October 12, 2008 - The British triathlete Chrissie Wellington broke the women’s triathlon marathon record over the weekend as she won a second consecutive Ironman world championship in Hawaii, confirming her as one of the dominant athletes in the discipline and proving that last year’s shock win was no fluke.

If you are a triathlete, there is no bigger day in this sport than the  Ironman World Championship. It is the race that defines the sport.

To get to the starting line in Kona, Hawaii, you must either be very lucky and get yourself a spot through the lottery, or be very talented, and win yourself a qualifying spot at one of the qualifying events held around the world.

Tens-of-thousands of triathletes try to get one of those coveted Ironman spots every year. Only 1,800 succeed. Competitors this year ranged in age from 18-year-olds Tyler Foster and Ariel Henbest of the host city of Kailua-Kona to 79-year-old Loren Leonard of Hawthhorne, Calif. Seventy-two-year-old Harriet Anderson of San Carlos, Calif., was the oldest female competitor.

Wellington’s repeat as champion came in a blazing 9:06:23, crushing the women’s field and beating her next closest finisher by 15 minutes. That time includes her 2:57:44 marathon which bested some of the top-10 men’s finishers.

You can track each of her segments, and even watch her cross the finish line, on the official Ironman site.

The 31-year-old Wellington won despite suffering a tire puncture on the cycling leg of the event.

Fellow competitor Rebekah Keat came to her rescue as the Australian stopped to hand Wellington a working cartridge, enabling the defending champion to continue.

“I have to say a huge thanks to Rebekah, she’s a legend,” Wellington told reporters. “To me what she did epitomises everything that is good about the sport. Without it, I wouldn’t have finished.”

The men’s race was won by Craig Alexander of Australia.

Ironman World Championship
Distance:
2.4 mile swim • 112 mile bike • 26.2 mile run

Filed under: News Bytes, Triathlon by jane
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September 24, 2008 - One of the things we love about athletes is that many of them work as hard for their charities and communities as they do for their respective sports.

When a group of elite level athletes started their events in China last month, they did so with at least two goals. The first, of course, was to exert maximum effort and, with luck, come home with a medal. And the second was to make a good showing for the charities they support.

Toyota calls these athletes Engines of Change and they developed a program last year to support them while promoting healthy living and a commitment to community. The Engines of Change program, a nod to Toyota’s hybrid technology, is designed to interact with various athletic communities, namely triathlon, swimming and cycling by educating and engaging participants, supporters and spectators in the program through a wide range of online and offline activities, including an interactive, on-site display of Toyota’s hybrid vehicles (that last part was from their press release in case you couldn’t tell).

Toyota’s support for athletes comes in several forms. First, there’s a bit of financial support that’s intended to help the athletes focus more on training and less on personal financial concerns. Second, there’s a bit of financial support directed toward the charities and community activities in which each athlete is involved. And third, the company supports their sports, through events and sponsorships, as they train in the U.S.

Among the current Engines of Change are swimmers Dara Torres and Tara Kirk and triathlete Sara Haskins. Dara Torres’ donates money to the Eating Disorders Alliance; Sarah Haskins’ supports Jenny’s Light, a foundation for postpartum illnesses and swimmer Tara donated money to the Bremerton Foundation in support of her high school.

These athletes are interested in doing well at competitions while doing good at home. We’re impressed by their hard work and dedication, and we wish them luck in each magnificent endeavor.

To see what other charities athletes support, check out Random Acts of Kindness

Filed under: Charity/Cause, Swim, Triathlon by jane
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September 18, 2008 - The scene at last Sunday’s triathlon was unlike any race on earth.

While there were over 3,000 athletes competing, the two most notable competitors lining up on Zuma Beach were a couple first-timers: actor Matthew McConaughey and actress/singer Jennifer Lopez.

McConaughey and Lopez, who co-starred together in the movie “The Wedding Planner”, were cheered on by their significant others; McConaughey’s girlfriend Camila with their baby son Levi and Lopez’s husband Marc Anthony.

Musician Marc Anthony described his wife as superwoman for taking part in the event just six months after giving birth to twins. Like the other competitors, she completed a a half-mile ocean swim, plus an 18-mile bike race, plus a four mile run!

Other celeb attendees included Felicity Huffman, Tiffany Amber Thiessen, as well as former tennis pro Anna Kournikova who was competing for the second time. The event emcee: Cindy Crawford. In past years I’ve also seen Minnie Driver and Jennifer Garner at the tri.

