2008-09 Triathlete by Alejandro Piñeiro

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CONTENTS No. 293 SEPTEMBER 2008

DEPARTMENTS

COLUMNS

FIRST WAVE

IN ENGLISH | 148

“GOING THE DISTANCE”

BY CLIFF ENGLISH

| 12

XTERRA ZONE | 154

B Y T. J . M U R P H Y

“MOM’S WINNING AGAIN”

BY JAMIE WHITMORE

| 14

UK JOURNAL | 159

B Y J O H N S E G E S TA / WA H O O M E D I A . C O M

“AIRBORNE”

140

| 16

B Y D E L LY C A R R / T R I AT H L O N . O R G

STARTING LINES | 18

TICKET PUNCH | 162 BY SAM MCGLONE

TRAINING

TRIATHLETE’S GARAGE | 164

B Y T. J . M U R P H Y

LANE LINES | 138

GEAR BAG | 166

MAIL CALL | 22

B Y PA U L R E G E N S B U R G AND ALISTER RUSSELL

CHECKING IN | 27

THE BIG RING | 140

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

EDITOR’S NOTE | 20

IndusTri; Medically speaking; Review; Endurance Conspiracy; Training tip; Reality Check; 70.3 series; Selection; Show Off Your Ride; Life Time Fitness Series; PointCounterpoint; Cadence Kona Challenge; Club Profile

BY ADAM PULFORD

ON THE RUN | 142

SPEED LAB | 144

BY TIM MICKLEBOROUGH

DEAR COACH | 146 B Y R O C H F R E Y & PA U L H U D D L E

TRAINING FEATURE | 150 BY MARK ALLEN SEPTEMBER 2008

RACE CALENDAR | 198 TINLEY TALKS | 224 BY SCOTT TINLEY

COVER: TIM DON PHOTO BY ELIZABETH KREUTZ/ KREUTZPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

150

BY BRAD CULP

148

178

T R I AT H L E T E

B Y J AY P R A S U H N

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

AT THE RACES | 172

B Y J AY P R A S U H N

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

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CONTENTS No. 293

SEPTEMBER 2008

FEATURES

THE ULTIMATE RIDE | 58 How a charity bike ride and party featuring celebrities, a clambake and the B-52s helped support an international charity called Best Buddies. B Y T. J . M U R P H Y

STAR-CROSSED | 70 He was in charge of a construction company. She was a world-class equestrian. But together, Chris and Marilyn McDonald are one of the most remarkable triathlon couples the sport has ever known. B Y T. J . M U R P H Y

GETTING TO KNOW JULIE SWAIL | 78 Former water polo medalist returns to the Games as a triathlete BY NAN KAPPELER

LETTER FROM LAWRENCE | 89 Why Ironman 70.3 Kansas is not to be missed B Y T. J . M U R P H Y

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? | 96 Checking in with seven ’04 Olympians BY COURTNEY JOHNSON

SENSIBLE SPLURGING | 107 How to eat your cake and not have it too BY BILL NADEAU

ARE YOU LAZY? | 112 Many triathletes are held back by an unwillingness to do the difficult mental work required to evolve their training. B Y M AT T F I T Z G E R A L D

THE OLYMPIC TRIALS | 120 The Hy-Vee Triathlon overcame the disastrous floods of June to stage an ITU world cup and the dramatic final event of the US Olympic Trials in West Des Moines, Iowa. Award-winning photographer Delly Carr was on hand to capture the day with his camera. P H O T O S B Y D E L LY C A R R

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FIRST WAVE

Going the Distance By T.J. Murphy Triathletes ride through the early summertime beauty of the Great Plains during the first running of Ironman Kansas 70.3. The June 15th event was held at Clinton State Park in the outskirts of Lawrence, Kansas. Nine hundred triathletes showed up to break in the new race. 12

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FIRST WAVE

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Mom’s Winning Again By John Segesta/wahoomedia.com Claiming victory at the Accenture Escape from Alcatraz in the women’s 40- to 44-year-old division, Kathy Winkler is a kindergarten teacher from Tiburon, Calif. Winkler is no newbie: she has five top-five age-group finishes at the Hawaii Ironman and two wins at Wildflower. Mom’s passion for triathlon has rubbed off on her daughters, Mattie and JoJo: In 2004, Mattie became the youngest triathlete to complete Escape from Alcatraz at the age of 12. JoJo responded by taking the record down to 11. Winkler told the Marin Independent Journal why she enjoyed seeing her kids excited about triathlon: “They learn what hard work can do, and the confidence that comes from it, but they also learn humility.” T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

SEPTEMBER 2008

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FIRST WAVE

Airborne By Delly Carr/triathlon.org Cedric Fleureton of France dives sky high into the start of the Hy-Vee ITU World Cup in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 22. 16

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SEPTEMBER 2008

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Delly Carr

STARTING LINES No.293 • September 2008 Publisher John Duke Associate Publisher Heather Gordon VP, Sales & Marketing Sean Watkins Editor-in-Chief T.J. Murphy, tjmurphy@competitorgroup.com Managing Editor Doug Baughman, dbaughman@competitorgroup.com Senior Editor Matt Fitzgerald, mfitzgerald@competitorgroup.com Photo Editors Don Karle dkarle@competitorgroup.com Brad Kaminski bkaminski@competitorgroup.com Associate & Interactive Editor Brad Culp, bculp@competitorgroup.com International Editor Shane Smith, ssmith@competitorgroup.com Graphic Designer Oliver Baker, obaker@competitorgroup.com Contributing Writers Roch Frey, Paul Huddle, Jay Prasuhn Tim Mickleborough, Scott Tinley

“Wanna Race?”

While getting ready to cycle this past weekend, I paused for a moment. Typically, prepping for a ride is more complex than prepping for a swim or a run. I must pump the tires to the correct pressure, safety-check the bike, remove some dirt from my Speedplay pedals, plan a route with nice visuals and little traffic, mix and pour a sports drink into the bottles, pack a few GU energy gels, check the spare tire and CO2 cartridges, buckle in the cell phone in case of a breakdown and attach a light jacket to the handlebars in case I got cold before I can clip in and go. As I pulled away from the apartment, suddenly it occurred to me: all this for a 45-minute ride? Preparation has always been a significant part of our sport, but do we do too much of it? Triathlon teaches us to be self-reliant and acquire (and organize) all the right stuff so that our daily training and weekend racing adventures are seamless. For advanced triathletes — who likely have a bike power meter, a heart rate monitor, a cadence monitor and a programmable GPS to chart routes and log times through each checkpoint in full-color, three-dimensional splendor — are we too caught up in the products and processes? Do we worry too much about what we’re eating, wearing, riding and even thinking when training? Are we bogged down in the role of producer, nailing down all the details, rather than being the director, writer and star of our own script? When I was five years old, a few friends and an open grass field were an instant invitation to play tag. If I was barefoot, I never looked for my shoes (or GU), I just ran. Jumping on a tricycle, I never wondered what I was wearing, or whether I’d be warm enough on the ride. And walking around with friends as a kid, there was nothing more exciting than when a wide-open space sparked a smile and inspired the magical, moment-altering words, “Wanna race?” A race doesn’t have to be an actual organized event. It could materialize during a workout or take shape on a steep mountain trail. It might be the sprint to the next city limit sign. There is the dynamite of childlike excitability within all of us, ready to be ignited, accessible if, and only if, we refuse to build a protective barrier around our inner child and sacrifice our spontaneity. Triathlon is one of the few legitimate, respectable, fitness-oriented escapes from adulthood that remain. After all, if you told your spouse you were going to swim, bike and run all day, she might ask, “How old are you?” If, however, you tell people you are training for a triathlon, your childlike desires to play are instantly meaningful and worthy to others. Heaven forbid we should become too serious to tap into that five-year-old’s capacity to immediately surrender to the thrill. Train Smart, The point is to enjoy the run, the fresh air, the burn in the quads and the exhilarating view from the top of the hill. Start by not spending so much time preparing. Find a field Mitch Thrower with a friend and simply ask, “Wanna race?” mthrower@triathletemag.com 18

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Contributing Photographers Delly Carr Robert Murphy Medical Advisory Board Jordan Metzl, 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 Accounting Vicky Trapp vtrapp@competitorgroup.com A publication of the Competitor Group Chairman David Moross President & CEO Peter Englehart Triathlete Magazine Offices 10179 Huennekens Street, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92121 Phone: (858) 768-6805; Fax: (858) 768-6806 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, 10179 Huennekens Street, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92121 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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of grocery stores across the Midwest. They created the triathlon as part of a company mission that Jurgens said is “to help Iowans become the healthiest people in the country.” Jurgens said the co-chair of the event, Randy Edeker, and his team had no intention of folding. “If they had come to me and said, ‘There’s no way,’ I would have completely understood. But they would not be denied. They were determined to make the Hy-Vee CEO Ric Jurgens event successful and to stage the Olympic trials.” On the Monday before the race, Jurgens, Edeker and the mayor of West Des Moines, Steven Gaer, stood in the empty parking lot of the Southwoods By T.J. Murphy High School and tried to wrap their From the photographers stand I watched heads around what had to be accomthe Hy-Vee ITU World cup unfold at plished. The issues were countless: Valley Southwoods Freshman High Edeker and his team had spent a year School on June 22 in West Des Moines, preparing for the race, working with Bill Iowa. Three grandstands stood in the Burke of Premier Event Management, shape of a horseshoe, packed with spectaUSAT and the ITU. They would have five tors. A stage was constructed in one corner days to reconstitute it all. Even with a of the shoe, and at the opposing end stood heroic effort and the support of West Des two 20 x 25-foot video screens displaying Moines, the flooding had spoiled Blue the action from the course. NBC cameraHeron lake, the new swim location near men were hydraulically hoisted in the air. the high school, raising bacteria levels More than 100 flags were planted throughdangerously high. out the venue, and blue artificial carpet They were lucky in this regard: dry, covered the parking lot where some of the sunny weather took hold, and the bactebest short-course racers in the world tore ria levels dropped as floodwaters across around the loop, lap after lap. The opening the state mercifully receded. By Thursday, ceremony featured bagpipe players and they were able to announce that the ageWorld War II fighter planes buzzing across group race and the world cup event the sky. The sun poured over the state that would remain triathlons (Earlier in the had barely begun to resurface from the week, the age-group race was expected to flooding that had forced the evacuations become a duathlon, which was also conof more than 100,000 and caused billions sidered a likely fate for the world cup) of dollars in damage. The Hy-Vee and the Olympic trials were on. In a triathlon had to be moved from the capistatement released on June 17, Edeker tol area of Des Moines, and they’d only said, “Safety of the athletes has always had a week to do it. been our number one priority. Every day Anyone who knows what it takes to that the lake levels dropped and the sun stage a triathlon knows what a miracle it stayed out, we were more optimistic.” was to safely and efficiently move a proWatching the athletes from around duction as complicated as a sold-out agethe world compete in front of an appregroup race, a world cup and an Olympic ciative crowd was truly a sight to behold. trial within a matter of a few days. But It wasn’t just the race itself, but that the that’s what went down. “We knew that volunteers performed their tasks as if without a swim, there would be no there had not been a glitch at all. “It’s Olympic trials,” Ric Jurgens, the CEO of really a testament to the grit of Iowans Hy-Vee told me while the race was underthat we were able to do this,” Jurgens way. Hy-Vee is an employee-owned chain said proudly.

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SEPTEMBER 2008

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Delly Carr/triathlon.org

EDITOR’S NOTE

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MAIL CALL Alice Laughlin here from Total Immersion. This year Terry and I will be celebrating our 35th anniversary and our 20th year of Total Immersion Swimming, which brings me to comment on the letter in the July issue that addressed couples and adult athletes. There is no perfect solution, but like training, life is balance. Sport can be part of your life and for some people a very important part of their life. For my husband it is consuming because he is an athlete and a swim coach and has been for 37 years. It is who he is, not what he does. As I write this at home in New York, he is in the Bahamas competing in an open-water swimming race. In 1974 Terry got me into running. When I ran he babysat our one, two and then three daughters. Or we had a set-up whereby he rode on the rail trail with the kids and I ran, then we switched. He ran and I biked back. In the ‘80s I rode with a bike club while he watched the girls, and I took over when he swam and coached. We have had to navigate the crazy schedules that have revolved around sports, work, travel, school, coaching and extracurricular activities for the kids. We’ve had coaches and swimmers worldwide live at our house for weeks, months, even a year. That’s life. One needs to be flexible, compromising, considerate, interdependent and respectful. Terry still works 80 hours a week, swims, coaches, writes and manages Total Immersion. We find the time for dinners, bike rides, concerts, vacation and visiting family and friends. When our girls were younger we explained to them there’s kid time when you play with your friends, there’s family time when we all do things together, and there’s grown-up time when Mom and Dad do things together or with our friends. Guess what? We all don‘t have to do the same things! All you need is a little overlap to stay connected. It is a challenge!

hour or so. I called it the quality hour. Weekends were never long training workouts for me, as my kids were in so many activities. We were always doing things with them. I made sure that there were plenty of things for the family to enjoy at the races. It was always an adventure for the kids, and my husband began volunteering for medical (as a paramedic) once the girls were old enough to be on their own. They volunteered when they were old enough and had a blast! Free T-shirts, free food and a good feelings about themselves. You may need to give up the Masters swim, and swim a hammer workout by yourself, if you need to do stuff with your family. They always come first, no matter what. I firmly believe that there is a Superior Being up there that I call God, who looks down on us, and when we do the right thing, he gives us “credit in the bank.” This may sound completely ridiculous to all of you gear heads out there, but I have ridden 25-mile rides that benefited me just as much as a 50, because I quit early to do “family things.” I never did a Masters swim, because it’s at night, and I needed to be home. I have worked the graveyard shift for 25 years so I can have the days to be with family, and fit in training. I’ve sacrificed a lot of hours of sleep, which hasn’t been easy, but it always seemed to work out. Training was performed only when the kids were in school, and hubby at work. During my heaviest mileage weeks, training for a full Ironman, I averaged 6,000 yards swimming, 180 miles cycling, and 25-30 miles running. Could I have been better? Or faster? Probably. But I wouldn’t have my family. And as great as triathlon is, it shouldn’t edge out your loved ones. I understand most people work during the day, so a long ride may need to be done when you can take a vacation day during the week, not on a weekend that you will miss something important to your spouse. Don’t sacrifice things that you may regret several years down the road.

Alice McHugh Laughlin, VP Total Immersion Swimming

Claudia Kretschman Via email

Alice and Terry: Congratulations on the anniversaries! Keep up the great work—Editor

I feel compelled to write after reading the laments of the “triathlon widow.” My husband is not a triathlete. We have been married for 26 years, with very little arguing or bad feelings toward triathlon. I raced as a pro for six years when I was in my early 30s, and now I am a decent agegrouper. I have finished 10 Hawaii Ironmans after having qualified for them all. I’ve raced Ironman Canada four times, with a PR of 9:51. I’ve also raced Ironman Wisconsin and Lake Placid and numerous half-Ironmans and sprints. I’ve also raised two daughters, now 25 and 22. Trust me, they were never neglected and never felt neglected. How is this done? The responsibility lies with the triathlete, not the spouse! You need to learn to say “no” to the training when your spouse wants to go somewhere on a weekend or out with friends. You need to say “n”o to the training when your kids have games or need to be somewhere. So many times I had a long ride planned, then something came up, and I could only go out for an 22

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Brad Culp is evil You knew it was coming, of course: A tirade against Brad Culp’s evil-side perspective (Point-Counterpoint, July 2008). The piece itself is written as if female triathletes are not even part of your audience! Do you really intend to ignore your entire female readership? First, I need to say I am one of the triathlete women who doesn’t take offense to the swimsuit issue. Being a triathlete improves your body and swimsuits are part of the required equipment. Put the two together and you get the swimsuit issue. I appreciate that the models, female and male, are triathletes. I believe it passes muster. What does not pass muster is judging female athletes by what body type their sport requires: “But it could be worse—we could

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

Life, love and multisport

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MAIL CALL be shot putters.” It sounds like something a seventh grader would say. Further, judging female triathletes at all on their age and body type, both referenced in the article, simply comes across as the sexist drivel that it is. It keeps women from the sport. Period. It is damn hard to find the time and commitment to train without having to show up at a race knowing you are going to be ogled by a bunch of overconfident, sexist men. Imagine overcoming that hurdle on race morning in addition to preparing your gear, rolling out of bed before dawn, setting up transition, warming up and racing. The sport of triathlon is challenging enough. I get enough sexism in my everyday life. I would like to know and expect that on race day I am respected as a triathlete, plain and simple. We all know how hard it is. We have all done the training. For anyone who shows up on race day, I think respect is the least we can give each other as triathletes. Krista Haapala Portland, Maine

The thing you need to know, Krista, is that Brad Culp not only shaves his legs; he loves shaving his legs. — Editor

Swimsuit Issues

You’ve lost sight as to your focus on the sport of triathlon! Please cancel my subscription of 22 years. Please tri [sic] to re-achieve your prior sporting standards for all the athletes engaged in our sport. And I’ll renew. Rich Walz Little River, South Carolina

I love Triathlete magazine and make my monthly trip to the bookstore to grab the latest copy. The trip is a family event that my kids also look forward to. However, the latest copy (an SI Swimsuit wannabe edition) kinda caught my 10year-old son and me by surprise. He still closes his eyes at the underwear commercials on TV and told me buying the magazine would be a bad choice because dads should not look at things like that. Before I could catch myself I gave my son the greatest line in history: “Don’t worry, I’m reading it for the articles.” I’m sure that will come back to haunt me in three years when I find my back issues hidden under his bed. Please get back to what you do best and stop trying to be SI! Scott Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

As a subscriber I hated seeing the June 2008 issue of Triathlete. It seems like such a waste, to be honest. I’m not even old or conservative, but I just found myself annoyed at seeing Triathlete dedicate valuable pages to a swimsuit edition. If I wanted to see a swimsuit edition I would pick up Sports Illustrated and if I wanted to see Amanda Beard, in particular, I would pick up a back issue of Playboy. I look forward eagerly to my new Triathlete issue, and this time I was just crestfallen. I think it really cheapens the Triathlete brand to be honest. I showed it to my friends at work, and they all agreed. Please stop publishing the Swimsuit edition. I beg you for both of our sakes. Garret Akerson San Diego, California

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Ficker seeing RED in 2008 2006 Ford Ironman World Championship runner-up Desiree Ficker will ride SRAM RED for 2008. Desiree’s blue Guru Crono, with daisy accent graphics, will be equipped with SRAM’s sub-2000 gram groupset, matched to SRAM’s carbon 900 TT shift levers and carbon 900 TT brake levers. In her first event on SRAM RED, Ironman Boise 70.3 (where she placed 2nd), Ficker noted the componentry rode, “Smooth like butter. I liked the shifters, they’re easy on your fingers and 28

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the shifts happen instantly. No rickety quality—they’re solid. It’s great when equipment does exactly what it should so I can focus on my race.” Ficker started her season with a win at Ironman South Africa 70.3 in January, and is expected to be a top contender at this year’s Ironman World Championships, where she placed 2nd in 2006 (to fellow SRAM RED rider Michellie Jones).

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Courtesy of the manufacturer

Campagnolo’s Chorus, Record and brand new Super Record gruppos will all be available in 11 speeds in 2009. According to Campy, there is constant demand from customers for cassettes that have an extra sprocket within the usual range, that would increase the metrical development range. Campagnolo therefore decided to use the redesign of the Super Record, Record and Chorus gruppos as an opportunity to offer them something extra. The 11 speeds are, in fact, the cherry on the icing while the cake is the remarkable makeover of the three groupsets dedicated to competition use. The Chorus, Record and Super Record groups are completely new and have been designed for competition. The materials, technical solutions and technologies applied were chosen with the sole aim of supplying the best possible performance. As repositioned now, the Chorus can be thought of as the entry-level groupset for competitive use. The Record and Super Record are very much the same groupset, but the Super Record has some minor material tweaks to give serious athletes the ultimate edge.

Courtesy of Carri Bennet

Campy debuts three 11-speed groups

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Elite Dutch swimmer embraces blueseventy Over the years we have seen tri bike components, tri bikes and even tri bike brands slowly move over into the road cycling world with great success. It appears now that a similar pattern may start in swimming. blueseventy wetsuits (previously known as Ironman wetsuits) is one of the better known brands in the triathlon world, but more recently they have reached out to swimmers and managed to get FINA approval for their swim skins. FINA approval is one thing, what about approval from the swimmers themselves? Seems that blueseventy is on to something as Dutch swim star Pieter van den Hoogenband was recently seen in a blueseventy Nero Comp swim skin at the Dutch Nationals. He then swam a 1:45:09 for 200meter freestyle in the swim skin, his fastest time in six years.

TeamTBB partners with Ironguides coaching services Professional triathlon team TeamTBB announced that after a lengthy review process of the world's leading coaching services, it has selected online coaching provider Ironguides as its exclusive age group coaching and training partner. With 11 years of proven coaching experience in the age group ranks, this agreement provides Ironguides with direct and exclusive access to all of teamTBB's coaching practices and athletes. Ironguides head coach and founder Marc Becker said, “We have long respected the success of teamTBB's athletes and the 30-year history of top level results produced by team coaches. This partnership enables Ironguides to provide age group triathletes everywhere with access to the powerful training philosophies, techniques, sessions and recovery methods used by teamTBB's professional triathletes.” Disclaimer: Be careful with your Cannondale Scalpel In the July issue we made an exaggerated claim about the Cannondale Scalpel Team (page 56). Although the bike is extremely tough, neither Cannondale nor Triathlete recommends flying off a 15-foot cliff with it.

ll-new ARX X™ is the racer’s secrett to faster recovery and increased endurance, e so you’ll train harder, push farther, and come back even strongerr. Let’s face it, come race day all the coolest gear in the world won’t mean squat if your body isn’t primed and ready.

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Morton’s Neuroma: A common cause of foot pain By Jordan D. Metzl, MD

I was recently contacted by a 56-yearold triathlete who had begun experiencing pain in his forefoot while running. 30

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The pain was worst between the third and fourth toes, making the diagnosis of Morton’s neuroma fairly elementary. Morton’s neuroma is a fibrous enlargement of the plantar nerve where it passes beneath the transverse metatarsal ligament. It is a result of repeated compression of the nerve against the ligament. Women are more susceptible to this problem, probably due

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to wearing high heels or more constricting shoes, both of which may exacerbate the compression. Symptoms consist of a burning pain in the forefoot that initially is worse during running but eventually may occur while walking or at rest. Once a Morton’s neuroma is diagnosed, rest, anti-inflammatory medications and new shoes with a larger toe box will not cause regression of the condition, but may afford some relief and delay further progression. Treatment of the neuroma consists first of local injections of anesthetics and/or steroids. Injections of an alcohol are also sometimes used to harden the neuroma and attenuate the pain. Unfortunately, these conservative measures fail in many cases, and when they do, surgery is required. Surgical approaches may be from the top or the bottom of the foot. In the former the transverse ligament is cut to give more room for the confined nerve. Recovery from this procedure is quicker but often leads to forefoot instability that requires further treatment. The latter approach is associated with a more prolonged recovery time but is curative in most cases. Morton’s neuroma is not dangerous but may be extremely uncomfortable. As such, treatment can be delayed so long as symptoms are not too severe. However, some form of treatment will eventually be required to return to normal racing ability. Jordan D. Metzl, MD, is a nationally recognized sports medicine specialist at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. In addition, Dr. Metzl is a 25-time marathon runner and five-time Ironman finisher.

