CONTACT: Steve Toll, Founder/Chief Executive Officer of Tampa Bay Recreation/ISM Saddles, 813-293-6974; and Dave Bunce, ISM Operations Commander, 512-968-1888
TAMPA, FLA -- Tampa Bay Recreation/ISM Saddles, maker of the world's most comfortable bicycle seat, is proud to announce that Triathlon icon Michellie Jones has joined the company to be the point-person in the company's relationships with professional athletes.
Jones, one of the world's premier and most decorated triathletes, has started this fall for ISM -- Ideal Seat Modification.
"Michellie is one of the most professional athletes the sport has ever known and we're pleased to have Michellie's expertise and knowledge as part of our ISM team," said Steve Toll, founder and chief executive officer of ISM Saddles.
Michellie will act as liaison between ISM and the professional athletes under contract with ISM. ISM has about 40 world-class athletes under contract such as U.S. Olympians Laura Bennett, Sarah Haskins and Andy Potts.
Michellie will also help ISM in its goal to sponsor a Pro Racing Tour Team.
Michellie, who is Australian, was the 2006 Ironman World Champion and has 160 career victories. Michellie was the seven-time Triathlete Magazine Triathlete of the Year.
“I am looking forward to taking on this new role at ISM and having the opportunity to share my expertise and knowledge I have required as a professional athlete over the last 23 years,” Michellie said.
ISM Saddles is internationally-known and recognized for producing one of the most comfortable bike saddles on the planet and for having its seat used by premier triathlon athletes, bike road racers, casual bicyclists and all age-groupers.
The ISM is a medically superior saddle to traditional bike seats because the pressure created by a traditional seat can lead to erectile problems, impotence and nerve damage from lack of blood flow.
“The word is out. You can be comfortable while riding a bike,” Steve Toll said.
Check out the ISM saddle at www.ismseat.com
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Eric Limkemann 8th at Rev 3 FULL!
Rev3 Cedar Point Race Report
www.rev3tri.com
9/12/2010
This past weekend I was in Cedar Point completing my first full distance triathlon. The 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run took me just over 8 hours and 50 minutes to complete. The time was good enough for 8th place for the day and was over double the time of my longest race date! Despite a few nasty blisters, I survived in one piece and actually had a great time in the process! Since the race was longer than usual, this will be a bit long as well… Enjoy!
The weekend started out with the drive up to Sandusky on Thursday and meeting up with my fantastic homestay Tap Knupke and her kids. Friday morning, I attended the practice swim and decided to try it without a wetsuit…Bad idea. The water was just below 70 degrees and pretty choppy. Add to that 15 mph winds and I spent the rest of the day trying to warm up after just a 20 minute swim! Saturday, I was back at the beach with my BlueSeventy wetsuit and thermal cap ready. The waves were huge again and the wind was fierce, but I had a comfortable swim before checking in and attending the mandatory pre-race meeting. Afterwards, I spent an hour or so getting all of my race gear in order, which included way more planning than my normal races! It hit me that I would be out on the race course for a LONG TIME! I calmed myself down, met up with my Mom, Mike, and Tap for dinner, and got to bed early in anticipation for the pain to come.
The morning started early with a 4am wakeup. I ate as much breakfast as I could stomach and headed off to transition by 5:30. I checked in my bike, transition bags, and special needs bags and headed to the swim start to see just how rough the water would be… The official water temp was 64 degrees, but the waves from the last few days were nowhere to be seen! The lake was as flat as glass and I knew it would be a fast swim. The 2.4 miles were split into two loops and I started nice and easy over the first mile. A little bit to my surprise, I opened up a lead coming out of the first loop. I really don’t think my heart rate was over 100! I could get used to this Ironman stuff. The second loop, I put in a bit more time and came out of the water a bit over a minute in front of the next competitor. After a quick transition, I headed out onto the bike feeling pretty good.
I settled into a steady pace and tried to warm up in the sub 60 degree air. About 10 minutes into the bike, I was passed by Bjorn Andersson on his way to a crazy 4:19 bike split. He quickly disappeared, or so I thought… Suddenly, the USAT official told me to pull over and stop for a 4 minute stagger penalty! Apparently, Bjorn was still visible way in the distance and I was directly behind him! The stagger rule has no distance limit, so I had to stand down for 4 agonizing minutes! I couldn’t believe it! During the time penalty, I went from 2nd to 12th and watched the main group fly by in perfect legal drafting formation. I was cold and frustrated as I started up again on the bike. It was not the way I envisioned starting my first 112 mile bike leg! Over the next four hours I worked to close the gap and came into T2 with a 4:50 bike split (including the penalty time). The ride seemed like ages and made me realize how much work I have to do on my cycling! I was in 11th place with the marathon looming in front of me.
I had never ran over 20 miles before this and knew I needed to pace myself. I took off hoping to pass a few people and work my way up to a top 10 finish. My first mile was 6:10…Oops. The second was 6:20 and I knew I needed to slow down. I finally settled into a steady 6:50 pace for the next few miles. By the ½ way point, I had moved up to 9th with a 1:25 split. I was starting to really feel the previous 7 hours as I headed out for the second half, but knew if I could keep it up I would be able to move up a few more spots. I passed Bjorn at mile 16 and another racer dropped out to put me into 7th place by mile 21. I was really hurting over the last few miles and a quick-running Kirk Nelson passed me easily as I was out of gas. With Cedar Point in sight, I survived the last two miles for an 8th place finish. I crossed the line with a Blazeman roll and a great sense of relief!
Looking back, I believe I got a few things right: My swim was great, my nutrition was dead-on (First Endurance gets better and better as you go longer…), and my mental focus was great. I really need to work on my cycling endurance and perhaps a bit more long runs if I want to excel at this distance. Pacing was way off, but I know there is a bit of a learning curve. I fell short of my 8:30 goal time, but I think with this race in the books, I am capable of achieving it next time. Aside from a few blisters, I’m feeling pretty good and getting ready for Westchester in two weeks. We’ll see how much of an effect this race has on me!!!
Thank you to everyone for the great support for this race. Andre at Kiwami was able to send me a long course suit at the last minute and I was able to meet Robert from First Endurance at the expo. I’m lucky to be associated with these great companies! Of course the BlueSeventy wetsuit worked like a charm as did my ISM Breakaway saddle which me comfortable all day long. My Newton held up better than I did on the run! Also thanks to Dave and Denise from Dixie Chiropractic for keeping me healthy leading up to the race and coming out to support me all day long! Thanks to Tap for sharing her home with me and to all of the Rev3 staff for putting on a first class event. If you haven’t attended one of their races, you’re missing out!! As always, please support the Blazeman foundation through my website. If you don’t know why I rolled across the finish line, please find out!
Eric Limkemann
www.ericlimkemanntriathlon.com
www.twitter.com/ericlimkemann
www.rev3tri.com
9/12/2010
This past weekend I was in Cedar Point completing my first full distance triathlon. The 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run took me just over 8 hours and 50 minutes to complete. The time was good enough for 8th place for the day and was over double the time of my longest race date! Despite a few nasty blisters, I survived in one piece and actually had a great time in the process! Since the race was longer than usual, this will be a bit long as well… Enjoy!
The weekend started out with the drive up to Sandusky on Thursday and meeting up with my fantastic homestay Tap Knupke and her kids. Friday morning, I attended the practice swim and decided to try it without a wetsuit…Bad idea. The water was just below 70 degrees and pretty choppy. Add to that 15 mph winds and I spent the rest of the day trying to warm up after just a 20 minute swim! Saturday, I was back at the beach with my BlueSeventy wetsuit and thermal cap ready. The waves were huge again and the wind was fierce, but I had a comfortable swim before checking in and attending the mandatory pre-race meeting. Afterwards, I spent an hour or so getting all of my race gear in order, which included way more planning than my normal races! It hit me that I would be out on the race course for a LONG TIME! I calmed myself down, met up with my Mom, Mike, and Tap for dinner, and got to bed early in anticipation for the pain to come.
The morning started early with a 4am wakeup. I ate as much breakfast as I could stomach and headed off to transition by 5:30. I checked in my bike, transition bags, and special needs bags and headed to the swim start to see just how rough the water would be… The official water temp was 64 degrees, but the waves from the last few days were nowhere to be seen! The lake was as flat as glass and I knew it would be a fast swim. The 2.4 miles were split into two loops and I started nice and easy over the first mile. A little bit to my surprise, I opened up a lead coming out of the first loop. I really don’t think my heart rate was over 100! I could get used to this Ironman stuff. The second loop, I put in a bit more time and came out of the water a bit over a minute in front of the next competitor. After a quick transition, I headed out onto the bike feeling pretty good.
I settled into a steady pace and tried to warm up in the sub 60 degree air. About 10 minutes into the bike, I was passed by Bjorn Andersson on his way to a crazy 4:19 bike split. He quickly disappeared, or so I thought… Suddenly, the USAT official told me to pull over and stop for a 4 minute stagger penalty! Apparently, Bjorn was still visible way in the distance and I was directly behind him! The stagger rule has no distance limit, so I had to stand down for 4 agonizing minutes! I couldn’t believe it! During the time penalty, I went from 2nd to 12th and watched the main group fly by in perfect legal drafting formation. I was cold and frustrated as I started up again on the bike. It was not the way I envisioned starting my first 112 mile bike leg! Over the next four hours I worked to close the gap and came into T2 with a 4:50 bike split (including the penalty time). The ride seemed like ages and made me realize how much work I have to do on my cycling! I was in 11th place with the marathon looming in front of me.
I had never ran over 20 miles before this and knew I needed to pace myself. I took off hoping to pass a few people and work my way up to a top 10 finish. My first mile was 6:10…Oops. The second was 6:20 and I knew I needed to slow down. I finally settled into a steady 6:50 pace for the next few miles. By the ½ way point, I had moved up to 9th with a 1:25 split. I was starting to really feel the previous 7 hours as I headed out for the second half, but knew if I could keep it up I would be able to move up a few more spots. I passed Bjorn at mile 16 and another racer dropped out to put me into 7th place by mile 21. I was really hurting over the last few miles and a quick-running Kirk Nelson passed me easily as I was out of gas. With Cedar Point in sight, I survived the last two miles for an 8th place finish. I crossed the line with a Blazeman roll and a great sense of relief!
Looking back, I believe I got a few things right: My swim was great, my nutrition was dead-on (First Endurance gets better and better as you go longer…), and my mental focus was great. I really need to work on my cycling endurance and perhaps a bit more long runs if I want to excel at this distance. Pacing was way off, but I know there is a bit of a learning curve. I fell short of my 8:30 goal time, but I think with this race in the books, I am capable of achieving it next time. Aside from a few blisters, I’m feeling pretty good and getting ready for Westchester in two weeks. We’ll see how much of an effect this race has on me!!!
Thank you to everyone for the great support for this race. Andre at Kiwami was able to send me a long course suit at the last minute and I was able to meet Robert from First Endurance at the expo. I’m lucky to be associated with these great companies! Of course the BlueSeventy wetsuit worked like a charm as did my ISM Breakaway saddle which me comfortable all day long. My Newton held up better than I did on the run! Also thanks to Dave and Denise from Dixie Chiropractic for keeping me healthy leading up to the race and coming out to support me all day long! Thanks to Tap for sharing her home with me and to all of the Rev3 staff for putting on a first class event. If you haven’t attended one of their races, you’re missing out!! As always, please support the Blazeman foundation through my website. If you don’t know why I rolled across the finish line, please find out!
Eric Limkemann
www.ericlimkemanntriathlon.com
www.twitter.com/ericlimkemann
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Hillary goes bananas!!
MEDIA ADVISORY - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 30, 2010
Ironman Champion Hillary Biscay Confirms Participation in the 26th Ultraman World Championships
TUCSON, Arizona - Wisconsin Ironman Champion Hillary Biscay will compete in the 26th Ultraman World Championships, held November 26-28, 2010. The event consists of a grueling three-day, 320-mile (515-kilometer) individual ultra-endurance experience and takes place on the Big Island of Hawaii. Entry is limited to only 35 participants and is by invitation only; Biscay secured one of the coveted entries based on her extensive Ironman performance resume.
Biscay’s participation in Ultraman will follow the anticipated completion of her eighth Ironman distance event of 2010, the Ford Ironman World Championships in Kailua, Kona, Hawaii. Biscay Finished 4th at Ironman Brasil, securing her qualifying spot for World Championships.
Biscay finished third at the 2010 Ironman Malaysia, her 40th career Ironman and 15th career podium. She is the most prolific Iron-distance competitor on the professional women’s racing circuit. In 2006, her unprecedented performance set a new standard in Iron-distance racing when she became the first person to record six top-five Ironman finishes in one season. Biscay qualified for the 2000 Olympic Swimming Trials and completed her first triathlon in 2001.
“I’ve been intrigued by the idea of Ultraman for some time and I was looking for a new challenge this year,” stated Biscay. “I had the chance to check out the Ultraman course following a summer training camp in Kona and decided I didn’t want to wait any longer to have a crack at this race.”
Biscay continued, “This Ultraman project would not be possible without the valued support my sponsors: PowerBar, K-Swiss, TYR, ISM, Wilier, Zipp, FSA, CycleOps, Vega and Global Rescue.”
At the conclusion of the 2010 Ultraman, Hillary will have competed for over 500 hours throughout her remarkable career and covered the equivalent competition distance of 121,936 football fields; New York to London roundtrip; the circumference of the moon; or a trek across the Sahara Desert, twice.
Biscay is represented by Octagon.
For more information:
http://hillarybiscay.com
http://ultramanlive.com
http://www.octagonoly.com
Monday, August 30, 2010
Ironman Champion Hillary Biscay Confirms Participation in the 26th Ultraman World Championships
TUCSON, Arizona - Wisconsin Ironman Champion Hillary Biscay will compete in the 26th Ultraman World Championships, held November 26-28, 2010. The event consists of a grueling three-day, 320-mile (515-kilometer) individual ultra-endurance experience and takes place on the Big Island of Hawaii. Entry is limited to only 35 participants and is by invitation only; Biscay secured one of the coveted entries based on her extensive Ironman performance resume.
Biscay’s participation in Ultraman will follow the anticipated completion of her eighth Ironman distance event of 2010, the Ford Ironman World Championships in Kailua, Kona, Hawaii. Biscay Finished 4th at Ironman Brasil, securing her qualifying spot for World Championships.
Biscay finished third at the 2010 Ironman Malaysia, her 40th career Ironman and 15th career podium. She is the most prolific Iron-distance competitor on the professional women’s racing circuit. In 2006, her unprecedented performance set a new standard in Iron-distance racing when she became the first person to record six top-five Ironman finishes in one season. Biscay qualified for the 2000 Olympic Swimming Trials and completed her first triathlon in 2001.
“I’ve been intrigued by the idea of Ultraman for some time and I was looking for a new challenge this year,” stated Biscay. “I had the chance to check out the Ultraman course following a summer training camp in Kona and decided I didn’t want to wait any longer to have a crack at this race.”
Biscay continued, “This Ultraman project would not be possible without the valued support my sponsors: PowerBar, K-Swiss, TYR, ISM, Wilier, Zipp, FSA, CycleOps, Vega and Global Rescue.”
At the conclusion of the 2010 Ultraman, Hillary will have competed for over 500 hours throughout her remarkable career and covered the equivalent competition distance of 121,936 football fields; New York to London roundtrip; the circumference of the moon; or a trek across the Sahara Desert, twice.
Biscay is represented by Octagon.
For more information:
http://hillarybiscay.com
http://ultramanlive.com
http://www.octagonoly.com
Thursday, July 15, 2010
HJ blistering Rhode Island 70.3
HEATHER JACKSON POSTS THE FASTEST BIKE SPLIT AT THE AMICA IRONMAN 70.3 RHODE ISLAND
In her true "Uber Biker" style, Wattie Ink.'s own Heather Jackson posted the fast bike split of the day in Rhode Island. After exiting the water in 12th position, Jackson mounted her assault on the roads of Rhode Island in pursuit of the lead, hammering her way to an impressive 2:29:53 bike split. Her bike time would be the fastest of the day by over 5 minutes. Jackson finished the day on the podium placing 5th posting a 1:28:21 run split. For complete details on the Amica Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island race visit www.wattieink.com
In her true "Uber Biker" style, Wattie Ink.'s own Heather Jackson posted the fast bike split of the day in Rhode Island. After exiting the water in 12th position, Jackson mounted her assault on the roads of Rhode Island in pursuit of the lead, hammering her way to an impressive 2:29:53 bike split. Her bike time would be the fastest of the day by over 5 minutes. Jackson finished the day on the podium placing 5th posting a 1:28:21 run split. For complete details on the Amica Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island race visit www.wattieink.com
Monday, June 14, 2010
Heather Jackson Boise 70.3 RR
The high-winds and hot weather conditions did not stop Wattie Ink. professional Heather Jackson, who posted an impressive 3rd place finish in Boise yesterday, following her solid 5th place performance at last weekend's Mooseman 70.3 event.
Jackson's 70.3 World Champion teammate, Julie Dibens, was the winner of the day in Boise with an impressive 4:25:14; Linsey Corbin was second at 4:29:22 and Jackson rounded off the podium with a 4:34:58.
Jackson's form is coming along nicely as she heads to Bend, Oregon next week for the USA National Time Trial Championships to test her cycling horse power against the nation's best cyclists.
Heather proudly competes using her Adamo Breakaway saddle.
For more information on Heather Jackson contact: Wattie Ink.
wattie@wattieink.com
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Sam Krieg wins Idaho State Road Race Champs
ISM is please to announce Cat 2 roadie Sam Krieg of Krieg Cycling (www.kriegcycling.com ) has just won the Pro 1,2 Idaho State Road Racing Championships on his Adamo Podium saddle. He won with an off the front effort solo effort. We brought this saddle to market specifically for the road racer and couldn't be more proud of Sam.
"First off thanks for the saddles. I have to be honest and say the road and TT saddle have saved my life. NO JOKE. I have been racing and training for 7 years and I just wish I would have tried one sooner".
On another note, Sam also won the Cat 2 Tour of Gila TT on his Adamo Racing saddle and rode the other stages on his Adamo Podium to a 2nd place overall. Get some!!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Jo Lawn wins in UK!
Jo Lawn wins on Adamo Racing on UK Soil at first event in the new and innovative TriGrandPrix Series
This Sunday (30th May 2010), arguably the strongest long distance field ever assembled in the UK competed in The Outrageous Half, the first event in the new and innovative TriGrandPrix Series (www.TriGrandPrix.com). The half-iron distance event, was held at Leybourne Lake, near Maidstone, Kent, featured a 40 strong pro field, competing for their share of the £40,000 prize money up for grabs.
British athlete and former ITU World Champion (Standard and Long Distance), Leanda Cave, who recently placed second in the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon and won both Ironman 70.3 Florida and Escape from Alcatraz recently will be a strong contender in the Pro Women's field, but will face stiff competition from Czech long distance specialist Lucie Zelenkova, and seven times Ironman New Zealand winner Joanna Lawn. Ana Burgos is a name to watch out for too, after recently making the transition from ITU racing, and Ana Casares, the Basque run specialist could pose a threat to the big names in the final 21km run.
Results:
Female
1st - Jo Lawn NZ - £8,000
2nd - Leanda Cave – GB -£3,000
3rd - Eva Ledesma Calvet – ESP- £2,500
5th - Julia Grant – NZ - -£1,500
Male
1st - Fraiser Cartmell – GB- £8,000
2nd - Timo Bracht – GER - £3,000
3rd - Clemente Alonso ESP -£2,500
This Sunday (30th May 2010), arguably the strongest long distance field ever assembled in the UK competed in The Outrageous Half, the first event in the new and innovative TriGrandPrix Series (www.TriGrandPrix.com). The half-iron distance event, was held at Leybourne Lake, near Maidstone, Kent, featured a 40 strong pro field, competing for their share of the £40,000 prize money up for grabs.
British athlete and former ITU World Champion (Standard and Long Distance), Leanda Cave, who recently placed second in the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon and won both Ironman 70.3 Florida and Escape from Alcatraz recently will be a strong contender in the Pro Women's field, but will face stiff competition from Czech long distance specialist Lucie Zelenkova, and seven times Ironman New Zealand winner Joanna Lawn. Ana Burgos is a name to watch out for too, after recently making the transition from ITU racing, and Ana Casares, the Basque run specialist could pose a threat to the big names in the final 21km run.
Results:
Female
1st - Jo Lawn NZ - £8,000
2nd - Leanda Cave – GB -£3,000
3rd - Eva Ledesma Calvet – ESP- £2,500
5th - Julia Grant – NZ - -£1,500
Male
1st - Fraiser Cartmell – GB- £8,000
2nd - Timo Bracht – GER - £3,000
3rd - Clemente Alonso ESP -£2,500
Friday, May 7, 2010
Chris McDonald Ironman Utah RR
3:30 am and I hear the screech of the alarm . to be honest I was pretty happy to hear it today as it had been 8 months since I had hear that sound in preparation for an Ironman.
