Las Vegas Tri Club fares well!!! by Victor Rodriquez

The Las Vegas Triathlon took place on Sunday, Sep 28 under perfect weather conditions at Lake Mead's world renown Boulder Beach. Just before the gun went off, upwards of 700 athletes enjoyed a balmy 79 degrees, water temp was at around 77 degrees, wetsuits optional. The skies were partially covered with dark clouds but no rain was forcasted. No wind, calm waters, what else could you ask for? How about a cool late morning? Naw!!! The weather man called for a high of 98 degrees by 11 am, he was right!

The promoters offered a sprint, olympic and a half iron distances. The swim course was a rectangle with each distance going out to their respective colored bouys. The sprint and olympic bike courses stayed on North Shore road heading out towards the south toll booth and back. The half iron headed out past the Calville Bay turn-off and back. The run course took the athletes on mostly dirt roads and some paved sections.

I must say that the promoters went all out and provided the entrants with a well-run event with plenty of volunteers, well stocked aid stations and plenty of goodies at the finish line. Safety was number one as I noticed the bike course well patrolled and well marked. My congrats go to Eddie Carlin for a fantastic, well organized, safe event!!! Let me say "thank you" to the many volunteers who donated their time and effort to make this event possible. Without volunteers, we couldn't have such fine events like this one. So, next time you race, stop and say "thanx" for letting me race!!!

The Las Vegas Tri Club was well represented at this event. I must have counted at least 15 members donning our blue and silver colors throughout the entire day. I looked up some of them on the website's result page, I know I missed some of you so, please forgive me, I'm lacking brain cells dating back to the 60's!!!.......

I'll start with the half iron entrants. Jessica Fassulo is a young lady who is fairly new to the sport. I have seen her at several local and Utah events. She has done very well at the sprint and olympic distances. This time she ventured into the void and captured first place in the 25-29 age group, finishing 29th overall, way to GO!!!............

The other half iron lady is Yvonne Kinane-Wells. Yvonne is a veteran of many triathlons including sprints, oly's, halves and full IM's. Yvonne entered the half and claimed 1st in her 50-54 age group, crossing the line in 41st place overall. The ladies endured plenty of heat as they finished their events at around 1 pm when the temps were hovering at around 100 degrees!!!.......We tip our helmets to them............

The olympic distance saw John Harrington claiming 10th in the ever-tough 45-49, one of the toughest, most competive groups. John suffered from a foot injury two weeks ago at the Kokopelli tri in Utah, losing a couple of toe nails in the process, Still, he managed a respectable 87th overall.

I entered the olympic and fared pretty good dispite suffering from old age syndrome, gastritis, oldfartitis, cantrunitis and numerous "itis's" I can't spell and all of those other old people ailments that haunt me on a daily basis, just wait until you all hit 50!!!...............I was fortunate that my competitors suffered a bit more than me from those ailments I mentioned. I claimed 1st in the Geritol/Poly-Grip group sponsored by Depends (55-59), 27th overall and, 3rd overall on the bike split..............

Now to the sprint (smart) group. Annette Powell had a fantastic race, she finished just off the podium in fourth place by a few seconds in the 40-44 age group and 91st overall. Lisa Job, dispite having two punctures, the second requiring a complete tire change, finished 23rd in the 35-39 group and 261st overall. Just a lack of luck kept Lisa from claiming a higher position but, that's racing and next time it will be different. Shiela Garner, a brand new club member, finished her first-ever triathlon in style. Shiela claimed 17th in the tough 30-34 age bracket and 203rd overall, mind you, this was her first tri!!! Another newby is Jade Bailey who also did her first one. Jade just became a member of the tri club and proudly claimed 18th in the 25-29 group crossing the line in 258th overall. Jade's training and partner in crime is Jenna Novotny also a new member. Jenna almost ran away with the top spot in the 20-24 age group claiming 2nd place, just being pipped for first by seconds. The other studette is Melissa Page. Melissa also became a member and crossed the line looking great in blue and silver. She finished in 269th place overall and 19th in her 25-29 age group.