Sergio Ballivian

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REVIEW wheelset to be, but when the gusts blew faster than 15 mph, we kind of hoped we had something shallower. The wheels accelerated well, but what really blew us away was the way they decelerated — not that you want to do that too often. The braking surface is coated with a layer of basalt, which controls braking better than any carbon tubular we’ve tested. They’re ideal for flat, windy courses (like Kona), where you want the aerodynamics of a disc, but the stability of a shallow wheel. For more information on Blackwell’s complete line of aerodynamic toys visit blackwellresearch.com

By Brad Culp

2008 Jeep Commander Overland 4x4 $44,000 We know, tiny, fuel-efficient hybrids are all the rage right now, and we’re all for them. I don’t even own a car — instead I opt to ride to work to save money, help out Mother Nature and avoid SoCal traffic. But, when Jeep offered to let us test drive its all new Commander for our trip to the Wildflower Triathlon Festival, I wasn’t about to say no — it’s too far to bike. While the 5.7L V8 Hemi we tested didn’t get quite the same mileage as a Toyota Prius — the Commander Overland 4x4 gets about 17 mpg on the highway — it’s not bad for a car that could take on a tank and has all the comforts of a private jet. If you don’t need all the bling of the Overland edition, Jeep offers a flex-fuel E85 ethanol-capable 4.7L V8 on its Limited and Sport models. Okay, enough about the engine. What really makes the car ideal for the traveling triathlete is the interior. We rolled up to Wildflower with five people and five bikes (two bikes in the back and three on a hitch-mounted rack). There’s a third row of seats in case you need more passenger room, and it folds down in an instant if you need extra storage space. If you’re feeling the effects of the economy but still have eyes set on a Commander, the five-passenger Commander Sport starts at $28,565 and gets 19 mpg highway. For more information visit jeep.com 32

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Blackwell Research 100mm front ($850) and rear ($1,060) tubulars

One of the most affordable ways to get really, really deep. Blackwell’s deepest non-disc wheels tip the scales at 1,790 grams (per set); remarkably light for 200mm of combined rim depth. The only way to get lighter and deeper is to pick up a set of Zipp 1080s, which will save about 120 grams but set you back an extra $500. We gave these uber-deep beasts a try at the Deuces Wild Triathlon in Show Low, Arizona, this May. The course is flat enough to roll on a disc, but it’s always windy atop Arizona’s White Mountains, which meant it was a perfect course to put the Blackwell’s to the test. They were more forgiving in the crosswinds than we expected a 100mm-deep

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For years triathletes thought it could not be done. There was just no way to build a disc wheel around a PowerTap hub. But, after countless hours of meetings between Zipp and Saris engineers, it finally came to fruition and the result is the most high-tech wheel on the planet. The base is Zipp’s Sub9 disc — the same wheel that achieved a drag reading of negative 80 grams in the wind tunnel (at 15 degrees of yaw). While the wheel has as much tech built into it as a Ferrari, the addition of the most trusted power meter on the market makes it lust-worthy. The PowerTap 2.4 adds a mere 100 grams to the wheel and makes it possible to monitor your power output while you dust the competition on the world’s fastest disc. The system performs just as you would expect after forking over enough coin to buy a brand new P3C. The readings are pinpoint accurate, the ride as smooth and the wheel is pretty damn fast. Cough up an extra $668, and roll on ceramic bearings. zipp.com

Images courtesy of the manufacturers

Zipp Sub9 Disc with PowerTap 2.4 $3,500

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Going Long at Leadville By Tim Deboom

“Nice job.” “Welcome back.” “What happened?” “I can't believe you couldn't catch him.” “You'll get 'em next year.” These were some of the things I heard immediately after crossing the finish line fourth in Kona last year. Not surprisingly, they were also the same things I was saying to myself. I am notoriously hard on myself when it comes to Kona. I guess it is because I am the only one who really knows everything mentally, physically, 34

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and emotionally that I put into it, and I expect results. This time my feelings were quite different. One would think that after several tough and disappointing years, I would be happy to climb back into the upper echelon of the sport. When that satisfaction was not there, and I was not immediately thinking of what to do differently next year, I knew it might be time to open my eyes and my heart to some new options. I had planned my last fourteen years around the month of October. Ironman had become my birthday and Christmas each year, and I knew it was time to make a real change in order to move forward in my life. I will never use the word “retire,” and I am by no means finished with the Ironman in Kona. I am a professional triathlete, but I am also just another endurance athlete. I love to push my limits, and I realized I needed to do something that would actually make me ponder the question, "Can I even finish this?" I haven't had that feeling since my first Ironman in 1992. As the emotional signs for change were surfacing after Kona, a spill on the ice that resulted in a broken hand added the necessary physical catalyst. I couldn't swim, or ride, so I ran, hiked, and ran some more. My morning runs started around 45 minutes. I would head out on the trails by my house in the snow or mud and just go. I had no pace goals, distance goals, or any goals at all. That seemed new, as it had been a long time since I had run with no purpose or pressure of building towards the next season or race. And it was liberating. My daily 45-minute runs became one hour, then 1:20, and I would constantly explore new trails. I would end up going

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much longer than planned on a regular basis. I was coming home more refreshed and energized than before I had left the house. I was bounding around the house instead of trudging. My wife, Nicole, noticed the change as well, and on one particular day I walked in from my run and she said, “Your eyes look really wide open.” I don't remember thinking it, but my immediate response was, “I think I'm going to do Leadville.” The Leadville Trail 100 is an extreme ultra-marathon through the Colorado Rockies It is 100 miles long with over 15,000 feet of climbing and the average altitude is almost 10,000 feet. It will be my first attempt at anything past the Ironman distance. I have no goals other than finishing the thing. By the time you read this, it will be over, and so far, my build-up has been fun. I am incorporating much of what I have learned as a triathlete into this endeavor. I am still riding, but I only do the rides I love now. I'm skipping the rides that felt like a chore, the Ironmanspecific rides. I'm swimming some Masters practices each week, but only to keep a feel for the water. My running mileage has obviously increased dramatically, but just as I never saw the full Ironman distance in one training day, likewise I will not run 100 miles straight until race day. My morning runs are now two to three hours, with a second run of up to an hour. I'm running all my favorite trails and hills. I'm also getting ready to add some high volume weekends at higher altitudes. I will drive up to Leadville a couple times and run four to five hours on the course, sleep in my truck, then do it again the next day. Night running will be a challenge as well. Like I said before, it is fun and exciting to try something different. Competing in Leadville is new to me. It has brought me back to the beginning of my triathlon career. When my brother Tony and I first started racing professionally, it was all we had talked about for years. It was about being able to train all day, every day. It was our dream lifestyle. When I chose this path, if it was actually a choice, my Endurance Conspiracy was born. I thought winning the Ironman World Championships would be the culmination of my life as an endurance athlete. But it was not. After 15 years of doing that race, I finally realized what it is all about. There is no culmination. Not in the lava fields of Kona, and not in Leadville.

John Segesta/wahoomedia.com

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TRAINING TIP

Delly Carr

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Free Speed

Practice these cornering skills to preserve momentum in your next race

By Cherri Brightridge The cycling leg of most triathlons includes many corners and turns. As you work to pass the competition, these parts of the race can become tense. Most racers slow in the corners, and turns must be taken slowly for safety’s sake. Mistakes occur when corners are not approached in a relaxed state and with a plan. To get through corners fast and safely, you need to practice these fundamentals.

Work Your Plan Before you commit to the corner, set the gears in a ratio that will allow you to accelerate fast and easily once you’re through the turn.

Relax Tap the brakes on the approach, rear brake first, and squeeze enough to slowly decelerate to a safe speed. Release the 36

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brakes and enter the corner as wide as possible to increase the efficiency of the curve by reducing its sharpness.

Steer with Your Body Turn your bike by leaning your body, not by turning the handlebars. How much you lean will depend on the sharpness of the corner. Allow your center of gravity to guide the bike into the turn as you keep your weight in the middle of the bike. To steer with your body, extend the outside leg and press the pedal for stability and bend the inside leg with the pedal up. Sit back on the saddle and lower your upper body and lean your torso outward. Simultaneously press your inside hand into the handlebar. Once you’re in the turn, hold your line and try not to brake.

Shift Your Weight for Control It’s likely that other racers will be in your vicinity as you turn, so you must approach your turn around them. To take control when you need to slow, move your hips to the outside so that your center of gravity follows. This will set the

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bike upright, stop it from cornering and bring your weight back on top. Once your weight is on top, hit the brakes lightly to slow the bike though the curve.

Exit the Curve Fast To maintain momentum through the curve and make a fast exit, look and plan ahead. Look as far ahead as you can for other riders and obstructions, then take the straightest line possible through the curve. Upon exiting, since you set the gears in a workable ratio before entering the turn, resume pedaling without shifting again to bring your bike upright quickly and accelerate.

Practice Do a short ride with many turns once a week to refine these skills for handling curves. But keep in mind that, on open roads, you’re sharing space not with fellow racers but with cars! Cherri Brightridge is a certified associate coach of Troy Jacobson’s Triathlon Academy. For more information, visit www.CoachTroy.com

Matthew Reed | US National Team professional triathlete

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Myth Buster:

Is protein really needed during endurance events?

By Salvatore J. Tirrito M.D., F.A.C.C. Although carbohydrates and fatty acids are the primary sources of fuel for endurance events, there has been a lot of data that support protein supplementation. In the past few years, clinical trials have demonstrated that a protein/carbohydrate drink enhances performance when compared to a carbohydrate drink alone. The reasons for this effect are manifold and somewhat elusive. It is unlikely that the small amount of additional calories gained by drinking a carbohydrate/protein drink plays a significant role. More likely, it has to do with the fact that during prolonged exercise, as glycogen levels become depleted, the body undergoes a process called gluconeogensis that results in the generation of glucose from non-carbohydrate substrates such as pyruvate, lactate, glycerol and amino acids. Gluconeogensis is an energy-intensive process that can accelerate muscle breakdown in order to liberate amino acids to drive the gluconeogenic process. Small amounts of protein may help fuel the gluconeogenic process with 38

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REALITY CHECK

enough protein to allow the body to avoid breaking down muscle. However, this is still probably not the core reason that a protein/carbohydrate drink enhances performance over a carbohydrate drink. Another, more important reason is that a protein/carbohydrate drink appears to help stem cortisol release better than a carbohydrate-only drink. Cortisol is a so-called “stress hormone” that is released in large quantities during intense exercise (a very stressful state for the body). Normal cortisol release helps restore homeostasis, or normal baseline physiological functions, after stress. But for the endurance athlete, high levels of cortisol release may have grave consequences. Although cortisol increases the concentration of circulating glucose in the blood, which is desirable, it does this mainly by increasing the supply of amino acids for gluconeogensis by inhibiting collagen formation, decreasing amino acid uptake in the muscles, and inhibiting protein synthesis. Also, more important to the endurance athlete, cortisol increases gastric acid secretion and potassium loss and is a potent diuretic. Therefore, a steady supply of protein — ultimately amino acids — from a protein/carbohydrate drink may stem the release of cortisol and spare valuable muscle protein. Lastly and more widely accepted, protein with carbohydrates simply aids recovery. But when does recovery start? The notion that recovery starts with the cessation of exercise is arbitrary. For the endurance athlete recovery happens before, during and after exercise. Exercise is a highly catabolic process. It only makes sense to start rebuilding muscle (or at least slow down muscle breakdown) at the beginning of exercise, and consuming protein during exercise is proven to do that. As for the question of how much protein you should consume during exercise, no one really knows. It’s probably not very much (a few grams per hour). Protein is much harder to digest than carbohydrates. (Try eating a steak and than going for a run.) So, if you have too much protein during an endurance event you risk some serious GI distress. But take in too little and you won’t get any benefit. Salvatore J. Tirrito M.D., F.A.C.C. is a cardiologist based in Tucson, Arizona, and consults with Troy Jacobson’s Triathlon Academy Camps and Athletes. Learn more at www.CoachTroy.com T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

Delly Carr

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70.3 SERIES

Mario Cantu

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70.3 nutrition advice from the real pros A pair of expert nutritionists explain what to eat on race-week

By Brad Culp

Last month, we solicited some 70.3 nutrition advice from a few of the sport’s top pros. This month, we sat down with the true pros when it comes to nutrition — the food gurus at Trismarter.com. Mary Ellen Bingham, MS, RD, CDN and Walter DeNino, president of TriSmarter.com, filled us in on how to fuel up for the perfect 70.3 race. We hear of a lot of athletes "carbo-loading" for long-distance events. In the three to four days leading up to a 70.3 race, what percent of an athlete’s diet should be in the form of carbohydrates? Are there any specific foods you would recommend? Three days prior to an event, an athlete should get about 70 percent of his or her calories from carbohydrates in order to maximize glycogen stores. Emphasize low-fiber foods and carbohydrate-containing fluids, while limiting whole grains, raw fruit, salads and beans to minimize GI distress on race day. On the night 40

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before the race, choose low-fiber carbohydrates, like white rice, pasta and potatoes, and easily digested protein, such as fish or chicken. Avoid high-fat foods. How big of a breakfast would you recommend eating the morning of the race and how long before the start is ideal? Aim for 400 to 800 calories (7-10 calories per kilogram of body weight) about three or four hours before a 70.3 event. If you're a coffee drinker, make sure to have your coffee, too. Try to consume one gram of protein for every three or four grams of carbohydrate. Then have 100 to 300 calories of carbohydrate and 8 to 12 ounces of water immediately before the start to fuel for the swim. Olympic-distance athletes tend to stick to liquid and semisolid foods for their nutrition, while Ironman athletes tend to get a good portion of their energy from solid foods. A 70.3 falls somewhere in the middle of these two distances. Would you recommend sticking entirely to liquids (as most elites tend to do at 70.3) or can solid foods be beneficial? To avoid overfeeding and stomach cramps, you can race on liquids and

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semi-solids (gels) alone. Stick with carbohydrate-based sports drinks and aim for about 200 calories per hour. Whatever you do, make sure you consume those foods that you’ve used in training. Never attempt to use a new fuel source in an event. Because a 13.1-mile run doesn't leave much time, it's tricky to fuel on the run of a 70.3 event. (For example, if you took a gel at mile nine, you probably wouldn't get any of the energy until after you finished.) At what point in the run would you suggest foregoing calories and just drinking water? We disagree with this contention. A half-marathon provides ample time and need for fueling, especially following the swim and cycle portions of the 70.3 event. Although little research has been done on the specific topic of a cut-point for fueling in endurance events, the maintenance of homeostatic conditions until an athlete crosses the finish line will benefit overall performance. With four miles left to cover, depending on your pace, this could mean 24 to 40 minutes or more. Do not forget calories altogether. Either take a gel at regular intervals, or use a carbohydrate-based sports drink as part of your hydration plan.

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SELECTION

One is better than two

Craft Performance Tri Suit $130

By Aaron Kamnetz

Specially designed to reduce air and water drag, Craft’s suit is made with 100 percent polyester fabric, which is extremely light and breathable. Additionally, the seamless antimicrobial chamois moves along with your body, reducing chafing and discomfort when you’re out for the long haul. craft-usa.com

Sleek, sexy, one-piece tri suits are making a comeback While we doubt that the tri short/top combo is going out of style anytime soon, there’s no denying that triathletes worldwide are embracing the sleek design of one-piece tri suits. They may not be the best option for Ironman (it’s easier to “go” when you only have to pull down a pair of shorts), but they work great for short-course racing and will at least make you look faster. Here are a few of our favorites.

Orca RS1 Aero Race Suit $85

TYR’s Splice is all about compression. The leg panels compress your working muscles and dampen vibration, which has been proven to increase endurance. It’s a great suit for hot days, as the 50 SPF mesh-tech panels provide incredible temperature regulation. tyr.com

The RS1 Aero features a combination of three fabrics for different areas of the body. The chest, upper back and thighs feature Orca’s brand new AeroSkin fabric, which is extremely water resistant and helps you glide through the water. There’s also a breathable mesh insert through the center of the chest to assist with cooling while you’re on the road. orca.com

Zoot Ultra Sprint Suit $175 Made with HydroCell technology, the Ultra Sprint Suit is perfect for those non-wetsuit races and comfortable enough to wear all day long. Our favorite feature is the FREEfinish, which eliminates the often-annoying leg gripper. zootsports.com

Louis Garneau Sting Ray Suit $200 Studies show that shark scales create vortices that reduce drag. The shark fabric simulates shark skin by creating a v-channeled textured surface. This pattern, combined with additional linear channels, make it extremely hydrodynamic. louisgarneau.com

DeSoto Forza Tri Suit $128 DeSoto has upgraded its Power Skinsuit into the new Forza Tri Suit. We dug the Invisipad—a pad suspended from the inside that offers comfort without the appearance of a pad. The suit also features five utility pockets, making it a good option for longer races. desotosport.com

Jaggad Iron Tri Suit

$170

One of the only suits on the market specifically designed to meet the needs of long course athletes, the Iron Suit features Jaggad’s Grip Removable Chamois system, which mean you get to have a cushy 112mile ride and then you can toss the Chamois in your T2 bag and forget about it on the run. The women’s suit also features a built-in shelf bra for a little extra support. jaggad.com 42

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TYR Splice Tri Suit $110

2XU Super Elite Endurance Tri Suit $275 One of the most popular suits on the ITU circuit because of the blend of speed in the water and comfort on the road, the entire suit is silicone infused, which sheds water like a neoprene wetsuit. 2XU also uses an Italian-made triathlon chamois to keep you comfortable during longer races. 2xu.com

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eastonbike.com

The Perfect Carbon Crank Sure, it’s a bold statement. But through Easton’s proprietary Carbon Nanotube Technology (CNT™) and state-of-the art construction techniques, the EC90 packs up to 14.7% greater stiffness-to-weight ratio than other carbon cranks currently available, and a staggering 470% higher fatigue strength. And that’s with standard 5-bolt chainrings. No shortcuts. Easton. Born from engineering. Built for performance.

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SHOW OFF YOUR RIDE

Courtesy Will Boggs

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Will Boggs’ Orbea Ordu This month we gave Will Boggs of Lafayette, Louisiana, the chance to show off his pimped out ride. If you think your rig is worthy of making the cut, then we’d like to see the pictures. We’re not looking for just any old storebought tri bike, we want to see the best of the best: Top-notch components, 44

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super-deep wheels, stealth-like aerobars and custom paint get bonus points. If you’d like to enter, please send a highresolution image of the bike, a spec list, your name, hometown, best race result and the story behind your ride to triathletemagcontest@gmail.com.

Wheelset: ProLite Padova disc and

Rider: Will Boggs Hometown: Lafayette, Louisiana Best race result: 1st overall at 2005

The story: I bought this bike from

Louisiana State Duathlon Championship

Frame: 2008 Orbea Ordu

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Vicenza 90mm front

Crank: SRAM Force Pedals: LOOK Keo Carbon Aerobars: Easton Attack TT Group: SRAM Force/Red mix Weight: 17 lbs. Precision Bikes in Lafayette, Louisiana. It was love at first ride. I was immediately comfortable. It’s light, stiff and aero. You can’t ask for anything else.

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Faster Swim, Faster Race It begins with the swim. Introducing the new Gold Cell wetsuit. Advanced neoprene technology in a innovative design. Exceptional performance and comfort for a faster swim, and ultimately a better race.

Friction Free Collar: No seams or Velcroâ&#x201E;˘ make contact with the skin. 7 centimeter height stops water from entering wetsuit.

Express Opening System: Reverse zipper design prevents accidental water opening and allows faster transition.

Arm and leg Propellers: Grooved neoprene panel on the arms and legs creates water resistance during the pull and kick phase.

Simon Lessing 5x ITU World Champion, 4x European Champion, 2x Goodwill Games Gold medal.

www.profile-design.com

Triathlon Wetsuits by

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LIFE TIME FITNESS SERIES

Mario Cantu

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U.S. Open, anyone?

Your guide for getting to and racing fast in Big D

By Brad Culp

On October 5, approximately 2,000 professional, elite age-group and weekend-warrior triathletes will converge on Dallas for the second annual Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon. If you’re headed to Texas to wrap up your season, here’s all you need to know about the course and about getting around Big D.

The swim: The point-to-point race kicks off with a 1.5-km swim in Joe Pool Lake, located in nearby Cedar Hill. Last year wetsuits were allowed for age groupers, but water temperatures are expected to be in the mid-70s, so it can go either way. Expect smooth sailing for most of the swim, although gusts can cause a little chop on the surface. The bike: If you really like hills, then this isn’t the course for you. The Toyota 46

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U.S. Open bike course is the definition of flat and fast. If you need proof of how fast the course is just look at last year’s results—Greg Bennett, Matt Reed and David Thompson were all able to break 54 minutes on the 40-km course. You can expect the wind to be at your back for most of the ride, as the course goes primarily in a northeast direction and winds typically come from the west.

The run: The 10-km run course is almost as flat as the ride and offers a great chance to set a new PR. The run starts and finishes at the American Airlines Center (home of the Dallas Mavericks), which hosts the finish-line festival. Be sure to bring a hat; in the heart of the city, there’s almost no shade.

Getting there: Both the Dallas-Ft. Worth International and Dallas Love Field are very close to downtown. Check fares at each airport before you book a flight. American Airlines operates a hub out of Dallas and reasonable fares can be found if you book early. Additionally, cheap fares are available to Love Field via

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Southwest Airlines.

Where to stay: The Hilton Anatole is one of the finest hotels in Dallas. Plus, it’s race central. Room rates typically run between $175-$250 per night. There are six restaurants located within the mammoth hotel, including the five-star Nana Restaurant.

While you’re there: • Rent a car. There’s not a lot within walking-distance of the Hilton and cab fares throughout Dallas rival that of any major U.S. city. Note: Parking is $15 per day at the Hilton. • Watch America’s team play football. Even if you’re not a Cowboys fan, catching a game at Texas Stadium is always a spectacle. The ’Boys will host the Cincinnati Bengals at 3:15 p.m. on October 5. • Take the family to the zoo. Keep the rest of the crew entertained with a visit to the Dallas Zoo, located just six miles south of the Hilton. It’s one of the largest zoos in the country, and one of the cheapest, with prices only $8.75 for adults.

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POINT-COUNTERPOINT

At issue: Should former pro triathletes be allowed to compete

as amateurs later in their career? Cameron Elford says, “No way,” but Brad Culp says, “Let ‘em race.”

All washed up with no place to go By Cameron Elford

Much like surfing, triathlon is a lifestyle sport. And despite what young, troubled Brad Culp may think, the majority of us race not to collect a paycheck but because we enjoy the challenge, the camaraderie, the fitness. But a few athletes, who are blessed with either good genes or ample spare time, rise to the top and are able to make a living in triathlon. Good for them. Their accomplishments are truly remarkable: I’d love to be able to run a 30-minute 10K or a 2:45 marathon—let alone to be able to do so after swimming and biking. But while the pros get the lion’s share of the post-race coverage, it’s the age groupers who drive the sport. Would a company sign on to sponsor a triathlon that attracted just 50 or so self-absorbed pros? No way. But factor in hundreds or thousands of age groupers and triathlon can deliver a focused, lucrative demographic to advertisers. So we have to ask the question: Why the hell would any race director risk alienating age-group athletes by allowing washed-up pros to settle 48

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There you have it. Feel free to tear out this page and mail it to the USAT board for consideration at its next meeting.

Let the “has-beens” be By Brad Culp

In the 1980’s, when Dave Scott was in his 30’s, he was untouchable. While I have no doubt that Dave would still kick my ass any day of the week, I think he’d have a hard time keeping up with Torbjorn Sindballe on the Queen K — and there’s really no shame in that. Dave is now 54, and while he may be the most ripped 54-year-old on the planet, he certainly has no business racing against Macca, Normann and Faris through the lava fields of Hawaii. And, if you can’t compete against the likes of Macca, Normann and Faris, you belong in the age group category. Cam might not see it this way, but he’s just pissed because Dave is in his age group and recently dusted him by an hour-and-a-half in a sprint triathlon. I think the bigger problem is not former pros going back to the age group ranks, but rather dudes who should be pros competing as age groupers. Two years ago, I raced Ironman Florida in hopes of nabbing a slot to Kona. All was going well until some “amateur” from Argentina dusted my entire age group by almost an hour on the run en route to finishing 22nd overall (in a race with over 40 professional men). Likewise, I planned on competing in Ironman Arizona this spring until a stress fracture sidelined me for race day. It was a huge let down, until I went to Tempe, Arizona, and watched David Kahn, an athlete in my age group, finish 10th overall with a 9:06. David, you’re too good for me and the rest of the plebes — move on up! As an age group triathlete, I have no problem competing alongside former pro athletes. I find no shame in taking a beating from a guy who once pulled off an 8:30 finish in Kona. If they can’t meet the criteria that Cam so kindly listed for gaining elite status, then they can hitch their bike on my rack. I really don’t see why Cam has such a problem with it. He should focus his efforts on keeping up with Sister Madonna Budder at his next race, and then maybe he’d get somewhere.

Delly Carr

back into the amateur ranks? Now, before I go on, let me be perfectly clear. Triathlon is a big-tent sport. If you want to race, you’re welcome; however, if I’m racing for anything other than pride, I don’t want to line up next to a guy who a season or two earlier was globetrotting (at either sponsor or taxpayer expense) in pursuit of ITU ranking points. Instead, if you decide to go pro you should be prohibited from returning to age-group racing unless you meet key criteria that, in essence, mirror the process you went through on the way up. According to USAT rules, you can obtain an elite license if you have met one of the following criteria within the past 12 months: 1. Finish within 8 percent of the winner in three USAT-sanctioned events. 2. Finish top-10 overall and within 8 percent of the winner at age-group worlds. 3. Finish top-10 overall in the amateur field at Kona. 4. Finish top-5 overall and within 8 percent of the winner at age-group nationals. 5. Finish top-5 overall and within 8 percent of the winner at collegiate nationals. These are sensible, straightforward rules. Now, let’s look at how we can quantify sufficient performance degradation to prevent sand-bagging former pros from pumping up their egos by beating down a field of amateurs. For a pro to regain age-group status, he or she must: 1. Finish within 8 percent of Brad Culp’s best marathon time at any Ironman. This gives you a 48-minute window on either side of your goal time. You do the math from there. 2. Complete 8 percent of Brad Culp’s weekly training mileage. While this may still lead to overtraining, your once-robust physique should be able to suffer through. 3. Finish top-10 overall in the amateur field at Kona — in the underpants run. 4. Finish top-5 overall and within 8 percent of the winner at the “I-have-tocrank-out-three-more-hill-repeats-orI’ll-lose-my-fitness” no-taper world championships, which typically occur the day before age-group nationals. 5. Finish top-5 overall and drink within 8 percent of the beer Brad drank on a typical Saturday night during college.

