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NASHVILLE TRIATHLON CLUB

TRIATHLON TIMES

If you are interested in purchasing Nashville Triathlon Club uniforms,

please contact Rod McDonald ASAP!

Email: jrod-

[email protected]

See inside for uniform de-

sign! There are several

pieces being offered for sale!!

UNIFORMS!!

IN THIS ISSUE

Club Benefits/

Discounts

2

NTC Uniforms 3-4

Nautica Malibu

Triathlon

5-7

Cadillac Firecracker

5k

8

Ironman Louisville 9-11

Nashville Ultra 12

Ironman Arizona 13-14

St Jude Marathon 15-16

Birthdays 16

Ironman Finishers 17

Membership App. 18

DECEMBER

2009

NTC TRI CHATS! The Nashville Triathlon Club is pleased to announce the return of our montly Tri Chats. These are informal gatherings where sponsors and/or members pro-vide great information designed to make you better, stronger, faster, and health-ier! The first Tri Chat of the new year is coming up and features Heather Stacy

of Heather Stacey Orthotics and Mari-Etta Parrish of Healthlete:

When: Tuesday Jan 19, 6:30 PM Who: Heather Stacey and Mari-etta Parrish

Where: Endurance Sports, Cool Springs

Eats: Food will be provided by Jim N Nicks

My thoughts before a big race are pretty simple. I tell

myself: get out of the block, run your race, stay relaxed. If

you run your race, you will win. Channel your energy—

FOCUS! Carl Lewis

NTC SPONSORS!

National Discounts Erin Baker’s Breakfast Cookies –30% off retail prices. Team Name: Greater Nashville Athletic Club Team Discount Code: GNAC-07. www.bbcookies.com …Will Race for Cookies! Rudy Project—40% - 60% on sunglasses, helmets, and goggles. See article in this month’s newsletter for more information. Local Merchant Discounts

John Minton Massages - 596-2564 or [email protected]. Massages by appointment only. 10% off each session and a $49 massage for first time clients only. Harpeth Bicycles 1110 Hillsboro Road, Suite B230, Franklin TN 37064, www.harpethbicycles.com10% on parts & accessories. Cumberland Transit - 2807 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203. 10% off Bike and Tri gear Gran Fondo Cycles 5205 Harding Rd., Nashville, TN, 615-354-1090, www.granfondocycles.com – 10% on parts & accessories. Sports Seasons White Bridge Rd. $5.00 off sale shoes & $10.00 off regular price shoes Team Nashville - 2817 West End Ave., Nashville, TN 37203, 615-321-5257 – 10% off apparel Nashville Bicycle Company – West End Ave. Nashville 615-321-5510, Franklin 615-790-2702, www.nashvillebicycle.com – 10% on accessories The Athlete's House-1700 Portland Ave., Nashville, TN 37212, 615-298-4495 –10% off non-sale items Fleet Feet Sports - Nashville www.fleetfeetnashville.com, Kroger Shopping Center, 330 Franklin Road, Ste. 262B, Brentwood, TN 37027, 615-373-1123 – $5 off shoes Top O’ Woodland Bed & Breakfast – 10% off room rate – 160 Woodland Ave., Nashville, TN, 37206, (615) 228-3868, Belinda Leslie owner/triathlete, [email protected]. Smoothie King Belle Meade Kroger Plaza, Harding Rd., Nashville, TN 37205, 615-383-7757 – Free VIP cards ($15 value) 15% off –King Edward now carries the complete line of Baker’s Breakfast Cookies at his Smoothie King store in Belle Meade. Stop in soon for a delicious cookie and a smoothie, the perfect pre or post workout meal! ACME MultiSports – 615-955-1760 - 10% discount off all apparel and bike accessories as long as they have their GNAC/NTC card. 5% on running shoes. Bikes not included in the discount. Just a friendly reminder to visit our local sponsors…These businesses support our club, so remember to return the favor!

CLUB BENEFITS/DISCOUNTS & SPONSORS

Please remember to con-tinue to support the compa-nies that support us. With-out their help, we would not be able to do so many events and give back to the sport and community ourselves!

http://www.bbcookies.com/

http://www.harpethbicycles.com/

http://www.granfondocycles.com/

http://www.nashvillebicycle.com/

http://www.fleetfeetnashville.com

mailto:[email protected]

UNIFORMS!!

If you are interested in purchasing Nashville Triathlon Club uniforms

please contact Rod McDonald ASAP!

Email: [email protected]

The uniform designs are below and there are several pieces being offered for sale!!

