Kona Report:by Jackie Arcana

This year I had the pleasure of accompanying two athletes I coach to the World Championships in Kona. One, athlete, Melodie Cronenberg, qualified in her age group and the other, Sara Levin, won a lottery spot.

(Jackie at one of our mini-triathlons)

What is it like to coach someone to World Championships? It is the icing on the cake. It is an exciting finale to a long process. Getting an athlete ready for any event and watching them complete it after a long build up process, overcoming obstacles and staying focused is an incredibly rewarding endeavor. Getting an athlete to do an Ironman is a special challenge particularly when they weren’t an athlete before. Helping someone get to Kona is beyond special. This year I helped Melodie qualify in her age group just 3 weeks before World Championships.

World championships are truly a race like no other. For one it is held in one of the most beautiful places on earth. The climate is comfortably warm for the most part. It is everyone’s “A” race. The athletes are as uptight as the locals are relaxed. The fresh fish and local fruit are both bountiful and amazing. However, it is the Hawaiian culture that differentiates this race from all other triathlons. It is more of an experience than a race. There is something special about the history and spirituality that touches almost everyone who visits and most certainly all that race it.

Standing on the sea wall during the swim start in Kona, the native Hawaiian music drives high energy percussion into the wildly screaming crowd. All senses for fans and athletes alike are heightened to maximum. The energy stays that way all day long until the last athlete crosses the line and is given the last lei and the last finisher medal. Many times throughout the day I had to wipe tears away as I watched countless stories of courage, grit and determination. Watching the first wheelchair athlete finish and then seeing him behind the scenes in the athlete zone was very moving. He was completely spent unable to utter a single word. I watched a gentleman in his 60s finish with the 10 hour guys. He told me he was very tired in his French accent. Naturally, there were athletes from all over the world. Many had sacrificed much just to get to the starting line. Many gave much to get to the finish. Everyone gave just a little more than they thought was possible because this was Kona, World Championships. These athletes are the best of the best.

Both of the people I took had great races. Sara Levin who races in the 35-39 age group had an Ironman PR of 13:07. Melodie Cronenberg who is in the F 60-64 age group, pulled off a 15:35 three weeks after IMUK and with a bad case of plantar fasciitis to boot. These details are important but pale in comparison to what they symbolize. These athletes set high standards and achieved them. For myself, all the hard work, planning, structuring, training and advising were well worth the effort just to be a small part of these two athletes dream come true. For all who dream of some day going to this race, it is worth it. It is an incredible experience to be part of whether you ever race or not. To volunteer or otherwise participate and be part of the crowd are all great options.

Photos by Tapio and Tammy club members that make this a regular event

Looking Foward to 2009: Dave Carlson President

Hey Everyone it is your boy Dave over here,

It has been quite a year, the club adopted a new name, created a new mission statement (it is on the blog page), we redesigned our logo and club gear, we put on a series of new events, we redesigned our website for improved communication, we were at many events supporting our athletes, we brought on a lot of talent in the management group and our membership has grown and includes a lot of new and returning faces.

That was last year; in 2009 we plan to perfect our events, include more community building activities, hold 4 more mini-triathlons, put on a two day triathlon event May 2-3, we are working on putting together more event based training rides and perhaps a mentor program. That is a lot.

The reason that I believe we can make agenda listed above happen is that we have been able to attract many new people that have tremendous skills sets - like you and your friends. Our people have business or technical backgrounds in medicine, engineering, management, advertising, finance and graphic arts just to mention a few. We will need your assistance in the coming year.

This organization is about athletes helping athletes – in a supportive environment – having fun together and entering into enduring relationships. We are building a movement of inclusion. When I talk to people at the beach, or at the market in Blue Diamond or on a run, I treat them like members that haven't decided to sign up-yet. I guess I am a big believer in what we are delivering to our community. So get with your friends and join the movement! Tell your story, give us your ideas. The first words out my mouth when we get a new idea are "how can we incorporate that into what we are doing" which is why we have a Blog, a message board, a facebook site which is a work in progress and several other projects under development. Things will change; and this club will be a part of it!!