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technologies for victory

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CADENCE KONA CHALLENGE

And the winners are…

After countless hours of training and a month-long online vote, James Pearson and Mary Lou Hoffman have emerged as the winners of the Cadence Kona Challenge and will each receive an entry to this month’s Ironman Lake Placid. By the time this issue hits newsstands the race will be over with, so be sure to log on to Ironman.com to see whether James and Mary Lou achieved their ultimate goal of qualifying for Kona. Before the final days of the Challenge, our six finalists gave us one more update on how they’ve incorporated speed training into their weekly workouts. Cadence coach Chad Butts has also provided a tip on training with power.

James Pearson

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Would you like to shave minutes off of your best performance, increase your ability to attack hills, finish races stronger, and improve your health? Introducing Enduro-Plex™, a revolutionary new sports supplement that is designed to do all of this and more. 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. Simply visit www.excelsportsnutrition.com/trimag Fill out the short questionnaire. A limited number of athletes of all levels will be invited to participate.

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Courtesy 160 over 90

Wrapping up the Cadence Kona Challenge

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triathletemag.com •News •Training Tips •Race Events Triathlete Online will get you there faster. Redesigned for speed and ease of use.

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Age group triathlete. 5 years in the sport. Loves tiramisu and carbon fiber. Music industry executive.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2-time Ironman finisher; 3 age group podium finishes.

THE PERFECT RUN Recovery days are my favorite!

FAVORITE RACE Wildflower Long Course– An honest days work for any athlete.

PRE-RACE RITUAL 3 to 4 visits to the Porta-John usually does the trick.

ON MY MP3 PLAYER Fort Minor, Muse and Prodigy.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE SPORT I continue to meet great people, and it gives me an excuse to shave my legs!

HARDEST RACE EXPERIENCE I was hit by a car at mile 25 of the run in Kona. Don’t ask how or why, but hobbling the last mile to finish made it that much more memorable.

AARON’S WEARING QR Superfull suit; TYR wrinkle-free silicone cap; and techno-flex vision goggles.

Learn more about Aaron and the gear he uses at TRIBUYS.COM

__________________________________________________________________________________________ __

customers [Real of Tribuys] Aaron Brougher, 34

Your one stop TRI shop

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CADENCE KONA CHALLENGE

Coaching Tip: Benefits of a power meter By Chad Butts, Exercise Physiologist & Endurance Coach, Cadence Cycling & Multispor t Centers Heart rate is not always the best metric for tracking intensity. Different environmental and physiological conditions can influence your heart rate, not because intensity has changed, but because conditions are different. Power, or how hard you are riding, is directly related to physiological processes and is what drives adaptation. Power meter pacing during a triathlon can yield big gains in performance. Through training with a power meter, you will have gained insight into your maximum sustainable output over your goal race distance. You will know not only what level of power you can hold for that distance but also how well you perform in the run after such an effort. With this information, you can precisely dial in your bike pace to set yourself up for an ideal run. Tracking your training with a power meter is the perfect way to get an objective assessment of your training load on the bike. Weightlifters track tons lifted or the total amount of work done during an exercise session. Training with power is similar, telling you the total amount of work you are doing on the bike. In addition, your power meter enables you to more accurately track fitness changes, estimate calorie expenditure on the bike, discover individual strengths and weaknesses, determine your ideal cadence, improve your aerodynamics, assess your pacing performance in races and more. Moral of the story? Get a power meter!

Randy Christofferson: Speed work is an important element of my training despite my focus on long-course triathlons. In the pool, the vast majority of my yardage is speed-oriented, in the form of repeats from 50 to 500 yards. I ride my Computrainer once a week to crank through a structured set of intervals, or I do the same outside. I also incorporate 20-30-minute tempo sessions, where I try to ride around 250 watts. For the run, I vary my speed work with track and fartlek sessions, with an emphasis on 2- to 5-minute hard sections. I also love to use a sprint race or a 5k running race as a high-intensity workout. I’ve learned that speed work is a key component of a training program, especially during the build and peak phases.

One of the best fartlek workouts for me has been group riding with roadies. The constant accelerations that occur out of corners, or when you need to close a gap, give me a great speed workout without having to think about it. I find it comparatively easy to incorporate speed work into my runs; it can be as simple as doing some strides at the end of an endurance run. I found out that strides use muscles in my inner thighs that I had not used before and I was walking like John Wayne after the first track session. It’s hard for me to gauge the benefits of base building, because it is a slow and gradual process, whereas I can feel myself getting quicker and stronger weekto-week following speed work.

Elizabeth Wittmaack: Speed work works. I prefer to do my "track workouts" on a treadmill. I typically do 68 repeats of between a half-mile to one mile, with about a quarter-mile recovery in between. I’ve found that this type of workout has increased my lactate threshold and allows me to work at a faster pace with a lower heart rate. I usually do a workout like this once each week. It’s a truly exhausting workout, but when I’m done, I feel like Superman!

Kate Conklin: I love speed work! It’s a great opportunity to really push yourself and see how hard you can go for a short period of time. It makes me feel like I am flying! I love any chance to challenge myself and push my limits. I like when I’m forced to go all out for 40 seconds and then get only 10 seconds of rest, because when I finish, I’m exhausted!

James Pearson: Recently I have started to incorporate more speed work into my training as we approach the peak phase. As the coach says, we are “sharpening the stick” after all the base building.

Mary Lou Hoffman: If I could buy speed from a store I’d be there in a heartbeat, but it doesn’t work that way. Even all the latest, lightest gear and gadgets are only

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as good as the person using them. I’ve learned that speed, both in the water and on land, comes slowly. Before one can go for speed, you need good form and that comes much quicker with expert coaching, advice and feedback. Once you get the form down, it’s no secret that intervals play a big part in your ability to get faster. Having coaches routinely push you to your limits with short intervals on a regular basis doesn’t hurt, either. I’ve learned that if you want to be fast, you have to be willing to train outside your comfort zone.

Scott Sharpe: The hardest part of a training week for me is to incorporate a speed workout. Weekends are spent putting in long hours on the bike and run at moderate paces, so when my coach throws in some speed work, it takes some time to get the body moving. I find that these are the workouts that re-energize you for the rest of the week. Short, fast drills in the pool are my favorite. I will often try to do a little speed work on the end of a long run or bike to finish off a workout. Since this is my first year doing long-course triathlons, it will be interesting to see how I can improve my speed for next year in the off-season.

Mary Lou Hoffman

Courtesy 160 over 90

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Team Breakaway Training San Diego, California

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CLUB PROFILE

San Diego’s Team Breakaway Training is a club that truly represents the entire triathlon spectrum. It’s 130 members strong, and athletes range from newbies preparing for their first race to ultra-tri veterans. Three-time Brazilian

National Champion Felipe Louriero founded the team in 2006, and he has since assembled an elite roster of coaches, including Olympian Luke Walton. The club organizes three group workouts per week, including the very popular Friday evening swim at La Jolla Cove, as well as some grueling weekend brick workouts. Many athletes train straight through the winter, which is possible in San Diego, and a large contingent of Breakaway’s athletes competed in Ironman Brazil this spring. When Team Breakaway members aren’t riding down Highway 101 or swimming in the Pacific, they’re busy organizing fundraisers for local charities. In 2008 the team will be the official training partner for the first annual Moores UCSD Cancer Center Triathlon, scheduled on May 4th. Breakaway Training is also the official training partner for the San Diego Triathlon Race Series, one of the most popular series on the West Coast. To find out more about the club, log on to breakaway-training.com or contact Coach Felipe at breakawaytraining@gmail.com

Stuart Fish

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Courtesy of Audi

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ULTIMATE CENTURY The

How a charity bike ride and party featuring celebrities, a clambake and the B-52s helps support an international charity called Best Buddies. By T.J. Murphy T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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Courtesy of Audi

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Anthony Shriver (left) started Best Buddies 20 years ago. The fundraising and networking organization now has 14 chapters in 40 countries.

THERE ARE BIKE RIDES AND THEN THERE ARE BIKE RIDES. A BIKE RIDE CAN PROVIDE A BASIC JOLT OF TRAINING EFFECT, BUT IT CAN, OF COURSE, DO MUCH MORE. It can offer a

bucolic escape from the mental wear and tear of strip-mall scenery that inundates our daily lives. A bike ride can also pry open a few hours or more for a weekend social life—or, as one triathlete phrased it, “to spend some time with your buds.” There’s also the kind of bike ride I did with 900 others in May—the Best Buddies Challenge, a bike event supporting a major charity. Held near Boston, the Ninth Annual Audi Best Buddies Hyannis Port Challenge offered rider-fundraisers the choice beween a 20-mile ride and a full century. The century riders woke early and rode from Boston, and the 20-milers started in Sandwich, both groups riding through winding country roads to an elaborate finish area at Craigsville beach near the famous Kennedy Compound.

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The event exists due to the charity work of the Kennedys. Through his understanding of the obstacles that a person faces when he or she is mentally impaired, Anthony Shriver created Best Buddies in 1989. “My family has been a profound source of inspiration, particularly my mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, with her early commitment to persons with intellectual disabilities, and my late aunt, Rosemary Kennedy, who was intellectually disabled herself,” Anthony Shriver says. “Rosemary helped me appreciate that everyone is capable of something exceptional, especially with the support and encouragement of friends and family. In Rosemary’s case, she swam better than anyone else in my family.” Growing up, Shriver was affected by the observation that, while unable to perform many of the basic functions of normal life—driving a car, having a job or simply putting herself to bed—Rosemary Shriver felt free of her intellectual restraints and actually excelled in the pool. Shriver’s conception of Best

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Linsey Corbin - Winner of the 2007 Vancouver Half Ironman & 2007 Baja 70.3. 5th at 2007 Ironman Lake Placid, 2nd at 2007 Victoria Half Ironman.

photo © Segesta 2007

THE VISION BRAKE LEVER: ERGONOMIC 2-FINGER FORGED LEVER BLADE. WORKS WITH SINGLE, DUAL-PIVOT OR INTEGRATED CALIPERS WEIGHS IN AT ONLY 70 GRAMS PER PAIR. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ENTIRE VISION SYSTEM AT WWW.VISIONTECHUSA.COM

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Courtesy of Audi

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On the day of the ride Shriver learned that his Uncle, Senator Edward Kennedy, was stricken with a seizure. A regular at the Best Buddies Challenge, the senator is currently recovering from surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor.

Buddies, as both a charity that supports the intellectually challenged and a network that enables friendships in a spirit similar to Big Brothers, was based on this experience. “I started Best Buddies when I was a student at Georgetown, and amazingly it took on a life of its own,” Shriver remarks. “We now have more than 1,400 chapters in 40 countries and hope to expand to 50 countries and impact 500,000 people worldwide by 2010,” he continues. “Through it all, the mission of Best Buddies has remained the same: to enhance the lives of people with intellectual disabilities through one-to-one friendships. We’ve simply expanded its scope as our organization has grown during the past 20 years. For example, Best Buddies now has a jobs program, which provides opportunities for integrated employment to people with intellectual disabilities, helping them become further independent through vocation.” Shriver added that one-on-one friendships supplement this independence. Three criteria define an intellectual disability: a childhood condition, an IQ below 75 points and limited “adaptive” skills, such as the ability to support oneself, maintain a job and 62

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effectively communicate with others. Intellectual disabilities affect an estimated 6.2 to 7.5 million Americans, as reported in the 1990 census. Worldwide, the number is closer to 200 million. Several hundred causes of intellectual disabilities are known. The primary three are down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome and Fragile X. An inherited condition, Fragile X is the most common cause of mental impairment and the most common cause of autism. The severity of the condition varies. Nearly 90 percent of all cases are considered mild, while the remaining 10 percent involve severe challenges to basic functionality. Early intervention, support and education offer considerable hope to those who are more severely afflicted, giving them the opportunity to pursue a satisfying life. At Craigsville Beach after the bike ride, the Buddies—intellectually challenged men, women and kids—competed in a variety of bike criteriums, including races on tandem bikes teamed with celebrities, such as New England Patriots football players Matt Light, Stephen Neal, Dan Koppen and Nick Kaczur; track

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(&55*/( :06 '30.

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superstar Carl Lewis; and Miss USA. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady assumed the role of race announcer as the Buddies roared around the track, jarring any preconceptions a person might harbor about the limitations and lifestyle of the intellectually challenged. Across the road, under a tent that could cover a small town, official sponsor Audi hosted the post-event party that included a clambake feast, open bars at either end of the venue, a gym-sized dance floor, and entertainment by a band composed of Buddies. Automaker Audi not only sponsored the party but also paid for everything else, channeling fundraising dollars directly to the cause. “Because Audi pays for all of the expenses, one hundred percent of the contributions goes to the charity,” Shriver says. Seattle resident Eric Matthes—his buddy is Carl Lewis, who has supported the program for 16 years—is a spokesman for Best Buddies. He gave two speeches over the weekend, each with deliberate phrases and emphatic body language. “I am a self-advocate,” he said. “I choose to come here and celebrate friendship.” He told his story, recollecting the moment in kindergarten when he was first called retarded and made aware

of the false division society had created between him and “normal” people. An emotional charge linked his words to the audience, many of whose members were intellectually challenged or family members of intellectually challenged persons. “I am not my disability,” Matthes declared, and turned to speak directly to the Buddies. “There is nothing stopping you from living your dreams.” Despite the large numbers, the award festivities had the vibe of a family reunion, and Anthony Shriver, both a cheerleader and tireless stage director, avoided all forms of corporate-stylized speech as he moved the show along. “I truly believe that through the simple act of friendship, society possesses a powerful force that can dramatically enhance the lives of people with intellectual disabilities,” Shriver says. “And volunteers equally experience the gifts from such one-to-one friendships.” To join the bike ride, participants must raise a minimum amount of dollars. The next Challenge takes place at Hearst Castle in California on September 6. Three rides are on the ticket: 15 miles, 100k and 100 miles. The early-bird minimum fundraising amount is $1700, which warrants a jersey, gift bag,

At a cocktail party the night before the ride, Best Buddies spokeswoman Katie Meade appeared on stage with players from the New England Patriots: From the left, Tom Brady, Dan Koppen, Logan Mankins and Stephen Neal. More than $3 million dollars were raised during the weekend. 64

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NFL Quarterback Tom Brady is the Honorary Chairperson of the Hyannisport Best Buddies Challenge. Having participated in the friendship program for several years, his buddy is Katie Meade. Meade participated in the 20-mile ride after speaking to the crowd at the start.

tour of Hearst Castle and admission to the BBQ and concert at the Hearst Ranch. Who’s playing? The Black-Eyed Peas. Raise $3,500 and an invite to a VIP cocktail party hosted by Maria Shriver, Anthony’s sister and the First Lady of California, is included. Raise $10,000 or more and there’s also a Friday night VIP affair at the castle, also with Maria Shriver, plus a VIP dessert and dance after the concert. At the Craigsville Beach party, notable fundraisers got their picture taken with Tom Brady. Anthony Shriver managed everything, even making sure award winners were careful ascending the stage. “Steps, steps, steps,” he pointed out to one 66

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eager fundraiser. Brady took over duties and directed a unique form of the two-minute drill, drumming up more than $20,000 in contributions from the crowd that would pay for Buddies to go to a summer leadership camp. A $1,000 contribution paid all the expenses for one Buddy. After gathering pledges from the audience, Brady matched the sum out of his own wallet and brought the total to $50,000. Brady is deeply involved in several charity organizations, one of which is Best Buddies. Once Brady took an eight-day trip to Africa—Uganda and Ghana, in particular, organized by Debt AIDS Trade Africa—and said it had a profound effect on him.

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(clockwise from the top left) Carl Lewis, Katie Meade and actress Maureen McCormick; the B-52s; Anthony Shriver; Best Buddies spokesman Eric Matthes and Meade; Maureen McCormick and Best Buddies competitor, Ian Clemence-Shreiner.

“It gave me perspective,” Brady says. “At the end of the day, what I do for a living is toss a football.” Supporting charities “is something I get a lot out of personally. It improves my life.” In addition to pulling duty during the Challenge weekend, Brady is involved in the friendship network part of the program. His Buddy is Katie Meade from Iowa, and the two have been friends for several years. “We can help these individuals be seen, heard and hired,” Shriver says, adding that the friendship program is invaluable to everyone involved, and has a domino effect. “Students who participate in Best Buddies become adults who raise children with a new perspective on intellectual disabilities, based on compassion 68

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and integration. They become employers who understand the undeniable value of hiring people with intellectual disabilities, who have proven to be loyal, committed and capable. But Eric’s words sum it up best: ‘I want to show the world that even though I have a disability, I can do anyhing I put my mind to.’” The entry form to the Audi Best Buddies Challenge at Hearst Castle promises more than just a bike ride and party. By becoming involved, you can create a smile, give someone the gift of friendship and make a difference. For more information on Best Buddies and future Challenge events, go to bestbuddies.org.

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STAR-CROSSED

Brad Kaminsky

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At the beginning of Shakespeare’s “King Henry IV, Part I,” Prince Henry has been hanging out with his old drinking buddy, Falstaff, further embellishing his image as a party boy. His reputation is so tarnished that his father, King Henry, openly expresses his shame after being impressed by the battle fury of Lord Northumberland’s son, Hotspur: Of my young Harry. O that it could be proved, That some night-tripping fairy had exchanged, In cradle-clothes our children where they lay.

However, as the play unfolds, Prince Henry uncloaks his true self through acts of courage and greatness. He carries out what he promises in the second scene:

He was in charge of a construction company. She was a world-class equestrian. But together, Chris and Marilyn McDonald are one of the most remarkable triathlon couples the sport has ever known.

B y T. J . M u r p hy

And like bright metal on a sullen ground, My reformation, glittering o’er my fault, Shall show more goodly and attract more eyes, Than that which hath no foil to set it off.

Many modern men and women of triathlon have followed this classic storyline as a catalyst for their own personal “reformation,” but perhaps none of recent memory has done a more dramatic job of it than a softspoken 30-year-old from a small town called Albury in New South Wales, Australia. When Chris McDonald burst across the finish line at Ironman Louisville last year in first place, the metal, through years of trainingfueled combustion, glittered so brightly it was difficult to imagine that before triathlon he was a 240-pounder, whose main sport was bellying up to a bar. “I’d played field hockey when I was younger,” McDonald says with a smile. “When I turned 18—the legal drinking age in Australia—field hockey went out the door. I blew up to 115 kilos.”

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aged by mentors, Molina included, to pursue the sport aggressively. He recalls, “Scott said, ‘You know Chris, you could be good at this.’” When others expressed their lack of belief in McDonald, it only served to deepen his intention. He would not take his shot alone. In 2003, McDonald attended a triathlon camp in Christchurch where a young newbie named Marilyn who had also decided to give triathlon a serious go was also present. The woman, who would eventually become Marilyn McDonald, had left behind an exceptionally successful career in show jumping. Since the age 9, Marilyn had competed in equestrian events on an international stage, and in her 20s she had established her own stables. A fitness runner, she began crosstraining and was lured into a first triathlon and loved it. When she entered her first Ironman, she entered as a pro because, she says, “That’s the way I am.” The camp she attended in Christchurch, New Zealand, was Epic Camp, the high-mileage training camp run by Molina, Gordo Byrn and John Newsom. Chris and Marilyn, smitten both with the sport and each other, decided to combine their triathlon dreams, sell their businesses and travel to America. Arriving in San Francisco with their bike boxes and backpacks, Chris and Marilyn went on the road to train and race their way around the country—San Diego, Boulder, Flagstaff, Arizona. “We never stayed anywhere longer than three weeks,” Marilyn says. One of the most powerful experiences the couple had was traveling to Europe to watch the Tour de France. Another was the experience of training with the best in Boulder. “It was an eye-opener,” Chris says. “It’s good to go to a place like Boulder. The best in the world are there. I think it’s important to seek out places like that to train. You gain a valuable perspective on where you stand. Back “I moved to New Zealand “It’s good to go to a place like Boulder. The best home it can be the ‘big fish in 1999,” he continues. “I start- in the world are there. I think it’s important to in the small pond’ situaed playing field hockey again. tion. In Boulder, I realized Through friends of the team I seek out places like that to train. You gain a valu- I wasn’t that good.” met Scott Molina.” Meeting able perspective on where you stand. Back home it The couple launched Molina—an American and one can be the ‘big fish in the small pond’ situation. In themselves headlong into of the true legends of Boulder, I realized I wasn’t that good.” -Chris McDonald the sport. Although by her triathlon—was one of the first own description her swimin a chain of coincidences that drew McDonald into triathlon. ming and running were weak, Marilyn won Ironman Malaysia His oldest brother competed in Ironman Australia in 2001, in 2004. She would also finish second at Ironman France. Chris throwing down the gauntlet of sibling rivalry. McDonald start- McDonald, for his part, raced hard and often, executing his phied training. He burned his weight down and completed the losophy of trial by fire. “I wanted to learn how to race,” he says. Ironman in 10:07:04. Having shown his mettle, he was encour- “I made all the mistakes myself.” He would race as many as five 72

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Ironmans a year in his quest for experience. “I had to win one before I reached 20 Ironmans,” McDonald says. “Winning Ironman Louisville last year, I barely made it. It was so many years of hard work going into that one race.” One night a matter of weeks before his breakthrough race, while living at 8600 feet of altitude near Boulder, Chris began to wonder about all the effort. As usual, he and Marylin had biked 20 miles down to Boulder in the morning, trained all day, and with their gear stuffed into backpacks, biked back up to 8600 feet, in complete darkness. As the climbed, says Chris, “I looked at Marilyn and said, ‘What are we doing?’” Marilyn encouraged her husband, promising him it was all coming together. She was right. At Louisville last August, Chris McDonald got off the bike in reach of the leader, T.J. Tollakson, and confidently sped by him on the run and onward to his first Ironman victory.

“Chris is the hardest worker I’ve ever met,” Marilyn says. “At Ironman Australia this year he was on his feet all day, working at the expo. He still did all his training. It doesn’t matter if it’s going to be an 18-hour day. He just gets up when it’s pitch black outside, training in the pool or on the turbo. He never complains, he never cracks. He never says a word about it. He’ll ask me, ‘What do you need, honey?’” -Marilyn McDonald Like her husband, Marilyn McDonald is accustomed to hard work and discipline. As a show jumper, she began the typical day at 3:30 in the morn-

Brightroom Photography

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ing and finished at 10 at night. As a triathlete, she would be tested in a different way in 2006, when she was plagued with a mysterious leg ailment that involved severe leg cramping and swelling. When it came on, the pain was so bad she couldn’t walk across the room. Flare-ups would last for three weeks. Working with a succession of doctors on a variety of theories, Marilyn watched her

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season go down the drain, and she decided to go it alone in 2007—no doctors or coaches. “I decided I would figure it out myself,” she says. And she did. Using compression tights, Marilyn developed a system whereby she could keep the problem at bay. “I admire her tenacity,” Chris says of his wife. “If it had been me, I don’t know if I could have kept coming back. I told her 100 times I don’t think I would have been tough enough to do what she did.” Nowadays, the McDonalds are training with teamTBB, under the supervision of coach Brett Sutton. Marilyn reports having made huge improvement with her swimming. “For three years I was swimming 30 kilometers a week, but I was barely cutting my time,” she says. “I thought, ‘How much does a girl have to swim to improve by 30 seconds?’ Brett was so great. He said, ‘Look, you’re never going to be a great swimmer. You’re never going to have a feel for the water. But what you do have is that you’re strong as an ox from horse riding all those years.’” Sutton had McDonald forget about technique and focus on using her power. Her Ironman swim time plummeted. For Chris, training with Sutton’s group offers another opportunity to learn from the best. “I’ve always sought out groups like that,” he said. “If you want to be good you should put yourself in that environment. Don’t just read about it. Don’t wonder ‘[what] if?’. Find out what you’re doing right or wrong.” In late August, Chris will travel to Louisville to defend his Ironman title. But this time, instead of competing as an underdog, he will be considered a favorite. The education continues, but the reformation is complete.