Nautica Malibu Triathlon

By Jim Day

Earlier this year – I don’t remember when or even how – I heard about the Nautica Malibu Triathlon to be

held in Malibu, California, on September 12 (Olympic distance) and 13 (Sprint distance). At the time I

thought ―now, that would be a cool race!‖ A month or so later, it somehow came up in a conversation with

my friends and fellow triathletes John Navin and Greg Reeves. Next thing you know the three of us are reg-

istered for the Olympic distance race and making plans for a great time in California!

Over the months that followed, Greg and I did our best to forget the fact that Great Whites live AND FEED

in the Pacific Ocean – while John seemed to have little care for the matter. John’s either a little braver than

us, or he just hasn’t seen the same number of shark movies! As the day approached, however, we made

peace with the fact that if it was our time, it was just our time! Now, we just had to concentrate on getting

ready for what we knew would be a challenging swim from both a mental AND physical standpoint. The

three of us knew we could very easily handle the bike and run, but that swim…

Finally, the day arrived when it was time to take the flight to LA! Greg and wife, Missy, were already in Cali-

fornia, as they have family out there and both had lived and worked as actors for years in the area. I met up

with John, his wife, Tracy, and their daughters at the Nashville airport - and off we flew! Four or so hours

later we landed, grabbed our luggage and headed for Calabasas, CA. (As an aside, I highly discourage anyone

from trying to keep up with John Navin on the LA freeway!) We checked in at the hotel and then were

joined by Greg, Missy, their kids, and Greg’s mom and dad and headed out for a late dinner. We didn’t stay

out too late, though, because we knew what lay in store for the next morning – (insert ―Jaws‖ music here)

our first swim in the cold, dangerous, monster-ridden Pacific Ocean!

The next morning, Greg picked John and me up from the hotel, and we drove through the gorgeous canyons

of Calabasas and Malibu to Zuma Beach. When we arrived the triathlon, tents were being assembled, but to

our amazement there were few people to be found on the beach or in the water. We saw one lone guy who

was unquestionably a fellow triathlete, but that was it. We then donned our wetsuits, headed down the

beach and braved our way out past the breakers! After we got out a hundred or so yards we started to re-

lax a little. This was actually FUN!!! Fellow Nashville triathlete, Stephanie Knight, joined us after a while, and

we did a little point-to-point practice swimming. To our relief and amazement, the Pacific Ocean wasn’t the

scary, dark body of water that we had imagined. We could actually see the bottom as we swam, and we

came to the conclusion that this was going to be just fine.

After our swim we met up with everyone else back at the hotel. Then after a day of sightseeing with Greg’s

dad (a retired Beverly Hills police officer) as our guide and a great dinner at Ruby’s Shake Shack on the

Malibu Pier, we all retired for the night – knowing we’d be getting up VERY early in the morning to head for

the beach.

(Continued on next page)

Nautica Malibu Triathlon (continued)

The next morning I got up at about 4:30 a.m., got my gear together and headed downstairs to meet up with

the guys. We loaded our bikes on Greg’s SUV, grabbed some coffee and headed for Malibu. As we were

driving along, Greg made a comment about how John had driven to all previous races, and we hoped Greg’s

driving wouldn’t be a jinx on the day’s event. Well, I have to tell you, I’m not a very superstitious person, but

we’ve all come to the conclusion that John should drive from now on…

We arrived at the race site a little after 5:30 a.m. and ended up having to park a little over a mile from the

race start. It was pitch black. We lumbered out of the truck, took the bikes off the rack and then started

going through the routine of pumping tires, etc. Well, that’s when things started going downhill. Greg sud-

denly announced that his front tire had a flat due to a broken stem. No big deal. He quickly changed the

tube and pumped her up. Another flat – from another broken stem! Okay, the pressure was starting to

build at this point. We had a good distance to travel to get to the race start, and time was getting short. I

had an extra spare, so I took the tire, inspected for debris, ever so carefully put the tube in and started

pumping. I don’t remember how it was that my ear was so close to the tire, but it sounded like a shotgun

going off when yet another tube exploded! At this point, we went into panic mode. I suggested that there

would surely be someone at the race site who could fix the tire – so we grabbed our bikes and proceeded to

sprint a little over a mile – in flip flops no less! John and I weren’t about to leave Greg high and dry (as Greg

suggested we should) back at the truck, but it was every man for himself after we got to the race start.