Within two weeks we will begin accepting 2009 memberships. Last year we had 4 mini-events at the lake including 3 triathlons that were basically sprint distances - the cost per member for these was $0 thanks to our sponsors. Can you believe that! Think of families with kids who want to participate together what an unbelievable deal! We also had a picnic and socials about every other month among other things. That is our base line for this year – we are planning on delivering more, beginning with a 2009 season kickoff party in January.

Our membership director team, Julie and Robert Hosea, tell me that we will be offering next year’s memberships at last year’s prices until the first of January when there will be an increase of $5-$15 depending on whether it is an individual $40 or family membership $55.

See you in the coming year if not sooner!!

Dave Carlson
President Las Vegas Triathlon Club
2228 Timber Rose Drive
Las Vegas, Nevada 89134

Cell 702-406-4602
Home 702-309-8791citydave@cox.net

Sonya is up against it: by Asia

I recieved this invitation this morning, one of our local young athletes has been diagnosed with cancer. I am not sure how Sonya is going to deal with this but I personally believe that with her athletic backgound and the support of the community that she is in the best possible place to get on with her treatment.

Good Luck Sonya and thanks for organizing the event Asia.

Dave



Asia writes:

MY GOOD FRIEND, SONYA JOHNSON, HAS JUST BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER. I AM HOSTING A RIDE IN HER HONOR TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE DISEASE AND TO RAISE A LITTLE MONEY

RIDE FOR A CURE NOVEMBER 2ND 2008 (SUNDAY ) 8AM
VALLEY OF FIRE EXIT 75 OFF I-15 NORTH PARKING LOT PAST THE GAS STATION

I WILL BE PROVIDING ALL THE FOOD AND DRINKS AND SAG SUPPORTNO DROP RIDERIDERS OF ALL ABILITIES ARE WELCOMED

RIDE: 50 MILE OPTION 65 MILE OPTION

RAFFLE, PRIZES, TONS OF FUN, LUNCH INCLUDED

IF YOU KNOW HER YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH HER INFECTIOUS SMILE
IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE OF MEETING HER...YOU SHOULD

MY VERY FIRST THOUGHT AFTER SHE TOLD ME GET THE CYCLING COMMUNITY INVOLVED COME OUT AND SHOW YOUR LOVE

ALL MONEY RECEIVED ( RAFFLES - FOOD )WILL GO TO SONYA TO HELP WITH HER CO-PAYS

SHE HASN'T BEGUN HER TREATMENTS YET SHE IS STILL AWAITING AUTHORIZATION FROM HER INSURANCE COMPANY SONYA IS ABOUT TO EMBARK ON THE RIDE OF HER LIFE

IF YOU CANNOT MAKE THE RIDE BUT WOULD LIKE TO DONATE PLEASE EMAIL ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE W/O RIDING EMAIL MEPLEASE RSVP TO:

ASIA
NEWYORKGIRL777@AOL.COM

Spin with Victor one of our top Cyclists!!!

I just found out after the RTC Century ride that Victor instructs spin classes. Victor is one of our top cyclists and an amazing triathlete. While he routinely takes 1st place in his age group his strongest disapline is the bike.

We are always looking for opportunities to get together and train - here is a great one that will work well for those on the east side or Henderson. I asked Victor to tell me about his class...

Dave:

I've been a spin class instructur for about 3 and a half years. I work at the 24-Hour Fitness on Silverado and Maryland.

My schedule is: Mon and Wed, 9am. I also sub at the clubs on Wigwam and Pecos, Tropicana and Decatur, Green Valley and the one in Henderson, Basic Rd and Boulder Hwy.

My classes are very intense, basically simulate road racing situations, climbs, sprints, tempo and fast descends. I employ 90% classic rock with some blues, country and a bit of modern top 40 stuff. The average member burns about 1100 calories per session which last 1 hour. I average about 1300 to 1400 calories per hour, mind you that I have to talk during the session and that requires a bit more energy.

