TriAdventure Athletes Tri Successfully At Smithfield Triathlon

Saturday, April 1, 2011

TriAdventure's triathlon team completed the first race of its 2011 season in Smithfield, VA today. Over 30 participants, ages 9 - 52 represented "the orange" on a sunny, but windy Saturday morning.

The event involved a 300 yard swim, 10 mile bike and 3.1 mile run.  Nearly 500 triathletes participated in the race, which created some exceptional times and competition amongst the group.

In the Male 10-15 age group the times were very close between TriAdventure's 5 triathletes with Nick Hosig coming in 5th, followed by Gabriel Bennett in 8th, Charlie Skutt in 14th, Drew Nagle in 16th and Nick Stacy 17th. Newcomers Ben Allamong and Ty Journell finished 7th and 9th respectively in the Male 16-19 Category. Taylor Jennings was 7th in the 20-24 group, followed by Kyle Knight in 14th. Top runner and first time triathlete Chris Olien stole the show however, finishing in an outstanding time of 59:43 and gaining 3rd overall in the 25-29 age group. Justin Tanner was 9th and Marcus Oliver 10th in the same age-group.

Other age-group places included first-timer Michael Hart, 15th in the 30-34 group, Stacey Ballowe 14th and Will Stacy 22nd in the 40-44 age group, Glenn Skutt 11th in the 45-49 group, and Steve Nagle 5th in the 50-54 category.

In the Male Novice Category, first-timer Ben Hannam finished an impressive 4th.

In the 10-15 Category Emma Stowe showed great form finished 4th, just missing a podium spot, while right behind her was Rachel Hosig in 5th, Grace Bishop in 7th, Avery Stolte in 8th and 11 year old Aska Kowalewska in 10th.  

After a slow start in the swim, first-timer Lacey Brown grabbed 3rd in the 25-29 group, while Parrish Ralston and Kim Oliver finished close behind in 5th and 7th respectively. The 35-39 age-group saw Becky Fritz finish 11th and first-timer Kerri Nichols 23rd.

Linda Jilk, also a first-timer, finished 12th in the 40-44 female category, followed by Margy Journell in 15th and Ewa Forsman in 21st.

TriAdventure will next have athletes participating at Angel's race in Lynchburg, VA and the Smith Mountain Lake triathlon near Moneta, VA.

 

TriAdventure Offers Training Group For Summer Sprint Triathlons

The successful Give It A Tri Triathlon Program, offered by TriAdventure Multisport Training, is coming to Roanoke! 

The 10-week program, designed for first-time triathletes, assures you the successful completion of your first Sprint Triathlon. 

The Roanoke program will start with an informational meeting on Wednesday, April 6^th.   The meeting, to be held at East Coasters Cycling And Fitness (3544 Electric Road) will begin at 7:00pm on the 6^th, and will cover general administrative, training times and locations and race information.

The next Blacksburg program will start with an informational meeting on Wednesday, April 13th. The meeting will be held at The Weight Club at University Mall, and will begin at 7:00PM.

If you aren't sure you want to, or can do a triathlon, this is the group for you. Come out and ask questions.

Group training sessions will begin the week of April 18^th.  The 10-week program provides group training for all participants and concludes with the TriAdventure Summer Sprint Triathlon in Christiansburg, VA, in late June. 

The cost for the first time group (youth or adult) is $75.

This fee includes three coach-led sessions per week...one bike, one run and one swim, a weekly meeting and a full ten week training program. 

Please contact info@triadventure.com for additional information.

Virginia Triathlon Series Event To Be Held In New River Valley

TriAdventure Summer Sprint Triathlon Coming To Christiansburg

TriAdventure Multisport Coaching & Fitness, the area's leading multisport coaching company, recently announced the launch of The TriAdventure Summer Sprint Triathlon.  This new event, to be held  in Southwest  Virginia’s New River Valley, will be part of Set-Up Event’s Virginia Triathlon Series.  The date for the event is Sunday June 26, 2011.