I ran into the transition area and finally got my bike squeezed into an already very full rack. Meanwhile, a

man on the PA speaker was insisting that everyone had to leave the transition area for a mandatory meeting.

I did the best I could with my gear and then ran to the meeting – praying that they would let me back in to

get my wetsuit afterwards. After the national anthem I bolted back into transition and grabbed my gear.

With great relief I then headed back out and joined the masses heading for the swim start. Lo and behold, I

then ran into Greg! He had gotten his tire fixed by the folks at the Specialized tent and was good to go!

At the swim start we looked for the folks with the same navy blue swim caps (men 40-44) and found John

among them. The three of us made our last preparations and got ready to race. Our wave would start at

7:15 a.m., 15 minutes after the first group started. I started feeling that old familiar anxiety mixed with ex-

citement, and the heart rate started escalating with each passing moment. Finally, the gun went off, and we

went crashing into the waves! I finally made it past the breakers and headed for the first buoy. My heart rate

was out the ceiling, and I could not for the life of me get it to come down! My first thought was ―I am SO

screwed.‖ I ended up breast stroking until I could get my heart rate to a manageable level (and it took a

while!) and did my best to get into a rhythm despite the huge swells, the 66 degree water and the salt water

that went gushing into my mouth with every breath. Just under a mile and thirty-four minutes later I finally

made it back to the beach – not a great swim at all, but I survived!

I then proceeded to run into the transition area, got properly geared up and headed the bike out onto the


Nautica Malibu Triathlon (continued)

hilly Pacific Coast Highway. I felt incredibly sluggish and could not figure out why I was going so slow despite

my efforts! It was especially disheartening when John went flying by on the bike and yelled something at me.

I plodded along for a while swearing that I could hear something but not sure what it was. I finally pulled

over and inspected both wheels. Then I found the culprit! My front brake pad was snugly up against my

front wheel, so I had essentially been riding the brakes for about 4 miles! I adjusted the pad, cursing all along,

and then took off again! Ahh…. Much better! I took off, finally started passing folks and managed to make it

back to transition in a reasonable time. John and Greg, however, were still ahead of me – and that was eat-

ing me up! Now, don’t get me wrong; I love my friends, but I’m especially competitive with them! I knew I

was going to have to have a great run that day or the bragging rights would be theirs!

As I ran through the transition area, painfully at first, I started feeling some relief in my legs that comes only

from doing many preparatory brick runs before race day. I actually started feeling good – just what I needed

for the task at hand. I got the bike back on the rack, got my shoes on sockless feet and bolted for the run

start. To my relief, I caught up with John around mile one. As I approached and passed I said ―not today, my

friend!‖ I asked him where Greg was, and he responded ―about a quarter of a mile‖ – to which I responded

with an expletive. We both got a good chuckle from that, exchanged high fives and off I went. I managed a

6:30 to 7:00/mile pace for the first 3 miles and then settled into something closer to a 7:40/mile pace. Some-

where between miles 3 and 4 I finally caught a view of Greg! I knew I shouldn’t hammer it and risk going an-

aerobic, so I paced myself and finally pulled up next to him. I looked over with a grin, we laughed, high-fived

and off I went again. Now I just had to finish with a respectable time. At some point, I looked to my left –

the Pacific Ocean! Wow, what a great place to run! It suddenly hit me just how absolutely blessed I was to

be where I was and doing what I was doing!

And then, finally, the finish line!

At the end of the day, the three of us had a very blessed, joyful time. It started roughly, but at the end of the

day we shared an experience that few have the privilege of enjoying. I highly recommend this race to anyone

wanting to experience an incredible venue that has top-notch organization and support! Godspeed, fellow

triathletes!

September 12, 2009

Olympic Distance Triathlon - Swim 1.5k, Bike 40k and Run 10k

Finish time: 2:43:30

(A quick thank you to my coaches in no particular order: Kathleen Johnston, Ashley Whitney, Dee Davis and

Todd Nordmeyer! Thanks for helping me improve my life in a way that I never dreamed possible!)

Cadillac Firecracker 5K Age Group Win:

Everybody Needs a Confidence Booster Every Now and Then

By David Weil

When Nashville Triathlon Club Past President Liz Wilson asked me, while we waited for the swim to start at

the BMW Chattanooga Waterfront on July 12, to submit an article about a recent age group victory, I won-

dered how can I make this an article about you rather than just another opportunity for me to brag. My ob-

jective here is to reach out and share with you what turned out to be for me a relatively unique experience

and inspire you to compete in an event that highlights your strength.

