on adults in their 20s and 30s and studies

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of the ageing population are generally done on sedentary (and often very unhealthy) individuals. To begin to formulate an answer to the question above, we need to look at how the body changes with age, and specifically at how the bodies of older athletes differ from those of younger athletes.

The bad news is that as we age an inevitable physical deterioration occurs. After the age of 30 there is a gradual decline in muscle mass, while aerobic power and maximal VO2 start to decline after about age 25.

Muscle strength also begins to decline after 35 to 40.

The good news is that the latest evidence suggests that such deterioration is largely due to disuse rather than ageing itself. In other words, inactivity accelerates the underlying physiological ageing processes that result from genetic predetermination and wear and tear. But there is ample evidence to show active individuals, such as those training for and racing in triathlons, are able to offset these declines and maintain excellent

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health, fitness and strength into their golden years. Consequently, athletes can compete with little performance drop-off until well into their 40s and even 50s. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more, if you have been less active in your early years and come into training for sports later in life you are able to make significant improvements in fitness, strength and performance with quality trainingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;changes that effectively reverse the ageing process.

Nutrition plays a key role in enabling all triathletes to engage in quality training, but it becomes even more important after the bulletproof teens and early 20s when you may be able to get away with short cuts in the diet every now and then. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not that older athletes have significantly different nutritional requirements, but rather that we need to be more diligent in applying good nutritional

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practices as we grow older to maintain good physical fitness and performance.

Some key areas to pay attention to are as follow: Nutrient dense, healthy foods including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and quality proteins are required for both performance and health. As we age, our caloric needs can

decrease slightly, so it is even more important that the calories consumed are from functional sources instead of empty calories to avoid nutritional deficiencies and minimize body fat storage.

Recommended calcium intakes are slightly higher for older individuals (1200mg per day for those aged 51 years plus as opposed to 1000mg for those

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between the ages of 19 and 50 years).

Three to four servings of dairy or calcium-fortified foods per day should meet these needs. If you eat healthily you should easily be able to meet all of your micronutrient needs. However, if you’re eating less than you were when you were younger, as many people do, then a multivitamin could be an insurance option.

But be aware that consuming vitamins in large concentrations can be just as unhealthy as not getting enough; so avoid mega-dosing, or consuming products containing more than 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance for individual vitamins and minerals.

Recovery from intense efforts slows as we age, thus compromising muscle repair and refueling, training adaptations and next-workout performance. To counteract this effect of ageing, fuel up with carbohydrates and protein immediately after each training session.

Total body water as well as thirst sensation decreases with age, making hydration and fluid replacement even more important not only for health but also for optimal performance for masters’ athletes. You may need to be more disciplined in drinking to a plan rather than just being guided by thirst alone. As for every athlete, replace fluid lost during training/racing with 1.5 times that amount as soon as possible.

Acclimatizing to very hot conditions may also be harder for older athletes, resulting in more pronounced detrimental effects on performance. Be cautious when exercising in the heat.

Gastric emptying is also slowed with age, so you’ll need to develop an individual pre-race and pre-training meal plan that minimizes the gastrointestinal distress that can result from consuming too many, or the wrong types, of calories.

This may mean eating a smaller meal, relying more on liquids or eating earlier.

In your general diet, ensure you’re getting sufficient fiber intake (25 to 35 grams per day) for continued gut health.

There is much you can do to slow down the slowdown that comes with ageing. By eating well and training smart you can maintain good health as well as excellent physical fitness and seemingly defy many of the aspects of ageing we, or at least those around us, see as inevitable.

The basic guidelines for good nutrition and proper training are the same for all ages—they just become more important for older athletes. And there are a few small tweaks you’ll want to make in response to changes in your body to ensure that your habits are well customized to your age, even if you don’t “act your age” when swimming, biking and running ahead of the young whippersnappers.

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DEAR COACH

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Running right

By Roch Frey and Paul Huddle DEAR COACHES, Am I weird, or is there some reason my transition runs 162

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oftentimes feel easier than the straight runs I do with no bike ride beforehand? I find it particularly strange on Tuesdays after a hard interval session on the bike. Last night my t-run felt so good, almost like I was floating down the road. I found I could really pick up my pace and still keep my heart rate in low zone 2. Does this mean my marathon in my Ironman is going to be equally easy?

Mike

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TRAINING MIKE,

No, you are not weird (well, maybe a little). Consider that for your t-runs you are already well warmed up; your connective tissue is lubricated; your muscles are used to firing; and in the case of a transition run that follows a hard interval session on the bike, the running is most likely at a lower intensity and simply feels easier because your heart and lungs aren’t being stressed as much. So, as long as you aren’t anaerobic to start with or bonking, it feels like butter!

A comfortable t-run indicates your training is on track.

Remember this is not the same as a brick workout; it is not intended to hurt you but to get your body used to making that transition (hence the name) and finding an efficient, sustainable stride. If you have kept yourself hydrated and fed that day and during the cycling part of the workout, there’s no reason it shouldn’t flow.

As for what you can expect in your Ironman run: that’s actually a good question. We can’t promise that after all those hours on the bike it’s going to be a tea party on the run, but if you continue to do your transition runs as prescribed, as well as your endurance and quality runs, and if you pace and feed yourself properly on race day, there’s a good chance you will be able to get into an efficient stride and continue on down the course without a lot of suffering. There’s also a chance you will be doing the dance of a thousand headless monkeys for six hours. But with consistency and patience in your training and during the race, there’s only a slim chance that this fate awaits you.

Roch and Paul

DEAR COACHES, What is the secret to a strong run? Why does it get so tough? Let’s assume the training has been done properly and one is in great shape. Why does the run become so difficult? Is it pacing? Nutrition (on the bike, pre-race week, the night before, while running)? What makes some people able to run a sub-four-hour marathon? What are they doing? It just seems to me that if one trains smart, eats well through training and on the day of the race, it shouldn’t get so tough. So, can you even begin to answer this question? Help!

Karen

KAREN,

If we knew the answer to that question we’d be gazillionaires. It’s one of the great riddles of coaching and training. Any given athlete can hit all of her training perfectly yet have a regrettable race performance that is less than reflective of her abilities, and for no apparent reason.

You touched on some of the issues athletes have to deal with on race day that can have an adverse effect on their ability to run to their potential. Even if one’s training has been perfect, race-day factors including (but not limited to) pacing, nutrition, weather conditions, hydration and electrolyte status can all play a part in determining whether or not a given athlete has a good run.

Different factors affect individual triathletes more or less than others. Experience tends to reveal each triathlete’s special challenges. A triathlete who has run a few marathons after swimming 2.4 miles and riding 112 miles will usually be better able to explain what caused the tough time she had on the run than some expert (us) who doesn’t know her. But understand 164

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that 99.9 percent of Ironman athletes have a tough time on the run at some point or another. It might look as though Chris McCormack and Michellie Jones are on cruise control, but we can promise you that the run is tough for them as well.

While there are never any guarantees that one will have a good swim, ride and/or run on race day at any event, taking care of every relevant factor that is within your control can certainly bend the odds in your favor. If you’ve gone through a consistent training program and arrived on the starting line healthy and rested, the battle is more than half-won. From there it’s a matter of executing your plan and dealing with the issues that arise on race day in a calm and logical manner. Even then, the run will be tough. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it, right?

Hope that wasn’t too ambiguous for you, Paul and Roch 166

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TRAINING

Beat the late-season blues

5 training adjustments to get you through what’s left of summer

By Mark Allen

M

Elite Triathlete Kim Dunker wearing Envy™ Metallic Baby Blue

Slip Carbon with High Speed Red Fototec in cloudy conditions

Many athletes find the first half of their season goes just as planned. Race results are nearly perfect, progressions in fitness are better than expected and motivation for the remainder of the year soars. But then, just as they are starting to gear up for the final push toward the race of the year, the tread starts to wear thin on their tire of desire and the PSI of energy dips from full pressure to barely enough to keep the rim from grinding the ground. You are faced with another two months of the most important training of the year, yet you find yourself constantly searching for excuses to miss workouts. Before panic and terminal self-doubt sabotage things, let me give you five cures for the late season blues.

Perhaps the most important concept to grasp about fitness as it relates to late-season burnout is this: The closer you are to your absolute peak fitness level, the closer you are to getting your certificate of being fully and completely overtrained. It’s kind of a Catch-22. One strives for the perfect race by pushing the limits of his or her fitness. But each step closer you are to the guardrail that defines your genetic limits, the closer you come to sliding over it and falling into an abyss that can be extremely difficult to climb back out of. Plummeting motivation is a hallmark early sign of overtraining. It’s your body’s way of telling your mind to cut back.

CUTTING BACK

after 3 secs…

6 secs…

9 secs…

12 secs.

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That said, your first safeguard to prevent the unimaginable slide into oblivion and boost the odds you’ll get the final few percentage points of peak fitness is this (are you ready?): take a break! Yes, that is correct. Don’t train. If you are in the final third of your season and you experience signs of approaching burnout (sleepless nights, twitchy legs in sleep, loss of appetite, big changes in weight either up or down, lack of motivation to train, irritability [especially toward loved ones]) your only sensible response is to back off.

The key is to back off the right way. A break in training for someone who has been on a big roll may only need to be a couple of days. Try taking one or two days completely off and see what happens. No real dip in fitness takes place with this amount of rest, but it can help recharge the batteries enough to carry on.

It is on the third day of complete rest from training that there is a small drop in fitness, and still the big slide doesn’t occur until you’ve experienced roughly two weeks of inactivity.

This rest can be from all three sports, or from just one or two of them. The golden rule of rest is to try to make sure that no more than two complete days of rest happen between workouts in any given sport. So if, for example, you take two rest days off the bike, try to do at least a short ride on the third day. This will prevent any noticeable change in fitness from happening, and the small break can work wonders for charging up the internal reserves. You may need to do this repeatedly for a few weeks.

Try to keep your key endurance days in each sport intact, but cut back or cut out the shorter workouts to gain a breather.

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TRAINING without actually trying to gain fitness is one of the best ways to recharge without losing all your hard-earned strength and speed.

Depending on what form your training has taken over the season to date, the main issue in feeling unmotivated could easily be related to what I call monotony in training.

Our bodies gain fitness best if we vary the type of training we do periodically. If a person repeats the same basic training pattern week after week, his or her gains in fitness will plateau and eventually everything gets stale, including the mind and motivation.

If this describes your current state, here are a few things you can do: Change your phase focus. If you have been doing lots of speed work, try backing that down and do some pure base training.

One of the biggest training errors triathletes make is trying to sustain their speed work through the entire season once they start. Phasing it out and doing base training again for two or three weeks in the latter part of the year can completely reverse any negatives of too much anaerobic training. It is not a complete break but a relative one, as your intensity comes down while your volume remains high.

Vary the volume. Triathletes often do workouts of more or less the same duration every week. If this describes you, try keeping your overall monthly training volume steady, but vary the amount you do week to week. So, for example, if you normally ride three hours for a long ride, change it up by riding 1.5 to two hours one week, then four to 4.5 hours the next and so on. This gives your body variety although the overall volume over time is the same.

