Daily Update Archive - 2005

2004 updates sbr2003 updates

Dec 30 Perspective (part two) - In yesterday's Perspective, I listed four new year resolutions that centered on negatives. A body can only stand so much brow beating even if it's self-administered, so today the tide turns. Instead of behavior avoidance, we'll accentuate the positive. You may already do most of these things, and if so, I tip my Rudy Project visor to you. If you don't, then let us change the world together....

I Will Applaud Through the Entire Award Ceremony - I've attended, at minimum, a couple of hundred post-event awards ceremonies in the past 15 years and can attest to the fact that the "diminishing applause phenomenon" is very real. The race day accomplishment of a female 55-59 is no less important than that of the male overall winner. She can't help it the audience has lost its enthusiasm while clapping for the 57 people accepting their awards before her. So, for 2006 I will apportion equal applause to every person who accepts his or her hardware, and I encourage you to do likewise....

I Will Bring One New Person Into the Sport - This multisport life we live is special in so many ways, but it's greatly misunderstood by the casual observer. One result of that is many outsiders suffer from the misconception that the sport is beyond their capability. The reality is that the sport is more likely to put a bigger dent in your wallet than in your ego. I had the pleasure of coaching a few beginners the past two years. Watching them blossom athletically was fulfilling, but seeing them develop a passion for the lifestyle was even more gratifying. The good they did for themselves and for the people in their sphere of influence was a joy to witness....

I Will Volunteer For An Event - We've all heard the phrase a million times by now, but it doesn't change the fact that each of us should all try in some way to "give back to the sport." We may not be equipped to race direct or be in a position to sponsor, but everyone of us can hand out a cup of water or help break down a race after all the participants have gone home. Actually I already do this one, so this is merely a reaffirmation for 2006 but hopefully you'll be inspired to pull on a volunteer T-shirt as well....

Dec 29 Perspective (part one) - So, here I sit before the keyboard, on the cusp of change, compiling my list of goals for 2006. Over the years I've gotten into the habit of breaking them down into three subheadings: personal, professional, and pastime. For me at least, all three categories have tended to either intersect or blend at times into the general heading of lifestyle. A good example might be a goal I made at this time last year to take part in each of the regularly recurring local bike rides in 2005. On a personal level it got me away from the isolationist setting of my home office and out meeting people. Professionally, it provided an opportunity to promote the website and ultimately the magazine. Lastly, it reinforced what was once just a pastime and which has evolved into a complete manner of living similarly embraced by many individuals reading this. The following list can be labeled many things, though I refuse to use the "R" word when referring to these end of year goals, but here are a few promises, suggestions, hopes, etc. for 2006 that ought to be taken to heart by those sincerely seeking self-improvement....

No Bandit-izing Races - "I just happened to be doing a training run on this road when 800 other runners came along," loses its credibility after we have driven across town to get there. Adding insult to injury would be feasting on the post race food intended for participants. This phenomenon is actually pretty rare. But before I call the kettle "black," I too have been occasionally guilty of these weekend morning misdemeanors, justifying them by my promotion of their events on the website. Of considerable challenge will be a few notable events who take their post-event food seriously with spreads rivaling $8-12 Sunday buffets....

No Public Urination - Now we're getting personal. Those lines at the Porta Potties can get really long. And then there's always that one race which has just two or three cubicles set up for its 500 participants. It may be uncomfortable, but generally, holding it is something we can tolerate until the potty line whittles its way down to our turn. Pre-race butterflies and a healthy dose of fiber in one's diet can add a much greater sense of urgency to this problem. Ideally, we can take care of that business in the comfort of our homes and limit our race venue hygiene to hydration issues. There's nothing that will throw off your pre-race focus more than turning a corner only to behold someone writing their name on the building. And lastly, while I've got to grudgingly admire the showmanship of any guy who has acquired enough bike skillz to pee while riding, I still think it represents better form to wait until the next water stop....

No Public Nudity - Just when we somewhat smugly feel that we've mastered the transition-area towel-wrap technique, that terry cloth "curtain" unwinds itself and falls to the ground. If it hasn't happened to you yet, give it time. The counter-argument is of course that the cozy confines of a Porta Potty don't make for the most appealing changing room, not to mention the potential peril of dropping something into "you know where" when writhing into your shirt or shorts. And as much as it may be tempting to cite the male double-standard rule here, we'll reluctantly concede that this decency issue should apply to both genders. Then there is that gray area of changing in the parking lot in one's car which most of us have done at one time or another. Is that public nudity? But of even greater concern is changing while driving to an event. And you thought cell phones were a menace....

No Obscene Gestures At Motorists - Personally, this will be a tough one. The roads are a veritable war zone. Until such time as Clayton Road is graced with signs welcoming us to Italy or France, the number of drivers who don't get it will far outnumber our allies. Coping with them will require a degree of patience that I am struggling to achieve. Actually, I got off to a bit of a head start on this behavioral change earlier in the week. I responded to the last vehicle that nearly mowed me down with an exaggerated look of incredulity The benefits were many. It didn't stoop me to his level, it represented the cycling community with more class than the one-finger salute, it fed my ego by making me feel vastly superior, and it made for good show to the other motorists who witnessed his impudence....

The list could go on and on, but for 2006 I'll work on those four and see what kind of results I get....

Dec 28 Thieves view Christmas as a time of golden opportunity. The Kalihi Valley Instructional Bike Exchange (K-Vibe) near Honolulu was victimized over the weekend as several bicycles and specialty tools were stolen from its workshop on Christmas night. Also taken was $200 which had been given to the bike exchange to pay for participants' city bike registrations. The nonprofit doesn't have the funds to replace the missing (expensive) tools. K-Vibe encourages kids and residents of Kalihi to stay healthy on two wheels. Its bicycles are donated by the community for program participants to learn basic repairs. Gary Gill, Kalihi Valley Instructional Bike Exchange program coordinator, can be reached at 808-227-9218 by anyone offering assistance.... Cyclists and triathletes in west county looking to get their spin on, can check out the Wild Horse Fitness Gym located at 616 Trade Center Blvd in the Chesterfield Valley. They offer classes 6 days per week. Fee is just $5 for for USA Cycling and local team members. Spd pedals available or bring your own. One spinner is set up with PowerCranks. A smoothie and Coffee Bar is also on site. For more info 636-530-1191....

Dec 27 Independent bicycle dealers have watched with concern as Trek has continued to expand its growing string of concept stores in large markets across the US. Now following suit is another major player, domestic bike-maker, Specialized. With a dozen stores in the works and a 2006 expansion program in place, it would be interesting to learn whether the St Louis market will soon see a Specialized store. Perhaps an even greater issue may be the potential of this marketing concept sweeping even further across the industry with other bike manufacturers joining ranks....

Dec 26 One challenging aerobic sport to consider is snowshoeing. A good pair of snowshoes and some honed technique can turn the deepest snowdrifts into easy trails. The Alpine Shop is sponsoring a clinic to teach the basics of snowshoe selection and methods for ease of movement in a variety of snow, ice and terrain conditions. Class is limited to 12 participants. Dress to spend a cold day outside. For advance registration, call 636-391-3474. 10am -2pm Sat, Jan 7 at Hidden Valley Ski Resort $50.... Another great and more popular alternative for winter workouts is cross country skiing. REI has a very informative webpage devoted to demystifying this highly aerobic sport. Learn the differences between the various types of CC skis and what is appropriate for your needs should you choose to step off the NordicTrack machine and into the real deal. The sport doesn't hold the popularity in St Louis that it does up north, so finding a local, groomed trail may be futile. However, don't let that dissuade you. Any park will suffice for a back country tour and the KATY Trail can serve as an excellent venue with its flat and straight orientation.... The 2005 Ironman World Championship will be re-aired Saturday, Jan 28 at 3pm central on the Outdoor Life Network. If you missed NBC's original broadcast of the show, this is your chance to view it.... Speaking of Ironman Hawaii, the lottery application process will be open through Feb 28. 150 lucky U.S. citizens will find their names drawn on April 15 for that race. $85 gets your name in the hat. Winning athletes must complete a validating event and forward event information to the Kona race office Aug 31.... Google Video has a number of triathlon videos available for viewing. While this is a beta page (test version) of that functionality, it works fine. Some of the shorter pieces run just a couple of minutes, but longer ones like the ITU World Championships include nearly 30 minutes of footage....

Dec 24 An amazingly enlightening and very moving blog chronicles the 7-day bike ride through Rwanda, Africa by Tom Ritchey and Gary Boulanger. They also accentuate their story with a series of compelling images. A visit to their blog will impart a new perspective on what we view as problems in our lives.... Our Sponsors would be proud- If two days before Christmas finds you frantic for stocking stuffers and/or the BIG one, we heartily recommend that you ho-ho-ho your way to one of our site sponsors or magazine advertisers. They'll hook you up with the perfect gift for your athletes. Who wants a new tie when they can have much needed swim, bike, or run accessories instead.... USA Triathlon looks to 2006 as a year of transition. The national sanctioning body for the sport of triathlon has seen its recent past rife with struggle and will put on a fresh face with a new logo, improved website, and redesigned newsletter. While these changes won't mend fences with the World Triathlon Corporation, they do foster both a positive attitude and some forward momentum for the organization....

Dec 23 Now that winter is here, getting up for those early morning swim sessions can lose its appeal, especially from a cozy cocoon of warm blankets. That was probably never the case for Lewis Gordon Pugh. Known affectionately as the "Ice Bear," this week he completed a 1km swim near the Antarctic Peninsula. He headed out in the 32°F water in swim suit, cap, and goggles. He described the ordeal at 65° south latitude this way. "As soon as I dived in, I had a screaming pain all over my body. I'm not sure how I kept going for so long. I had to concentrate all the time and swim as fast as I could to keep the cold out." Pugh's web details how he is able to withstand water that would be lethal for most people....

Dec 22 The Frostbite Series and the Snowball Series take the Christmas weekend off. Frostbite returns Saturday, Dec 31 at 9am and Snowballers have to wait until Sunday, Jan 8 for the 7:15am run.... If you're interested in more than the standard New Year's day fare of hang-over, sleeping-in, and bowl games, the Texas Marathon may be for you. This event is staged in suburban Houston, offers a flat, four-loop course and is limited to just 200 runners. And we thought everything was bigger in Texas. web.... The Iron Kids Triathlon Series wrapped up its 2005 season this month down in Tempe, Arizona. Perhaps the kindest thing that can be said about the 20 year old series in 2005, is that they actually had one. While triathlon is booming in metro St Louis, something went boom within the corporate walls of hometowner, Sara Lee, who owns the Iron Kids brand. The summer series was left for dead in 2005 and it wasn't until late in the year that an abbreviated almost perfunctory swing through the sun belt was scheduled. From October 23 through December 11, it visited Atlanta, Panama City Beach, Clermont, Austin, San Diego, and Austin. Left in the lurch were cities like St Louis and others who have staged immensely successful Iron Kids events through the years. The Iron Kids program has performed a phenomenal service for kids and for the sport since 1985. Hopefully they can rebound strongly in 2006. web.... What do these household names have in common: Kim Clijsters, Tirunesh Dibaba, Yolanda Griffith, Yelena Isinbayeva, Gao Jun, Nastia Liukin, and Irina Slutskaya? The answer is that they and others have been nominated by the United States Sports Academy as the 2005 Athlete of the Year. However, nearer and dearer to multisport hearts are swimmer phenom Natalie Coughlin, and runners extraordinaire Paula Radcliffe and Deena Kastor. Fortunately we get to vote for three individuals. The men's side has Lance, Aaron Peirsol (3x Olympic gold medal swimmer), and take your pick. web....

Dec 21 The sport of mountain biking will get a boost from CBS sports when they air three hours of action from the King of the Mountain Series in 2006. Sixteen of the top riders in the world competing in three races at three different venues for the title of World Professional Champion and a piece of the richest prize purse in the sport. Record ratings this year have prompted CBS to expand their coverage in 2006.... SBR just received a very nice email from ultra-cycling hall of famer, Steve Born at Hammer Nutrition, in which he has already committed company backing for the 2006 Missouri Regional Triathlon Series. We are immensely grateful for their third consecutive year of supporting us with over-the-top service and second-to-none products. Winter training is the time to introduce yourself to new ergogenics, so we encourage you to sample HEED, Perpetuem, Sustained Energy, Recoverite, Hammer Gel, E-Caps, Endurolytes, or any other of their many fine products found on their website....

Dec 19 Perspective - It's been a while since we've taken (or is it had) the time to insert some purely subjective content in this otherwise objective information portal. First, I'll admit that it was a spate of television viewing which prompted me to write this little piece. At the time, the talking heads on that screen were happily chatting away about those short-term commitments we've come to know as New Year resolutions. It's just my opinion, but a good launching point might be the redundancy that this year we first resolve to actually stick to our resolutions. Now I am the last person to finger point, as personally, I don't remember ever keeping one of those wintry promises made to self for an entire twelve months. At least for me, behavior modification generally doesn't come very easily. The rite of New Year resolutions for many of us actually ends up being a means of further deepening the very habit we are trying to change. For example, on November 1st, I might convince myself that for New Year I will stop eating heavy calories late at night. In essence, I'm giving myself a free, two-month pass to further inure the behavior with which I'm trying to effect change. For the record, I advocate setting goals with New Year resolutions. But when the going starts getting tough, are we willing to settle for a branch lower than than that lofty apple we first spied. In the end, it's chiefly about desire. An old Don Henley lyric lends some clarity, "...How bad to you want it? Not bad enough."....

The 2006 multisport season will see a notable increase in regional race offerings from the east side. Illinois will up the ante with a very strong presence on next years event calendar. Following is Part One of our 2006 pre-season roundup of what we think may be one of the best seasons in years.... On July 15-16, the Springfield Tri Fest will offer a weekend filled with opportunity for the entire family. Youth takes center stage on Saturday with The Dew the Tri for Kids. Then on Sunday, mom and dad can fulfill their multisport quest with either the Stoneman Triathlon or the newly created Iron Abe Triathlon (quarter-iron distance). web. (Side note: There have been rumorsthat the Ironhorse Triathlon has been discontinued and/or the Iron Abe is Ironhorse reincarnated. As of this writing, SBR has no confirmation of that development and are awaiting a reply to our inquiry.).... Mattoon Beach Multisport expands its 2006 offerings with an extraordinary variety of bargain-priced events. The days of quality-produced, open-water sprint triathlons for $35 and $40 were thought to have been relegated to the distant past. Not only does MBM delivers on each of those those counts, they further debunk the theory on Aug 5 with the Mattoon Man (1/3 iron-distance) for $55. Most remarkable, however, is Sept 9th's Great Illini Triathlon (half-iron) for $65. Duathletes get their money's worth on Sept 23 at Eagle Creek with some long course racing (5M-40M-5M) $55. web.... The Terre Haute Triathlon has historically shared the same weekend and competed for athletes with the early-season behemoth, Memphis in May Triathlon. MIM raised the competitive stakes by first offering and now increasing prize money for age-groupers who complete both their MTB and Road tris on consecutive days. The Terre Haute Triathlon fired a significant return volley by securing triathlon legend Dave Scott to appear at their event. "The Man" will hold a swim workshop on Saturday before the race. web.... On July 22, Comlara County Park in Hudson, Illinois will be the site of the Evergreen Lake Triathlon. This event offers racers what has oddly become a rare format, the 1500m- 40k- 10k International distance. Produced by the group who stage Tri Shark, it might have provided a nice, distance-specific tune-up for USAT Age-Group Nationals, but as it is, comes two weeks afterwards. Entry for this "must do" event is $60 for pre-registered USAT members. web....

Dec 17 If your bicycle has been hibernating in the garage these days, perhaps a few photos from the Cyclo-cross National Championships will provide some guilt-tinged inspiration. The pre-race snowfall east didn't prevent these guys from saddling up and racing. Velonews.... One of the more interesting and useful technologies has been global position satellite mapping. The obvious application for runners and cyclists is that of route demarcation. Databases are beginning to spring up using Google Maps and Google Earth. These allow athletes to retrieve detailed bike and run route information with pinpoint accuracy. The maps are moveable, scalable, and simply fun to examine. On a national level, there is America's Running Routes. It is a dynamic resource that is great for travelers. Its two key functionalities allow runners to map, measure and add their favorite local routes to the growing database and of course search it. At the local level, 2Wheel Tech has a nice virtual storehouse of just about all the most popular metro area ride and run routes. Several other states as have been added to it as well. Whether you're scouting new territory or just want to see where you've been, the eye in the sky is a fantastic tool. It may also be just a matter of time before every race website routinely provides a link to a satellite map of their respective course.... A new women's running club has just been launched. St Louis Women on the Run will begin their four-times per week group runs in January. The group is both a fitness and socially orientated organization designed to provide women with an opportunity to meet new runners and friends. Complete schedule and contact information is available on their website.... The 9th Annual Rec Your Body Indoor Tri will be staged at the SIU-Carbondale Student Recreation Center on Sunday, February 12. Entry fee is $15 and the event starts at 9am. Application.... In the course of performing some website housekeeping duties, that generally obscure and underutilized site feature once known as the SBR Discussion Forum got shelved. Sadly, it never really took on the life we had hoped it would. While SBR sheds a tear over its demise, we remain open to any other content or resource ideas that readers want to throw at us.... The new host server seems to be working flawlessly so far. You may also notice that just as with most hardware upgrades one makes, it is faster as well....

Dec 15 In what could be the next hot franchise idea for the fitness community, a publicly available altitude training facility has sprung up in Boulder, Colorado. The city is already situated at 5430 feet, but residents can now simply make their way across town to reach 9000 feet. It's almost a case of the rich getting richer. For comparative purposes, the Gateway City sits a cozy 535 feet above sea level, sometimes it just seems like 9000 feet when climbing those hills in Wildwood. The benefit of altitude training is a well established scientific fact. Is it feasible for someone to open the doors to just a such an enterprise in the St Louis area? We can visualize the conversation between the proprietor and his insurance rep. "Okay, now what kind of business is this again? You say you're going to deprive your customers of oxygen?.... Running shoe maker, Spira, has been banned in Boston. The USATF has adopted rule 143(3)(a) which states: “A competitor may compete in bare feet or with footwear on one of both feet. The purpose of shoes is to give protection and stability to the feet and a firm grip of the ground. Such shoes, however, must not be constructed so as to give the competitor and additional assistance and no spring or device of any kind may be incorporated in the shoe…” Spira has fired back with a million dollar reward for the open division male and female winning runners in the race if they are wearing Spira footwear. The shoes utilize their illegal Wave Spring technology. The runners will be easy to spot as they will also be sporting a Spira race uniform....

Dec 14 Metro runners finishing the Rocket City Marathon in Hunstville, Alabama included: Kevin Albert of St Peters 5:34:34 45, Suan Albert also of Saint Peters 5:34:34,and Levi Wortman from Troy IL. 3:41:37 31.... In what was certainly one of the most appalling and unsettling stories of the year, a Kansas City cyclists was gunned down on his way home from the store. Robert Osborn's memory was honored in a ride that brought out cyclists, bicycling advocacy groups, and politicians to support efforts for safer streets....

Dec 13 After thirteen months as senior editor of Inside Triathlon Magazine, Kyle du Ford was relieved of his duties. Previous to his stint at Iniside Tri, he had founded and published the now defunct americanTri Magazine. Du Ford's term at Inside Triathlon ends with an unusual twist. He openly expressed his intention to investigate other opportunities in the interest of relocating with his wife as she begins her medical fellowship, so Inside Triathlon executives had anticipated his eventual resignation. However, they hastened his departure after learning of a blog that du Ford had maintained in which he wrote less than flattering comments about Inside Triathlon, at least that's the way Inside Triathlon construed them. SBR's limited dealings with Mr. du Ford have all been pleasant and positive, so we wish him the very best. He has further intimated that the possibility still exists for americanTri Magazine to be resurrected....

In a marketing move several financial notches short of Oprah's car give away, 300 members of the studio audience for the Ellen DeGeneres Show received a $520 Fugi Crosstown hybrid bicycle. The show, which airs Wednesday, is a joint, promotional effort between Fugi and Lipton Tea, the latter company having launched a national ad campaign reminding us to get healthier by enjoying three servings of tea per day. Ironically, this website has just begun its own marketing effort by encouraging readers to get smarter and better looking by logging on three times per day....