Most of us come to the sport of triathlon from either a swimming, biking, or running background. Our

coaches and the more well experienced of us often tell us to work on our weakness, or in my case, two,

swimming and biking, or distance versus short or intermediate course. Nevertheless, every now and then, I

think it helps to do something that makes us feel good.

Well into the triathlon season this year, that something good for me was the Cadillac Firecracker 5K on July

4th. The great thing about this race is there is no 10K right after the 5K, like at Race Judicata or the Franklin

Classic, two of my favorites, so I could really devote myself to exert the effort to race the 5K and not worry

about whether I would have enough left to compete in the 10K. The weather was perfect that morning, in

the low sixties and not too humid. The terrain was relatively familiar, Maryland Farms, starting and ending

where we in Excel Aquatics swim on Tuesdays during summer, the YMCA. The field was enthusiastic and

diverse in talent and age. I really had not set out with any lofty expectations, but I finally won my age group

and obtained a personal record. It reminded me that I can get onto the podium in at least one of these three

sports.

It might also help to put why this victory is important to me into context. I am learning during my second

season of triathlon that we are going to have seasons where we are not going to necessarily improve in our

relatively weak sports at the rate we would otherwise hope on account of external influences. I purposefully

reset my expectations going into this season after changing positions and companies at the beginning of the

year. With not just a new, but also a more demanding job, I have had to readjust my life priorities, training

schedule and racing goals. I am, nevertheless, continuing to train and race in triathlons as well as the occa-

sional local running event. Making the adjustment and making it work is all part of the game. When life be-

comes a swim up river or the pavement tilts up, hang in there and continue to apply yourself. You might not

achieve the goals you would have otherwise set, but you will still be a triathlete.

Cadillac Firecracker 5K (July 4, 2009)

David Weil 1st of 68 M40-44 19:31 PR (6:18 per mile)


Ironman Louisville

Marne McLyman

2008 was a year totally taken over by my first Ironman…Ironman Lake Placid. When I crossed the finish line

in July the last thing I wanted to do is sign up for another one. As most of my Lake Placid training buddies

signed up for Wisconsin and Louisville for 2009 I continued to train for a half ironman that October and also

held firm with my stance of not doing an Ironman in 2009. I was holding strong until Thanksgiving weekend.

…and then I caved…this is what happens when a triathlete ends their season and is left to think about what

is next…those voices in our heads make us do crazy things…

I was at my parent’s house in Augusta, GA and decided I hated to be left out of the Ironman fun more than

anything. The biggest issue is that Ironman Louisville was the only race open and this Athena athlete does

not do well in heat...at all. Everything else about Louisville made it appealing though (proximity, tons of oth-

ers going up, ect) so I decided to take a gamble with the heat factor and sign up.

After the deed was done I trained for and ran the Atlanta Marathon in March and PR’d on one of the hilliest

courses I have ever run. Next was the awful Gulf Coast Half

(seasick, sunburned, two IVs) and then I was full swing into

Ironman training. I was energized and ready to go! And

then…on June 13th, I was out for a 92 mile ride and at about

mile 65 I fell…and cracked the head of my radius in my left

arm. Initially, I didn’t think it was broken but then about 15

miles down the road when I couldn’t straighten it, couldn’t

squeeze my brakes, and couldn’t change my gears I decided it

was time to raise the white flag and call for a ride. My riding

partners (Bert, Rolf, Lisa, Kathleen) took care of me until Liz

showed up to take me to the walk in clinic. Hours later I was

walking out with the broken elbow verdict.

Needless to say this made training for the next 6 weeks a little

interesting. I guess the easy thing would have been to lay on the

couch and pull out of Ironman Louisville…and don’t think I did-

n’t want to at times…but instead I forged ahead and figured out

how to continue training with one good arm. I swam for 6

weeks with one arm and flippers. For riding, I was afraid of

getting used to air conditioning so I set my trainer up outside with my laptop and movies. When everyone

was doing the Harpeth River Ride I was spinning on my patio for 5 hours. Talk about mind-numbing…ugh.


Ironman Louisville (continued)

When I was cleared by Dr. Chris Stark to return to regular training it was August 1st…Ironman Louisville

was August 30th. I had about four weeks to pull everything together. Before I knew it race weekend was

here. I packed up all my stuff and headed north to Louisville feeling strong and ready to take on whatever

the day gave me…knowing that lefty might not be that strong and that I had only done one 100 mile bike ride

outside. The longest ride of my season was going to be on race day.