These mentioned athletes were just a few I gathered from the result page, if you wish to look for someone, go to: http://www.mountainmanevents.com/, click on results. Overall, we had a great time and look forward to the club's mini-tri on Oct 12, Pumpkinman coming up Oct 18 and the biggie, The Silverman on Nov 9th. I enjoy bringing you the latest from the events around Las Vegas and the neighboring states. If you have any stories about your latest event, please send them to me and I will forward them to the club's website. My e-mail is: lancewins@hotmail.com. See you on Oct 12th.................Victor Rodriguez

Club members claim 'Trifecta': by Victor Rodriguez

The Kokopelli triathlon took place in Hurricane, Ut on Saturday, Sep 20. This event was the third in a series of three triathlons offered by Brogg Sterrett and his fine staff at BBSC Endurance.

The first one was the St. George triathlon on May 20, the second was the Utah Summer Games on June 14. In order to participate in the trifecta, an athlete must do two out of the three events, if you do all three, the organizers drop your lowest result and tally up the points. The scoring system is very complicated so I won't get into it. The ticket is to do all three and try to finish in the top three or higher. Being consistent is the key, many athletes will not participate in all three events therefore opening the door to the ones who are persistent.

Last year, the Kokopelli tri was cancelled due to foul weather, a late summer storm crashed through and the park rangers, along with the organizers, cancelled the event. John Harrington and I were sitting in the water just 3 minutes before our start when we heard the announcer call the event off. I exited the water extremely dissapointed, I had trained for this event diligently for quite a few weeks, but, you can't win against Mother Nature. John sat in the water in disbelief, they literally pulled him out of the water, the man wanted to swim and he wasn't about to be denied!

This year was a bit different. Perfect weather graced the venue at Sand Hollow reservoir, the race was on! A sprint distance was offered, 750 meter swim, 12.5 miles on the bike and a 3 mile run, the olympic distance was exactly twice the sprint. BBSC Endurance outdid themselves with a perfectly organized event, plenty of volunteers, lots of food and drinks, medals for all finishers and a great announcer who blurted out your name when you came through the finish kite. The swim was modified to accomodate the low level of water. Two laps were required for the olympic and a single one for the sprint. The bike course for the olympic was modified as well. I understand that Brogg used the old St. George tri route eliminating several 90-degree turns and a section of rough road that rattled your chain and your teeth! The run course was pretty brutal, several steep hills, deep sand and a few rocks to mess up your ankles.

Overall, it was a great day of racing and everyone involved had a blast. I'm happy to report that John Harrington claimed first place for the day, adding to his trifecta victory. John literally had to win the day to claim the trifecta, several scenarios were possible for him to win, the easiest was to win, no doubt there! I claimed second for the day culminating my result with the trifecta title by virtue of points from the first two events (two firsts), a slighter easier road than John's.

We spent some time with club members Molly Kramer and Kara Robertson. Both of these ladies participated in their first olympic triathlon. Molly claimed third in her age group (25-29), pretty darn good for her first one. Kara had a great swim and a good bike, the run proved a bit much for Kara, unfortunately, she was pulled due to the time cut. Kara is a champion swimmer recently completing an ungodly 10,000 meter (6.2 miles) swim in the frigid waters of Colorado Springs, it just took her a bit over 4 hours........Unreal!!! With a bit more focus on the run, Kara will be a force to be reckoned with, you just can't beat her out of the water!!!

There are too many LV residents to mention so I will direct you to www.milliseconds.com, there you can find all of the results including the trifecta. The next event will be the Las Vegas triathlon to be held this coming Sun, Sep 28, followed by Brogg's baby, The Pumpkinman taking place on Sat, Oct 18. Pumpkinman will hold the club championships and the Half-Maxx Iron, making it the largest triathlon in SoNev by far. This event is sold out but, look for Brogg to open a few more spots in the coming few weeks. Check Brogg's website, www.bbsctri.com.