Dec 12 This past weekend's Honolulu Marathon was a destination race for many local runners/walkers and for some it served as a tool to raise funds for Joints in Motion and the AIDS Foundation. NIce work to everyone who covered the 26.2 miles. William Rau (Creve Coeur) 4:52:28, Gary Dzurny (Ballwin) 4:20:57, Denise Ellis (St Louis) 6:52:07, Robert. Goodnough (St Louis) 4:38:46, Terrence Dunnigan (St Louis) 4:53:47, Jerry. Bruce (St Louis) 4:08:12, Sebastian Mahfood (St Louis) 5:55:54, Tom Weber (St Louis) 5:58:49, Julie Bokermann (Maryland Heights) 3:57:23, Diane Clyburn (St Louis) 7:57:44, Ashely Fleming (St Louis) 7:52:54.... The Pere Marquette Endurance Trail Run sold out many weeks ago. Those on the entry list who had done the race before knew the degree of difficulty that lay ahead. Dan Rooney didn't let that phase him as he turned in a strong 53:48 performance in the very challenging 7.5 mile run. The forty-five year old from O'Fallon, IL ran away from kids half his age to take the crown by nearly three minutes. Becky Leahy of Florissant was the first woman to reach the finish line with her 1:09:02. In all, 429 runners completed the course. The 2005 running of the PMETR was its 17th.... Ultramax Events has assembled an exciting menu of weekends for 2006. Innsbrook will play host to both a women's and men's Quartermax on June 10,11 and the Halfmax National Championship on September 16. New for 2006, will be an upcoming Multisport Camp offered in Columbia on January 28 and a Women's Multisport Camp staged at Innsbrook on April 15. Perhaps most importantly will be the return of USAT Age Group Nationals to Smithville Lake in July. In a move by the national sanctioning organization that was right and just, Mark Livesay and his UMax crew will produce the 2006 event....

Dec 10 SBRStL Magazine is privileged to welcome three new sponsors for December: Denmark Travel is a fantastic match for the publication and its much-traveled readership. We hope you support them with your travel business. Owner, Denny Rubin, has been an active part of the metro area triathlon community since the 1980's and thus recognizes your special needs as a traveling athlete. Give them a call at 314.878.1100. Travel package being booked for St Croix Tri in May.... Also supporting the magazine beginning in December, will be the Chesterfield Athletic Club. Conveniently located just off of Highway 40/64 at the Chesterfield Parkway exit, the Club is housed within the highly visible Doubletree Hotel complex. This fitness facility boasts a wide range of activites and amenities for both members and guests. We hope you stop by at your earliest convenience and check them out. Ask for Laurel, and to score extra brownie points, be sure to mention SwimBikeRun St Louis.... Allied Fitness/ Allied Health Care in Wentzville is excited to partner with SBR and get the word out about their facilities in Wentzville. They offer a full menu of exercise options and healthcare services including chiropractic, physical therapy, on site x-ray, and massage. The facility boasts SwimEX systems used for both fitness and rehabilitation purposes. Owner/Operator, Dr Steven Meacham, is an enegetic supporter of the endurance sports community. For more info 636.332.0033....

Dec 9 VeloNews editor, John Wilcockson, posted his interview with the always candid Lance Armstrong. Outside Magazine posted a thorough examination by writer, Joe Lindsey, of Lance Armstrong's impending litigation against allegations of his use of performance enhancing drugs. This exhaustive 7600 word piece requires some effort to finish, but won't come close to the persistence and strength LA is prepared to display in his upcoming courtroom battles. J'Accuse.... The Spirit of St Louis Marathon appears to be continuing on its successful track. Registration for its 2006 Read, Right, and Run Marathon has reached 3000 children. The program has been enthusiastically embraced by the St Louis Public School system which has resulted in nearly an eight-fold increase in participation from the original 400 in 2001. Students in grades K-8 are challenged to read 26 books, perform 26 good deeds and run a combined total of 26.2 miles. Students complete their "marathon" on Family Day when elementary school students run their final mile and middle-schoolers run the 5k.... All it takes is a dream, some faith, and follow through. Ray Petro in Cleveland, Ohio harbored his vision for an indoor MTB park for ten years before it became a reality in October, 2004. His 71,000 square foot converted warehouse space is a November thru March haven for a wide variety of recreational, fitness, and technical riders. Petro's day job is construction, so assembling the creative array of rideable wood structures was a task he readily took to. The facility's reputation has spread via the world wide web and riders from all over the country have been drawn to its indoor maze of ramps, jumps, and skill tracks. If you link to their website, definitely check out the video....

Dec 8 The island of Oahu and the Honolulu Marathon have given lei greetings to more than 33,000 participants for this Sunday's marathon and 10k. The event has grown to become the third largest marathon in the world. Interestingly, American mainlanders are not the only ones enamored with the Hawaiian Islands as some 16,000 Japanese runners will take part in the race. While the St Louis region bundles up against the cold, the forecast for Sunday in Honolulu is partly cloudy and high of 83. Best of luck to metro area runners....

Dec 3 Iron-distance triathletes in search of even greater challenge might consider Ultraman. The Ultraman Canada Championships are staged on Aug 12-14 from the same venue as Ironman Canada (Aug 27), but with a subtle difference. The event imposes the formidable, three-day task of: Day One- 10k swim/ 90-mile bike over Richter pass, Day Two- 170-mile bike, Day Three- 52.4 mile run. Strict time cutoffs apply and each racer is required to provide a support crew. If you still need more, the Ultraman World Championships are staged in November from triathlon's hallowed waters of Kailua Bay in Kona, Hawaii. Created in 1983, this event just completed its 21st running (no race in held in 1987 or 1991). 2005 saw Alexandre Ribeiro of Brazil (24:32:28) and Shanna Armstrong of Texas (28:03:34) take their respective gender titles in a cozy finishing field of 18, the last of which crossed in 34:09:34. The event is a three-day, 320-mile circumnavigation of the Big Island. And by the way, the entry fee is $600.... For 2006, the Flint Hills Triathlon in Manhattan, KS will offer an international distance event in addition to their annual sprint tri Turtle Creek State Park is the setting on June 4. Registration opens January 1st.... The Las Vegas Marathon was held under nice conditions yestereday. Metro area finishers: Steven Asher 4:26:05, Aaron Aversman 3:51:58, Al Beamer 5:22:14, Suzy Besnia 3:58:45, Michelle Bock 3:31:27, Karyn Bohannan 5:26:50, Lynn Bouvatte 4:27:03, Karen Brewer 6:15:55, Rebecca Brown 3:50;40, Aaron Coffman 3:59:54.... The race veered from its history by starting in front of the Mandalay and running through the Vegas Strip....

Dec 2 IMemag is a new, free, web-based publication that launched on Oct 31. It's 18,000 subscribers received the inaugural issue of this monthly, virtual magazine via email. Anyone wishing to view it, however, must download and install the DNL Reader. This software lends a "book-like" appearance to the e-zine as you the "turn" pages. One additional and interesting note- It is curious that the magazine uses "IM" as part of their name yet carefully dances around what everyone knows it clearly signifies. At the same time, they emphzise that their target audience is primarily Ironman athletes. A click to the About IMemag page displays a finish line shot with, you guessed it, the Mdot clearly depicted. As militant as the WTC can be when defending their turf, it will be fascinating to see if any legal wrangling developes between these two entities. The upstart publication must have certainly researched the legality of using the uppercased letters IM for which the WCT apparently has no trademark rights. How far does trademark law extend by inference and suggestion? website....

Dec 1 Attendees of the USAT Race Directors Conference in January, 2006 will review the nuts and bolts of successfully staging their events. The dryness of subject matters like sponsorship, event planning, budgeting, risk management, insurance, and sanctioning, will be offset by the linguistic liberties of OLN color man, Bob Roll. Adding further to the comic relief will be the creator of "Frazz", Jeff Mallett..... Registration opened today for the Memphis in May Triathlon. The gravitational pull of that race is generally felt each year by a large number of metro St Louis triathletes. In 2006, the tug may be stronger yet, but you may want to bring two bikes. The top-fifteen male and female athletes with the fastest combined times in the MiM Mountain Bike Triathlon and the International Distance Triathlon will take home a share of $5,000.... The generally verbose website Slowtwitch.com posted a scathing rant by Lew Kidder criticizing the USAT's recent decision to revise their age-up rule. (It was amended to whatever your age is on Dec 31). If you can make it all the way through his article (I would not), understand half of what he is trying to say (I could not), and find anything positive or constructive in it (I did not), then please let us know. I think it's safe to say there is no perfect system, whatever criteria is used to determine one's competitive age. The current system of lines drawn in five year increments certainly has its flaws, but so does every other arbitrary means of defining an athlete's competitive status. Some advocate that triathlon adopt a Category ranking similar to that used in cycling, but if you look hard enough at it, even that has its foibles. Our advice? Hey Lew, ease up on the caffeine....

Nov 29 Several emails have found their way SBR inbox seeking dates for 2006 races. The SBR regional multisport calendar will be updated as the dates for next years events are announced. As a rule, most events tend to fall within the same approximate weekend each year, but we will wait until official word is released before we post anything.... Iron Girl is an organization designed to encourage women to enjoy a healthy, balanced and active lifestyle. They provide programs, events and website to promulgate their cause. Last year, the organization's race involvement chiefly centered on 5k run / walk events. This year will see the inclusion of two women's triathlons. 2006 will see the organization promoting two women's triathlons. The Iron Girl Texas on July 23 and Iron Girl Columbia (Maryland) on August 27 will welcome seasoned and beginner triathletes to their top-notch events for women which will emphasize the health, wellness, camaraderie, fun, and social aspects of participation, along with the competitive side. web....

Nov 28 Ghisallo Sports has recently added a user friendly, interactive race calendar to their website. Race directors and athletes alike can quickly and easily add their event to the listing.... he Gateway Council of Hosteling International USA recently named Nick Lyter as its new Program Manager. The Pennsylvania native has been beguiled by the Gateway City and is excited about taking this organization to the next level, but your help is needed. Volunteer opportunities exist as activity leaders for bike rides, canoe trips, and hikes. For details on how you can contribute to the metro area's fitness community in a fun way, call the council office at 314.644.4660 or send Nick an e-mail.... Each year the Great River Road Run continues to draw huge fields. The 2005 edition was no different as it brought 845 runners to the finish line. The 10-miler is a scenic out and back jaunt along the Mississippi River from north Alton. In the race, Zac Freudenburg push the front of the lead pack and maintained a 5:10 pace to take the men's division in 51:43, nearly four minutes better than his closest competitor. Kirk Nesbit (56:00) and Ben Bocher (56:55) rounded out the top. By virtue of her consistent performances, Colleen Casey has become a familiar name among local area women runners. Her 1:03:43 was good enough for a win in a comfortable one minute cushion over the Conley sisters, second place finisher Maureen (1:04:55) and third place winner Maggie (1:06:22).... The Chesterfield Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning drew a truly remarkable total of 1566 runners. The 5k race didn't take long for eventual winner, Christian Terry (15:47), who was probably a half-mile down the road before some of the massive field managed to cross the starting line. Todd Moenster (16:38) and Vic Halamicek (16:43) finished strongly in a closely contested battle for 2nd place. The women's division saw twenty-two year old Kristen Hoogheem, who calls Chesterfield home, take the crown with a very fine 18:49 effort. Whitney Kerth of Perryille, Arkansas was close behind, finishing second in 18:57. A holiday homecoming for elite triathlete Sunny Gilbert saw her descend from altitude in Boulder, Colorado to take third in 19:15....

Nov 23 Construction is planned for a seven-mile long, ten-foot wide, asphalt hiking and biking path that will stretch from the Lindell Pavilion in Forest Park to Romona Lake Park near the UMSL campus. For sure this will be a diverse ride as it juxtaposes stretches of urban blight with thriving middle class neighborhoods. The St Vincent Greenway, as it will be called, will be funded by a voter-approved one-tenth of one cent sales tax that earns $10 million per year for the Great River Greenway District . More on this organization, and how they are making their remarkable vision for the St Louis metro become a reality, can be found on their website.... The USA Triathlon Grand Prix Series schedules were just released and Metro St Louis multisport athletes will have to put on their traveling shoes to participate in any of the events. The popular and well-run Quad Cities Triathlon looks to be as proximate as it gets. On the other hand, the Youth Series will include the Longview Triathlon which is staged across-state in Lee's Summit, Missouri. Each series will feed entrants to their respective National Championship race. Each event will qualify the top 33% or the top-five finishers per age-group (whichever is easier to fill) for AG Nationals. Aside from these specially designated events, any USAT sanctioned non-championship event will qualify the top 10% or top finisher (whichever is easier to fill). Previous Team USA member automatically qualify for Age Group Nationals by virtue of their former team status... Little did SBR know Tuesday when we encouraged readers to pick up their copy of Point to Point Cycling News that it would be discontinued. In light of our ironic posting, it saddened us to learn that publishing brethren Scott Rendall's magazine became a start-up statistic and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors. This situation serves as an abject reminder of the high attrition rate suffered by new publications and the need to re-double our own efforts to ensure SBRStL Magazine's survival....

Nov 22 "You've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk?" Dirty Harry succinctly posed that question on the big screen back in 1971, but if you're feeling lucky these days the time may be right to enter the Land Rover Ultimate Triathlon Sweepstakes. Some very fortunate individual will win a complete package of top of the line gear from: Cervelo, Zipp, Orca, Mizuno, Speedplay, Hammer Nutrition, Polar and TYR. website.... Website and SBR Magazine sponsor Ghisallo Sports has taken a noticeable step forward with the development of their racing team. Now twenty-two members strong, their distinctive yellow singlets are consistently seen gracing the fields of events from 5k's to triathlons. While SBR supports and promotes all area athletes and teams, we want to wish the guys and gals in yellow the best of luck in 2006. They bring a very positive and competitive energy to the metro training and racing community. website.... The St Louis Triathlon Club is making solid strides with membership now nearing one-hundred. Created in 2001, the club looks for its most productive year yet in 2006. Newly elected club president, John Beyer, brings a fresh vision and enthusiasm to the organization that will see it more involved in the multisport scene next season than simply as race participants. Several projects are in the works that should succeed in taking the club to the next level. Monthly meetings, group training sessions, member perks, and an active message board are but a few aspects of the club. The team's unique red and black jersey heavily populates area triathlons. website.... Site Sponsor, Maplewood Bicycle, has posted some attractive specials on their website. An assortment of Merlin, Trek, and Lemond bikes are discounted for clearance. Of particular note are the Zipp tubular wheel sets. The 909's are a favorite among many top age-groupers and pros triathletes. website.... SBR Radio has been on hiatus. Our huge audio files that were available for download made SBR a bit of a bandwidth hog and primarily responsible for slowing a forty site network to a creepy crawl. So, before we continue with the podcasts, we need to a remedy this situation. The obvious solution is to upload smaller files which also means much shorter interviews. We'll continue to wrestle with this issue....

Nov 19 In a continuing effort to transform their entire road system into a network of smooth rolling pavement, the city of Wildwood recently resurfaced Glencoe Road through Rockwood Reservations. That stretch of road from Old Manchester, past the gate near top of the park, and all the way down to Hwy 109 absolutely screams now. In 2005, the City of Wildwood underwent its 5th of a 6-year plan for resurfacing all City-maintained asphalt roads. Many of their asphalt roads are rural in nature and the City intends to maintain that unique character. Several of the roads are narrow and will be widened to a minimum width of 18 feet where possible. The coup de gras should take place in 2006 when Wildhorse Creek Road receives its facelift. Cyclists rejoice.... We have already reported on another cycling-relevant paving project but it bears repeating. The nasty portion of Clayton Road between Baxter and Clarkson will be reworked in a $15 million project scheduled to start in the spring of 2006 with completion slated for winter of 2007. PDF of construction phases.... Bicycling.com posted a humorous article offering a unique solution for temporarily repair of a broken bicycle frame. This technique may successfully return you and your steed to the car, or all the way back home, assuming of course that you survived the fall in one piece. Check out this freerider's mindset at the end of the ride. article.... It seems that controversy has sprung from this year's running of the Marine Corps Marathon. Organizers have banned a Toronto charity running group from next year's race, calling their shortcut "a clear violation" of race rules. The director of the U.S. Marine Corps Marathon was quoted as saying "that the integrity of the sport was damaged" after JeansMarines founder Jean Marmoreo helped some of her slower participants to the finish line by shaving four miles off the course. Toronto Star story.... Marathon Guide.com....

Nov 18 China, known in economic circles for decades as the sleeping giant, would not be awakened by the cha-ching of the Ironman franchise cash register. The World Triathlon Corporation (aka: Ironman) cited that the Chinese government will not grant the permits necessary to stage their event thereby forcing the postponement of Ironman China until 2007. That's the company line and the WTC offered no further elaboration in their press release. In an article posted yesterday on Duathlon.com, Eric Schwarz, suggested that the permit denial may stem from the secession of WTC from the USAT/ITU camp. The ITU member nations had passed a resolution back in September to no longer sanction Ironman races. China is just one of 120 countries who have positioned themselves against the WTC. While this is pure conjecture on his part and he offered no evidence to support the theory, it does make sense. The cancellation/postponement is a remarkable twist in this battle between the alliance of sanctioning organizations and the autonomy-seeking WTC. The inscrutable nation's loss will no doubt become another country's gain, if within the relatively short window of time, an April replacement event can be created elsewhere in a politically cooperative environment. Ironman Antarctica will no doubt be wetsuit legal....

Nov 17 Last night's seminar /club business/ informational meeting for the St Louis Triathlon Club drew a full room as more than one-hundred individuals attended. As part of its many functions, the gathering served as a mini-forum for Mark Livesay who released selected details of his 2006 Ultramax Events season to an avid audience. Among all of the good news was great news that Halfmax, which has been melded with the US Half Triathlon Championship as well as now annointed the USAT Long Course Triathon Championship, will remain at Innsbrook Resort. Many local triathletes had feared that the event would be staged in Smithville. Also made official was the fact that the Lake St Louis Triathlon will utilize online registration for its 2006 Labor Day weekend event. This is primarily a labor saving move for the city of LSL who had previously performed the task by hand. But one potential consequence of this new efficiency may well be that the event will sell out even faster in 2006. So... be sure to get your entry in super early if you want to be a part of the race....

Nov 16 There is a great article posted on Lennard Zinn on Velonews. It is his first hand account of the Gran Fondo Campagnolo. A Gran Fondo is a massive group ride in which everyone wears a timing chip. So it is in essence a race. These wildly popular and very challenging rides take place most weekends in Italy. They often enjoy routes closes to vehicular traffic and draw starting fields that can number in the thousands.... The ITU website has posted their Tricast highlights video of this past weekend's New Plymouth World Cup . They also made available the complete Tricast finish line footage from the ITU Age-Group World Championship Triathlon that took place last month in Honolulu. web....

Nov 15 The Adventure Racing World Championship is currently underway in Europe. The rugged southern Alps are home to this 400km, 6-day, nonstop race that incorporates mountain biking, sea and river kayaking, mountain running, orienteering, rafting, tubing, caving, rope skills, and abseiling (rappelling). Coed teams of four are allowed a 2-3 member support crew as they compete for the $100,000 (NZ) first prize. Of the three US teams on the course, Nike Balance Bar is best placed in 12th position. Interestingly, that squad holds team member Michael Tobin, who followed up a successful career as pro duathlete with this new passion. The team is headed by Ian Adamson who is arguably the most accomplished adventure racer on the planet. Check out the race central.... When triathlon legend Dave Scott is quoted as saying that the Silverman Triathlon bike course was the hardest he's ever done in 25 years of iron-distance racing, that speaks volumes. Inside Triathlon's, Jeff Henderson, posted his fascinating take on the event which was billed as the most grueling iron-distance race in the world. With one person making it to the finish line before dark, it may well be. race site.... The San Francisco Grand Prix has found itself on tenuous ground for 2006 as the city of San Fran openly questions the fiscal wisdom of sponsoring the 108-mile one-day event. With 500,000 spectators looking on, the race requires a massive crowd control effort. Officials maintain that the city absorbed the $183,000 cost of providing police support in an era where most events must fund their own police costs. The questions that beg to be asked are how many officers were recruited to work that day and at what pay scale? Of course, they should be compensated and not be asked to donate their time. Without all the facts at our disposal, maybe it just sounds like a lot of money.... If you are an annual USAT member, then earlier this season you had an opportunity to provide input for the Competitive Rules Summit scheduled to take place on Jan. 16 in Colorado Springs. Your suggestions for changes in the age grouper's rule book will be evaluated. In essence, this is an effort to simplify and make consistent rules that can vary across four organizations: USAT, ITU, Xterra, and WTC. story....