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Silke Insel/triathlon.org

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Getting to know two-time Olympian

Julie Swail Ertel Former water polo medalist returns to the Games as a triathlete By Nan Kappeler For the past eight years, Julie Swail Ertel has kept a rather low profile, living and training in Orange County, California. That changed this past April with a win at the USAT Olympic Trials in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She now comes into the spotlight after securing the second women’s spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. Having already won a silver medal in water polo at the 2000 games, she is confident and relaxed before heading to Beijing. This month, Ertel levels with Triathlete about Olympic race strategies, transition secrets, and family life.

How has your life changed since making the Olympic Team? There are a lot more demands on my time. I’m much busier talking to school children and groups and doing interviews. And people now see me as an expert. One person asked me for advice on marathon nutrition. I’ve never even run one.

You’ve already been to the Olympics as a member of the 2000 U.S. Water Polo Team. What advantage will this give you in Beijing? The clearest advantage will be knowing how to pace myself through the Games’ 17 days. I know that the Olympics aren’t a make-or-break experience in my life. When it’s all said and done, I’ll still be Julie Ertel.

Having been “in training” for the Olympics for the better part of 12 years, how have you stayed focused and motivated? I keep training exciting by varying my workouts. No two weeks are the same. For instance, I train with different people or jump in a master’s practice or swim with my husband. My cycling is the most consistent. I simulate a race situation by riding with a group. T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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Delly Carr/triathlon.org

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At the 2004 Olympic trials you landed a second alternate spot behind Laura Bennet. Did you make any training changes that made a difference for ’08? Actually, no. I was surprised that I was second alternate after only one year as a pro. In 2005, I decided to have a good time, and it was a good year. I won the New York City Triathlon and took my first podium at the Corner Brook World Cup in Canada. I was really encouraged so I decided to continue and see what would happen. 80

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You’ve really leaned up since your water polo days and even since the ’04 Olympic Trials. What’s your diet secret? There’s actually no secret because there’s only a one- or two-pound difference from 2000. The difference you see is body composition. As a water polo player, I needed upper body strength and strong legs to tread water five hours a day. Since I got married last year, my husband, Greg, has taught me to eat sooner after workouts so I’m not starving and overeating. I still love ice cream and frozen yogurt—my only weakness.

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2006 was a pretty tough year for you, with a bike crash on a training ride at the Chula Vista (San Diego) Olympic Training Center, then a hip injury. How did you keep a positive mental attitude? After I broke several ribs, I decided I could either train through the pain or take a month off. My peers thought I was crazy to take a rest. At one point I thought this was it—time to hang up the suit—but then I got the hunger again. I figured if I didn’t get better, I’d still be thankful for every day I had and move on. Then a hip injury took me out in July. After I overcame the hip injury, I won at Cancun and decided to go for it in ’07. Definitely not. I learned from water polo that it’s important to have outside interests. I did the best being around family, friends, church and things outside the sport. Irvine (California) has great trails and weather, and I have a wide variety of friends to train with. I feed off their energy and enthusiasm.

Let’s talk about the Trials in Alabama. You came off the bike and into the transition with Sarah Haskins, Sarah Groff and Sara McClarty, then you blew by all of them in transition. What’s your transition secret? 82

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Delly Carr/triathlon.org

While practically all the elites choose to live in Colorado and train at altitude, you opted to do your own thing in Orange County, California. Do you think you’re missing out by living in Southern California?

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Yes, that was a great transition. I had done transition practice by hand-selecting a group to join me doing a 400-yard swim, 1.2-mile bike, and 0.6-mile run four times with transitions.

At what point in the race did you know you were Olympics-bound? Not until the finish line. I’ve seen so many races where the leader has stumbled and literally hit the pavement. About 500 meters before the finish I did the math and realized I was 80 seconds from the finish and smiled. When I grabbed the tape, it hit me.

Having been born and raised just outside Los Angeles, you must be used to training in some bad smog. However, in Beijing, you’re looking at some of the worst pollution in the world. Have you thought about how you will deal with this? Definitely. The plan is for the team to attend opening ceremonies then fly to South Korea. We’ll train there in the warm and clear ocean for a week then head back two days before the race.

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In Beijing I’ll wear a carbon filter mask some nights to sleep.

What are your thoughts about the Olympic course? Is there a part of the race you think will favor you? Which part will be the most challenging? When I was in Beijing last year, the bike course was the most challenging. It’s steep with a three-minute climb. I want to make sure I get up with the pack and still have legs to run. The run is my favorite. The hills break up the course and there’s a long, flat part where I can see my competitors.

The American women aren’t favored to win. Have Laura Bennett and you discussed any race strategies to break down the two top contenders —Portugal’s Vanessa Fernandes and Aussie Emma Snowsill? Even though Laura and I get along great, we haven’t talked yet. At this point I would love to

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make a breakaway from either of these women. To drop Fernandes would be challenging. The best bet would be to get out on the swim without them, but if the [lead] group is smaller than the chase group, our efforts may be fruitless.

Triathletes tend to be older than other athletes, but at 35, you’ll be no spring chicken out there. How do you think age will work to your advantage? Years of training help. I think I have the maturity to take it all in and not get caught up in the moment. My body can handle the workouts, and with rest can be ready to perform on race day. Remember, all the women on the ’04 team were 35.

You met your husband, Greg, cycling. He’s quite an accomplished cyclist, having won the grueling “Ride Around the Bear” Century (in Big Bear Lake, California) in 2005. How has he helped you train on the bike? To set the record straight, we were both in relationships when we met. We started out as just friends. He loves to ride the hills and his enthusiasm makes riding more fun for me. Now we’ll have a date workout and just ride. He brings a spark to my training. My parents have been there from the beginning. Mike Guest, my high school swimming and water polo coach, got me started. Sue Davis, a world champion duathlete, has been totally dedicated to writing my programs, and she’s a great training partner. Dennis Harper, a University of California-San Diego water polo coach, taught me how to be passionate about sports. He showed me how to balance drive and have a good time. When our goalie was crying, he made a joke. He showed me there’s more than the moment of competition.

Aside from your husband, who has played the biggest role in helping you achieve your goal of a second Olympics?

After Beijing, can we expect to see you follow other ITU athletes and go for an Ironman next, or as rumor has it, making baby Ertels? No, on Ironman—but yes, there will be babies, but I don’t know when. Greg and I want to move on to the next stage of our lives.

Tell us what Julie Ertel does for fun when she’s not training. One of my favorite weekly de-stress activities is tennis with Amy, my sister-in-law, and Janette, a friend. Our rules say the ball can bounce as many times as you want, and you are not allowed to chase the ball. Once my triathlon workouts are over, I don’t wear spandex; I just want to be a normal person. 86

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Letter from

Lawrence

Why Ironman Kansas 70.3 is not to be missed

TJ Murphy

By T.J. Murphy

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The first think you need to know about Ironman 70.3 Kansas is the Jim Ryun story. Ryun was 17 years old in 1964, when he broke the four-minute mile at a meet in southern California. The clean-cut kid from Wichita, Kansas started running after hearing a high school coach, Bob Timmons, talk about cross-country at an assembly. Ryun, then a sophomore, was pure greenhorn at first, blending into the masses of the Wichita High School East team. But when he knocked out a 4:21 mile, Timmons recognized some talent and told him that if he did the work—like running 100 miles a week through the frozen heart of a typical Great Plains winter—he could be the first prep to go under four minutes. At the 1964 Compton Invitational in Los Angeles, the granite-hard clay track presented a prerace glitch when Timmons realized that Ryun’s long spikes were geared for a cinder-dirt track. Spikes were a fixed part of the shoe, not like the screw-ins used today. Timmons found a workshop where he ground them down to appropriate lengths. It worked; Ryun ran 3:59.00, breaking the four-minute mark a year ahead of schedule. He was the first high school runner in America to do so. As a senior, Ryun was accepted into a meet in San Diego where the reigning 800 and 1500 meters Olympic champion Peter Snell was set to run the mile. Snell was irritated that a schoolboy was going to participate. “Give him a couple of years to develop,” Snell advised. How about a couple of laps? Ryun beat Snell that day, running a world-record time of 3:55.3. Ryun continued running at the University of Kansas. Some 90

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say the remainder of his career was a disappointment, but in the 1968 Olympics—at high altitude in Mexico City—only Kip Keino, a Kenyan born and raised in the thin air, was able to finish ahead of him in the 1500 meters. Ryun’s no-frills, hard-working lifestyle reflected the image of the quintessential endurance athlete. As the late Brutus Hamilton, a former Olympic decathlete and track coach, said in 1964, “It is one of the strangest ironies of this strange life that those who work the hardest, who subject themselves to the strictest discipline, who give up certain pleasurable things in order to achieve a goal, are the happiest men. When you see 20 or 30 men line up for a distance race in some meet, don’t pity them, don’t feel sorry for them. Better, envy them instead.” Now, when athletes think about Kansas sport legends, the name that comes to mind is Jim Ryun. A conservative Republican, Ryun currently lives in Lawrence and is campaigning to regain his seat in the House of Representatives for the second district, which represents most of eastern Kansas. He and his wife, Anne, whom he married in 1969, have

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four kids and seven grandchildren. This past June Lawrence hosted the new Ironman 70.3 Kansas. It’s ironic that Ryun continues to live in the state’s liberal epicenter. Pre-race activities took place near Massachusetts Avenue, a street guaranteed to extinguish any expectations you may have about Kansas being flat, boring and conservaT R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

tive. The tree-lined avenue is packed with sculptures, second-hand clothing stores, bars teeming with young people, restaurants and cafes, like the alwaysopen Java Break, a coffee place where 1950’s décor meets punk rock and a vintage television set plays the Three Stooges in slow-motion. For reading material, head upstairs to the Astrokitty |

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comic book store, or over to 6th Street to the Raven bookstore. On 8th Street, a lime-green building adorned with a huge tiki mask houses the Sand Bar, official Home of the Indoor Hurricane. Down Massachusetts Avenue to 10th Street, at a small local venue for live music called Replay, a college junior named Heather Weed summed up life in Lawrence best in her poem about Kansas: Dear Kansas Peerless princess of the plains Great forgetter of the rains You’re no curvy woman ma’am Lonely stalk of wheat you stand For as far as eyes can see Place of tree there nary be All this golden, waving, longing Standing, stalking Farmer in your fields just waiting More on time than contemplating Grab a shovel help us sow Stand there as the garden grows When the harvest comes at last Table feast we’ll surely have Wind blows over shoulders growing colder

THE RACE The race itself took place nine miles west of downtown at Clinton Lake, where stars including Britain’s Simon Lessing, Canada’s Sam McGlone, New Zealand’s Jo Lawn and Terenzo Bozzone and Australia’s Craig Alexander and Leon Griffin came to compete in the premier event. McGlone and Lawn in the women’s competition and Bozzone and Alexander in the men’s blazed through the farmland and countryside ahead of nearly 1000 starters. In the men’s race, Bozzone and Alexander matched each other stroke for stroke in the 1.2-mile swim, both exiting in 27:21. On the bike the two powered at speeds averaging just above 25 mph, but near the end Alexander’s legs began to slowly give out. On the run, Bozzone was able to take command of the race, besting Alexander 1:15:48 to 1:18:48 and winning in a time of 3:56:06. Alexander managed to crack four hours by a single second to claim second place before succumbing to the humidity and collapsing at the finish line. Griffin finished third in 4:00:37. Among the women, Andrea Fisher swam 29:13 to lead the field out of Clinton Lake, but Lawn and McGlone quickly took over. Lawn went for the win on the 56-mile bike, amid a course of rolling hills and moderate winds, establishing almost five minutes on McGlone by T-2. The ever-determined Canadian refused to buckle, however, averaging a sub-6:10 pace to Lawn’s 6:30, enough of a difference that in the final mile of the 13.1mile run, McGlone was able to overtake Lawn for the lead and the win, 4:19:03 to 4:19:32. As the top pros and age-groupers recovered, Roger Reid, a triathlete from Illinois who had come to cheer on his friends,

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Don’t forget where you’re from Kansas here I come And wherever you roam Kansas home sweet home!

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commented on the general buzz that was circulating the field. “You come here expecting it to be flat and the scenery boring,” Reid said. “It’s neither. People here are Kansas University fanatics. They’ll get into this. Give this race a couple of years, and it will be selling out in hours.” In fact, at a nearby aid station the dozen or so volunteers handing out water and Gatorade were showered with thankyou’s even as real weather rolled in from the northwest and approximately a third of the athletes had their race cut short as late-afternoon thunderstorms and lightning prompted race organizers to shut down the race. The awards ceremony was also cancelled, but all was not lost, of 94

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course, with downtown Lawrence calling. The wonderful thing about completing a half-Ironman compared to a full Ironman is the fact that you can enjoy yourself a bit more afterward. After the full, it can be hard to choke down a simple meal, and a cold beer is almost out of the question. You can’t eat, sleep, walk or think straight. It’s more likely that you’ll spend some quality time in the medical tent getting an IV than order a drink at the Sand Bar. But when you finish a 70.3 event, you feel the deep satisfaction of having given your all yet still have enough residual strength and will to surrender yourself to some balance. When Hamilton said “…give up certain pleasurable things,” notice he didn’t say all. T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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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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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Checking in with seven ’04 Olympians By Cour tney Johnson It is the ultimate honor to represent one’s country on the world stage, and for most athletes, Olympic dreams begin early. In Beijing this August many familiar faces will return to the games, while other Olympic triathletes have moved on to new journeys.

2004 Athens Olympic Gold Medalist Hamish Carter has traded in his Lycra for business casual wear. The New Zealander retired from the sport of triathlon last year, stating that he wanted to spend more time with his family. “The buzz of racing wasn’t there anymore,” he said. He is now a relationship manager for Xero, an online accounting system designed for small businesses. While he works five days a week, Carter has much more time to spend with his family and do the other things he enjoys. “It’s pretty different from what I was doing before, but it’s new and exciting,” he said. “I have my nights and weekends free now.” As a rower growing up, Carter dreamed of winning a medal in the Olympics. Little did he know it would be in a sport he didn’t get involved in until his early 20’s. “I had friends who were into it, so I tried my first race,” he said. “I was used to putting it all out there for six minutes in rowing, and here I had to do it for two hours. In the last 10K, I was passed by a lot of girls on the bike.” The 37-yearold now shares his stories and experiences as a motivational speaker and mentor to up-and-coming athletes. As for a comeback to the sport, Carter said he is completely done. “I still jog and swim to stay in shape,” he said, “but right now it’s nice not to have to train.” 96

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Hamish Carter (NZL)

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Loretta Harrop (AUS)

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Aussie Loretta Harrop followed her younger brother, Luke, into the sport of triathlon. “I thought it looked like a good challenge—going from a swimmer to a triathlete,” she said. Even though it took her 52 minutes to run 10km in her first race, she connected to the sport and focused on making a career out of racing. Harrop was deeply honored when she was selected to represent Australia in both the Sydney and Athens games. “As triathletes, we have an opportunity to represent our countries more than in other sports. As a part of the Olympic team, I feel much bigger when I put on my country’s colors,” she said. Harrop placed fifth in Sydney. After earning a silver medal in Athens, Harrop won the Mooloolaba ITU World Cup and Hong Kong ITU Triathlon Asian Cup in 2005. After her first baby was born in 2006, Harrop considered returning to the sport. “I felt like I achieved all I wanted in the sport, and I had a hunger to move onto the next chapter in my life.” She announced her official retirement from triathlon in 2007, but continues to race in the Luke Harrop Memorial Triathlon in honor of her brother, who was killed in a hit-and-run cycling accident in 2002. The 32-year-old Harrop and her husband, Brad, are expecting their second child this summer.

Tim Carlson

Sheila Taormina (USA)

American Olympian Sheila Taormina will be at the Olympic Games in Beijing, but not at the swim start of the triathlon or on the starting blocks at the pool. Instead, Taormina will participate in the modern pentathlon (shooting, fencing, swimming, equestrian and running) in her fourth Olympic appearance. Taormina has made history as the first woman to participate in the Olympics in three different sports. She won a gold medal at the 1996 Games after swimming a leg in the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay. She then competed for the U.S. in triathlon in both Sydney, where she finished sixth, and Athens, where she placed 23rd. “Putting on the uniform never changes,” she said. “It brings an almost overwhelming mixture of excitement and pride along with a large dose of responsibility. I’m not just there for myself. I represent the entire U-S-of A.” After she finished second at the Beijing World Cup to Vanessa Fernandes in September 2005, Taormina turned her focus from triathlon to another sport. “I immediately began training for modern pentathlon,” she said. “I had a dream to do something no one else had ever done—to make the Olympic Games in a third, completely separate sport.” This will be Taormino’s last run at an Olympic medal. She hopes her dedication and focus will bring her the second U.S. medal in modern pentathlon since its debut in Sydney. T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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Conrad Stoltz (RSA)

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At 16 years old, a shy Conrad Stoltz told a newspaper reporter that some day he was going to make the Olympics in triathlon. Eleven years later, Stoltz represented his home country of South Africa in Sydney, finishing 20th. Four years later he participated in the Athens Games, where he DNF’d after his seat post broke. “In 1988, South Africa was still boycotted from the Olympics and most international competition,” he said. “Triathlon wasn’t even an Olympic sport. Somehow, everything fell into place and my dream was realized.” Stoltz suffered the post-Olympic blues after Sydney. “My whole career looked toward that Olympic day,” he said. “I wasn’t prepared for the next day.” He discovered he could make a pretty decent living on the U.S. nondrafting triathlon circuit, so he spent the next four years racing stateside. In 2001 Stoltz noticed an XTERRA Triathlon ad in Triathlete magazine. “I saw Steve Larsen running his mountain bike through a knee deep stream, and I decided that is what I wanted to do,” he said. Since the Athens Games, Stoltz has been tearing up the off-road scene, winning over 15 championships, and he is the reigning XTERRA world champion. “XTERRA is my passion,” Stoltz said. “I feel very privileged to have been making a living from something that was a seemingly impossible dream when I was 16. In my 20 years of racing, I have traveled the globe many times, raced in amazing places and met great people. The thought of being a world champion in this sport still sounds surreal. All the Olympics needs now is an off-road triathlon, and I’ll be back!”

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The highlight of Carol Montgomery’s triathlon career was standing on the pontoon at the start of the 2000 Olympic Triathlon. It all went downhill from there. She did not finish the race because of a broken wrist she suffered in a bike crash. The crash also kept her from racing in the 10,000-meter run. She was selected for the Canadian Olympic Triathlon Team again in 2004 and placed 35th in Athens. Being an Olympic athlete is not something Montgomery dreamed of when growing up. Although she enjoyed sports, she didn’t find one in which she was exceptionally good. “I didn’t excel, so I never dreamed of competing in sport at a high level,” she said. Montgomery began racing triathlon in the late-1980s. Despite wearing her wetsuit backwards in her first race, she was hooked and had finally found her sport. After Athens Montgomery spent a few more years racing competitively, winning the Pacific Grove Triathlon in 2005 and placing second at the Canadian Triathlon Championship in 2006. Today, working out is still a part of the 41-year-old’s daily routine but not in the way it was during her racing career. “I have no desire to race competitively again—even in the age-group categories,” she says. I did enough racing in the 16 years I competed as an elite athlete to get it out of my system.” If you do find Montgomery on the race course it is probably because she is there supporting a client. She has been spending her time coaching triathletes and runners hoping to achieve their own athletic goals. In the future she would like to work with young athletes and introduce them to triathlon. 100

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At the age of 15, Littleton, Colo. resident Susan Williams set herself a goal to make it to the Olympics as a swimmer. She hit the Olympic qualifying standard in 1984, but unfortunately it was after the Olympic team already had been selected. Afterward she continued to swim but felt she’d reached her peak. “I just wasn’t getting any faster,” she says. While in graduate school in 1994, she tried her first triathlon in Longmont, Colorado. After an incredible race season in 1996, Triathlete magazine named her “Female Amateur Triathlete of the Year.” In 1997, she decided to take racing a bit further and obtained her pro license. In 2000, Williams finished a disappointing sixth at the U.S. Olympic Triathlon Trials and failed to make the team. Shortly after the race she found out she was actually pregnant, which explained why she hadn’t raced to her potential. But she named her daughter Sydney in honor of the Olympic Games she missed that year. Four years later, Williams qualified for the team at the U.S. Olympic Triathlon Trials in Bellingham, Washington. “It took 20 years, but I accomplished that dream,” she said. “It truly was an honor to represent my country in front of the entire world.” Athens was a strength course, which suited Williams, and she brought home a bronze medal, the first and only medal the U.S. has won in triathlon since its debut. “That day was unreal. It still seems like a dream,” she said. After the Olympics Williams continued to race, but with the birth of her second daughter, Elysia, in 2006, she was ready for a new chapter in her life. “I have finally gotten to the point where I’m ready to move on,” she said. “I accomplished more than I ever really thought I could with triathlon and now have two wonderful girls to take care of and I job that I love.” Williams started her own coaching business, Commitment to Excellence, after Athens. “I enjoy sharing what I have learned over the years with my athletes to help them accomplish their athletic goals,” she said. She also coaches masters swimming two days a week. The Olympian still enjoys working out and competing when she gets a chance. As for a full return to the sport in the future, Williams doesn’t see that happening anytime soon. “I’ll admit there are times when I miss being that fit, but I don’t really want to do the kind of training anymore that it takes to be that way,” Williams said.

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Eneko Llanos (ESP)

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Watching old videotapes inspired Eneko Llanos and his brother, Hektor, to try a triathlon. “We watched a lot of races, like Hawaii Ironman and European races in Nice, Roth and the Zofingen Duathlon,” he said. Hektor was the first to toe the line, and two years later Eneko decided to give it a try. Llanos was selected to Spain’s Olympic team for both the Sydney and Athens Olympics. He finished 23rd in Sydney and was happy with his result despite some mistakes he made. Learning from his race in Sydney, Llanos finished 20th in Athens. “I always wanted to be at the Olympics,” Llanos said. “I will keep forever in my memory the two Olympic Games I have been in. Being an Olympian is one of the most exciting and special experiences an athlete can have.” Llanos still races full time today but his focus is now on the longer distances. “I am racing Ironman now,” he said. “I am focused on the long-distance triathlon, especially on the Ironman World Championship in Kona. I am becoming a better longdistance triathlete, and I am working and giving my best to improve my results in Kona.” Llanos was 5th at Kona in 2006 and 7th in 2007. For now, the 31-year-old will keep trying to improve his time in Kona, but he keeps an open mind about representing Spain in another Olympics. “I would love to race again in the Olympics someday, maybe in 2012,” he said. “I would love it if they added an Ironman to [the Olympics].”

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Sensible splurging How to eat your cake and not have it too By Bill Nadeau

Food splurging is a natural part of our existence. Some triathletes will choose to splurge on chocolate and ice cream, whereas others will indulge in a pepperoni pizza. No matter what you choose as your food splurge, plan your treat meal to fit within your structured triathlon nutrition and training program. The more thought, understanding, preparation and time you put into savoring your splurge, the more you as a seasoned and prepared triathlete will benefit from eating it. T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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Triathletes often take one or more days off per week from training to allow their muscles to recover. So why not also take a day off every now and again from a strict training diet? After all, don’t we deserve it? Not so fast. Let’s not reach for the cookie jar just yet. Before we give the green light to set aside one day per week when you can simply eat whatever you want, we are obligated to first do a cost-benefit analysis of this proposal. Let’s start by defining a “splurge” before we determine whether it is really worth it, and what you have to gain or lose from it.

Splurge | splurj | • (verb): to indulge oneself extravagantly; • (noun) an ostentatious effort, display, or expenditure

THE GOOD We, as humans, innately require splurges. Some individuals prefer a shopping splurge, others a travel splurge, and still others a food splurge. Whatever variety you prefer, we know that splurges are and will always be a regular part of our existence. When triathletes contemplate a food splurge, we are greeted by readily available delicious foods that give us pleasure. Whether your food splurge is a hot-fudge sundae with whipped cream, or a serving of foie gras on three-point toast, it is still your splurge. If you regularly deny yourself some element of your food splurge, then you could overindulge some other time—the old, if-you-don’t-bend-you’ll-eventually-break principle at work. Recently, researchers at Drexel University have shown that food consumption is increasingly driven by the fact that delicious food is abundant in our society, rather than by a basic need for calories. These researchers have defined this drive as hedonic hunger and believe it is similar to other pleasure-driven activities, like compulsive gambling and drug use.

