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Heat, Ice Cream and Redemption...
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Sunday, 04 July 2021 00:10
By Mike Hushagen
Ironman Coeur d'Alene Race Recap: This was my 3rd Ironman and Jessica Ann Shaw's 4th. It's a beautifully scenic but difficult course with long climbs on the 2 loop bike route. As race day neared the forecast kept getting hotter and hotter, eventually settling on full sun and 101 degrees!
The race start got moved up to 5:00 am for the Pros and 5:30 for the rest of us. We got a short night of sleep and headed down to the lake in the dark with our trusty race sherpa Mark.
The Swim (2.4 miles): The water was a perfect 70 degrees and Jessica and I seeded ourselves together in line for the rolling start. Before we knew it our buzzer went off and the race was on! We entered the water side by side but soon lost each other in a sea of people and waves. I found a person to draft off of and spent the whole first lap on his feet. I did my own thing on the second lap and felt great the whole time at a nice relaxed pace. As I exited the water and ran up to my bike I found that Jessica was already gone! Yes, she kicked my butt on that swim by 5 minutes. Now my goal was to catch her!
The Bike (112 miles): I was feeling great so I pushed the pace right from the start and started passing people. I didn't catch Jessica until around mile 6 and we rode together for about a mile to the first turnaround. I was in front of her and as I finished the turn I heard "Oh s@&t!" And turned my head just in time to see her crash! ...
"...I Fell Into the Second Category."...
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Thursday, 01 July 2021 00:10
By Mari Ruddy (mariruddy.com)
Lake Minnetonka Race Report - I love triathlon. No two ways about it, I fell in love way back at my first ever triathlon, the Danskin, that I did in 2005, a week after I finished radiation treatment for my first round of breast cancer. I knew I had found the sport for me. It captured my imagination.
Triathlon love
I love how it requires a lot of gear, a lot of planning, tons of little details to manage, and it 100% requires that you train. Swimming, biking and running one right after the other asks the body to please, please, please PREPARE. On top of the physical athletic preparation, you also have to train (practice) your nutrition and hydration.
Managing details
Living 40 years with type 1 diabetes has required a massive amount of attention to details and doing triathlon takes the skills I’ve gained from having type 1, and gives me new (and fun!) focus for that skill.
June 19th, I did my first official, in-person triathlon since doing the YWCA Women’s Triathlon in August 2019. I LOVE RACING!!! ...
Cheryl & Doobie's "Kidney-versary"...
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Wednesday, 30 June 2021 00:10
By Doobie Kurus & Cheryl Zitur
Doobie Kurus and Cheryl Zitur celebrate their 5th Anniversary...
Ok, that headline was misleading. It should have read Doobie Kurus and Cheryl Zitur celebrate their 5th "Kidney-versary", because 5 years ago on June 30th, they each donated one of their kidneys to help save someone's life. People often worry how a donor's life might be affected, but 5 years later here's what they've been up to, and we think you'll be impressed.
per Cheryl:
I donated to my oldest son Chris who lives in Denver. He is still doing great! He continues to be active playing hockey, kickball, volleyball and skiing in the winter. We are so happy he is healthy!!
I continue to train for triathlons! I completed an Ironman 1 year after donation and a Marathon in 2019 qualifying for Boston but it was cancelled due to Covid. I swim, bike and run every week and teach strength and conditioning classes 3 days a week. My goal is to do at least 3 triathlons a year. I am also enjoying many trips to Florida to play with my twin Grandkids. I have met so many awesome donors over the years and am part of a Facebook group...
Races Within Races & Emerging Stars...
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Monday, 28 June 2021 00:10
GRANITEMAN CLEARWATER - We love the races within the races, and we love to watch emerging stars, which is not to suggest that watching favorites live up to their billing isn't very cool, too....
Old Dogs and New Tricks...
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Sunday, 27 June 2021 00:10
By Corey Nygaard (coreynygaard.weebly.com)
Average Jo Triathlon Race Report - It has been a minute since I raced (IMCOZ 2019). And quite a bit has changed in my life, So today was going to be a sort of test to see if I remembered how to do this tRiAtHaLoN thing! Like most people coming back to racing after a hiatus of any length, there are things that come naturally and things that don't. Like how swimming three times before this race may have not been great, or not practicing flying mounts recently made T1 look goofy. But this sport is just like riding a bike, eh?
One thing I said that may have jinxed the mornings weather was the fact I said I was tired of the wind and said as long as it was not windy I did not care what the weather was.... mistake, sorry y'all... I woke up and it was windy and about 60 degrees, which normally is not too bad, but when it starts raining that changes things. I made it to the race site with the folks about an hour before the race started which is plenty of time to set up transition and use the bathroom two maybe three times...
This race was titled as 500 yard swim, 12 mile bike and 5k run.....
I was not sure where to start anymore, given my lack of swim training, so obviously I would start in the front right? Right. The chop was just a rollin' and the buoys to sight were non existent (may as well been bobbers out there) so I just sighted the boat that was out chillin' at the turn around. It worked well enough and was able to not veer off too often. I had two fellas in front of me coming out of the water which was definitely better than I thought. Not a great swim. but not too terrible by any means....