It was the inaugural Ironman Ironman St George. I had visited the area late in 2009 and had a look over the course and thought that this was going to be a tough little race and let me tell you Utah and st George didn’t disappoint .
After the early morning shuttle from downtown st George out the sand hollow I had a few quite minutes to think about things and I was really excited to be racing.
I jumped in the water a good twenty y minutes prior to the start to get used to the frigid 57 deg water and before I knew it we were getting the count down and boom we were off .
I can say that for about the second time in my career things went to plan in the swim . I got off to a good start and found myself sitting second in the lead group with only Luke bell swimming solo off the front . I was completely content with this and just sat and bided my time . once we rounded the last turn buoy things were heating up and I decided to just move to the back of the group and relax.
Once we hit dry land I didn’t waste any time in transition and was second onto the bike with 12 or so guys in tow .
From here I looked around at who was in the group and knew I had some of the strongest guys in the race with . We rolled up luke at around 30 or so miles and now we had a lead group of 6 guys with 3 of them doing the lions share of the work.
There is not a lot to say about the remainder of the bike other than It was very windy and when Wiess came by us it was like being passed by a car!
We hit T2 with the group now down to 4 and Michael had built a solid 6 min lead in the second half on the bike . Ben Hoffman and myself had been working hard to limit the damage to him and we hit the run about 7 seconds apart . I pretty much looked at bens back for the remainder of the marathon . the gap went up and down and ended at around 90 sec . I was happy for Ben to have break through race to take second place . Also a big congratulations to Michael for having a great race.
I was happy to walk away from St George with a podium finish after a frustrating end to my 2009 season.
A big ( huge ) thank you to all my family friends and sponsors . it is a good start to a big year.
Cheers Chris
Chris "Big Sexy" McDonald
Professional Triathlete
3 x Ironman Champion
www.chris-mcdonald.net
It was the inaugural Ironman Ironman St George. I had visited the area late in 2009 and had a look over the course and thought that this was going to be a tough little race and let me tell you Utah and st George didn’t disappoint .
After the early morning shuttle from downtown st George out the sand hollow I had a few quite minutes to think about things and I was really excited to be racing.
I jumped in the water a good twenty y minutes prior to the start to get used to the frigid 57 deg water and before I knew it we were getting the count down and boom we were off .
I can say that for about the second time in my career things went to plan in the swim . I got off to a good start and found myself sitting second in the lead group with only Luke bell swimming solo off the front . I was completely content with this and just sat and bided my time . once we rounded the last turn buoy things were heating up and I decided to just move to the back of the group and relax.
Once we hit dry land I didn’t waste any time in transition and was second onto the bike with 12 or so guys in tow .
From here I looked around at who was in the group and knew I had some of the strongest guys in the race with . We rolled up luke at around 30 or so miles and now we had a lead group of 6 guys with 3 of them doing the lions share of the work.
There is not a lot to say about the remainder of the bike other than It was very windy and when Wiess came by us it was like being passed by a car!
We hit T2 with the group now down to 4 and Michael had built a solid 6 min lead in the second half on the bike . Ben Hoffman and myself had been working hard to limit the damage to him and we hit the run about 7 seconds apart . I pretty much looked at bens back for the remainder of the marathon . the gap went up and down and ended at around 90 sec . I was happy for Ben to have break through race to take second place . Also a big congratulations to Michael for having a great race.
I was happy to walk away from St George with a podium finish after a frustrating end to my 2009 season.
A big ( huge ) thank you to all my family friends and sponsors . it is a good start to a big year.
Cheers Chris
Chris "Big Sexy" McDonald
Professional Triathlete
3 x Ironman Champion
www.chris-mcdonald.net
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The Winner's Circle
Sarah Haskin's winning St. Anthony's
Raynard Tissink winning Ironman South Africa.
Multiple champ Rebeccah Wassner's winning equipment.
Jo Lawn winning Ironman New Zealand. Wednesday, April 28, 2010
St. Anthony's or BUST
6ft gator we saw on a training ride!
ISM pros Eric Limkemann and Zach Winchester.
Stud Phil and his newly fit custom painted Trek (thanks for the BodyGlide).
Bossman Steve and Nina Kraft.
Sarah Haskins' winning ride!Last week I traveled to corporate and got a chance to check out the new ISM World Headquarters. Nice warehouse space and offices. And we got a huge shipment in from our factory and I was put to work helping our shipping department. It was also the weekend of the long running (and usually triathlon season opener), St. Anthony's triathlon. I can't remember how many times I've done this event, but it holds a special place in my heart as it was my first Olympic Distance back in the 90's.
I fit tons of folks while there and had a chance to hang with some of our professionals and other industry friends. I always enjoy seeing new and old faces and I have never seen so many ISM saddles at an event. It was cool to see and proof that our staff's hard work is paying off. Thanks for all your support.
The event was windy and they shortened the swim several waves after mine. Great day for racing though and although I didn't come close to a PR, I did race with several Team ISM members and managed to escape the Gulf swim with all of my body parts.
Congrats to all who finished. We managed to win the women's event with our own Sarah Haskins dominating. Congrats to Cameron for winning the men's event.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Heather Jackson interview on Slowtwitch
Monday, April 26, 2010
Wattie Ink.'s Heather Jackson Featured on Slowtwitch Today
Wattie Ink professional, Heather Jackson featured on Slowtwitch today! Check it out here at: http://www.slowtwitch.com/Interview/The_coming_of_Heather_Jackson_1319.html
Heather proudly competes with her ISM Adamo Breakaway saddle.
Sarah Haskins' WINNING St A's Race Report
Race Report: St. Anthony’s Triathlon
This past Sunday, I competed in the prestigious St. Anthony’s Triathlon. The race is beginning to have a hometown feel to me, as it was my fourth time competing at the race. I missed last year after undergoing surgery in Feb. or 09’ at DISC Medical facility in CA for a nerve entrapment release in my leg. This was the first time we stayed in downtown St. Pete’s and experienced the atmosphere and flavor of city.
The race is EARLY, especially traveling from Colorado with a 6:55AM start (which is more like a 4:55AM start; however, once race morning arrives any feeling of tiredness is replaced with a rush of adrenaline!) I woke up at 4:40AM; had my normal breakfast and walked the .8 mile to the transition area to get setup. It is still very dark at 5:30AM, so fortunately Nate had his flashlight to help me get all my gear set up in transition. Around 6 AM, I started my warm up and ran down to the swim start, followed by some activation, drills and strides. I wanted to make sure to get in the water and test out a couple of runs into the water since it was a beach start. The water felt very refreshing at 74 degrees vs. the muggy, humid 76 degree morning.
The men started promptly at 6:52 and we began just three minutes behind. I had a decent start, next to Laura Bennett who is one of the best in the world at beach starts. She had a body length on me after the run into the water, but I remained calm and got right on her feet for the first 400meters of the swim. After the first couple of buoys, I took over the swim lead and swam at a comfortable, but strong pace. The swim started off fairly calm, but the waves definitely picked up the second half of the swim. As I approached the steps to climb out of the water, I was grateful a couple of volunteers were there to help me onto that first step, as I was feeling a little dizzy from the waves at that point.
Once out on land, I focused on getting my TYR Sayonara off as quickly as possible and strapping on my Rudy Project Wingspan TT Helmet. I felt comfortable on my Fuji D-6 with my 921 Oval Aerobars, ISM Adamo saddle, Zed Tech 404 and Sub9 disc. I also loved my new pedals from Sampson Sports; Stratics S6, which are lightweight, yet have a great platform for power. The bike was a bit windy (wind from the south), so the first 15 miles of the bike were challenging. I focused on making sure all my corners were smooth and keeping up a high and steady tempo. At two points on the course (around mile 3 and mile 17), I could see where the other girls were located. I noticed I had about at least a minute lead over the next girl, so I continued to ride at my pace and made sure to hydrate in preparation for the run. Several times on the bike; I caught myself grinding my teeth; so I was very glad to have on my UnderArmour Bite Tech Mouth Piece! The mouth piece really helps me to stay relaxed while pushing the bike, focused during transitions and staying smooth during technical corners on the bike. I drank 36oz of EFS fluid while on the bike course, much more than most races beginning at 6:55AM due to the high humidity in Florida!
Heading into T2, I focused on starting the run off at a high tempo pace, especially thinking about my form. The run is an out and back, so I only could see the other competitors at the half-way mark. I noticed I had a lead by a couple minutes, so I knew if I could keep everything together at that point, I should break the tape in first. I was very glad to get to that last stretch of the run, knowing that I accomplished my goal for the day! My time was the second fastest for me on that course (although it is tough to compare overall times because conditions change so much from year to year!).
After the awards ceremony, we headed home back to Colorado. This made for almost two days in one, but it was nice be able to spend my recovery day on Monday at home. The travel home was much easier than the travel to Florida….we had to drive in a snowstorm up to Denver last Friday! Yes, Colorado can still get pounded with snow at the end of April!!! Hopefully, that snow was the last!!! I am now gearing up for my second WCS race in Seoul, Korea on May 8th. Recently I have been doing lots of traveling and racing, but this is my last race for quite some time (five weeks). I will spend most of May and part of June training for the races upcoming in this summer.
Best Wishes
Sarah
Monday, April 19, 2010
Alaskan Iditarod won on ISM Typhoon
The annual Alaskan Iditarod Trail Invitational (ITI) human powered race began on Feb 28th this year, a week before the more well known Iditarod sled dog race. The ITI invites 50 racers in three categories of foot, ski or bike to race in the popular 350 miler to McGrath or continue on for the longest winter human powered race- 1,100 miles to Nome. This was my third time to McGrath and second attempt to Nome. In 2008 I became a statistic as one of the 90% average dropout rate for the Nome race with a multitude of injuries that prevented me from finishing. When I biked into Ruby (mile 600) that year I was a mess of edema, ulnar nerve damage and considerable saddle soreness and perineum nerve damage. Pushing your body in the “no pain no gain” mantra is not a good idea in ultra-endurance racing. I’ve learned a lot since then and one of my improvements was an ISM adamo typhoon seat that I inaugurated last year for the 350 race. Even though I am now, likely, susceptible to repeat nerve damage there was surprisingly none. This year I took the race a step further to compete, again, in the 1,100 mile race. The event was of particular importance to me because not only was it “unfinished business” but I live in Nome. What would it feel like to compete in the longest human powered winter race and finish essentially at my doorstep with my wife and daughter right at the finish line? And to ride the last mile with my friend, Nora, who is a leukemia survivor? I compete in these races, also, to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) in support of Nora. She wanted to ride the last mile of the race with me, a vision that was not possible in 2008.
The race can be brutal- some sections are 70 to 170 miles between checkpoints or even a man-made structure. Snow conditions vary from riding, grinding or pushing. It’s a trail only passable and created in the winter completely determined by weather. Technically, it’s a one stage race but mentally, I broke the race up into four different sections: 1) Start to McGrath- 350 miles 2) McGrath to Ruby- 210 miles, 3)Yukon river, Ruby to Kaltag to Unalakleet- 270 miles and 4) arctic coast from Unalakleet to Nome – 270 miles. There is no support after the McGrath race other than a food drop. Temperatures this year varied from +40 down to around -40 or colder. Temperature gauges, especially portable ones, are not very accurate after -20 so there were some variations in reports. I was moving on the trail an average of 17 hrs/ day and (actual) sleeping/snoring an average of 3-4 hours. However, it was quite diverse as some days were 26 hrs long while the shortest was 12 hrs. The mileage was also diverse; shortest distance was ~30 miles and longest ~130 in a day.
In those 16 nights and 17 days I slept everywhere from on-trail bivies, heated tents, an unheated rundown cabin, three shelter cabins, two lodges, three Iditarod checkpoints, generous people’s homes, a clinic and once leaning on my bike (20 minutes draped over my handlebars at night on a really cold frozen Bering Sea). Throughout the race I became attached to my gear that worked well and helped me survive in extreme conditions. Items such as a pair of Patagonia socks and my ISM adamo seat were invaluable. In the mornings getting on the seat “cold” did not even bother me. In 2008 sitting was so painful I was actually glad when I had to push the bike in deep snow.
About 20 miles from Unalakleet I started recognizing landmarks and places I have been before, having lived there previously. It was so uplifting that even the sudden violent windstorm that blew in couldn’t stop me from barreling into Unalakleet. The familiarity of this region and trail up to Nome and recognizing people I knew in town was all I needed to step up my effort and kick in serious adrenaline.
It took me only a little over two days to ride the roughly 270 miles from Unalakleet to Nome. When I was 20 miles from Nome I started running into friends who were snow machining out to see me and by the time I hit an actual paved plowed road 5 miles out of Nome vehicles were driving out with cheers and honking horns. Nora met me 1 mile out of Nome and rode into the burled arch (Iditarod) finish line. It was spectacular! My wife, daughter and a large gathering of folks were applauding me into the arch for the grand win of the ITI. The feeling of riding home over a 1,000 miles into my wife and daughter’s arms was phenomenal.
The race can be brutal- some sections are 70 to 170 miles between checkpoints or even a man-made structure. Snow conditions vary from riding, grinding or pushing. It’s a trail only passable and created in the winter completely determined by weather. Technically, it’s a one stage race but mentally, I broke the race up into four different sections: 1) Start to McGrath- 350 miles 2) McGrath to Ruby- 210 miles, 3)Yukon river, Ruby to Kaltag to Unalakleet- 270 miles and 4) arctic coast from Unalakleet to Nome – 270 miles. There is no support after the McGrath race other than a food drop. Temperatures this year varied from +40 down to around -40 or colder. Temperature gauges, especially portable ones, are not very accurate after -20 so there were some variations in reports. I was moving on the trail an average of 17 hrs/ day and (actual) sleeping/snoring an average of 3-4 hours. However, it was quite diverse as some days were 26 hrs long while the shortest was 12 hrs. The mileage was also diverse; shortest distance was ~30 miles and longest ~130 in a day.
In those 16 nights and 17 days I slept everywhere from on-trail bivies, heated tents, an unheated rundown cabin, three shelter cabins, two lodges, three Iditarod checkpoints, generous people’s homes, a clinic and once leaning on my bike (20 minutes draped over my handlebars at night on a really cold frozen Bering Sea). Throughout the race I became attached to my gear that worked well and helped me survive in extreme conditions. Items such as a pair of Patagonia socks and my ISM adamo seat were invaluable. In the mornings getting on the seat “cold” did not even bother me. In 2008 sitting was so painful I was actually glad when I had to push the bike in deep snow.
About 20 miles from Unalakleet I started recognizing landmarks and places I have been before, having lived there previously. It was so uplifting that even the sudden violent windstorm that blew in couldn’t stop me from barreling into Unalakleet. The familiarity of this region and trail up to Nome and recognizing people I knew in town was all I needed to step up my effort and kick in serious adrenaline.
It took me only a little over two days to ride the roughly 270 miles from Unalakleet to Nome. When I was 20 miles from Nome I started running into friends who were snow machining out to see me and by the time I hit an actual paved plowed road 5 miles out of Nome vehicles were driving out with cheers and honking horns. Nora met me 1 mile out of Nome and rode into the burled arch (Iditarod) finish line. It was spectacular! My wife, daughter and a large gathering of folks were applauding me into the arch for the grand win of the ITI. The feeling of riding home over a 1,000 miles into my wife and daughter’s arms was phenomenal.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Pro Eric Limkemann 2nd Place SuperSeal RR
SuperSeal Triathlon Race Report
April 11, 2010
www.superfrogtriathlon.com
This weekend, I was in San Diego competing in the SuperSeal Triathlon. It was my first race of the year and a great opportunity to get a feel for how training is going and what I need to do to be ready for the rest of the season. It was a successful weekend with a second place finish and a solid first race.
I flew out to San Diego and met up with Mr. Charlie Clark and our host for the weekend, Tony Yeager. Tony is in training to become a Navy Seal and was gracious enough to show me around the base and the Seal Training grounds. It was amazing to see the level of training and dedication involved with the Seals! The rest of the weekend was spent adjusting to the time change, getting ready to race and enjoying the beautiful city of Coronado.
Race morning started out with the ½ Ironman Superfrog race before the Olympic Distance Superseal 2 hours later. I watched the Superfrog racers take off, drank my EFS Drink and pre-race, and warmed up. It’d been almost 5 months since the last time I put on the BlueSeventy wetsuit, but when I did, I knew it was time to go! The race started with a smooth bay swim. I felt strong throughout and came out with about a thirty second lead and feeling fresh. It’s nice to have my swim fitness where it needs to be thanks to my training with the Dayton Raiders!
After a ¼ mile run to transition, I hopped on the bike and took off looking to increase my lead. The course was fast and flat and I saw my lead move to over a minute after the first of two loops. I felt strong and comfortable on the Veritas bike and ISM saddle despite the relatively windy conditions… Until I was passed like I was standing still by the eventual winner, Michi Weiss. A former Olympian in Mountain biking with the 3rd fastest bike split at Kona last year, Weiss came out of nowhere and was quickly out of sight! I must have had a decent lead out of the swim to stay in front of him for the first half of the bike! I put my head down and pushed hard into T2 trying to give chase.
I felt pretty good heading out on the run despite heavy legs. The run was with the wind for the first half, but on dirt trails. I fought to establish a rhythm and hoped to get a glimpse of the leader. By the half-way point, I was bummed to see that I was down by 4 minutes, but happy to see that I also had a 2 minute lead on the 3rd place racer. Turning into the wind, I kept up my turnover and finished the race solidly with a time of 1:54.
The race was a great tune-up for the season and I will be working over the next few weeks to sharpen up and develop a bit more top end speed. Next up is St. Anthony’s down in Florida. Thank you to everyone for a great race and to my great sponsors for helping the season get off on the right foot: Newton Running, Kiwami Triathlon, First Endurance Nutrition, ISM Saddles, Veritas Bicycles, ESS Eye Pro, and Great Clips Salons. Pictures from the trip will be posted on the website shortly. While on the site, please be sure to click on the Blazeman logo on the main page to find out more about ALS and to donate to the Blazeman cause!
Eric Limkemann
www.ericlimkemanntriathlon.com
www.twitter.com/ericlimkemann
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Wind Tunnel
March 25, 2010 UCI World Champs. ISM riders take 2nd and 3rd in Team Pursuit and win a World Record!
March 27, 2010 California 70.3 Ironman riders using ISM took 4th and 9th in the men’s event and ISM Pros Sam Mcglone 3rd, rider using ISM 4th, Michellie Jones 7th, and Angela Naeth 8th.
March 28, 2010 Mat Davis wins Ronde van Manda on his Adamo Podium saddle.
March 28, 2010 Patrick Vernay wins Ironman Australia AGAIN on his Adamo Racing saddle.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Crit Racing in Tampa
Here are a few pics of our boy Pete killing it in the crit. Steve saw a bunch of ISM saddles in the peloton. The USCF crowd is really embracing our patented technology.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Another WORLD RECORD on an ISM Adamo seat
Hey Team
Just a quick note. Thank you for the emails and texts. Your support is so much appreciated.
So yesterday was not the day I had hoped for as I set out to defend my world title in the Individual Pursuit. In the qualifying round I missed out on the gold medal ride off and had to settle with the race for bronze. Unfortunately things just weren't 100% on fire yesterday, and at a World Championships they have to be to win medals. So 4th it was.......somebody throw me a Moro bar!!!
But today was another day and there were two other team mates amped up to race in the Teams Pursuit. So I had to put my own personal disappointment aside and put on a new game face. Our qualifying ride wasn't what we were after and we missed out on the final Gold ride off to the Aussies and the Brits. We were however determined to take on the Americans for the Bronze. With the coaching staff devising the perfect plan to ensure we maximised everyones strengths and every one of us crossed the line completely spent Lauren, Rushlee and I executed the perfect race and the result.......a bronze medal BUT most exciting of all the WORLD RECORD!!!!!!
We had to hold our breaths to see how long our world record would last while the Aussies and the Brits rode for the Gold. The Aussies took the title but they couldn't match our speed and I am proud to say the Kiwi women hold the WORLD RECORD.
It is definitely bitter sweet because of course we would have loved to have the Gold medal and Rainbow Jersey's, but for now claiming the fastest time ever we can sleep with. What a great feeling.
Attached are a couple of photos and some links to some stories from the champs.
For now it's late, and while racing is over for me I have chief supporter and team cheering duties to attend to for the next three days of competition, starting tomorrow with the Men's Teams Pursuit, the Men's Kilo and the Womens Scratch Race.