Nov 14 Saturday's ITU webcast of the New Plymouth World Cup Triathlon provided viewers around the world with awesome live video. Motorcycle and helicopter cameras fed spectacular shots of the racers as well as the beautiful New Zealand coastline. St Louis native and ITU pro, Sarah Haskins found herself in what was easily the most competitive triathlon of her life. Racing in a totally world-class field with the likes of Vanessa Fernandes, Annabel Luxford, Emma Snowsill, Anja Dittmer, Barb Lindquist, and many others, Sarah was determined to snare a top-ten finish. The potential rewards could be great - double ITU points, a share of the absolutely huge prize purse, and the satisfaction of knowing she could compete at the absolute top of the sport. Sarah emerged from the 1500m swim (20:04) with the leaders then proceeded to ride with the lead pack of eleven through the 40k bike (1:08:35). They maintained their advantage over the chase pack to T2 and got out on the run with over a minute lead. Sarah found herself in the middle of the lead group, most of whom were capable of laying down a 34 to 36 minute 10k off the bike. Entering T2, the second group contained Vendula Frintova (35:47) and Michelle Dillon (36:12), both of whom managed to bridge the gap with remarkable 10k runs. Out front, Vanessa Fernandes showed incredible running form (34:17) as she went on to win her 7th world cup race in a row in 2:04:51. Meanwhile, Sarah was battling to maintain a top-ten position and she did exactly that as she finished 10th by gutting out the 10k in 38:27. Huge congratulations to her on a fantastic 2005 season and by finishing it in brilliant style. Complete results....

Bicycling Magazine has made a significant bid to gain exposure while promoting the sport of cycling as the exclusive media partner with the newly formed United Pro Cycling Team. A three-year sponsorship agreement extends from 2006 through the 2008 seasons. The magazine will utilize customary logo placement on the team kit and be granted inside access to team members for stories and articles to share through its publication. It's good to see the momentum for mainstream interest in the sport of cycling, rekindled in large part by Lance Armstrong, now being carried forward by others. story....

Last Wednesday found Nancy Lieberman and Ben Rosario discussing marathoning on local NPR affiliate KWMU. St Louis On the Air featured the president of the Spirit of St Louis Marathon and her manager of special events in a 60-minute chat with host (and marathoner-in-training) Tom Weber. Nancy has taken the reins of the local signature event to new heights and Ben knows a little something about running 26.2 miles having placed 2nd in the men's 2005 U.S. Marathon Championship (2:20:43) this past October. Both focused the discussion on generalized and practical advice for anyone interested in going the distance. Listen to the broadcast saved in Windows Media Audio....

Nov 11 SBR is afflicted with an overactive imagination and as a result we wondered the following: What would the race have been called had Marvel Comics disallowed use of the term Ironman? Their Iron Man (1963) comic book super hero predates the first race by well over a decade. In what is now perhaps a flashpoint in both trademark and triathlon history, it required nearly a decade of negotiation before Marvel Comics allowed the World Triathlon Corporation to market the word Ironman without Triathlon tied to it. Further, what corporate logo would have represented the company had Mistral Sailboards (1976) vetoed the use of the now iconic m-dot? What's interesting in all of this conjecture is that the real legal status (monetary agreements) of these trademarks is enveloped in a well-guarded, legal-backroom secrecy and sealed with nondisclosure agreements. A quick Google search netted an interesting albeit exhaustive article posted by Dan Emptfield in 2001 on SlowTwitch.com.... SBR thanx to site sponsor Show Me Cables for passing along some website search optimization tips to help us and to benefit all of our sponsors. A mind blowing reality was revealed to us when we Googled using the search terms: swim bike run. Holy triathlon! With two-million results listed, our page rank came up number four. The pecking order was: a Melbourne triathlon shop ranked first, a British tri shop ranked second, and some insignificant company called amazon.com ranked third.... Our calendar of recurring weekly events has been moved to another page. That was done to speed up load time for our home page and provide more room for text. We're not certain how much the calendar was actually utilized as a resource by readers anyway, but it will remain as current as we can reasonably hope keep it. A link to that page will be inserted in the drop down menu and/or elsewhere on this page. If you have strong feelings one way or another about all of this, please let us know....

Nov 10 Momentum Cycles is excited to announce the December opening of it's third store. It will be located in the Historic District of old town St. Charles at 104 S Main Street at the intersection of Jefferson. website.... Ultramax Events released its November update and several new concepts merit mentioning. Among news items are separate Quartermax race days for each gender, the Octomax Triathlon and the Big Dawg Duathlon. Also, for 2006 the Lake St Louis Triathlon will comprise a part of the Ultramax Championship Series. Lastly, the date and venue information for the USA Triathlon Halfmax National Championship will be forthcoming....

Nov 9 Site sponsor Rudy Project is taking performance eyewear to the next level with their impactx lens technology. Designed to be virtually unbreakable, guaranteed for life, and incorporating light polarization properties, they are simply the bomb. Check out product details or view a very cool, two-minute promotional video.... Another entertaining short video opens on the homepage of the Red Bull Road Rage, a downhill bike race which took place on some very gnarly roads in Malibu, California.... If a couple thousand yards in the pool has at times seemed like a hundred miles, you can take heart in the fact that ultramarathon swimmer Martin Strel shares your pain, and then some. This Slovenian superman managed to swim the length of the Mississippi River, 2360 miles in 68 days. While the downstream current assisted at a rate of one-mile per hour, Strel still maintained 20,000 strokes per day. Read about the amazing hardships he endured to accomplish this feat in this article.... Another cyclist shockingly (or perhaps not so shockingly anymore) bites the EPO dust. Roberto Heras was released by the Liberty Seguras cycling team after his drug test administered during stage-20 of the Vuelta came back positive.... The Missouri Bicycle Federation will hold its fall membership and board meeting in Kansas City this Sunday, November 13. The Whole Foods Market in Overland Park will host the event from 10am until 4pm. For more information you may email director@mobikefed.org.... One team from the area (Fenton) will compete in this weekend's USARA sanctioned Urban Adventure Race down in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Good luck.... It seemed that many Iron-distance triathletes merely blinked to miss out registering for the 2006 Ironman Florida which filled in just three hours last Saturday....

Nov 7 Local television station KSDK aired a feature on their Sunday night Sports Plus about Triad High School runner, Jeff Schirmer. His coach and local elite triathlete, Andy Brendel, also received a little air time when interviewed about his star athlete. Readers may recall the Belleville News-Democrat article that we linked to in a previous update. This is a real life story that we hope only continues amaze and inspire us.... Each year the New York City Marathon draws a host of runners from the St Louis area as well as from across the state. Nearly one-hundred Missourians made the trip this year to go long on that historic marathon course through the Big Apple. Brian McMillan of Kansas City represented the Show Me State best with his outstanding 2:22:33. Best local finish went to Zach Blume of St Louis who churned out a very nice 2:49:11. It was very impressive work by both runners. It also came as no surprise that Colleen Casey was the fastest local lady. She just missed ducking under the three-hour barrier with her strong 3:05:32 performance. Kudos to all making the finish line.... Congratulations to Ed Breda of Edwardsville as he has qualified for the 2006 Ironman World Championships with a stellar performance in IM Florida. His sub ten-hour effort (9:56:56) placed him 6th out of 219 entrants in the M45-49. Way to go. Also, nice effort by Doug Burns who just missed in the M55-59. His 5th place finish in a bracket of 64 racers fell just short in his bid for a Kona slot. Great work by everyone who completed the 140.6 miles. Edgar Breda 9:56:56, Keith Owens 10:36:32, Paul Schon 11:40:24, Doug Burns 11:42:11, John Lofton 12:11:54, Steve Ryan 12:49:43, John Efenroth 15:18:45, Bill Borom 15:47:12, John Dossenbach 16:23:24....

Nov 4 Stop number two on the 2005 Iron Kids Triathlon national tour coincides with IM Florida as it also takes place in Panama City Beach this weekend. The kids can watch mom or dad on Saturday, then the table get turned on Sunday.... Two cyclist were injured in separate incidents near Webster University. Jessica Meyer, a student at the school, was struck by a negligent driver in an intersection on Big Bend and suffered a broken right fibula. Richard Mueller, a university employee and 20 year bicycle commuter, collided with a van which had passed him and then suddenly turned right just in front of him. Mueller suffered neck and lower back injuries. Mueller contends he was treated condescendingly by university officials who agreed to pay the $80 necessary to repair his bicycle. With tuition, room, and board for one year at $25,210 and an annual endowment of $40.9 million, the bike repair bill shouldn't put a dent in their budget.... Look for NBC to air its annual highlights package of the Race Across America sometime in January. The exact date has yet to be released. In the meantime, get set to watch the network's Emmy winning coverage of the Ironman World Championship, a week from tomorrow, on November 12.... Speaking of RAAM, mountain bike legend Tinker Juarez has indicated that, provided he find sufficient sponsorship, he will race in the solo division of the 2006 Race Across America. Juarez is a seven-time 24 hour champion, but the nonstop race from San Diego to Atlantic City is a beast of a far different stripe.... The Trailnet website recently added an interactive Trails & Bikeways map to its online resources....

Nov 3 The Soma Triathlon down in Tempe, Arizona drew three local athletes to its warm southwest weather. David Ware of St Louis closed out his 2005 season with the Half-Ironman race, finishing in 5:01:26, 87th OA, 4/40 M45-49. The event offered a 1/4 Iron distance which was completed by Adam Breeze of St Louis in 3:15:49, 172nd, 13/22 Clyde and Tammi Miller of Clayton in 3:41:13, 243rd, 10/16 Athena.... The USAT released details for the 2006 Long Course Duathlon National Championships. They will be staged on April 23 in Grand Prairie, Texas. The format will be a 8k run- 61k bike- 8k run. This event will serve as the principal qualifier for ITU Long Course Duathlon World Age Group Championship on May 28, 2006 in Fredericia, Denmark.... Cycling fans in the US will be treated to ESPN 2's daily coverage of the Amgen Tour of California slated for February 19-26, 2006. This 700 mile, 8-day stage race will feature 16 professional cycling teams including world-class organizations like Discovery, Phonak, Gerosteiner, T-Mobile, and Davitamon-Lotto. website....

Nov 1 The US National Cyclo-cross Championships are set for Dec 9-11 in Providence, Rhode Island. With race promoters expecting more than 1400 racers for the three-day event, it is clearly tangible evidence of the growing popularity of the sport. website.... This triathlon commercial on Belgian TV is good for a laugh.... Cycling Phrase Interpreter: 1. "I'm out of shape" - Translation: "I ride 400 miles a week and haven't missed a day since the Ford administration. I replace my 11-tooth cog more often than you wash your shorts. My body fat percentage is lower than your mortgage rate. 2. "I'm not into competition. I'm just riding to stay in shape" - Translation: "I will attack until you collapse in the gutter, babbling and whimpering. I will win the line sprint if I have to force you into oncoming traffic. I will crest this hill first if I have to grab your seat post, and spray energy drink in your eyes." 3. "I'm on my beater bike" - Translation: "I had this baby custom-made in Tuscany using Titanium blessed by the Pope. I took it to a wind tunnel and it disappeared. It weighs less than a fart and costs more than a divorce." 4. "This is a no-drop ride" - Translation: "I'll need an article of your clothing for the search-and-rescue dogs." 5."It's not that hilly" - Translation: "This climb lasts longer than a presidential campaign. Be careful on the steep sections or you'll fall over - backwards..... You have a 39x23 low gear? Here's the name of my knee surgeon."....

Oct 31 The Chain of Rocks Bridge has been transformed from a hangout where teenage miscreants went to get lit, to a pedestrian and bicycle bridge now being lit up. While entry gates to the ex- Route 66 span are closed each sundown, the bridge is currently capable of providing a unique venue for evening activities under a recently installed, $600,000, high-tech, LED lighting system. 2006 should find a number of groups eagerly taking advantage of this unusual setting for get-togethers on warm summer nights. For more information, contact Gateway Trailnet at 314.874.8556.... The Touring Cyclist will offer a series of Basic and Intermediate Repair Classes beginning November 5 and running through the month. Bring your own bike or use theirs, but make reservations by calling 314.739.5180 Cost is $20 and all classes held at the Bridgeton location. Link for complete Information.... Product convergence is an inevitable result of rapidly advancing technology. The company that eventually hits on all functionality cylinders will reap huge rewards. The Mio 269 has married GPS capability to the ubiquitous mp3 player in a unit retailing for $800....

Oct 30 Yesterday's running of the Gumbo Flats Pumpkin Run 10k was met with a clear and cool start as 344 runners awaited the gun. Jerry Huber (33:34) of St Charles and Mairi Burfoot of Ballwin (41:28) were the overall winners. The simultaneously staged 5k run saw Lucas Roethlisberger haling from parts unknown (17:05) and Kelly Kovac (20:58) of St Louis take the wins in a field of 468. Finishing 23rd and 24th overall in the 5k, 14 yr old Brad Moffitt (22:02) outsprinted 12 yr old Alex Bremer (22:07)) at the line.... Last night's installment of Saturday Night Live featured Lance Armstrong and Sheryl Crow. To painfully sum up LA's performance, it's not about the comedy. While Juanita Cuervo's music was entertaining, the show wasted a wealth of comedic possibilities about the TDF, drug police, France, life after Le Tour, etc. by instead offering up mostly lame skits.... Metro area triathlete and high school cross country coach, Andy Brendel, sent us a very interesting Belleville News-Democrat article on one of his runners, Jeff Schirmer....

Oct 28 The 2006 Tour de France route was announced and the riders face changes. The world's biggest bicycle race will wind its way through France of course, but in 2006 it will also skirt five neighboring countries. Curiously, the spectacle of the team time trial was dropped. But the biggest route change for the peloton in 2006 is that the race will go around and not through Lance Armstrong.... Last weekend, the Denver VeloSwap took place in the 140,000 sq ft National Western Complex and drew an estimated 10,000 people. It has become the largest one-day consumer bike show and swap in the world. Word has yet to be released regarding the St Louis Regional Bicycle Federation's annual swap.... The St Louis Triathlon Club will hold its monthly meeting on Nov 16. This occasion will be marked by the attendance of Adam Zucco of Multisport Madness as well as Mark and Amy Livesay of Ultramax Events. Prospective members are invited to attend the event and see what the tri club is all about....

Oct 25 For those who took advantage of the Dartfish Running Analysis and the special rate offered, your wisdom is only exceeded by your running ability. NutriFormance will offer this program on an ongoing basis from their Chesterfield location by appointment at the regular fee of $55. To schedule your appointment, contact Dan Jasa at danjasa@yahoo.com....

Perspective - With my "job description" having changed more dramatically than even I could have imagined, so has my "commute" which now can be summed up in the twenty paces from bedroom to desk. When I last drove to work, it was still only a ten-minute motorized trip and one I occasionally made via running shoes or bicycle on Saturdays. The irony was that at the time I was a part of the automotive industry. In those days, the motivation for my motorless transit could be distilled down mostly to the training aspect of it, but to some degree environmental concerns as well, Since then, the financial stakes of driving have risen significantly, and with it, so has the general interest in carpooling, cycling, and mass transit. I've made it a point this summer to ride my bike as much as was practical in lieu of turning the key in my car. It was a function of both experiment and social statement. I can honestly tell you that it was done without a trace of self-righteousness. It just felt proper. The post office, bank, library, and grocery store employees may have been puzzled by my appearance at first, but soon grew accustomed to seeing me dressed in Lycra, a bead of sweat rolling down my temple. Many group rides found me riding out to them and then home from them- on occasion even pedaling as far as St. Peters, Lake St Louis, and Innsbrook from Clayton. The website sponsors and magazine advertisers more readily identified with my attitude when I paid them business visits. Frankly, it was easy, fun, and gratifying to do all of this. But the real challenge lies ahead and goes by the name of winter. I suppose it's then we'll see how deep the passion runs....

Oct 24 The Great Floridian Triathlon was staged over the weekend and it managed to dodge the wrath of Hurricane Wilma. Local athletes completing the 140.6 miles were 27- Craig Harrison 11:31:36, 54- Jeffrey Eddy 12:15:27, 98- Keith Owens 12:53:54, 184- Jennifer Bick 14:07:28. results. Nice work to all. Of that foursome, Keith Owens will do the Florida double as he heads back to the peninsula in just two weeks for Ironman Florida on November 5.... The ITU Cancun World Cup triathlon scheduled for October 30 has been postponed because of infrastructure damage inflicted by the hurricane. Road, electrical and water systems, the airport, hotels and more, have been seriously affected.... The Xterra World Championship was won by Nico Lebrun (2:38:19) and Melanie McQuaid (3:07:16). results.... SBR site sponsor, Javelin Cycles, may be shopping for another pro cycling team to sponsor. They provided framesets for the Ford-Basis Women's cycling team, but it was announced recently that the team will be disbanded....

Oct 23 A documentary entitled, Unfiltered, takes a look at the lives and rivalry of super-swimmers Michael Phelps and Ian Crocker. Link to view the trailer.... The next submission deadline for Balance Bar Grant money is March 15, 2006. This innovative program directly funds athletes in the pursuit of their dreams. All that stands between you and a check for up to $10,000, beside a few thousand other applicants, is a convincingly written five-hundred word essay detailing your worthiness. The program has provided nearly one-half million dollars in just the past four years. Website.... One week after completing the Ironman World Championship in 9:35:23 (2nd in AG), Joe Bonness won the Great Floridian Triathlon yesterday in Clermont, Florida with a time of 9:56:43. The fifty-year old Naples, Florida resident is also registered for Ironman Florida on November 5 which will make three ironman distance races in four weeks.... A few openings remain for the Total Immersion Swim Workshop offered in St. Louis on the weekend of November 19-20. Details available at the TI website.... The Judy Ride took place yesterday at the Center of Clayton and drew over 300 participants. The three-hour spinning experience was a fundraiser with proceeds benefiting the early detection of breast cancer. website....

Oct 22 Ultra-distance runner, Dean Karnazes, recently attempted to run 350 miles nonstop in an effort to raise money for a pediatric heart-transplant patient. He succeeded on both counts, finishing in 80 hours and 44 minutes and garnering more than $10,000 from sponsors for the cause. The combination of 90 degree day temperatures and sleep deprivation made his third night seem like a "psychotic, out-of-body experience," as he put it. To fuel his run, Karnazes consumed 40,000 calories and nine gallons of liquid. With an eventual goal of 500 nonstop miles ahead of him, don't bet against this human treadmill....