I'm proud to say that I have been selected as the top instructor in the last year and a half, something I'm proud of. Hopefully this coming spring, when the company holds its seminars, I will be leading a bike-fit class, another on how to properly ride a spin bike and maybe some nutritional information, we'll see. One of the reasons I've been succesful at spinning is that do in class exactly what I do on the road, many other instructors are not experienced in road racing and do carzy things on the bike that you would normally not do on the road. Well, that's about it...........Had a great time today chatting with you and others, it was a great day!!!...........See you later, Victor................................PS: Don't forget the time trial, I think it will go great!!!

Become a USA Triathlon Official!

Nick Gallagher our social director is the only USAT offical in our community. I am going to join in and get trained this time around. Come with me to the training and I will buy you a couple of beers after. Dave Carlson President LV Tri Club... I am going to check with Shelly and see if it is possible to work a specified number of hours during the race to recieve certification. You know I have to suppot our troups at the aid station

The Officials Certification Clinic consists of about three hours of classroom lecture and working the associated practicum race.

A USAT Officials' Clinic will be held on Saturday, November 8, 2008 in conjunction with the Silverman Triathlon held Sunday November 9, 2008. In order to complete the certification, you must be able to attend the lecture on Saturday and work the race on Sunday from 5am into the afternoon. This is generally a lot of fun combined with some work.


To become a USA Triathlon official, one must participate in one of the many clinics held around the country each year. There is no charge for attending a clinic. One must be a member of USA Triathlon and bring the membership card or join at the clinic. Clinics are held in conjunction with a sanctioned event, and will have USA Triathlon officials assigned to marshal the race. The Officials Certification Clinic consists of about three hours of classroom lecture and discussion and working the associated practicum race - in this case, Silverman Triathlon.

The next clinic in the SW Region will be held on Saturday, November 8-9, 2008 in conjunction with the Silverman Triathlon. Clinic participants are expected to work the Silverman Triathlon as their practicum event. You must be able to participate in both the lecture and the race in order to attend the clinic.

To sign up for the Silverman clinic, please email to me at: Lydon@peoplepc.com.

Thank you for your interest.

Shelly Lydon
USAT SW Regional Coordinator, Instructor
(707) 228-5289

I led a pretty normal life until three weeks ago: by Shawna Glasser

I led a pretty normal life until three weeks ago. When I was preliminarily diagnosed with MS I had the decision to sit around and feel sorry for myself and all the limitations I might have or to keep on living. I decided to keep on living. No time was like the present to check my goals off my life list. One of those goals was a half Ironman Triathlon. That is a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13.1 mile run. (They call this a “70.3” because that is the mileage count for the entire thing.) I had it all planned out for a six year span. I would do two years Sprint distance, two years Olympic, one year Half Ironman, and the next year the big one, a Full Ironman. The goal was to do better at each distance the second time around to show I was growing as an athlete. I did not want to do the distances too fast. I thought, “If I do a full Ironman Triathlon next year, what could I ever do to trump that?” It left open all the excitement and challenge the next stage of racing had to offer.

When I got the diagnosis I got a feeling of confusion. Since people progress differently and symptoms can happen suddenly, what could I experience? I decided while I’m young and am at the beginning, I would do a Half Ironman Triathlon before the doctor tells me “no.” I was scheduled for a race October 18th, but a specialist is being flown in to examine me and I can’t race and make my Dr’s appointment. My health comes first, so I bumped my race date to September 28th only a week and a half from the day I made the decision to do the Half Ironman.

Forrest Gump had a wise mother who said that famous, “Life is like a box of chocolates.” I also have a very wise mother. My mother’s wisdom still guides me to this day. Her words are, “Its mind over matter. If you don’t have a mind, it doesn’t matter.” Lets do this!

The only issue was being properly trained. You don’t go and run a half marathon when you can only run the distance of a 10K. You need to know what to expect from your body and your body needs to know what it can expect from you. Despite doing a marathon and century ride recently, it is a whole different experience putting them back to back.