THE BAD As alluded to earlier, unplanned food splurging can set you up for overindulging on calories and can create a significant speed bump in your training diet. Although some triathletes can have a small taste of their splurge and be completely satisfied, most triathletes (and humans, for that matter) will not be able to stop after only a small sample of their splurge, and may end up overdoing it. It is obvious that splurging can set you up for over-consumption. But how do we define over-consumption in caloric terms? What is the “cost” of eating your food splurge, anyway? For example, if your food splurge is a large ice cream sundae from Friendly’s, you should know that it is loaded with 1130 calories and requires a 130-pound woman to run for 90 minutes at 8minutes-per-mile pace to negate those calories. Or perhaps you’d prefer a taco salad from Taco Bell, which has a hefty 840 calories and requires a 155-pound man to cycle for 90 minutes at 14 mph to offset. It is important to know the caloric content of your splurge in order to determine whether it is really worth it. A recent client of mine had a dark chocolate addiction. She would regularly consume five heart-shaped chocolate candies every night after dinner. I informed her that this splurge contributed 226 calories to her daily caloric intake, which was about 10 percent of her daily needs. The strategy that we came up with to deal with her splurge was twofold. First, we did not take away her splurge; rather, we increased the enjoyment she got from each candy. Instead of eating five candies in five minutes, she began eating two candies in five minutes, savoring each candy and letting it melt in her mouth for a more lastingly pleasurable 108

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experience. Second, we cut down on the frequency of the splurge and substituted other post-meal treats, such as a cup of fresh fruit, to satisfy her post-dinner cravings. Not only are calories an important consideration when discussing splurges, but we must also examine the physiological effects of consuming some common splurge foods. Here are examples and the possible effects of over-consumption. Coffee drinks. Not only does a Venti Caramel Frappuccino from Starbucks contain 500 calories, but the caffeine also can be dehydrating to triathletes who are unaccustomed to it. (And it’s pure sugar!) Fruit juices, sodas, candy, chocolate. Unfortunately, these foods and beverages are all put into the same high-calorie grouping, as they are all high in sugar. Sugar splurges increase blood sugar, causing the pancreas to release a flood-like flow of insulin. As a result, the body switches to fat-storing mode. Fast food. Although some fast-food menu choices can fit into a healthful diet, most of it is very high in fat and sodium. Furthermore, fast food is typically made with poor-quality meats that can be tainted with hormones and other nasty stuff. Diet soda and diet juice. These beverages contain artificial sweeteners. Many triathletes consider them an excellent alternative to regular juice and soda because they are calorie free. However, despite being sugar free, these juices are known to stimulate a craving for additional sweet and sugary foods, potentially increasing future calorie consumption. Fat-free ice cream. Some triathletes go for fat-free ice cream and believe they are making a sensible choice. Although fat-free ice cream is truly free of fat, what triathletes may not know is that the ice cream is likely to be loaded with sugar and have nearly as many calories as the full-fat version. For example, the Breyer’s regular cookies-and-cream ice cream has 280 calories in 1 cup, and the Breyer’s fat-free cookies-and-cream ice cream has 220 calories in 1 cup. The calorie savings is relatively small. If you want to indulge in ice cream, and you’re going to enjoy the full-fat version more than the fat-free, I would recommend splurging on a small portion of the variety that is going to give you the most pleasure. Alcohol. Many triathletes do not realize that alcohol has calories that are stored as body fat. In fact, alcohol is more calorically dense than carbohydrates and protein, and nearly as calorie-dense as fat. Physiologically, alcohol impairs your central nervous system and slows your fine motor skills; it decreases the use of carbohydrates and protein by skeletal muscle, which leaves less fuel for your hard-working muscles; it weakens your immune system and slows your metabolism; and it can cause severe dehydration and fatigue. That said, a growing body of research has shown that those who consume one or two drinks a day have a significantly lower risk of heart disease and live substantially longer than non-drinkers.

THE PLAN If there is one piece of advice I regularly give to triathletes, no matter what the specific topic, it is to have a plan. Have a prerace fuel plan. Have a recovery nutrition plan. Have a holiday food plan. And, yes, have a food splurge plan. Here are some possible plan outlines: • Allow yourself one true splurge per week • Drink lots of water on splurge day to flush out any potential toxins that may be present in your splurge food • Splurge on a day that you are training, as rest days should be focused on proper nutrition to promote recovery

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In 2006 blueseventy launched the pointzero3 swimskin as a product of thinking about maximizing performance during non-wetsuit legal swims. Since then the pointzero3 was the very ﬁrst swimskin to be FINA approved, and has been the number one choice of swimskin by thousands – including triathlete and open water World Champions. For 2008 the pointzero3 has been updated to include a higher quality power lycra, hydrodynamic seam placement and now also comes in a longer leg style – the pointzero3+ for even further improved swim efﬁciency.

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• Make your splurge as “healthy” as possible; call it “sensible splurging” • Time the splurge to occur after a training session and/or healthy meal Here are nine tips to guide you through your splurge plan; follow them carefully: 1. Accept your splurge foods. Don’t feel guilty when you have them, but enjoy this simple pleasure in life, as indulgence is an occasional pleasure that we all require. However, you must splurge with full consciousness. Embrace and savor your splurge and fit it carefully into your diet. Know why you love your splurge. 2. Prepare the food yourself and go for flavor boosters. Instead of cheap grocery store brownies, go for homemade brownies with gourmet chocolates, local cream and fresh eggs. These homemade treats will taste better and are better for you. 3. Take time to taste the flavors. While slowly eating your splurge, consider all of the joyous flavors that are triggering the pleasure receptors in your brain and contemplate why you love this food. 4. Have a plan to be a conscious eater. This is a key piece of advice I regularly give to triathletes. Any food can fit into a healthy overall training diet as long as you have a plan. Plan to eat splurge foods on an occasional basis and only in moderation. 5. Go for quality, not quantity. Instead of hastily throwing five or six Munchkin donuts into your mouth at work, consider sitting down after dinner and having a small piece of homemade apple pie with a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt. You will enjoy this treat considerably more than downing donut holes. 6. Splurges don’t have to be high-calorie and high-fat bombs. Consider reaching for a handful of fresh local strawberries, or perhaps a fancy olive oil to drizzle on a tomato and mozzarella salad. 7. Compromise and save yourself a bunch of calories. To reap the pleasure benefits of a creamy frozen dessert, consider 110

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low-fat frozen yogurt instead of regular ice cream. If this does not appeal to you, then savor the full-fat version but be sure to eat a small portion. 8. Structure your splurge around activity. Allow yourself the pleasure of your food splurge but do it on a training day, not an off day. Further, go for a short walk afterward to speed up the digestion process and make yourself feel good after such an indulgence. 9. Splurge after a healthy meal. Heed this suggestion to prevent overeating your splurge. Bill Nadeau, M.S., R.D.E. is a Sports Nutrition Associate with Trismarter.com and has worked with athletes of all abilities in their personal quests to improve performance and overall health. Trismarter.com is an Internet-based triathlon coaching and sports nutrition service providing highly individualized training programs as well as professional sports nutrition services. Check out www.trismarter.com or call 917.825.1451 for more information on such innovative services as Training Fuel Strategies, Weight Management for Peak Performance and Menu Planning Solutions. REFERENCES 1. Armstrong L. Caffeine, body fluid-electrolyte balance, and exercise performance. Int J Sports Nutr and Exerc Metab. 2002;12:189-206. 2. Bellisle F and Drewnowski A. Intense sweeteners, energy intake and the control of body weight. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007;61(6):691-700. 3. Blundell JE and Green SM. Effect of sucrose and sweeteners on appetite and energy intake. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1996;Suppl 2:S12-S17. 4. Davy SR, Benes BA, and Driskell JA. Sex differences in dieting trends, eating habits, and nutrition beliefs of a group of midwestern college students. J Am Diet Assoc. 2006;106(10):1673-1677. 5. Lowe MR and Butryn ML. Hedonic hunger: a new dimension of appetite? Physiol Behav. 2007;91(4):432-439. 6. Position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and athletic performance. J Am Diet Assoc. 2000;100(12):1543-1556. 7. Ryan, M Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes. VeloPress, Boulder, CO; 2007. 8. Shirreffs SM and Maughan RJ. The effect of alcohol on athletic performance. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2006;5(4):192-196.

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ARE YOU LAZY? Many triathletes are held back by an unwillingness to do the difficult mental work required to evolve their training

By Matt F itzgerald

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Few triathletes think of themselves as lazy. And few triathletes actually are lazy—on a physical level. They are willing to devote tremendous amounts of time and energy to workouts, and to push through great suffering in pursuit of improvement. But a particular brand of mental laziness is quite common among triathletes. It’s a resistance to the difficult mental work of paying close attention to how their bodies respond to the hard physical work of training and creatively adjusting their future training to stimulate further improvement. Even within the sport’s hardcore ranks—those Kona slot chasers who train 20 hours a week—there is a common tendency to fall into a rut of training the same way week after week, month after month, year after year. After spending perhaps two seasons learning how to train, they develop a routine that becomes a comfort zone that, like all comfort zones, they fear to leave. After a couple of seasons spent sponging up training guidance wherever they can get it, they decide they “know what they’re doing” and close their minds to new ideas. What’s more, they never develop the positive habit of basing workout choices on a close assessment of their present needs and physical state. Instead they go from following training plans designed by others in those first two learning seasons to perhaps following plans of their own design thereafter—following them like divine commandments that cannot be defied regardless of their results. But is it really laziness that causes so many hard-working triathletes to train so brainlessly? I believe so. The human organism is inherently lazy. Overall, that’s a good thing. Our bodies were designed to waste no energy or other physiological resources. That’s why your muscles shrink and dismantle capillaries and why all kinds of other fitness adaptations reverse themselves when you stop training. The brain, which is of course the seat of the mind, is similarly lazy. For example, every time you have a novel experience, your brain modifies its structure very slightly to record it. If T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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that experience is repeated often, this change will become permanent. If it’s not repeated, the brain cells involved will either die off or be repurposed. Use it or lose it. The brain has a powerful capacity to manage novelty. This capacity has two sides. On the one hand, the brain is able to absorb novelty with breathtaking facility. For example, the brain of the average person can remodel itself enough to enable him or her to master a novel manual skill such as throwing a Frisbee within minutes of initial exposure. (Although the muscles are involved in this process, they obviously undergo no structural changes in this brief timeframe.) The other side of the brain’s novelty management entails limiting unnecessary exposure to novelty, since learning is a resource-intensive enterprise. For example, the brain naturally experiments with different ways of coordinating muscle movement when learning a new skill such as Frisbee throwing, but then locks into a single way (or at most a few closely related ways) of doing it once mastery has been gained. There might be a still better way, but there usually comes a point at which the brain unconsciously decides it “has the hang of it” and cuts off further exploration unless a conscious decision is made to continue refining technique programmatically.

I think you can see the parallel between motor skill acquisition (and by the way, the same pattern has been demonstrated in cyclists, with beginners showing a lot of “experimentation” in their muscle activation patterns and veterans showing far more consistency) and learning how to train for a sport such as triathlon. To be sure, moving from wildly varied experimentation toward consistency is beneficial in both of these developmental processes. But trouble comes when consistency becomes rigidity. There is evidence that athletes who have less “play” in their technique are more injury-prone than athletes who maintain a little extra variability in their form. The same pattern applies to the training process as a whole. If you get stuck in your ways—even if they are very effective ways—you will not improve to the same degree you would if you were continuously tweaking and refining your approach in small ways based on ongoing learning.

NATURE OR NURTURE? Some triathletes show more willingness to change their training than others. Are these athletes naturally more creative or risk-tolerant than the rest of us? If so, how can those of us who are naturally more conservative keep this nature from holding back our progress? Few people have spent more time studying the innovative mindset and how to nurture it than Dawna Markova, Ph.D., author of The Open Mind and an executive change consultant for Professional Thinking Partners. She explains, “Your brain 114

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can think in different ways. One way is very directed and focused. That’s left hemispheric thinking. Your brain also balances that way of thinking with right hemispheric thinking— that’s your creative, innovative, spiritual, wondering kind of thinking.” Research has shown that some people (musicians, writers, theoretical physicists) do naturally tend to use the right side of their brain more than the left, while others tend to naturally rely on the left side (engineers, doctors, business executives). However, Markova believes that our society manifests a general bias towards left-hemispheric thinking, pushing us to memorize and follow procedures instead of imagining and experimenting. “Where this applies to athletes is that if you don’t give your brain a chance to do that [that is, to imagine and experiment], you are in fact performing mindlessly,” Markova says. “The only way you can become mindful is to shift over to that wider, wondering, daydreaming way of thinking. If you stay rigid, what happens is your performance gets rigid. You can’t react to new challenges and new experiences. Nothing new comes.” Olympic gold medalist Simon Whitfield of Canada says that even in the elite ranks of triathlon the problem of rigidity is widespread. “There’s a classic line,” he says: “‘ I know what I’m doing.’ When I hear an athlete say that, particularly a pro, it’s like the kiss of death.” According to Whitfield, this attitude often surfaces when athletes reach age 26 or 27, a point when they have achieved some success and are just coming off the steepest part of the sport’s learning curve, and as a result they are “feeling their oats,” as the expression goes. “I think there’s a touch of arrogance in there,” Whitfield says when asked to identify the source of the I-knowwhat-I’m-doing mentality. “And I think there is a touch of laziness. It’s easy to fall into that trap. With it comes a lack of accountability [if you already know everything, then your training and its results are not subject to critique], and that’s very attractive to people, whether they want to admit it or not.” If even many pros are too lazy to change their training, how can you possibly avoid falling into the trap Whitfield speaks of—or climb out of it if you’re already neck-deep? Try the following three tactics: 1) Be a sponge; 2) Train and Learn; and 3) Know Thyself.

BE A SPONGE The athletes who do the best job of evolving their training over time are those who never stop studying various aspects of the sport and searching for new ideas wherever they can get them. I realized Simon Whitfield was such an athlete when he emailed me out of the blue (the two of us had never communicated before that moment) to tell me he was reading my latest book, Brain Training for Runners, and was interested in talking to me about incorporating some of its methods into his training. “I’m willing to pretend I’m dumb,” Whitfield explains. “I’m willing to sit with Hamish Carter, who’s a great old friend, and pick his brain and learn as much as I can. I avoid biasing the discussion with someone by constantly feeding my own ideas into

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Simon Grimmett/triathlon.org

I’m willing to pretend I’m dumb... I’m willing to sit with Hamish Carter, who’s a great old friend, and pick his brain and learn as much as I can. I avoid biasing the discussion with someone by constantly feeding my own ideas into it. I have stacks of little notes of things I’ve learned from people by playing ignorant a little bit.

”

it. I have stacks of little notes of things I’ve learned from people by playing ignorant a little bit.” Whitfield likes to tell a story that encapsulates his eagerness to learn from his peers. “In 1996 I was in France with Greg Bennett,” he says. “He had started training with Brett Sutton at the beginning of that year. It was a couple of days after [a World Cup] race, and I was rooming with him. He said, ‘Do you want to go for a run?’ I said, ‘No, I’m tired.’ So he went for a run, and what he didn’t realize was that he’d left his training log on the bed. I knew I had 45 minutes to frantically copy down as much as I could. I think that sort of spirit has stayed with me. I wasn’t so arrogant as to think I knew it already and didn’t need to know more.” 116

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No triathlete is too good or experienced to learn new ways to train, fuel, prepare mentally, utilize equipment and so forth. And once you reach a certain level of performance and experience, it is more or less impossible to improve without trying new things. You cannot and should not try everything, of course. You must absorb new ideas through a filter that separates the few ideas worth trying from the many that are not. But this is all the more reason to expose oneself to as many new ideas as possible.

TRAIN AND LEARN In the normal course of training, you are confronted with innumerable opportunities to learn about your body’. These les-

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sons can then be used to refine your regimen so that you do more of what works and less of what doesn’t. The best learning opportunities are those moments when you encounter unexpected problems that put you in a state of confusion. “When the brain makes a shift away from rigid, linear thinking (not that all linear thinking is rigid), it enters a state of confusion,” Markova says. “It goes from confusion then to curiosity, and from curiosity to wonder. Most of us interrupt our confusion. When we feel confused we push ourselves back into rigidity.” Instead, Markova says, we need to embrace our confusion and see where it leads us. When you embrace your confusion you become curious. You ask yourself, “What is going wrong here, and how can I fix it?” When you follow your curiosity you begin to wonder. You say to yourself, “I wonder what would happen if I tried to do X instead of Y?” Acting upon your wonder through exploration then leads to solutions and breakthroughs that could not happen if mental laziness got the better of you and you chose to ignore your confusion. Simon Whitfield experienced an important moment of confusion after his disappointing performance in the 2004 Olympics, and to his credit he did not ignore it. He began to doubt his approach to swim training. Instead of ignoring this doubt and “staying the course,” he presented his concerns to his coaches and together they explored possible adjustments. “With all the best intentions we had made our swimming program very complex,” Whitfield explains. “There were constant meetings among the three coaches on deck. There were charts and heart rates and lactate levels and test sets. There was an underwater camera. We had all of this knowledge. We had a theory. We had more meetings than you could shake a stick at. We had very bright people implementing it. Of course this was going to work. But at the end of the day it was just a failed model. I had been a major pusher of this approach. But a year after the Olympics I was able to swallow my pride and say that it was wrong. We had totally overcomplicated it. So we swim by the ‘keep it simple, stupid’ principle now.”

KNOW THYSELF Each triathlete is unique. Consequently, no two triathletes should train in precisely the same way. As 2:13 marathoner Keith Dowling said, “Some say there’s no magic formula. I say there is. It’s just that the magic is different for everyone.” To find your own magic formula you need to continuously study yourself. Look for patterns in how you recover from differ-

This process requires a sustained output of mental energy. It’s much easier to follow a program mindlessly than to analyze your body’s response to the program each day and adjust it as necessary. The best coaches assume this responsibility for their athletes. “What I do in camp is responsive coaching,” says Philippinesbased Aussie coach Brett Sutton, whose

ent types of workouts. Figure out the factors that tend to increase your motivation and those factors that have the opposite effect. Distinguish your physiological strengths and weaknesses. Use all of these observations to customize and refine your training to make it a better fit for the unique triathlete you are. T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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nature and his predilection for innovation, he must guard against changing direction too often in his training. He has relied on his former coach, Lance Watson, and his current coach, Joel Filliol, to keep him in check. “When I was younger,” he says, “I was always coming to Lance with every little thing I had read—kicking down his door and saying, ‘God damn it! Why aren’t you paying attention?’ Now I look back on it and think, ‘Geez, I threw a lot of stuff at him.’ Lance and Joel have both been frustrated with me at times, saying, ‘We can’t implement everything. We have to pick and choose.’ There’s no point in doing anything halfway.”

athletes include reigning Ironman world champion Chrissie Wellington.“What I try to teach an athlete is that the program is only a guide. But then you get into real coaching issues where some perceive their tiredness differently. A Loretta Harrop or Chrissie Wellington can be totally dead, but they walk out and just kill themselves if you don’t have your eyes on them and the brake switch in your hand. They will go till there is nothing left. But there are others who are always staying in the safety zone, and then there are those who live in the comfort zone all the time to avoid getting injured or feeling the bite of tiredness. So, to give each athlete optimal coaching in the same situation is going to require three different responses. These decisions are made on my instinct, or what they call ‘gut feel’ in Australia. You have to educate athletes about their traits.” As a self-coached athlete, you have to listen to your own gut instinct, educate yourself about your traits and evolve your training to account for them in the best way possible.

SMARTER, NOT HARDER

If you’re like most triathletes, you’re not afraid to swim, bike and run until you’re cross-eyed, day after day. Hard physical work comes easily to you. But for all-too-many triathletes, working harder is the solution to every problem. (Did you have a bad race? Train more!) Ironically, as we’ve seen, this tendency is symptomatic of a form of mental laziness. Working harder spares you from the less familiar challenge of seeking improvement instead by putting more thought into your training.

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

While triathletes are more likely to train too consistently than to change direction in their training too frequently, there are some who make the latter mistake. Sutton says he’s seen many of them in the professional ranks. “They are all out there looking for clues, so they change training concepts like I change underwear,” he says. Sutton advises triathletes to be very selective in choosing new methods to try, and to give each new method a full chance to prove itself. “In a sport with a coaching heritage, which triathlon doesn’t have, any change of tactic or technique is given a full season to mature,” he says. “Some coaches, including myself, give it two seasons.” Whitfield says that, given his creative 118

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Creating a habit of training mindfully is not easy. Indeed, it’s as difficult as building a daily exercise habit is for the average couch potato. But like exercise, training mindfully becomes increasingly comfortable and natural the more you do it. So get started now! |

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TRIALS

The Hy-Vee Triathlon overcame the disastrous floods of June to stage an ITU world cup and the dramatic final event of the US Olympic Trials in West Des Moines, Iowa. Award-winning photographer Delly Carr was on hand to capture the day with his camera. Photographs by Delly Carr/triathlon.org 120

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You wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know it by looking at the perfectly set-up transition area, grandstand, signage, and course markers, but the 2008 Hy-Vee Triathlon was in a state of chaos just days before it took place. Normally set in Des Moines, it had to be hastily moved to West Des Moines when record flooding rendered the original course unusable. Race officials reportedly nearly made the decision to run the race in its original location without a swim.

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The menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s race was a barn burner. With no significant breakaway taking hold on the bike, the leaders jelled into a 28man front pack, including some of the most accomplished names in Olympic triathlon: 200 gold medalist Simon Whitfield, 2006 world champion Tim Don, 2004 Olympic silver medalist Bevan Docherty and Australian great Greg Bennett. Last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hy-Vee winner Rasmus Henning was part of a five-man pack that sprinted to the front in the 10k running leg, along with Bennett, Docherty, Whitfield and Spaniar Ivan Rana.

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Winning the Hy-Vee triathlon means not only winning a world cup race but also a $200,000 first-place prize. Among the women vying for the big wad of cash was Helen Tucker of Great Britain, pictured here during the run. Tucker was fresh off her victory at the ITU world championships held earlier in June in Vancouver. She would finish third at HyVee, putting an exclamation point on her comeback after losing all of last year to an achilles tendon injury. Tucker will represent Great Britain at the Olympics.

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With the first two spots on the American Olympic squad taken by Matt Reed and Jarrod Shoemaker, Andy Potts fought Hunter Kemper for the final slot. Pictured here riding with Canadian Colin Jenkins, Potts would come up short on the day, finishing 30 seconds behind Kemper. Within a letter to his family, friends and supporters, Potts wrote, “The Olympics are very special to me and I am heartbroken not to be on the team...My career is certainly not over and, in fact, I think I have my best racing days ahead of me. I am going to need some time to think about what direction I want to take my career but rest assured I will continue to race from the front with all my heart.”

The scene in the transition area at the Hy-Vee World Cup took place in front of a grandstand full of cowbell-ringing, screaming fans. To call the World Cup transition hectic is a vast understatement: A loss of a few seconds can yield contact with a group, and strand an athlete in no-man’s land, where thousands of dollars can be lost; or worse, a spot missed on an Olympic team. Julie Ertel, Laura Bennett and Emma Moffatt are pictured here during the sketchy moment when triathletes seem to be flying in all different directions, all at once.

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Rasmus Henning of Denmark has made a fortune in his two starts at HyVee, winning both of the lucrative championships. The 2008 men’s race was especially dramatic: Henning made his move halfway through the run, building enough of a break to hang on for a mere 8-second victory over Bevan Docherty and Greg Bennett. “I don’t know what to say,” Henning told reporters after defending his title and earning a $200,000 paycheck. “I guess I added a bit to my bank account today.”

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No one was happier in West Des Moines than American Hunter Kemper. Kemper made his third Olympic triathlon team by overcoming a long series of injury setbacks, including chronic sacroilliac problems and, more recently, a hernia that was diagnosed in May and forced Kemper to withdraw from the world championships. Kemper suffered near misses in the first two Olympic team qualifiers, losing to Matt Reed by 30 seconds in April and Jarrod Shoemaker by 14 seconds last September. Kemper has proven to be one of the sportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fastest runners even when heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not 100 percent. If Kemper arrives in China in peak condition, keep an eye on him.

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1.5k swim, 42.5k bike, 10k run

June 22, 2008 West Des Moines, Iowa

RESULTS

2008 HY-VEE ITU TRIATHLON WORLD CUP AND US OLYMPIC TRIALS

And the winners are (from left to right): Bevan Docherty of New Zealand (2nd place), Emma Moffatt of Australia (2nd place), Emma Snowsill of Australia (1st place), Rasmus Henning of Denmark (1st place), Helen Tucker of Great Britain (3rd place), and Greg Bennett of Australia (3rd place).