Oct 21 The countdown for tomorrow's Great Floridian Triathlon continues despite the looming threat of Hurricane Wilma. Computer models have determined that the storm will not impact the Clermont area over the weekend. Good luck to local athletes participating in the iron-distance, half, or sprint distance races.... Bicycling Magazine drew up a list of interesting and exotic, spelled e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e, bikes and components worthy of a look-see. Check out the goods.... When is a mountain bike not really a mountain bike, and what happens when a mountain-biking Illinois Supreme Court Justice bites it hard? He files suit against Giant and others alleging that his bicycle had a manufacturing and design defect that caused the brake coupling on his 2001 Giant Sedona to break and fail. The lawsuit issues twelve counts of negligence and product liability by Justice Thomas Kilbride who claims he suffered permanent injuries. Perhaps part of the problem could be that the Chinese manufactured 2005 Sedona sells for around $300 and may not be well-suited for hard-core off-road riding.... The subject of seriously sick mountain biking should include a mention of the Ozark Trail, construction of which, continues to roll forward. When the monumental task of linking all the sections is complete, the trail will offer riders a contiguous challenge of more than 300 miles through some of the most beautiful and toughest terrain Missouri can muster.... The ITU website has taken the conventional finish-line photo one step further by adding Tricast to their site. This allows Age Group World Championship competitors to watch video of themselves crossing the finish line. Also worth mentioning is the ITU webcast of the 2005 ITU Cancun World Cup. Local pro, Sarah Haskins, will follow up her LA Triathlon win with this October 30th event.... Perhaps the toughest duathlon in the country takes place this weekend some ninety miles north of New York City. The American Zofingen will serve as the Team USA qualifying event for ITU Duathlon Long Course Worlds in Denmark on May 28, 2006. The event's title borrows from Powerman Zofingen, the ultra distance Swiss duathlon. The American version will ask racers to perform a 10k trail run, 150k road bike, and a 30k trail run over a course replete with "very demanding hills." With just 28 registrants in the fold, race officials have recently added a short course race to the menu....

Oct 20 How tough is pro triathlete Lisa Bentley? At the Ironman World Championships, she made it to mile ten of the marathon with an appendix that had ruptured several days earlier.... USA Triathlon announced the post-ITU worlds official roster of Team USA. Congratulations to Mark Gowler, Jennifer Meyer, and Bob Patterson for qualifying. All three athletes will automatically qualify for future National Age Group Championships.... Rutger Beke is suing the World Anti-Doping Agency and two drug labs for nearly a quarter of a million dollars after his suspension for suspected EPO use was reversed.... Sports Enhancement Group has been named the official training and rehabilitation site for the St Louis Steamers soccer team.... Chris Arnold offers SBR readers a peak at some great Ironman World Championship images....

Oct 19 Lance Armstrong's War - The weeks turned to months as my book request at the library aged, or as I had begun to believe, got lost in the shuffle. When the confirmation email finally hit my inbox, I couldn't wait to inhale Daniel Coyle's inside look at Lance and the Discovery Team- and we're talking about a guy (me) who read It's Not About the Bike in one sitting at Border's the day it came out. The author is a two-time National Magazine Award finalist with no apparent agenda to either debunk the Lance myth or confirm it. His account of the 2004 season through spring and Tour de France offers readers a glimpse of the many-faceted face of pro cycling at its highest level. But as the book's subheading indicates, it also provides an objective view of the many battles LA fights both on and off the bike- against fate, fame, love, death, scandal, and his road rivals. It's all there- the drug allegations, team dynamics, race drama, the hectic lifestyle, and of course, "Juanita Cuervo." Whether you're simply a cycling aficionado or Lance-fan, this is definitely a book worth adding to your fall/winter reading list.... Listen to an interview with author, Daniel Coyle, broadcast on NPR just before the start of the 2005 TDF....

Oct 18 The St Louis Louis Track is seeking new quarters near Forest Park. A mere 500 sq ft ground floor space is needed to house the organization. If you can help place them in new digs, please call 314.781.3926.... The popular SLTC Marathon Relay is scheduled for December 4. Entry forms are available in PDF.... St Louis Triathlon Club head Brad Culbertson is heading to sunny California to take on a position with Garmin, the Global Positioning System technology company. Good luck.... Runners looking forward to the Fleet Feet sponsored Thursday night winter tempo runs will have to wait. Increased vehicle traffic has compromised participant safety for the evening series which is now on hold until a suitable alternative route can be determined.... The Xterra World Championship takes place on Sunday in the lush tropical paradise of Maui, Hawaii. While no webcast is scheduled, CBS will televise the event at 11am Central on February 5th, (Super Bowl Sunday).... Mountain bikers will head north for the hugely popular Iceman Challenge on November 5th. With over $23,000 cash and $10,000 merchandise on the line, more than 2000 racers will take part in this incredible 27-mile point to point race. website....

Oct 16 Congratulations to the local foursome who participated in the 2005 Ironman World Championship with style yesterday. Rick Mann (pictured at left) hit the line in 9:42:44, Beat Bartlome came through in 10:11:55, Tom Jackson finished in 10:37:57, and Bev Ofsthun completed her race in 12:39:52. Very nice work by all.... Weather conditions offered racers a twist. While the winds were minimal, the day was virtually clouldless which provided racers with no relief from the very hot sun for nearly the entire day.... Overall winners were Faris al Sutan (8:14:17) and Natascha Baddmann (9:09:30). Of particular interest was Baddmann's bike. Her Cheetah is radical enough in its own right but her set-up included bars with only the aero extensions, no drops or brake hoods. Also, her wheel quick releases were replaced by allen bolts, and an internally routed drinking system led back to the seat-mounted bottles.... Torbjorn Sindballe set a course record with his 4:21:35 bike split, an amazing average of 25.69 mph for the 112 mile ride.... Oct 15 The US Chamber of Commerce reports that more bicycles than cars have been sold in the United States over the past 12 months. Bike sales are near an all-time high with 19 milllion units sold last year which neared the level of the early 1970's when 20 million were sold as a result of the oil industry embargo. Rising gas prices, health issues, environmental concerns, the Lance Factor, and the Federal Government's allocation of funds for trail networks have all played key roles in what is seen by some as a paradigm shift....

Oct 14 Local cyclists head for Indiana this weekend to take part in the Hilly Hundred bike ride. The name alone makes it sound like a blast.... The prognosticators are having a bit of fun sorting through the field of tomorrow's Ironman World Championship. Of course anything can happen on race day, but here's the company line. Until someone in the women's pro division can ride with Natasha, it is her race to lose regardless of her advancing age.. As for the men, while capable threats to Stadler's reign abound, we look for one of the closest races in years with Peter Reid outrunning the field for win number four.... SBR's site sponsors are a carefully considered lot. Given our own obsessiveness with the site, we strive to align ourselves strictly with companies we feel deliver the goods. And as you have seen in the past, we've not hesitated to cut loose those who don't maintain the standard. Every banner ad inserted on this homepage represents a manufacturer or retailer with whom we are proud to associate the website and a company we confidently recommend. We encourage our readers to support the businesses that subsidize not only our website and magazine, but the sports we love....

Oct 12 Elite multisport athlete, Andrea Ratkovich, was the victim of a random drive-by shooting by teenagers wielding a pellet gun. The incident took place in her home town of Norman, Oklamoma.... The 2005 IronKids Triathlon Series makes a pass through the sun belt beginning Sunday, October 23. The city of Atlanta, Georgia is stop one in the abbreviated six-city tour. details.... The recently completed Chicago Marathon drew a large number of local runners to the shore of Lake Michigan. The next high profile race on the US marathon calendar is the New York City Marathon. On November 6, nearly one-hundred metro St Louis runners will be in the Big Apple to take part in the 26.2 miler that runs past two-million spectators, over five bridges, through the five buroughs, and finishes in Central Park....

Oct 11 The 2005 Missouri Regional Triathlon Series crossed its own finish line as the season-long circuit came to an end at the Rec Plex on Sunday. Fifteen events spread out from April to October can make for a long grind, but hopefully the series kept everyone in the St Louis metro motivated thru their training weeks and eager for the weekends. Year three in the series brought expansion and a necessary name change as we reached out to Cape Girardeau, Kirksville, and Columbia. As for issues, we had a few. Namely, events offering both age-group and elite races, the inevitable age-ups of athletes to new brackets, and some behind the scenes record keeping problems cause by changing computers and software midseason. Reflecting on 2005, we'll take our lessons learned forward to next year and further refine the series. Congratulations to those who captured a bracket and nice work to each and every individual who competed at the events.... The complete and final series standings will be available in PDF format with Wednesday's update. Any appeals, suggestions, comments, or criticisms should be directed to our customer relations department headed by Tony Soprano.... A link to the SBR Magazine page is located in the drop down menu. It includes distribution sites, or subscription info for those who live outside the area.... We may have closed the books on the 2005 MRTS, but triathlon is very much alive in the South Pacific. After last weekend's domination by Team USA at the ITU World Age Group Championships in Honolulu, the action island-hops from Oahu to the Kona Coast on Hawaii for the Ironman World Championship. Best of luck to Tom Jackson, Rick Mann, Beat Bartlome and Bev Ofsthun as they take on the lava fields & Ho'o Mumuku Winds. SBR point man, Chris Arnold, is winging his way westward and should have his usual fine fare of race day images to share with us on the website....

Overall	Shawn O'Neal	Kristin Moore
19 & Under	Brett Heuring	Sarah Johnson
20-24	Robert Johnson	Nikki Reed
25-29	Brian Schoenholz	Mary Sundy
30-34	Ryan Roth	Katie Reboulet
35-39	Tim Battles	Tambra Galarnyk
40-44	Rodney Adkison	Helen Alexander-Kratz
45-49	Curtis Brooks	Rebecca Gillum
50-54	Bob Patterson	Tanya Crews
55-59	Jerry Goodson	Debbie Stiles
60 & Over	Jim Wright	Carlyn Putnam

Oct 9 The 2005 ITU World Championships took place in Honolulu yesterday and amateur age-groupers from around the world battled it out under Hawaiian skies for world supremacy. Playing on its home turf, Team USA captured 24 gold medals, 18 sliver, and 18 bronze. Congratulations to the eight Metro St Louis athletes who made the trip and competed. Mark Gowler overcame nagging leg injuries to lead locals with a very strong race and finish ranked 6th in his AG. Jennifer Meyer rounded out her season placing 23rd and Bob Patterson 29th. Mary Blandford, no surprise, churned out the fastest swim split of the local entourage as well as in her age-group. Jan De Weer clicked off the fastest 10k of the octet. Great efforts by everyone. Complete results PDF (Please inform of omissions)....

6	M45-49	Mark Gowler	Kirkwood	22:12	1:00:12	41:16	2:06:28
105	M35-39	Jan De Weer	St Louis	31:43	1:09:30	40:56	2:23:11
23	W40-44	Jennifer Meyer	St Louis	27:27	1:10:39	43:31	2:24:12
55	W30-34	Mary Blandford	St Louis	21:42	1:15:27	48:55	2:27:15
89	M45-49	Marty Evers	St Louis	31:31	1:11:29	42:19	2:29:01
29	M55-59	Bob Patterson	Wood River	31:41	1:10:55	44:05	2:30:23
69	W30-34	Mary Sundy	St Louis	26:29	1:13:00	51:48	2:32:30
50	W40-44	Dana Berkbuegler	Fenton	28:13	1:14:43	47:38	2:33:33

Over the weekend, the Chicago Marathon drew its typically massive field. 1344 Missouri runners made the drive north to take in the sights of the Windy City and toe the line on a fast-track 26.2 miler. Congratulations to all metro area runners hitting the finish line. (side note: The Chicago Triathlon could take a lesson from the Chicago Marathon in terms of employing a user-frienldy, web-accessible data base. The results are searchable by state but still somewhat limited in nature, outputting in groups of 25 racers)....

Back on the home front, triathletes at the Rec Plex Triathlon weathered cool early morning air and a growing breeze that toughened the bike leg. Shawn O'Neal and Natalie Heil won the top cash prizes in the feature event. The field for the formula divison could be fairly described as skimpy with just 6-men and 2-women taking on its two-lap challenge. The majority of racers, of course, were found battling it out in the age-group race. The men's division had Matt Brier (1:31:13), Rodney Adkison (1:32:03), and Tim Battles (1:34:08) leading the way. Over on the women's side, Nicole Burdge (1:43:08), Julie Smith (1:47:20), and Nikki Reed (1:50:06) finished top three. Nice work by all. Complete results available at Fleet Feet....

Oct 8 Columbia, Missouri is among 38 cities for which Bicycling Magazine readers can vote in the Best Cycling Cities Survey. Perhaps a key part of the city's inclusion is $25 million in federal funds awarded to expand and develop a bicycle and pedestrian transportation network.... What It Takes is a triathlon docmentary which will wrap filming at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. The film is billed as a behind the scenes look at four elite competitors as they train, race, rest, and experience the ups and downs of life, all on the path to the 2005 world championships. Luke Bell, Peter Reid, Heather Fuhr, and Lori Bowden are featured. View movie trailer....

Oct 7 Looking ahead to 2006, the 2nd Annual JCC Indoor Triathlon will be presented by Ghisallo Sports on Sunday, February 12. Heats will begin at 6am in the Marilyn Fox Building located at 16801 Baxter Road in Chesterfield. Racers can choose from sprint (400-8-2.5) or long course (750-18-5). For more information, call Phil Ruben at 314-442-3279 or pruben@jccstl.org.... Break out the knee warmers if you ride this weekend. Riding under 70° with bare legs predisposes them to a variety of issues such as patellar tendonitis, Achilles tendonitis, and potential ligament problems. The general rule of thumb is: below 70° keep your knees covered. If the the air temperature rises sufficiently later during the ride, stuff them in your jersey pocket. If you don't own knee warmers, get thee to an SBR sponsor and purchase a pair. You'll be grateful you did. They are an inexpensive but key component of your cycling gear (SBR recommends arm warmers too, while you've got the debit card out).... Triathlete Magazine has posted two very interesting photo galleries from Interbike. Tip: the best way to view these is to click on the first thumbnail's magnifying glass, size and position the pop-up window, then click on each subsequent thumbnail's magnifying glass.... One tragic outcome of Interbike was the sad and ironic death of top Utah cyclist Allan Butler off of the bike when he was struck and killed by a taxi. He and two others were seen jaywalking across Las Vegas Blvd. No charges were filed against the driver....

Oct 6 Television coverage of the Ironman World Championship is scheduled for November 12 on NBC while the Xterra Worlds will air February 5, Super Bowl Sunday, on CBS....

Oct 5 Publishing Lessons Learned: 1) Dot Gain- Often misunderstood and misrepresented in prepress software, it is caused by a wide range of printing and reproduction issues that darken images. For example, without compensation a 50% black tint on the screen will print as a much darker shade. Dot gain affects the full tint range, so images darken, loose contrast and shadow detail. 2) Spell Check After each and every re-edit....

Oct 4 VeloNews is once again staging their weekly photo contest. They've archived twelve weeks worth of entries and it's definitely worth a leisurely scroll. Photos of the pro pelotons aside, there are some amazing images caught by cyclist/photographers all over the world....

Oct 3 September is behind us and SBR's web usage statistics report for last month shows that the site received 13,072 visits to 23,425 pages with 254,932 hits using 30.18GB of bandwidth. Apart from the homepage, the most frequented "page" was the Lake St Louis video which was downloaded 1058 times. Top five countries readers browse from are in order: US, Canada, Netherlands, Australia, and Great Britain. The heaviest viewer volume is between the hours of 8am and 10am. Total visits year to date: 102,382. Total visits last 12 months: 127,293.... Nathan Muldoon of La Habra Heights, California became the youngest official iron-distance triathlon finisher in the US last month when he completed the CaliforniaMan Triathlon. Nathan is 16 years old.... SBR sponsor Rudy Project is taking performance eyewear to the next level. Check out why Inside Triathlon says RP stole the show at Interbike.... Looking for an autumn challenge? The Hilly Hundred bike ride will meet your requirements. This popular annual event draws more than 5000 cyclists from around the country to central Indiana for a weekend of tough riding and party making....

Oct 1 MoDOT has developed a statewide set of bicycle road maps designed to help cyclists choose their routes and would like public review and comment. These maps provide traffic volume and shoulder information to allow these travelers to make good route decisions. The map legend is on the bottom right of the PDF, but just so you know, green and purple are good. The public comment period runs through December 1. Please send comments to state Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Caryn Giarratano....

Sept 30 The super bowl of industry trade shows doesn't shift venues each year, relying instead on Las Vegas with its thousands of hotel rooms to accommodate and its vices to entertain conventioneers. If your company is a part of the bicycle industry, it is the place to be through this weekend. The show itself offers attendees armfuls of freebies, a look at cutting-edge products, lots of memorabilia, photo ops with a virtual galaxy of cycling stars, and an unparalleled networking opportunity with industry bigwigs. The following links provide a few differing spins on this annual behemoth. Inside Triathlon, Velonews, Triathlete Magazine part one, part two, and Bicycling Magazine.... The Rec Plex Triathlon, scheduled for Sunday, October 9, is in need of capable volunteers. Contact Vicki Vojak....

Sept 29 Riverfront Times readers name Maplewood Bicycle the best bike shop in St Louis.... The local adventure racing team, Gateway Adventure/Alpine Shop, is entered in the 2006 Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race. Past years have seen the event staged all over the world, but next year it comes to America. Covering over 800km and lasting up to 10 days, coed teams of four travel nonstop using only a map and compass to navigate unforgiving terrain. The 2006 event will draw most of the best teams in the world for a piece of $250,000 prize purse.... And you thought Ironman Wisconsin was hot this year! Conditions at the Malaysian Half Ironman event in Desaru (near Singapore) were amazingly difficult. On race day, the 10am start time saw the thermometer hit 100°F accompanied by 80% humidity.... The Post-Dispatch recently published an article over the weekend about Sarah Haskins....

Sept 28 A live video feed from Ironman Western Australia will be streamed over the world wide web on November 27. Details at ironmanlive.com.... The Redman Triathlon took place near Oklahoma City over the past weekend. The event drew 150 half iron distance participants, 12 aquabike, and 103 athletes that took on the big challenge. Iron-distance finishers included: 20- Ted Gruener 36 Kirkwood 12:59:24, 41- J.W. Blades 44 Ballwin 14:30:45, 59- Greg Brown 24 Maryland Hts 14:52:48, and 81- David Lewis 42 Hazelwood 16:43:01, and 82- James Buckley 35 St. Louis MO 16:50:12....

Perspective - I've heard it said that some lessons in life are better learned the hard way. On this matter, I subscribe to the reverse point of view- that some life lessons are definitely better not learned the hard way. A grim reminder of this pain-avoidance philosophy smacked me on Monday. A bit more than two weeks earlier, a strained back drastically curtailed my training (as in zero volume), so Sunday found me racing 13.1 miles on the strength of one five-miler, three days before. Needless to say, the post-race massage did little to mitigate the inevitable muscle soreness that hit my legs on Monday morning. Resourceful athlete that I am, I reached for relief via a tube of extra strength Icy Hot. "It's icy to dull the pain, and hot to relax it away," or so the package informed me. This was just the stuff to make the walk between my computer and the coffee pot almost tolerable. After gently massaging generous amounts of Icy Hot to my painful quads, I pulled my shorts back up, sat back and waited for the magic. I was soon reminded of the classic high school locker room prank in which the culprit applies a bit of sports cream to his buddy's jock strap. In my enthusiasm, I may have included upper quad muscles that were too closely situated to a man's more sensitive area."Icy" it was not. Hot only mildly described the acid-etching being performed in my crotch. I half-limped and stumbled down the hall in a trail of menthol vapor towards the bathroom to seek "relief from the relief." The bottom line? Let's just say that the next time I smell the familiar aroma of menthol, I won't be thinking about my parents rubbing Vicks Vapo Rub on my chest as a child....

Sept 27 Triathlete Magazine posted an Interbike preview article that that highlights a couple of interesting products. Just when you thought your bank account was safe from the sport of triathlon, we now have Oval Concepts A911 JetStream aerobars. Retail price, $2500. Originally designed strictly for the Liberty Seguros Team, the manufacturer claims the demand was so great they were compelled to build and market them. A product that just may be seen gracing Ironman World Championship competitors this year is DeSoto Arm Coolers. At first glance, these look like the arm warmers we are more accustomed to seeing on cyclists, but they work in reverse, keeping the sun off while ventilating.... U.S. Half Triathlon Championship results have been posted.... Pete Weigel (1:27:40) and Lisa Alvarez (no time posted) won the Hills and Hollows Half Marathon over the weekend. This 13.1 miler finished with a climb of the infamous Valmeyer Hill....