The days before the race I trained a little, ate a lot, shopped a lot at the expo. My awesome ―IronSherpas‖

arrived Friday night. Liz Wilson and Julie Koh were fantastic and took their role as IronSherpas very seri-

ously…and for that I am very grateful!

Race morning was pretty normal…except for the temperature. Thank goodness!! I don’t know how we got

to be so lucky but a high of 80 was the biggest blessing of the day. The swim was ok except for the really

long line we had to stand in at the swim start. Surely there is a better way to do that? We had to walk a

mile to the swim start and then a mile to get in line and then a mile back to the swim start. Is 140.6 miles

not enough? The swim…..it was gross. The Ohio River is not noted for its clear blue waters. I thought I

was flying but then when I finished I was about 10 minutes slower than normal. After talking with others it

seems like most people were about ten minutes slower…probably all that cloudy water we had to swim

through.

The bike was chilly at first because of the unseasonably cool temperatures. I wasn’t feeling good and I had to

choke down my food. At about mile 20 I was thinking maybe today wasn’t the day. Then I got to La Grange

and saw all of my friends

cheering us on. If that does-

n’t get someone out a funk

I’m not sure what would. I

counted up how many hours

I had spent on a trainer and

one-armed swimming and

decided I needed to get my

head out of my arse and get

going. My second lap was

faster than my first after that.

The run was great and I was

on track to go under 13

hours…until mile 17. I had

trouble eating all day so I

knew I was going to hit the


Ironman Louisville (continued)

wall at some point and hit it hard. I walked for about 3 miles and then at mile 20 I ran into a guy that was

hurting as well. I looked at him…he looked at me. I asked him what loop he was on and he said his second

and that he didn’t think he could make it but this was his first Ironman and he wanted to finish. I told him

that I was miserable too but that we were going to walk for five minutes and run for five minutes and we

were going to talk about everything except how awful we felt. So for the last 6 miles Mason from Milwaukee

and I talked, walked, ran a little and became good friends when we both needed it. When I rounded that

corner into Fourth Street Live I saw the big Nashville cheering section one more time, listened for my name,

and crossed the line at 13:38.

I’m so glad that I did Ironman Louisville but I’m also very glad that it is over. It was great to have all of Nash-

ville up for the weekend either racing or cheering us on. I learned that having a familiar face out on the

course is almost as important as remembering to bring your bike to a race.

Here’s to another race season in the books. I look forward to 2010…a year without Ironman! Don’t think I

can step away for too long though…Ironman Canada in 2011 is calling my name.

Glenda, the Good Witch in the Wizard of Oz,

told Dorothy to click her heels three times and

say ―there’s no place like home‖, before Dorothy

could return home safely and be happy. I and

many other local runners were similarly clicking

our heels with delight at participating in a home-

town ultra event - the Nashville Ultra Marathon

on Saturday, October 17.

In its 2nd annual event the Nashville Ultra Mara-

thon lived up to the testimonials on its web site at

http://www.nashvilleultra.com. I repeated the

words of last year’s 50-mile winner Steve Durbin

―What a wonderful layout‖ as I traversed the 50

kilometers course starting at the Stones River

Greenway Trailhead (Wave Country) and winding

thru out-and-back loops of Metro Parks green-

ways, bike trails, parks, and Nashville downtown

walkways. Although there were no yellow bricks

on these roads, the scenery of the Cumberland ,

lush park foliage, migrating geese, and 1st Avenue

downtown were among the many sites that made

the miles fly by as fast as the Wicked Witch on a

broomstick.

Runners were offered one of four distance op-

tions -50K, 60K, 70K, and 80K, including a 5:00

am start for those that are concerned about mak-

ing the 12 hour cutoff. Most of us stuck to the

50k, but all of us enjoyed aid station goodies and

volunteers as sweet as Glenda along all of the

course routes. Some people, like me, took advan-

tage of the grass ―shoulder‖ on the side of the

paved area on most of the greenways. Others

recruited personal support crews to have friends

bike or run alongside a portion of the course with

them. Most people had up to 3 drop bags ready

Clicking Heels at the Nashville Ultra Marathon…...By Mark Pierret

at the race start, so that they could have specific

foods or other items readily available at 7 differ-

ent locations on the course. My drop bags in-

cluded Gu Roctane, Tylenol, and my personal

support crew of Donna Summers, Fergie, and the

Eagles on an MP3 player.