ELITE MEN 1. Rasmus Henning DEN.........1:54:21 2. Bevan Docherty NZL ...........1:54:29 3. Greg Bennett AUS...............1:54:32 4. Ivan Rana ESP ....................1:54:41 5. Simon Whitfield CAN ..........1:54:49 6. Hunter Kemper USA............1:54:58 7. Alistair Brownlee GBR.........1:55:22 8. Andy Potts USA...................1:55:26 9. Dan Wilson AUS..................1:55:37 10. Hendrik De Villiers RSA ....1:55:38 T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

WOMEN 1. Emma Snowsill AUS............2:03:15 2. Emma Moffatt AUS .............2:04:35 3. Helen Tucker GBR ...............2:05:21 4. Laura Bennett USA .............2:05:30 5. Liz Blatchford GBR..............2:05:41 6. Sarah Haskins USA.............2:05:45 7. Julie Ertel USA....................2:07:12 8. Becky Lavelle USA ..............2:07:44 9. Sarah Groff USA .................2:08:57 10. Erin Densham AUS ...........2:08:59

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Australian great Emma Snowsill showed she was rounding into great form at Hy-Vee, unleashing her trademark running stride on the elite field and winning by nearly a minute and a half. Snowsill, a favorite to compete for the gold medal in Beijing, recently announced her engagement to Craig Walton, a former world champion. Said Snowsill, “I was a bit apprehensive about this race after having to pull out last year. I just wanted to make amends.” She was lucky to have a race to go to in 2008. Due to historic floods that devastated Iowa, Hy-Vee performed a miracle in moving the event from Des Moines to West Des Moines in a few days’ time.

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

How's Your Damage Control? Successful training and competition is dependent upon quick and complete recovery from the destructive stress of endurance exercise. Optimal recovery is a complex challenge involving three critical components: 1. Training Balance: Focus on Breakthrough Workouts with total recovery and optimize stress/rest cycles by always aligning workload with energy levels. (Download Mark Sisson's lauded endurance training book FREE at masterformula.com) 2. Nutritious Diet: Eat healthy, whole foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, animal flesh) and avoid excess sugar, refined carbs and processed fats. (Discover extensive details about eating healthier at marksdailyapple.com) 3. Supplementation: Deliver complete protection, immune boosting and ergogenic support with Damage Control Master Formula. Recognize your unique challenge of balancing a busy life with hard training and utilize the absolute finest total body nutrient support.

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Hard Training Can Be Hazardous To Your Health! Loads of recent studies confirm that optimal recovery goes beyond diet, beyond rest days and beyond sports nutrition bars, gels and drinks. The unrelenting stress of modern life coupled with ambitious endurance goals causes chronic depletion at the cellular level. My ten year process to research, create and provide Damage Control Master Formula to athletes across the planet (including numerous world champions) has been a mandate to solve this problem. The end result is a product that is simply the world's most potent and comprehensive supplement. At $129, it's not cheap (all told the component ingredients cost $370 to replicate in individual bottles) and it's not for everyone, but you owe it to yourself to take advantage of my risk free offer and enjoy the very best support you can get.

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ON THE RUN

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Robert Murphy/bluecreekphotography.com

TRAINING “Fail, it’s not in my dictionary. I’ve got a good dictionary up there and the words ‘fail’ and ‘failure’ have been ruled out for years. I don’t know what people who use those word are talking about. All I do know is ‘temporary non-success,’ even if I’ve got to wait another 20 years for what I’m after, and I try to put that into people, no matter what is their object in life.” [Percy Cerutty]

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DEAR COACH

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Secrets of the Fish How to incorporate a swim-emphasis phase into your training

By Paul Regensburg and Alister Russell

As you progress through your triathlon year, it is important to periodically evaluate your performance. Even the best plans need some tweaking here and there, and sometimes early-season results are not even close to the expectations you had for them back in November or December. Generally it is a good idea to slot time in your racing schedule to allow for a good mid-season training block. This is your chance to work on your “areas of need” and prepare to take your racing to another level. Mid-season is also a good time to focus on a specific discipline. Training balance among the three triathlon disciplines should not be the same throughout the year. Choose certain times in the season to work on specific aspects of your race. Most people have a tendency to take pleasure in the discipline that they perform best, and therefore tend to train with a little more focus and intensity in their area of proficiency. To guarantee well-rounded development, incorporate single-sport emphasis (block periodization) into your training. Many of the world’s best single-sport endurance athletes train twice per day. Elite runners and swimmers run or swim in the morning, refuel and rest, then go back for more. These athletes understand the benefits of training frequency. To improve on a certain discipline in triathlon, implement some singlesport rotations into your season. By focusing on one event at a time, in this case swimming, you will make your body adapt more quickly, and you will improve your overall technique, endurance and threshold fitness. Here are a few reasons to incorporate a swim-focus block into your training schedule: • You are under-performing or feel weak in the water, in general. • Your swim stroke needs some attention. • Despite a strong cardiovascular engine and good fitness, you are 138

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unable to hold an effective stroke in long workouts. • You need to increase your swimming base fitness. • You need to develop different aspects of your swimming fitness. So, how should you set up your swim-focus block? Set aside three to six weeks for this particular single-sport emphasis, depending on your race distance and the amount of time between key events. Start the block the week after your last A-priority race of the first half of the season. At this point you will build your triathlon training schedule around your swim focus, with 50 to 70 percent of your allotted training time spent in the pool. Maintain your bike and run fitness by training one to three times per week in each discipline. These sessions should be technically oriented, but should also include some intervals or short threshold efforts near race intensity. Do one cycling drill session in the trainer or on a flat piece of road, one running drill session, and one endurance set in each of these two disciplines as well. Following are two sample swim-focused weeks. The first is part of a three-week swim-emphasis phase, the second can be used in a separate three-week swim-emphasis phase or in the second half of a six-week phase. The workouts are generally designed for a moderately competitive triathlete preparing for Olympicdistance or Ironman 70.3 racing. So adjust them according to your goals. If you feel that you need to back things off, then do so. However, if you feel that you would like to add longer training times with more volume in the pool, proceed with caution and always remember to listen to your body. If you are serious about your goals and have many unanswered questions or concerns, consider hiring a coach to add some personal touches to specifically address your own individual strengths and needs.

SAMPLE WEEK 1 Do this type of training for two weeks, followed by a recovery week.

MONDAY (RECOVERY DAY): Drill/technique workout – working on body position and efficiency • Main set: 2 x 400 as: (25 kick on front, 25 kick on left, 25 kick on right, 25 swim) x 4, 1 minute recovery TUESDAY (STRENGTH DAY): Paddles and pull buoy • Main set: 8 x 300 (30 secs recovery) pull • Pull workouts are a great way to develop swim-specific strength, and should be part of every triathlon swim program. However, using paddles can be stressful on your shoulders, so if you have any concerns about using them you should consult with a coach who can evaluate your swim stroke. WEDNESDAY (AEROBIC DAY): Longer reps, moderate effort, focusing on great technique • Main set: 4-5 x 600-800 (1-minute recovery), depending on skill and fitness level THURSDAY (RECOVERY DAY): Full day off FRIDAY (RACE PACE DAY): • Main set: 20 x 100, 20 secs recovery • Swimming at race pace with shorter recoveries. Again, focusing on great stroke mechanics under pressure SATURDAY (AEROBIC EFFORT DAY): • Main set: 8–10 x 150, 20 secs recovery. • This is higher intensity swimming at 1.5-2 seconds per 100 faster than your 1500 race pace. SUNDAY (AEROBIC DAY): • Longer continuous swim 2-2.5k (or 20-30-minute continuous swim) either in a pool or in open water.

Sergio Ballivian

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LANE LINES SAMPLE WEEK 2 Do this type of training for two weeks, followed by a recovery week, as either a separate three-week swim-emphasis block or as the second-half of a six-week block.

MONDAY (RECOVERY DAY): Drill workout – Keep the intensity low and focus on performing the drills perfectly and swimming with a perfect stroke. • Main set: 12 x 50 as 25 drill/ 25 swim. 10 secs recovery • 6 x 100 as 25 drill / 75 swim (15 secs recovery) • 3 x 200 as 50 drill / 150 swim (20 secs recovery) TUESDAY (DOUBLE DAY): Swim #1: Easy aerobic swim • Main set: 3 x 500, 1-minute recovery, may be broken (e.g. each 500 is swim as 2 x 250 with 5 seconds recovery) Swim #2: LT swim • Main set: 10 x 150 (15 secs recovery) @ 1500m race pace WEDNESDAY (AEROBIC DAY): • Main set: 6 – 8 x 300-400, 30 secs recovery THURSDAY (RECOVERY DAY): Full day off FRIDAY (ANAEROBIC CAPACITY): • Main set: 6-8 x 200, 45 secs recovery, hard effort SATURDAY (STRENGTH DAY): Pull/ Paddles • Main set: 2 x 500 - 800 pull (1:30’ recovery) – more advanced swimmers may use paddles. SUNDAY (AEROBIC DAY): • Long repeats or, if the weather is still good, steady open-water swim

TRAINING

In all of the above workouts, your focus as always should be to maintain great stroke technique from start to finish. During this phase, the goal is to truly become a swimmer. Read about swimming, watch swimming technique DVDs, recruit a coach to evaluate your technique, and go to a pool and watch elite swimmers in order to get motivated to put more energy into improving your form and biomechanics in the sport. Pick a meaningful event to end your swim phase such as a triathlon, open-water swim race, masters meet or time trial. By participating in an individual sport competition, you will be able to learn a few tricks of the trade and will stay motivated throughout this longer single-sport focus. Also remember to build your training plan around your focus sport (swimming in this case) and plan your workouts on paper first. This will help you emphasize the focus-sport sessions, and show up rested and prepared for the key training sessions. During this sport-specific block you can learn a lot, improve, and take your swim fitness to places you haven’t been able to reach before. I have guided athletes of all abilities through this training approach, and even in the shorter, three-week swim-focus blocks I have seen many visible improvements in their overall fitness levels and technical skills. Paul Regensburg and Alister Russell are coaches at LifeSport, the “Official Coaches of Ironman”. Paul is an Olympic, Pan Am Games, and Ironman Coach and Team Manager. Alister is a senior coach at LifeSport, and has coached athletes from beginner to world championship athletes at all distances. Visit LifeSport.ca or contact coach@lifesport.ca for more information or coaching inquiries

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BIG RING 1. TRACK STANDS: It’s very simple: Try to balance on your bike without rolling forward or backward more than half a wheel rotation. If your bike is pointed uphill, this is easiest to do with your front foot at the 2 or 3 o’clock position while you’re standing out of the saddle so you can rock forward and back by adjusting your weight on that pedal. Pick out a grassy park and just be a kid again. If you fall over, oh well. Get back up and try again. 2. WATER BOTTLE PICKUPS: This is a great one to do after your track stands. Place your water bottle upright on the grass and then reach down and pick it up as you ride by. As you get better, try to go even slower, and for a bigger challenge lay the bottle on its side. While this isn’t something you’ll have to do in a race, it helps improve your body awareness to make you comfortable moving your body around on top of your bike. 3. THE SLOW ASCEND: Pick out a local climb that has some moderate obstacles and then purposely ride it slower than normal. As you start creeping and crawling over rocks and roots, you’ll start to see new lines, and you’ll see that with greater balance and control you can pedal over and around obstacles while maintaining a smoother and steadier effort level. Soon you’ll be able to use the same techniques but maintain a higher overall climbing speed because you’ll experience fewer extreme spikes in your power output (and subsequent drops for needed recovery) as trail conditions change.

Train Slow to Race Fast

Slowing down to practice balance and coordination skills will ultimately make you a faster off-road cyclist

By Adam Pulford, CTS Exper t Coach

Over the past year, several of the athletes I work with have broadened their triathlon horizons by venturing off-road into XTERRA or similar events. For the most part, on- and off-road triathlons are pretty similar. The swim is essentially the same, aside from the potential for some colder water or an extra obstacle in XTERRA. And while there are some differences between road and trail running, most athletes already spend at least some time running off-road while training. The biggest point of difference—and perhaps the greatest challenge to newbies—is swapping a tricked-out tri bike for a mountain bike. I recently went to an off-road triathlon to coach Trisha, one of the local XTERRA athletes I work with in Colorado. As I stood at various points along the mountain bike course, I saw clear signs that this was foreign territory for a lot of athletes. But Trisha and I had worked on some key mountain biking skills, and by T2 she was well ahead of several athletes she’s normally chasing, and she went on to record one of the best-ever results in her age group. As much as Trisha wants me to keep these tips between us, here are some of the ways she improved her mountain bike performance:

GOING UPHILL Low-speed balance is important to maintaining control and conserving energy as you go uphill on a mountain bike. The steeper and more technical the climb, the slower you’re going to go. When athletes lack confidence at low speeds, they overreact to obstacles like rocks or roots and charge at them in an effort to maintain speed and momentum. There’s a better way. Incorporate the following drills into your rides, and once you get comfortable with your balance, you’ll see you can conquer the same sections of trail without sending your heart rate through the roof. This means you’ll be faster when the trail opens up and have more energy once you get to the run. 140

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COMING BACK DOWN: LOOSEN UP TO GO FASTER Maybe triathlon just attracts athletes with controlling personalities, but at Trisha’s recent off-road triathlon I saw a lot of athletes fighting with their bikes as they came downhill instead of working with them. Unlike descending on a road or tri bike, going downhill on a mountain bike can be a lot of work. But you can reduce that workload and increase your speed if you learn to loosen up. LET THE BIKE DANCE A BIT: A smooth and fast descent is a little like dancing the salsa: you need to have some swing in your hips. You’ve been working on your balance, so don’t be afraid to move around on top of the bike and let the bike sway and lean a bit. You need to be firm and in control, but not rigid, in order to guide the bike through the fastest line downhill. PEDAL A BIG GEAR THROUGH ROUGH PATCHES: Your tires and suspension can keep you tracking straight through rough sections like small rock gardens and low roots if you are able to keep your momentum. Keep your weight back and use a big gear so you can maintain your speed with only a few pedal strokes. LIGHTEN YOUR GRIP: Maintain a firm grip on the bars, but try to resist the urge to hold on for dear life. When you whiteknuckle the handlebar, you’ll also tighten up your wrists, elbows, shoulders, and neck. Instead of cushioning the vibrations from the trail, this just amplifies them. Let your limbs absorb the bumps to give your torso and head a smoother ride. Not only is this more comfortable, but you’ll also be able to see better and focus on finding the best line. At the end of the day you have to go fast to get faster, but learning to go slowly first is an important step toward gaining necessary mountain biking skills and greater off-road riding efficiency. It paid off for Trisha, so see what it can do for you. Adam Pulford is an Expert Coach for Carmichael Training Systems, Inc. and an experienced endurance athlete who works with cyclists, triathletes, and runners of all abilities. For info on coaching, camps, and performance testing, visit www.trainright.com.

Nils Nilsen/XTERRA

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ON THE RUN

Training your respiratory muscles

Prevent muscle fatigue beyond your quads, calves and hamstrings

By Matt F itzgerald

In the final miles of a long run or triathlon run, your leg muscles become very tired. But your hamstrings, quadriceps and calves are not the only muscles that become fatigued during a hard run, nor are they necessarily the first muscles to bonk. Your respiratory muscles may also become tired. And to the degree that these muscles fatigue first, it is their fatigue— not that of your legs—that limits your performance. In fact, as your respiratory muscles begin to fatigue, your nervous system will redirect oxygen from the muscles of your limbs to those of your diaphragm to keep them going. Thus, during running your legs may fatigue because your respiratory muscles have begun to fatigue first—and to prevent these muscles from fatiguing to a dangerous extent. Every triathlete is aware that he or she breathes hard when running (or swimming or cycling) hard. But few pause to consider that hard breathing requires intense work by the respiratory muscles, which are just as susceptible to fatigue as other muscles. There is scientific evidence that suggests respiratory muscle fatigue is a limiting factor in endurance sports performance. What’s interesting is that these muscles may be trained independently of the rest of the body. You’re almost doing it right now, as you sit still and breathe. Naturally, everyday breathing is too easy to have a conditioning effect on your respiratory muscles, but when you inhale and/or exhale against resistance with a respiratory muscle training device, these muscles may be taxed even more than they are when you swim, bike and run. As a result, they become stronger and more fatigue-resistant and therefore less limiting in your triathlon performance. Some studies of respiratory muscle training have shown no performance benefit, but others have shown benefits in all three triathlon disciplines. I’m inclined to believe it may be most beneficial for running performance, as the body demands more oxygen during running than it does during swimming and cycling. Also, since the run is the last event in a triathlon, the respiratory muscles are most likely to become fatigued therein. Among the better studies showing a performance benefit resulting from respiratory muscle training was one conducted by exercise scientists from the University of Arizona. Twenty cyclists with an average VO2max of 56.0 ml/kg/min participated in the experiment. Half of them, representing an experimental group, performed 20 45-minute respiratory-muscle training sessions in addition to their regular bike training. Four others, representing a placebo group, performed 20 five-minute “sham” 142

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respiratory muscle-training sessions in addition to their regular bike training. The remaining six riders, representing a control group, just did their regular bike training. After completing the 20 sessions, members of the experimental group exhibited a 12-percent increase in their respiratory muscle endurance capacity. More important, their performance in a bicycle time trial designed to last approximately 40 minutes improved by 4.7 percent, with nine of the 10 subjects in this group showing some improvement. There were no improvements in either respiratory muscle endurance or timetrial performance in the placebo group or the control group. Experiments such as this one usually involve fancy and expensive respiratory muscle training devices normally used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. But there are some relatively inexpensive devices marketed primarily to athletes. The oldest and best known is PowerLung, which has been around since 1999 and currently sponsors the Slipstream professional cycling team. The folks at PowerLung were kind enough to send me their Trainer device recently (MSRP: $109) so I could try respiratory muscle training for myself. The PowerLung Trainer looks like an overbuilt plastic kazoo with a snorkel’s mouthpiece at the business end. It is almost as easy to use as a kazoo. One of two numbered adjustable twist knobs varies the amount of resistance the device imposes against inspiration (breathing in). The other knob varies the amount of resistance your expiratory (exhaling) efforts meet. In my first PowerLung session I just played around with these knobs and practiced breathing through the device until I felt I had found an appropriate starting level. Thereafter, in obedience to the literature that came with the PowerLung, I did two brief respiratory muscle training sessions per day: the first during my morning commute and the second during my afternoon commute. (Yes, I got more than a few strange looks from other drivers, but this was in San Diego, so most of the people who saw me driving with this overbuilt plastic kazoo sticking out of my mouth probably assumed I was just some surfer dude enjoying a newfangled water bong on his way to the beach.) Within a matter of days I began to notice a training effect. It became easier and easier to complete the same number of repetitions with the same amount of resistance, so I incrementally increased first the number of repetitions and then the resistance. It’s now been about eight weeks since I started using the PowerLung, and while the strength and endurance of my respiratory muscles are markedly improved, I still can’t say I’ve noticed an obvious improvement in my running performance resulting directly from these changes. There have been moments, however, in hard workouts when I have felt less limited by my capacity to draw air—when my lungs have seemed to be coasting along even as my legs have begged for mercy. But it could be a placebo effect, for all I know. When you’ve been an endurance athlete as long as I have, you have to start looking in out-of-the-way places for improvement. And it can be difficult to judge whether or to what degree a particular new out-of-the-way measure has contributed to any improvement you do experience. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith based on the results of controlled scientific studies showing that a particular tool or method really works. Such is the case with respiratory-muscle training. Several good studies have shown it enhances endurance performance when done properly. So if you’ve been a triathlete for some time and are already training as hard as you’re ever going to train, you might want to try respiratory muscle training.

Mario Cantu

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SPEED LAB (4 oC) fluids was more advantageous as it sped gastric emptying (GE) and therefore improved the availability of ingested fluids. More recent research, however, reveals that the GE rate of hot and cold beverages is not markedly different. Despite this, there may be advantages to chilled drinks. One, the palatability of most carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks is improved at low temperatures, and two, cool fluids help delay the point at which critical core body temperature will be reached.

What’s your opinion on tapering one’s training volume and intensity in preparation for races? For example, is it better to reduce one of these, both at the same time or at different times, and to what degree? Sarah Mills Federal Way, WA

DEAR SARAH,

On the benefits of chilled sports drinks and chilling out during the last few weeks before a race

DEAR SPEED LAB, Is there a physiological rationale or nutritional benefit to drinking a cool drink compared to a warm one? Paul Amery, San Antonio, TX

DEAR PAUL,

Early experimental evidence suggested that drinking chilled

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Much has been written about how to prepare months before an important race, but little has been written about how to taper (the easing-off period) in the weeks preceding the race. How you taper can hinder or benefit your race performance as much as your training. Athletes are gradually waking up to the idea that reducing their training (“tapering”) prior to races is a good idea, but major disagreements about exactly how to taper remain. There is considerable debate about whether one should reduce training volume (mileage) while maintaining training intensity (speed) during a tapering period, reduce training volume while increasing the intensity of the training session, or reduce both.

istockphoto.com

DEAR SPEED LAB,

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SPEED LAB An added concern is how much volume should be reduced: 25 percent, 50 percent, 75 percent, or some other percentage? The controversy also encompasses such questions as how often one should train (i.e. frequency), how long the actual tapering period should last, and whether different competitive events require dissimilar tapers. An additional concern about the exact specifications of the tapering period is that athletes fear they may lose fitness during a period of reduced training. Studies have revealed that drastically reducing frequency and volume of training during a taper period produced no problems. However, reductions in training intensity have led to compromised race performance. It appears that intensity is the key preserver of overall fitness during periods of reduced training. The question still remains whether average workout intensity should increase during the taper period or remain the same. In addition, how does frequency of training factor into the intensity equation? Would it be wise to take complete days off from training during a tapering period, or would it be best to train at least lightly every day? In addition to the confusion about intensity and frequency, many athletes are unconvinced when exercise physiologists suggest that volume should be reduced by two-thirds during a tapering period. Athletes are compulsive by nature and have a hard time believing that less training can make them stronger and faster. Therefore, in the athletic community tapering periods are kept as short as possible (days rather than weeks). If two to three weeks of reduced training seems drastic, bear in mind that training is a destructive process. For instance, when you run, you stress muscles, tendons and ligaments. Given time to heal, the slightly

TRAINING

damaged body parts respond by becoming stronger. However, during months of intensive training, they do not have time to recover properly. Tapering gives these micro-injuries a chance to heal, and it allows athletes to rebuild their mental energy and to focus on the race. With few exceptions, the physiological benefits of a hard workout usually donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t show up until at least seven to 10 days after the workout, a time period during which the body is adjusting and rebuilding itself after strenuous exercise. Scientific studies have shown that athletes who reduce their training by 90 percent during the tapering period, while maintaining frequency of intense workouts, reducing the actual interval time period and increasing the rest interval between intervals have exhibited increased muscle glycogen stores, increased glycolytic enzymes and higher blood volumes. An additional bonus for athletes using this 90-percent plan is that this type of taper consists of intervals close to race pace, which prepares athletes for the exact neuromuscular requirements of race day. As a result, their nervous and muscular systems learn to handle the required pace in an energy-efficient manner. On race day the athlete will settle into the goal race pace almost without thinking. To summarize the answer to your question, tapering works by boosting muscle glycogen stores, increasing aerobic enzymes, increasing blood volume, improving neuromuscular coordination, promoting the repair of micro-tears sustained in muscle and connective tissue, and enhancing mental focus. Athletes who do not structure a tapering period into their training program prior to a race do themselves a disservice. They cannot function at the highest possible level when it matters most.