Choose new routes. If you always use the same routes, your body gets used to the stresses it is subjected to at specific times in the workout. Begin to mix up your training routes as much as possible if you are starting to feel stale. This could be accomplished by training on different roads or trails. It could also come from reversing the direction you do a loop. It may mean taking a long weekend and driving somewhere completely different to give your eyes new scenery to digest and your body an unexpected set of hills and terrain choices.

Taking a break can be especially important after a big midseason race. If you have done a big event that was your focus for quite a few months, give yourself a break from anything structured for a week or two before diving into your final push to the last part of the year. This break is often best if it is looked at as active recovery. Do some easy workouts that are short and moderately paced, but nothing that feels like training. Keeping active 170

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SHORTEN YOUR TRAINING PHASES Getting in shape is much harder and takes longer than staying in shape. This reality leads to another pitfall that can take you over the brink in the late season. It happens when people try to replicate the exact formula that got them in shape for the first part of the year. If you took, say, four to five months to get

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from ground zero to your first big races, it will take you approximately half that time to go from your mid-season fitness up to your final target. What does this mean? In practical terms, you can go through a mini-cycle of each phase you did in getting yourself ready for the first races of the year. So two months of pure base work gets cut to one, and six to eight weeks of speed shortens up to three or four and so on. The only thing that does not get shortened is the length of your taper. If anything your final taper may need to be longer than your early-season tapers. A late-season taper should last about four weeks. So four weeks out from your final race start cutting about 25 percent off the total weekly volume from week to week leading up to that event.

SLEEP Get extra sleep. This is the foundation for recovery. Without good, deep sleep, one does not recover. And the amount of sleep you need is not only related to what you did today, but also yesterday, and last week and last month. So, for the final part of the season, make sure to incorporate enough sleep into your lifestyle.

Again, this may require that you get more sleep than you did in the first part of the season. If you feel your motivation starting to unravel, do your best to get an extra 30 to 90 minutes of sleep each night. If this is not possible, then at least try to get to bed early. The sleep we get before midnight is potent for recovery. So nine hours of sleep with three of them falling before midnight will have a much more powerful effect on your energy levels than nine hours that take place entirely after midnight. Count sheep and feel like a champ!

TAKE A BREAK Did I already mention this one? Well, I am going to give it to you again. Taking a few days off may bring you back for a while, but you may need to insert this strategy into your program again as you get closer to the last race of your season. Again, this is because the closer you get to peak fitness the closer you get to being overtrained. It can be very easy to misjudge the exact spot that takes you to the edge without going over it. No problem, just as long as you honor your body and bring it back right away.

Benefiting from this tactic takes self-confidence and trust in the power of rest.

Remind yourself that no amount of training will benefit you if you are not absorbing due to accumulating fatigue. A day of rest can be the cure for aches and pains, burning legs, loss of motivation, a slight tickle in the back

of the throat and irritability that does not match your normal level of patience with the world.

Mark Allen is the six-time winner of the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. His online triathlon training program can be found at markallenonline.com. Mark also co-teaches a work-

shop titled Fit Body Fit Soul with Brant Secunda, who is a shaman, healer and ceremonial leader in the Huichol Indian tradition. For more information please call the Dance of the Deer Foundation at 831-475-9560 or go to shamanism.com. For information about Markâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s speaking availability, please call 1-800-994-5306.

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XTERRA champs take on Challenge Nevada Passage

By Alex White

Last May, a diverse selection of 20 dirt-loving, energetic and extremely competitive amateur athletes raced across 1,000 miles of Nevada’s wide open for the chance to advance into the Land Rover G4 Challenge international selection event at Eastnor Castle in the United Kingdom early next year. From there, one male and one female American will be selected for the three-week-long finals taking place in Asia mid-2009.

With off-road driving at the core of the competition, each team was equipped with a fully outfitted 2008 Land Rover LR3 HSE vehicle brilliantly logoed for the event. Teams navigated off-the-beaten-path dirt roads throughout Lincoln County in southern Nevada to engage in trail running, geocaching, mountain biking, rock climbing, and kayak races, while camping under the stars each night.

Ultimately the coed teams of Tom Lyons/Lisa Lieb and Peter Hanson/Sarah McMahan proved themselves to be the fastest, strongest and brightest. The two squads finished first and second, respectively, out of 10 teams in the four-day LRG4 Nevada Passage adventure competition (the U.S. qualifier) to earn the right to represent the red, white and blue against teams from 17 other countries.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Lyons, a 46-year-old from the biggest little city in the World: Reno, NV. “To carry the flag and represent my country, I can’t tell you how excited I am.”

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Of course, Lyons always seems excited. He’s the most decorated amateur XTERRA athlete of all time with six U.S. and world championship crowns to his credit, and was voted “Mr. XTERRA” in 2005 for showing the camaraderie, commitment, and integrity that is the essence of the XTERRA lifestyle.

His partner for “The Passage” was reigning XTERRA USA, European, and world champ Lisa Lieb, 38, from Durango, Colo.

Lieb, who is a fun-loving, gregarious character like Lyons, became famous for her heroics at the national championship race two years ago when she abandoned her race during the middle of the bike to help and stay with a fallen rider.

Lyons and Lieb dominated the athletic stages with the fastest times in the kayak and mountain bike races, and the second best combined trail run split. They were also near the top of the class in the communication, navigation, first aid and winching competitions.

“It was just an unbelievable experience,” said Lieb after the competition. “A week’s worth of constant over-stimulation and I’m totally exhausted, but in a good way. The landscape in Nevada is breathtaking and being able to see it all behind the wheel of a Land Rover that can handle just about anything made it all that much sweeter.”

Both Lieb, who won her division at XTERRA UK last year, and Lyons, who’s adventured to four continents on athletic pursuits, are well travelled, experienced, athletic, and perhaps most importantly, friendly, charming, and loveable. They will make excellent representatives and have a lot of support from back home.

While Lyons and Lieb were expected to do well and picked as favorites before the competition started, McMahan and Hanson were the sleepers. The pair was unassumingly good at everything, placing among the top three in the driving challenges, scoring high in the written tests on first aid and mechanical knowledge, and never finishing below sixth in any of the event’s 10 scoring challenges.

“The Nevada Passage was truly one of the highlights of my athletic career and life, something I will never forget,” said Hanson, a 42-year-old sports medicine physician from Minneapolis, MN. “I am honored and humbled to be representing a group of superb athletes and great friends. We will not only be representing our country and Land Rover, but also the State of Nevada, TEAM Unlimited, and our Nevada Passage family.”

McMahan, 35, from Incline Village, NV, won an XTERRA six months after giving birth to twin boys, who are now two years old. She is on one of the nation’s elite snowshoe racing teams, volunteers at a nursing home, tutors Hispanic students, is an accomplished kayaker and rock climber, and gets paid for helping global companies win more business.

“I wasn’t even sure I was going to come but ultimately decided I couldn’t pass up on such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said McMahan. “And look what happened!”

Nearly 100 hours of video was captured by the 20-memberstrong TEAM Unlimited television crew during the week, creating perhaps an even bigger challenge than the event itself: editing it all down for a one-hour show. The broadcast will start its run in national syndication in August, with airings through February of 2009.

Log on to nevadapassage.com to see photos from the event, and follow along at landroverG4challenge.com as Lieb, Lyons, McMahan, and Hanson strive to become the first Americans to win an international G4 competition.

Nils Nilson/Team Unlimited

XTERRA ZONE

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Focal Point

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UK JOURNAL

Athlete profile

Stephen Bayliss

thought it would be a good long training day for the start of the season.

You got into triathlon rather early. What else did you dabble in before focusing on multisport?

The UK has been on a tear lately in long-course triathlon.

The latest Brit to join the growing Ironman champion club is Stephen Bayliss, who earned his first win at Ironman South Africa in April. We caught up with Stephen to chat about that win, training with TeamTBB and his pending nuptials with fiancĂŠe and teammate Bella Comerford of Scotland.

By Jay Prasuhn Triathlete: How rewarding was it to finally take your first Ironman after so many years of coming close?

Stephen Bayliss: It was incredibly satisfying to finally win an Ironman race. That was my 14th Ironman. I did my first Ironman in 2005, Ironman Lanzarote, and finished 14th. I was working full-time at a do-it-yourself store and raced mainly as I

I started triathlon when I was around 12 years old and was hooked. I did okay as a youth and represented Great Britain, but as a junior I had knee problems, so I focused my attention on cyclo-cross and road racing. I represented Great Britain at the World Cyclo-cross Championships twice, but I never had any real great success. My strengths in triathlon are my swim and run, but I think the years of cycling have given me a good endurance base.

How did you make the jump from being a top-five guy at any given Ironman to finally getting the top spot? How much of that is attributable to your coach, Brett Sutton?

I think I had been getting closer and closer to winning an Ironman each race, with just more strength and endurance each race. I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really done much short-course racing but I will do some short races each year, and feel I can do very well in any distance. I met Brett at Ironman Brazil in 2006; it was the most important moment in my sporting career. For someone with the experience and expertise of Brett to believe I had some potential to

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UK JOURNAL do well was incredibly important to me.

How much motivation do you draw from working with Brett in the team environment?

In some other races where I have finished in the top five, I think I have not necessarily left everything out on the racecourse. Brett could see how I was training, so to have him believe that I can go there and do great is very important.

Training with the squad and with Brett means that I am training with the best coach and some of the best triathletes in the world and I can measure myself against them every day. If I can compete with the likes of Reinaldo Colucci, Andrew Johns and Reto Hug in training, then I know I am going well. Brett creates a situation that is all about elite performance, and that is all we are all striving for every day.

TeamTBB is certainly one of the most progressive teams in triathlon, not only with its intense, isolated training camps but also with a social responsibility component at work in the Philippines and Brazil. Do you find it rewarding to be with a squad that trains together and works together to give back?

To be on a team that’s trying to make a difference to some underprivileged athletes’ lives is great. As an athlete, what I do is incredibly selfish; every day of

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2. This sweepstakes is sponsored by Triathlete, 328 Encinitas Blvd., Suite 100, Encinitas, CA 92024.

3. All entries must be received by August 31st, 2008. Triathlete is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, damaged, illegible or postage-due mail.

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8. Employees of Felt and Triathlete or anyone affiliated are not eligible.

Sweepstakes subject to all federal, state and local tax laws and void where prohibited by law.

9. For the name of the winner, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope and letter of request to: Triathlete Felt Sweepstakes, 328 Encinitas Blvd., Suite 100, Encinitas, CA 92024.

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the year, my focus is on myself and my performance.

To be able to help someone else by being on this team is fantastic—and helps me feel a little less guilty about being so selfish!

In Team TBB, we really are a team. We all help each other out, not just by being training partners but in life in general. If someone needs help, they have people that care to give them that help.

What was it like to win in South Africa, and then wait to see your bride-to-be come across as the women’s winner—to be the first couple to win the same race on the same day?

That was the best. You could probably see from some of the finish-line pictures that I was a little bit happy about winning. Then to hear that Bella was running head-to-head with Edith (Niederfringer) and to see her sprinting down the finish straight to win by just a few seconds, just absolutely took me to another level. I pretty much wore my voice out I was screaming so much, and I nearly made Bella pass out as I picked her up and squeezed her so hard just after she finished. An amazing moment that we will remember forever.

How long ago did you and Bella meet, and when did you guys start going from just being teammates to developing a relationship?