The final event will be the toughest full distance triathlon in the world, The Silverman. It will take place on Sun, Nov 9. This event offers a full distance, a 70.3 and relays. Frank Lowery is the brains behind this brutal event. Frank is in his fourth year promoting Silverman and I can see it being the premier triathlon in the western US. You can find Frank coaching the masters swimmers at the Henderson MultiGeneral complex around 5:30 am. It's been a great season for the Lv Tri Club, many great results by its many members, check the 'blog' and 'message board' to find out more. OK, I must get some rest which happens to be my favorite training session, 8 hours!!!..............

Nate and the Big Kahuna:

I decided that doing another half iron was the perfect "birthday spanking", the Big Kahuna Triathlon in Santa Cruz, Ca. fell right on my 29th birthday so I signed up and away we went. This wasn't without weeks of training, plenty of adversity (both physical and especially mental), and a whole lot of saving to make sure we had enough money to get there. On Friday, 9/5/08, we loaded up the rented Dodge Caravan and set out for the 9 hour drive to the Central Californian Coast. This time around my amazing support crew consisted of Samantha, Bailey, and a special guest appearance by my father, Vince, who flew out from Ohio on Thursday. The drive to Santa Cruz was beautiful, and relatively relaxing considering it's length. Mapquest claims it's 545 miles and while I didn't track it, that number seemed about right. Once in Santa Cruz, we found our way to the Boardwalk (where the movie "Lost Boys" was shot) and easily found our hotel for the weekend.

The accommodations were nice, if a little expensive, but VERY close to the race site. I was really happy that I found this place and was able to get a room. Shortly after our arrival, my good friend and adventuring companion James arrived after driving down from San Francisco. James and I have been climbing and skiing in the mountains together for a long time, and it's always special when we can get together. The next day James and the rest of the crew joined me to pick up my race packet and a drive up the coast to preview the bike course. It was a beautiful day, and our ride up the coast was smooth and enjoyable for everyone. When we stopped for lunch, my dad had to snap a pic of this mural on the hood of the pick up next to us...

The course runs along HWY 1 up the coast and was exactly as described, "rolling hills". There were a couple steep ones and I wasn't sure what to expect during the race. The scenery was gorgeous and I was excited to get out there on the bike.

After our drive up the coast, we returned to the hotel so that I could prep my gear and get off my feet. Just as I finished my preparations and was laying down another surprise guest! My brother had driven all the way up from L.A. to see my race on my birthday!

Race Day: Down to the details. I woke up at 5 am, had a yogurt, and a bagel. Drank a pint of water and got dressed. Everything had been laid out meticulously the night before and I was smoothly out the door by 5:30am. I arrived in transition, found a great spot, and set up smoothly. Unfortunately, I've got my transition setup whittled down efficiently to only the essential items and nothing else. I was set up in less than 5 minutes and had nothing left to do besides stand around nauseated from nervousness and marvel at how complicated everyone else's setup is. I should have taken a picture of mine compared to everyone else's, it was comical. Two pairs of shoes (1 cycling, 1 running of course), my aero helmet with gel flask, sunglasses and spare kit inside it and placed on top my cycling shoes, and my running hat with gps, gel flask, and number belt placed inside of it. No towels, no water bottles, no boxed lunch, no chairs, no assortment of nutritional items and supplements, etc. are necessary. In a race this long, keeping on the move is paramount, I can't imagine how stiff my legs would get if I lounged around in transition. Anyway..sorry for the rant... I suited up and made my way to the athlete meeting. I couldn't hear a word of the meeting but I had done this dance before so I wasn't too worried about it. The water was much warmer than I had expected which was a truly pleasant surprise. Hyperventilating from the cold water on the swim has been an issue for me. I didn't want it to compound my already high anxiety about the swim. I lucked out for sure. I warmed up and watched the waves go off, my wave was dead last so I had plenty of time to fight the feeling of wanting to puke. I just tried to stay loose and talk to Sammie and Bailey about anything else. I took photos with everyone before the start.

If you ever see this smile from me...I'm faking...

Before long my wave was off. I started toward the back and outside. My plan was to take it easy and just get through the swim. I planned to count my strokes continuously as a sort of mantra in order to keep any anxiety at bay. Counting strokes worked brilliantly and I was able to just put my head down and swim without anxiety. I exited the swim in 46 minutes to a crowd roaring "Happy Birthday Nathan". I was a little confused as to how everyone knew but then I spotted Sam and Bailey...