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DEAR COACH Q: I would love to take a couple minutes in the transition areas and do some key stretches to loosen up for the next leg; any essentials? Thanks, Pete

We’re big proponents of stretching. We’ve even been known to frequent yoga classes. Yeah, we know, you think that yoga is a cult activity that involves incense, chanting and a lot of body odor. Not true. Yoga can be a great strength and flexibility activity that can add both performance and durability (read: injury prevention) to any triathlete’s training arsenal. Wait, what was the question again? Oh, that’s right, stretching in the transition area. The only essential stretch we ever needed in the transition area of a triathlon was

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

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A: PETE,

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DEAR COACH savasana, or depending on your yoga guru, “shavasana,” also known as the “corpse pose” that you sometimes do at the end of a yoga class. This is when you lie down on your back with your legs shoulder-width apart and arms at your sides, like a dead person, so you can soak up the beautiful feeling of complete inactivity and maybe even take a little nap before moving on to the next discipline. While this is more commonly used at the finish line of races, we’ve also found it to be helpful in transition during particularly difficult events. We like to think of it as the pause that refreshes. Don’t let well-meaning volunteers urge you to wake up and get moving. As long as you’re out of the way of other unenlightened athletes who rush around you in a panic to get from swim to bike and bike to run as quickly as possible, take as much time as you need, keeping in mind, of course, that there is a cut-off at most triathlon events. Okay, that stuff about corpse pose was a joke—but not really. You should do whatever’s necessary to get you through the day, and if this includes a little stretching in transition, fine. We’ve seen athletes come out of the water and not really need anything to get them on their way to the bike course, but when people get off the bike, all bets are off. Yes, we’ve seen all kinds of carnage in T 2. The classic is the “Quasimodo,” where an athlete comes charging out of the change tent on to the run course in exactly the same position he maintained on the bike. It’s really quite an amazing sight to witness. Granted, there are no aero-bars on which to rest his elbows, but there he is bent at the waist at a 90-degree angle with his arms swinging and

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neck hyper-extended so that he can get his eyes lined 20-feet forward to avoid any unexpected obstacles he might run into or trip over. If that description reminds you of how you feel during the transition runs, maybe a little stretching is in order to ensure you can assume a fully vertical posture when going on the run course. So, are there some “essentials?” Not really. It probably varies from one athlete to another but the most common stretch you’ll see triathletes do as they move from the bike to the run is simply standing and stretching their calves while still on the bike. You might also see some doing the “cat and camel” with their backs while coasting in the final couple of miles. This is done by standing with both legs straight, which also allows for a little calf stretch, and alternately arching and hyper-extending the back. It’s a good to loosening technique before getting off the bike and moving to the run. Honestly, we’re big fans of flexibility but recommend that you do this at the end of the day, when you’re warmed up and can spend some time to increase and maintain the range of motion of your various joints. Once the race begins, we suggest moving through the transitions in a calm but efficient manner. If time is of no concern, by all means, do some stretching to loosen your problem areas. But remember, it’s a race, and the transition area is the one place where you can gain “free time.” You don’t need to be fit but simply practiced in moving systematically from swim to bike and then from bike to run. Paul and Roch

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IN ENGLISH So, how does one break into the realm of the roadie and the group ride? The approach needs to be unobtrusive, gradual and systematic. Showing up with a fully decked out tri-bike and trisuit is not the way to go unnoticed and probably not the best way to introduce yourself. Group riders are a tough crowd to crack. Before you head out, it’s good advice to spend some time on a road bike. Get to a point where you feel very comfortable on the bike and then work up to riding in single and double pace lines. Once you feel good with a small group of riders, continue to work on maintaining a straight line and even speed, limiting the large gaps between you and the wheel in front of you. Also, learn to anticipate speed changes in the peloton and avoid alternately accelerating and braking your bike.

• Do not overreact. • Do not try to be cool and go “no hands” in the group. • Do not swerve to avoid something and take everyone down. • Do not point something out. Just call it out. • Do not to get a reputation. Cyclists tend to remember a bad rider. • Do not use a triathlon bike. Wheel out the tri-bike when the locals get to know and trust you as a rider. As you work toward becoming a regular on the group ride, I suggest you stay pretty low key, at least in the beginning. No one appreciates someone who goes off the front in the first few miles before the ride has really picked up. Hang back, observe for a while and sit in the main group. Get to know the route and the individual riders. Likely there will be a rider or two who will take a moment to inform you of the route, when the attacks occur or where there’s a major climb. Be calm and confident. Over a period of time, gradually progress your goals. For example, in the beginning, ride at the back of the group, and then do a few rides in the middle. Afterward, start moving up to the front, and later try a break. Last, enjoy the benefits of the group ride, do not be intimidated and go out there and give us triathletes a good name.

Learning the language of the group ride By Cliff English

Ah, the local group ride. The fancy bikes, slick ultralight wheelsets, cyclists dressed in matching team kits and, of course, the attitude — nothing gets me more fired up on a Saturday morning. Understandably, group rides can be a bit overwhelming, at times even a little intimidating. As a coach I have used group rides and bike races over the years to turn my triathletes into highly skilled and powerful cyclists. The merits are undeniable.

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Cliff English is a high-performance triathlon coach who has coached athletes to top finishes at ITU World Championships, ITU World cups, IM Kona, Clearwater 70.3, Chicago, Wildflower and many more. Since 1999, Cliff also has been Samantha McGlone’s personal coach. Stay posted for upcoming training camps and coaching services.

Courtesy Cliff English

HERE ARE SOME KEY DO-NOTS:

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Calgary, Alberta, Canada Western Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first and only Ironman 70.3 Triathlon!

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Spomedis/triathlon.org

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Wheel of Fortune By Mark Allen

A wheel, that thing that allows us to roll along almost effortlessly, is a good model for setting up your training. The hub is what holds it all together; just as your core swim, bike and run workouts are what support all the rest of your triathlon efforts. The spokes, certainly another key element to your wheel, can be thought of as the extras that enhance the power of your core efforts, which, if not developed in a very balanced way, will create strengths in some areas of your triathlon fitness wheel, but but also set up the exposure of weaknesses in other areas. These can be nutrition, mindset, rest and recovery as well as your strength training. Then there are the infamous rims. Your choices here are standard to aero to full-on disc. Along with your tires they are the final connection to the road, or as the saying goes, where the rubber meets the road. Metaphorically speaking, this is the final touch called a taper that enables all of your training and preparation to come together and roll effortlessly in that 150

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glorious eternal moment of a race. Then last but not least is the tire — light but not vulnerable is best. Just the right pressure is needed so that it doesn’t pop like a birthday balloon when you exit the water and find your party is no longer fun and games. This then becomes the in-race model that will serve you best: light but strong, fully charged (inflated) up but not so stiff that one cannot roll over a triathlon’s inevitable personal potholes without full deflation of self-confidence. Let’s look at some guideposts for each of these principles so that you can build your triathlon performance “wheel” from the hub out.

SWIM, BIKE, RUN No amount of visualization, no exotic piece of cycling equipment, no secret performance-enhancing nutritional supplement can compensate for a lack of these three basic core elements of getting ready for racing: swim, bike, run. It’s so obvious that we often forget the immense impact fitness can have on race day. But never let training amnesia overpower your logbook. Searching for a real secret to performance? Get out and train! How much you swim, bike and run is based on your personal fitness experience and the race distance that is your goal. How

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many days per week you train is usually determined by lifestyle more than anything. How much is too much is only going to be revealed when desire overrides your capacity to absorb this basic core of performance. All preparation for any race distance should be built on the hub of your key core workouts. The first is a weekly long endurance workout in each sport. The second is a shorter, faster-pace workout in each sport that in the base stage is aerobic and then transitions into speed or interval workouts as your races approach. Spokes that move out from this hub are, in order of importance: twice-weekly strength sessions, a moderate-length swim, bike and run that is approximately 1/2 to 2/3 the length of your longest weekly workout and the final fill-ins of short recovery days in each sport that are roughly 25 percent of the length of your longest days.

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EXAMPLES OF LONG WORKOUTS LONGEST WORKOUT

SPRINT

OLYMPIC

HALF IRONMAN

IRONMAN

1000-2500 yards

3000-4000 yards

3500-5000 yards

4000-6000 yards

BIKE

1.5-2 hours

2.5-4 hours

3.5-5 hours

5-7 hours

RUN

3/4-1 hour

1-1.5 hours

1.5-2 hours

2.5-3 hours

SWIM

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TRAINING The workout lengths listed in the table show the guideposts to work up to over the course of your buildup. The lowest values are good minimums to try to hit at least once in your training to be really prepared to tackle the distance. The higher numbers are for those building on an already healthy base of training experience who are trying to maximize their long-term performance. These peak numbers may be hit more than once in a buildup, but not more than about three or four times maximum.

MORE SPOKES In addition to adding workouts on top of the two core ones (long endurance and speed), another good addition is strength training. Two workouts a week that provide overall body strengthening will do the trick and can be two of the most important hours of training any endurance athlete can do. In fact, these are almost important enough to go under the core workout category. How you do your strengthening is going to be individual. Some will hit the traditional weights. Others will do core and balance-oriented strength work such as using balance balls or doing Pilates. The takeaway message here is just to do these sessions and add more strength to your overall race fitness wheel that you are building. Next up in the added spokes category is your nutrition. This encompasses your daily calorie total and overall food combinations and your race-day fueling plan. Healthy food makes a healthy body. As an endurance athlete you can actually get away with lots of bad habits (eating tons of carbs, junk food, and big volumes) just because your body becomes an incinerator. But why waste that precious body energy metabolizing junk? Wellrounded meals, frequent stops at the trough, good oils, protein in each meal and smaller nutrition snacks are the right call. For your race, develop a plan to get enough calories and fluid to sustain your effort. What you need is again going to be individual. But the basics are that in any race over about 1.5-2 hours you will need calories and in hot weather you will need fluids in almost any distance. Start experimenting with roughly 300-500 calories per hour and about 30-40oz of fluid. Test your theories in long workouts and see how your body responds. Last are the real extras: better bikes, lighter and more aero wheels, lighter shoes, an endless supply of supplements, your sports psychologist, massage therapist and so on. Each one of these and the thousands of other things that I didn’t mention can eventually add up to being the final piece that pushed the scales in your favor when weighing in on your chance of a PR or an agegroup podium finish or a slot to a championship race. So none should be underestimated or undervalued, because you know that just about everyone shooting for the stars will also be going down the same list of possible performance tools. But again, only attend to these when you are sure that your core hub of training is sound.

Recall that in our wheel model of triathlon preparation the rim represents the taper. It’s that unique time in a triathlete’s life when he or she is asking the body to do less, not more. It’s when all the hard work gets to finally settle in, but it only does so when you settle down. It’s when your Type AAA personality is going to fight you tooth and nail to avoid what is necessary: putting your feet up once in a while instead of having them pound out a few more miles. The perfect taper is about four weeks in length. What this means is that with four weeks to go to your biggest race, start cutting down the overall volume of your weekly training by about 20 152

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THE RIM

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percent each week. It isn’t a call to do nothing for four weeks, but rather to gradually cut back as race day approaches. For example, if your longest ride of your buildup is a 5-hour ride, then four weeks out ride about 4 hours, three weeks out go about 3-3:15, and two weeks out, ride 2.5-3 hours. With this plan comes a directive to get more sleep, keep other commitments minimized, and reduce life stress as best you can. This all adds strength to your fitness rim and gets you ready to race. Most of all, during your taper resist the temptation to just keep testing your fitness with one last long hard fast workout. You get to do that on race day.

COMPLETE THE WHEEL OF RACE FITNESS The real test of it all comes on race day. Not until then will you really know if you did it all right or not. And even then, you may have built everything up perfectly, but then forgotten to “inflate’ to the right pressure and thus end up with a mental flat when the course gets rough. Here is a mantra that can help you out: be steady yet flexible. This means have your race plan in mind, but be ready to adjust, adapt or completely abandon it if the race dynamic dictates it. Steady yet flexible. The steady part means to keep your wits about you and to just take what comes without getting wigged out about it. A race is going to be full of challenge. Deal with each one as it shows up. The challenges may come in forms you never expected. This is where the flexibility comes it. It’s thinking and responding on the fly. Training is controlled. Racing is not. But what is always within your control is your response to what happens. The right “pressure” that allows you to roll over the big holes without ‘deflating” comes when the mind is filled with that one thought—steady yet flexible. Your wheel is now complete. Best of luck with your race! Mark Allen is the six-time winner of the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. He uses the stories of his journey to the top of the toughest one-day sporting event in the world as the backdrop for speeches to companies worldwide. For information about Mark’s speaking availability, please call 1-800-994-5306. Based in Santa Cruz, California, Mark has a state of the art online triathlon training program at: www.markallenonline.com. On this site you can receive fully customized training programs that last twelve to twenty weeks. Each training schedule is based on your fitness history, age and racing goals. Mark co-teaches a workshop titled Fit Body Fit Soul with Brant Secunda who is a shaman,

Dance of the Deer Foundation at 831475-9560 or go to www.shamanism.com. He has also worked with infinIT Nutrition to develop a real world sports drink (Mark Allen Fluid Energizer) that works in the real world of heat and endurance racing. You can now order it by going to: www.markallenonline.com and clicking on “Links”.

healer, and ceremonial leader in the Huichol Indian tradition. In this unique workshop the themes of having a Fit Body and a Fit Soul are explored and integrated together to give people a blueprint for fitness on all levels and for the healing of body, heart, and spirit. For more information on the next Fit Body Fit Soul seminar please call: The T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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True Faith By Jamie Whitmore

“Faith is easy to come by when you know the outcome, but the true test of faith is when you don’t know what will happen” The past two weeks have been especially difficult for me. I was told that in my current condition running may never be possible, and it would be easier if I didn’t have a foot. That was not something I wanted to hear. My trip in May to Temecula for the XTERRA West Championship was bittersweet. It was great to see everyone and to feel “a little normal” for once since my life was turned upside down. I was glad I went because I had a chance to talk with friends and let people see me in person. Many had no clue of the extent of my “illness.” Most thought since the tumor was successfully removed that I was in the clear. Boy, you should have seen the looks on their faces! But then there were others who couldn’t believe how great I looked. I guess it just depended on how one saw my situation. Watching the race was quite different for me. I have always been on the other side, not the sideline. I’m not going to lie; it was a little hard to swallow, but when the gun went off and the temperature reached 100 degrees, I was happy to cheer on the racers and give splits. I think the hardest part was seeing Melanie McQuaid come into transition off the bike and know I wasn’t going to try to run her down. My Dad and I walked up to the finish line area so I could get out of the sun and watch people run in. It was at that moment that I had the strongest desire to return to racing. It was also nice to sit and talk with Melanie after she crossed the finish line in first place. She has been a huge support 154

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through this incredibly difficult time. In fact, those who I least expected to be there have been there the most. I am still in pain. I was crying up a storm with my Dad, praying God would give me the strength to endure this trial or have mercy on me. For so long I have been in pain, and not knowing what is going to happen next has been frustrating. I am starting to lose sleep again, and I like to sleep. Sleep is when the body can heal itself. If I can’t get the rest I need, then how is my body supposed to heal? When I thought I couldn’t take any more I opened up my computer to check my emails and as I read them I knew God had sent me the strength I needed to get through one more night. I found comfort reading the words of those emails. When I was in the hospital (I think the second time) I didn’t know what was going on. I remember calling my Dad and balling my eyes out. I was scared. No one knew what I had or how to go about getting it out. My Dad told me to have a little faith. He told me all I needed was faith the size of a mustard seed and I could move a mountain. I dried the tears rolling down my cheeks and asked if he could bring me a mustard seed. When my Dad came to relieve my husband, Courtney, he handed me a small box. I opened it and inside found a cross on a chain. I asked my Dad whom this was from. He looked at me and replied, “Me, you ding-dong! It’s the mustard seed you wanted.” As I looked closer at the cross I saw that, sure enough, there in the middle was a mustard seed. I smiled. The greatest faith comes when you don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I am at a place in my life where I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. I don’t know if I will wake up and be healed. I don’t know if I will ever race again. I don’t even know if I will need to go through chemo after my radiation treatments. The one thing I do know is that I only need faith the size of a mustard seed! Editor’s Note: Jamie Whitmore is XTERRA’s all-time winningest athlete with 37 career championship race victories including the 2004 World Championship and five U.S. Pro Series titles. On March 28 of this year, Jamie underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor the size of a baseball from her leg and after nearly 10 hours of surgery, the tumor was successfully removed. However, collateral nerve damage rendered her unable to use her left foot. At the time this article was written, Jamie had started radiation treatment, and it was still unclear whether chemotherapy would be necessary. Her doctors have told her it could take years for the nerve damage to subside, if it ever does. The global XTERRA community and many others have rallied to support her. To help, visit jamiewhitmore.com.

Rich Cruse

XTERRA ZONE

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winner photos courtesty of asiphoto.com, top photo courtesy of Bill Cain

Congratulations to all the participants of the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon presented by Suzuki

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UK JOURNAL

Third Time’s a Charm

Tim Don has done it all in triathlon, but the one prize that has eluded him is an Olympic medal, which he plans to change this summer in Beijing.

By Jay Prasuhn

He won an ITU world title in Lausanne two years ago. He has four national titles to his name. Five ITU World Cup wins. A world aquathon title. He’s made two Olympic appearances. Most athletes on the ITU circuit would kill to have the career scorecard Tim Don has amassed.

However, on his third Olympic foray, the Beijing Games this summer, Great Britain’s top short-course racer, Tim Don, is resolute. He won’t be content to finish 10th, as he did in Sydney in 2000, or 17th, as he did in 2004 in Athens. It’s not about just being there anymore. He has bided his time, learned from a few mistakes along the way, and is looking for a greater payoff: a T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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place on the podium. Call it veteran panache, call it wisdom. Whatever it is, Don has it. “I guess at the time you think you’re smarter, but you’re never too old to learn,” Don says. “I think I will be more aware of the pitfalls of the Olympics, and I have a great team around me for support and encouragement when it’s needed. I’m really looking forward to going to Beijing and giving it my best performance.” While he speaks as a veteran and has been competing since age 14 and as a pro since 1999, he’s still only 30 years old, and finds himself at the top of his game. And racing smarter as a 160

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result. Earlier this year, he was the world’s No. 1 in the ITU points race. He has since ceded that spot in the cross hairs to Spaniard Javier Gomez, but is still maintaining his high ranking in third. He also frontloaded his season with races and skipped the Vancouver World Championships. If there was a time to bring things down, it’s just ahead of the Olympics. “I was never going to do world champs this year as it would have been to much travel,” Don says. “I did a lot of early world cups to get ready for Madrid, our selection race. I need to get another solid block of training in (for Madrid).” He (and the British Triathlon Federation) is also doing all the right things ahead of the Games, particularly avoiding injuries and staying clear of that Beijing smog, which has been a concern for many. “I think consistency of training is the key for me to have good races, but you are always going to have little niggles, so it is a case of not panicking and using the team support around me when I need it,” Don says. And of the air quality issue? “We’re flying in four days before the race to avoid the air quality issues,” he says, “but the triathlon is about 45km out of the city, so it is not too bad.” Don’s arrival as a true favorite to medal has not been without its dramas. Two years ago, Don was called upon for three unannounced out-ofcompetition drug tests. While rules state that athletes are to be present at the location on a pre-submitted form at any time, Don let his whereabouts requirement lapse. When the officials came knocking, he wasn’t home, having simply forgotten about his responsibility. He was subsequently slapped with a three-month ban for missing doping tests—Don contends it was an honest mistake, and one he won’t make again. “Obviously it was a big blow to sit out for three months, but those are the rules for the U.K.,” Don says. “The system is fairer and easier to use, now that they’ve ironed out all the bugs, so that makes it better.” With a new laptop to track his whereabouts now, he has his dates impeccably marked, with one date triple-circled: August 19, in Beijing. And with a career of accomplishment and two Olympic entries in his back pocket, he figures the third time’s a charm. “I like the course,” he says. “With it being a small field, a tough bike and also the heat and humidity playing a big part, I think the winner will be a true champ.”

Elizabeth Kreutz/kreutzphotography.com

UK JOURNAL

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Inside the Olympic Trials Triathlon by Samantha McGlone

On August 18 and 19, in Beijing, China, 110 athletes will vie for six medals in the 2008 men’s and women’s Olympic triathlons. The stakes could not be higher. Mere seconds will separate gold from silver, and bronze from no medal at all. For those who are unfamiliar with draft-legal, Olympic-style racing, here is a short primer on what to watch for as the race unfolds. First, draft-legal does not mean easier. To imply that drafting is less difficult because athletes can just “sit in the pack” on the bike is like saying that the Tour de France is a piece of cake because each rider can draft 200 other riders. The bike leg is fast and technical, similar to riding an all-out, one-hour criterium sandwiched between a 1500m swim time trial and a 10km road race. The most intense part of the race is the swim start. (I still get cold sweats anytime I hear the sound of an air-horn.) It is a 162

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ruthless fight for survival from the beginning. Those who do not make it out of the transition with the first bike group often have no chance to catch up. And it only gets harder from here. Just 10 seconds lost on the swim can mean the difference between Olympic glory and a 40th-place finish, and everyone knows it, which is why most ITU athletes spend a disproportionate amount of training time in the pool (5-7km workouts, six days a week). However, an early lead out of the water hardly guarantees a top placing. As a wise sage of the sport once said, “Swim for show, run for dough.” The swim is not a place where the race can be won, but it can certainly be lost there. Transition 1 is utter mayhem; the swim packs are so big now that often 50 or 60 people will exit the water almost simultaneously. There is no room for error in transition. Most of the athletes get in and out in a matter of seconds, and missing the front bike pack can turn two seconds out of the water into a two-minute deficit heading out for the run. As I mentioned above, the World Cup and Olympic bike courses are technical and the pack speeds vary from fast to ridiculously fast. Everyone is riding hard as the “swimmers” try to stay away from the “runners,” and the “runners” try to make up time on the early leaders. Occasionally there are certain people in the pack who try to avoid doing their share of the work in order to save energy for a fast run. This tactic tends to aggravate the riders who are pulling at the front, but it is perfectly legal. The others will do their best to “encourage” the slackers to take a turn. This is where the men’s and women’s races differ. The women yell positive encouragement and offer idealistic “let’s all share the work” motivation, whereas the men are more likely to swear and physically threaten the slackers to get a move on. In general, neither of these tactics will work on someone who is determined not to take a pull, so all that yelling just wastes valuable oxygen. This can be a frustrating aspect of the sport but it’s one that makes for exciting tactics as people try to break away from the pack or drop the “dead wood.” T2 is, like T1, a scene of utter pandemonium. Since most races are now won or lost in sprint finishes, a quick transition is critical. The men’s contenders will open up with a 4:40 first mile and then afterward hang on at sub-5-minute miles. The women’s winner will most likely run 33 minutes. The top athletes no longer have any weaknesses; the Olympic medalists will swim in the front pack, ride with the leaders and then lay down a 30-minute 10k, and the race will still be decided by only a matter of seconds. The depth in triathlon is that great now. There are heavy gold-medal favorites—Spain’s Javier Gomez and Portugal’s Vanessa Fernandes—but anything can happen in an Olympic triathlon. Realistically, any one of 20 men and 20 women could win. It will all come down to two hours on race day to determine whether the endless dreaming, training and competing ends in heartbreak or glory in Beijing. Let the games begin!

Robert Murphy/bluecreekphotography.com

TICKET PUNCH

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Litespeed Icon

In a world ruled by carbon, the $3,500 Icon reminds us why ti just won’t die.

Courtesy the manufacturer

ly) $3,500 (frameset on

By Brad Culp

Here are a few design highlights: Litespeed’s exclusive G.E.T (Geometric Enhanced Design) top tube. The tubing goes through a four-step process—swaged, drawn, ovalized and machined— to create out-of-this-world stiffness and responsive handling. The offset seat tube creates a larger bottom bracket contact area, making a super-stiff, tube-bracket junction. 164

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Courtesy the manufacturer

The element titanium derives its name from the mighty Titans of Greek mythology and with good reason—this stuff is damn tough. Ti was used to build everything from spacecraft to missiles to bicycles (perhaps the least cool of its applications). What makes ti ideal for bike-builders is its incredible strength-to-weight ratio. No one takes better advantage of this feature than Litespeed, which has been building titanium rockets for almost three decades. The 2008 Litespeed Icon is everything a ti bike should be—stiff, durable and ridiculously light. Our size small frame weighed only 2.53 pounds. Build it up with a Dura-Ace group and a pair of Fulcrum Racing 1 wheels (as we did) and you’ve got a 16-pound featherweight for $6,600. At first glance we had a hard time believing that the Icon is actually Litespeed’s third-best bike (behind the Archon and Ghisallo).

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TRIATHLETE’S GARAGE

The bi-planar stays are designed to deliver stiffness specific to the drive side and non-drive side of the bike. Basically, the stays are shaped differently to account for the differing forces. The downtube uses bi-axial shaping to increase the stiffness of the titanium, allowing Litespeed to use less material and minimize weight. Okay, so all that technology is great, but what really blew us away was the way the Icon handled. The light and stiff tubing makes the Icon responsive to even the slightest shift in weight. You’ll especially appreciate this when you’re carving tight corners or weaving in and out of city traffic. Aside from the nimble handling, the other highlight is the power transfer of the bottom bracket—something for which Litespeed bikes are renown. The BB is tighter than a New York

City accountant and that stiffness pays huge dividends when you point the Icon uphill or when you’re going for the win at your local town-line sprint. So, is the Icon right for you? Well, that depends on the rider. When it comes to tri bikes, we believe carbon reigns supreme, as its properties allow the frames to be shaped into a more aerodynamic profile. However, when it comes to your training bike, it’s simply a matter of rider preference. Our suggestion: Find a local Litespeed dealer and give the Icon a go. Then, jump on a carbon bike so you can feel the difference. In our experience, the bigger the rider, the more likely she or he is to choose ti over carbon. So, if you’re looking for a solid training rig, maybe it’s time to give ti a try. Learn more at litespeed.com T R I AT H L E T E M A G . C O M

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GEAR BAG

Need something new? 18 new products for the tri-shopoholic

By Brad Culp

A decade or two ago, being a triathlete meant all you needed was a Speedo, an aluminum Vitus and a pair of old tennis shoes. While you could still get by with such antique equipment, you’ll lose some serious “cred” in the transition area. Nowadays, new products are introduced into the tri market almost daily and this month we’ve got 18 for you to check out. There’s everything from odor-eliminating laundry detergent to an electronic shark repellent—yes, an electronic shark repellent.