I suspect that this event will grow as the local par-

ticipants, as well as the ones from Georgia, Ken-

tucky, and Indiana I met, get the word out. As my

first ultra, the Nashville Ultra Marathon has set a

high bar. Indeed, I wonder whether race director

Dennis Freeman and his team manipulated the

weather like ―the Wizard‖, setting the ideal (at

least for me) weather conditions of 40-something

(like me in years) degrees.

Put this one on your calendar for your first, or

nth, ultra. You will not be disappointed, and you

won’t have to travel over the rainbow and check

into an out-of-town hotel to do it. However, if

you want to see flying monkeys, you should in-

stead rent Dorothy and Toto’s movie or check

out the Nashville Striders race calendar for an

event in Percy Warner Park.


http://www.nashvilleultra.com

Ironman Arizona - The Perfect Day for Nashville Athletes By Chatty Bialeschi

On November 22, 2009, five Nashvillans jumped into Tempe Town Lake to begin their great race day among

2511 others. The five Nashville athletes included Will Emery, Bo Parrish, and Rolf Zettersen who were com-

pleting their 3rd Ironman; and Ironman newbies Heath Seals and Chatty Bialeschki. Although each athlete

had different goals, all crossed the finish line having a great day and setting personal records. Will qualified

for Kona with a completion of 09:32:15; Bo had an PR of10:39:21; and Rolf shaved almost an hour amount of

time off his IM time and completed his 2nd Ironman in 2 months with a time of 13:13:40. Heath and Chatty

started their IM records with times of 12:31:33 and 13:05:16 respectively. Enough of the stats, let’s talk

about the journey and the event itself.

The journey to the Ironman is one that only a Ironman-in-training or Ironman veteran can understand. The

numerous hours spent in the pool, the bike saddle, and pounding the pavement is something unimaginable to

most. Only an Ironman athlete would think 18 - 20 hours of exercise is normal and worthy of missing happy

hour or other social events with our friends. Most of us are amateur athletes sneaking away from our in-

tense day jobs to make sure we can get in our workout. We know that telling our boss or co-worker that

we have to leave work early (you know 5 pm or 6 pm) to go to Todd Nordmeyer’s cycling class is laughable

to the outside world. Not making a 7 AM meeting because you have Excel swim practice is just not a good

enough reason to miss a meeting. Those outside of the Ironman-in-training world think we don’t have our

priorities in order most days. They just don’t have an understanding as to why we can’t just put off training

until another day. They think missing some perceived work priority for exercise is something a professional

athlete should do. They are right...an Ironman training regimen requires the dedication similar to a profes-

sional athlete. Sadly we don’t get paid to be Ironman; we get to pay everyone else to help us get the Iron-

man crown.

The juggling of training, working, and the occasional family/friend time made it seem like we needed a magi-

cian rather than a triathlon coach many days. Thank goodness for our TriSuccess magicians (coaches), Caro-

line Butler and Kathleen Johnston to help us through this journey. The honesty and accountability a coach

adds to training is often something one cannot put a price tag on. Numerous times throughout our training

and the race, I recalled our coach making two matter of fact comments when we discussed doing an Iron-

man. These were two things I thought about so many times during training and race day. The first comment

was ―Ironman training isn’t as much about our previous endurance experience, it is primarily about commit-

ting oneself to do the training plan and making necessary sacrifices.‖ The second matter-of-face comment

was ―you just need to train your body to deal with pain.‖ Both comments are very different in nature, but 2

key elements to Ironman success: Commit to training plan + train yourself to deal with a little bit of pain =

Race Day Success.

Needless to say, training was the harder part, the day before the race was the worst and race day was the

easiest.


Ironman Arizona (continued)

The race starts in Tempe Town Lake which has 2 bridges closed to traffic and filled with spectators. Swim-

mers jumped into the brisk 63 degree water about 15 minutes before the race starts to get acclimated to the

water temperature. It was the most amazing experience to be with over 2500 other people treading water

in the dark watching the sunrise as the ―Star Spangled Banner‖ was being sung. Then, within seconds a canon

fires and all swimmers go from a vertical position to horizontal position thrashing through the water for 2.4

mile out and back swim. Upon exiting the water most swimmers were rather cold. I personally could not

feel my feet or hands for a few minutes.

The bike course was a 3 loop course that is perfect for first time Ironman spectators. This allow participants

and spectators to see one another three times. In addition, it made the course a little more active because

elite athletes were completing their 2nd and 3rd laps as others were on their 1st and 2nd laps. This kept the

mind occupied and prevented racers from drifting into a negative state of mind. Riders were everywhere and

the athletes were very encouraging of one another as they passed by. For a first-time Ironman this was

great. The busy course may not be as appealing to an elite racer because the course did cluster during turns

and aid stations. Fortunately all riders had great weather. The Arizona wind remained manageable and didn’t

impact riders more than a few miles per loop.

Upon completing the bike loop, racers return to transition at the waterfront and head out for a 3 loop run

course, that is very flat for Nashville athletes. The loops on the run course actually made it possible for spec-

tators to see an athlete up to 5 times before heading to the finish line. This was another highlight of the

course. Seeing friends, family, and coaches every 5 - 6 miles really kept motivation levels high. The finish line

was 1/4 mile from the main run course. This was far enough away that runners could not see the finish line

during their first 2 laps. It was close enough to the main course that on the last mile, it became so easy for

athletes to feel victory and know the Ironman crown was within reach. Rounding the corner to the Ironman

Arizona finish line was a set of bleachers with our friends, family, and complete strangers cheering us to the

finish line.. then the magical words are spoken ―You are an Ironman.‖

As John Collins, Ironman founder, stated on the last page of the Inaugural Ironman rule book "Swim 2.4

miles! Bike 112 miles! Run 26.2 miles! Brag for the rest of your life".

Run For Those Who Can’t—by Mark Pierret

[The 2009 St Jude Memphis Marathon, ½ Marathon, and the Memphis Grizzlies House 5K was held Satur-

day December 5, 2009]

Everything was in place for my planned sub 3 hour marathon at the 2009 running of the St Jude Memphis

Marathon on Saturday December 5. Completed reference race? Check – cruised thru sub 3:01 at An-

drew Jackson Marathon in April. Three 20+ mile training runs? Check. Taper? Check. Ample hours of

sleep the week leading to marathon? Check. Thai massage by Jolynn? Check. Hotel near the finish line?

Check. Pre-race carbo-load dinner at Capriccios in the downtown Memphis Peabody Hotel with my

brother Kirk? Check.

The one thing I couldn’t check was whether my right calf, which had been nagging me for some weeks,

would hold up. It didn’t. By the time I hit close to the halfway mark, I knew I was in trouble and said so

to Maureen and Eric who had come out to encourage several of their Nashville friends along the course.

By mile 14 along the long outbound stretch on Linden Avenue/Peabody, I was limping. By mile 18, I was

limping badly, with spasms interspersed along my entire right side jolting me every few hundred meters.

Because of the strain of enlisting all muscles to get my right side to move, even my right bicep began to

cramp.

By that time, I started to look around more, desperate for something else to focus on or signs of a pick-up

service that would spare me the last 8 miles. I asked and received –not exactly what I asked for, nor in

my time frame.

I began to hear more clearly how loudly people were yelling for me – maybe more loudly for me than oth-

ers who were surging past. I was seeing the placards more clearly, remembering the names of St. Jude

patients Steven, Ashley, and Hannah emblazoned on signs that loved ones were lifting up for me to see. I

saw one message repeated over and over on the handheld signs– ―Run For Those Who Can’t‖. One

older man pounded his fist to one of these and said to me directly, ―you can do it Nashville‖ apparently

reading the ―Athletes House --- Nashville‖ written on my race shirt. As I limped away, he shouted after

me: ―do it for the kids.‖ I knew then I couldn’t stop, I couldn’t quit.

My brother joined me at mile 22 along the beautiful N Parkway segment to escort me in. We talked

about the beauty of the course, the enthusiasm of the volunteers and spectators, and the joy of being able

to run – especially when others, like some for whom St. Jude works so hard for, can’t . When I entered

Auto Zone Park near the finish, the crowd roared their encouragement for me, an old guy obviously hav-

ing trouble with a horrible limp. When I gave a thumbs up in response, they roared again. I wondered if

the winner received such an ovation over an hour before.


St Jude Marathon (continued)

I limped back to my hotel with a deep sense of gratitude, for finishing my 20th marathon, and for the peo-

ple along the way who helped me. In the end, it was a perfect day - the sun shining and people cheering

and friends meeting in AutoZone Park in Memphis. No sub-3 hour for me today … but I’ve been there,

done that. Instead, the fans and spirit of St. Jude gave me something new and more deeply felt. Maybe

the days of running our best marathons are behind some of us, but we can all find joy in simply running for

those who can’t.

AUTHOR’S NOTE ABOUT ST JUDE: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, founded by the late enter-

tainer Danny Thomas, is one of the worlds’ premier centers for the research and treatment of pediatric

cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases. Children from all 50 states and around the world have

come through the doors of St. Jude for treatment, and thousands more around the world have benefited

from the research conducted at St. Jude – research that is shared freely with the global medical commu-

nity. Working together, St. Jude’s physicians and researchers have pioneered treatments that have helped

pushed the overall survival rates for childhood cancers from less than 20 percent when St. Jude opened in

1962 to 80 percent today. The survival rate for the most common form of childhood cancer, acute lym-

phoblastic leukemia (ALL), has risen from just 4 percent in 1962 to 94 percent today.

NTC Members’ Birthdays

DECEMBER

12/11 - Carrie Rollins 12/15 - Jamie Tassa 12/17 - Marc Stewart

12/18 - Joseph Conrad 12/19 - Ed McClarty 12/24 - Alex Poston

12/27 - Justin Hudson 12/27 - Dan Powell 12/28 - Pat Stacey

12/31 - Reed Trickett JANUARY 1/1 - Mark Carver

1/1 - Gordon Haller 1/5 - Jeff Kauppi 1/7 - Suzanne Thompson

1/9 - Chris Peck 1/11 - Dave Killean 1/19 - Andrew Atwood

1/20 - Nick Nicholson 1/21 - Bob Allbritton 1/23 - Dorothy Gach

1/23 - Karen Wabby

1/26 - Jerry Breeden 1/28 - Mark Evans 1/29 - Brad Hollingsworth

FEBRUARY 2/6 - Kathleen Siler

2/7 - Cliff Adlerz 2/8 - Clara Mills-Romines 2/9 - Lynn Moore

2/12 - Lee Pepper 2/14 - Julie Koh 2/16 - Mindy Craven 2/24 - Garrett Asher

2/26 - Butch Wabby 2/27 - Thomas Hartmann 2/28 - Laura Currie

IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

George Allen 12:17:57

IRONMAN FLORIDA

SUSAN FORD 12:24:03

DAVID STOCK 12:04:00

IRONMAN ARIZONA

CHATTY BIALESCHKI 13:05:16

BO PARRISH 10:39:21

HEATH SEALS 12:31:33

ROLF ZETTERSTEN 13:13:40

IRONMAN LAKE PLACID

TED LOMICKA, 13:42:35

ED MCCLARTY 13:47:30

CHRIS CRAIG 14:25:47

IRONMAN COUER D’ALENE

SARAH WEST 12:58:30

IRONMAN LOUISVILLE

Vicki Updike 12:06:43

David Stock 12:23:09

Shelly Collins 14:12:20

Spence Smith 15:35:42

Kevin Crossman 10:44:06

Jamie Tassa 10:52:05

Carol Moore 11:04:08

John Couzins 11:47:36

Henry McFadd en 11:52:42

Mindy Craven 11:53:20

Katherine Karrick 11:59:50

Larkin Montgomery 12:03:23

David Killean 12:05:30

Matthew Friedman 12:48:00

Tammy Rutherford 12:48:12

Marne McLyman 13:37:13

Bert Chaffin 13:46:18

Patrick Salcedo 14:26:06

IRONMAN WISCONSIN

KELLY MCCREIGHT 11:48:35

KATHLEEN SILER, 13:15:04

LISA KING 14:39:27

ROLF ZETTERSTEN 14:39:29

CONGRATULATION IRONMAN FINISHERS!

The Triathlon Times is a bimonthly publication of the Nashville Triathlon Club. If you would like to contribute an article, news item, race result or comment about the News, please send it to Bert Chaffin at [email protected]. Nashville Triathlon Club is an official USA Triathlon registered club.

Who we are?

NTC is an organization formed to promote general health, fitness and well-being to individuals of all ages and abilities through exer-cise, primarily running, biking, swimming and multi-sport events,

such as triathlons and duathlons.

Currently, NTC has approximately 220 members ranging from age 10 to over 80. We are very proud to have among our members some elite All-American racers, and some of the most fun loving back-of-the-pack racers. We are the most fun multi-sport club in

Middle Tennessee & we enjoy training and racing together.

NTC Board Members

President: Garrett Asher

President-Elect & Membership: Marne McLyman

Secretary: Bob Boer

Treasurer: Kelly McCreight

Newsletter: Bert Chaffin

Uniforms: Rod McDonald

Sponsors: Bo Parrish

At-Large: Nick Nicholson

At-Large: Liz Wilson

At-Large: Ed McClarty

At-Large: Howard Newsom

At-Large: Julie Koh

NTC Board & Mission Statement

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