They really outdid themselves this time. They are always super supportive, but their hula skirts and banner had gotten the whole crowd in on the act and wherever I ran people were yelling "Happy Birthday Nathan!" The run to transition was long but I didn't think it was bad at all. I was smart about it though and left flip flops at the beach exit before I got onto the concrete. T1 = 4:49 was in the top 5 of my age group and only 3 seconds from top 3. Once again, keep it simple and straight forward and keep moving. That's what I did. The bike ride was fantastic. I'm going to include a whole geek section about my tactics, nutrition, pacing etc. after the race report. Here's the story, I knew what the course looked like already which gave me quite a bit of confidence heading out onto it. I knew that there were a couple of hills to stay conservative on, but otherwise this was a course that really suited me. The headwind was pretty strong most of the way and a couple of scary gusts had my attention. Most of my ride was spent in the left hand side of the lane as I picked one rider after another off. By the turn around, I was passing people who had started in the second wave, a full 25 minutes ahead of me. I felt great, and never felt like I was pushing myself at any time. There were a lot of riders getting flats on the side of the road and I really felt for them. I'm sure it will happen to me at some point, but that just sucks. At the turn around my brother and dad were there to get some great action shots of me...

I completed the bike in 2:51 for an average speed of 19.65 miles an hour. I was pretty happy with this split because it was a significant improvement over my previous time but was still very conservative setting me up for a good run. T2= 1:18.9 Fourth fastest in my age group and I wasn't in a particular rush to be honest. The run course was the most beautiful run I've ever been on. It was pretty darn flat with just a couple small hills to contend with and break things up. My kind of running. The best part about the course is that as you head north and near the halfway point of the run, you are running on a great dirt trail that follows along the top of the seaside cliffs. The sun, the breeze, the ocean below, the smell of the salt spray in the air, were all simply amazing. I couldn't believe how invigorated I felt, this far into the race. At mile 5, I was feeling so good that I decided it was time to stop holding back and just let my legs go. Until that point I had been holding 9:45 miles, once I relaxed and let it go my pace dropped down to 8:10 miles. I didn't feel like I was working for it and decided to keep going as long as it felt easy. Unfortunately, I got so caught up in how great I was feeling that I lost track of my execution. I forgot to take in any calories and electrolytes for a few miles and this came around to hurt me quickly. At mile 9 my legs started cramping ferociously, and I began to ache all over. I was still able to run under 10 minute miles but I was in so much pain that I couldn't keep my mind together to keep running. All I wanted was some ibuprofen. I finished the run in 2:35. Quite a bit slower than what I was on pace for during the first half but still a substantial improvement over my last half iron. Running down the beach I was exhausted, I couldn't see the finish line, and I just wanted to be finished.

All of a sudden, I rounded a corner and there it was! The finishing chute, the banner that Sam and Bailey had made for me, and a thousand people screaming happy birthday and cheering me to the finish. Even the race announcers knew it was my birthday and made a big deal out of it. It was SO AMAZING. I finally felt validated. I finally felt like I had truly completed a half iron. My last race felt like I got lucky because of all the problems. This race felt like I had truly been out there, giving it my all, even taking some chances and going for it on the run. I'll probably never get to break the tape first, or hoist my country's flag over my head in victory. This was my day however, and as I ran past Sam and Bailey, I wanted them to know how special that banner was to me. I snatched it from their hands and hoisted it over my head going down the finishing chute. The Big Kahuna was over! My official finishing time was 6:19:38 and tenth in my Age Group. Finally I'm inside the top ten at a big race! But it wasn't over... When we returned to the hotel the party had just begun and as I opened the door to the room I was greeted by a fully decorated room, and a giant basket with all the recovery items I could ever want after a race.

After a shower and a nice nap, we went out and gorged ourselves on wings and french fries. Then it was off to Kiva Retreat House, where Sam had booked a private hot tub and steam room for us to help soothe away the soreness. I felt fantastic after all that. It happens every year, because Sam tries so hard to make my birthday great. I have to say it again this year, this was the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!