I got out the old trisuit a weekend before my race. I had run 17 miles combined over two days and went out for a 30 mile bike ride. I had been 25 pounds heavier when I was last in that trisuit so it was interesting to see where the changes were. In the past I always thought I had a pear shape figure, but I’m turning into more of a boy shape. With this last weight loss I just lost my butt. There was just extra lose material where my rear end used to be! I guess we’ll call my shape “carrot.” I’ve got wide shoulders and everything narrows in from there. J

Much like the grief process there are the stages of Triathlons. First starts with excitement. You decide what race and distance you are interested on doing and you get to let your mind wonder how great it will be. Next comes planning. You have to figure out how to prepare yourself for race day to meet your goals. Remember a goal without a plan is a dream, not a goal. Next there is experience. You get to follow your plan and have fun playing with it. Something you thought would work well doesn’t, you adjust. You find your weaknesses and exploit them before your competitors do on race day! As your event arrives, usually 48 hours for me, dread sets in. I usually think, “Why did I sign up for this? Am I nuts?” 24 hours before my race I slide into “Let’s get this over with.” On race day, sheer panic! Triathletes are very compulsive people. They want everything to happen exactly as they have envisioned in their mind. That is no small task and it brings a lot of stress and doubt. Once the race starts you get “race vision” which I guess would be your acceptance phase. You are so focused on your goal, you have forgotten everything else.

I arrived at Boulder Beach which is at Lake Mead. It is a very common place for these Triathlons. I had never done a distance this long before so I have never been on the beach shortly after 5am. It was pitch black. Some of the participants had those head lamps on, mental note on a good idea if I ever do this again. I toted all of my stuff to the transition area to set up for this adventure. The guy on my left, wow. He was friendly and he was in great shape. He had a gorgeous face to go along with it. Of course he didn’t hold a candle to my husband, but I was just admiring all the work he put in to look like that.

During the swim I was reminding myself to keep my elbows up and the little technique things to swim properly. I had to laugh when I started thinking about that movie “Finding Nemo” where Dorothy starts singing to Marlin, “What do we do… We swim, swim, swim…..” Just like Marlin I said, “Oh great! Now I have that song stuck in my head!” The swim went well. I turned around the last bouy and headed for home. I kept my eye on a huge orange ball floating on the water but was trying to figure out my exit point. Using a great landmark for women, I locked my eyes on the bathrooms and decided it was time to turn up the heat. There was this guy next to me who decided to sprint it out with me. Poor guy ended up sucking my bubbles. It is common knowledge that most triathletes pee in the water right before getting out, but I just couldn’t do it. I’m struggling to get my daughter to not be so barbaric and pee in our back yard, so what kind of example would that be?

As I exited the water I saw a clock that read 38 minutes and change. I was pleasantly surprised because I was anticipating 50 minutes. I got out of the water and really did not know how hard to push myself in transition. In a long distance, like this one, those seconds you can save yourself in transition might not matter overall. I decided to take transitions ¾ of what I would normally do. Not waste time but not expend all my energy at full speed. I had counted how many slots it was to my bike and went right to it. I had stripped my wet suit to my waist and pulled it off my left leg no problem. The right leg I had a hang up with, but didn’t struggle for long. I grabbed the Hornet and off we went.

I was really proud of my effort on the bike. I was 15 miles from the finish and out of water. I had a powerbar, but without water I just couldn’t stomach it. My mind was wondering on how good that water from that water stand was going to be. As I came around the final loop to where the water would have been, I was thoroughly disappointed it was not there. I decided to keep on pushing and I would get some water on the run. As I approached the 49 mile mark my throat was so dry I could barely swallow. I didn’t have a drop of saliva in my mouth. By mile 51 I was still pushing hard but ready for the bike to be over. I had predicted a 3 hour 30 minute bike ride and I was dead on. While my torso was tucked over my thighs, peddling was bumping my bladder reminding me a potty break would be a good idea. I pulled into the transition area and told the person I had lost my chip. He said to keep going and let the race director know later. I got off my bike and felt a little sluggish, but that is to be expected. When you run after getting off a bike you feel like you are in slow motion because of the speed difference. I made eye contact with my husband and let him know I needed a pit stop.