Sept 26 While SBR broke its string of successive daily updates Sunday, it was far from a day off. A working weekend at the U.S. Half Triathlon Championships in Smithville, Mo. saw to that. The men's winner was Tim Hola from Colorado who led from start to finish in a time of 4:10:39, a six-minute margin of victory. Elizabeth Fedofsky from Chicago (pictured left) faced a few minute's time deficit exiting the water, but succeeded in bridging the women's leaders on the bike and putting time on them through the 13.1 mile run. She crossed the finish in 4:47:47, nearly five minutes up on second. Congratulations to both athletes and to everyone who made the finish chute on a warm day. The top local finisher was Rick Mann (4:26:14) in what was a tune-up for Ironman Hawaii.... What if you put on a Half Marathon and 9067 runners showed up? The Chicago Half experienced that incredible turnout yesterday. More than sixty St Louis Metro runners made the trip to Chi-town. Very nice work to Stephanie Teague of Fenton who finished 6th among 634 runners in the F35-39 bracket with her 1:40:05, and to Bill Tushaus of St Louis with his 4th place in the M65-69. results.... Interbike opens today in Las Vegas. The cycling industry's mega trade show kicks off with a two-day Outdoor Demo before opening the doors of the Sands Convention Center and its more than a 1000 waiting exhibitors. event website.... A St Pet.... ers' man was struck by a vehicle and critically injured while riding in Rolla, Mo. on Sept 20. UMR student, David Barker, was airlifted to St John's hospital in Springfield. Speedy recovery. story.... Nice job hitting the finish line at the Maui Marathon to: Thomas Kalbach (StL), Robert Sazarzea (StCh.), Linda Hankins (StP), Christine Naumann (StP), and Deborah Smith (StP).... Looking ahead to the upcoming weekend's SBRStL Radio, it will be somewhat of a lady's day as we air audio interviews with U.S. Half Triathlon women's winner Elizabeth Fedofsky and local gal- turned ITU pro, Sarah Haskins. An in-studio guest is yet to be determined....

Sept 24 The Missouri Regional Triathlon Series standings have been updated through the NEMO and Trail of Tears races. Congratulations to both Shawn O'Neal and Kristin Moore for capturing the overall series titles. Several Age-Groups have already been determined as well. Nice work to the following champions: Brett Heuring M19&U, Ryan Roth M30-34, Jerry Goodson M55-59, Jim Wright 60&Over, Mary Sundy F25-29, Tambra Galarnyk F35-39, Tanya Crews F50-54, and Debbie Stiles F55-59. Of special note has been the performance of Tanya Crews who was perfect in nine races with nine age-group wins. For 2006, the series commissioner may have to move her up to the F40-44. The remaining brackets include some very close and interesting rivalries that will ultimately be settled at the series-ending Rec Plex Triathlon. Best of luck to all....

Sept 23 Kudos go to Eric Gooden of Cape Bicycle Cycling & Fitness down in Cape Girardeau who has provided employment &/or housing for a Hurricane Katrina victim.... The Outdoor Life Network will air it's one-hour coverage package of Ironman New Zealand this Sunday at 2pm Central.... Ironmanlife Radio has archived their shows from June of this year. These weekly conversations between Greg Welch and Ironmanlive's Kevin Mackinnon cover all topics IM, leading into the big one next month in Kona. In the latest installment, Greg relives his win in Kona and the guys discuss what should be very interesting men's and women's races this year.... The Xterra USA Championship is set for Lake Tahoe on October 2. If recent history has any significance, the women's race will boil down to a faceoff between Melanie McQuaid and Jamie Whitmore. Together they have finished one-two in fourteen of the last fifteen races. It is also interesting to note that ITU pro Barb Lindquist is in the women's pro starting field....

Sept 20 The greater Kansas City area will be the hub of endurance sports this weekend with three events drawing competitors from all over the country. Of course the US Half Triathlon Championship comprises one part of this triumvirate. On Saturday, nearby Independence, Missouri will be the home of the 5th Annual Rapture in Misery 12-Hour Race. This mountain bike endurance event will be staged at Landahl Park and offer a 6-hour option as well. Information flyer in PDF. Also taking place on Saturday is the Kansas City Marathon (and Half-Marathon)....

Sept 19 Much like the event's namesakes, runners in the Lewis & Clark Marathon took on their own challenging journey from the St Charles riverfront yesterday. While not an event that showcased Missouri's rolling topography, the race was still 26.2 miles from the start to finish and that was ample challenge in and of itself for most participants. The combined marathon and half-marathon experienced more than a ten-fold increase in registration during its brief four year history, a remarkable growth rate by anyone's standards. The marathon managed a very respectable 453 finishers yesterday, but the half-marathon was the big draw with nearly 3000 runners and walkers. The St Charles Family Arena was an absolutely perfect venue for the event. Its massive lot provided more than sufficient room to accommodate both parking and the staging area, the Arena floor provided athletes with an indoor area that could match the magnitude of the crowd, and of course the entire facility is situated immediately adjacent to the KATY Trail. Fleet Feet did a great job with the weather as the runners were treated to ideal conditions for going long- cool and cloudy. The marathon was won by Tyler Small with a time of 2:38:24 and Becky Hudnall with her 3:14:29. The half-marathon had Brian Roggeveen (1:13:05) and Mairi Burfoot (1:35:25) reaching the line first. complete results.... For many in the throng of half-marathoners on Sunday, it was an epic day. But the same could be said for world class distance runner Deena Kastor on Saturday when she completed the Jefferson Hospital Philadelphia Distance Run in 1 hour, 7 minutes, 53 seconds. Her time for the half-marathon shattered Joan Benoit Samuelson's 21-year-old American mark by 41 seconds.... Cape Girardeau provided stage-fourteen of the fifteen-race Missouri Regional Triathlon Series. Barry Knight took his customary position at the top of the podium, going 1:10 and change. Matt Brier (1:12:18) edged out John Baker (1:12:28) for second place. The fairer gender made the finish line with Jennifer Meyer (1:18:43), Ashley McCurey (1:21:34), and Helen Alexander-Kratz (1:22:37) leading the way....

Sept 18 Information junkies rejoice. For the second year in a row, Wiggle Wireless will deliver up to the minute information from the Ironman World Championship in Kona via free text messaging. In their lead-up to the big event, they will also message the training journals of Peter Reid, Norman Stadler, Kate Major, and Desiree Ficker.... The Trail of Tears Triathlon in Cape Girardeau was won yet again by the ageless Barry Knight. The women's division course record was shattered by Jennifer Meyer in what will likely be her final race tune-up before ITU Worlds in Oct. Congratulations to both winners and nice work to all who competed. Complete results are not yet available, but we'll link when they're up.... The triathletes were privy to near perfect weather yesterday in southeastern Missouri. For runners today, air temperature will hover in the very comfortable upper 60's for the 7am start of the Lewis & Clark Marathon.... The Penrose Park Velodrome played host Saturday to official track racing for the first time in over forty years. While the refurbishing project couldn't raise track conditions to National Championship standards, it did succeed in providing a venue for local cyclists to relieve their fixed gear fever. The Missouri State Track Championships were staged yesterday at the site. Check out our photos (large file). With the first "new" season in the books, look for bigger and better in 2006. Sprint course triathletes who missed out on this year's Thursday night track workouts, could have benefited greatly from these very intense cycling sessions. Maybe next year....

Sept 17 Perspective - Who could have known that spending screen time bouncing among Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and Adobe InDesign could be so exciting? Even with eyes riveted to the wide screen before me, my peripheral vision managed to catch a blurred glimpse of motion off to my right and just behind me. I nearly dismissed it, that is, until it flew into the living room. "Wow that's a huge moth," was my first reaction. I pushed my chair back and was in hot pursuit. Wait, that's no insect, it's a friggin bird performing those quick, tight loops of the room. I opened the front door, thinking perhaps I could corral in that direction. Upon closer inspection though, I discovered the intruder was no bird at all, but instead a bat. I shuddered at the thoughts of rabies and midnight blood letting, while trying not to scare the guano out of him. At least with my scalp, there was no chance of his getting enmeshed in my hair. My cardiovascular system shifted into training zone two. The next ten minutes surely could have passed for slapstick comedy as I harmlessly evicted the little fellow. Afterwards, the thought occurred to me that perhaps his buddies could be lurking unseen. I imagined opening a closet door only to have them come pouring out like some New Mexico cave at sunset. Well, once this diversion had ended, I settled back into my familiar position before my notebook and felt the adrenaline buzz slowly dissipate. It was at that point that I decided, "Hey, I adding this to my journal as a short block of aerobic cross-training."....

Sept 16 The Pere Marquette Endurance Trail Run scheduled for December 10 is now closed. The Metro Tri Club has reached their limit of 600 competitors to toe the starting line for this very hilly 7.5 mile trail run.... Ironman Florida is but six weeks away for the fifteen metro area triathletes building for this November 5th race in Panama City Beach. The event offers one of the fastest bike courses on the entire IM circuit, a flat 112-miler with just a hand full of turns.... The 2006 Ironman World Championship lottery application process is open. 150 slots are allocated to the U.S. applicants.... The World Anti-Doping Agency is at the center of the effort to clean up international sports. A visit to their website yields lists of prohibited substances and those with therapeutic exemptions.... Local adventure racers will keep the adrenaline flowing with 36 hours of competition at the Berryman Adventure on Sept 25. This event will qualify the top three 4-person co-ed teams for the 2005 USARA National Championship to be held November 4-5 near Tampa, Florida....

Sept 15 Participants in the 2005 IM Wisconsin experienced very tough conditions with the high temperature and stiff winds, but it didn't stopped many of them from jumping right back into the fray. The 2006 race sold out in just one day.... In a recent, related development, the ITU has declared that it will join ranks with the USAT by no longer sanctioning WTC events (aka: Ironman® events). So, while the USAT and the ITU maintain noble postures, the WTC money machine continues to cha-ching along.... Bicycle retailers from across the country have begun lining up to offer assistance for hurricane Katrina victims. To date, forty-eight dealers have offered assistance ranging from relocation expenses and temporary housing to employment opportunities. Way to go!. Also, Burley Design is donating bicycle trailers which will be used to haul food, water and medicine to those in need. They often can go where vehicles can not, given limited access to gasoline near the disaster zone.... Travis Fittro of St Charles had a fantastic race at Ironman Wisconsin, completing the event with a time of 11:06:56, good for 90th position overall, and 17/364 in his age group. However, the 14th and final Kona slot in the M-35-39 bracket was secured with a 11:02:32. Regardless of that tantalizing fact, it was a great effort on a demanding day in an insanely competitive division....

Sept 14 The U.S. Half Triathlon National Championship is two weekends away and the field is shaping up to be a very competitive one in both the men's and women's divisions. view list. And as always, volunteers are welcome to come out and become an integral part of the event.... The LSL Triathlon website has posted thirty images from the Labor Day weekend race.... Even if you've never won anything before, this would be the one to break your streak. The Land Rover Ultimate Triathlon Sweepstakes is a triathlete's dream prize package. drawing.... The WADA, World Anti-Doping Agency, initially announced that it had come up with positive EPO tests for Virginia Berasategui Luna and Iban Martinez. Now with the accuracy of their results being highly questionable, the organization has cleared both athletes. SBR only has one question in this whole drug scenario. We've split the atom, put a man on the moon, and mapped the human genome. Why can't we create irrefutable tests for all the various, illegal, performance-enhancing drugs?....

Sept 13 The cycling industry will head to Sin City later this month for the monster trade show known as Interbike. Las Vegas will play host to nearly 1000 exhibitors who will be packed into the expo hall at the Sands Hotel. The Interbike website has a very cool interactive program with which to view the show's staggeringly huge floor plan.... Bicycling.com posted an interesting tutorial of seven cycling tricks, that once mastered, will make definitely make you the talk/butt of your next ride. However, the idea of combining a couple of these stunts is intriguing. How about the superman/on the fly whiz, or the front wheelie/flick? SBR strongly encourages prospective tricksters to hone any of these stunts in a nearby hospital parking lot.... Tonight will see this season's final Tuesday Night Crit at Carondelet Park.... This Sunday's running of the Lewis & Clark Marathon (and half) will draw over 3500 participants to the parking lot of the St Charles Family Arena.... The St Louis Blazers is a youth runner's club that always welcomes new members, of any ability. They begin the the fall 2005 cross country season with practice tonight at Schroeder Park in Manchester. If your child is interested in running, this would be the group to introduce, instruct, and encourage him or her in the sport.... The final countdown is on for this year's staging of the Pere Marquette Endurance Trail Run. 165 slots remain for the December 10th race. The field is closed at 600 due to the limited ability of the trail to accommodate racers.... The Northeast Missouri Triathlon went through its 21st edition over the weekend. Ted Zderic of Columbia finished first with a time of 1:32:26. Stephen Taylor, also of Columbia, took second over three minutes back with a 1:35:29. Rodney Adkison of Lohman, Mo. followed up his strong LSL Tri performance last weekend with a third place finish in 1:37:32. The women's division found Leslie Curley (Topeka) at the front in 1:44:45, Helen Alexander-Kratz (St Louis) in second at 1:48:01, and Trish Field (Columbia) in third with a 1:52:27. complete results....

Sept 12 It's was smiles in the Haskins household as Sarah Haskins returned home last night to spend a week with her family. What made this reunion extra special was her win yesterday at the Los Angeles Triathlon. Sarah's 2:03:57 was thirty-six seconds better than the ageless-wonder Karen Smyers (2:04:33) who finished in second place. 3-Julie Swail (2:05:16), 4-Jessi Stensland (2:05:29), and 5-Sarah Groff (2:07:10) rounded out the top five. It may be interesting to note that since the LA Triathlon was not an ITU event and therefore not draft-legal for the pros, Sarah's win was the result of a pure time-trial effort. That should serve as a huge platter of food for thought to the other American women on the ITU circuit. In the men's pro race, Nate Kortuem, who many will remember from his outstanding effort at Halfmax, turned in a strong 1:55:48 as he captured eighth place behind such names as Tim DeBoom and Richie Cunningham. Congratulations to both athletes. LA Times.... The Millstadt Biathlon drew 169 participants on a beautiful day for its five mile run and twenty-two mile bike ride. The pace was furious at the outset with many of the contenders falling back from the mid-five minute run pace set by the trio of Caleb Goldkamp, Bryan Carlson, and Mike Barro. All three managed to get out on the bike a full minute up on the rest of the field. Goldkamp slowly rode away from the other two, while behind them Scott Shaw and Bob Chott were busy hammering out the two fastest bike splits of the day. But their efforts it weren't enough to bridge Goldkamp who himself turned in the third best bike ride of the day. The top three were 1-Caleb Goldkamp 1:27:43, 2-Bryan Carlson 1:28:45, 3-Mike Barro 1:29:28. The women's field saw Amber Mounday (1:38:12) build an early lead in the run and maintain the gap throughout the bike leg. The versatile Amy Strahan (1:41:43), who has raced this season in triathlons, duathlons, crits, and running events, took second on the strength of her cycling. The marvelous Margie Martens (1:43:35) hit the finish line in third position with an even effort in both disciplines.... John Strassner offers us well-produced race reports from both the Chicago Triathlon and the Vineman 1/2. Nice work on and off the race course....

The 2005 Ironman Wisconsin was played out under very hot and windy conditions. As if the challenging bike course wasn't tough enough in its own right, the weather played a pivotal role in preventing a large number of racers from making the bike cut off. Most locals made that, and the finish line, albeit in times that were likely outside of their pre-race goals, but yesterday's conditions found most of the athletes in the entire field shifting from race mode to survival mode. Twenty-four St Louis area triathletes can now call themselves ironmen or ironwomen, if any of them couldn't before the race, as they successfully made the finish line. The local contingent couldn't keep up with Andriy Yastrebov, but then no one in the race could. He won IM Wisconsin in a time of 9:01:34. Ute Mueckel took the women's crown in 10:11:22. The following is an alpha list of local finisher times: Curtis Brooks 13:21:41, Dale Cira 15:12:05, Brad Culberson 12:37:20, Mason Duchatschek 15:12:47, Bruce Edwards 15:35:11, Travis Fittro 11:06:56, Christopher Floerchinger 13:56:45, Todd Glass 15:02:37, Linda Killhoffer 15:44:17, Nance Klutenkamper 15:54:30, Greg Mattison 13:22:46, Sean McKessy 14:31:13, Ann Nabholz 14:37:20, Tim Noonan 13:05:44, Bill Patterson 16:53:25, Frank Pfau 15:27:36, Mike Piper 15:30:07, Bill Rudden 15:02:14, Michael Toon 15:31:34, Gregg Trapp 14:59:38, Bethany Trapp 16:45:22, Scott Varwig 14:36:36, Vicki Vojak 15:54:37, Fred Wencel 14:57:48....

Sept 11 Madison may be the toast of Wisconsin this weekend with its Ironman race and all, but Fontana, Wsisconsin had got it going on too as the site of the Lake Geneva Triathlon. Bill Borom of St Charles completed the half-iron distance event in 6:50:42. The Olympic distance race saw local are finishers Rebecca Sheade (St Louis) go 2:49:10, David Whiting (St Louis) 3:02:11, and Jean Cavender (St Louis) 3:38:52.... The ITU World Championship went to Peter Robertson of Australia who hold off the field in a very tight finish. Powered by a 31:35 10k run, he managed a five second win for his third world title. The top 21 males finished within two-minutes of one another. Conspicuous by his absence on the podium was top ranked U.S. triathlete, Hunter Kemper, who finished 41st but retained his world number one ranking. The women's world champion is no suprise. Emma Snowsill of Australia capped off a tremendous season with her 45 second victory over runner-up and fellow Aussie, Annabel Luxford....

Sept 10 The ITU World Championship for 23 & U took place yesterday in Gamagori, Japan. Jarrod Shoemaker (1:52:42) of the U.S battled Daniil Sapunov of Kazahkstan, and the heat, while avoiding the crashes, to take the World Championship. Sara McLarty (2:07:17) of the U.S. was the top female finisher in 9th position among the women. Assuming the course measured out accurately, check these eye-popping times. McLarty's 1500m swim was a race best 18:50 and Shoemaker ripped off a 32:19 for the fastest 10k run of the day. Live web coverage of the men's and women's pro races can be found Sunday on the ITU website.... Sometimes we're a little slow on the uptake but it's becoming clearer to us what our readers like. The Lake St Louis Triathlon video has been downloaded 969 times in its first four days on the site. That figure gives us pause to consider chucking all the verbiage and changing to a video-only format. Naw, just kidding.... As age group triathletes keep occupied their with preparations for the 2005 ITU World Championships in Honolulu, the powers that be were busy looking ahead while awarding the 2008 event to Vancouver, British Columbia. As for next year, 2006 ITU Worlds return to the beautiful city of Laussanne, Switzerland where they were staged in 1998. A dip in Lake Geneva plus a few steep laps up the mountain over cobblestoned sections will await participants....

Sept 9 The 17th Annual Pere Marquette Endurance Trail Run is scheduled for Saturday, December 10. This popular event is put on by the Metro Tri Club and closes quickly. Registration opened on the first of the month and the capped field of 600 is already more than half filled. details.... Aging up is hard to do. As the the US team arrives in Japan for the ITU Elite World Triathlon Championship this weekend, Sarah Haskins is out on the left coast ready to race in the Los Angeles Triathlon. Had not time marched on, as it inexorably does, she would have been a shoo-in choice for the 23 & Under squad. But, best of luck to her as she goes up against a very tough field yet again that includes the likes of Natasha Filliol, Melanie McQuaid, Nicole DeBoom, Julie Swail, Karen Smyers, Carol Montgomery, and others. A $1000 swim prime and $5000 first place money should provide ample incentive for the field....

Sept 7 Nice job by Ernie Carr who raced in the Mattoon Man Triathlon over the Labor Day weekend and finished 9th overall. The closest competitor in his 55 & Over age group was nearly 35 minutes back. Besides the triathlon, the event staged an aquathon for the non-runners and there was simply no competition for John Kay, literally. He was the lone participant and "won" in 2:11:53.... The UMCA (Ultra Marathon Cycling Association) 24 Hour Championship was held in Le Claire, Iowa over the weekend. Virgil Moehsmer of St Louis finished third with 388 miles and Jeff Weible of Wildwood came in seventh with 353 miles. Congratulations to both cyclists.... Ironman Wisconsin is set for this weekend and thirty-five metro St Louis residents are braced for the 140.6 mile journey of self-discovery. The weather will be on the warm side with sunny and 85 forecast for race day. Good luck to all....