This was a team effort. There were a lot of people who made this race a success and if even one of them had been missing, I wouldn't have had as good an experience. Thank you: Mike Sullivan, Samantha, Bailey, Chris, Chris Thornham, Nick Savatgy, Larry, Chris Wahl, Mom, Dad, Clay, Jeremy Firth, Melissa Bailey, and James. Without you guys as the foundation of support I stand on, and the motivation you provide to keep me training, I wouldn't be as happy as I am today.

____________________________________________________________________ As promised, here's the geek report. On the bike my strategy was to ride at 75% of my functional threshold power (my current FTP ~280 watts) for the most part. This is VERY conservative, as most other athletes will ride at 80-85% for a half ironman.

Having concerns about how successful my run could be if I rode to hard, I opted to lose 5-10 minutes on the bike by riding overly conservative rather than lose an hour on the run because I rode too hard. I consciously kept the real time wattage on the Powertap at 210-215 watts. When climbing I kept it under 250 for all but the steepest hills where I attempted to keep it under 300. I feel that this worked quite well, and next time I'm going to bump it up to 80% of my FTP My fueling for the bike was 1 gel flask with 550 calories of Gu. I estimated my ride would be in the neighborhood of 3 hours, and I planned for 200 calories an hour. I also tried to keep my hydration at 24-28 ounces per hour. Electrolyte replenishment was 2 endurolytes per hour. This plan worked excellently. Near perfectly. Next race I will probably up the endurolytes to 3 per hour (provided the same conditions). I coasted any time my speed was over 35 miles an hour on the down hills. Here are the bike stats according to WKO+... Entire workout (178 watts): Duration: 2:52:21 Work: 1839 kJ TSS: 144.5 (intensity factor 0.71) Norm Power: 199 VI: 1.12 Pw:HR: n/a Pa:HR: n/a Distance: 56.159 mi Min Max Avg Power: 0 489 178 watts Cadence: 38 229 90 rpm Speed: 2.5 49.8 19.6 mph Pace 1:12 24:08 3:04 min/mi Hub Torque: 0 380 70 lb-in Crank Torque 0 744 171 lb-in My normalized power was a bit lower than I was shooting for, but I attribute that to the rolling nature of the course. There was a lot of time spent coasting.

On the run, my strategy was to go out at a VERY VERY easy pace. A pace I felt like I can run all day long. I was going to do this for 3 miles and then assess the situation every 2 miles from there. I ran 9:45-9:55 for the first three miles and I was really holding back. I knew that I needed to remain patient and keep focusing on my nutrition. I held the same pace until mile 5, where as mentioned I cut loose and just ran. I didn't push, but I didn't hold back. My strategy was to run only hard enough that I could hold a conversation. I talked to people as we passed each other to make sure I was holding to my strategy. My mistake on the run was not focusing on nutrition and electrolytes enough. I was drinking 8-10 ounces of water at every aid station but by mile 5 had forgotten to continue taking in calories and electrolyte caps and ultimately believe that this is where I lost a lot of time. I had a flask with 475 calories of CarboPro 1200 in it. I only consumed about half of this flask on the run, and most of that was in the first 2 miles. This certainly wasn't enough. I also only had 3 endurolyte caps at the beginning of the run, and didn't take anymore in until I was at mile 9 and cramping. Next race I will shoot to take down my entire flask before the halfway mark on the run, and I will take 3 endurolyte caps every 45mins to 1 hour. There it is, the geek report. I hope this is helpful to someone out there and I look forward to everyone's comments.

Thanks for taking the time to read this ridiculously long race report.

Amtrak Century, September 6, 2008

(The Crew:Ray Payan, Mary Payan, Julie Hosea, Robert Hosea, Debbie Johnson)

Five club members (and a co-worker) did the Amtrak Century on September 6, 2008. It’s a point to point century ride from Irvine, CA to San Diego, CA put on by the Orange County Wheelmen. The return trip to Irvine is by private train. This is advertised as a great first-time century. It is a very easy mostly flat to downhill ride with a few climbs. Actually, I think the hardest part of this is getting registered. The ride is limited to 1,100 riders, 700 return by train and 400 are on their own. Registration opened at 7:00AM on Father’s Day and was closed within 20 minutes.

We all arrived in Huntington Beach on Friday afternoon. Ray and I consider a more local bike for the ride instead of our road bikes. We opted for speed over comfort.

We found our way to the Irvine Transportation Center early Saturday morning, dropped off our bags and coolers, and made it through the efficient check-in. We are given a route slip with way to many turns to memorize so we decide someone in front of us will know where to go. Someone overhears us and cautions us to make sure whoever we follow has a wrist band so we don’t end up at someone’s house instead of in San Diego.

We are finally off at 6:20. This is the first century for four of the tri club members in our group. It’s a little cool, not very light, and damp. The first 10 miles are relatively flat and traffic free. We make it over the first little climb and enjoy the long downhill through Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, and San Juan Capistrano to our first rest stop.

After a short stop it was back on the bike to Dana Point and our first view of the ocean. We rode through San Clemente and through a park/campground area and along a traffic free bike trail to rest stop 2. We were unable to ride through Camp Pendleton this year, so it was about 7-8 miles on Interstate 5; this was not the most enjoyable part of the ride. We finally get off the freeway and into Oceanside for lunch. Everyone is feeling pretty good after 62 miles and there hasn’t been any whining! We are right on my estimated time schedule and should make it to San Diego in time to catch the train.

Leaving lunch there is a pretty steep but short climb and everyone ‘feels’ their legs again. No one is talking about it, but we all know THE HILL is coming up. There is flat road, cool damp air, and beautiful scenery through Carlsbad and Del Mar before we get to Torrey Pines. Everyone makes it to the top and the final rest stop to enjoy popsicles and ice cream bars. After a short stretch through La Jolla and some more bike trails, we are in Mission Bay. Continuing south we find ourselves riding on what seems like freeways with the traffic and interchange ramps. We were slightly navigationally challenged through this section but managed to stay on the correct route somehow.


After regrouping it was an easy ride down Harbor to an uneventful finish. We were right on schedule; just enough time to grab our stuff, head to a nearby gym for a quick shower and then to the train. The train ride back to Irvine was a lot of fun – it was a party atmosphere.


This was definitely a great ride for first time century riders.

Do you have what it takes to support our injured veterans through our sport - triathon?

Join Team Operation Rebound Silverman Half Relay and Support Injured U.S. Military Personnel Since the beginning of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, more than 27,000 U.S. military personnel have been wounded – many suffering traumatic, permanent injuries. In 2004, the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), an organization with 15 years of experience supporting the athletic endeavors of physically challenged athletes, launched Operation Rebound. This program, which has touched hundreds of wounded veterans provides the training, specialized equipment and mentoring permanently injured military personnel need to get back into sports – whether their goal is to simply finish a local 5K or make it to the Paralympic games.

On November 9th, you can Race for a Reason at the Operation Silverman Half Relay, and make it your mission to raise funds for Operation Rebound. Your efforts will help ensure U.S. military personnel who suffered permanent injuries fighting for our freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan get full access to life-affirming, healing sports activities. As a member of Team Operation Rebound Silverman Half Relay you’ll race alongside seven injured veterans as they take on the challenging same swim, bike and run you do.

Commit to raising just $1,000 for Operation Rebound and you’ll also gain access to other benefits, like:
A custom racing uniform
An Operation Rebound technical training shirt
A special “Operation Rebound” early wave start
A special “Operation Rebound” racking zone in the transition area
Special seating at the pre-race pasta dinner
A CAF Race belt and water bottle
VIP registration (no waiting in line)
Cool incentive prizes available for those raising more than $1,000
Make your race matter. Support Operation Rebound and our troops.