My sisters and their friend Timera were standing by what I thought was my transition spot. Without hesitation I race to where they were and looked down to not recognize the stuff. A quick backup two rows did the trick and I switched into my run gear and grabbed my racing chip. I crossed the run mat and darted for the port-a-potties. As I came out several people were yelling at me to give them my chip. I yelled back, “I’m still racing! Mother of two, bladder has taken a beating!”

Since this was an open course, Richard was allowed to run with me. I figured he could give me some emotional support and try to push me if I needed it. At the beginning there was ice cold Gatoraid and water. It was like liquid heaven. I was so hot and thirsty. I felt like one of those ants I used to fry with the magnifying lens as a child. Maybe 50-100 yards in I was down to a walk. You have no idea how hard it is to cool down while you run. I walked for the first 2 or 3 miles. Richard would run ahead and get some water for me. We would dump one water on me and I would drink the other one. It was so frustrating. Mentally I wanted to run, but my body just didn’t want to. It is like coaching a player who doesn’t want to play! Nothing hurt, I was just tired and my legs were heavy. I decided to walk and run. We hit all the water stops and I drank like it was my last water stop. Sometimes it takes between 4-7 miles for me to warm up so I was hoping this would be the case. I saw a lot of runners struggling so I didn’t feel so bad. It was a lot hotter than expected and I hadn’t trained outside in the heat of the day, being that I didn’t expect to be doing this event. Part of the course was the historic “6 Tunnels” which was an old rail system hauling supplies to Hoover Dam in the early 30’s. It had amazing views of the lake. There was an unmanned water station with a bottle of Gatoraid behind it. I took a drink to realize it was concentrated and my stomach felt like it had been punched. I chased it with some water and hoped for the best. I started coming out of my slump and running longer portions. The last 4 and half miles I ran the majority of.

One of the mysteries of my symptoms is hearing loss. About 4 miles into the run I lost hearing in the left ear. I have now confirmed it is an exertion thing. Richard said something about, “You really don’t need to hear to run” but he was on my left side. My right started flickering too. Too bad I can’t turn it off and on at my convenience.
I was passed by race volunteers in a truck and offered ice cold water. Ice….Cold… Glorious…. Richard had caught up to me and he isn’t kidding with people calling him “Thunder.” The way his feet pound the pavement you have ample warning he is coming. We got closer and closer to the white tents which were by the finish line. I was tired and glad it was over. I just wanted to get into the shade and down some bottles of ice cold water.

As I crossed the finish line the first thing on my mind was about the racing chip. I mentioned it to the volunteer collecting them and she said, “Sorry, you only get credit for what the chip reads.” I went to find the race director because he could look at the computer on my bike as proof I went the distance and the time it took. I found one of the directors and was trying to fight back the tears when I was telling him what happened. So much was riding on this race counting. He assured me everything would be counted. He said he couldn’t imagine having me out there for 7 hours and not get credit for what I earned. He said it just wouldn’t give me my split times. (Meaning my transition times and my bike time wouldn’t be posted.)

At the end of the day I wanted to complete the Half Ironman in 7 hours or less, but I’ll accept 7:31:01.

I forgot to stretch after my event so my body let me know it was unhappy on the way home. I was having muscle spasms and stabbing pains in my muscles. I was screaming profanities like a woman with turrets for half of the ride home. I suddenly had a craving for pizza on the way home. I had no desire for whole wheat or anything fat free for some reason. After the big race Richard made ribs with Tony Roma’s Carolina Honey Sauce, mashed potatoes, and I made a chocolate cheesecake. I figure no matter what I ate on that day would ever amount to the calories I burned.

Half Ironman…. It hurt like hell….. It was awesome…. Anyone wanting to do a Full Ironman Triathlon needs to have their head examined because that is just crazy!

