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Ironman Lanzarote 2012: The Heat is On, Or Maybe Not
The word here in Lanzarote is that things are going to cool off by the weekend – great news to any athletes who might have rolled in over the weekend. “Cool off” would be to something closer to the high 20s or low 30s Celsius that is typical on this Canary Island about 100 km off the coast of Africa. That’s good news for everyone involved in Saturday’s race – the most common description of a ride here on the island over the last few days has been “it’s like riding into a giant hairdryer that’s blowing hot air at you.”
story by Kevin Mackinnon
Temperatures last weekend hit over 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) thanks to some hot air that came over from Africa to scorch things here on the Canaries. The intense temperatures were enough to put poor Josef Ajram in the hospital on just the second day of his “Red Bull 7 Islands” challenge. His plan had been to complete seven full-distance efforts on all seven of the Canary Islands, culminating with Ironman Lanzarote on Saturday, but that got derailed when he collapsed from dehydration due to the incredibly intense heat. (We’ve been told Ajram is out of hospital now and back in Barcelona – we wish him a speedy recovery.)
Not that the cooler temperatures are going to make Saturday’s race a walk in the park. Ironman Lanzarote’s motto is “Normal Limits Do Not Apply,” which is quite apt for this event that features one of the most spectacular, but difficult, courses on the Ironman circuit.
The day begins with a 3.8 km, two-loop, swim off the beach in Puerto del Carmen. After starting on the beach, the athletes swim 160 m before making a left turn and swimming parallel to the shore for 759 m. They then turn left back towards the beach, swim for 145 m, and then make another left for an 836 m leg back towards the start. One lap down. Repeat and then get ready for …
Unless you’ve been to Lanzarote, it’s really hard to describe just how challenging riding a bike on this island can be. The winds are best described as unrelenting. No, maybe intense would be a better word. Fierce – that’s it. Nope – heavy and strong might be better. OK, since I can’t come up with just the right word, suffice it to say that the winds here in Lanzarote are every bit as tough as anything you’re likely to face in Kona. That’s challenge number one for the bike course here. Challenge number two would be the climbs.
Like Hawaii, Lanzarote is a volcanic island. There are relentless up and downs on pretty much any route you might take here. The Ironman course manages to add a few more fun bits to the round-the-island tour that is the Ironman bike course. First there’s a jaunt through Yaiza and to El Golfo, with some spectacular sea views. That just butters the athletes up for the fun, though. Once that loop is complete, the athletes then head up through the Fire Mountains and through some immense lava fields. A ride through this section yesterday was possibly the hottest ride I’ve ever done on a bike. (No hairdryer could have blasted that much hot air for that long without shorting out.)
Once through this section, the riders then head up Mirador de Haria and Mirador del Rio – a couple of spectacular mountain climbs that feature a technical, switchback descent (de Haria) and a high-speed, put-your-head-down-and-go, plunge (del Rio). The views from the summit of each of these climbs are spectacular, but most of the athletes won’t pay much heed to that on race day. There’s another short bit of climbing back to the center of the island before finally getting to descend back to Puerto del Carmen to start the run.
The run course consists of three loops. The first takes athletes out-and-back past the airport to Playa Honda. Then there are two shorter 11.8 km loops along the same route to finish things off. The run is fairly flat – there are just a few rolling hills, which is a welcome respite after all the altitude variation the athletes endure during the ride.
While the temperatures are expected to cool towards the end of the week, there’s been some debate on what we’re likely to see in the way of winds. The weather report, right now, is calling for a relatively calm day, which would make things much easier for the 1,600 athletes set to compete on Saturday. Others, though, are predicting that the winds might pick up by the weekend, which would make things considerably tougher.
People don’t come to Lanzarote, though, expecting an easy day. While it’s incredibly beautiful, it’s a tough, hard place. Ironman races are supposed to be tough, hard endeavors. Finishing this race adds a bit of luster to your resume. The age group athletes competing here in Lanzarote will be after one of 40 qualifying slots for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii – the winners here will certainly have earned their spots.
We’ll have live coverage of Ironman Lanzarote here on Ironman.com this weekend including text updates, photos and live athlete timing.
You can reach Kevin Mackinnon at kevin.mackinnon@ironman.com
Kona-bound from Cozumel
Come late November each year, athletes from all over the globe migrate to a tropical Island off the eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula for the ultimate experience in destination racing. Located in the Caribbean Sea, Cozumel has long been considered one of the best diving spots in the world. . The clear waters around the island are home to the second largest barrier reef in the world. Settled about 2000 years ago by ancient Mayans, Cozumel was considered both a commercial trading spot and a sacred shrine.
By Gaylia Osterlund
The swim is a single-loop, deep-water start in the protected waters of the Reefs of Cozumel National Park in Chankanaab Park Beach. The three-loop scenic bike ride meanders along the coast, through some of the beautiful resorts and the town of Cozumel. The multi-loop marathon is flat, fast and spectator friendly. References to “Xterra-like conditions” were in many of the commentaries I received about Ironman Cozumel. A bit of wind and a flash flood during the marathon added a new flavor to this already majestic yet challenging venue.
At 60-years young, Carol Davenport (13:3:38) was the oldest female competitor to start Cozumel. Being an avid runner and triathlete since 1997, she finds this role of “inspiration” (which she says is code for “God, you’re old”) odd because she doesn’t feel, well, old. Davenport has completed over 40 marathons (13 of those in Boston), was a Runner’s World cover girl in 1982 and won three marathons back in the day. This will be her second trip to Kona, where she finished seventh in her division in 2006. On paper, Carol has the credentials, experience and results deserving of a Kona berth. What makes her an even bigger threat is the tenacity with which she faces any obstacle in every race. Remember those floods I spoke of earlier? Rather than wallowing in frustration, she kept running, finding humor in every submerged step. She is a fighter and fight is what you need on the Big Island.
Six years ago, Beth Baumgarten’s brother challenged her to do a triathlon before she turned 50. She fell in love with multisport and has immersed herself in the lifestyle, even retiring from a government job of 33-years to pursue her passion as a triathlete and coach. Cozumel was Beth’s first go at 140.6 miles and, knowing that she was racing against Ann Barnes who had finished second in Kona, she smartly focused on her day. The end result was the division win for W55-59 in 13:02:06 and an unexpected trip to the World Championships.
51-year-old Sara Crewe (11:02:46) lives in a small village on top of a mountain at 7,400 feet in New Mexico known as Ruidoso. She is the only multisport athlete in the area, so she clocks endless hours of solo training on the bike. Her faithful pit bull comes along on her runs for protection from mountain lions and bears. Although Crewe found her way back to Ironman racing as a way to work through the grief of her father’s illness, she quickly set her sights on going to the world championship. She took a sting at Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3 when she missed out by a mere 26 seconds. On this day, she made sure to make every second count.
Erica Dueger (10:48:26) turned to triathlon in 2004 when her job sent her to Guatemala where options for skiing and climbing were in short supply. Since then she has completed 13 Ironman events, two of those in Kona, several at the 70.3 distance, four Xterra events and even threw in an adventure race known as the Transalps. Dueger believes the diversity of her racing allowed her to take the extreme rain and flooding in stride. She shifted to her Xterra mindset and felt right at home. This was Dueger’s second go in Cozumel and she shaved nearly 17-minutes from her time in 2010. Ermina Favale (10:52:14), an architect from Venezuela, took the final spot for the W45-49.
The top three women contesting the 40-44 division were mixing it up right from the start. None of them were first out of the water but each made a statement with their bike/run combination. Peggy Yetman (10:03:37) worked her mental game and let go of some frustrating situations on the bike, including witnessing a crash and arrived in T2 right along side of Amy Gluck (10:24:14). Gluck’s strategy of carrying her fitness over from Kona hit a stumbling block when she found herself plagued with bronchitis. Amy has always maintained she will turn herself inside out to get back to Hawaii and clearly she did just that in Cozumel. Lotty Harari (10:25:28) started triathlon just two and a half years ago, yet she has division wins in Cozumel and Florianopolis. ”Real life” prevented her from even thinking about Hawaii so, needless to say, she was thrilled to grab the third and final Kona slot for this group of ladies.
Richele Frank (10:18:52) and Elke Vanenterghem (10:18:55) played their own game of cat-and-mouse all day long. These thirty-somethings put on one heck of a show. In the end, Frank’s sprint through the chute earned her the division win by only three seconds over Vanenterghem, who can now share some impressive race “war stories’ with her husband, Marino Vanhoenacker. Frank credits her training with LifeSport Coaching for being able to tap into the speed after such a grueling day. Richele hopes to arrive on the Big Island with fitness that will allow her to improve on her time from 2010.
While many found the day’s conditions overwhelming, 32-year old Sonja Wieck (10:00:03) turned every obstacle into a positive. The jellyfish in the water were her motivation to swim a bit faster; the wind on the ride helped her perfect staying upright on the bike; and the floods? Well, they were all about cooling her down to do her best to break 10-hours. She missed her goal by a few seconds on this day but Sonja was grateful for the foot speed of Christine Kenney (9:57:59) as she went by because it encouraged her to try and hang on. Although Hana Sykorova (10:14:41) swore she would never go 140.6 miles, she ended up adding this event to her calendar just a few months out from race day. She never imagined she would be planning 2012 around racing with the best multisport athletes in the world.
Check back in a few weeks as we continue to catch up with the amazing and talented women who will be racing at the Ford Ironman World Championships this October.
You may contact Gaylia Osterlund at gaylialynn@ironman.com.
Kona-bound from Cozumel
Come late November each year, athletes from all over the globe migrate to a tropical Island off the eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula for the ultimate experience in destination racing. Located in the Caribbean Sea, Cozumel has long been considered one of the best diving spots in the world. . The clear waters around the island are home to the second largest barrier reef in the world. Settled about 2000 years ago by ancient Mayans, Cozumel was considered both a commercial trading spot and a sacred shrine.
By Gaylia Osterlund
The swim is a single-loop, deep-water start in the protected waters of the Reefs of Cozumel National Park in Chankanaab Park Beach. The three-loop scenic bike ride meanders along the coast, through some of the beautiful resorts and the town of Cozumel. The multi-loop marathon is flat, fast and spectator friendly. References to “Xterra-like conditions” were in many of the commentaries I received about Ironman Cozumel. A bit of wind and a flash flood during the marathon added a new flavor to this already majestic yet challenging venue.
At 60-years young, Carol Davenport (13:3:38) was the oldest female competitor to start Cozumel. Being an avid runner and triathlete since 1997, she finds this role of “inspiration” (which she says is code for “God, you’re old”) odd because she doesn’t feel, well, old. Davenport has completed over 40 marathons (13 of those in Boston), was a Runner’s World cover girl in 1982 and won three marathons back in the day. This will be her second trip to Kona, where she finished seventh in her division in 2006. On paper, Carol has the credentials, experience and results deserving of a Kona berth. What makes her an even bigger threat is the tenacity with which she faces any obstacle in every race. Remember those floods I spoke of earlier? Rather than wallowing in frustration, she kept running, finding humor in every submerged step. She is a fighter and fight is what you need on the Big Island.
Six years ago, Beth Baumgarten’s brother challenged her to do a triathlon before she turned 50. She fell in love with multisport and has immersed herself in the lifestyle, even retiring from a government job of 33-years to pursue her passion as a triathlete and coach. Cozumel was Beth’s first go at 140.6 miles and, knowing that she was racing against Ann Barnes who had finished second in Kona, she smartly focused on her day. The end result was the division win for W55-59 in 13:02:06 and an unexpected trip to the World Championships.
51-year-old Sara Crewe (11:02:46) lives in a small village on top of a mountain at 7,400 feet in New Mexico known as Ruidoso. She is the only multisport athlete in the area, so she clocks endless hours of solo training on the bike. Her faithful pit bull comes along on her runs for protection from mountain lions and bears. Although Crewe found her way back to Ironman racing as a way to work through the grief of her father’s illness, she quickly set her sights on going to the world championship. She took a sting at Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3 when she missed out by a mere 26 seconds. On this day, she made sure to make every second count.
Erica Dueger (10:48:26) turned to triathlon in 2004 when her job sent her to Guatemala where options for skiing and climbing were in short supply. Since then she has completed 13 Ironman events, two of those in Kona, several at the 70.3 distance, four Xterra events and even threw in an adventure race known as the Transalps. Dueger believes the diversity of her racing allowed her to take the extreme rain and flooding in stride. She shifted to her Xterra mindset and felt right at home. This was Dueger’s second go in Cozumel and she shaved nearly 17-minutes from her time in 2010. Ermina Favale (10:52:14), an architect from Venezuela, took the final spot for the W45-49.
The top three women contesting the 40-44 division were mixing it up right from the start. None of them were first out of the water but each made a statement with their bike/run combination. Peggy Yetman (10:03:37) worked her mental game and let go of some frustrating situations on the bike, including witnessing a crash and arrived in T2 right along side of Amy Gluck (10:24:14). Gluck’s strategy of carrying her fitness over from Kona hit a stumbling block when she found herself plagued with bronchitis. Amy has always maintained she will turn herself inside out to get back to Hawaii and clearly she did just that in Cozumel. Lotty Harari (10:25:28) started triathlon just two and a half years ago, yet she has division wins in Cozumel and Florianopolis. ”Real life” prevented her from even thinking about Hawaii so, needless to say, she was thrilled to grab the third and final Kona slot for this group of ladies.
Richele Frank (10:18:52) and Elke Vanenterghem (10:18:55) played their own game of cat-and-mouse all day long. These thirty-somethings put on one heck of a show. In the end, Frank’s sprint through the chute earned her the division win by only three seconds over Vanenterghem, who can now share some impressive race “war stories’ with her husband, Marino Vanhoenacker. Frank credits her training with LifeSport Coaching for being able to tap into the speed after such a grueling day. Richele hopes to arrive on the Big Island with fitness that will allow her to improve on her time from 2010.
While many found the day’s conditions overwhelming, 32-year old Sonja Wieck (10:00:03) turned every obstacle into a positive. The jellyfish in the water were her motivation to swim a bit faster; the wind on the ride helped her perfect staying upright on the bike; and the floods? Well, they were all about cooling her down to do her best to break 10-hours. She missed her goal by a few seconds on this day but Sonja was grateful for the foot speed of Christine Kenney (9:57:59) as she went by because it encouraged her to try and hang on. Although Hana Sykorova (10:14:41) swore she would never go 140.6 miles, she ended up adding this event to her calendar just a few months out from race day. She never imagined she would be planning 2012 around racing with the best multisport athletes in the world.
Check back in a few weeks as we continue to catch up with the amazing and talented women who will be racing at the Ford Ironman World Championships this October.
You may contact Gaylia Osterlund at gaylialynn@ironman.com.
LAVA Magazine’s Newsstand Debut
To celebrate their newsstand debut and redesign, LAVA Magazine is giving away a signed photo of Lance Armstrong to one lucky new subscriber.
Subscribe to LAVA here before Tuesday the 22nd and be entered to win the above 11×14 autographed photo of Lance Armstrong from his race at Ironman 70.3 Galveston.
LAVA Magazine, the Official Magazine of Ironman, has been around for less than two years, and proudly stood behind its design and concept: delivering reportage by and for the serious triathlete. But our June issue is something special, with a newsstand debut and sophisticated redesign that improves the reading experience. Plus, some special access to some unique personalities.
For this issue, Senior Editor Jay Prasuhn spent a few days with Lance Armstrong to talk to him not only about his return to multisport, but also his past and the guys that helped shape him into the athlete and personality he is today. Prasuhn and Senior Photographer Donald Miralle spent two days shooting Lance at his home, at the Lance Armstrong Foundation, at a Masters swim workout, and out on the roads of his home in Austin.
LAVA was grateful to have Lance’s longtime personal photographer, Elizabeth Kreutz (author of the World Press Photo award-winning book Comeback 2.0 that chronicled Armstrong’s return to bike racing following his bout with cancer) along to capture the behind-the-scenes action in the photo gallery over at LAVA’s website. And there was action: Miralle fell into Armstrong’s backyard pond while backing up to find a wider frame. Yes, the camera was saved. That aside, much of the portraiture was procured from a studio we built in a few hours in Armstrong’s garage. For Kreutz, used to following Armstrong with a Canon or two in tow, it was a welcome arrival. After all, she was shooting triathlon, chasing her husband and pro triathlete James Bonney on the Ironman circuit well before her work with Armstrong.
“I was always excited about the possibility of Lance coming back—at least I always hoped that he would,” Kreutz said. “But knowing Lance and seeing how much fun he’s having is great. He and James have a great swimming and running group that push each other.” If you’ve been curious about what makes our publication the best in the industry, head down to your local specialty retailers or Barnes Noble Bookstore, grab a coffee, and join us on the journey.
Subscribe to LAVA here before Tuesday the 22nd and be entered to win the above 11×14 autographed photo of Lance Armstrong from his race at Ironman 70.3 Galveston.
LAVA Magazine’s Newsstand Debut
To celebrate their newsstand debut and redesign, LAVA Magazine is giving away a signed photo of Lance Armstrong to one lucky new subscriber.
Subscribe to LAVA here before Tuesday the 22nd and be entered to win the above 11×14 autographed photo of Lance Armstrong from his race at Ironman 70.3 Galveston.
LAVA Magazine, the Official Magazine of Ironman, has been around for less than two years, and proudly stood behind its design and concept: delivering reportage by and for the serious triathlete. But our June issue is something special, with a newsstand debut and sophisticated redesign that improves the reading experience. Plus, some special access to some unique personalities.
For this issue, Senior Editor Jay Prasuhn spent a few days with Lance Armstrong to talk to him not only about his return to multisport, but also his past and the guys that helped shape him into the athlete and personality he is today. Prasuhn and Senior Photographer Donald Miralle spent two days shooting Lance at his home, at the Lance Armstrong Foundation, at a Masters swim workout, and out on the roads of his home in Austin.
LAVA was grateful to have Lance’s longtime personal photographer, Elizabeth Kreutz (author of the World Press Photo award-winning book Comeback 2.0 that chronicled Armstrong’s return to bike racing following his bout with cancer) along to capture the behind-the-scenes action in the photo gallery over at LAVA’s website. And there was action: Miralle fell into Armstrong’s backyard pond while backing up to find a wider frame. Yes, the camera was saved. That aside, much of the portraiture was procured from a studio we built in a few hours in Armstrong’s garage. For Kreutz, used to following Armstrong with a Canon or two in tow, it was a welcome arrival. After all, she was shooting triathlon, chasing her husband and pro triathlete James Bonney on the Ironman circuit well before her work with Armstrong.
“I was always excited about the possibility of Lance coming back—at least I always hoped that he would,” Kreutz said. “But knowing Lance and seeing how much fun he’s having is great. He and James have a great swimming and running group that push each other.” If you’ve been curious about what makes our publication the best in the industry, head down to your local specialty retailers or Barnes Noble Bookstore, grab a coffee, and join us on the journey.
Subscribe to LAVA here before Tuesday the 22nd and be entered to win the above 11×14 autographed photo of Lance Armstrong from his race at Ironman 70.3 Galveston.
Multisport Do-Gooders: Andy Cook & Mike Herzog
Whether it’s raising money to help end the mental illness stigma, or just doing something good, these two triathletes are getting after it.
by Lisa Barnes Dolbear
The power of the mind is fast becoming a more targeted area of training for endurance athletes, in part thanks to professional triathletes like Chris McCormack and Chrissie Wellington who highlight mental skills as an integral component of their success. But for 24-year-old hockey player-turned-triathlete Andy Cook (above, right) preserving the power of the mind has become a focus both on and off the race course.
“Mental health is arguably the single most unmet community health need in the country,” Cook says. “We can all name nation-leading cancer care centers and health clinics, but can any of us name a leading mental health facility?”
If Andy has his way, the new mental health facility now under construction at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., will soon be one of these recognizable facilities. Cook has been raising money for the project, using his first Ironman in St. George this month as a platform for awareness. “I’m aiming for $140,600 to put toward the construction of the new facility and help to end mental illness stigma,” says Cook, who states that nearly one in four people will experience mental illness in a given year, and that individuals often wait an average of 10 years before seeking treatment. “Stigma is a barrier to people seeking the care that they need, but we can overcome it by sharing stories in order to change the perception of people with a mental illness,” he says.
Part of Andy’s story includes the heartbreaking reality of a swim DNF in his first attempt at Ironman. “I’m disappointed that I didn’t finish this race for myself and for my cause, but it doesn’t change my commitment to use our sport as a way to benefit others. I could have far greater problems than not finishing a triathlon, and it’s wonderful that this sport can be used to have an impact on some of those greater problems,” he says. He emphasizes that Ironman, more than many other sports, is a challenge of mind power and an incredible display of human spirit—the very qualities that mental illness can hide. (Cook will attempt the distance again in Texas this weekend, and you can follow his progress here.)
Mike Herzog (above, left) founder of the non-profit group, Good Guys Tri (GGT), shares these sentiments. “Triathlon inspires others and is one of the most welcoming communities you can be part of, filled with great stories, smiles and new friends,” he says of the sport that he tirelessly leverages to “do good” in the world. The GGT’s mission is to harness the passion and energy of endurance athletes, and use it to fuel awareness and action within a variety of causes.
“Passionate people are like gravity,” Herzog states. “They share their passion with others and it provides more depth and pull,” he says of the athletes who donate their time and money to organizations like impossible2impossible (i2P), a non-profit that uses adventure as a medium for empowering young people to push beyond their perceived limits. (Hmm, does anyone else feel like this is a good primer for kids to become future triathletes?). At the end of the day, Herzog hopes to inspire and recruit other triathletes to get involved with causes that improve their communities—in any way they can. “Good Guys Tri is the sum of small, medium and large individual actions under one umbrella in order to produce big outcomes,” he says.
Like Andy Cook, Mike Herzog believes that triathlon is the perfect breeding ground for bringing about positive change in the world. “The multisport culture is amazingly inclusive. It really does not matter how good you are. You can share your workouts, experiences and the starting line with everyone,” he says.
Mike and Andy remind us why it’s important to share our stories—and positivity—with others. Just as there is a stigma around mental illness, there is a stigma that triathletes are self-centered elitists who can’t wait to brag about their latest gear or fastest mile split. (Don’t believe me? Check out this recent article from “Details” magazine where the author describes triathlon as the new status symbol).
Those of us who are on the starting lines of one of the thousands of multisport races across the nation know that there’s more to our sport than the stereotypical “ego-driven” triathletes. The real triathletes are the ones like Mike—who isn’t asking us to do the biggest thing we can do to help, but to do anything we can to help. And Andy—who doesn’t get wrapped up in his DNF, but rather he continues to set goals on and off the racecourse that further his cause and his progress as an athlete. “My hope is that we can work together to cross the finish line of this journey towards knowledge, understanding, compassion and care,” he says.
______________________
Lisa Barnes Dolbear is a USAT Level 1 coach and an Ironman athlete who lives and trains in upstate New York. She runs a popular “Dare to Tri” program at her local gym to help introduce new people to the sport, and strives to help athletes balance daily life with their passion for multisport. Follow her blog on mental training, Tri Mojo.
Multisport Do-Gooders: Andy Cook & Mike Herzog
Whether it’s raising money to help end the mental illness stigma, or just doing something good, these two triathletes are getting after it.
by Lisa Barnes Dolbear
The power of the mind is fast becoming a more targeted area of training for endurance athletes, in part thanks to professional triathletes like Chris McCormack and Chrissie Wellington who highlight mental skills as an integral component of their success. But for 24-year-old hockey player-turned-triathlete Andy Cook (above, right) preserving the power of the mind has become a focus both on and off the race course.
“Mental health is arguably the single most unmet community health need in the country,” Cook says. “We can all name nation-leading cancer care centers and health clinics, but can any of us name a leading mental health facility?”
If Andy has his way, the new mental health facility now under construction at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., will soon be one of these recognizable facilities. Cook has been raising money for the project, using his first Ironman in St. George this month as a platform for awareness. “I’m aiming for $140,600 to put toward the construction of the new facility and help to end mental illness stigma,” says Cook, who states that nearly one in four people will experience mental illness in a given year, and that individuals often wait an average of 10 years before seeking treatment. “Stigma is a barrier to people seeking the care that they need, but we can overcome it by sharing stories in order to change the perception of people with a mental illness,” he says.
Part of Andy’s story includes the heartbreaking reality of a swim DNF in his first attempt at Ironman. “I’m disappointed that I didn’t finish this race for myself and for my cause, but it doesn’t change my commitment to use our sport as a way to benefit others. I could have far greater problems than not finishing a triathlon, and it’s wonderful that this sport can be used to have an impact on some of those greater problems,” he says. He emphasizes that Ironman, more than many other sports, is a challenge of mind power and an incredible display of human spirit—the very qualities that mental illness can hide. (Cook will attempt the distance again in Texas this weekend, and you can follow his progress here.)
Mike Herzog (above, left) founder of the non-profit group, Good Guys Tri (GGT), shares these sentiments. “Triathlon inspires others and is one of the most welcoming communities you can be part of, filled with great stories, smiles and new friends,” he says of the sport that he tirelessly leverages to “do good” in the world. The GGT’s mission is to harness the passion and energy of endurance athletes, and use it to fuel awareness and action within a variety of causes.
“Passionate people are like gravity,” Herzog states. “They share their passion with others and it provides more depth and pull,” he says of the athletes who donate their time and money to organizations like impossible2impossible (i2P), a non-profit that uses adventure as a medium for empowering young people to push beyond their perceived limits. (Hmm, does anyone else feel like this is a good primer for kids to become future triathletes?). At the end of the day, Herzog hopes to inspire and recruit other triathletes to get involved with causes that improve their communities—in any way they can. “Good Guys Tri is the sum of small, medium and large individual actions under one umbrella in order to produce big outcomes,” he says.
Like Andy Cook, Mike Herzog believes that triathlon is the perfect breeding ground for bringing about positive change in the world. “The multisport culture is amazingly inclusive. It really does not matter how good you are. You can share your workouts, experiences and the starting line with everyone,” he says.
Mike and Andy remind us why it’s important to share our stories—and positivity—with others. Just as there is a stigma around mental illness, there is a stigma that triathletes are self-centered elitists who can’t wait to brag about their latest gear or fastest mile split. (Don’t believe me? Check out this recent article from “Details” magazine where the author describes triathlon as the new status symbol).
Those of us who are on the starting lines of one of the thousands of multisport races across the nation know that there’s more to our sport than the stereotypical “ego-driven” triathletes. The real triathletes are the ones like Mike—who isn’t asking us to do the biggest thing we can do to help, but to do anything we can to help. And Andy—who doesn’t get wrapped up in his DNF, but rather he continues to set goals on and off the racecourse that further his cause and his progress as an athlete. “My hope is that we can work together to cross the finish line of this journey towards knowledge, understanding, compassion and care,” he says.
______________________
Lisa Barnes Dolbear is a USAT Level 1 coach and an Ironman athlete who lives and trains in upstate New York. She runs a popular “Dare to Tri” program at her local gym to help introduce new people to the sport, and strives to help athletes balance daily life with their passion for multisport. Follow her blog on mental training, Tri Mojo.
Thomas Cook Ironman 70.3 Mallorca Recap
Michael Raelert celebrated a great victory at Thomas Cook Ironman 70.3 Mallorca last weekend. The two-time Ironman 70.3 world champion followed in the footsteps of his brother, Andreas, who won the debut race in Alcudia in 2011. Michael Raelert dominated the pro field on the bike and started the run with a lead of more than 10 minutes. In the end the 31-year-old won in 3:57:08, ahead of Michael Ghner from Germany who needed 4:10:11 hours. (Story includes video links from the bike and swim.)
story by Volker Boch
Check out videos from Saturday’s race:
“It was my strategy to to go as hard as I can on the bike,” Raelert said at the press conference. He came out of the water in third position (24:39 minutes) and took over the lead in the transition zone. Tom Vander Hoogerstraete had the fastest swim of the day in 24:35 minutes ahead of Ben Allen from Great Britain (24:37).
On the bike Raelert pushed hard in the tough uphill section towards Kloster Lluc in the Tramuntana mountains and extended his lead.Behind him there were some chasing groups with strong competitors. But: “We had two different races,” Michael Göhner said after the race. Raelert was leading his own race – and behind him there was a second one. Due to hot conditions Raelert missed his goal to be faster than his brother was the year before. Andreas Raelert won in 2011 in 3:53:07.
“Wasn’t the bike course a little bit longer today?” Michael laughed after the race, “and wasn’t the run course a little bit longer this year?” Michael rode the bike course in 2:13:26 hours and ran the half marathon in 1:14:27 hours.
Michael Göhner, who decided to participate in Alcudia only a few days before the race, completed the German double on the podium with a fast half marathon. He reached the finishline ahead of a strong and almost unknown athlete from Great Britain – Ben Allen claimed third place in his first Ironman 70.3. “It was a last-minute-decision,” Allen said at the press conference. And a good one – the proof was his third place in 4:12:51.
In the women’s race Emma-Kate Lidbury from Great Britain defended her title as dominating style. She came out the water in first position (27:10 minutes), never looked back on the bike and ran the title home in the half marathon. “I’m really pleased to defend my title,” Lidbury said. She was especially thinking about her injured knee – in T2 Lidbury had a collision with another athlete and hit her knee with her chain ring. “It cut my knee open,” she said. She st arted the run with p
ain and a lot of uncertainty. “I thought that I’m not going to finish that race.” Finally she did not feel the pain during the run. “The adrenalin kicked in,” Lidbury said. Although her knee was badly injured she managed a fast run in 1:28:01. Her bike split (2:37:03) was the fastest of the day. Lidbury celebrated the victory in 4:39:05 hours. In second position was Tine Deckers from Belgium, who needed 4:43:18 to get across the line. Deckers ran onto the podium ahead of the young German Natascha Schmitt (4:47:11).
The winner of the first edition of Thomas Cook Ironman 70.3 Mallorca, Andreas Raelert, was also part of the race: He was the swimmer in a relay team of Thomas Cook and completed the swim in 26:21 minutes.
Vitacost Whey Protein Complex Powder
Triathletes are always trying to figure out how they can recover more quickly from workouts and races – it’s the nature of the beast when it comes to trying to juggle three different sports. Whey protein has been shown to build muscle, speed up recovery time, and, best of all for triathletes who have another workout coming up, is easily digested, making it an excellent source of protein right after a workout.
by Kevin Mackinnon
In addition to the recovery properties of this supplement, Whey protein also works as an antioxidant to boost the body’s immune system.
While it is derived from cow’s milk, it doesn’t have any lactose or fat, making this an excellent option for athletes who are dealing with lactose-intolerance issues.
Vitacost Whey Protein Complex
This tasty vanilla-flavored shake delivers 22 grams of whey protein per two-scoop serving. Surprisingly, there are no artificial sweeteners (it tastes good enough to think there has to be something sweet added in). The formula also includes 100 mg of aminogen, a naturally-derived plant enzyme ingredient that helps the digestive process.
Vitacost Whey Protein Complex is designed to:
• Promote muscle recovery from sports activities*
• Help maintain lean muscle mass*
• Maintain optimal performance during exercise*
• Support muscle protein synthesis during exercise*
• Promote immune system recovery after physical exercise*
• Support healthy liver function*
• Provide the body with branched chain amino acids (BCAAs).
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Each 2.27 kg ($36.99) container makes 68 shakes. One serving provides just 115 calories (only 10 of those are derived from fat) and a whopping 22g, which is 44% of the recommended daily value. All Vitacost products are laboratory tested to meet FDA standards for identity, purity and composition. They are produced in a NSF-certified facility, ensuring the highest quality and purity.
You can find out more and order Vitacost’s Whey Protein Complex Shake here.
Ironman Announces Aquadraat Sports as Global Sponsor
Today, IRONMAN® announces a global sponsorship with Aquadraat Sports® that designates it as the Official Water of IRONMAN.
In addition to providing water for IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3® races around the world, Aquadraat Sports will also be the title sponsor of the IRONMAN U.S. Championship taking place in metropolitan New York and New Jersey on Aug. 11, 2012. The inaugural Aquadraat Sports IRONMAN U.S. Championship will include nearly 3,000 athletes from 46 states and 41 countries, nearly 5,000 volunteers and more than 200,000 total spectators, in one of the largest media markets in the world.
“We are excited to have Aquadraat Sports as a partner across IRONMAN and 70.3 events,” said Erik Vervloet, Chief Marketing Officer of IRONMAN. “Water is arguably the most crucial product on our race courses and having consistency at events around the world will be good for our athletes.”
Aquadraat Sports, with the company slogan Water for Life, is known for producing one of the most unique waters on the planet. Quickly absorbed into the body’s cells and carrying extra oxygen, Aquadraat enhances cellular respiration and supports the body’s ability to meet demands for increased energy production. Aquadraat has been shown to increase exercise capacity and to stimulate an overall feeling of well-being.