Christiansburg is an ideal location for this event featuring a course that is scenic, fast and safe.  The event will begin, transition and end at the new, state-of-the-art Christiansburg Aquatic Center.  Swimmers will navigate a 400 yard snake-swim before taking on the out-and-back, relatively flat, 12.5 mile bike course.  The race will end with a fast 5k run along Depot Street in Christiansburg.

The TriAdventure Summer Sprint will join Set-Up Event’s established state-wide portfolio of 20-plus endurance events which include Angel’s Race in Lynchburg, the Smith Mountain Lake Sprint and Bath County's Lake Moomaw Triathlon.

“Working with a first-class company like Set-UP to host the new TriAdventure Summer Sprint fits in perfectly with the mission of TriAdventure Multisport Coaching”, said Anne Thompson, founder of TriAdventure Multisport.  Part of the proceeds from the race will be donated to Fitness In Action, a non-profit company formed to help underprivileged youth in the New River Valley train for and complete a triathlon.

The Inaugural TriAdventure Summer Sprint will take place on Sunday, June 26, 2011 at 7:00 a.m., at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center, in Christiansburg, VA. The public is invited to watch the race and cheer on the competitors. 

Interested participants are encouraged to register online early as space is limited. Visit www.triadventure.com or www.setupevents.com, or call Kelly McPherson at 540-818-1463 for more information. 



Running Around The Gorge, Fayetteville, West Virginia

On the next to last weekend in October 2010, six TriAdventure runners set out to compete in the Run Around The Gorge two-day ultra stage run at the New River Gorge in West Virginia.

Kim Homer, Kerri Mobile and Denyse Sanderson ran 24 miles on Saturday and 18 on Sunday. Kelly McPherson, Jan McGilliard and Anne Jones “only” ran the 18 on Sunday.

Kim was third place overall (male and female) and Kerri was 11th!

The racers had a gorgeous weekend, wonderful and challenging running trails, and great results. Here, in their own words, is their take on the weekend’s running:

A very enjoyable weekend. Great accommodations. Great camaraderie. Apparently the beer was excellent too, but you'll have to take someone else's word for that!

The trails were not too technical, colors and scenery were stunning. The race organization was superb, with attention to every little detail. The "cold" tub was an added bonus. The food was delicious, plentiful and available throughout the weekend.

The other racers made everyone feel a part of the group, even though some of them were vastly more experienced than some of us novices. Their willingness to help others in trouble, even to the detriment of their own performance was amazing. The winner of the race was taking photos of everyone as she ran past!

While I struggled with my back hurting the first day, I recovered and actually felt better the 2^nd day, able to finish both days running, and the second stronger than the first!

An excellent experience.

– Denyse

I signed up for Run Around the Gorge as a guest, not as a runner.... after all, I wasn't trained much for long-distance running after a season of triathlon that began early in the year.  I learned something about myself...that being a guest is wonderful...but being one of the runners is even better.  The location was amazing...the New River Gorge is spectacular.  Planning and preparing are so important...yet I don't regret my impulsive decision to participate on Day 2.  TriAdventure has helped me reach a new level of overall fitness, which made this experience possible.  Sitting in cold water, a little help from Vitamin I (Ibuprofen), and the joy of being with other athletes, and I'm good to go.  – Jan

The sites were beautiful and the course was tough. The race was well organized and a lot of fun. This weekend was a true test of mental and physical strength. I didn't think I'd be able to go out and do it again after the first day, but the group was so positive, it was hard not to get sucked into a "can-do" attitude. I am really proud to have completed this race.