Sept 6 The Trail Shark Off-Road Triathlon took place this past Saturday up near Bloomington, IL. Congratulations to Dan McManemy (1:20:02) of St Louis for his fifth place overall finish. The other metro area male finisher was Scott Boeren (2:01:4) of Troy, Illinois. Over in women's division, Robin Rongey (1:35:20) of Edwardsville finished fourth among fifty-seven female competitors, Laura Boeren (1:50:32) of Troy, Illinois placed twenty-sixth. The Trail Shark Duathlon took center stage at the same venue on the following day and just a handful of athletes stayed for the double. Robin Rongey was glad she did when she placed first among women and tenth overall with her 1:25:07.... The 2005 IronKids Triathlon Series has finally found life, it's financial pulse revived with "bread" from new, additional sponsorship. In what was clearly a case of better late than never, the long-running summer series will depart from its past by being staged between October 23 and December 11. School, weather, and high fuel costs will likely limit participants to the kids in each of the respective six chosen cities: Atlanta, Panama City, Clermont, Austin, San Diego, and Tempe.... Fenton City Park was home to the Flatlanders 12-Hour Run over the weekend. Mike Fitzgerald (68.97 miles) of Missouri and Kimmy Riley (54.20 miles) of Arkansas outdistanced the field in the open division. The 6-Hour Run ended with Paul Schoenlaub (42.28 miles) and Becky Leahy (37.9 miles), both from Missouri, taking the open titles. During the course of the 12 and 6 hour races, participants became intimately familiar with every nuance of the 1.4 mile asphalt path they continuously circled....

Sept 5 The 2005 Boston Triathlon had been billed as a battle between Julie Swail and Barb Lindquist to determine who would win the $5000 prize in the Haul To the Great Wall Series. But there was a minor detail race promoters and the media had overlooked, Sarah Haskins was in the race. A 4th place finish at Boston in 2004 provided her with some course familiarity. Another year on the ITU circuit improved her conditioning as well as succeeded in boosting her confidence in competing at the world-class level. Throw into the mix a high degree of motivation and the results speak for themselves. In her customary position near the front of the swim, Sarah emerged from the water with Julie Swail and Barb Lindquist. Her 20:00 in the 1500m swim positioned her three-seconds behind ex-Olympic swimmer Lindquist and one-second up on ex-Olympic water polo player Swail. The trio had put a sizable gap on the rest of the field as they headed out on the bike. Working together they successfully stayed away from the chase pack, while eventually putting even more time on them. The threesome hammered out a fifty-nine and a half minute 40k ride then hit the run course in unison. No one would get close as they continue to demolish the field. Swail's 35:36 10k run put her just 13 seconds ahead of Sarah at the line, who herself churned out a remarkable 35:46 split. The eventual finishing order was 1-Swail 1:55:11, 2-Haskins 1:55:24, 3-Lindquist 1:55:54, with the next closest competitor nearly two minutes back. Congratulations to Sarah for yet another outstanding performance. Everyone in St Louis should let her know just how proud we are of her. e-mail....

Sept 4 The 2005 Lake St Louis Triathlon witnessed talent-laden competitions in both short and long course races yesterday. Jennifer Meyer (2:20:45) won the women's division in the international distance event and earned the crown of St Louis Area Champion. Kristin Moore (2:21:26) and Elizabeth Fedofsky (2:22:42) rounded out he top three, all three distancing themselves from the rest of the women's field by more than 10 minutes. Meyer is scheduled to participate in ITU Worlds in Honolulu and if her winning form yesterday was any indication, she should place well against a field of the world's best international distance amateur age-groupers. In the men's field, Tom Jackson (2:10:34) led the way by overtaking 2nd place finisher Shawn O'Neal (2:11:37) on the run. Coming in third, Rodney Adkison's (2:12:39) strong running (34:54) was not enough to overcome a swim and bike deficit to Jackson who ripped a 35:13 in the 10k. The handsome trophy for St Louis Champion will make a great addition to Jackson's case and the win will provide a nice send-off as he looks ahead to the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii next month. The short-course race was an anaerobic speedfest for the men. In the male division, eighteen year old Brett Heuring (55:43) snagged the win over Scott Shaw (56:26) and Jason Lind (56:57), while over in the women's race, Mary Sundy (59:44) took the title by ducking under the hour barrier. Margie Martens (1:02:22), who continues to amaze at 47 years young, finished in second place, with Tambra Galarnyk (1:03:40) capturing third.... Yesterday's event brought out the best in many of the participants, not only in terms of performance, but also in the level of concern for their fellow athletes. The following are excerpts from two emails that SBR received last night....

"First, I was amazed at how helpful everyone was. I was laying in the trench with my feet up in the air still attached to my bike and I thought surely I had a broken leg. A guy stopped and got my legs untangled from the bike. Someone else called for help on their cellphone. Another girl, who said she was a nurse, put me through a mini-triage and then I was able to stand up on my own. I don't know who the people were who helped and there is no way for me to thank them. I felt bad that their helpfulness would affect their race - but none of them were concerned. That is overwhelming in itself. If there is someway you could convey my thanks to those folks who helped me out, I would sincerely appreciate it."

"Put in a good word for the two individuals if you can (I didn't get their name or numbers) who stopped in the middle of their races (2 seperate incidents) @ LSL to give me CO2 cartridges and waited to make sure I got back in the race. My evil tire kept losing air, but thanks to those two, I managed to limp home. To me, theirs was the greatest accomplishment that day."

Sept 3 Fulfilling a dream that has been four long years in the making, we are very excited to announce the creation of this magazine and feel that it will dovetail nicely with our other endeavors. Each of our media outlets provides a unique asset. The immediacy of the website is ideal for daily release of time-sensitive information. Its capacity for delivery of audio and video is simply not possible with a paper publication. Also, the web makes easy the publishing of hundreds of full-color, hi-res photos that on paper would be so cost-prohibitive as to make it totally impractical. So of course we'll still welcome your regular cyber visits. The strength of the weekly radio show and podcast is obviously its ability lend voice and personality to the names making the news. The printed word often can't convey voice inflection and emotion in the manner that audio is able. When we look at an article, it's often easy to forget that those are real people. The monthly magazine will be a leisurely read, complete with the added volume and depth traditionally found in such publications. It will be a perfect companion for the stationary bike, your favorite reading chair, or the breakfast table.... We hope you look forward to picking up your copy each and every month. And we ask that, with your business, you support the generous sponsors and advertisers who will make it all possible.... The magazine will contain a variety of articles contributed by your loyal webmaster, regular columnists, and freelance writers. We welcome your letters and e-mail to the editor, value your opinion, and hope to hear your comments, criticisms, and suggestions.... This publication will NOT be a triathlon-only magazine. We intend to appeal to the tens of thousands of metro residents who wear swim goggles, snap on a bicycle helmet, lace up running shoes, or head to the gym in their pursuit of health and fitness. It will indeed be as much about the lifestyle and people as the activities....

Sept 2 With the LSL Triathlon set for tomorrow, we were inspired to dig up archived copies of the LSL community newspaper, Newstime. We've re-posted the coverage of the first LSL Tri from back in 1983. We also found lead-up and post-race articles for the 1987 race. Of particular interest is mention of the carbo dinner guest speaker, some guy named Dave Scott.... Studying the men's long-course entry list and trying to pick a winner may net the same degree of accuracy as the proverbial monkey and a dartboard. Even with a few key names absent, the field is as deep, strong and level as it's been in several years. Picking the top-ten finishers is actually less challenging than trying to determine which athlete will bring home the title of St Louis Area Champion. We know the athletes love it (not), when we single them out as favorites. So in alphabetical order, the top-fifteen men will be: Rodney Adkison, Mike Barro, Beat Bartlome, Tim Battles, John Beyer, Brett Heuring, Jason Lind, Steve Maas, Tim McLeod, Shawn O'Neal, Aron Rauls, Tony Rigdon, Ryan Roth, Brian Schoenholz, and Scott Shaw. If we have to single one man out to put the onus on, we'll go with Tim Battles who's been having a great season, and who will coincidentally be wearing bib #1. But it will be very close. Battles will have to rely on his strong swimming to build as big a cushion as possible, before Shawn O'Neal climbs on his bike, and Adkison and Barro reach the run course. Look for 18 year old Heuring to take advantage of this year's longer swim and run legs to finish top five. Over in the women's division, the top ten in alpha-order will see: Gabrielle Ayres, Elizabeth Fedofsky, Tambra Galarnyk, Amber Mounday, Kristin Moore, Stephanie Petersen, Andrea Robertson, Sarah Sander, Katie Snyder, and Mary Sundy. Wondering who is on form and who has tired legs coming into this event is strictly conjecture. If pressed for picks, we'll say out-of-towner Fedofsky takes the title back to Chicago, Moore is a very close second, and newcomer Sander celebrates a breakthrough race with third.... If you are not entered in the LSL Triathlon and wish to race, you should show up very early tomorrow morning prepared to race, because there is a very good possibility that you can get in. I have the names of several registerered racers who will not make it to the swim start....

Aug 31 The Cannondale bicycle test ride demonstration truck will be at each of the four Gateway Cup venues. Your picture ID gets you atop a new Synapse or other model to check out.... The Midwest Monster Adventure Race is set to return on Saturday, September 17 in Quincy, IL. This is a USARA sanctioned event that will have participants pedaling, pounding, pushing, paddling, prodding, and praying. New for 2005 is the Monster Jr. which is challenging but a little shorter than the main event....

Aug 30 Big Shark Bicycle is offering the three "B's" on Labor Day- Bikes, Bar-B-Q and Beer. Stage four of the Gateway Cup is the University City Criterium and the Shark invites you to help them cheer on the racers near 6672-Washington.... The Lewis and Clark Marathon is just 19 days away. That race and the associated half-marathon will begin and end just outside the St Charles Family Arena. The marathon is a certified Boston Marathon qualifier.... SBR sponsor Mesa Cycles will reprise last year's 12 hour mountain bike race. Burnin' At The Bluff 2 is scheduled for October 8 at Council Bluffs Lake located south of St Louis in the vicinity of Potosi, Mo.... SBR has already put the Sandy Creek Century on the "must do" list of rides for 2006. This 100-miler has garnered the reputation one of the toughest rides in the Midwest. It is distinguished by the 12,000 feet of elevation gain with which it relentlessly punishes the legs. The Steel Legs Century got our attention, but next year we'll compare notes and pass them along.... 2Wheel Tech now has over 60 local rides banked in its Route Saver database. This software is free to use and is definitely worth checking out.... Talk about the daily-double, in mid-August Brad Huff from Springfield won the the men's elite division track individual pursuit National Championship in Los Angeles, then a week later took the elite men's criterium National Championship in Downer's Grove, IL. He'll be participating in the Gateway Cup this weekend.... Mark Gavach (2:39:14) from Boulder, CO and Julie Thomas (3:06:42) from Tulsa, OK won the Ozark Off-Road Challenge. results.... The National Weather Service is projecting a magnificent holiday weekend with sunny days in the mid-80's.... John and Tana Blair performed a good Samaritan act at the Monday night ride last night. After being reduced to walking his bike the last 1.5 miles after flatting without a spare 650c tube, this websmaster's keister was sagged back to his car by the kindly couple. You two rock.... Some US citizens at Ironman Canada were a little shell-shocked when they filled their vehicles in Penticton for the drive back to the airports in Washington state. The $112.9 CAN they paid per liter of gasoline equated to $3.90 US per gallon....

Aug 29 Very nice work goes to Brad Werner who competed at Ironman Canada yesterday up in beautiful Penticton, British Columbia. The cold water of Okanagan Lake must have suited him well as he clocked the 25th best swim split in the field with a great 53:43. His 11:54:47 finish placed him 552 OA and 108/310 in the M35-39 on a challenging course.... The great weather and an off-weekend for the Missouri Regional Tri Series combined to produce a nice turnout at yesterday's LSL practice day. SBR took on the international distance course and gives it two thumbs up. Its degree of difficulty won't leave participants short-changed. Of particular note is the bike route. The backside loop, comprised by Mexico Road, Guthrie, Kersting, and Josephville Road, offers some extremely smooth pavement on which you can pad your average and build momentum to take the rollers. The run course is more challenging than last year's route, given its extra 1.2 miles and a couple of additional hills. Best of luck to everyone racing out there next weekend. It should be a great time.... The 2005 Chicago Triathlon is in the books. Hamish Carter (1:49:55) and Becky Lavelle (2:02:08) were the pro field champs. 2005 Race For Sight Triathlon winner, Trent Tollakson, hammered out the fastest bike split of the day, getting through the 40k ride in 55:08. A number of Metro area triathletes took part in the race and results are posted. You will need first name, last name, or bib number to retrieve data. Results....

Aug 28 Registration for ITU Worlds in Hawaii promptly ended yesterday. Any fears that the team would be ridiculously large proved to be greatly exaggerated. While the team is indeed larger than normal, the decision to make slots at Worlds available to anyone who had picked up their packet at the canceled National Championship looks now to be a stroke of genius. Metro area athletes officially on their way to Honolulu are: Marty Evers, Mark Gowler, Mary Blandford, Mary Sundy, Jan De Weer, Dana Berkbuegler, Jennifer Meyer, Patrick McCreary, and Bob Patterson. We wish the best of luck to all of these talented athletes.... The Lake St Louis Triathlon still needs additional volunteers. If you or anyone you know are able to be one of the nearly 200 volunteers required to run this event, please contact Robin at 636-561-4620.... Missouri Regional Triathlon Series standings have been updated through the Alligator Creek Triathlon....

Aug 27 Registration for ITU Worlds in Hawaii promptly ended yesterday. Any fears that the team would be ridiculously large proved to be greatly exaggerated. While the team is indeed larger than normal, the decision to make slots at Worlds available to anyone who had picked up their packet at the canceled National Championship looks now to be a stroke of genius. Metro area athletes officially on their way to Honolulu are: Marty Evers, Mark Gowler, Mary Blandford, Mary Sundy, Jan De Weer, Dana Berkbuegler, Jennifer Meyer, Patrick McCreary, and Bob Patterson. We wish the best of luck to all of these talented athletes....

Aug 26 It may be nicknamed Second City, but when it comes to staging the world's largest triathlon, Chicago is numero uno. With 7,500 entries and an estimated 100,000 spectators, this weekend's Chicago Triathlon still lays claim to the title of biggest. The logistics of the post race party alone would be enough to send most race directors packing, but the more the merrier for CAPRI Events. A number of St Louis Metro triathletes will make the trip, but unfortunately we can't pull a list of Missouri entrants from the confirmation page. Good luck anyway to all local triathletes participating in this massive event, whoever you may be.... Brad Werner is the only Missouri resident registered for Ironman Canada this weekend. Best of luck in what is a great event staged in beautiful British Columbia.... A quick look at the Ironman Wisconsin website reveals that thirty-four area triathletes are set to participate. One interesting observation about the IM Wisc bike course is the fact that it offers, as best as we can count, 100 turns within its 112 miles. On the plus side, at least it's not 100 hills.... Talk about cross-training, former Southwest Missouri State basketball standout Jackie Stiles will be competing in the Labor Day weekend Gateway Cup. She brings the same competitive spirit to cycling that trademarked her basketball career....

Aug 25 Registration is open for the 2006 Spirit of St Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend. That also includes the half-marathon, 5k, mature mile, and fun runs. website.... When do we change our clocks from daylight saving time you ask? Well bunky, not until 2am on October 30, some two long months from now....

Perspective - A glance at the calendar reminds me that we are once again approaching an annual transitional phase. The event-laden, three-month stretch between Memorial Day and Labor Day is nearly behind us. This big, calendar sweet spot that brought us the outdoor swim season, a host of weekly training rides and runs, longer days, trimmer waistlines, and more races than we've got money to enter, is about to bid us adieu. In its place will be indoor pools, marathons, centuries, exquisite autumn days, and evening training sessions spent chasing the setting sun. It's only natural to feel a tinge of depression when we look back in wonderment at how the summer evaporated behind us like so many drops of sweat falling to the hot pavement. Sure, who wouldn't like those days to last forever? But one thing about life that has never changed is the fact that things always change. Accepting that ultimate irony goes a long way towards helping us learn from the past, live in the present, and embrace the future. I suppose it's kind of like doing your favorite race. You remember last year's effort, leave nothing on the course this year, then look to improve again next season. So forgive me if the looming Labor Day weekend makes me wax philosophical, but hey five decades can do that to a guy....

Aug 24 At the Great Buckeye Challenge, Edgar Breda (5:03:32.91) managed an 18th OA and 3/14 AG finish in the half-iron distance triathlon, and Chris Arnold (5:11:42.01) finished 22nd among age-groupers in the long course duathlon (5.5mile run- 56 mile bike- 13.1 mile run) Very nice work by both athletes.... The Lake St Louis Triathlon women's field will include Elizabeth Fedofsky of Naperville, IL who just finished 2nd in a time of 4:56:34 at the USAT National Age Group Long Course Triathlon Championship in Arkadelphia, Arkansas over the weekend. The format was 1.2-mile swim- 56-mile bike- 13.1-mile run.... The Lottery application process is open for the 2006 Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. The St Louis metro seems to have been on a bit of a roll as the name of an individual from the area has been drawn for several years in a row now. The deadline is Feb 28. Good luck....

Aug 23 The Monday night training ride from Mueller Rd soccer park in St Charles saw an extraordinarily large number of cyclists last night. Without performing an exact headcount, a coinciding MS150 training ride swelled the crowd to very near triple digits.... Attendance at this past Sunday's LSL practice day was good but somewhat diminshed, as expected, by the concurrent Allig. Ck Triathlon. However, look for next Sunday's session to draw a significant number of participants.... Monday's site traffic was very heavy, thus SBR may have seemed sluggish for even those visitors with broadband. This was a result of the high volume of visitors requesting large files, namely the Alligator Creek video and our podcast. That was our bad by putting both on the site in the same day. Page and file load times will no doubt speed up as we move through the week so thanks for your patience.... Beyond download times, if any site visitors experience problems simply playing the Windows Media Video or Audio files, please let us know.... The upcoming weekend's events will be highlighted in tomorrow's update. Also, on Wednesday, the Missouri Regional Triathlon Series standings will include last weekend's points.... Triathletes accepting their invitations to attend ITU Worlds in Hawaii must have their paperwork submitted to USAT by 1pm Central this Friday, Aug 26. Team USA for 2005 will no doubt be inflated by virtue of the events that transpired at Nationals. Many triathletes are taking advantage of what may be a once in a lifetime opportunity to race in a world championship event, and well they should. The unique experience is one to remember for a lifetime. With that in mind, the ITU will only record the times of the top eighteen U.S. finishers in each age group. Within those groups, only the top ten who were not already qualified for Worlds (from 2004 Nationals), will earn the designation of official Team USA members. While that may not be important to some, it does confer an automatic qualification status for all future National Championships and will entitles those athletes to the full team kit.... The Pigman Triathlon attracted several metro area athletes to its long course race (1.2-56-13.1) over the weekend. Nice work to: Jay Orr who was 1st in the M30-34 age group race bracket and had the 7th fastest run with a 1:24:52, Rich Wierzba who turned in the 5th fastest bike split 2:17:30 (24.4mph). and to everyone completing the event. Result: 11-Rick Mann 4:29:28 Bethalto, IL, 16-Rich Wierzba 4:36:20 St Louis, 20-Jay Orr 4:38:21 St Louis, 90-Kevin Nashan 5:14:13 St Louis, 169-Jess Davidson 5:37:45 Edwardsville, IL 270-Bill Rudden 6:08:31 St Louis, 333-Todd Server 6:40:05 Wood River. As an interesting side note, 88 racers preferred to disqualify themselves from awards by wearing their wetsuit.... The inaugural Best of the US Triathlon sought to offer the American triathlon world an intriguing format. First they designated a qualifying race for each state and then invited the top male and female finishers in those events to advance to a championship race. Ideally the finals would field 100, comprised of 50 each of the top male and female sprint distance triathletes in the nation. Being scheduled right on the heels of USAT Age Group Nationals may have accounted for the race drawing 68 of the 100 invited triathletes to Guilford, New Hampshire. Kristin Moore was the sole Missouri representative, finishing 17 among 33 very tough women competitors. Very nice work.... The Timberman Half Ironman was also part of the Triathlon Festival in Guilford. Local finishers were as follows: 751-Seiichi Noda 6:14:48 St Louis, 964-William Cragg 6:44:18 St Louis, 1108-Ronnie McCracken 7:22:40 St Peters, 1178-Jeffery Haas 8:16:13 Kirkwood....