Catch you all soon
Ali
http://tvnz.co.nz/othersports-news/sergent-strikes-silver-bronze-women-3433559
http://tvnz.co.nz/othersports-news/sergent-strikes-silver-bronze-women-3433559/video
http://www.roadcycling.co.nz/TrackTalk/new-world-record-for-nzs-team-pursuiting-women.html
-------------------------------------
Alison Shanks
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Brandon Marsh IM China Race Report
Several weeks ago, Doc suggested that Amy do IM China. And, if I wanted to have a “China Experience” as well as an “American Reality TV Show Type of Day” that I go as well and have a day in China. So, we booked tix to leave Krabi and head to China with a few of our TeamMates for what has to be one of the more unpredictable and tougher IM races on the circuit.
I have not watched one single episode of the Survivor TV show, but I know that it involves competing against others for a prize, some different tests, voting members off the island, and whatever else goes in on “reality TV” shows because we all know that they are indeed real.
I will try to keep my reality show kind of brief. My competitors were many, but I figured that in the end it would come down to who could just finish as opposed to who could race the fastest. That was partly true. I left the water behind my two fellow male teammates…and one of our female teammates. Out on the bike, I set out to ride a long ride, and would face several tests.
The wind tested us all…headwind, crosswind, seemingly little tailwind. I had the wrong front bottle set up b/c the bottles that were handed out were too small to fit into my bottle mount, and I ended up continuously refilling one of my screw top bottles. I picked up my special needs bag with a couple of Nescafe coffe/milks and it worked like a charm. I moved up through my competitors and several of them decided that today was not their day.
Out onto the run, and I was determined to not take a single hard step for 42k…just put one foot in front of the other and get to the finish. I slowly moved up through the ranks and all systems were go. I was 3rd at 28k…sorry no mile markers for my American Friends. It was then that the island…Haikou Island…turned my closest allies…my legs…against me. After working together for about 130 miles and doing quite well I might add, my legs voted. They voted to stop. Full stop. I was determined to trick them into voting the other way…water, gatorade, EFS Liquid shot, bananas, race walking, everything. I tried every trick in the book, but nothing worked. For the next 14k almost EVERY step was hard, and not because I was gaining on 3rd. Every step was hard because I was fighting an uphill battle with every muscle in my legs that was voting to stop.
I walked, jogged, straight leg walked, shuffled, and got to the finish line just before the Mrs. finished. My reality show was a real one. I ended up 9th again at my 3rd IM in 6 months. So, if you could watch my Survivor: IM China reality show, you would see a real reality show.
Thanks to Louis Garneau, Cervelo, Blue Seventy, 3T, ISM Saddles, and the Bike Boutique for the sponsorship of the team this year. Thanks to the rest of the team and doc for making Krabi training camp memorable. Thanks to Amy for nearly catching me at the end and making me “run” that last 1k…
I have not watched one single episode of the Survivor TV show, but I know that it involves competing against others for a prize, some different tests, voting members off the island, and whatever else goes in on “reality TV” shows because we all know that they are indeed real.
I will try to keep my reality show kind of brief. My competitors were many, but I figured that in the end it would come down to who could just finish as opposed to who could race the fastest. That was partly true. I left the water behind my two fellow male teammates…and one of our female teammates. Out on the bike, I set out to ride a long ride, and would face several tests.
The wind tested us all…headwind, crosswind, seemingly little tailwind. I had the wrong front bottle set up b/c the bottles that were handed out were too small to fit into my bottle mount, and I ended up continuously refilling one of my screw top bottles. I picked up my special needs bag with a couple of Nescafe coffe/milks and it worked like a charm. I moved up through my competitors and several of them decided that today was not their day.
Out onto the run, and I was determined to not take a single hard step for 42k…just put one foot in front of the other and get to the finish. I slowly moved up through the ranks and all systems were go. I was 3rd at 28k…sorry no mile markers for my American Friends. It was then that the island…Haikou Island…turned my closest allies…my legs…against me. After working together for about 130 miles and doing quite well I might add, my legs voted. They voted to stop. Full stop. I was determined to trick them into voting the other way…water, gatorade, EFS Liquid shot, bananas, race walking, everything. I tried every trick in the book, but nothing worked. For the next 14k almost EVERY step was hard, and not because I was gaining on 3rd. Every step was hard because I was fighting an uphill battle with every muscle in my legs that was voting to stop.
I walked, jogged, straight leg walked, shuffled, and got to the finish line just before the Mrs. finished. My reality show was a real one. I ended up 9th again at my 3rd IM in 6 months. So, if you could watch my Survivor: IM China reality show, you would see a real reality show.
Thanks to Louis Garneau, Cervelo, Blue Seventy, 3T, ISM Saddles, and the Bike Boutique for the sponsorship of the team this year. Thanks to the rest of the team and doc for making Krabi training camp memorable. Thanks to Amy for nearly catching me at the end and making me “run” that last 1k…
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Sweet and Sour Chris McDonald IM China RR
HI Guys,
well as many of you know I headede to China this past weekend to start my 2010 season with another crack at IM China after suffering from two flats there back in 2008 .
I was excited to race both Macca and Luke McKenzie in such a tough race , However it was over before it began.
10 days before the race I had a treatment on my lower back that actually put me in a lot of pain . I was confident that it would be fine and made my way to Haikou 7 days before the race . Ultimately two days before the race I was still in pain and decided to swap to the Ironman 70.3
Having prepared to race and IM this was kind of sour ! However I was lucky that there was a 70.3 happening on the same day so that was sweet!
I headed into to 70.3 with an open mind and hoped that everything would be fine with the back.
After watching the Ironman start and cheering for our friends we had a very reasonable 9am start time. I had a solid start and managed to get on the feet of the lead swimmer and hold my place in line for the entire swim .
Onto the bike and it was a Howler! As I ran through transition and jumped on the bike I watched one of the transition tents get blown over. my first thought was maybe one lap of this bike course might be a good thing :-)
The next was put your head down and build a gap . I had not done any real hard riding in training for a 70.3 as I was expecting to race the IM and I knew that it was going to be a race of the last man standing not really the "fastest" athlete.
I felt pretty good considering and managed to build a lead of 4 :30 over Freddy ( eventual winner )
We hit the run and it was HOT! I knew right away that I had Ironman pace and that was it . I was passed by Freddy at the 15 km mark and just had to stick to my Ironman shuffle and get to the finish line in 2nd place .
It certainly was a frustrating week having to switch races but I was happy to take 2ND place in the 70.3 and look forward to a big year ahead.
Next up is Super frog half IM in San Diego and then onto Ironman St George.
Thank you for all your help and lets look forward to a great year.
P.S the back ended up fine and the treatment was worth it long term:-)
Cheers Chris
well as many of you know I headede to China this past weekend to start my 2010 season with another crack at IM China after suffering from two flats there back in 2008 .
I was excited to race both Macca and Luke McKenzie in such a tough race , However it was over before it began.
10 days before the race I had a treatment on my lower back that actually put me in a lot of pain . I was confident that it would be fine and made my way to Haikou 7 days before the race . Ultimately two days before the race I was still in pain and decided to swap to the Ironman 70.3
Having prepared to race and IM this was kind of sour ! However I was lucky that there was a 70.3 happening on the same day so that was sweet!
I headed into to 70.3 with an open mind and hoped that everything would be fine with the back.
After watching the Ironman start and cheering for our friends we had a very reasonable 9am start time. I had a solid start and managed to get on the feet of the lead swimmer and hold my place in line for the entire swim .
Onto the bike and it was a Howler! As I ran through transition and jumped on the bike I watched one of the transition tents get blown over. my first thought was maybe one lap of this bike course might be a good thing :-)
The next was put your head down and build a gap . I had not done any real hard riding in training for a 70.3 as I was expecting to race the IM and I knew that it was going to be a race of the last man standing not really the "fastest" athlete.
I felt pretty good considering and managed to build a lead of 4 :30 over Freddy ( eventual winner )
We hit the run and it was HOT! I knew right away that I had Ironman pace and that was it . I was passed by Freddy at the 15 km mark and just had to stick to my Ironman shuffle and get to the finish line in 2nd place .
It certainly was a frustrating week having to switch races but I was happy to take 2ND place in the 70.3 and look forward to a big year ahead.
Next up is Super frog half IM in San Diego and then onto Ironman St George.
Thank you for all your help and lets look forward to a great year.
P.S the back ended up fine and the treatment was worth it long term:-)
Cheers Chris
Monday, March 15, 2010
Sarah Haskins WINS Miami International
USAT Sprint Development Race-Clermont, Florida
This past week, I have officially begun my start to the 2010 racing season. On March 7th, I raced in Clermont, Florida in a draft-legal sprint triathlon. This race was very unique in that developmental athletes, who have not yet obtained a pro card, were permitted to race and gain experience and a feel for what draft-legal racing is all about. I have not competed in a sprint race since my first year of racing back in 2003! The race went by very quickly and I can 't complain about my result finishing up on top of the podium. The entire race was in Lake Louisa State Park and was a wetsuit legal swim, since Florida has been experiencing a colder than average winter. The swim was especially short, because we had a long run in and out of the water. The bike was four laps on a smoothly paved, flat road and the run was a two loop flat, fast course. I exited the swim just behind Sara McLarty and ended up cycling with her as well as Alicia Kaye. I felt good on the swim and bike, but needed to brush up on my transitions, as they were quite rusty! I felt strong on my run and thought about my new run form I have been working on since January. I spent the following week training in Clermont, Florida while I was preparing for the Miami Triathlon.
MIT:
Race morning began very early with a 4AM wake up and pre-race meal (peanut butter bagel with banana along with 16 oz of First Endurance EFS drink). Prior to the race I had another EFS 16oz bottle that included a scoop of First Endurance Pre -Race. My nutrition during the race consisted of one bottle (16oz) of EFS drink and that was it (simple for Olympic distance racing). I usually have two bottles, but noticed in the cooler mornings I only drink one bottle (like Dallas last year when it was 50 and raining). This race I do wish I had another bottle-so now I know at 60 degrees, I would drink two 16oz bottles of EFS!
I raced Miami back in 2008 and finished in first, so the goal was to defend the title from a couple of years ago. The water was a cool, 69 degrees, but fortunately, I had my TYR's Sayonara Swimskin. Which kept me a little warmer. I had a great swim and exited just 15 seconds back from the super star swimmers McLarty and Piersol. I had much better transitions this race and got onto my bike working hard to catch the leaders, but feeling strong on my new Fuji D - 6 with Oval concept bars! I also taped my Under Armour Bit Tech mouthpiece and felt great with my mouth guard. Unfortunately, I went slightly off course about 7 miles into the bike course and lost a little bit of time, but kept my head in it to get right back on course and back into my riding rhythm. I ended up exiting the bike about 15 seconds behind McLarty, with Peterson about 40 seconds behind me. I started off the run at a good pace; not quite sure what was going on behind me. The run was a two loop out and back, so we were able to see our competition. I noticed that I was gaining time on the other athletes and was able to back off the pace a little towards the end of the run . The faster I can recover from a race; the faster I can get back into serious training for Sydney, my first big race of the year! It was a good feeling to break the tape!