My times:

Day 1 -- 23 miles 4:19:08

Day 2 -- 18 miles 3:23:13

11th place overall

– Kerri

Saturday morning was freezing cold, and we boarded a bus and crossed the river and went far away--I guess it was 24 miles away--and started off.  The path dropped down the side of the mountain and I wished I didn't have a water bottle in my hand because I needed it to hold on to the trees on the way down. It only took me an hour to get to the aid station, but then I stayed there about ten minutes getting situated, and the water bottle I refilled leaked all over me.  We climbed forever and ever on the trail without seeing anyone, and I was pretty sure I'd made a wrong turn. But then I saw the guy who passed me earlier, so we ran for a little while, and there was this amazing, sunlit field of kudzu and the other side of the gorge was red with maple leaves and I was just happy to be running there.  The runner guy (Jamie) stayed back to stretch his hip, and I went down and down, 700 feet, and thought I would never get to the second aid station, but I did, and I was told I only had five more miles to go. It was really, really steep and I walked that part, too. I jogged a little bit to try to get done sooner, but some dogs came out and barked at me, so I walked some more.  I finally finished the first day in 3:42, good enough for 3^rd place. The amazing runner girls Kristen and Sara finished in 3:08 and 3:17, and went for a mountain bike ride when they were done.

I hung out with the others all afternoon, but kept thinking, “I've never run this far in my life, and I still have to run 18 miles tomorrow!  What am I doing here?” 

The next morning was much warmer, so I didn't wear a jacket or gloves, and I didn't put any gels in my pocket since I only ate shot blocks the day before, and my map and directions were shredded but I took them anyway. Mark started us in reverse order of finishing time on Saturday so we would finish together, and that was a little nerve wracking, waiting around and noticing how fresh and fit everyone else looked.  I thought I should run as fast as I could for the first four miles since it was downhill, and this would have been a good strategy if I hadn't run as fast as I could going down the wrong road. I got back on track, and then we started to climb. Most of the climb was random rocks covered with lots of fallen leaves, so I walked again even though I told myself I wouldn't. Part of the run was a country road with dogs on it, and I thought I had taken another wrong turn, but then I heard music from the wonderful aid station! They even had peanut M&Ms!  After that, we ran on the Endless Wall Trail, where you could either run or look out at the beautiful Gorge, but not both. With three miles left, all I could do was look at the ground and hope that my Achilles tendon would hold up.  Robin, the woman in fourth place, came up and passed us, and I know I should have at least tried to keep up with her, but there was no go left. I finished in 2:55.  Kristen and Sara took another bike ride, and I got in the cold tub with Anne and Jan and Denyse, and then got a massage.

It was a great experience. The gorge might just be the prettiest place on earth, and I got to see it from all sides

Sorry this is so long.  Here is the short version:  Really scary hearing ultra runners and adventure racers talking about all of their experiences, and knowing I was in way over my head (obviously NOT Kim).  The climbs were really steep and I didn't even try to run them (that turns out to be a smart thing to do).  The down hills were fun, but I am paying for them -- it will be days before I can use my quads again.  The scenery was just breathtaking--really really wonderful trails.  

First day: 24 miles, 3:42.  

Second day: 18.5 miles (remember, I took a wrong turn), 2:55.   

Lessons learned:

1) Do not take the easy trails at Pandapas and think they will prepare me for a trail

race (well, they prepared you pretty well).  

2) It doesn't matter that much how you prepare as long as it's fun.

- Kim

Augusta 70.3 Race Report

By Ryan Day  

Leading up to race week I had put in several weeks of long miles on the bike and run, as I was also building up for the B2B Ironman.  My last really long bike (90+ miles) was about 2 weeks out and my last long run (18 miles) about the same.  Now in the 10 days before the race I would just do some rides around 50 miles and a run or two around 10 miles with some time spent at race pace.  I noticed that during race week I wasn’t healing and feeling as fresh as I wanted so I had to actually back off, and actually ended up taking 2 days completely off before the race.  I know this is not typical, but I really wanted to get some “jump” back in my legs.  I really tried to focus on my diet in the days leading up to the race by cutting out the simple sugars and slightly reducing my fiber intake.  Hopefully this would help with any energy and stomach issues during the race. 