Mini- Tri Results

We want to thank all the volunteers:

Mark Dunaisky, Jeanne Clayton, Nick Savatgy, Curtis Ching, Sheila Garner, Dave Reichert, Todd Lynn, Julie Hosea, Victor Rodriguez, Robert Hosea, John Harrington, Dave Carlson, Chris Matlock

Have a good one!
Julie Hosea

Jeanne our announcer at the mini-tri media center

Robert took some excellent photos. These are available for you to look at or download in high quality format at our Snapfish site. Participants you should do this - he really did a great job - thanks Robert!!! Here is the link if you have difficulties let me know - I may have to put you into our Snapfish data base. http://www2.snapfish.com/groupview/groupid=2472910/groupownerid=126375277/t_=126375277

Longhorn 70.3: by Jayne Furman

Kim Watson, Julie Cutts, Lisa Locati and I met up with Shannon Cutting for Longhorn 70.3 in Austin TX. This trip was planned a few months ago when Locati, on a Tuesday McGhies bike ride, quietly worked her persuasive powers. "I’m going to Texas for a half ironman, so let me know when you’ve signed up". I answered the only way I knew how. "Leave me alone, no way I’m doing it". This went on for a few more weeks, Cutts and Watson signed up, and I caved. I really had no desire to train, but after I started riding and swimming again, I was glad to be back into the mix.

The excitement built as we got closer to departure. The trash talking had begun. When Lisa found out Shannon, Julie AND Kim were all in her age group, that Kim was running the loop strong every weekend, and Cutts was on a cycling tear, she expressed herself mildly. F*()*()*)*()*(*((*((*(*K !!!!!!!!

We had so much luggage – between the bikes, laptops, duffel bags, etc -- and for some reason, Cutts decided to stash a Viking oven in her Samsonite. The Ford 150 would come in handy!
You’ll notice in the airport photos that everyone was smiling a bit more on the front end than the return trip !!

We stayed at the Embassy Suites at Town Lake, went to packet pickup, and bumped into Shannon. We were invited to dinner at her unbelievably hospitable friends home located about 30 min outside of Austin on a gorgeous woodsy plot of land with a spectacular sunset view from their rooftop deck. Leslie is an accomplished musician, and an awesome cook. She played Big Bad Betty for us, a humorous song about an Athena she competed against. We were now race ready.
The day of bike check in we (ie, Jayne) wanted to drive the bike course. Shannon had driven it the day prior. Monkey See, Monkey Do …. and despite warnings from Shannon about unmarked streets and where they were located, the 4 of us still managed to get lost looking for Monkey Lane. This caused some major stress to our chauffeur Julie Cutts, who had a look of fear as if we were driving into enemy territory and would never find our way out alive. This apparently pumped her up so much she chewed up the bike course with a 2:33 bike split (10th fastest female).

Race day we were extremely lucky. Temperature was ok, plus we had cloud cover for a lot of the day, and the humidity wasn’t bad. The swim in Decker Lake was a little short. I didn’t shed any tears bout that !. We all swam without wetsuits, good advice from Shannon. Most wore them, but the water was a mild 78 degrees.

I never did get thru transition during visualization, which led to me putting my socks and cycling shoes over soaking wet muddied feet, and then heading for T1 exit without my helmet--- till someone in transition told me HEY, you need a helmet ! DUH !
Check out the socks. You’d think this was my first triathlon.

The bike leg was mostly rollers with one nice climb at the end. There was plenty of cross and headwind too. It looked more like the Tour de Austin for the 1st 20 miles till we all spreaout a bit. Very cozy, kinda annoying.

The course was fun though, and included a hill called Quadzilla at 7 % grade. About 3 miles was on dirt, the rest on pavement, and there were very few actual "flat" sections.
It was a two loop course so we saw each other a couple of times. At one point Locati yelled "hey what are you doing walking". I lookup to find her limping with a smile on her face. Still she finished under 6 hours, even walking like 4 miles. Shannon was the 2nd overall female and first in her age group. Kim hada great race, and her training paid off as she easily PR’d. Way to go Kim !

I pulled into the stable in 6 ½ hrs, this one was sweet under the circumstances of a 2:45 half marathon shuffle. I finished feeling great, what more can you ask.