Gelrilla Grip $20 Indo Board Original Training Package $124

A training tool to improve balance and stability. If you’re bored of the same old cross-training exercises, try performing them on the Indo Board to spice things up. The Indo Board will make even the most basic exercise extremely difficult. Be sure to wear your bike helmet the first time you try the roller—we learned that the hard way. Each package comes with the deck, roller and balance cushion. indoboard.com

It’s not that we have anything against electrical tape, but there’s something a little wrong with sticking tape to your multi-thousand-dollar ride. Gelrilla Grip lets you secure four energy gels to your top tube without going through an entire roll of tape. The device is compact, aerodynamic and about as easy to install as a bar-end plug. gelrillagrip.com

BSN Axis-HT $75 (20 day supply)

Boost your testosterone without doping. Axis-HT’s nutrient blend helps support natural testosterone production, which is increasingly important as men age. What we enjoyed most was the subtle energy boost without the drop that we often find in caffeinated products. bsnonline.net

Enduring is the first line of sunglasses to be designed specifically for women. Each of the new Enduring shades has a fit that is optimized for the subtle differences in a woman’s facial geometry. On top of the new fit, the Enduring shades have all the features that athletes have come to expect from Oakley, including adaptable lenses, smudge-resistant clarity and top-notch impact protection. oakley.com

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Images courtesy the manufacturers

Oakley Enduring $155-$255

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GEAR BAG ZICO Coconut Water $26 (12 servings)

Images courtesy the manufacturers

In a world of ultra-processed sports drinks, Zico is a refreshing alternative (pun intended). Zico is great for people who don’t like the taste of coconut water, since it comes in mango or passion fruit-orange flavors. You still get all the health benefits of potassium-packed coconut water without feeling like you’re drinking coconut water. zico.com

Continental Ultra Gatorskin 25C Foldable $50 (per tire)

The boys at Conti sent us a pair of these 25C monsters and dared us to get a flat. So far, we’ve been flat free for over three months and 2,500 miles—no joke. The slightly wider tire (than traditional 23C tires) provides less road deflection and fewer flats. It’s the ultimate training tire for putting in the big miles. conti-online.com

Action Wipes $9.50 (15 wipes)

Head out for a lunchtime ride without worrying about stinking up the office when you get back. Action Wipes are made with aromatherapy oils like tea tree and eucalyptus, which clean pores, remove bacteria and keep you smelling fresh. One is big enough to wipe down your entire body. actionwipes.com

Active Spoke Full Kit $199

Lighter rims are better, right? Yes, except when you’re bombing downhill. Active Spokes can turn your ultra-light rim into a burly wheel on the downhills, without adding much weight on the ascents. The spring loaded weights, which attach to bladed or rounded spokes, increase inertia on downhills by shifting the weights toward the outside of the rim. Likewise, when you head uphill and your rim speed slows, the weights shift toward the hub, decreasing inertia. They’re ideal for rolling courses with zero net elevation (like an out-and-back course). Field tests showed an advantage of about five seconds per mile over conventional rims (results will vary with course profile). They’re relatively easy to install and should only take about 40 minutes per rim. activespoke.com

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GEAR BAG Synergy Hybrid Wetsuit $499

Synergy, a relative unknown in the wetsuit market, has blended together some of the most unique features from other wetsuit manufacturers into one seriously high-tech suit. First, there’s the Aerodome neoprene across the front panels, which traps air and increases buoyancy. Taking the drag down another notch is the nano SCS silicone coating, which covers the entire suit. It’s one of the most buoyant suits on the market and perfect for triathletes looking for a little extra confidence during the opening leg. synergysport.com

Tifosi Vogel $40

Delta Cycle Braque Multi-Sport Garage Storage Rack $150

It’s no secret that triathletes have a lot of stuff. All those bikes, wetsuits, wheels, helmets and shoes take up a ton of space. The Braque storage rack is the ultimate tool for keeping your gear compact and stowed away in a corner of your garage. The rack holds two bikes and there’s more than enough room for every piece of gear you own. Assembly is relatively easy and shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes. theartofstorage.com

Triathlon Geek Training Programs $13-$25

Shark Shield 7 $649

No, this isn’t a joke. For some reason sharks are angry with humans and there’s no denying that attacks are on the rise. Sure, your chances of being eaten by a shark are still less than being killed by a falling vending machine (again, not a joke), but they are out there. If you’re looking to buy a little peace of mind, look no further than the Shark Shield. The 335gram device attaches to your ankle while you swim and emits electrodes that are tuned to turn sharks away. Does it work? We can’t guarantee it, but it does make swimming in shark-infested waters just a little less terrifying. omerdiving.com

Veteran triathlon coach Julian Dean realizes that online coaching is getting outrageously expensive. Instead of creating another high-priced training program, Dean developed a series of affordable programs for all types of athletes. For less than the cost of a new tire, you can have access to a complete 37-week Ironman program. The programs are available for five distances (sprint, Olympic, half-Ironman, Ironman and XTERRA) and three levels (beginner, elite, pro). triathlongeek.com 168

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Images courtesy the manufacturers

They may not be the coolest looking shades on the planet, but they may be the most functional when it comes to cycling. The frame-less design means there’s nothing to obstruct your view when you’re in the optimal TT position. The Vogels also feature Tifosi’s EC Fototec lenses, which lighten and darken with sun exposure and provide incredible contrast (a big plus for mountain biking). And they only weigh 22 grams—that’s 10 grams less than a pack of GU. tifosi.com

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GEAR BAG WIN High Performance Sports Detergent $7 (21 oz. bottle)

Sure, moisture-wicking fabrics are great when you’re out on the road, but the downside is that the moisture is wicked from your skin and embedded in the fiber. The result, as every triathlete knows, is some seriously stinky clothes. WIN Detergent is formulated specifically to remove embedded sweat and odor from your high-tech gear— and it works, so well, in fact, that it’s in the laundry room of the U.S. Olympic Training Centers in Colorado and California. sweatlifter.com

Stuffitts $10

A pair of cycling shoes may, in fact, be the most awful smelling thing on the planet. Keep your riding (and running) kicks dry and smelling like new with Stuffitts. They’re made of 100 percent cedar shavings, which absorb moisture and eat up funky scents. stuffitts.com

H2O Audio iN3 Waterproof iPod Case (Nano-3nd generation) $80 and H3 Waterproof Headphones $50

iPods are made to go anywhere— except underwater—but H2O Audio has solved that problem. Its newest waterproof case is designed for the 3rd generation Nano, providing access to your entire playlist while you suffer through a grueling swim session. The unique Commander Scroll Wheel lets you control the iPod Click Wheel while it’s submerged. h2oaudio.com

Demos Tread Watch $175

Splits59 Plum Aria Run Tight $120

Splits59, a newcomer to the tri market, has released a complete line of women’s training and racing clothing. The Plum Aria Run Tights were our favorite and they’re definitely worth a try if you’re tired of chaffing. There’s absolutely no rubbing or bunching, which means the only discomfort you’ll feel is in your muscles— right where you’re supposed to feel it. splits59.com

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Images courtesy the manufacturers

Show off your love for the open road even when you’re not on the open road. The band of the Tread’s band is designed to look like a bicycle tire tread and the steel body completes the rugged look. demoswatch.com

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Brad Culp

AT THE RACES

Andy Potts and Leanda Cave at the awards stand in San Francisco’s Marina Green.

It’s a new year, but it was a familiar result at the Accenture Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon, as American Andy Potts and Brit Leanda Cave picked up repeat wins in the San Francisco Bay. Potts held off surging Kiwi Graham O’Grady to win by 35 seconds, while Cave edged out American Becky Lavelle by only 15 seconds. The 28th annual event kicked off with a bone-chilling 1.5-mile swim under clear skies in the Bay — a welcome reprieve for athletes accustomed to dense fog and cool temperatures at the race. More than 2,000 athletes took the traditional plunge from the San Francisco Belle ferry, anchored just off the rocky cliffs of the infamous Alcatraz Island Prison. The top pro men flew through the 53-degree waters, led by French super-swimmer Benjamin Sanson, who made it back to the beach in 24:59. Potts was second to exit the Bay, followed closely by up-and-coming American Matt Chrabot. Potts elected to go barefoot during the one-mile run from the swim exit at Marina Green to T1 and made it onto the bike with a small gap on the rest of the contenders. Chrabot proved to be a formidable opponent for Potts on the grueling 18-mile bike leg and the pair pulled away from the field as they twisted and turned through the hills of San Francisco. The American duo made it to T2 with a 90-second gap on a pair of men from Down Under — O’Grady and 172

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Potts, Cave repeat at Alcatraz

Potts and Chabrot dueling through the Presidio.

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Aussie Craig Alexander. Even a wrong turn couldn’t slow down Potts and Chrabot, who spent about 30 seconds riding off course near the end of the bike leg. “That kind of stuff happens,” sad Potts after the race. “It could’ve been worse — we only lost a little time.” Potts broke Chrabot within the first two miles of the run and began to build an insurmountable gap. Behind the leaders, O’Grady and Alexander looked strong on the early miles of the run, as did American bike specialist David Thompson. The trailing trio was able to make up a few minutes on Potts as they stormed to the finish, but it wasn’t enough and Potts picked up the repeat win in 2:01:57. O’Grady hung on for second, finishing 21 seconds ahead of Alexander. “This is one of my favorite triathlons in the world,” Potts said. “I’m thrilled to have been able to come back to San Francisco, defend my title and win for the second year in a row.” In the women’s race, few were surprised to see American Linda Gallo surge to the front of the swim and amass a twominute lead on the rest of the contenders. Gallo’s reign was short-lived, as her countrywoman, Mary Beth Ellis, took charge of the race on the early miles of the bike. Unfortunately for Ellis, a bike crash took her out of contention and the lead was handed over to Cave, who returned to transition with a 90-second advantage on Lavelle. Perhaps the best runner in the field, Aussie Mirinda Carfrae, entered T2 in third, ready to attack the pair of ladies in front of her. The top three women hit the finish in the same order

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they left transition, as neither Lavelle nor Carfrae was able to make up much time against the smooth stride of Cave, who broke the tape in 2:15:37. Local star Lavelle excited the crowed with a runner-up finish, less than a minute in front of Carfrae.

ACCENTURE ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ TRIATHLON San Francisco, Calif.

June 8, 2008 1.5-mile swim, 18-mile bike, 8-mile run

Men 1. Andy Potts (USA). . . . . . . . . 2:01:57 2. Graham O’Grady (NZL) . . . . 2:02:32 3. Craig Alexander (AUS) . . . . . 2:02:53 4. David Thompson (USA) . . . . 2:03:04 5. Matt Chrabot (USA). . . . . . . 2:03:25

Clear blue skies were a welcome departure from the cold, gray marine layer that usually hangs over competitors in the Accenture Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.

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Women 1. Leanda Cave (GBR). . . . . . . 2:15:37 2. Becky Lavelle (USA) . . . . . . 2:15:52 3. Mirinda Carfrae (AUS) . . . . . 2:16:47 4. Rebeccah Wassner (USA) . . 2:20:17 5. Samantha McGlone (CAN). . 2:20:58

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“The harder the bike, the better,” said Canadian Tom Evans after winning the Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene.

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Canada Invades Idaho Canadian veteran Tom Evans bested his 2007 runner-up showing with a rocksolid 8:34:22 performance that buried second-place finisher Victor Zyemtsev by just under 10 minutes. Another Canadian, former star age grouper Heather Wurtele used a killer bike split to crush the seasoned female pros in 9:38:58. As swim-leader Bryan Rhodes of New Zealand faded on the picturesque twoloop bike tour, two-time Ironman champ and perennial Coeur d’Alene top placer Evans worked his magic on two wheels, busting out a day’s-best 4:45:37 bike split despite the course’s jackknife turns and sometimes fierce headwinds. “The wind didn’t bother me,” said Evans. “The harder the bike, the better.” The 2007 second-place finisher took that same swagger onto the run course, where he held tough enough to stave off solid charges from Zyemstev and crowd favorite Michael Lovato of Boulder, Colo. As an exuberant Evans strode solo through the finishing stretch, Lovato mustered up enough strength to pass Zyemtsev for a while but then encountered some troubles that sent him back to the third position. Perhaps the most elated of all athletes was Wurtele, who nabbed her first win as a pro. Wurtele was first out of the water and continued building her lead with a dominating 5:16:23 bike split that put her ten minutes up on Gollnick by the second transition. Many wondered if the still strong-looking Canadian could keep up the intensity on the run, especially with an experienced Gollnick and fleet-footed Desiree Ficker not at all ready to concede. Sure enough, although Ficker and Gollnick both turned on the jets and were able to gain some ground on the frontrunner, Wurtele invited no one to her party. The 2006 Coeur d’Alene 25-29 age group winner broke the tape looking almost as strong as she had at the start of the

day in 9:38:58. Gollnick ran in 11:36 later for second, which didn’t warrant her signature finish-line cartwheel, but pleased the diminutive athlete nonetheless.

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AT THE RACES

Marcel Zamora Perez of Spain unleashed a 2:45:21 run to win Ironman France in come-from-behind fashion.

Perez repeats, Dogana dominates at Ironman France By Brad Culp

After the first two legs of this year’s Ironman France, it appeared Switzerland’s Mike Aigroz was untouchable. Aigroz was the first athlete out of the water and then stormed to a course-record 4:44:26 bike split. By the time he made it to T2, 178

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Aigroz had a lead of almost 10 minutes on defending champion Marcel Zamora Perez and the rest of the top contenders. However, as it often goes at Ironman, the race was ultimately decided on the marathon. Perez answered Aigroz by setting a new run course record of 2:45:21, over half an hour faster than the Swiss super-biker, who went on to finish sixth. Perez broke the tape in 8:34:18, besting local star Herve Faure by seven minutes. The women’s race wasn’t nearly as close as the men’s. Italy’s Martina Dogana was dominant from start to finish and backed up a day’s-best ride with a jaw-dropping 3:07:32 marathon to win by over 25 minutes. Ironman veteran Katja Schumacher of Germany squeaked by reigning champ Alexandra Louison for the runner-up spot.

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IRONMAN FRANCE Nice, France

June 21, 2008 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run

Pro Men 1. Marcel Zamora Perez (ESP). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:34:18 2. Herve Faure (FRA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:41:55 3. Patrick Bringer (FRA). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:45:15 4. Jose Jeuland (FRA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:53:34 5. Rutger Beke (BEL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:55:11 Pro Women 1. Martina Dogana (ITA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:35:29 2. Katja Schumacher (GER) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:00:59 3. Alexandra Louison (FRA). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:03:46 4. Ulrike Schwalbe (GER) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:16:17 5. Katya Meyers (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:28:06 Amateur Men 1. Damien Landon (FRA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:10:56 Amateur Women 1. Michaela Scheck (GER) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:23:31 180

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Kiwi by the start of the run. Bozzone recovered with a day’sfastest 1:14:22 half-marathon, but Amey had amassed enough of a lead on the bike to secure the win and force Bozzone to settle for second in 3:56:24. The 2006 Eagleman champ, Chris Legh, threatened the frontrunners with a smoking 2:06:54 bike split but was disqualified for not serving a drafting penalty.

Joanna Zeiger’s toughest competition was the weather in her wire-towire victory at Eagleman Ironman 70.3.

Ninety-degree temps can’t slow Zeiger and Amey at Eagleman American Joanna Zeiger showed up the women’s field by almost eight minutes to win Eagleman Ironman 70.3 on June 8, while Paul Amey of Great Britain took the men’s title in 3:53:33 for his second 70.3 crown in three weeks. Despite Kona-like 90-degree temps and stifling humidity, Zeiger led the women’s contest from start to finish, kicking off her day in the sun with a race-best 25:38 swim. Zeiger was solid on the bike and then sealed the deal with a 1:30:34 run to hit the line in 4:22:32. American Dede Griesbauer staved off a fleetfooted Kelly Handel to finish second in 4:30:24. In the men’s race, Amey continued the win streak he started May 18 at Ironman 70.3 Florida to take the Eagleman title in 3:53:33. After finishing the swim just behind Ironman 70.3 Boise winner Terenzo Bozzone, Amey put almost four minutes on the 182

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AT THE RACES

Paul Amey used a strong bike leg to separate himself from his rivals.

EAGLEMAN IRONMAN 70.3 Cambridge, Md.

Sunday, June 8, 2008 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

Men 1. Paul Amey (GBR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:53:33 2. Terenzo Bozzone (NZL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:56:24 3. Richie Cunningham (AUS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:58:23 4. Viktor Zyemtsev (UKR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:02:21 5. Mike Caiazzo (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:04:49 Women 1. Joanna Zeiger (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:22:32 2. Dede Griesbauer (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:30:24 3. Kelly Handel (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:31:58 4. Fiona Docherty (NZL). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:36:17 5. Jacqui Gordon (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:37:10 Amateur Men 1. Matias Palavecino (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:14:25 Amateur Women 1. Cassie McWilliam (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4:36:48

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In a race dripping with drama, Colorado’s Josiah Middaugh surged past South African Dan Hugo in the final mile of the run to win the XTERRA East championship in Richmond, Virginia, on June 15, while three-time XTERRA world champ Melanie McQuaid came back from her sub-par eighth-place finish at the Southeast regional one week prior to win the women’s contest by over four minutes. Although Craig Evans led the elite men out of the shallow James River, a feisty Hugo passed the Tennessean on the quarter-mile run to T1 to begin the bike in first place. Minutes later, the red-hot Conrad Stoltz powered past his protégé and mounted a 1:30 advantage on the field. But the famously tricky Richmond course proved too much for even the Caveman to handle, as a back-tire puncture forced him to withdraw from the event, opening up a heated battle for gold. With Stoltz out, Hugo retook the lead and held it until the final stretches of the 11km run, when Middaugh, coming off the day’s second-fastest bike split, nipped the XTERRA South Africa champ to break the tape with a 24-second advantage in 2:02:51. “I’d like to thank Conrad for letting someone else win,” laughed Middaugh. While the men traded American Josiah Middaugh took advantage of pre-race favorite Conrad Stolz’s unlucky break to run his way to the lead several times, victory in Richmond, Virginia. McQuaid pedaled to the front early on the 29km bike leg and never looked back. After trailing XTERRA swim star Christine Jeffrey by over a minute out of the river, the Canadian busted out the day’s fastest bike split (1:18) and the second-best run to cross the line in 2:18:45 for her second regional championship of 2008. Kiwi Jennifer Smith staved off a hot-wheeling Shonny Vanlandingham by a mere six seconds to score the silver By Melaina Juntti in 2:23:06.

Middaugh, McQuaid Rock Richmond

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Nils Nilsen/XTERRA

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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

A PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT CHILDRENS HOSPITAL LOS ANGELES FOR MORE INFO: 818•707•8867 OR NAUTICAMALIBUTRI.COM

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AT THE RACES Nils Nilsen/XTERRA

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XTERA EAST CHAMPIONSHIP Richmond, Virginia

June 15, 2008 1km swim, 29km bike, 11km run

Elite Men 1. Josiah Middaugh (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:02:51 2. Dan Hugo (RSA). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:03:15 3. Tyler Johnson (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:30:42 4. Andrew Noble (AUS). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:05:44 5. Craig Evans (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:07:03 Elite Women 1. Melanie McQuaid (CAN). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:18:45 2. Jennifer Smith (NZL). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:23:06 3. Shonny Vanlandingham (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:23:12 4. Candy Angle (USA). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:24:54 5. Danelle Kabush (CAN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:25:46 186

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David Thompson got all he could handle from 18-year-old sensation Andrew Yoder at the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon.

Thompson, Wassner win Philly Tri By Matt F itzgerald

June 22 was a day for American triathletes to shine at the Philadelphia Insurance Marathon presented by Suzuki, as domestic talent filled the men’s and women’s podiums. Arguably, the top podium spot on the men’s side should have gone to 18-year-old rising star Andrew Yoder of Columbia, Penn., who recorded the fastest combined swim, bike and run 188

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splits, but who lost two minutes to eventual winner David Thompson in a disastrous first transition. Thanks to a blistering 53:41 bike split, Yoder was still able to reach T2 ahead of Thompson, but the Minnesotan had the better running legs and broke the tape half a minute ahead of the youngster in 1:50:41. Spectators of the women’s race might have thought they were seeing double as New York City’s Rebeccah Wassner exited the Schuylkill River 14 seconds ahead of her twin sister, Laurel. Rebeccah used the fastest bike split of the day (1:03:36) to close the gap on swim leader Alicia Kaye. The two women left the bike-run transition nearly side-by-side, but Wassner, the event’s defending champion, unleashed a powerful run to finish more than a minute in front with a time of 2:03:25. Her sister held on for third place ahead of a fast-closing Fiona Doeherty.

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Rebeccah Wassner finished two spots ahead of her sister, Laurel.

PHILADELPHIA INSURANCE TRIATHLON PRESENTED BY SUZUKI Philadelphia, Penn.

June 22, 2008 1.5-km swim, 40-km bike, 10-km run

The championship event of:

Men 1. David Thompson (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:50:41 2. Andrew Yoder (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:51:23 3. Joe Gambles (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:52:08 4. Cameron Dye (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:55:31 5. Johnny Kenny (USA). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:56:08 Women 1. Rebeccah Wassner (USA). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:03:25 2. Alicia Kaye (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:04:32 3. Laurel Wassner (USA). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:08:45 4. Fiona Docherty (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:10:10 5. Michelle LeBlanc (USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:11:10

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Luke McKenzie score not only his first Ironman victory but also a course record in Japan.

McKenzie scores sweet first win, Imaizumi repeats as Ironman Japan champ By Melaina Juntti 192

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Australia’s Luke McKenzie bagged his first Ironman victory in fine fashion June 22, trouncing countryman Mitchell Anderson by 9:37 to win Ironman Japan in 8:29:11 and shatter Jason Shortis’ 2005 course record by 12 minutes. The women’s race was no firsttimer’s affair, however, as Japan’s Naomi Imaizumi survived a heated duel with American Bree Wee to score her second straight win in Goto, Nagasaki. Although McKenzie broke the tape clear of challengers, he had to fend off charges from Canada’s Mathieu O’Halloran on the swim and a pedal-stomping Anderson on the bike before cruising to gold. O’Halloran and McKenzie exited the water in close contention and clung together for much of the bike before the Canadian encountered problems late in the leg that allowed McKenzie to surge ahead solo. But even with O’Halloran out of contention, a fast-charging Anderson had slashed McKenzie’s lead from nine minutes to three by the end of the 112-mile ride. Fortunately for McKenzie, his mate took a wrong turn on the run course, giving him an uncontensted run to the line. Despite the significant margin of victory, both Anderson’s second-place time of 8:38:34 and German Hans Muehlbauer’s third-best 8:39:48 finish were speedy IRONMAN JAPAN enough to top Shortis’ Goto, Nagasaki, Japan record, as well. Sunday, June 22, 2008 While the fastest three 2.4mi S/112mi B/26.2mi R men etched their names in the record books, the top Pro Men two women engaged in a 1. Luke McKenzie (AUS) . . . . . 8:29:11 fierce fight for Ironman 2. Mitchell Anderson (AUS) . . . 8:38:34 Japan’s one Kona slot. 3. Hans Muehlbauer (GER) . . . 8:39:48 Although Australian Sarah 4. Hayato Kawahara (JPN) . . . . 8:48:00 Pollett swam like a fish and 5. Han SeokJoo (KOR). . . . . . . 8:50:49 hung tough with Imaizumi Pro Women and Wee for much of the 1. Naomi Imaizumi (JPN) . . . . . 9:33:59 bike, the eventual first- and 2. Bree Wee (USA) . . . . . . . . . 9:37:12 second-place finishers bat3. Sarah Pollett (AUS) . . . . . . . 9:54:30 tled throughout, with the 4. Saki Kubota (JPN). . . . . . . 10:10:47 home-country favorite Amateur Men eventually eking out a 3:13 1. Masaki Suzuka (JPN). . . . . . 9:10:49 advantage to cross the line in 9:33:59. Pollett hung on Amateur Women for third in 9:54:30. 1. Simone Hakenberg (NED) . 10:30:45

Courtesy Karly O’Neal

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YOU’VE HAD IT IN YOU ALL ALONG.

Think back. For as long as you can remember, your desire to win has been strong. Your competitive spirit, ﬁerce. Since the days of zipping around the block on your bike with a race bib made of construction paper, you’ve been driven. The Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon gives you a chance to rediscover the pure passion of childhood, with one important difference: this is triathlon’s biggest stage.

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The championship event of: