Tri Stories

Humorous:

1. I learned never to talk smack. About 4 years ago in the last mile of a duathlon, I was neck and neck with the first place female, Amy Kloner, when I stated boldly: “I am not getting beaten by a girl.” It was the stupidest thing I ever said. Needless to say, she finished the race with a comfortable margin and a big smile. The good news was she went on to be our first sponsored athlete and me her humble(d) coach. – Matt Russ

2. I've learned to never underestimate big girls on bikes. Just when you have counted them out, they blaze by you on a downhill like you are chained to a fence, never to be seen again. You think you might catch them on the run, but no, they seem to be pretty good at that, too. I think I should be doing more heavy squats. Then maybe I would have a chance. – Blair Everline

3. When you talk to a girl or anyone else while racing, it has to be something a touch embarrassing so you'll be motivated to run off the front, and get away. I have asked a girl is she's single, or whether or not she has a sister, or other stupid stuff that is embarrassing/silly, and it works like a charm… - Jay Sinclair

4. Never promise your spouse (or yourself) that “this is the last bike I'll ever need.” It's a bald-faced lie, whether you know it or not. – Brian Madden

Practical:

1. Never leave your race number in T2 – During Nationals in Shreveport, I started the run only to realize that my race number was still in transition. I was afraid of a DQ, so I turned around and ran back. Of course, I met other women in my age group who asked me where I was going. They still remind me of the time I was running the wrong way. - Jo Adamson

2. Always know the course. Years ago, at Hilton Head, my second sprint, I took a wrong turn near the run finish and ended up in a parking lot. By the time I got back on the course, I had lost second place. Pissed me off big time, but I never made that mistake again. – Eric Simontis

3. Never run further than you are willing to limp back from. My first long run was 12 miles…six miles out and six back. I tore my calf muscle at mile 6 and limped back 4 miles before my neighbors realized that I didn't come home and plucked me off the road. If I had planned four 3-mile trips, I would have torn my calf when I had just been getting home. I was living in Phoenix then. It was about 115 degrees by the time I was rescued because the morning had turned into afternoon. – John Smith

4. I learned the hard way that seeding myself improperly for the swim and going all out at the sound of the gun can be a recipe for disaster. Early on in my tri career, I was lined up in the front row of a local sprint and figured I'd seeded myself properly. When the gun sounded, I RAN into the water, took one dolphin dive and immediately started swimming towards the first bouy. Within 50 yards, I was gasping for air from my effort and was sucking in water that was being splashed from the athlete next to me as his entry stroke was coincidentally landing right next to my mouth, drenching me with every breath I took. 10 seconds later and out of breath, I was having my 1^st ever panic attack and people were swimming over me. A lifeguard in a canoe had to rescue me from complete disaster. From that point on, I decided that at every swim start, I would casually (but still with purpose) enter the water and ease into my stroke. I also decided that I would get back 1 or 2 rows behind the front “fishees” so I could get a benefit from the draft. You most likely aren't going to win a triathlon on the swim leg, but you can quickly put yourself in a hole if you aren't careful. – Kevin Patton

5. Do not always follow the lead swimmer, as they may go off course. This happened to me, and Steve saw me go of course, but did not try to catch me. He did make sure to tell the people helping me out of the water that he finished the swim first and it was a shame I swam a longer course than necessary. – Kris Kester

6. Count the swim buoys before the race start and count the buoys when swimming. Also, make sure the turn buoys are a different color than the other buoys. Does this sound like advice from someone who has skipped a buoy during a race??? That sucked!!! – Vicki Cherry

7. Always ride the course first before the day of the race. I broke my pelvis on my first tri in June of 06 at Calloway. It had rained the night before and I took a curve too quick and went off into the woods and the rest is history. I did recover after missing three months of work and rehab and did 2 sprints and an Olympic tri in 07. – Greg Blankinship

Motivational:

1. Never give up. During Hawaii IM 2000, I started throwing up and having diarrhea at mile 17 of the run. Up until that point, I was having a great race and well ahead of my time projections. From that point on, the wheels definitely came off. It became a mental as well as physical effort to walk, job and suck on ice chips to get back into town. I kept convincing myself that I was going to walk across that finish line and get that race T-shirt! What I didn't realize was that others in my age group were having their own problems. Although my time was disappointing, I ended up with a 5^th place podium finish. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that outcome. – Jo Adamson

2. Smile and kick it harder when they take your picture. Maybe you can keep it up and the picture lasts forever. – Claire Penton

3. Take pride in kicking the butt of someone who has a bike that costs 5X what yours does. The rider makes the bike, not vice-versa. – Chris Zimmer

4. Don't let anyone else set your pace in a race. That fast looking person that started off at a nice pace could slow down so gradually that you don't even notice. Keep checking in with yourself to make sure that you are doing what YOU can do, and over the course of the race, you may find yourself passing your “pacer.” - Wendi Andon