The fun continued for a couple more days. We went for a hike in the park, and a swim in the refreshing water of Barton Springs (68 degrees) We stopped for some beverages in Willow City at Harry’s

After our ride we refueled at the Becker Vineyard, enjoying some wine in a serene settinwith trees, and greenery. We visited a couple bike shops (yes, Mellow Johnny’s), a running store, some very cool shops on Congress Ave (SoCo), and had dinner at Mexican restaurant located on Lake Travis. This was a wonderful trip, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to experience all of it. Triathletes looking for an October 70.3 should consider Longhorn in 2009.

Jayne

Kona Participants Review Journal Article

Seven local triathletes are scheduled to compete Saturday in Kona: lottery winners Michael Sullivan, Julie Marschner and Bruce Beckett of Las Vegas; age-slot winner Melodie Cronenberg age-slot winner James Harrington of Las Vegas; and lottery winners Sara Levin and Derek Rude of Henderson.

Here is a story from the Review Journal written by Todd Dewey
Melodie’s coach is our own Jackie Arcana

It's no surprise, then, that Henderson resident Melodie Cronenberg values her health -- so much so that she has completed close to 40 triathlons in the last six years, including nine Ironman events consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26.2-mile run.
I love the training; I love being healthy and setting personal goals to achieve," said Cronenberg, 60. "I love the sport of triathlon, and I do well at it. I kind of found my niche later in life."
Cronenberg, who started competing in triathlons shortly after accepting a challenge from co-workers to run a road race, will compete Saturday in the world's most prestigious triathlon -- the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

She qualified for the event, which will feature close to 1,800 athletes, by winning her age group (60-64) at the Ironman UK, which took place Sept. 7 in Sherborne, Dorset, United Kingdom.
Cronenberg was disappointed with her finish of 16 hours, 21 minutes, 28 seconds, but it was enough to qualify her for the Super Bowl of her sport for the first time. She competed in Kona in 2006 via a lottery spot.

"This is the first time I've actually qualified," she said proudly. "Getting a lottery spot is lucky; qualifying is tough."

Cronenberg, who suffers from plantar fasciitis in her right foot, said most people need three months to recover from an Ironman event and wait six months before entering another one. But she'll barely have one month in between events when she starts Saturday's race.
"It's a tough turnaround time, but I'm ready for it," she said. "I'm excited. It's what I wanted."
History is on her side. After completing Kona in 15:08:08 in 2006, Cronenberg posted a personal-best time of 14:25 at Ironman Florida about two weeks later. She hopes to better that mark Saturday. "That's my goal, depending on the elements over there," she said.

In her first race in Kona, Cronenberg battled rain, wind and cold weather, not to mention hills and mud, to finish. But she said it was well worth the effort.
"Absolutely. It was amazingly rewarding," she said. "When I crossed the finish line, it was absolutely exhilarating. It's hard to describe how you feel. It's just totally uplifting."
Along with the chance to travel and make friends, Cronenberg said she loves the atmosphere at Ironman events.

"The energy, when you're in an Ironman, you can almost touch it, it's so thick," she said. "Everyone in the sport of triathlon is an inspiration. There's a wonderful camaraderie, and the support you get from other triathletes is phenomenal. It's a very unselfish sport.
"The bottom line to all this is I'm having the best time of my life."

Cronenberg said she trained six days per week, for an average of 20 hours, to prepare for Kona. She swam, biked and lifted weights an average of three or four times a week but ran only three times a week because of her injury. Cronenberg also said she completed one long run (15 to 18 miles), one long bike ride (80 to 100 miles) and one long swim (11/2 to 2 miles) each week.

"I don't train as much as some people, generally because of my age, but it's still a lot," she said.
Cronenberg concedes she has wanted to quit in the middle of an Ironman event "many times."
"That's the whole deal with the Ironman -- the mental toughness it takes to talk yourself out of stopping," she said. "People use a lot of different tricks. Sometimes you shame yourself into going on because you don't want to look bad.

"I just like to remember the feeling I get when I cross the finish line, how motivating it is, and also how much I get to brag."

Cronenberg said she also uses for inspiration her daughter Lara, who has undergone two open-heart surgeries and also recently had a pacemaker implanted in her chest. "She had the first surgery when she was six months old. I was just 19. It was very difficult," Cronenberg said. "They didn't think she would live past her teenage years, and she's 40 now.