Aug 22 The Alligator Creek Triathlon drew a full field of triathletes to O'Fallon, Mo for a morning of racing. For most, the 300-yard swim passed quickly and the 18-mile bike wasn't ominous. But if this gator bit back, it was definitely on the run course. A short, but very hilly run left any vertically-challenged runners in the race licking their wounds. Largely unaffected by the terrain, Shawn O'Neal took another step forward in his quest for the Missouri Regional Tri Series by winning the event in 1:12:02, nearly two-minutes up on the very competitive Matt Brier (1:13:51) and more than two-and-a-half up on the always tough Ryan Roth (1:4:38). O'Neal again employed what has been a successful formula for him this season- win it on the bike. His 18-mile, 47:05 bike split provided enough cushion to withstand Brier's amazing 6:01 run pace through the nearby subdivision hills. Over in the women's division, things were equally interesting but in a much different way. When the results were posted, it was learned that Mary Sundy (1:24:22) and Helen Alexander-Kratz (1:24:23) were separated by a single second. Kratz's race may have actually started late Saturday evening when the tire on one of her brand new HED 3 wheels unexpectedly blew. She raced with just one aero wheel and no doubt missed some benefit. Sundy has demonstrated steady consistency over the past two seasons, finishing at or near the top of nearly every local triathlon she's entered. Sara Nelson came across the line in third place with an even 1:26:00. Complete results are available here....

Aug 21Congratulations to Nate Smith of Columbia who won the USAT National Long Course Championship. By capturing the title yesterday in the Iron Mountain Man Half at DeGray Lake, Arkansas, Nate qualified in the top slot for the 2006 ITU Long Course World Championship in Canberra, Australia. Great work.... The next points race in the Missouri Regional Triathlon Series is set for this morning as the sold out Alligator Creek Triathlon gets underway at 7am.... A look at SBR's web usage statistics provides a good indication of what our readers like The Quartermax video is nearing 1000 downloads and the Wood River Triathlon video is well over 500 downloads and still climbing. Holy Spielberg!! Consequently, SBR will have plenty of photos from Alligator Creek for you in video format on Monday's update.... The Run For the Payoff yesterday saw Mike Nelson (17:29) win the qualifying 5k by 41 seconds over Michael Aitken (18:11), but in the following one-mile payoff run, Nelson (4:51) just managed to hold off Aitken by one long second.... The eternally young and legendary Ned Overend finished 4th at the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb yesterday in New Hampshire. The non-sanctioned race was won by Tyler Hamilton in 51:11, but for out money it was the 50 year old Overend (5:21) who stole the show in a race 7.6 mile which gained 4700 feet of altitude at an average grade of 12 percent. And by the way, the crosswinds and headwinds were gusting up to 40 mph.... The Moonlight Ramble took place last night (this morning) and drew it's customary 10,000 cyclists for a ride through city streets.... SBR's interview with Mark Livesay, after the USAT Nationals rainout, was published by Tri Newbies yesterday.... Results for the St Louis Kids Triathlon. Very nice work by all who participated in the event and by the staff who created it. The triathlon was developed and organized by Theresa Eppert, PE Teacher at SMS and Michael Holohan, Studio Arts Teacher at SMS.... The Lake St Louis Triathlon is marked for the practice session on Sunday. In addition, maps will be available to all who participate and the course will be posted on a display board for everyone to review prior to the race. Race packets will be available at City Hall on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 30 & 31, for 8:30 am to 5 pm and again on Thursday and Friday, September 1 & 2, from 8:30 am to 8 pm. On race day, racers can get them between the hours of 5:30 and 7am at the starting area....

Aug 19 SBR has recently reached a sponsorship agreement with NutriFormance Through their three facilities (Chesterfield, Frontenac, and Clayton) NutriFormance addresses their clients needs with nutrition counseling, therapy, and performance conditioning. SBR thanks them for their decision to support our site. We also look forward to Jaime Marcy, a Registered Dietitian on the NutriFormance staff, providing a monthly sports nutrition column on SBR as well as answering reader questions.... The JCC in Chesterfield has already set aside Sunday, February 12 for their 2nd Annual Indoor Triathlon. Of course that 2006 event is still some six months away, but anyone with questions may contact Phil Ruben by phone 314-442-3279 or email pruben@jccstl.org. There's a good chance you can get in the 7am heat if you register today.... When Wayne rants, Modot listens, at least that's our conclusion after Wayne's Words called them out not long ago for the hazardous condition of Clayton Road. A visit to the Missouri Department of Transportation website revealed a $15 million Clayton Road improvement project scheduled for the spring of 2006. The stretch of Clayton between Baxter and Clarkson will receive a new asphalt overlay, a center turn lane for cars, sidewalks, and most importantly five foot wide bike lanes in both directions. picture The popular east-west cycling corridor has recently received the asphalt treatment from Ballas Road all the way out to Hwy 141, but paint crews have yet to spray the lane lines....

Aug 18 USA Triathlon ended the hand-wringing and solved its ITU World Championship dilemma in unprecedented fashion, but then again last weekend's qualifying race had already tread new ground (mud). It was announced that every athlete who picked up his or her packet at Nationals would be eligible to participate at the World Championships in Honolulu, Hawaii on October 9. The prevailing logic is that, generally, the athletes who went to Smithville with the intention of snaring Team USA slots will be the ones to take the $3000 trip anyway. But for many this is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity, and speaking from experience, we say go if you can.... In an open letter to triathlon age groupers, 35 year old ex-pro Steve Larsen offers a look at life and racing from his shoes. It's doubtful that his discourse will placate the M35-39 age groupers who can point at the remarkable Karen Smyers still racing pro at 43 years of age and delivering a 4th women's place finish at IM Lake Placid.... Good luck to those metro area triathletes heading up to Palo, Iowa this weekend for the Pigman Long Course Triathlon....

Aug 17 The first Lake St Louis Triathlon took place in the summer of 1983. Here's a copy of the Newstime article that recapped the day.... The popularity of web logs (blogs) continues to rise as more and more people discover them as a means of personal expression. Like the people who create them, they come in many flavors. The following blogs provide outside links to SBR....

http://activeness.blogspot.com/	http://multisport.battles.cc/
http://www.jasonchambers.com/	http://georgeschweitzer.blogspot.com/

The Missouri Regional Triathlon Series standings have been updated through the Wood River Triathlon. As everyone is unfortunately aware of, the Babler Beast was canceled which now reduces our series to fourteen races. This upcoming weekend's Alligator Creek Triathlon staged out in O'Fallon, Missouri will be the next opportunity for competitors to score points in the overall and age-group brackets. Beyond that event, Labor Day weekend brings the annual return of the Lake St Louis Triathlon. The international distance race will crown the male and female overall winners as the 2005 St Louis Area Triathlon Champions. Remember, this title is distinct from the Missouri Regional Triathlon Series Championship....

Aug 16 SBR welcomes Dogfish Custom Graphic Apparel as its newest website sponsor. John Merli is a big supporter of local cycling. As with all of the companies who back SBR's efforts, we encourage readers to send business to Dogfish. The company is currently at work on designs for some sharp looking SwimBikeRunStLouis long sleeve T-shirts, hoodies, and short sleeve T's. These items will be offered from an SBR online store as a means site support, and to provide our readers with a unique opportunity to display their stylish sense of fashion....

Perspective -The cancellation of National Age Group Championships was clearly another tough chapter in the ongoing saga of USA Triathlon, and the post-nonevent debate seems destined to die a slow death. No one was happy with the gut-wrenching decision to pull the plug on the race, least of all the people straddled with the burden of making it. The cheap, hindsight potshots being taken by some disgruntled athletes at Race Director Mark Livesay, USAT Executive Director Skip Gilbert, and USAT Board President Brad Davison, add nothing positive to an already difficult situation. Any characterization of USAT officials as robber barons is as completely irresponsible as it is patently absurd. Those demanding race entry refunds are at minimum, naive. We'd like to see the details of their last bad investment that was granted a hearty refund. Chest thumpers who claim to have trained in worse storms should probably ensure that their life insurance policies are in good standing, or renew their health club memberships. Granted, this writer didn't throw a thousand or more hard-earned greenbacks at the race, didn't suffer the frustration of an entire season's focus getting washed away with the torrents of rain runoff, or didn't endure double-digit hours behind a steering wheel to arrive in Smithville then suffer through what surely must have seemed an even longer return trip home. By the same token, this writer didn't spend months wrestling with a thousand behind-the-scenes race-related details, wasn't confronted with staging a prestigious national championship in unthinkable conditions, or didn't face making a decision, the result of which was sure to elicit 1250 highly charged emotional reactions. But in a small way I can empathize. I experienced the brunt of that violent storm cell's pass through metro St Louis when I arrived at the site of a small local race Sunday morning only to find a handwritten placard informing me of its cancellation. I can still recall my helpless frustration and disappointment upon seeing it, and in turn, I can only imagine the sheer depth of that hollow feeling in the souls of everyone associated with Age Group Nationals. I won't trivialize the ill-fated Championship with "it could have been worse" allusions to the Tsunami, 9/11, or the Iraq War. Yet, while it's a lifestyle for many, it's just sport for most. Look at the bright side, the chances are that if you were actually there, and if it hadn't stormed, you probably wouldn't have come away with such a totally surreal, completely unbelievable, and utterly compelling story to re-tell for the rest of your life....

Aug 15 Severe weekend weather played havoc with races throughout the Midwest. The Effingham Mid-August Meltdown more closely resembled a splashdown as standing water (and debris) on the bike course resulted in the event being changed from an International distance triathlon to an aquathon. Tim Battles (St Louis) led swimmers out of the water, blazed through T1, then stamped an exclamation point on the race with the fastest run split of the day. His 53:14 finish put 5:27 on second place. Mike Heiy (Belleville) took third in 59:28. Other finishers included: Bret Laxton (Edwardsville) 1:03:40, Matt Virgil (Webster Groves) 1:04:47, Bill Borom (St Charles) 1:19:22.... The Effingham sprint distance triathlon likewise eliminated the bike leg. Metro area finishers were: 14- Bob Wingo (Collinsville) 27:03, 34-NIcole Smith (Creve Coeur) 31:25, 62-Rick Bender (Chesterfield) 36:22, 63-Danny Elchert (O'Fallon, IL) 36:40, 67-Katie Hodgson (O'Fallon, IL) 37:47, 71-Dawn Stegall (Granite City) 40:11, 85-David Cruzan (St Louis) 45:59, 89-Joe Goldberg (St Louis) 52:10, and 90-Jeremy Deutsch (St Louis) 1:09:30.... The Big Creek Triathlon up near Polk City, Iowa managed to go off as scheduled. Matt Shaw (St Louis) 3:00:25 and Monika Kleban (St Louis) 3:00:48 made the finish line in this International distance race.... Both technical and human issues in the first two weeks of SBRStL Radio have gotten the podcast off to a very rocky start. It's kind of like getting your goggles knocked off during the swim, there is frustration but ultimately you overcome it. We did get some good news yesterday when Peter Reid gladly agreed to a phone interview the week after the Timberman Triathlon, so be looking for that in the near future.... The Missouri Regional Triathlon Series standings will include the points for the Wood River Tri on tomorrow's update.... SBR will be announcing a new site sponsor just as soon as they finalize a few business details on their end of things.... SBR is already busy formulating an indoor tri series for the Winter of 2005-06. At this point it's looking like the indoor events at the Wildwood YMCA, West County YMCA, and the Chesterfield JCCA will comprise it. Whether additional races crop up remains to be seen, but we're exploring the possibilities....

Aug 12 Babler Beast Triathlon was cancelled due to weather.... Just when we thought that USA Triathlon was finally sailing for calm waters, the sport's national sanctioning organization had to weather another storm, figuratively and literally. After the USAT endured internal squabbles, power plays, key resignations, election improprieties, rifts with ITU, USOC, and the M-dot folks, the organization appointed Skip Gilbert as Executive Director to lead them towards an era of continued growth, continuity, and no controversy. Unfortunately he had to make a very tough call to cancel Age Group Nationals yesterday. Many may question his decision, asking why the race couldn't have been staged later in the day when the storms subsided. It was a complex combination of several factors that led to foregoing the race altogether. Wet roads, lightning, flight scheduling, hotel reservations, volunteers, police, and park rangers were among the issues that weighed into what was most likely a very reluctant decision. A selection process for Team USA will have to be instituted and that will undoubtedly stir debate among many athletes.... While raceday frustration gripped Kansas City, St Louis awoke to a morning window of clear weather which enabled the Wood River Tri, the St Louis Kids Tri, and the Triumphant Kids Tri to take place as scheduled.... The Wood River Triathlon may have lost a few entrants who opted instead for the Babler Beast held the following day, but as circumstances would have it, WR also picked up a couple of unlikely registrations. Kansas City resident, Mark Carey, did what could be called an "oh, by the way" race while in town visiting. Carey, in the midst of his training for Ironman Hawaii, still retained enough speed to manage a win in 1:00:32. Typically strong on the bike, 2004 winner Shawn O'Neal was hampered for two of the six laps by a flat and finished 1:28 back in 1:02:00. Roger Willis put a nagging foot injury behind him and finished in third position with a 1:02:45. The women's division saw the always competitive Stephanie Petersen (1:10:07) take a win over Katie Snyder (1:12:23) and Rebecca Havens (1:13:46) complete results....

Aug 11 The Missouri Regional Triathlon Series seems to have ignited competitive fires in the bellies of many local triathletes and that's a very good thing. For a race director, it might help fill their event. For the athletes, it tends to bring out the best in one another. This weekend's daily double of Wood River and the Babler Beast has the potential of putting just three age group bracket titles snugly in the pockets of their points leaders. Curtis Brooks, Kristin Moore and Tanya Crews have significant though not insurmountable leads in their respective age group categories, but another six points could make catching them a long shot at best through the remainder of the season. Additionally, Moore's successes this season have put her in firm control of the overall series women's title, a crown that looks to be hers to lose. All the remaining age groups are still highly contested affairs. Whether the next two days becomes a swing weekend remains to be seen, but it should be fun and that's what it's all about....

Aug 10 SBR submitted the following letter for publication in the Village Views which is the weekly newsletter for residents of Innsbrook Resort. We know that sentiment among the athletes is unanimous, plus it was something that needed to be done. So, voila. - "An open letter to the residents of Innsbrook Resort: The metro St Louis triathlon community would like to take a moment and express our gratitude for your patience and consideration while we trained and raced this year at your magnificent venue. No doubt that it was to some degree an imposition upon you. We hope that you were inspired, entertained, or in some way positively affected by our energetic presence. The athletes took every measure to ensure that they did not despoil the property while respecting your rights. Again, we appreciate the contribution you've made to our sport by virtue of the generous access you've granted us to your natural resources. Regards and good health- The St Louis Metro Triathlon Community".... The heat returns with high ninties today and a triple digit thermometer reading tomorrow. Be sure to take the necessary precautions when training.... Thanks to Aron, Katie, Gary, Tanya, and Tony for letting SBR be a part of their Babler Park training session yesterday. Max descent velocity was 47.9 mph without cranking the approach.... Our web host has experienced numerous overnight server crashes in the past two weeks. When these occur, they force us to wait until 8:30am to update SBR. We know that the "Page can not be displayed" error messages are frustrating to you early morning surfers, but it is beyond our control....

Perspective - The much-beleaguered Rutker Beke has been exonerated from charges of taking the banned performance-enhancing substance Erythropoietin (EPO). His 2004 Ironman World Championship 5th place finish has been finalized which at last closes the book on that race. He and his defense team successfully convinced officials that the urine-based EPO test administered following the Knokke Triathlon had produced a false positive due to bacterial contamination, while pointing out the inherent inability of the test to distinguish between the synthetic version of the hormone and Beke’s alleged unusually high level of endogenous EPO (naturally produced). The whole scenario raises a few interesting questions. 1) Anyone who has followed baseball's drug saga of late can't help but be jaded by Raphael Palmerio, who before a Senate subcommittee, passionately and convincingly testified that he never used steroids, only to subsequently test positive. The presence of steroids in his system was undeniable and his defense will ask a dubious public to believe that he unwittingly took them. The relationship to this case is that if a multimillionaire Hall of Fame candidate with everything to lose is willing to accept such huge risk, imagine the throes of temptation facing an Ironman triathlete looking for a career-building and financially successful day in Kona. 2) The validity of Beke's claim of excessive natural production of Erythropoietin may be put in question at some future date. What if the same tests, heretofore, all result in negative readings? Are we to accept the one positive as simply an anomaly? Shouldn't today's test be positive, and tomorrow's, and the day after? 3) And what of the other athletes? Do Norman Stadler, Peter Reid, Faris Al-Sultan, and Alex Taubert all owe their Kona finishes to kidneys that produce abnormally high levels of EPO? It's not bloody likely. 4) The claim of test sample contamination smacks of an all-purpose back-up defense. So which is it, an hyperactive kidney or contamination? Oh, it's both.... On the face of it, one has to admire Nina Kraft for saying, I did it, no excuses, I'm sorry. On the other hand, what if Beke really is an innocent victim of circumstances. One aspect of 21st century living is that nearly anything seems possible these days....

Aug 9 A group of local triathletes continues to ready themselves for the the Chicago Triathlon held Aug 26-28. During this weekend of events, they'll join more than 7600 other athletes to form the largest triathlon in the world. Besides the international distance race, there is a super sprint triathlon as well as a kids triathlon. This year, elite age groupers will race head to head with the professionals. The event will attempt to track and make available online each athlete's splits in real time.... Bridgework over the Riverfront Trail in downtown St Louis should be complete for next Tuesday night's Bicycle Fun Club ride. Construction has stalled the weekly get together for over a month.... The Illinois Valley Relay is scheduled for October 22. Teams of six runners will pass the baton over the course of 62 miles. Each team member will contribute three 5k (approx.) efforts. website.... The Ironkids website still steadfastly asserts that a final 2005 race schedule will be released. A glance at the calendar already shows us August 10 with the window of available time quickly closing....

Aug 8 Congratulations to St Louis metro area finishers at the Whirlpool Steehead Half Ironman Triathlon up in Michigan over last weekend. They were: 108-William Grebenc 4/20 5:14:40, 118-Brad Culberson 12/33 5:17:07, 293-Andrew Eaton 6/14 (Cly) 5:51:01, 301-Beth Gorman 12/28 5:52:49, and 391-Cheryl Anderson 3/8 6:14:15.... USA Triathlon has opened the application process for triathletes who are interested in becoming a member of its 2006 Emerging Athlete Program. This is geared for 23 & Under triathletes. Its focus is to prepare them to compete in ITU style (draft legal) triathlon events (1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run). The short-term option provides training camps of up to eight weeks at the USOC training center facilities along with personal coaching. The long term option provides athletes with housing, meals, USOC training facilities, sports medicine, and individualized training and coaching. Eligibility requirements and application process details available in PDF.... It seems SBR got careless with the old copy and paste routine on our Regional Multisport page, the result of which was our showing the Millstadt Biathlon as a run-bike-run event. They subsequently received numerous phone calls inquiring about the purported format change. Oops...our bad. It's still a five mile run / twenty-two mile bike, in that sequence.... SBR will attend Age Group Nationals this Saturday instead of the Wood River Triathlon. So, If any digital photographers will have images from W.R. they'd like me to post to the website gallery-style or compose a race video, please let me know....