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UK JOURNAL Bella and I actually met in 2004 at the ITU World Long Distance Championships in Sater, Sweden. We just kept in e-mail contact till the European Championships the next year, also in Sater, Sweden, where Bella came and stayed with me at my parents house the week before the race. Since then, we’ve not been apart for more than a week.

When will you be married?

Bella and I get married on the 29th of November in Perth, Scotland. It’ll be an even more special day than Ironman South Africa. We are so lucky to have found each other; we truly are soul mates.

The life of a professional long-course triathlete can be pretty lonely. But on your team there are a lot of couples, including Justin and Belinda Granger and Reto Hug and Nicola Spirig. How is it to travel with Bella, to share in one another’s successes, be there for the other to do all the menial stuff—like pump tires and pack bikes?

Is there a downside to being together every day, 24/7?

I think being able to travel and race together is extra special as we get to experience everything together. On the practical side, we’re a great team when it comes to the day-to-day stuff of triathlon and life.

Obviously, the only downside to being together all the time is that I am so much fun to be around, on the odd occasion I am not with Bella, she misses me so much it hurts (laughs)!

You’re part of a new generation of British triathletes that has finally taken the mantel of longdistance success from Spencer Smith and Simon Lessing (who was born in South Africa and is now an American citizen, but spent many years as a British subject). Does that give you a feeling of national pride?

Spencer and Simon have been very inspirational for lots of the top British athletes doing well now—apart from Chrissie (Wellington), who hasn’t got a clue who they are (laughs)! I think all of the British guys and girls have a huge respect for both of them. Britain has a very good triathlon community and it is managing to attract some talented youngsters into the sport. I can only see more and more British athletes doing well in the future.

Where will the Bayliss/Comerford family call home in the off-season?

If by off-season you mean the British wintertime, we will be in Leysin, Switzerland, doing some crosscountry skiing, snow shoeing—and some swim-bikerun, too!

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Kuota

As tested, the new Kredo Ultra with Shimano Dura-Ace and a Fulcrum Racing 5 wheelset retails at $5,599 with a frameset pricing at $2,999.

By Jay Prasuhn

I

It’s a brand that associates itself with strength. Kuota’s tri frames, the Kalibur, the Kueen K, and the KOM, are known for their big, strong downtubes—a contrast to the minimalistic design sensibilities Italian bike manufacturers are known for.

Hell, they have one of the strongest riders in the sport with Normann Stadler aboard.

So when I saw the wispy Kredo Ultra, I smirked. I’ve ridden the burly KOM road bike, an all-carbon ultra light with a downtube the diameter of a Louisville Slugger and stiffness to match its stout look. The Kredo Ultra looked, well, like a wimpy Italian show bike, the kind you see in a store window, incapable of taking hard road miles.

I was wrong. The Kredo Ultra is a wolf in sheep’s clothing— a pretty exterior with a tough interior. True to its bloodline, it shows on the road that it can take a beating, and do it with a smile—well, a proverbial smile. You know what I mean.

The Kredo Ultra is the revamped ’08 version of the Kredo that debuted a couple years ago and stood as Kuota’s first super light monocoque road bike. This year, they added an extended seat mast, built in a stiffer bottom bracket design, and went with internal cable routing and all-carbon dropouts. Kuota also carved a bit of weight from the sloping compact frame, using a higher modulus carbon. Our tester was a stock rig with full Shimano Dura-Ace, although any spec option from a DuraAce/Ultegra blend up to SRAM Red is available.

It’s fairly stiff, and it’s certainly light (our test bike weighed just 16 pounds, 9 ounces complete). Granted, there are lighter 178

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bikes on the market, but few if any in the featherweight category are as strong. Our first clue was a ream of independent EFBe test reports, a battery of vertical load, torsional load and impact tests.

Our second clue came on the road. I took this seeming pixie out for a torture test to judge for myself the accuracy of the EFBe tests. Instead of dancing gingerly over rough patches, I aimed for them. Right for the potholes. None were a concern for the Kredo Ultra, whose resiliency was truly noteworthy. The new high seat mast doesn’t provide any major advantage to ride quality, but the biaxially oriented non-driveside chainstay, designed to take up some rear-end shock, makes it a carbon bike that can take hits and shrug them off.

Despite the curvaceous design, it has a downtube that grows to a massive diameter as it reaches the bottom bracket, making the Kredo Ultra a stiff climber and great big-gear grinder on the flats when you’re just clicking out the hard miles for an Ironman. But here’s what separates it from the rest: It’s among a select few lightweight rigs I’d feel comfortable loaning to my 200-plus pound friends for a long ride without worrying about it coming back in a pine box.

Still skeptical? We posed this question to Kuota National Sales Manager Paul Thomas: Could Normann Stadler actually use the Kredo Ultra as a daily trainer? Not only can he, Thomas said, he does—it’s the bike he most often pulls from his garage back home in Germany for his base miles. So any question as to whether a lightweight bike can take the heavy miles you deliver are answered right there.

For more on the Kredo Ultra, visit kuotanorthamerica.com.

Courtesy the manufacturer

Kredo Ultra

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Leader LD-735TT

The LD-735TT as shown retails at $3,258, but the base spec complete with SRAM Rival, Profile Design aerobars and an Bontrager Aero Race Select wheelset is $1,700.

By Jay Prasuhn

S

Say you’re in college. Mom and dad aren’t footing the bill, so a night job slinging drinks over the bar pays the educational tithe. You’ve targeted a few races to provide sanity from advanced calculus, anthropology and philosophy courses piling in your brain, while fueling nightly on 10-cent ramen and Diet Coke, reading old cover-torn issues of Triathlete that the bike shop toss you because they feel bad for you.

The Felt DA, Guru Crono and Cervelo P3 are but a dream.

Reality says you should be racing the beater mountain bike that shuttles you to class. But what if you could get a tri bike—a real tri bike, not a road bike with clip-ons—that takes no shorts aerodynamically, that has a real triathlon geometry, for a pittance?

Leader Bikes, a small but growing brand out of San Diego, makes this their niche. No, there’s not a lot of flash. But there’s true geometry, true aerodynamics and real savings on a bike that retails complete with SRAM Rival and Bontrager wheels for— get this—$1,700.

For the fashionistas asking where’s the carbon: there is none.

Well, there is, with their supplied seat post and the carbon aero fork with carbon steerer on this third iteration model. But what can you demand in a frame that retails at just $399? The 735 makes its claim to fame in features. Like a new 80mm deep aero downtube and seattube (the same depth, by the way, as a Cervelo P3C). Replaceable horizontal dropout plates. And features like smooth, heat-treated welds? Butted aluminum tubing? It’s got that, too. And in a unique twist, it has triathlon geometry: a 78degree seat angle.

Part of the value in the 735 is the bikes ship to the customer OEM style as a kit (everything from group to wheels to bar and stem included), so you have to have a Leader-recommended bike 180

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shop build yours up, just as we built our own up. It’s prepped, ready to go out the box.

Take the heralded Cervelo P2K. The Leader 735 has nearly identical stack and reach; in the one model size they share, 54cm, the P2K has a stack of 51.2cm and reach of 41.8cm. The Leader? Stack is 51 cm, reach is 42 cm. Leader’s so with it, they even have stack and reach measures.

Our test was set up with SRAM Force and Zipp 404 clinchers, and it was a befitting spec—go-fast gear for a go-fast rig.

And go it did. Remember the aluminum Felt DA Craig Walton used to decimate fiends with not long ago? This bike reminded us of that in look, and function. Super stiff, it climbed out of saddle unbelievably, powered in the aerobars with 100-percent power transfer. It was—dare I say—fun. Yes, a bike without a bit of carbon flash or brand aura, fun!

Not to go without mention is the fit. A proper 78-degree seat angle and well-balanced front end made this a truly wonderful ride with stable steering and body balance. The carbon post and fork take up some of the high-frequency buzz and big pothole hits, but not all. The Leader will slay all over a half Ironman or anything shorter, but some may not dig that lack of frame absorbency after three hours in the saddle. A valid concern for some. But for the rest? The cash-strapped, the short-coursers?

They can have their carbon, which they’d trade willingly for race podium hardware.

So you say $1,700 is still rich for your blood? Leader has another tri bike in its arsenal, the 730, a full Shimano 105-kitted aluminum tri bike with a semi-aero downtube, for $1,099. We rode this one too, and again, built proper with a 78-degree seat angle, it’s a better bike geometrically than many four times its price.

For more on the 735TT or the rest of the Leader line, visit leaderbikesusa.com.

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The new 500-level aluminum shifter and brake lever bring the same action and aerodynamics as their carbon cousins at a greater cost savings.

resulting in a group SRAM claims is 200 grams lighter than Shimano’s Ultegra SL group, at nearly $400 less at a suggested $919. For an entry-level group, well, it isn’t so entry level.

Beyond the groups come more big changes, including the introduction of an 11-15 and 11-28 cassette. The wide variance now brings a cassette that can handle it all, from the flats to the rollers to the steep climbs.

SRAM also introduces a new BB30 crankset to the fold. BB30 is a growing international standard bottom-bracket option being presented by brands including Kuota, Cannondale and Scott. Moving the bearings inside the wide 30mm BB shell (instead of outboard of the standard 24mm BB shell) reportedly allows for a lighter crankset, a narrower Q-factor, increased crankset stiffness and increased bearing life by using larger bearings. SRAM’s BB30 entry is with the Red group crankset.

Courtesy SRAM

CUTTING EDGE

SRAM addresses tri in ‘09

On the heels of the benchmark Red groupset, SRAM debuts significant Force and Rival updates—and some key multisport pieces—for 2009

S

SRAM presented its 2009 road line to the media at Sea Otter in Monterey, Calif., and went into tighter detail during a ride session in the training center of Agoura Hills, Calif., with SRAM marketing manager Michael Zellmann and fellow invitee Dan Empfield of slowtwitch.com. The California coastline was a great venue in which to road test the new goods for ’09. One of the most progressive road-component manufacturers today proved it’s not resting on its laurels.

The newly revamped Rival groupset brings it closer to par with SRAM’s hot Red groupset.

MULTISPORT OFFERINGS RED’S RIVALS: FORCE AND RIVAL Upon its debut, the performance and quality disparity between the premium Red groupset and the mod-level Force and the entry-level Rival group was massive. Everyone loved the Red’s adjustable brake-lever reach, to the zero-loss front derailleur trim, to the two cable-run options. It left SRAM’s two other road groups in the dust.

For ’09, Force and Rival catch up, taking trickle-down advances that not only catch them up to the trend-setting Red, but also tweak the noses of rivals Shimano and Campagnolo.

Debuting in 2006, Force, with its DoubleTap shift technology, was a breakthrough. SRAM trumped it last year with Red, delivering what Force didn’t, namely a front-derailleur trim. For 2009, Force gets that front trim, plus a reshaped front shift paddle, akin to that of Red. It also gets Red’s adjustable-reach brake/shift lever, multi-cable routing options and a longer brake lever. The 2052-gram group retails at $1,399.