“As we expand our footprint globally and launch Aquadraat Sports in the United States, we want to align ourselves with athletes who can directly benefit from consuming our product,” said Marcel ter Stege, Chief Executive Officer of Aquadraat Sports. “There is no tougher event than IRONMAN, and Aquadraat gives triathletes the fuel their bodies need to develop and sustain peak levels of fitness and health. Top IRONMAN competitor Yvonne van Vlerken has been drinking Aquadraat for years and her fantastic results speak for themselves.”
The global sponsorship was reached in conjunction with sports marketing and entertainment company Wasserman Media Group.
For more information on IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3, visit www.ironman.com. To learn more about the Aquadraat Sports IRONMAN U.S. Championship, visit www.ironmanuschampionship.com. Athlete inquiries should be directed to nyc@ironman.com. Media may contact Jessica Weidensall at Jessica@ironman.com.
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About IRONMAN
The iconic IRONMAN® Series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world. Since the inception of IRONMAN in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE® by crossing finish lines at the world’s most challenging endurance races. Recognized for excellence through distinguished events, world-class athletes and quality products, World Triathlon Corporation, owner and operator of IRONMAN, has grown from a single race to a global sensation with nearly 190 events across five unique brands: IRONMAN, IRONMAN 70.3®, 5150™ Triathlon Series, Iron Girl® and IronKids®. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.
About Aquadraat Sports
Based in The Netherlands, Aquadraat Sports’ electro-Ionic (electrolysis) treatment process structurally transforms everyday drinking water into the fuel your body needs to develop and sustain peak levels of optimum health. Visit www.aquadraatsports. com for more information.
Julie Moss and Kathleen McCartney Returning to Kona
Two of Ironman’s original leading ladies are returning to Kona this October. We followed them to Nytro Multisport in California, where they each received brand-new Cannondales for the months of training to come.
by Jennifer Ward Barber
Thirty years ago, a college woman named Julie Moss made history by crawling her way across the finish line of a grueling race in Hawaii. Over the coming years, that Big Island suffer-fest in 1982 would evolve into the famed Ironman World Championships—held every October in Kona and attracting the world’s best triathletes.
This year, Moss and Kathleen McCartney, the woman who passed her that year to take first, have decided to return to Kona to race the 30th anniversary event together.
“I’ve always wanted to do the Ironman again and I just thought the 30th anniversary of that special race Julie and I had would be a really great time to go back,” said McCartney, who committed to the race in February of last year. “I just wanted to do something really positive for myself,” she added.
McCartney immediately thought of calling Julie to see if she wanted to join her, but the ball didn’t get rolling until the two spoke at a November Triathlon Club of San Diego meeting. The weekend following the event, the two participated in a weekend triathlon relay (at Bob Babbitt’s prompting). This got them talking about the idea, and it wasn’t long before both had signed up to swim, bike, and run their way to the Ali’i Drive finish line on October 13th. (The last time either completed the race was back in 2003 when they raced together for its 25th anniversary.)
Even though her last Ironman is a distant memory, McCartney says that having done the race a total of eight times gives her confidence. “At any time in my life, whether I was in triathlon shape or not, I’ve always felt like if someone told me I had to go do an Ironman tomorrow, that I could do it,” she said. She says she’s felt this way since she did her first Ironman, and that this knowledge gives her a sense of strength and empowerment. Needless to say, McCartney has no doubts she’ll finish.
McCartney’s calm confidence is balanced nicely by Julie Moss’ bubbly energy. The spark that compelled Moss to try her young legs at the 1982 race in Kona—all in the name of a college Phys Ed course—is still burning strong. At Nytro Multisport in Encinitas last week, where Bill Rudell of Cannondale presented them each with brand new Cannondale Slices, the two women provided hours of entertainment while they tested “funny looking” saddles and asked questions about hydration and transition tactics.
Moss said she’s excited to race once again in Kona, but what she’s really looking forward to is the “Lance Factor.” “I want to see it,” she said. “I don’t want to read about it or follow it online. I want to catch a glimpse of it myself.”
As one of the original darlings of the sport who helped catapult triathlon into the public eye with her stark determination, Moss will likely share some of that limelight with Mr. Armstrong. It will be an exciting year in Kona indeed.
Visit lavamagazine.com to watch a video of the bike fitting and see a photo gallery of the afternoon.
Ironmanlife: Looking Back at Lanzarote
It’s hard to truly grasp how tough the bike course at Ironman Lanzarote is until you’ve ridden the course. Two mountain climbs coupled with intense winds make the Ironman Lanzarote bike course truly unique in the Ironman world. Ironman Lanzarote was started by Kenneth Gasque, who competed at the Ironman World Championship in Kona and thought to himself “Lanzarote and Kona are so similar – we should do an Ironman here.” The Ironman World Championship might be the world’s toughest one-day sporting event, but Ironman Lanzarote isn’t far behind on the toughness scale. Here’s a story I wrote about one of my favorite climbs on the spectacular island that is a triathlon training paradise:
After a week of listening to him “trash-talk” about this ride, I finally had Dan Sinai where I wanted him – working so hard he could barely get words out.
No, I’m not the world’s meanest coach, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit of satisfaction as I saw Dan suffer.
After completing part of the ascent up the “back-side” of Lanzarote’s Mirador Del Haria earlier in the week, Dan Sinai had been making fun of me for trying to imply that the climb was “tough.”
My wife Sharon had gotten in on the act, too.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she told me after climbing from the town of Haria up to the summit of the “Mirador” with the same name. “That climb was a piece of cake.”