REGISTER NOW!Registration Closes Nov 1st, 2008 Relay field is limited to first 30 relay teams.The Operation Rebound teams will cover the Nevada Silverman Half Distance Triathlon, consisting of a 1.2-mile swim in Lake Mead, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run through the astonishingly hilly downtown Henderson, NV. Relay Divisions: Male, Female, Coed, and Operation Rebound teams: Awards will be given to the top three teams in each respected division. The Operation Rebound teams must contain a member of the CAF or Operation Rebound to be eligible for awards. Each relay member will receive a finisher shirt and finisher medal.Meet your CAF Athletes

Click on the names below and check out their stories:
Andy Hatcher
Brandon Erickson
Dave Rozelle
Dean Wagner
Evan Morgan
John Morley
Melissa Stockwell
Mike McNaughton
Rich Ingram
Tim Gustafson

Vineman 70.3: by Mellisa Olivas

Mellisa's Crew - Victor- George- Ron- Melissa- Tom- Jamie- Doug- Dwayne- Ted

If you are looking to exchange the dead heat of a Las Vegas summer for a cooler, more scenic venue, then the Vineman 70.3 Triathlon in the Russian River Valley of Northern California is the race for you. It features a barely wetsuit-legal swim in the Russian River (virtually no current) followed by a bike course that takes you winding through a myriad of vineyards and a run that, although hilly, is incredibly lush and green.

The logistics of getting there with your bike can be a little challenging since it is a 10 hour drive from Las Vegas. The closest airports are Oakland and San Francisco which are an hour away, unless of course you have your own plane like some people we know, and can fly directly into the Sonoma County airport which is five miles from the finish line.

Register early for the race as it tends to sell out and make your accommodations as soon as possible. Our group enjoyed our stay at the Sonoma County Condos (Worldmark by Wyndham) which is approximately three miles from the finish line in Windsor. This location is great as we found the need to travel back and forth between our condos and the expo multiple times. Windsor is a 10-minute drive from Santa Rosa and features a variety of quaint restaurants and a Walmart for those last minute race supplies.

Our group drove up early and previewed the course prior to race day, which I highly recommend. The weather was 90 degrees on the high end and 55 degrees for the low. We were fortunate to have a cloud cover for longer than forecasted on race day so we took advantage of the cooler temperatures and had a fabulous time.

Also, if you like wine, then you cannot miss the opportunity to put together a great post race party the next day at the local vineyards. We did!

It looks like there are about 8 guys for every girl on this trip - how does she do it? By the way Mellisa came blasting by me on the run at mile 7 - her leg turn over was great, she destroyed me with her energy. Congratulations - nice race. Dave Carlson

X-Terra Championship, Ogden, UT: by Victor Rodriguez

On Aug 16, the final stop on the X-Terra tour took place in the northern town of Ogden UT. This is the final qualifier for the national championship to be held in Lake Tahoe's Incline Village in early October. This event drew the finest X-Terra triathletes from the neighboring states of Nevada, California, Arizona, Colorado and by the elite from Utah.



The event took place just outside Ogden at the Snowbasin ski resort. The venue has held numerous X-Terra events and was the clear choice again this year. John Harrington and I decided to attent this event simply because it's the premier race just before the big one in Tahoe. We ran into Jay Watson, a member of the LV tri club and better half of Kim. Jay will be competing in his first off-road event after having competed in numerous triathlons for the last few years.

Having done several of these events, John Harrington and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to compete against the finest athletes in the region, with the chance of qualifying for the nationals. With that in mind, we programmed the GPS to guide us to the northern parasise of the Wasatch mountains, 7 hours, 450+ miles later, we arrived in heaven! At the registration booth, we were greeted with a big smile by Jennifer Marsh and Ann Mickey. These ladies are employed by X-Terra, travel around the country organizing these events and I must tell you, they do a superb job making sure that everything goes smoothly. Jen and Ann had us down and all we had to was sign at the dotted line, how's that for service!!!

The roster was loaded with top pros. Starting with 3-time world champion Conrad Stoltz, Josiah Middaugh, defending champion Seth Whealer and many others, the men's pro field was stacked with the finest. On the women's side, Shonny Vanlandingham, canadians Melanie McQuaid and Danelle Kabush, Lisa Leib and many others promised to keep the course 'en fuego'.

The course called for two transition areas. The swim portion was held down from the mountain at the Pine View reservoir, a 1500 meter splash was scheduled. From there, it was an uphill battle for 12 miles up to the ski lodge. Another loop around the ski runs covered the other 6 miles with a gorgeous section of single track, fast decends and countless tight switchbacks all the way to T-2. The run took us up several steep ski runs with the middle section covering two-plus miles of shaded single track, a few more climbs and a fast decend to the finish line. The weather was just superb, with temps ranging from 68 to 82 degrees, slight breeze and a few puffy clouds.

The water temp was 73 degrees. The pros were not allowed to wear wetsuits, the age groupers had the option, I wore mine so did John and Jay. After the smoke cleared, Conrad Stoltz emerged as the winner by a scant 30+ seconds. The top five pros were separated by less than 60 seconds, very close and exciting for the many fans which crowded the finish line. The women's winner was Melanie McQuaid with Shonny Vanlandingham a very close second by less than a minute. Danelle Kabush finished in the top ten. This second place finish places Shonny in a perfect position for the championship event to be held in Hawaii. Shonny crossed over from mountain biking to X-Terra after being a 5-time national champion which includes 3 cross country titles along with a short track and a marathon (50 miles race). Shonny resides and trains in Durango, many athletes from the southwestern Colorado town participated and came up with some shiny hardware. We had the pleasure of meeting Coloradans Ashley Angel, an up and coming triathlete who promises to rise rapidly along with age grouper Dave and his lovely wife Bobbi. We sat with Dave and Bobbi at their table and shared some stories, Ashley acompanied us to the local ice cream parlor for some after hours treat.

The field included several challenged athletes but one that comes to mind is Megan. Megan lost her left leg just below the knee and that hasn't stopped her from living life. In fact Megan competed in the challenged division and did quite well. Unfortunately, an over zealous rider tried to pass her on a tight section of single track and slightly bumped her and she lost control. She ended up in a ditch with a tree stump pressed against her right side, a nasty gash on her left ankle and two dislocated fingers. Just before the accident, John Harrington was trading places with Megan on the wide, steep climbs preceeding the single track. Megan went on ahead and John followed about a hundred yards behind. John entered the single track and heard a rider in distress. Unselfishly, John rendered assistance jeopardizing his eventual result. He pulled her out of the ditch and proceeded with assesing the injuries. She seemed OK dispite a some blood around her ankle, John calmed her down and she went on with the rest of the race. She eventually finished and headed to the ER for a quick check-up and several stitches. Megan showed her mettle and John his sportsmanship and unselfish determination. I tip my helmet to both athletes for showing what it takes to compete. That's what makes X-Terra events so great, the spirit and dedication no matter the situation.

The awards presentation was held at the downtown Amphitheater with many local restaurants displaying their finest dishes. The live band cranked out some of the finest southern rock, everyone had a great time! At the party we ran into 'Kalei'. Kalei is the announcer and voice of X-Terra. You can find her behind a mic at every event blurting out instructions and announcing everyone's names as they cross the finish line. We met her back in May at the Temecula X-Terra, her voice clear and smooth as ever! She gave us a bit of billing as we stumbled across the line, mentioning Las Vegas and our club. We also ran across Brogg Sterret and his right-hand-man, sister Aubriann, they designed this year's swim course. Brogg is the promoter for some of the finest events in the southwest region such as Rage in the Sage, St. George, Kokopelli and Pumpkinman triathlons. Brogg is know for promoting the finest events on the planet with safety being number one on the list. This year's Pumpkinman event will include a half, olympic and sprint distance as well as club nationals. If you havn't done this one, sign up, you'll llove it!!!

This year's Ogden X-Terra was dedicated by Conrad Stoltz to pro triathlete Jamie Whitmore. Jamie endured a major operation to remove a tumor from her leg, she's doing fine but might have to go through another procedure. We hope to see Jamie racing again soon in the pro circuit doing what she does best, winning!!! The entire triathlete community including the Las Vegas Tri Club wishes Jamie a speedy recovery, we keep her in our minds and prayers. Oh, by the way, if you would like to see complete results, log on to http://www.jtltiming.com/. Time to log off, have a wonderful evening and remember, pain is temporary, glory is forever.............