I am currently in St. Louis for a couple days and getting a chance to see the family and celebrate birthday's with my nieces (Sarah turned three on the `14th and Anna one on the 17th). I have another tough training block approaching the next couple of weeks (and an altitude adjustment since I have been away from home for six weeks!)
Also noteworthy is Sara McLarty finished 3rd and Brian Fleischmann 13th on ISM saddles.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Early Season Results
Here's a picture of our rep, Lars Finanger, at VeloNews/Triathlete Magazine's bike. Lars will be traveling to Abu Dhabi to compete this weekend with 9 other ISM athletes. I wish them all good luck. 
Below are some recent results of Pros on ISM saddles:
Below are some recent results of Pros on ISM saddles:Feb 27, Ironman Malaysia Hiroyuki Nishiuch 2nd male, Edith Niederfriniger 2nd, Hillary Biscay 3rd, Jocelyn Wong 5th
Feb 28, Dessert Classic Duathlon Tucson, AZ Sam McGlone 1st, Michellie Jones 2nd, Angela Naeth 3rd, (interesting to note 4th place also on Adamo Saddle)
Feb 28, Nina Kraft wins Santos International Triathlon in Brazil
March 6, Ironman New Zealand Jo Lawn 1st, Kim Loeffler 3rd
March 6, Rouge Roubaix Mathew Davis wins P1,2
March 7, Brian Fleischmann and Sarah Haskins WIN Elite Sprint Nationals
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
ISM Pros Check in.
Some pics of Pro Eric Limkemann killing it in a virtual race. You definitely get bessed dressed in our book, E. Nice Team kit and sweat towel.Below, fellow Professionals and sisters, Bec and Laurel Wassner check in from Tucson Training Camp. Also in attendance were fellow ISM athletes, Amanda Lovato, Sarah Haskins, Nate Korteum, Tyler Lord, and Sam McGlone.
Hello. We hope everyone is doing well and not too snowed in! As always, thank you for your support. Here is our latest update and a few photos from Tucson.
Thanks again!
Laurel and Bec Wassner
We just wrapped up a very HARD but successful 3 week training camp with the Cliff English Coaching Elite squad in Tucson, Arizona. A highlight was riding from the desert to the top of snowcapped Mt. Lemmon. Bec made it to the famed cookie shop in under 1 hour 52 minutes, which we hear is pretty good...for a girl. We swam outside everyday at the U of Arizona pool, averaging almost 30k meters per week. Bec even set a new personal best (after 30 years of swimming) during a "get-out" swim, swimming the 50 meter freestyle in 28.4. Both of us rode more than we ever have, getting a taste of what it is like to train for long distance races. Also, while we were here I got the chance to use my camera and photographed a travel story on Tucson for an upcoming issue of Triathlete magazine.
We will be opening the 2010 season with the Roslyn Sanchez Triathlon on March 7 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This is an Olympic distance race that benefits the San Jorge Children's Foundation and the Casa Cuna of San Juan. We're excited to participate in this unique race and to help raise awareness for these two organizations which do so much for children with cancer. We're also looking forward to racing alongside actress Roselyn Sanchez and what promises to be a star-studded field. I will be racing solo and Bec will be participating in a celebrity relay. Stay tuned for photos from the weekend!
For more information on the race, see:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=search&gid=196342338359
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
ISM Sweeps Desert Classic Duathlon
Michellie Jones opens the season with a Podium performance.
A great season opener for many Pro’s and a chance to test fitness resulted in a stellar field at the Desert Classic Duathlon.
Samantha McGlone reprised her 2005 title with a one minute margin of victory over Michellie Jones at the Desert Classic Duathlon in Phoenix, Arizona Sunday.
Samantha McGlone, the 2005 Desert Classic winner, started her day with a 20:47 split on the 3.5-mile trail run which put her 42 seconds behind Tucson neighbor and 2002 ITU World Champion Leanda Cave of Great Britain, 35 seconds behind Swiss Xterra star Renata Bucher, 13 seconds behind Michellie Jones, 12 seconds behind Marisa Asplund, and 4 seconds behind Linsey Corbin.
McGlone then took charge with a second-best 55:55 bike that took 49 seconds back from Jones and 51 seconds from Cave and 4:09 from Bucher while Angela Naeth surged with a race-best 55:24 bike.
McGlone then held off Michellie Jones by one minute at the line with a 1:36:00 time. Naeth placed third, nine seconds back of Jones.
Desert Classic Duathlon
Phoenix, Arizona
February 28, 2010
R 3.5 mi./ b 21 mi./ R 2.7 mi.
Results
Pro Men
1. Chris Foster (Redondo Beach CA) 1:23:57
2. Ben Hoffman (Durango CO) 1:25:53
3. Matthew Sheeks (Woodinville VA) 1:26:02
4. Ryan Guiliano (Schaumburg IL) 1:26:29
5. Chris Ganter (Philadelphia PA) 1:29:49
6. Brendan Halpin (Missoula MT) 1:33:30
7. Stephen Slabodnick (Chandler AZ) 1:37:39
8. Derek Yorek (Alamosa CO) 2:51:00
Pro women
1. Samantha McGlone (CAN - Tucson AZ) 1:36:00 (RIDES ADAMO RACING)
2. Michellie Jones (AUS - Carlsbad CA) 1:37:00 (RIDES ADAMO RACING)
3. Angela Naeth (CAN) 1:37:09 (RIDES ADAMO RACING)
4. Leanda Cave (GBR – Tucson AZ) 1:37:28 (RIDES ADAMO RACING)
5. Lisa Ribes (Tucson AZ) 1:38:42
6. Marisa Asplund (Durango CO) 1:40:05
7. Renata Bucher (SUI) 1:41:25
8. Kathy Rakel (Litchfield Park AZ) 1:41:59
9. Linsey Corbin (Missoula MT) 1:42:57
10. Anne Curi Preisig (Falmouth MA) 1:45:18
A great season opener for many Pro’s and a chance to test fitness resulted in a stellar field at the Desert Classic Duathlon.
Samantha McGlone reprised her 2005 title with a one minute margin of victory over Michellie Jones at the Desert Classic Duathlon in Phoenix, Arizona Sunday.
Samantha McGlone, the 2005 Desert Classic winner, started her day with a 20:47 split on the 3.5-mile trail run which put her 42 seconds behind Tucson neighbor and 2002 ITU World Champion Leanda Cave of Great Britain, 35 seconds behind Swiss Xterra star Renata Bucher, 13 seconds behind Michellie Jones, 12 seconds behind Marisa Asplund, and 4 seconds behind Linsey Corbin.
McGlone then took charge with a second-best 55:55 bike that took 49 seconds back from Jones and 51 seconds from Cave and 4:09 from Bucher while Angela Naeth surged with a race-best 55:24 bike.
McGlone then held off Michellie Jones by one minute at the line with a 1:36:00 time. Naeth placed third, nine seconds back of Jones.
Desert Classic Duathlon
Phoenix, Arizona
February 28, 2010
R 3.5 mi./ b 21 mi./ R 2.7 mi.
Results
Pro Men
1. Chris Foster (Redondo Beach CA) 1:23:57
2. Ben Hoffman (Durango CO) 1:25:53
3. Matthew Sheeks (Woodinville VA) 1:26:02
4. Ryan Guiliano (Schaumburg IL) 1:26:29
5. Chris Ganter (Philadelphia PA) 1:29:49
6. Brendan Halpin (Missoula MT) 1:33:30
7. Stephen Slabodnick (Chandler AZ) 1:37:39
8. Derek Yorek (Alamosa CO) 2:51:00
Pro women
1. Samantha McGlone (CAN - Tucson AZ) 1:36:00 (RIDES ADAMO RACING)
2. Michellie Jones (AUS - Carlsbad CA) 1:37:00 (RIDES ADAMO RACING)
3. Angela Naeth (CAN) 1:37:09 (RIDES ADAMO RACING)
4. Leanda Cave (GBR – Tucson AZ) 1:37:28 (RIDES ADAMO RACING)
5. Lisa Ribes (Tucson AZ) 1:38:42
6. Marisa Asplund (Durango CO) 1:40:05
7. Renata Bucher (SUI) 1:41:25
8. Kathy Rakel (Litchfield Park AZ) 1:41:59
9. Linsey Corbin (Missoula MT) 1:42:57
10. Anne Curi Preisig (Falmouth MA) 1:45:18
Monday, March 1, 2010
Ironman Malaysia success!
Hiroyuki Nichiuchi 2nd Male Pro (Adamo Racing)
Edith Niederfriniger 2nd Female Pro (Adamo Racing)
Hillary Biscay 3rd Female Pro (Adamo Road)
Jocelyn Wong 5th Female Pro (Adamo Racing)
Congrats to all. Check out Hillary Biscay's 3rd place race report below:
I kicked off my 2010 season last weekend with Ironman Malaysia. Because you will be subjected to at least seven more ironman race reports this year, I thought we would start with a slightly different format for the first one. Ironman is inevitably a contest of maximizing the day's highs and managing its lows in order to make the best of the circumstances one is dealt, so I've recapped my day here in these terms.
Highlight: Winning the swim: first woman out of the water.
Lowlight: Realizing within the first hour of the bike that the reason I was sliding off the front of my bike seat was because it had moved and was like this / .
Highlight: Getting ahold of an allen wrench about kilometer 70.
Lowlight: After spending several minutes on the side of the road removing my back bottle cage system to access the bolt to tighten my seat clamp, my sweaty hands couldn't do the trick, and I soon found myself riding in the same funky position I'd been in . . .
Highlight: Even after 39 ironman finishes, I come away from every race with important lessons learned. I love my new bike, but no matter how good the bike, two weeks is simply not enough time to get a new bike dialed and all of the kinks sorted out. I knew better; I took a risk, and I paid for it. I will not make this mistake again.
Lowlight: I lost a lot of time on the ride, and came off the bike well down on Belinda (Granger) and Edith (Niederfriniger).
Highlight: I started the run in third and was determined to hang onto this position.
Lowlight: The prevalent sensation in this marathon is one of running in a sauna. There were certain particularly-hot sections of each of the five run loops during which I felt as if my head were about to explode and/or one of my shaky legs was going to buckle beneath me.
Highlight: Amazingly, none of these things actually occurred. I stayed focused on myself and my own run, knowing that I could control only this and not the girls chasing me, and managed to have several stretches of the run during which I felt relatively "good."
Lowlight: The outbound portion of the final run loop: I felt like I was doing a slow-motion impression of running, better described by my Australian friends as "running up and down on the spot."
Highlight: I had to deal with a few challenges on race day, but in spite of this being a hot-and-sweaty sweatfest, blisters were not one of them. Ironman Malaysia is a true test of run shoes, as many athletes are taken out by things like blisters. Yet I had the luxury of drenching myself with water every couple of kilometers without worry, because my K-Swiss K-Onas drain in a second. I was so thankful for them!
Highlight (Yes, I realize I am interrupting my pattern here, but of course I've got more highs than lows--why else would I engage in this crazy business?!): Not getting run down. I crossed the line in third place, accomplishing my goal of an Ironman Malaysia podium finish, and my 15th career iron-distance podium finish.
Lowlight: New WTC rules say that I am not eligible for the third-place $4000 USD prize money: after 10 hours and 10 minutes of hard racing, my time falls 2 minutes outside of 8% of the winning time. According to the new "8% rule," finishing 8.3% off of the winning time means I don't get paid. Unfortunately, this money does not get redistributed to Belinda, Edith, or the four men who finished within the prize money cutoff. It "disappears."
Highlight: My amazing sponsors who help make it possible for me to make a living in this great sport: K-Swiss, PowerBar, ISM, Zipp, Wilier, FSA, and CycleOps.
Highlight: Celebrating the big 4-0--my fortieth iron-distance finish--by completing one of the toughest ironmans on the circuit here in Langkawi.
Lowlight: New WTC rules say that I am not eligible for the Kona-qualifying slot because I finished outside of 5% above the winning finish time.
Highlight: I have four more Kona-qualifying opportunities before this year's World Championships. It's only February and I will only get faster and stronger as the season goes along!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Right on, Right on, Right on.
(blog title in my best McConaughey voice)
Pic of ISM Pro Angela Naeth and her custom painted steed. Angela competes with her Adamo Racing saddle
Here I am after my marathon. I suffered through another one and have been limping around all week. Note to self, move out of my three story townhome before I compete in another marry. Stairs are not my friend. Time to dust off the bikes and get in some road miles. First tri of the season is St. Anthony's. Guess I need to get in some pool time too!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Heather Jackson WINS her first Pro Crit
Professional Trek/K-Swiss triathlete, Heather Jackson , traded in her TT bike and aero bars for a professional criterium win on the road today at the Roger Millikan Memorial Race in Brea, California. After bridging a half lap gap to the breakway group of three solo, Jackson sealed the deal with an attack in the final few 100 meters of the race for the victory.
Heather proudly competed using her ISM Adamo Road saddle.
For full results, check out www.socalcycling.com
Friday, February 12, 2010
Amanda Lovato Joins Forces with ISM Saddles
ISM is pleased to announce Amanda Lovato will be competing using ISM Adamo saddles. Below is her latest race report from her winning event at Ironman 70.3 Pucon.
On December 31st I had made the decision to not race Pucon. I had been sick for 5 weeks. I had the flu, which turned into a cold, which had turned into a sinus infection. I had been lying in bed more than I had been training. My confidence was low and Cliff and I agreed that I didn't need to punish myself with a lot of travel with the possibility of a bad race, after taking some time off from racing the past four months. I left for Casa Fred in Austin on January 1st, antibiotics in hand, and a small bit of hope in the back of my mind. But I promised myself that if my 2 week push did not go well, that I would stay home.
I knew from previous experience that I could race well if I built my training right into race day. For ten days, I worked and trained really, really hard...I trained so hard that by the end of the push I was crying and could not possibly imagine training another day...I couldn't bring myself to call Cliff. I was too burnt up and exhausted and knew that if I talked to him, I would cry even more...lol! In the back of my head, however, I knew that I was in a good spot and the training I had done in that ten days was sufficient. So the decision was made...I rested enough to not feel like crying, and got on the plane to Pucon on Tuesday before the race. I rested a few more days (always respect the travel), then rode 40 miles two days out at 3/4 effort.
Michael and I had spent a lot of time enjoying Pucon during race week, absorbing the culture, and eating enormous quantities of food. PNF had suggested that we enjoy Chile and to think of the race as a hard workout within a vacation. We took her advice to heart and really did think of Pucon that way. We settled right into the Latin lifestyle of eating late and going to bed late. And race night was no different. While I did eat dinner at my normal "race dinner" time of 4pm, I could not help myself with a late night dessert.
Race morning came. Our alarms went off at 5am. The race start was 8am. ML and I overslept by an hour...finally waking up at 6am. We ate our breakfast and were able to get to transition just after 7am. We were both just laisez fair about the whole "race thing". I'm not sure that we have ever been so laid back before a race...lol. I missed my opportunity to do a race warm-up, but we did make it to the swim start on time. I wasn't nervous. I was excited. I had no expectations. After all, everything that I planned on doing for this race was different than anything thing that I had ever done in a race before:
My plan was to try out some new ideas suggested by my GI doctor. One of these suggestions was to ditch my jetstream. I have never ever raced, in the past 12 years, without my jetstream. Apparently I suck down huge amounts of air through the straw which accelerates my upper GI problems.
I have a new bike (my sweet little Kestrel Airfoil). The fit that I have now, suggested by the RAPPSTAR :)) is the most aggressive fit that I have ever had in the past 12 years of me racing triathlons. Zane, my bike fitter, has been fighting with me for years to change my fit, but I would not have it. However, after some gentle nudging by Jordan, I finally agreed to try a different fit.
I am riding the ISM ADAMO saddle. I have always ridden a flight or a SLR. However, again, with gentle nudging from Jordan and ZANE, I have been riding this saddle for a few weeks and I love it.
I can not remember the last time that I raced without socks...Olympic distance races...maybe?? However, I am now racing in Saucony A3's. I decided that since everything else I was trying was a roll of the dice that I should toughen up (as Rinny and Richie would say) and race without socks. (My feet look like raw meat...I may not try that again for a half...yes I am a wimp...LOL) .
The Swim:
This was the first year that the pros did not have to start with the age groupers. Pedro, Pucon's race director, is trying to help the race grow. And he wanted to see how full the roads would be with a wave start. For the first time ever, in the races history, there were wave starts. I was pretty stoked as I though the wave starts were set smartly. The 45 plus ladies started 5 minutes after us. And I believe the 35 plus men started about 15 minutes after us. It was a CLEAN race for us girls!
As we lined up for the swim, I positioned myself behind Christian Bustos. After all, we used to swim together when he was in Boulder training. And I thought that I could at least sit on his feet. The gun went off, we started... and it was as if I had forgotten how to swim or had never swum before. I was able to swim on Christian's feet for exactly 475 meters (the first buoy). I then felt my swim fitness and promptly got dropped. I swam all by myself for the rest of the swim and finished last place pro.
The Bike:
As I hoped on my fast Kestrel Airfoil, I had two things come to mind:
#1. I hoped that I could ride like I did during my ten day training block.
#2. I hoped that my ISM Adamo saddle would not cause a Splish suit malfunction during my ride.
The first hour I struggled a bit. My quads were achy and I didn't feel spritely. However, I remembered why I was there.... I was in CHILE! I was in Pucon racing! I was doing what I love the most. AND...I wasn't having GI issues.
And then something really awesome happened at about mile 20... my legs came around!
All of the sudden, I felt really, really good. And I started passing the South American girls!
I reveled in the fact that I was in PUCON! I was smiling, cheering for the other girls, and giving good fist pumps. I was finally riding like I did when I was in Austin, I wasn't having GI issues for the first time in 5 years, and lastly while riding in my new aggressive bike position, my saddle wasn't trying to cause a costume malfunction... all was good in the world!
The run:
I came into transition 2 in third position. I hoped off my speed machine, and I immediately knew that I had definitely used my legs on the bike ride. My legs were a bit tight. I started the run, which goes straight uphill through the "peninsula". I felt like I was going SO SLOW. I saw my friend, Renata, and exclaimed "OMG...this is HARD"!!! She cheered me on and I could not believe how badly I felt. I thought to myself that this run could not end soon enough for me. Again, I started to think about why I was there...And as I crested the mountain, I saw the famous Pucon Volcano. And I could not stop smiling...
At a little out and back on the first loop, I saw Heather Gollnick and cheered for her. At the end of the out and back I realized how close I was to her... I could not believe it. I had just started to settle into a nice rhythm. I had just started feeling good. Sometime after the first loop of the three loop course, I passed her. After passing Heather, we got a 3:40 split from Tereza. I thought to myself that 3:40 was too much time to make up. I didn't really know how many more miles I had left, but I just kept running my pace. Somewhere in the second loop, I passed Tereza. I though to myself...OMG...I am winning!!
Immediately, I stopped thinking about it..."winning". Again, I reminded myself why Michael and I were in Pucon. I reminded myself how beautiful this race was. I realized that I had not had one GI episode during this race. I was exstatic! I cheered for my competitors and for the age groupers. I gave big fist pumps through the crowds as they enabled me to run even faster...I talked to the junior triathlete, Andrea, who was my lead biker. I reveled in the fact that I was in Pucon, racing, doing what I love the most. And when I finished, I won. I bested two great competitors with incredible resumes. While I have won other half ironmans, I have never won a 70.3. However, again, I reminded myself why I was in Pucon. I took in a deep breath to soak in the beauty of this race, the generosity of the race director, the memories that ML and I had made at this event. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.
A special thank you to Pedro, the race director of Pucon. Pedro and Guillermo took special care that we professional were well taken care of and made sure that our experience was amazing...it was. Thank you TRAKKERS! You guys are awesome. With your help, I plan on making 2010 the best year of my career (so far;)). Thank you Steven of Kestrel for your belief in me and for the fastest bike on the planet. Thank you Saucony for my fast A3's...I plan on wearing socks next time ;)! Thank you Splish for my hot new suit. Thank you Brand Betty for helping me ditch the pink, but still make me look girly! Thank you Boulder Running Company for all of your support...you guys are like family to me! Thank you Blue 70. I promise to swim faster next time...:) Thank you Jack and Adam's Triathlon headquaters...YOU GUYS ROCK!!! Thank you Norma Tech for helping me recover during those 10 days of training hard. Thank you T3 recovery for helping me recover with a good nights sleep. Thank you Coach Cliff for nearly killing me, but making me fast ...
...And last, but not least, thank you to my sweet husband who encouraged me every day to eat at the dessert buffet...I think it really worked!
--
Posted By Amanda Lovato to Hear me Roar! at 1/28/2010 07:53:00 PM
On December 31st I had made the decision to not race Pucon. I had been sick for 5 weeks. I had the flu, which turned into a cold, which had turned into a sinus infection. I had been lying in bed more than I had been training. My confidence was low and Cliff and I agreed that I didn't need to punish myself with a lot of travel with the possibility of a bad race, after taking some time off from racing the past four months. I left for Casa Fred in Austin on January 1st, antibiotics in hand, and a small bit of hope in the back of my mind. But I promised myself that if my 2 week push did not go well, that I would stay home.
I knew from previous experience that I could race well if I built my training right into race day. For ten days, I worked and trained really, really hard...I trained so hard that by the end of the push I was crying and could not possibly imagine training another day...I couldn't bring myself to call Cliff. I was too burnt up and exhausted and knew that if I talked to him, I would cry even more...lol! In the back of my head, however, I knew that I was in a good spot and the training I had done in that ten days was sufficient. So the decision was made...I rested enough to not feel like crying, and got on the plane to Pucon on Tuesday before the race. I rested a few more days (always respect the travel), then rode 40 miles two days out at 3/4 effort.
Michael and I had spent a lot of time enjoying Pucon during race week, absorbing the culture, and eating enormous quantities of food. PNF had suggested that we enjoy Chile and to think of the race as a hard workout within a vacation. We took her advice to heart and really did think of Pucon that way. We settled right into the Latin lifestyle of eating late and going to bed late. And race night was no different. While I did eat dinner at my normal "race dinner" time of 4pm, I could not help myself with a late night dessert.
Race morning came. Our alarms went off at 5am. The race start was 8am. ML and I overslept by an hour...finally waking up at 6am. We ate our breakfast and were able to get to transition just after 7am. We were both just laisez fair about the whole "race thing". I'm not sure that we have ever been so laid back before a race...lol. I missed my opportunity to do a race warm-up, but we did make it to the swim start on time. I wasn't nervous. I was excited. I had no expectations. After all, everything that I planned on doing for this race was different than anything thing that I had ever done in a race before:
My plan was to try out some new ideas suggested by my GI doctor. One of these suggestions was to ditch my jetstream. I have never ever raced, in the past 12 years, without my jetstream. Apparently I suck down huge amounts of air through the straw which accelerates my upper GI problems.
I have a new bike (my sweet little Kestrel Airfoil). The fit that I have now, suggested by the RAPPSTAR :)) is the most aggressive fit that I have ever had in the past 12 years of me racing triathlons. Zane, my bike fitter, has been fighting with me for years to change my fit, but I would not have it. However, after some gentle nudging by Jordan, I finally agreed to try a different fit.
I am riding the ISM ADAMO saddle. I have always ridden a flight or a SLR. However, again, with gentle nudging from Jordan and ZANE, I have been riding this saddle for a few weeks and I love it.
I can not remember the last time that I raced without socks...Olympic distance races...maybe?? However, I am now racing in Saucony A3's. I decided that since everything else I was trying was a roll of the dice that I should toughen up (as Rinny and Richie would say) and race without socks. (My feet look like raw meat...I may not try that again for a half...yes I am a wimp...LOL) .
The Swim:
This was the first year that the pros did not have to start with the age groupers. Pedro, Pucon's race director, is trying to help the race grow. And he wanted to see how full the roads would be with a wave start. For the first time ever, in the races history, there were wave starts. I was pretty stoked as I though the wave starts were set smartly. The 45 plus ladies started 5 minutes after us. And I believe the 35 plus men started about 15 minutes after us. It was a CLEAN race for us girls!
As we lined up for the swim, I positioned myself behind Christian Bustos. After all, we used to swim together when he was in Boulder training. And I thought that I could at least sit on his feet. The gun went off, we started... and it was as if I had forgotten how to swim or had never swum before. I was able to swim on Christian's feet for exactly 475 meters (the first buoy). I then felt my swim fitness and promptly got dropped. I swam all by myself for the rest of the swim and finished last place pro.
The Bike:
As I hoped on my fast Kestrel Airfoil, I had two things come to mind:
#1. I hoped that I could ride like I did during my ten day training block.
#2. I hoped that my ISM Adamo saddle would not cause a Splish suit malfunction during my ride.
The first hour I struggled a bit. My quads were achy and I didn't feel spritely. However, I remembered why I was there.... I was in CHILE! I was in Pucon racing! I was doing what I love the most. AND...I wasn't having GI issues.
And then something really awesome happened at about mile 20... my legs came around!
All of the sudden, I felt really, really good. And I started passing the South American girls!
I reveled in the fact that I was in PUCON! I was smiling, cheering for the other girls, and giving good fist pumps. I was finally riding like I did when I was in Austin, I wasn't having GI issues for the first time in 5 years, and lastly while riding in my new aggressive bike position, my saddle wasn't trying to cause a costume malfunction... all was good in the world!
The run:
I came into transition 2 in third position. I hoped off my speed machine, and I immediately knew that I had definitely used my legs on the bike ride. My legs were a bit tight. I started the run, which goes straight uphill through the "peninsula". I felt like I was going SO SLOW. I saw my friend, Renata, and exclaimed "OMG...this is HARD"!!! She cheered me on and I could not believe how badly I felt. I thought to myself that this run could not end soon enough for me. Again, I started to think about why I was there...And as I crested the mountain, I saw the famous Pucon Volcano. And I could not stop smiling...
At a little out and back on the first loop, I saw Heather Gollnick and cheered for her. At the end of the out and back I realized how close I was to her... I could not believe it. I had just started to settle into a nice rhythm. I had just started feeling good. Sometime after the first loop of the three loop course, I passed her. After passing Heather, we got a 3:40 split from Tereza. I thought to myself that 3:40 was too much time to make up. I didn't really know how many more miles I had left, but I just kept running my pace. Somewhere in the second loop, I passed Tereza. I though to myself...OMG...I am winning!!
Immediately, I stopped thinking about it..."winning". Again, I reminded myself why Michael and I were in Pucon. I reminded myself how beautiful this race was. I realized that I had not had one GI episode during this race. I was exstatic! I cheered for my competitors and for the age groupers. I gave big fist pumps through the crowds as they enabled me to run even faster...I talked to the junior triathlete, Andrea, who was my lead biker. I reveled in the fact that I was in Pucon, racing, doing what I love the most. And when I finished, I won. I bested two great competitors with incredible resumes. While I have won other half ironmans, I have never won a 70.3. However, again, I reminded myself why I was in Pucon. I took in a deep breath to soak in the beauty of this race, the generosity of the race director, the memories that ML and I had made at this event. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.
A special thank you to Pedro, the race director of Pucon. Pedro and Guillermo took special care that we professional were well taken care of and made sure that our experience was amazing...it was. Thank you TRAKKERS! You guys are awesome. With your help, I plan on making 2010 the best year of my career (so far;)). Thank you Steven of Kestrel for your belief in me and for the fastest bike on the planet. Thank you Saucony for my fast A3's...I plan on wearing socks next time ;)! Thank you Splish for my hot new suit. Thank you Brand Betty for helping me ditch the pink, but still make me look girly! Thank you Boulder Running Company for all of your support...you guys are like family to me! Thank you Blue 70. I promise to swim faster next time...:) Thank you Jack and Adam's Triathlon headquaters...YOU GUYS ROCK!!! Thank you Norma Tech for helping me recover during those 10 days of training hard. Thank you T3 recovery for helping me recover with a good nights sleep. Thank you Coach Cliff for nearly killing me, but making me fast ...
...And last, but not least, thank you to my sweet husband who encouraged me every day to eat at the dessert buffet...I think it really worked!
--
Posted By Amanda Lovato to Hear me Roar! at 1/28/2010 07:53:00 PM
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Potts and Lavelle autographed saddles to be auctioned
Ironman 70.3 World Champion Andy Potts and Olympian Matty Reed will be attending this year’s Gateway to the Bay Triathlon. Both athletes will captain their own relay teams and raise money for Jenny’s Light. Jenny's Light is a charity set up by Becky Lavelle (USA Triathlon’s 2008 Non-ITU Pro-Triathlete of the year) in memory of her sister. Jenny’s Light helps women with Postpartum Mood Disorders. Spots on Team Reed and Team Potts will be auctioned off via Ebay starting mid February. Team Reed will have Swim & Bike legs available and Team Potts will have Bike & Run legs available.
In addition, ISM Saddles will be donating an Adamo Racing saddle to be signed by Becky Lavelle and an Adamo Road saddle to be signed by Andy Potts for the auction. Afterall, these are the saddles of their choice when racing! www.ismseat.com
For more information on the weekend events, please visit www.gatewaytothebay.com
And for additional information on Jenny's Light, please visit www.jennyslight.org
Monday, February 8, 2010
Inside Triathlon shows ISM some love!
Here are some images sent to me from the newest issue of Inside Triathlon. ISM had a nice spread in this month's issue, and we are stoked so many athletes are riding our performance saddles. As we've said all along, Comfort + Speed = VICTORY. Check them out at your favorite local dealer and find out why they are the choice of the World's best athletes.Monday, February 1, 2010
Tri Expo San Diego
New ISM coffee mugs make joe taste so much better!
Steve getting some Compex love from ISM athlete Mihcellie Jones
Dave at Speedfil's tricked out Kestrel Airfoil
ISM athlete Sarah Haskins interview.
Just another evening in SoCal.
Seals at La Jolla right by the TYR photoshoot.
Just got back from a whirlwind trip to San Diego for the Tri Expo. Steve and I had a blast meeting with old friends and meeting new ones. This was the first annual event and it was an excuse to escape from Texas and Florida for some Cali sun. Several athletes were there as the event was also the same weekend as the Endurance Sports awards. Everyone was giving interviews, doing photoshoots, and hanging out for booth signing. Fun to catch up with ISM athletes Sarah Haskins, Andy Potts, and Michellie Jones. It was also an opportunity to catch up with other athletes (pro and amatuer), and chat about our products.
We also wanted to take in a few discussion talks with Chris Carmichael (Carmichael Training Systems and coach to Lance Armstrong), and Dr. Allen Lim (Team Radio Shack's physiologist). Both interesting and down to Earth fellows and very passionate about their jobs.
It wasn't all fun and games. We stopped by several of our retailers to discuss our new 2010 product offering and find out if there was anything we could do better to improve our designs. Turns out we are doing pretty well. :) And we even had time to harrass my good bud, Cassidy Phillips of TP Therapy. That guy is blowing up and his products rock!! www.tptherapy.com
Big things to come!
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