What Dan and Sharon didn’t realize, though, was that they had only completed about half of the real climb. When you started right from the coastal village of Arrieta you ascend for roughly twice as long. I promised them both that I would take them on the full climb, known as “Tabayesco,” later in the week.
“Bring it on,” Dan said. “A kid on a tricycle could do that climb.”
Let me offer a quick aside to give you some idea of how tough this climb truly is, and how much “crow” Dan would be eating:
If you go to Lanzarote with the goal of achieving some sort of fitness, you are best to find some German triathletes to train with. They seem to swarm to the island in droves in January and February, putting in some impressive “base” training to prepare for the upcoming season.
Last May I hooked up with Thomas Braun, a journeyman pro who also happens to be a training partner and friend of another famous Thomas, the one known as “hell-on-wheels.” (Hellriegel, for any of you triathlon newbies who weren’t addicted to the sport when he became the first German to win the Ironman Triathlon World Championship.)
Braun took me for a ride two days after Ironman Lanzarote … a simple 120 km affair, I was told. The ride was spectacular. Along the way we followed parts of the Ironman course, which took us up Mirador Del Haria and down through all the switchbacks into the village of Haria, and then to the north part of the island up Mirador Del Rio, where I witnessed one of the most spectacular views I have ever seen from the top of the 479 meter climb and looked over the island of La Graciosa and the islet Montaña Clara.
That was followed by a long, long descent into Arrieta.
Which is where Braun stopped at a store, filled his water bottle with coke and two cans of Red Bull, and asked if I wanted to try Tabayesco. (For those of you not familiar with Red Bull, it is a European “energy drink” that contains enough caffeine to keep even a five-cup-a-day-cappuccino addict happy for a while. Some high schools have banned it in parts of the US because the kids were literally bouncing off the walls after having one.)
“Sure,” I said. “It can’t be that tough.”
As we rode towards the start of the climb, Braun told me how he was still recovering from a bike accident the previous week, so he wasn’t going to take the climb too hard.
“I’ve done it in 27 minutes,” he said. “Thomas Hellriegel has done it in 25. Today, I’m going to do it in about 34 minutes.”
All of which sounded very good to me. (I had just watched this man take in enough caffeine to bring a corpse back to life … what on earth was I thinking?!)
Let me fast forward to the end of the 10km climb. Braun dropped me like a bad habit at about the 6 km point. I rode the climb in just over 28 minutes … and Thomas was waiting for me. If he had ridden 34 minutes, my watch must have stopped for a bit – possibly around the time the guys in the ambulance were yelling “Clear!”
Now, let me fast forward another seven months to good ol’ Dan as he worked his way up the Tabayesco climb.
Dan was part of a group of 11 athletes I had brought to Lanzarote for a training camp, so it was important that I brought him back alive. (The trip was a 40th birthday present from his wife, so “kid-on-a-tricycle” comments or not, I couldn’t leave him on the side of the mountain.)
I completed the climb, turned around at the top, and rode back looking for him. When I did find him, he was working his way through the series of switchbacks that make up the final few kilometers of the ascent. I took a picture, and then joined him for the final push to the summit.
“This is my max,” he managed to get out at one point.
“Hang on,” I replied. “The kid on the trike looks like he’s coming by. You can draft off him.”
The awesome cycling is just a part of what makes Lanzarote such an incredible training spot. (I haven’t done the island justice by focusing on the northern “climbing” side – riding through the lava fields and “Fire Mountains” at Timanfaya or along the El Golfo coast is every bit as spectacular.)
Lanzarote is one of the Canary Islands, officially part of Spain, but positioned about 100 kilometers from the coast of Africa. The temperate climate is another major bonus. In January, the temperatures typically hover around 21 degrees C during the day, and go down to 13 or 14 degrees at night.
The weather and terrain are one draw, but there is another wonderful reason to train in Lanzarote … the incredible Club La Santa.
Built more than 20 years ago, Club La Santa is a popular training spot for many of Europe’s national teams (track, swimming, cycling, soccer, triathlon … you name it, they’re likely to have it!) It offers more than 30 different sports, and is truly “training heaven.” Nina Kraft, Katja Schumacher, Luc Van Lierde, Hellriegel, and last year’s second place finisher in Kona, Rutger Beke regularly go to Club La Santa to train. (To that list we can now add names like Chrissie Wellington, Frederik Van Lierde and many others.)
The fully equipped track was swarming with Olympic and World champions when we were there in January, while the beautiful outdoor 50m pool had its share of world class swimmers in it, too. The soccer field played host to the Dutch National team for a few days, when it wasn’t being used by any of the four different rugby teams training there as well.
What makes Club La Santa such an excellent training haven is the fact that everything is right there, in one place. Once you get off the bus from the airport, the only time you ever have to leave is when you’re on your bike.
When you’re not training, La Santa’s impressive leisure pool is a great spot to relax, or if you’re more of a tourist type, you can check out some of the islands awesome sites, including the volcano at Timanfaya.
For an avid triathlete, though, there really isn’t any reason to do anything other than eat, sleep, and train. This is a spot where when you’re not training, you really are forced to relax. Which is why you see so many of the world’s best triathletes doing just that every year.
Just ask Dan. The training is hard, but you go from hating it to loving it in no time. Within minutes of reaching the top of Haria, he was back to his old self.
“Tabayesco’s a piece of cake,” he said. “I don’t know how you can say that’s a tough climb.”
(The Tabayesco climb will be part of the Ironman 70.3 Lanzarote course in November.)
Kevin Mackinnon will be providing live internet coverage of Ironman Lanzarote next Saturday, May 19 – watch for coverage banners and links on Ironman.com!
You can reach Kevin Mackinnon at kevin.mackinnon@ironman.com
