"I just wanted to send a personal thanks and congratulations for such a wonderfully-organized race yesterday. You all did an awesome job organizing this, and the article in today's paper was really nice coverage about the event. I realized after reading the article how much planning you had to do and over how much time you put in. It is just amazing to put on an event this big and have it come off so well! Congrats to you both!
I also wanted to thank you both personally for doing such a great job with our training group -- you all are both excellent teachers/coaches, and you were so patient with our endless questions (especially us newbies). And even on the morning of the race, despite being the organizers, you were so helpful and calm with our group, despite having so much to do. I really appreciated all the personal interactions and encouragement throughout the race. It made a big difference. I had a blast and was so happy that I did as well as I did on my first time. So I'm hooked.
You run a class act organization, and I'm proud to be associated with it!"
- Eileen
"Thank you to my TriAdventure coaches for physically and mentally preparing me for the triathlon today. It felt great, and I can't wait to do another one!"
- Kelsey
"Thanks for pushing our girl—it is fun to watch her grow into her potential. If it this much fun for my husband and I, how much more it must be for you to see your work come to fruition. I am glad that you can keep us coming back and pushing the envelope. You have created a great environment for these kids to make decisions, test their skills, and hang with friends. They are all learning so much and it isn’t just about training."
—Joanna
"I want to thank you both again for everything you did for Sean and for me over these past months. Candidly, I was scared to death Saturday morning and as soon as the pool swim started, I just let go and had sooooo much fun (even though I made some costly time mistakes in the pool). The important thing is I had a blast.
You guys are incredible. What you have created with TriAdventure is so unique and you are instilling virtues in these kids that will be with them their entire life. We need this type of program for kids today. I look forward to doing this again and thank you for starting this program."
—Lisa
"Just a huge thank you for having this organization and putting in long hours to help everyone achieve what they did Sat. I can't tell you both the increased amount of confidence Grace and Flip have from being in this group. It has been so beneficial for both our kids in different ways. This morning, Flip tried on his contact lenses for the first time in about a year. This will cut down down on transition time and make the sport easier (this is what he's thinking.) He also asked me to get him a Speedo bathing suit for swim practice-can you believe this?! Yesterday he rode the whole huckleberry trail-tried to get Cam and Sean to join him but they weren't home. He walked in the door and said "11.5 miles mom and I made it in 45 minutes." Grace is thinking of ways to cut her time down and trying to get a good friend to join the team-telling her how fun it is. She has asked for a road bike…and has already said she wants to tackle a lake swim.
Tom and I are so proud of them and so grateful to you all. Kelly, I know how hard things are with young kids and then being at practice at night for this is huge. Anne, working all day at the bike shop and having people like me come in to ask silly questions, take up your time and not be able to make big purcahses... and then you do this at night-also huge!"
—Sarah and Tom
"Just wanted to add my thanks for taking us up there and showing us the (sometimes literal) ropes. I would have been lost without you guys there–there are just too many 'norms' of behavior that you can't figure out on your own. Everybody running around, doing their own thing, but it all has an order when someone points it out to you. Anne came out to run alongside me the last part of the race, and I know I wouldn’t have made it without her."
—Brad
"Thank you all so much for training me and helping me do this, it has been such a long time since I've been in a competition it was a whole hell of a lot of fun. I would really like to continue doing this. Are there any other sprint triathlons coming up in the next few months? I believe that with more work and a better bike I could place in the Clydesdale category and get a nice little trophy. I'm really looking forward to continuing to train and I will see you all soon."
—Matt
"Anne, thank you so much! I already want to be better. Thank you for your and Kelly’s support. You guys got me active again and provided a great environment in which to train. I hope you allow me to keep training with y'all."
—Erin
"Thanks for all your help and encouragement during this adventure! You are a great team to work with! I definitely plan to be back! Once again, thanks for everything! I loved it!"
—Margy
"I should be writing this note on paper, but if I stop to look for the right kind of card and pen, I'll get sidetracked. I have admired you for as long as I've known you, for the way you make us all feel included and capable, but yesterday it really struck me what a rare and precious gift it is to have you in our lives. In a few short months, you've helped me conquer my fear of drowning, (and really, it's a fear of trying- but you knew that), and Gwyneth has gone from an angry misfit to someone who sees a wall as something to climb instead of a barrier. And to see Allison on that bike yesterday, barely winded on the huge hill, though she thought she shouldn't be riding with the "fast" group you are truly a miracle worker, and we are blessed."
—Kim
"I did it! I finished my first triathlon on Saturday. I have been training since the beginning of February. Six days a week with gradually increasingly more difficult workouts each day. I trained with a beginner group and we did it together. 29 of us crossed the finish line, 22 of us...totally new to triathlons! This experience has been unbelievable, to say the least. I never thought that I would be an athlete...now I am a triathlete.
This isn't some long dream I've had. I haven't trained for years and years. I haven't even really worked out until August of last year. I have been a good swimmer and doing spin classes at the gym, but never running. I hate running, and yes that is still kind of in the present tense.
But in December, during one of our nightly "talk times" with my husband, I told him I wanted to do it. At first he was pretty surprised and asked me if I knew what a triathlon was. (Granted, he did it as sweetly as possible and was really not sure that I knew what I was getting into.) I told him I wanted to do it. I wanted to say that I did a triathlon. And from that moment on, we were both going to be triathletes. No matter what it took or how long it took us, we were going to cross the finish line
Then it was go time. One at a time, every 15 seconds, we got in the water and worked ourselves for the next hour or two to become a triathlete. It was cold and it was hard, but we all finished and we all became triathletes. One by one we crossed the finish line. One by one we made it. One by one we were hugged and cheered on by all our team!
I crossed the finish line in 1:33:19! My 5K really slowed my time down. But that's okay, it gives me something to work on. I did great on my swim and on my transitions and my bike was about 41 minutes. And my 5K was around 42 minutes! Today, I can say I am a triathlete!"
—Sue