The oft-forgotten Rival group has made the biggest gains. Its components get a polished black anodized finish, and the brake lever goes from alloy to carbon fiber, also taking on Red’s new shift-paddle shape. The shifters lose 40 grams, and the new Rival crankset is available in a compact 110 or standard 130 BCD, and in a wide 165 to 180mm length options, also loses 40 grams. All 182

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OK, that’s all good, but what do they have for triathletes?

We’d been told SRAM’s acquisition of Zipp Speed Weaponry would include some collaborative creations. Their first product is the SRAM-compatible Zipp s-bend, allowing the rider to bolt the shift lever directly to the extension instead of plugging a male receptacle into the extension end. It not only saves weight, but it also brings the shifter closer to the hand.

Also on show (and in use with the Astana team at the Tour of California) is a new triathlon chainring. The hard-anodized chain blades—offered in 54- 55- and 42-tooth options—have a smooth aero lateral profile, scalloped inside to save weight, with material left in vertical areas to provide strength at key ramping areas.

The most intriguing tri debut is the 500-level triathlon shifters and brake levers. The use of aluminum in place of carbon drives down the cost of the 500-level shifters and levers without any sacrifice in function compared to the carbon variety. The shifters weigh in at 154 grams per pair and include a three-position stop. An internal “coin” can be flipped and rotated to provide precise cable-release tuning. The levers have the same return spring and aero profile, adding just a touch of weight—but not much, since the pair weighs in at 115 grams.

The price for a set is $108.

Courtesy SRAM

By Jay Prasuhn

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GEAR BAG

A little incentive 8 hot products for summer

By Brad Culp

Tri season is in full swing and you have no excuse for not being in top shape. There’s no letting up now, so keep grinding through the summer with one of these new products. Whether you’re looking to nail down your race-day nutrition, or you just want to pimp out your ride, we’ve got you covered.

Perfect Foods Bar

$27 (box of 12)

With ingredients including dried egg protein, tomato powder, alfalfa, prunes, kelp and spinach, Perfect Foods Bars could taste like V8 juice, but they don’t. Somehow the bars achieve a great taste that mixes the flavors of peanut butter and honey, while still providing an incredibly healthy blend of all-natural ingredients.

They’re available in three flavors (all of them have peanut butter as the first ingredient), with each bar containing about 280 calories and 18 grams of protein. perfectfoodsbar.com $38 (per can)

If you’re the guy who has to have the hottest bike in your training group, then you need wheeltags.

There are seven stock designs to choose from, or you can design your own. The decals come in a can with six “tags” in each can.

You can tag your deep section wheels from edge to edge with four cans, or you can place the tags around you wheel’s stock decals, so only two cans are needed per wheelset. wheeltags.com

3BAR $2.49 (per bar)

Nutramendz Bone and Joint Protection $35 (one month supply)

It’s not often we see a nutrition product that is backed by a 100-percent customer satisfaction certification. Each mixable packet of Nutramendz delivers a potent blend of glucosamine HCL, chondoritin sulfate, MSM and CMO—four nutrients vital to joint health. Try it for a month to ease the discomfort of achy ankles, knees and hips. sunquestlab.com

CEP Compression Socks

3Bar is that rare energy bar that packs enough power to keep you pushing through a long ride and is healthy enough to eat as a light snack. Each 210-calorie bar is 100percent natural and diabetic-friendly and uses only vegan ingredients.

They’re available in three flavors: Blueberry Blast, Cocoa Crunch and Tropical Tri. We recommend the Blueberry Blast. tri3bar.com

Base Amino ($50 for 26 servings) and Base Water ($30 for 128 servings)

First Endurance EFS Grape and Fruit Punch Drink

$22

One of the most popular sports drinks on the market now has two new flavors. Each scoop packs 1,000mg of electrolytes, which means you won’t need to take in any additional salt tabs to keep the muscles firing. A serving of EFS also provides 24 grams of carbohydrates and 2,000mg of amino acids. firstendurance.com 184

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$54.90 (per pair)

There’s really no denying the effectiveness of compression socks. If they didn’t work, you wouldn’t see so many on race day. While they may not be the most stylish socks to wear on a Friday night (unless you’re at an ‘80s party), they’re great during rides or runs and even while you sleep. CEP’s patented technology uses ambient pressure to increase arterial diameter in your lower legs, which increases blood flow for better performance and recovery. cep-sports.com

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

Ironman champion Chris Lieto has been using these potent blends of amino acids for years and now he’s made them available to athletes worldwide. Base Amino is a blend of 10 amino acids for use during exercise to boost muscle metabolism and aid in fat burning. Base Water is a concentrated liquid that can be added to your water bottle to speed hydration and decrease sloshing in the gut. baseperformance.com

Images courtesy the manufacturers

Wheeltags

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AT THE RACES October, while Samantha McGlone is no doubt equally sanguine about the possibility of improving on last year’s runner-up finish.

“It was a good day for anyone trying to prepare for Ironman Hawaii this October,” said McCormack after IRONMAN 70.3 HAWAII stopping the clock at Kohala Coast, The Big Island, 4:04:22, eight minutes Hawaii May 31, 2008 ahead of fellow 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run Australian Luke McKenzie. “The winds Men were gusting in your face 1. Chris McCormack (AUS) . . . 4:04:22 and from the side and 2. Luke McKenzie (AUS) . . . . . 4:12:05 that made it the tough3. Timothy Marr (USA) . . . . . . . 4:15:17 est condition I’ve faced 4. Andrew MacKay (NZL) . . . . . 4:22:13 in my three years here.”

5. Daiki Masuda (JPN). . . . . . . 4:22:55 McGlone seemed to Women treat her first crack at 1. Samantha McGlone (CAN). . 4:30:38 this race as a workout, 2. Tyler Stewart (USA) . . . . . . . 4:34:21 cruising to victory 3. Kate Bevilaqua (AUS) . . . . . 4:35:03 ahead of American 4. Alison Fitch (AUS) . . . . . . . . 4:36:16 Tyler Stewart with a fin5. Gina Kehr (USA) . . . . . . . . . 4:57:46 ishing time of 4:30:38 instead of going after Amateur men Michellie Jones’s course 1. Luis De La Torre (USA). . . . . 4:19:53 record of 4:28:16 set in Amateur women 2005.

asiphoto.com

1. Katherine Nichols (USA) . . . 4:56:30

Chris McCormack made it three in a row at the Hawaii Ironman 70.3.

McWinners at Ironman 70.3 Hawaii McCormack, McGlone take top honors

asiphoto.com

By Matt F itzgerald (additional repor ting

by Timothy Carlson) Ironman 70.3 Hawaii is a good tune-up race for triathletes who plan to compete in the Hawaii Ironman World Championship. It’s half the distance, it takes place five months before the Super Bowl of triathlon and it is staged on the same island. This year’s Ironman 70.3 Hawaii, held June 1, was an especially good tune-up race for the World Championship, as temperatures soared into the 90s and the winds blew fiercely, just as they do almost every year for the Big Island’s most famous sporting event.

After surmounting these tough conditions and strong competition to claim victories, Chris McCormack has to feel pretty good about his chances of repeating as Ironman world champion in

Samantha McGlone hopes to win another Hawaii triathlon this year.

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AT THE RACES

Kate Major dominated the inaugural Ford Ironman 70.3 Boise.

Major, Bozzone inaugurate 70.3 Boise New Zealand’s Terenzo Bozzone and Australia’s Kate Major took first-place honors at the inaugural Ford Ironman 70.3 Boise triathlon. The new event was unveiled June 1, on a course that toured the Lucky Peak reservoir, Sandy Point beach and downtown Boise. More than 1000 triathletes participated.

Bozzone led the field out of the reservoir but American Chris Lieto, as is his fashion, took charge of the bike a quarter of the way through the 56-mile leg. Bozzone, having worked himself into better race fitness than he showed at Wildflower, reclaimed the lead on the run. He won in the fast, furious time 194

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of 3:53:28. Lieto was second in 3:55:44 and the UK’s Joe Gamble was third 3:55:54.

Australian Kate Major clicked off a swim time of 30:09 and a bike split of 2:27:43 in a dominating performance, winning in 4:24:44.

Desiree Ficker finished second in 4:31:20 and Heather Wurtele rounded out the podium in 4:31:47.

FORD IRONMAN 70.3 BOISE Boise, Idaho

June 1, 2008 1.2-mile run, 56-mile swim, 13.1-mile run

Men 1. Terenzo Bozzone (NZL) . . . . . 3:53:28 2. Chris Lieto (USA). . . . . . . . . 3:55:44 3. Joe Gambles (AUS) . . . . . . . 3:55:54 4. Leon Griffin (AUS) . . . . . . . . 3:57:18 5. Jordan Rapp (USA) . . . . . . . 4:01:45 Women 1. Kate Major (AUS) . . . . . . . . 4:24:44 2. Desiree Ficker (USA) . . . . . . 4:31:20 3. Heather Wurtele (CAN) . . . . 4:31:47 4. Linsey Corbin (USA) . . . . . . 4:34:17 5. Katie Ellis (USA) . . . . . . . . . 4:36:33

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John Duke

Major, Valencia win third annual AVIA Encinitas Sprint Tri Kate Major showed off her speed in winning the AVIA Encinitas Sprint Triathlon.

Aussie Ironman standout Kate Major proved she has plenty of speed in her legs by blowing away the competition at the AVIA Encinitas Sprint Triathlon in T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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SATURDAY 9.13.08 • 1.5K SWIM • 40K BIKE • 10K RUN SUNDAY 9.14.08 • 1/2 MILE SWIM • 18 MILE BIKE • 4 MILE RUN

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AT THE RACES North San Diego County on May 18. Major finished more than two and a half minutes ahead of American Angela Naeth and managed to beat all but five of the elite men. First among those men was local standout David Valencia closed with a 16:47 5-km run to edge Jared Woddford.

AVIA ENCINITAS SPRINT TRIATHLON Encinitas, Calif.

May 18, 2008 750-meter swim, 20-km bike, 10-km run

John Duke

Men 1. David Valencia (USA). . . . . . 1:02:00 2. Jared Woddford (USA) . . . . . 1:02:51 3. Juliano Teruel (USA) . . . . . . 1:03:35 4. Chris Prevost (USA) . . . . . . . 1:03:21 5. Karl Bordine (USA) . . . . . . . 1:04:51

David Valencia was one of only five men to finish ahead of Kate Major in Encinitas.

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Sturla, Keller win on the run in Florianopolis American amateur Kelly Lear-Kaul finishes as runner-up

Emiliano Descole

By Brad Culp Argentine Eduardo Sturla and Brazil’s Fernanda Keller made up substantial deficits heading into the marathon to win Ironman Brazil on May 25. Sturla, who last won Ironman Brazil in 2001, entered T2 7:30 behind Frenchman Benjamin Sanson, but closed with a 2:58:00 marathon to win by 10 minutes. The 44-year-old Keller started her marathon nine minutes behind American Hillary Biscay, but she closed quickly and also won with a comfortable 10-minute gap.

Sanson, one of France’s top ITU athletes, stormed to the front of the men’s race with a 50:52 swim, which gave him a nine-minute gap on Sturla and the rest of the men’s contenders.

Little changed on the relatively flat 112-mile ride, as both Sanson and Sturla posted 4:27 splits. The Frenchman began his marathon with more than seven minutes on Sturla and 18 minutes on German super-runner Olaf Sabatschus. Sanson began to show signs of distress shortly after exciting T2 and both Sturla and Sabatschus began making up ground—fast. The Argentine took over the lead near the halfway mark and never looked back, finishing in 8:28:24. Sabatschus actually ran three minutes faster

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Eduardo Sturla used a 2:58 marathon to win Ironman Brazil.

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AT THE RACES

Sturla rode well enough to stay within range of Benjamin Sanson.

than the winner, but his bike deficit forced him to settle for second in 8:38:56. Sanson was able to cling to third, finishing three minutes behind the German.

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Brazil’s Carla Morena led the women out of the swim after 55:46 in the rough waters off the coast of Florianopolis. Biscay exited the Atlantic over three minutes after the leader and Keller had some serious work to do, as she finished the swim almost 15 minutes behind Morena. Biscay slowly made up ground on Morena during the first half of the bike leg and finally passed her around the 110-km mark. By the time the top ladies made it back to transition, Biscay had built a nineminute gap on Keller. The big surprise of the day was the presence of age grouper Kelly Lear-Kaul from BRASIL TELECOM Colorado, who entered IRONMAN BRAZIL T2 third, seven minFlorianopolis, Brazil utes after Keller. Biscay May 25, 2008 began to struggle as 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run soon as she started the Men marathon and Keller 1. Eduardo Sturla (ARG) . . . . . 8:28:21 and Lear-Kaul were 2. Olaf Sabatschus (GER) . . . . 8:38:56 right there to take 3. Benjamin Sanson (FRA) . . . 8:41:32 advantage.

Keller 4. Petr Vabrousek (CZE) . . . . . . 8:53:55 stormed away from the 5. Raul Furtado (BRA) . . . . . . . 8:5501 rest of the field, posting a 3:15 marathon to win Women in 9:42:50. Lear-Kaul 1. Fernanda Keller (BRA). . . . . 9:42:50 finished ten minutes 2. Kelly Lear-Kaul (USA) . . . . . 9:52:40 later, with her country3. Hillary Biscay (USA) . . . . . . 9:56:08 woman Biscay another 4. Ladislava Cisarovska (CZE) 10:06:10 four minutes back.

5. Kristin Lie (NOR) . . . . . . . . 10:07:50

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AT THE RACES

Bella Comerford won Ironman Lanzarote just five weeks after winning Ironman South Africa.

Comerford wins her seventh Ironman at Lanzarote Belgian Bert Jammaer picks up first career win

By Timothy Carlson Belgian Bert Jammaer took a brave wire-to-wire route to his first Ironman victory, while Scotswoman Bella Comerford came back just five weeks after her Ironman South Africa win to earn her seventh career Ironman triumph at Ironman Lanzarote on May 24.

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Bob Foy/Club La Santa Foto

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Jammaer then nailed down the win with a sixth-best 3:06:31 marathon to hit the line in 8:59:37, more than eight minutes ahead of Finland’s Teemu Toivanen.

IRONMAN LANZAROTE CANARIAS Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain May 24, 2008 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run

Men 1. Bert Jammaer (BEL) . . . . . . . . . . . 8:59:38 2. Teemu Toivanen (FIN) . . . . . . . . . . 9:08:15 3. Ain-Alar Juhanson (EST) . . . . . . . . 9:08:37 4. Frederick Kohl (GER) . . . . . . . . . . 9:09:50 5. Gregorio Caceres Morales (ESP) . . 9:11:32 Women 1. Bella Comerford (GBR) . . . . . . . . 10:02:27 2. Heleen Bij de Vaate (NED) . . . . . 10:12:07 3. Tara Norton (CAN) . . . . . . . . . . . 10:13:16 4. Charlotte Kolters (DEN) . . . . . . . 10:16:30 5. Virginia Berasategui Luna (ESP) . 10:22:33

Bob Foy/Club La Santa Foto

Comerford patiently overcame a sixand-a-half-minute deficit to Tara Norton after the Canadian’s sizzling 5:41:26 bike through a brutal combination of hills, wind and heat, taking the lead at the 9mile mark of the marathon. Comerford’s race-best 3:17:57 run put her at the finish in 10:02:27, almost 10 minutes in front of runner-up Heleen Bij de Vaate of the Netherlands.

Comerford hit the line in 10:02:27 with 9 minutes and 40 seconds to spare over the Netherlands’ Heleen Bij de Vaate, who overtook Norton for second place just two miles from the finish.

Jammaer, a 28-year-old Antwerp fireman, whose best previous triathlon performance was third place at the 2002 Nice long-course championship, started out front with a race-best 49:38 swim and held off two-time Lanzarote champion Ain-Alar Juhanson’s race-best bike to keep a three-minute lead starting the run.

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Belgian firefighter Bert Jaemmer was alone in front all day at Ironman Lanzarote.

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AT THE RACES

RACE WITH THE aisphoto.com

PROS Chris Lieto took advantage of a wrong turn by his Aussie rivals.

Lieto, Wassner set records at Columbia

By John Elliot

Learn how you can qualify at

USOPENTRIATHLON.COM

The championship event of:

©2008 LIFE TIME FITNESS, INC. All rights reserved.

A top-tier contingent of pro triathletes celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Columbia Triathlon in style, led by Americans Chris Lieto and Rebeccah Wassner, who both ended the day by breaking their respective course records.

In the men’s race, all the top contenders emerged from Lake Centennial in a tight pack, but Lieto, one of the sport’s best cyclists, was able to create a small gap in the early miles of the bike. Aussies Chris McCormack and Richie Cunningham headed up the pursuit along with 19-year-old American pro Andrew Yoder. The pair of Aussies took a wrong turn as they stormed back to T2 and both athletes lost a handful of minutes to Lieto. McCormack and Cunningham weren’t able to make up for the lost time on the run and Lieto cruised to a course record in 1:51:13. Yoder held on for second, three minutes in back of Lieto.

COLUMBIA In the women’s TRIATHLON event, no one could Ellicott City, Md. keep pace with New May 18, 2008 Yorker Rebeccah 1.5-km swim, 40-km bike, 10-km run Wassner. The American Men put on a brilliant dis1. Chris Lieto (USA). . . . . . . . . 1:51:13 play of balance, grow2. Andrew Yoder (USA). . . . . . . 1:54:31 ing her lead on each leg.

3. Chris McCormack (AUS) . . . 1:57:22 Wassner crossed the 4. Richie Cunningham (AUS) . . 1:57:55 line in 2:04:49, shaving 5. Eric Limkemann (USA). . . . . 1:59:22 almost three minutes off of Susan Williams’ Women course record. Amanda 1. Rebeccah Wassner (USA) . . 2:04:49 Lovato, who excels in 2. Amanda Lovato (USA) . . . . . 2:09:21 longer races, showed off 3. Margaret Shapiro (USA). . . . 2:12:23 her speed with a 2:09:21 4. Fiona Docherty (NZL). . . . . . 2:13:25 runner-up finish.

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AT THE RACES

The Ironman 70.3 Switzerland racecourse is both beautiful and fast.

Schildknecht, Dibens win at Ironman 70.3 Switzerland More than 1,600 athletes competed at the second Ironman 70.3 Switzerland in Rapperswil-Jona on June 1. But it was defending champion Ronnie Schildknecht of Switzerland who won after a head-to-head race with Germany’s Konstantin Bachor. It was on the last lap of the run course that Shildknecht was able to leave his opponents in his dust and cross the line in 3:51:45.

In the women’s race, Brittish superstar Julie Dibens won by two minutes—in 4:12.57—outpacing last year’s winner Nicola Spirig and Hungary’s Erika Csomor. Spirig had the lead until T2, but Dibens managed to pass the Swiss athlete on the first lap of the run.

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IRONMAN 70.3 RAPPERSWIL-JONA SWITZERLAND Rapperswil-Jona, Lake of Zurich June 1, 2008 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

Men 1. Ronnie Shildknecht (SUI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:51:45 2. Konstantin Bachor (GER) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:54:33 3. Sebastian Kienle (GER) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:55:41 4. Mike Aigroz (SUI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:59:18 5. Mathias Hecht (SUI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:59:18 Women 1. Julie Dibens (GBR). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:12:57 2. Nicola Spirig (SUI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:14:55 3. Erika Csomor (HUN). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:26:57 4. Monika Lehmann (SUI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:29:01 5. Eva Nyström (SWE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:30:30

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Robert Murphy/bluecreekphotography.com

AT THE RACES

Paul Amey’s 2:07:11 bike leg was the difference at Disney World.

Robert Murphy/bluecreekphotography.com

Brits dominate at Disney World

Amey, Cave take titles at Ironman Florida 70.3

By Brad Culp Britain’s Paul Amey and Leanda Cave topped the podium at the fifth annual Ironman Florida 70.3, held on and around the grounds of the Walt Disney World theme park on May 18.

Amey, a two-time ITU world champ, used a blistering bike leg to pull away from Brazil’s Santiago Ascenco, while Cave, also a twotime ITU champ, outclassed Germany’s Nina Craft on the run.

To no one’s surprise, Kiwi super-swimmer Bryan Rhodes was the first to finish the 1.2-mile swim, followed closely by a group containing Aussie Craig Alexander and American T.J. Tollakson. Amey managed to make it out of the swim in the third group, fewer than 20 seconds behind the leaders.

The British short-course star had no problems moving through the faster swimmers in the early stages of the ride, and after taking the lead he never let it go. After spending only 2:07:11 on the bike, Amey was back in transition, having opened up a two-minute lead on Ascenco, who in turn was three minutes ahead of the first chase group. Pre-race favorites Alexander and Tollakson struggled on the bike and both dropped out of the race during the run.

With one of the sport’s best runners (Alexander) out of the race, Amey cruised through the half-marathon and put another two minutes on the rest of the field. The Brit broke the tape in 3:52:51, almost four minutes ahead of runner-up Ascenco.

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England’s Leanda Cave broke a tight race wide open on the run.

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In the women’s race, American Dede Griesbauer stormed through the swim in 25:55, finishing fewer than 50 meters behind the top men. A sub-26-minute swim would have given the American a huge lead at most 70.3 events, but Griesbauer didn’t have that luxury in Orlando, as Cave lurked only one second behind. Kraft was also in the mix, finishing the swim another handful of seconds behind Cave. The trio of lead women stayed in close contact on the bike and entered T2 separated by less than a minute.

Once the top ladies made it onto the run course, Cave and Kraft decided Griesbauer had led long enough and the pair of swift runners easily blew past the American. It turned into a two-woman race, but Cave clearly had the better legs, finishing in 4:22:52, 83 seconds before Kraft. Griesbauer held off a surging Lisa Bentley for third.

FORD IRONMAN 70.3 FLORIDA Orlando, Fla.