I had the awesome privilege of doing this race with some great friends (Mike Medlin & Mark Long).  We all (including my awesome wife Kelley J) traveled down on Friday evening and were fortunate enough to stay with some friends who lived about 8 miles from the race venue.  Friday evening was carb load night (>24hrs out), so we chose the endless pasta deal at Olive Garden.  Two bowls of pasta with meat sauce and some salad loaded me up!  The next day I would eat a bowl of whole grain cereal and a small bagel to finish off the glycogen storing.  We went to the race site around lunch and stood in line for over 45 minutes to register as Ironman events are huge (final tally was 3,100 competitors).  We proceeded to ride the run course before turning in our bikes at the transition area and then hopped in the Savannah River for a short 15 minute swim.  We wanted to get a feel for the river current and line in which we would be swimming.

On race morning we made it to transition at around 6:00 and I made my way over to the very crowded rack and laid out my transition area.  The forecast held true and it was already raining.  Oh well, it was time to forget about the weather and just make some adjustments, as you can only control what’s in your “box.” I began setting up all my nutrition for the race, my plan was to take in 675 calories via Perpetuem on the bike and hope to take 2 gels on the run portion (1/6.5miles).  In addition to calories I had planned to take 1 endurolyte on the 15 & 45 minute mark of each hour.  After setting up transition, we went down to the swim start area were we met up with some FCA Endurance folks and had a great time at pre-race prayer.  Keeping God on my heart helps maintain a clear perspective of what this is really all about!

The swim start area was very crowded as you might imagine, 3100 people waiting for their flight to be called to the dock area.  Mike went off at about 7:50, I went at about 8:10 and Mark around 8:30.  Once my group got called I didn’t waste time. I jumped in quickly, as I wanted to take a moment to get comfortable before the gun.  Our gun went off and the downriver swim was underway.  The swim went great and I was pleased to hold my line really well.  I finished in just over 24 minutes.  The run from the water to my transition area was about 150 yards.

Once on the bike, I began to settle into my pace per my perceived exertion (combination of heart rate & feel for me).  The bike course was very “true” with some false flats and a few rollers.  Around mile 30 my hamstrings started to tighten and I could feel that I was pushing a little too hard, so I down shifted and spun my legs up for the next mile or two which helped.  The rain was steady throughout the entire ride.  I executed my nutrition plan and actually ended up taking a few more endurolytes than expected due to high humidity and sweat rate.   I was able to stay aero 95% of the ride only standing to stretch and relax my legs.  To give you an idea of how much it had rained, following the race my wheels had water inside the rim!  I finished the ride in 2 hrs 18 mins!  Super excited about this time.

I came into T2 thankful that the bike had gone very smooth given the large amounts of traffic and the steady rain and puddles!  I grabbed 2 gels, endurolytes and slipped into my Brooks Ghost shoes and off I went.  My goal was to hang out at close to a 7 min/mile pace for as long as I could and hopefully adjust to a little faster pace around mile 7.  I could tell right away that I might have pushed too big gear on the bike for a little too long, but there was nothing I could do about it now, but hang on!  I knew the key to maintaining my goal pace was going to be keeping my turnover rate high (btw. 90-92), so I was counting a couple times per mile early on.  I was taking a drink of water at every aid station to wash down some gel.  I did well to get down 1 gel per 10K with endurolytes every 30 minutes.  Miles 1 thru 7 my target pace was right on, but this is where I started fading and had to go mind-over-matter!  The next couple miles my pace jumped to around 7:30-7:40 and at mile 10 I didn’t have the kick that I had hoped to have.  The last 2 miles were the hardest I had run in a long time but hey, that’s when you know you left everything on the course.  I finished the run in 1:33 with an avg. pace of 7:10/mile.

I was super please with how the race went and again learned a lot. The more I learn, the more it keeps me coming back for more. 

I am truly thankful to have this talent and ability. I love training, racing and meeting other awesome endurance athletes!  There is no way this sport would be as fun without having a wife that supports me and loves tri too, great training partners and God’s amazing grace and mercy. So praise God that He loves us enough to bless us with awesome talent and abilities to use as we live lives that bring glory to Him! Without Him, nothing, including triathlon would be possible!

Augusta Ironman 70.3 results:  Swim – 24:42  Bike – 2:18:24  Run – 1:33:48  Total – 4:21:30

Placed 5^th in Age Group