"I am just so fortunate to have the health that I do that allows me to be in this kind of sport. It's a gift. I feel very blessed."

Las Vegas Triathlon - a first: Jade Bailey

It all started when I was having problems motivating myself to work out and had gained a few unwelcome pounds. One of my good girlfriends, Melissa Page, had done one sprint distance triathlon and raved about it. I clearly remember hanging out with her the day she finished and being inspired to hear her talk about it and seem so fulfilled to have completed a triathlon.

(My friend Melissa)

As a general life overachiever, I set a goal and then relentlessly pursue it. Having trouble working out? Sign up for a triathlon! Sprint distance, let’s not get crazy here. That is a great goal to work for I thought. Go big or go home. And you know what? Signing up for the race was the biggest blessing in disguise I could ever ask for because through it all I found something I love that is also a very positive outlet for my time. Training for it changed me permanently. Completing it made me realize I can do almost anything if I put my mind to it. Even better, finishing the race in less than 2 hours (my newbie goal) was one of the most satisfying moments of my life.

I ran into my friend Jenna Novotny at a PR industry party at Tao, told her about the triathlon, and was very happy when she signed up. We then proceeded to chat with some of the VIP hosts at Tao who all said they were doing the tri too. Yeah right, none of them did. But in their defense, the Tao Group just opened a new club which is clearly a time consuming endeavor. Melissa had already signed up for the tri so the three of us were good to go. Friends in tow, check. Next step? Training.

(Jenna)

My training consisted of endless spinning, and not nearly enough swimming and running but that came out fine in the end. Being cognizant to maintain work/workout/social life balance, I hardly ever worked out 6 days per week or 2 times per day. I learned to love spinning (after my butt stopped being sore) and had a great routine at 24 Hour Fitness. Moving from Summerlin to central Las Vegas put a monkey wrench in my gym routine but I discovered the amazing Saturday morning triathlon class at the LVAC on Karen. Swim, bike, run with a group and be done by 12 p.m.? Totally awesome, count me in! Consistent training was really difficult but in the end it was more than worth it.

A few days before the race I met fellow LV Tri Club member Victor Rodriguez, who was an absolute angel and answered my many pre-race questions. I have to credit him with some of my success because without him I wouldn’t have known to drink electrolyte laden water the night before (Elete baby!), eat breakfast the morning of, and to bring a colorful towel/balloon/sidewalk chalk to the transition area to help find your bike. All very important things that I would not have known otherwise.

Through it all I met really interesting people, made new friends (always a bonus), and most importantly learned about just what I can do if I put my mind to it. I’m still a total triathlon novice and will be for the next few races but I’m hooked on this and will be committed to successful races in the future. I have learned that running is my weakest activity and to help mitigate this I’ve signed up for Las Vegas ½ Marathon in December. I would love to join the running Elvi and run as Elvis but feel that could impede the race time. What do you think? See you at Lake Mead!

Update 10/8/2008

Just a quick update from the President:

I would like to welcome everyone to the mini tri this weekend Sunday October 12th, registration starts at 6:45am and the event at 7:30 at Boulder Beach. This will probably be our last race event of the year. We have a great time at these training events.

We are proud of our triathlon community. It has been another long hot summer – many of you have adjusted and trained through to meet your fall goals. Congratulations, that takes real commitment and discipline. We wish you the very best in the coming weeks. We also would like you to journal some of your stories and take some photos for our Blog and our website.

Last night we had a board meeting to discuss the year end and plans for the 2009 season. Everyone is starting to get booked up – you are probably in the same boat. We decided to have a party to celebrate the new season so that the members can enjoy their company holiday parties without trying to fit another event in. We will be scheduling that for sometime in January – stay tuned.

I have been privileged over the last year to work with our talented Board membership , good work and commitment to achieving our goals attracts good people. We have created two new positions on the board to help generate new ideas that will help us stay relevent and achieve a new level of performance for our athletic community. We have some specific ideas on the table which we roll out next year.

Again all the best - good luck!!!! Later Dave