1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run May 18, 2008

Men 1. Paul Amey (GBR) . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:52:51 2. Santiago Ascenco (BRA) . . . . . . 3:56:33 3. Spencer Smith (GBR) . . . . . . . . 3:59:34 4. Courtney Ogden (AUS). . . . . . . . 3:59:42 5. Kevin Liska (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . 3:59:56 Women 1. Leanda Cave (GBR) . . . . . . . . . . 4:22:52 2. Nina Kraft (GER) . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:24:15 3. Dede Griesbauer (USA) . . . . . . . 4:30:38 4. Lisa Bentley (CAN). . . . . . . . . . . 4:31:47 5. Katja Schumacher (GER) . . . . . . 4:34:45 Amateur men 1. Jaime Moracci (CAN) . . . . . . . . . 4:17:13 Amateur women 1. Lindsey Jerdonek (USA) . . . . . . . 4:40:25

Cigana out-sprints Andersson for win at Austria 70.3 Van Vlerken tops Csomor for women’s title

By Melaina Juntti Italian Massimo Cigana dug deep to pass Bjorn Andersson of Sweden in the final 100 meters of the run to take the Ironman 70.3 Austria crown on May 25.

The Netherlands’ Yvonne Van Vlerken took charge on the run as well, shutting down hot-streaking Erika Csomor of Hungary for the women’s title in 4:22:43.

Andersson took command on the bike, pumping out a lead that he continued to grow throughout most of the halfmarathon. Despite Andersson’s strong stride, Cigana continually built steam on the run and began nipping at the frontrunner’s heels with less than a mile to go.

The Italian scooted past Andersson in the finishing chute, treating 11,000 spectators to an all-out sprint to the finish that had Cigana coming out on top by 40 seconds for an overall time of 3:56:12. Andersson strode in for second in 3:56:52, just 19 seconds ahead of last year’s winner, Michael Gohner of Germany.

In the women’s race, Germany’s Sandra Wallenhorst took the lead 40 miles into the bike, followed by Csomor, who had knocked out wins at Ironman Arizona and Ironman 70.3 California already this season. The always-dangerous Van 210

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Vlerken wasn’t far behind and the Dutchwoman passed Wallenhorst and Csomor six miles into the run. Van Vlerken never looked back, crossing the line in 4:22:43, free and clear of her competitors. Csomor managed to overtake Wallenhorst for second in 4:35:52.

IRONMAN 70.3 AUSTRIA St. Polten, Austria

May 25, 2008 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

Men 1. Massimo Cigana (ITA) . . . . . . . . 3:56:12 2. Bjorn Andersson (SWE) . . . . . . . 3:56:52 3. Michael Göhner (GER) . . . . . . . . 3:57:11 4. Dennis Devriendt (BEL) . . . . . . . 3:58:54 5. Alun Woodward (GBR) . . . . . . . . 4:00:26 Women 1. Yvonne Van Vlerken (NED) . . . . . 4:22:43 2. Erika Csomor (HUN). . . . . . . . . . 4:25:52 3. Sandra Wallenhorst (GER) . . . . . 4:26:25 4. Veronika Hauke (AUT) . . . . . . . . 4:32:01 5. Joan Bláfoss (DEN) . . . . . . . . . . 4:35:07 Amateur men 1. Hannes Polak (AUT) . . . . . . . . . . 4:11:18 Amateur women 1. Simone Furnkranz (AUT). . . . . . . 4:45:08

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Get high in Show Low

Elliot, Parks win the Deuces Wild Tri Festival’s marquee event

By Brad Culp In the same spirit that makes triathlon festivals like Wildflower and Lone Star so unique, the Deuces Wild Tri Fest, in picturesque Show Low, Ariz. presents three races in one weekend—and it’s all in the name of charity. The two-day event, presented by TriSports.com, gives athletes the chance to pick and choose among three races (half-iron, Olympic and XTERRA), with all proceeds benefiting the Challenged Athletes Foundation

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and the Show Low Youth Sports and Recreation Foundation.

This year’s event, held on May 31 and June 1, marked its fifth year in Show Low, a tiny town nestled in Arizona’s White Mountains (three hours northeast of Phoenix). At about 6,500 feet, Show Low has a relatively cool climate that offers a welcome reprieve for those making the trip from the valleys of Tucson and Phoenix.

The festival kicked off with the DeuceMan Triathlon, a halfiron-distance race with a modest start list of 125 athletes. Lewis Elliot, the only pro at the start, made easy TRISPORTS.COM work of the men’s DEUCEMAN TRIATHLON race and battled Show Low, Ariz. through the tough May 31, 2008 course in 4:16:55, 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run nine minutes in Men front of runner-up 1. Lewis Elliot (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . 4:16:55 Eric Peterson.

2. Eric Peterson (USA) . . . . . . . . . . 4:25:32 Chrissy Parks was 3. Ryan McGuigan (USA) . . . . . . . . 4:43:21 even more dominant 4. Mike Neighbors (USA) . . . . . . . . 4:49:26 in the women’s 5. Keith Rusin (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . 4:50:57 event, as the Tucson native took advanWomen tage of a 1:39 half1. Chrissy Parks (USA) . . . . . . . . . . 5:00:16 marathon to win in 2. Molly Hummel (USA) . . . . . . . . . 5:13:35 5:00:16—over 13 3. Karen Walls (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . 5:20:31 minutes ahead of her 4. Heather Huntington (USA) . . . . . 5:21:31 competition.

5. Elisabeth Lawaczeck (USA) . . . . 5:41:44

Brad Culp

AT THE RACES

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Hackett, Kaye smoke the competition at Memphis in May

By Brad Culp

Australian short-course standout Stephen Hackett took a break from his training in Boulder, Colo. to pick up a win at the Memphis in May Triathlon on May 18. Hackett stormed through the swim in just over 15 minutes before crushing the flat and fast 40km bike leg at almost 28 MEMPHIS IN MAY miles per hour. With the TRIATHLON race all but wrapped up, Millington, Tenn.

Hackett cruised through 1.5-km swim, 40-km bike, 10-km run the run en route to a May 18, 2008 1:45:03 finish, almost three minutes ahead of runnerMen up Daniel Bretscher.

1. Stephen Hackett (AUS) . 1:45:03 2. Daniel Bretscher (USA) . 1:47:53 Massachusetts-based 3. Ben Hoffman (USA) . . . . 1:48:54 pro Alicia Kaye was even 4. Ethan Brown (USA) . . . . 1:49:05 more dominant in the 5. Brandon Marsh (USA) . . 1:49:43 women’s race, as she dusted the rest of the ladies by Women more than four minutes.

1. Alicia Kaye (USA) . . . . . . 1:59:26 Kaye amassed a two-minute 2. Jessica Meyers (USA). . . 2:03:32 gap after the swim and 3. Kat Baker (USA) . . . . . . 2:03:44 never looked back, growing 4. Lauren Jensen (USA) . . . 2:04:18 her lead with each passing 5. Annie Warner (USA) . . . . 2:05:43 mile and finishing in Amateur men 1:59:26. Oklahoma’s Jessica 1. Eric Bell (USA). . . . . . . . 1:51:21 Meyers finished as the runAmateur women ner-up in 2:03:32.

1. Kristen Sass (USA) . . . . 2:07:00

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.

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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

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aisphoto.com

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First-year pro Wee crushes competition in Honolulu

McKenzie tops Simpson for men’s title Last year, the Honolulu Triathlon served as the U.S. elite championship, and top U.S. pros Julie Ertel and Andy Potts took exciting wins. This year, on May 18, Australian Luke McKenzie and Hawaii’s own Bree Wee took the elite wins. McKenzie broke away from Canadian Michael Simpson and Hawaii-based pro Timothy Marr with a race-best 51:51 bike that gave the Aussie long-course star a threeminute lead going into the run.

McKenzie’s 35:22 10-km run got him to the finish in 1:47:25 and was enough to hold off Simpson’s racebest 34:27 run by a margin of two minutes 22 seconds.

Wee, who just turned pro after scoring the overall amateur woman’s title—and an age-group course record—with a 9:47:40 finish at the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona last October, won yet another Hawaii triathlon. She spent almost the entire day by herself en route to a 1:58:38 finish and an 11-minute gap on runner-up Laura Springer.

HONOLULU TRIATHLON

Former pro triathlete and pro biker Steve Larsen made minced meat of the competition in Auburn.

World’s Toughest Half lives up to its name Larsen, Seguin suffer to victory in triple-digit heat

By Timothy Carlson With temperatures hovering around 100 degrees and some of the toughest hills in the sport awaiting, former cycling and triathlon pro Steve Larsen arrived as an age grouper and met the challenge of the World’s Toughest Half in Auburn, Calif. on May 18.

Larsen, a former mountain-bike national champion and pro triathlete, arrived as a competitor in the men’s 40-44 age group and cruised to a 4:48:20 finish to outpace runner-up Craig Fellers by 27 minutes. As expected, Larsen’s outstanding 2:36:31 bike split was of professional caliber—and was the second-fastest split ever recorded in Auburn.

In the women’s category, Anissa Seguin’s 5:32:42 finish time easily bested runner-up Diane Hassel’s 5:45:11. Seguin, the 35-39 age group winner, started two minutes behind the first wave on the swim, but she had no problem making up the gap, as she outpaced all the women WORLD’S TOUGHEST by over eight minutes on the run.

HALF

Honolulu, Hawaii

Auburn, Calif.

Men 1. Luke McKenzie (AUS) . . . . . . . 1:47:25 2. Michael Simpson (CAN) . . . . . 1:49:47 3. Timothy Marr (USA) . . . . . . . . 1:50:45 4. John Flanagan (USA) . . . . . . . 1:54:49 5. Patrick Peacock (USA) . . . . . . 1:54:52

Men 1. Steve Larsen (USA) . . . . . . . 4:48:20 2. Craig Fellers (USA) . . . . . . . 5:15:19 3. Benjamin Lloyd (USA) . . . . . 5:25:16 4. Gregory Salcewski (USA) . . 5:28: 31 5. Thomas Fastner (USA) . . . . . 5:32:57

Women 1. Bree Wee (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . 1:58:38 2. Laura Springer (USA) . . . . . . . 2:09:39 3. Mariane Uehara (USA) . . . . . . 2:13:24 4. Maggs Morris (USA) . . . . . . . . 2:15:08 5. Sandra Ferreira (USA) . . . . . . 2:17:37

Women 1. Anissa Seguin (USA) . . . . . . 5:32:42 2. Diane Hassel (USA). . . . . . . 5:45:11 3. Lynn Keane (USA) . . . . . . . . 5:51:47 4. Andi Ramer (USA) . . . . . . . . 5:53:12 5. Joanne Pomykala (USA) . . . 5:56:42

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May 18, 2008 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

May 18, 2008 1.5-km swim, 40-km bike, 10-km run

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INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLON & DUATHLON RACE CALENDAR

MARKET

STATION

DATE

TIME

SHOW

Cedar Rapids, IA

KCRG (ABC)

8/24

12:00-12:30 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #4

Sioux Falls, SD

KTTW (FOX)

8/16

12:00-1:00 pm

2008 Nevada Passage

Sioux Falls, SD

KTTW (FOX)

8/9

1:00-1:30 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #7

Sioux Falls, SD

KTTW (FOX)

8/9

1:30-2:00 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #8

Sioux Falls, SD

KTTW (FOX)

8/9

12:00-12:30 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #5

Sioux Falls, SD

KTTW (FOX)

8/9

12:30-1:00 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #6

Spokane, WA

KXLY (ABC)

8/24

4:00-5:00 pm

2008 Nevada Passage

Spokane, WA

KXLY (ABC)

8/11

4:00-4:30 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #8

Spokane, WA

KXLY (ABC)

8/4

4:00-4:30 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #7

Portland, ME

WCSH (NBC)

8/3

1:30-2:00 am

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #4

Elmira, NY

WETM2 (IND)

8/23

12:30-1:30 pm

2008 Nevada Passage

Elmira, NY

WETM2 (IND)

8/9

1:00-1:30 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #8

Elmira, NY

WETM2 (IND)

8/9

12:30-1:00 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #7

Elmira, NY

WETM2 (IND)

8/2

1:00-1:30 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #6

Elmira, NY

WETM2 (IND)

8/2

12:30-1:00 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #5

Peoria, IL

WHOI (ABC)

8/10

1:00-1:30 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #7

Peoria, IL

WHOI (ABC)

8/10

1:30-2:00 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #8

Binghamton, NY

WIVT (ABC)

8/24

1:00-2:00 pm

2008 Nevada Passage

Binghamton, NY

WIVT (ABC)

8/10

4:00-4:30 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #7

Binghamton, NY

WIVT (ABC)

8/10

4:30-5:00 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #8

Bangor, ME

WLBZ (NBC)

8/3

1:30-2:00 am

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #4

Green Bay, WI

WLUK (FOX)

8/17

1:00-1:30 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #7

Green Bay, WI

WLUK (FOX)

8/17

1:00-2:00 pm

2008 Nevada Passage

Green Bay, WI

WLUK (FOX)

8/17

1:30-2:00 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #8

Green Bay, WI

WLUK (FOX)

8/10

1:00-1:30 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #5

Green Bay, WI

WLUK (FOX)

8/10

1:30-2:00 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #6

Green Bay, WI

WLUK (FOX)

8/3

1:00-1:30 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #3

Green Bay, WI

WLUK (FOX)

8/3

1:30-2:00 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #4

Charleston, SC

WSAZDT (MY)

8/16

3:00-4:00 pm

2008 Nevada Passage

Charleston, SC

WSAZDT (MY)

8/11

5:00-5:30 am

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #8

Charleston, SC

WSAZDT (MY)

8/4

5:00-5:30 am

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #7

Syracuse, NY

WSYR (ABC)

8/30

2:00-3:00 pm

2008 Nevada Passage

Syracuse, NY

WSYR (ABC)

8/16

2:00-2:30 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #7

Syracuse, NY

WSYR (ABC)

8/16

2:30-3:00 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #8

Hartford/New Haven, CT

WTNH (ABC)

8/17

1:00-2:00 pm

2008 Nevada Passage

Hartford/New Haven, CT

WTNH (ABC)

8/10

3:00-3:30 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #7

Hartford/New Haven, CT

WTNH (ABC)

8/10

3:30-4:00 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #8

Watertown, NY

WWTI (ABC)

8/17

2:30-3:00 pm

2008 Nevada Passage

Watertown, NY

WWTI (ABC)

8/10

4:30-5:00 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #8

Watertown, NY

WWTI (ABC)

8/9

2:00-2:30 pm

2008 XTERRA Adventures Show #7

Check your local listings to see an updated broadcast schedule for the award-winning TEAM Unlimited Television productions. For more information on the shows and a complete list of broadcast dates and times visit xterraplanet.com/television.

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XTERRA TV SCHEDULE (August 2008)

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 @.

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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 brad@triathletemag.com or fax it to (760) 634-4110.

Entries submitted before May 31 have been included in the August issue. All entries that were submitted after that date will be in the September issue.

Please note that most XTERRA global tour events consist of approximately a 1.5K swim, 30K mountain bike and 10K trail run.

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POSTERS

$19.95** Triathlon Poster 22”x 28”

$19.95** The Road Less Traveled 24” x 18”

$10.95** Ironman Poster 18”x 24”

SOUTH ATLANTIC

NORTH ATLANTIC

08/09- Guntersville, AL—Mountain Lakes Triathlon. Team Magic, Inc. 600y S, 16.2mi B, 3mi R. 09/06- Hendersonville, TN—Old Hickory Lake Triathlon. Team Magic, Inc. 400y S, 1.5mi R, 12.5mi B, 1.5mi R. 09/14- Nashville, TN—Music City Triathlon. Team Magic, Inc. 1.5K S, 37K B, 10K R.

08/02- Salisbury, VT—Lake Dunmore Triathlon.

Vermont Sun Triathlon Series. .9mi S, 28mi B, 6.2mi R. #08/09- Grand Island, NY—Riverside Federal Credit Union Summer Sizzle. Score This!!!

400m S, 17K B, 4.4K R, 400m S, 17K B, 4.4K R; 400m S, 17K B, 4.4K R; 4.4K R, 17K B, 4.4K R.

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*Additional shipping & handling will apply.

CA residents add 7.75% sales tax. Please allow 2–4 weeks for delivery

O R D E R O N L I N E AT

trimagstore.com

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CALENDAR

Whether it was the performance of a lifetime or the luck of the draw, you’re getting ready for an epic day on the Big Island. And we’ve got a little somethin’ somethin’ to sweeten the ride: Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Gel. Roctane is GU’s new ultra premium gel, tested by our pro athletes for years and now available to fuel your competitive fire. Say aloha to Roctane.

Kona-bound athletes, register for your 2008 training gift pack! www.GUenergy.com/islandROC Train with the ROC. Race with the ROC. Watch the miles melt away.

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SCHOOL COLORS

HAVE NEVER MEANT THIS MUCH 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. 08/23- Salisbury, VT—Half Vermont Journey. Vermont Sun Triathlon Series. 1.2mi S, 56mi B, 13.1mi R. 09/06- South Berwick, ME— Pumpkin Triathlon Festival. 1/3mi S, 14.5mi B, 5K R. 09/07- South Berwick, ME— Pumpkin Triathlon Festival. 1.2mi S, 56mi B, 13.1mi R. 09/14- Sandy Hook, NJ—Danskin Women’s Triathlon NY Metro. .75K S, 20K B, 5K R. #09/21- Canandaigua, NY—Finger Lakes Triathlon. Score This!!! 1.5K S, 40K B, 10K R; 750m S, 21K B, 5K R.

NORTH CENTRAL 08/03- Neoga, IL—MattoonMan. MattoonMulti Sport. .9mi S, 24.8mi B, 6.2mi R; 3.1mi R, 24.8mi B, 6.2mi R.

MOUNTAIN PACIFIC 08/09- Emmett, ID—Emmett’s Most Excellent Triathlon. Olympic, sprint and kids’ splash and dash. #08/10- Santa Cruz, CA—Santa Cruz Sprint Triathlon. Finish Line Productions. .25mi S, 12mi B, 5K R. 08/17- Seattle, WA—Danskin Women’s Triathlon Seattle. .75K S, 20K B, 5K R. #10/12- Santa Cruz, CA—SuperKid Triathlon. Finish Line Productions.

Distances vary.

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.

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www.usctri.com Penn State Sept. 14

Michigan State Oct. 12

Florida State February

Texas A&M March

Boise State April

Stanford May

Triathlete Magazine • Zoot Sports Hammer Nutrition • Zipp Speed Weaponry

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CALENDAR

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.

CFT Sommer Sports: 838W.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.signmeup.com.

Danskin Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

Field House Athletic Club: 166 Athletic Drive, Shelburne, VT 05482. 802.985.4402; rayne@fieldhouseraceseries.com; www.fieldhouseraceseries.com.

Finish Line Productions: 475Tinkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sTrail,Boulder Creek, CA. 831.419.0883; info@finishlineproduction.com; finishlineproduction.com.

FIRM Racing: 66 Bruce Rd., Marlboro, MA 01732; 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; 224

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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 KnoxvilleTriathlon 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@chartertn.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@japroductions.com.

JMS Racing Services: P.O. Box 582, Marion, IN 52302, 319.373.0741; www.pigmantri.com jmsracing.html; jim@pigmantri.com; john@pigmantri.com.

KOZ Enterprises: San Diego Triathlon Series. P.O. Box 421052, San Diego, CA 92142; 858.268.1250; www.kozenterprises.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; 330-686-0993; NCMultisports@aol.com; www.NCMultisports.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,

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

Bluffton, SC 29910; 843.815.5267 (p); 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 CambridgeAve., Cardiff by the Sea, CA 92007; 760.944.7261.

Piranha Sports, LLC/ Greater Atlantic Multisport Series/Greater Atlantic Club Challenge/Escape from SchoolYouthTriahtlon 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.

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.

The Pumpkin Triathon Festival: Kat Donatello; 20 Doe Drive, Eliot, ME 03903; (207)-451-7437; pumpkinmantri@yahoo.com. 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.

TriAthlanticAssociation: 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 SunTriathlon Series: 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.

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SOLD HERE UNITED STATES ARIZONA Bear Family Distributors Tucson 520.325.8187 Performance Footwear Tempe 520.299.3465 Run AZ Gilbert 480.507.0002 Runner’s Den/Walking Room Phoenix 602.277.4333

CALIFORNIA Armadillo Distributors Inglewood 310.693.6061 B&L Bike and Sport Solana Beach 858.481.4148 B&L Bike and Sport San Diego 619.294.9300 City Bicycle Works Sacramento 916.447.2453 Fleet Feet Sacramento 916.442.3338 Forward Motion Sports Danville 925.831.3745 Hazard’s Cyclesport Santa Barbara 805.966.3787 Metro Sport Palo Alto 916.933.2627 Metro Sport San Francisco 916.933.2627 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 San Diego Running Institute San Diego 619.265.7374 Transports Oakland 510.655.4809 Triathlon Lab Redondo Beach 310.374.9100

DELEWARE The Deleware Running Co. Wilmington 302.655.7463

FLORIDA Bob’s News and Books Fort Lauderdale 954.524.4731 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 The Triathlon Store Miami 305.668.5650

GEORGIA All3Sports Atlanta 770.587.9994

HAWAII Boca Hawaii Honolulu 808.591.9839 McCully Bicycle Honolulu 808.955.6329 Yasu Corp. DBA Running Room Honolulu 808.737.2422

ILLINOIS Get a Grip Cycles Chicago 773.427.4747 Running Central Inc Peoria 309.676.6378 Runner’s High ‘N Tri Arlington Heights 847.670.9255 Village Cyclesport Elk Grove 847.439.3340 Smart Cycling Bike Shop Glenview 847.998.0200

INDIANA

COLORADO

Athletic Annex Run Shop Indianapolis 317.872.0000 Runners Forum Carmel 317.844.1558

Adrenaline Tri Sport Niwat 303.482.2007

Action Accents Inc.

ARIZONA Tucson Tri Girls Niki Mathias tucsontrigirls@cox.net

TRI CLUB LISTING

CALIFORNIA LA Tri Club president@latriclub.com latriclub.com Tri Club San Diego triclubsandiego.org Fleet Feet Multisports Orange County Michael Collins info@multisportsoc.com Orange County Triathlon Club Huntington Beach OCTriClub@triathlete.com San Francisco Tri Club Amy Bohutinsky info@sftriclub.org Golden Gate Tri Club-San Fran Karen Kofod president@ggtc.org Silicon Valley Triathlon Club webmaster@svtriclub.org svtriclub.org Tri Club Marin Mike Belloumini mike@fleetfeetsananselmo.com Kain Performance-San Jose Pete Kain pete@kaiperformance.com kainperformance.com Newport Coast Tri Team Daniel Mathot ncttpresident@hotmail.com

IOWA

nctt.us Sacramento Triathlon Club Kathryn Caucci 916.736.2746 sactriclub.com Santa Cruz Triathlon Assoc.

Sherri Goodman scat@sctriathlon.com sctriathlon.com

COLORADO Pikes Peak Triathlon Club John “Woody” Noleen noleen@aol.com p2triclub.org

Des Moines 515.277.7365 Fitness Sports Ltd. Des Moines 515.277.4785

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

MISOURI

LOUISIANA Team Earthquake Ben Hewett trioften@teamearthquake.org teamearthquake.org

Bob Roncker’s Running Spot Cincinatti 513.321.3006 Frontrunner Columbus 614.486.0301 Tri Tech Multisport Columbus 614.846.1516

UTAH Salt Lake Running Company Salt Lake 801.484.9144

VIRGINIA Footsteps of Reston Reston 703.476.1022 Gotta Run Running Shop Arlington 703.415.0277

OKLAHOMA Fleet Feet Sports Tulsa Tulsa 918.492.3338 Runner Oklahoma City 405.755.8888

WASHINGTON Everyday Athlete Kirkland 425.821.4301 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

OREGON All Tri Sports Portland 503.408.8303 Eugene Running Company Eugene 541.344.6399

Fleet Feet Sports- St. Peters Saint Charles 636.939.0161

NEVADA Eclipse Running Reno 775.827.2279

PENNSYLVANIA Aardvark Sports Shop Bethlehem 610.866.8300 Cadence Philadelphia 215.508.4300

NEW JERSEY Beacon Stores Northfield 609.641.9531 Cycle Craft Parsippany 973.227.4462 Cyclesport Park Ridge 201.391.5291

WISCONSIN Middleton Cycle & Fitness Middleton 608.836.3931

RHODE ISLAND Camire’s Athletic Soles Wakefield 401.782.8353 Caster’s Bicycle Center Warwick 401.739.0393 East Providence Cycle East Providence 401.434.3838

NEW YORK Brickwell Cycling 2 Multisports Great Neck 516.482.1193 Fleet Feet Syracuse 315.446.1444 Jackrabbit Sports Brooklyn 718.636.9000 New York Running Co New York 212.823.9626 Runner’s Edge Farmingdale 516.420.7963 SBR Multisports New York 212.399.3999 Sunrise Cyclery West Babylon 631.587.6200 Super Runners Huntington 516.549.3006

CANADA ALBERTA Mud Sweat & Gears Sherwood Park 780.449.2453 The Runner’s Den Red Deer 403.341.4446

SOUTH CAROLINA

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Try Sports Mt. Pleasant 843.849.9292

La Biciletta Vancouver 604.872.2424 Speed Theory Vancouver 403.202.1030

TENNESSEE Acme Multisports Goodletttsville 615.855.1760 Fleet Feet Sports Knoxville Knoxville 865.675.3338

NEW BRUNSWICK Tri-Athlete Authentic Fitness Fredericton 506.455.7946

TEXAS

ONTARIO

Austin Tri-Cyclist, Inc. Austin 512.494.9252 Hill Country Running Company

Runner’s Life Peterborough 705.876.8960

Bikesenjava Multisport Chris Christie shop@haybikesenjava.com haybikesenjava.com

mgrussgott@yahoo.com eteamz.com/paramountadventure Road Fit Multi-sport eric@roadfit.com roadfit.com

MASSACHUSETTS

NEW YORK

North Shore Tri Club-Salem Randi Hodson-Dion bhodsdon13@aol.com Wheelworks Multisport- Boston wwmsdirector@yahoo.com wheelworksmultisport.com

Asphalt Green Triathlon Club New York, NY 212.369.8890 CNY Tri Club Inc. Jim Szczygiel president@cnytriathlon.org Hudson Valley Tri Club markstriclub@hotmail.com HVTC.net Team Runners Edge mindyruns@aol.com runnersedgeny.com Terrier Tri Robert@terriertri.com terriertri.com Triathlon Association of New York City (TANYC) Mo Modali mo@tanyc.org tanyc.org

MAINE

MINNESOTA

MISSOURI

Tri Fort Triathlete Tom Carpenter trifort@triathlete.com www.3rvs.com Circle City Multi-Sport Club Rob Beeler rbeeler@nsisw.com circlecitymultisport.com

OHIO

MARYLAND

ILLINOIS

INDIANA

Try Sports Charlotte 704.544.4626

Landry’s Bicycles, Inc. Natick 508.655.1990

Gold Coast Triathletes goldcoasttriathletes.com Tri- Sharks Chris Sweet tri-shark.org/tri-sharks

NORTH CAROLINA

MASSACHUSETTS

Gear West Triathlon Club Gw tri club of Long Lake kris@gearwestbike.com gearwestbike.com

FLORIDA

Austin 512.731.4766 Richardson Bike Mart Richardson 972.231.3993 Run On Dallas 214.821.0909 Tri On The Run Houston 832.673.0600

Ubiquity Distributors Brooklyn 718.875.5491

St. Louis Triathlon Club Jason Difini contact@stloustriclub.com stlouistriclub.com

NEBRASKA Team Nebraska Triathlon Club Kelley Perry KelleyTRIUSA@hotmail.com teamnebraska.org

NEVADA Tri Pro Cyclery, Las Vegas Baker1@ameralinx.net triprocyclery.com

NEW JERSEY Team Paramount Mike Grussgott

NORTH CAROLINA

Team Toledo jdjp@sylvania.sev.org

TENNESSEE (HEAT) Hendersonville Endurance Athletic Team Bill Taylor Ftaylor200@comcast.net triheat.com

UTAH Team Fastlane Scott Kelly teamfastlane@comcast.net Teamfastlane.com

VIRGINIA Tri Cats Chas Ryan tricats.org Tri Girl Training Jaime Waite grandison@trigirltraining.com trigirltraining.com

WASHINGTON WSU Triathlon Club Dave O’Hern daveohern@wsu.edu

WISCONSIN

South Charlotte Tri Club CJ Warstler info@southsharlottetriclub.com southcharlottetriclub.com

Wisconsin Fox Cities Triathlon Club info@foxtriclub.com foxtriclub.com

OHIO

NATIONAL

Cincy Express Joe Yorio cincyexpress.org info@cincyexpress.org

Team Trichic Brenda Gilchrist trichic@trichic.com trichic.com

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Not man nor beast

“Queequeg no care what god made him shark . . . wedder Fejee god or Nantucket god.”

– From Moby Dick by Herman Melville

F

For triathlete and shark-attack victim Dave Martin, April was the cruelest month. But perhaps his contribution to the San Diego community of outdoor sportsmen was greater than that of most in the local cadre of elite runners, cyclists and surfers. Under a maelstrom of worldwide media attention, the retired veterinarian brought hundreds if not thousands of athletes and watermen together in one of the most elemental of circumstances.

It started within minutes of the attack. Did you hear? Did you know him? Will anyone go in the water again? The underground telegraph was burning up the wires. Oh my gosh. He was such a good guy. What are we going to do? I was getting phone calls at the Del Mar Lifeguard tower from Australia and England.

The attack had made the BBC News and the International Herald. A case of mistaken identity had placed triathletes and the beaches of north San Diego County on the front pages of every major news source. It had also re-inserted a mutated pecking order into the minds of millions who venture into the Pacific Ocean. Dr. Dave Martin, a man who made a career of assisting animals, had brought people together in one collective thought—it could’ve been me.

Throughout history, sharks have been both deified and demonized. Within an hour of the attack, a Coast Guard spokesperson fed hungry reporters with the news that their helicopters hoped to “spot the culprit.” The Solana Beach mayor claimed, “The shark is still in the area. We’re sure of that.” Shark experts from Scripps Institute of Oceanography reminded us that odds of an attack were extremely low. And while all the Chief Brodie’s spat sound bites, the body of Dave Martin lay in state, testimony to the fact that the natural order can and will upset the human version of what constitutes order. Sharks have

inhabited the ocean for roughly 90 million years, triathletes for around 30. This kind of mortality wake-up call connects us like few others. We are both fascinated and fearful of the wildness of our habitat, compelled to partake in what remains of a world unordered by man. And as it did for Dave, for many of us the ocean shores exist as the edge of a liquid forest; a last, best place of respite from the white noise of modernity.

Dave knew the stats that were tacked onto every hyperbolic report. Your chances of being killed by a Coke machine falling on you are higher than those of a shark attack. While one can argue we tempt fate in swimming the ocean in smooth sealskin suits, certainly it allows us a chance to escape all that a vending machine represents. Few of us who frequent that forest consider it the sandy edge of a Rubicon. We swim or paddle out and accept our fate but we are more invested in our return than our journey.

Not 30 days before the attack, I had introduced my son to that particular reef where the tragedy later occurred. He’d caught two waves and said something to the effect that “this place feels alive” before opening his forehead on the bottom. As we made the long paddle in and drops of red exploded in star patterns on his board I could see the wildness in his eye. Out there we were part of something bigger. Out there was a place of consequence. Out there is where Dr. Dave Martin’s life was offered to remind us of that.

That night I watched Larry King engage in fantastical rhetoric. Was he exploiting the pathos of a tragic incident to indulge his obvious fetish for this fish? Riding the bandwagon of our media consumption? Or was he simply joining the community that a death had catalyzed? Callers to the show were confused, angry, sad and vengeful. How could this happen? Should we put up nets? Kill off the species? No one suggested we ban cars because they kill cyclists.

The day of the attack was perhaps the safest day to be in the water—sunny, clear, small surf, no rips—a five-mile stretch of ocean devoid of human encroachment. Extra lifeguards turned away anyone wishing to enter the forest. Circling above were helicopters hunting for what one reporter called, “the demon from below.” News cameras dotted the beaches, their tripods fixed on that haunting horizon while so many people stood and wondered—what just happened?

There is no answer, of course, and little comfort to his family and friends, even in the cliché’, “He was doing something he loved.”

Where we might make sense of it all is in the motive that drove Dave Martin to enter the grand Pacific. What he left behind each day that he passed through the gated waves were the troubles of a crowded day and age. And in his wake we are reminded that you never know.

Dave never had a chance to fight back, never was able to slug that fish in the eye or vote against the developers or pick up a Coke can on his way up the beach. Maybe that’s a good thing— that he never knew.

—Scott Tinley

Triathlete (ISSN08983410) is published monthly by Triathlon Group North America LLC, 328 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas, CA 92024; (760) 634-4100. Subscription rates: U.S., one year (12 issues) $29.95 (12 issues); two years (24 issues) $49.95. Canada $51.95 per year; all other countries $61.95 per year, U.S. currency only. Periodicals postage paid at Encinitas, CA, and additional mailing offices. Single copy price $3.99. Triathlete is copyright 2003 by Triathlon Group North America, LLC. All rights reserved.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Triathlete, P.O. Box 469055, Escondido, CA 92046-9513. Ride-along enclosed in all book region 2 copies.

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John Segesta/whaoomedia.com

Publication Mail Agreement #40683563: Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to Triathlete Magazine, 328 Encinitas Blvd Suite 100, Encinitas, CA 92024

TINLEY TALKS

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