If this was any other race in any other city, the sight of all these celebrities would be unusual. But this was the 22nd-annual Nautica Malibu Triathlon and many of these celebs call Malibu home.

Even so, with celebs come the paparazzi. As J-Lo and McConaughey walked from transition to the swim start, a swarm of photographers tripped over themselves to snap a shot. 

The multi-talented star Lopez smiled broadly as she finished the gruelling running, cycling and swimming competition. Crossing the finishing line the 39-year old star told the crowd: “Thank you guys so much. This is an amazing day. I feel really great and so glad I finished and that I made it out of the water but more amazing than that, I feel really great that we raised $127,000 for the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and hopefully it’ll go to good use.”

BTW: Lopez finished the race in 2:23:38, taking fifth in the women’s celebrity category - not bad for a newbie!

Filed under: Endurance, Entertainment, Triathlon by jane
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1. The first three items on your grocery list are Gatorade, power bars, and gels.
2. When you floss at night, it’s to get the bugs out of your teeth.
3. Your legs move in a cycling motion while you are asleep.
4. You see a drop of blood, your first reaction is that you spilled some red Gatorade.
5. You know how far you biked and ran last year, to one-tenth of a kilometer.
6. You think the ultimate form of wallpaper is about 64 racing bibs.
7. The 19-year old kid who works in a bicycle shop knows more about you than your next-door neighbor.
8. You have a vanity license plate with the word “Kona” in it. (or TRI WGON)
9. About half the shirts you own have at least a dozen logos on the back of them.
10. You don’t find the word “Fartlek” in the least bit amusing.
11. You refer to your “partner”, you don’t mean your significant other but the person you run or bike with three times a week.
12. You shave your legs more for a competition than a date. 
13. It doesn’t feel right that you can’t “clip ” in and out of the pedals in your car.
14. There is a group of people in your life about whom you are more likely to know how fast they can swim 100 meters than their surnames or occupations.
15. There’s a separate load of laundry every week that is just your workout clothes.
16. One of your goals this year is to be faster at getting out of your wetsuit (or not to exceed your HR ceiling).
17. You failed high school chemistry but you could teach a course on lactic acid.
18. All you want for Christmas is something called a carbon crank set.
19. You have to have completely separate meals from your friends because they are all on low-carb diets.
20. Your bicycle is in your living room.
21. You have stocked up on a brand of cereal because it has a coupon that will save you money on your next two pairs of running shoes.
22. A car follows too closely behind you, you accuse the driver of “drafting” (or you “draft” behind the car in front of you)
23. Your friends cried during The Notebook; you cried during the television coverage of the Hawaii Ironman.
24. Your boyfriend is looking forward to the day when you will slow down and just run marathons.
25. You see no issue with talking about treatments for chafing or saddle rash at the dinner table.
26. You recently asked your boyfriend out for dinner by asking if he wanted to “fuel up” together.
27. The magazine secretly tucked under your mattress has pictures of really expensive bicycles in it.

Filed under: Jokes, Triathlon by admin
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Name: Hannah Cornett
Sport(s): Pro Triathlon, Pro Mountain Bike, Pro Surfer, Boxing
Home: California

Accomplishments:  Pro Triathlete competing on world tour: 3rd Xterra Maui, 5th Xterra Italy, 5th Xterra South Africa, 4th Escape from Alcatraz, 4th in USAT World Championships; actress in Beyond the Break, Identity, Surfer Dude; and model.

Other Interests: SAG, AFTRA, Surfrider Foundation, Heal the Bay, Challenged Athletes Foundation

Filed under: Pretty Tough Team, Triathlon by admin
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Are you looking for a competitive edge? This month, we’re devoted to giving you tips on training for your first (or fifth!) endurance event safely & successfully.

What Are You Getting Into?
What is “endurance?” Simply put, endurance is your body’s ability to maintain uninterrupted exercise - involving your heart & your muscles. The higher your level of endurance, the easier it is for you to keep going at the same speed or intensity. Most sports have different levels of intensity and sometimes have breaks in between bouts of exercise. Running, cycling, and swimming and triathlon require that you maintain the same movements without stopping until you reach the finish line.

(more…)

Filed under: Endurance, Training, Triathlon by jane
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The triathlon is an athletic event consisting of swimming, cycling and running. This three sport competition varies in distance and style. In the Olympic Games, triathletes swim 1.5K, bike a 40K and run a 10K. If you want to give it a tri, read on. (more…)

Filed under: 101-Basics, Endurance, Tips, Training, Triathlon by admin
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