Aug 7 The Flat Five drew a field of 220 runners over the weekend to the St Charles riverfront area to run what were of course five, flat miles. Brian Roggeveen of St Peters held a 5:23 pace and took the men's title in 26:55 while Melinda Stock, also from St Peters, dispelled any premature notion of slacking off in her 38th year by winning the women's division in 31:33. complete results.... Metro KC area will be hopping next weekend as the Tour of Kansas City brings cyclists from all over the Midwest to battle for a piece of over $10,000 in cash prizes. This is in addition to the thousands of athletes, family, and friends converging on the USA-Triathlon National Age Group Championships in Metro KC this Saturday.... The women's elite results from yesterday's Healthy Start Foundation Triathlon in Bellingham, Washington were: 1. Becky Lavelle (Los Gatos, Calif.) 2:07:55; 2. Barb Lindquist (Alta, Wyo.) 2:08:22; 3. Laura Bennett (North Palm Beach, Fla.) 2:09:12; 4. Jasmine Oeinck (Littleton, Colo.) 2:09:20; 5. Susan Williams (Littleton, Colo.) 2:10:01; 6. Julie Swail (Irvine, Calif.) 2:11:16; 7. Tara Ross (Canada) 2:11:19; 8. Sarah Haskins (St. Louis, Mo.) 2:13:00; 9. Jessi Stensland (San Diego, Calif.) 2:15:01; 10. Patrice Wolfensberger (Knoxville, Tenn.) 2:17:09.... Metro St Louis triathletes look ahead to next weekend with varying gameplans. Some will head to KC and go up against the best amateur international distance triathletes in the nation. Most will stay home in St Loo and do battle at either the Wood River Triathlon on Saturday or the Babler Beast on Sunday. A small but ambitious group will attempt the double next weekend by doing both local races. Still others, chiefly newcomers to the sport, will have a go at the Tour de Kirkwood Tri. We'll have a complete preview of the upcoming weekend's events on Wednesday's update.... Don't forget that the Lake St Louis training days are scheduled for the small lake on the Sunday, August 21 and Sunday, August 28, 7am - 10am.... Online registration for the 2006 Spirit of St Louis Marathon just opened on August 1. A web update is scheduled for Aug 20....

Aug 6 Best of luck all of the local athletes racing at the Hotter Than Hell Triathlon over in Kansas City today. This is a 1.2M-56M-13.1M event.... At Saturday's Devils's Du Duathlon up in KC, Austin Jackson (1:28:14) and Suzie Scheer (1:51:02) came away with the titles in the long course race. Tom Hackett (50:32) and Frances Fields (56:14) were the champs in the short course.... Yesterday's Steel Leg Century drew a crowd of over fifty bravehearts who took up the hilly challenge. Very nice work to all who finished this difficult ride. Weather conditons were nearly ideal with overcast skies prevailing virtually all morning. Some of us were kissed with a cooling sprinkle of rain. SBR can't wait for next year to go at it again.... How much do you know about dietary minerals? Hopefully, more than us. Take an eight question online quiz to test your knowledge....

Aug 5 The biggest news in the M-dot universe is the recent additon of Ironman China to their 2006 race calendar. Part of the mystique has long revolved around staging these races in exotic and/or vacation destinations. This event should provide an off the chart reading on the exotimeter. Race registration is already open. website.... SBR will be head out on two wheels early this morning from Ghisallo Sports along with the rest of the peloton in the Steel Legs Century. We'll have plenty of Hammer Gel and Endurolytes to hand out if needed. Hope to see you there.... Congratulations to John Strassner (6:04:18), Mike Pepper (6:04:22), Tommy Rosenthal (6:29:58), Bob Denlow (7:21:53), Lynn Bouvette (n/a), and Beth Moeller Vacarro (n/a), all of whom completed their first half iron-distance race at Vineman last weekend. SBR tips a glass of California merlot to your efforts. Nice work....

Aug 4 The USA Triathlon National Age Group Championship is the final qualifying race for the ITU Age Group World Championship held in Honolulu, Hawaii on Oct 8-9. The top ten finishers in each age bracket will earn slots for Team USA which will be presented at the awards banquet that Saturday evening. One of the perks of making Team USA is the automatic qualifying status it confers on members for future National Championships. SBR has also very pleasantly learned that former deputy-director of USA Triathlon, Tim Yount, will be performing the race announcing duties at Smithville. Practically no one was closer to the athletes. He was present every season at Nationals and accompanied them to World Championships for many years.... The Mississippi Mile over the Chain of Rocks Bridge was won by 18 year old Charlie Samson (4:48). Eileen Petito (5:37) took the lady's crown. The male and female open heats held just fourteen participants each.... Good luck to local cyclists competing in UMCA 24 Hour Championship. The event will be held in LeClaire, Iowa near the Quad Cities over Labor Day Weekend. James Mercer of Manchester, Jeff Weible of Wildwood, Virgil Moehsmer of St Louis will compete in the 24-hour challenge and Steven Somgye of Manchester will ride in the 12-hour event....

Aug 3 The Mud Mountain 5k Cross Country Classic gets underway at 6:30pm tonight on the campus of SIU-Edwardsville. The race utilizes the school's outstanding cross country course. Get there early for a great weeknight race. For complete details visit the event website.... Teams of runners set out Tuesday from Memphis with their sights set for Peoria, some 465 miles away. This is the 24th staging of the St Jude Memphis to Peoria Run, an annual fund raiser that has raised more than $10 million for St Judes Hospital.... The Lake St Louis training days are scheduled for the small lake on the consecutive Sundays of August 21 and August 28, from 7am until 10am. These sessions are extremely well attended. They will provide an open water swim opportunity and a preview of the race course.... The Ozark Off Road Challenge changed dates but is now definitely set for August 28 at Lake State Park in the Lake of the Ozarks. Check out the details on this Xterra event.... The USAT National Age Group Championship race has filled to capacity. On August 13, more than 1250 triathletes from virtually every state in the US will descend upon Smithville Lake just north of the Kansas City airport. While this promises to be a very exciting and competitive race, it may be the last time in a long while that Missouri is privileged to host Nationals. Therefore, it is incumbent upon our state to make an extraordinary and lasting impression upon USAT officials, members of the media, and the eyes of the nation. Ultramax Events is producing that weekend's activities and we're confident of the good job they'll perform. However, more volunteers are needed to help make this event happen. This is your chance to give back to Umax. for all they've done for the metro St Louis tri community and get up close and personal with many of the best conditioned athletes in the country, bar none....

Aug 2 The USAT National Age Group Championship course profile reveals a single looped bike route with 1600 feet of climbing over its forty kilometer length and a single-loop run that offers 410 feet of climbing through ten kilometers. The CompuTrainer file for the bike course is available for download as well as the current participants list. Link.... Congratulations to the local triathletes who completed the Half Vineman out in California over the weekend. The limited functionality of the race results simply makes wading through more than twenty-five pages of results to find you guys too labor intensive. Speaking of the Half Vineman results, what's up with ex-pro Steve Larsen retro-racing as an amateur age-grouper now? Isn't that analogous to Albert Pujols joining a slow pitch softball league?.... SBR site sponsor, Javelin Cycles, saw two athletes in its stable take his and hers titles at the Boulder Peak Triathlon. Simon Lessing and Amanda Lovato both rode Borolo framesets to victory. Lest anyone doubt Lessing's conditioning, he maintained a 5:16 pace for the 10k run after a twenty-minute 1500m swim and one-hour ride on the 42k route with its tough 15% climb. Congratulations to Ryan Coleman (3:07:19) of St Louis who was the sole local racer.... The effect of a post-Quartermax Monday and 22MB video put a quite strain on our host's server yesterday. The digital pipeline got clogged, consequently, you most probably experienced sluggish page load and a slow video download. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope to take steps to remedy that situation in the future.... The SBR web usage for July (12,711 vistors) didn't match our June (14,377 visitors) record, but last month still found the site in excellent aerobic shape and on course for a banner year.... The Missouri Regional Tri Series standings update will be posted tomorrow along with a look at the upcoming weekend's events....

Aug 1 The 2005 Quartermax Triathlon is officially in the books. Ted Zderic (2:05:31) and Kristin Moore (2:20:21) came away as the newly crowned champions. While not as gruelling as Halfmax, one lap through both the bike and run course was certainly enough at the higher tempo and with the thermometer hovering near ninety. Just ask anyone who competed. Congratulations to the age bracket winners and to everyone who found the finish line.... REI on Brentwood Blvd is offering a Rock Climbing Clinic that covers harness fit and equipment selection, recognizing wear and tear on gear, safety, and technique. 7pm tonight....

July 29 Our deepest condolences go out to the Katz family. Michael Katz, 65, was recently struck and killed by a truck while riding his recumbent bike. The accident occurred at 6am on Olive St Road in Creve Coeur last Monday.... The USAT Age Group National Championships are just around the corner on August 13. If you've qualified and not registered, you'll be missing one of the most exciting triathlons you can hope to attend and an event that should be a part of your racing résumé. information.... Our Haskins watch reveals that Sarah's ITU points position is 47th in the world among 350 ranked female triathletes. This is with virtually no 2004 points carry-over which is an element of the ranking system. Good luck to her in Toronto this weekend at the Caledon Pan American Cup Triathlon.... In two weeks time, a good-sized contingent of local triathletes will descend upon Sonoma County, California for the Half Vineman Triathlon. This half-iron event is still a Kona qualifier through this season. SBR was told to expect some action photos from these intrepid travelers.... A chat with HFP racing, who performed the timing duties at the Spirit of Racine Triathlon last weekend, was very enlightening. What we thought surely must have been a timing chip glitch turned out to actually be a massive attrition of racers. More than 200 DNS's and DNF's were listed among the results. The extreme heat was obviously the culprit.... SwimBikeRun Radio has scheduled Tim Ranek (Gateway Cup) and Nancy Lieberman (Spirit of St Louis Marathon) to be in-studio guests for our August 7th show. The other segments are in the process of being finalized. The web page of show notes, links, and downloads will be up and running in a day or so....

July 28 Ownership of Maplewood Cycles will officially change hands tomorrow. Soon to be proprietor, Stewart Munson, will ink the deal that was a long time in coming. The shop will host an in-store cocktail party at 7pm Friday evening to celebrate the occasion. All are welcome to stop by, tip a Schlafly, and congratulate him on this enterprise.... Rare Friday night racing kicks off tomorrow with the 5pm stage-one start of Max-O-Mania. After a post-race pasta dinner and some beauty sleep, the participants are back at it in earnest on Saturday with three separate races filling their day, and will cap off their five races in three days odyssey with Quartermax on Sunday. The metro area's weather cooled down none too soon.... Congratulations to the contingent of local triathletes who finished the Spirit of Racine Triathlon last weekend. The heat that day was brutal even up in Wisconsin. The race results page didn't list city or state for the more than 1000 who competed in the race, so we didn't list local finishers for fear of missing a few.... SBR buddy, Chris Arnold, did his photographic thing at Ironman USA in Lake Placid last weekend. He also managed to become the subject of our pic of the week.... Cindy Haines sent us some images from Lake Placid that provide a reminder of one reason the race fills so fast each year. The backdrop is the spectacular scenery of upper New York state. We selected just a sampling of the many great shots.... SBR Radio- Preparation is in high gear for our inaugural broadcast scheduled for 3pm on Sunday, Aug.7. We've completed construction of a web page to archive the show files and relevant links, have started the process of scheduling guests, and have begun pre-production efforts. This project is vastly different from the rather simple mechanical task of updating the website, but we're confident that after a couple of weeks we'll settle comfortably into it. Keep in mind however, that we've had no formal training in broadcasting. We hope that fact doesn't become too painfully obvious to listeners. The general format will be talk radio, but the specific structure may vary a bit from week to week. In other words, the shows will be some combination of studio guests, telephone interviews, listener call-ins, commentary, letters and emails, pre-produced material, and whatever else our hyperactive imagination conjures up. The show's mission is simply to devote radio exposure to the thousands of metro area athletes who are not professional baseball, football, or hockey players, etc. The present media environment is eerily similar to when we launched this website nearly four years ago. At that time there was little or no local web presence for metro area endurance athletes. Likewise, of the 168 total weekly hours of available, no local radio station that we are aware of dedicates any significant, regular airtime to endurance sports. We hope to remedy that grave injustice. If any readers/listeners have suggestions for guests or topics, please send them along and we'll do our best to accommodate. Needless to say, we're very excited about the potential this opportunity offers and hope you are as well....

July 27 Rodney Adkison (1:31:33) and Nikki Reed (1:45:20) were the first male and female triathletes to reach the finish at the 2005 Show-Me State Games Triathlon in Columbia. In an event that has seen its popularity and prestige slowly erode, only seventy individuals and a handful of team entries were registered for the race. Also on that day, the Show Me State Games Duathlon was staged. Eric Buckley (1:16:58) and Kimberly Cotsworth (2:06:42) were the gender winners from a scant field of just thirty-five racers. results.... The Floyd Honeycutt Triathlon in Kansas City was won by Allyn Smith (57:05) and Sandy Collens (1:16:07). The event distances were 600m- 11.5M- 3.1M....

July 26 SBR wishes to welcome it's newest site sponsor, KYMC 89.7 FM. We'll be airing SwimBikeRunStLouis Radio live from their broadcast studio on Sunday afternoons. The hour-long sessions will be recorded to CD, converted to mp3 files, and uploaded to this website for distribution. This is obviously a significant leap forward for the website and one we hope the readers (soon to also be listeners) will enjoy. We've already encountered a couple of technological hurdles but nothing insurmountable. There are sure to be other challenges we'll meet along the way, but the project is heading enthusiastically in the right direction. It's also a safe bet that our newbie radio efforts will provide plenty of gaffs to keep you amused. (As a point of reference, just remember your first tri?) We'll definitely not take ourselves too seriously. More on all of this as it develops.... Coping With the Heat- The next time a local weatherman suggests I wear light clothing and drink plenty of water, I may heave a soggy running shoe at the television. SBR, on the other hand, has some less obvious but tried and true strategies for dealing with the heat: 1) Maintain a ready stock of filled water bottles in the fridge 2) Freeze a filled water bottle for that long ride (leave room in it for expansion), 3) Chill a handful of energy gels 4) Sprinkle your lunch and dinner with a dash of extra salt, 5) Add a touch of glycerol to your day-before-event hydration 6) Keep a one or two gallon cooler of water in your vehicle, 7) Stick with dry, non-melting type energy bars 8) Carry a baggie of powdered electrolyte drink in your bike jersey pocket....

July 25 Mike Barro, of SBR sponsor Momentum Cycles, managed a 2nd place in the Expert men 35+ at the O'Fallon Gold Rush yesterday on the Chubb Trail.... NPR broadcat an installment of their Talk of the Nation show on Friday entitled "An Examination of Bike Science." While not the all-encompassing discussion we had hoped for, the show does merit a listen during your lunch break.... 2 Wheel Tech has written a route saver program that works in conjunction with Google Earth. This is an excellent interface. Check it out.... The Ultramax Events crew will hit town Tuesday to begin erecting triathlon city on the grounds of Innsbrook Resort for this weekend's double-header, Max-O-Mania and Quartermax. If you believe in extended forecasts, the National Weather Service predicts weekend conditions to be sunny with temps in the mid to upper eighties.... Ironman Lake Placid went off yeserday amid weather conditions not even remotely resembling our own here yesterday in St Loo. Fortunately the athletes didn't have a blast furnace to ride and run through, but they did have hills, or should we say the Adriondack Mountains with which to deal. Heather Fuhr (9:45:06) won the big money women's pro race while Tony Delogne (8:56:11) and Darlene Hall (10:27:50) were the top age group finishers. SBR couldn't devote the entire day watching the live video feed at the finish chute, but we did manage to tune in just in time to see top local finisher, Andy Brendel, come across the line. Congratulations to all of the Metro area athetes who brought it home: 110- Andy Brendel (10:39:04), 138- Lou Di Guiseppe (10:46:26), 341- Jason Blom (11:29:03), 600- David Hoffman (12:08:26), 926- Stephen Warner (12:54:36), 1017- William Peterson (13:10:09), 1095- Ryan Barr (13:20:59), 1246- Bev Ofsthun (13:46:01), 1317- Brian Uthgenant (13:56:57), 1352- Annette Koob (14:06:55), 1421- Jay Indovino (14:24:52), 1558- Steve Ryan (14:56:27)....

The Missouri's Bicycle Safety Bill was passed by the Missouri General Assembly and signed by the Governor. It addresses the following issues and situations: Motorists shall leave a safe distance when overtaking bicyclists. There is a penalty for those who pass unsafely, and a more severe penalty when passing too close results in a collision. Having a specific offense for passing too closely will also make it easier to escalate to higher penalties when that is appropriate (for instance, when a driver purposefully passes too close in order to harass or intimidate).... It created the first bicycle lane regulations in Missouri law. Bike lanes may not be blocked. Motorists must yield to bicyclists in the bike lane before crossing the lane. A bicycle lane is for preferential use by bicyclists but the bicyclists are NOT confined to the lane as is required by many other states.... Updated the definition of "bicycle" in Missouri law to include adult tricycles and quadracycles (previously these were in legal limbo).... When a shoulder is present, bicyclists may, but are NOT REQUIRED to, operate on the shoulder. Previously shoulder riding was technically illegal. This did not create much of a practical problem, because police did not enforce it. But it created a severe policy problem--how can you improve the shoulder of a highway for bicycle use, when it is technically illegal for bicyclists to ride there? How do you make a statewide bicycling map, which (among other things) shows which roads have shoulders and which don't? Now problems like these are solved.... Bicyclists may indicate a right turn by raising the left arm to the square OR by pointing with the right arm. Research shows that pointing in the direction of the turn is the signal best understood by motorists. Now it is legal to do so in Missouri.... Bicyclists hand and arm signals need not be given continuously if the hand/arm is needed to control the bicycle....

July 24 A big SBR thanks to everyone who came out yesterday for the training day at Innsbrook and our version of Dante's Inferno. The heat and humidity made for very tough training conditions. On the day, the athletes went through our twenty-five gallons of water plus what they brought themselves. Now that was hot. Also many thanks to Patricia at Big Shark Athletic for supporting the event despite feeling under the weather. SBR is already hatching a plot to make next year's training days even better....

July 22 The Touring Cyclist Biathlon was staged last Sunday. The 4.5-mile run and 20-mile bike saw eastsiders Brett Owens (1:22:30) of O'Fallon and Katrina Brown (1:39:06) of Fairview Heights take the overall titles. The event experienced a healthy turnout of 176 despite being staged simultaneously with the Ballwin Triathlon. Looking at the results reveals an interesting phenomenon. Whether it was the result of heat, hills, wind, a train, or some combination thereof, the overall bike splits appeared very slow with fastest being 21.5 mph. We wonder what factors may have influenced the race.... Coincidence of the week: I was sitting in Bread Co one morning this week, working on the website, when a gal taps me on the shoulder, said that she was traveling and asked if she could use my computer to get online briefly. I said sure go ahead and made some small talk with her. Turns out she and her traveling companion were in route to Chicago from Austin. I tell her how I've never been to Austin, would love to get down there, and have a buddy (Tim Sandfort) who's working down there now. She says, "Tim? I work with him." Intimate universe, eh?....

July 21 SBR site sponsor, Maplewood Bicycle, has posted a nice list on their website of summer clearance items. Also, congratulations to Stewart Munson who has become the new proprietor of that local cycling institution.... The latest scoop in our Haskins watch is that Sarah has moved up to a tie for 31st position in the ITU World Cup rankings. We have also posted three great event photos of her from the Corner Brook race.... The annual weeklong Ragbrai (select one or more: ride/costume party/beer garden/camp out/training ride) begins this weekend. A large contingent of local participants will be among the 8500 cyclists with passes and an unknown number of bandits who will make the six-day ride on this year's route which runs from west to east along the northern-most portion of the state....

July 19 Beat Bartlome has become the fourth local triathlete to land an entry in the 2005 Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona. He capped his European adventure with a 9:50:58 finish at Ironman Switzerland and captured a slot in the M35-39 bracket. Beat now joins the trio of Bev Ofsthun, Tom Jackson, and Rick Mann to now comprise the metro area's fearsome foursome headed to the Big Island in October.... The 2005 Ironman Wisconsin entrants probably have no reason to be alarmed, but they are entitled to full disclosure concerning possible water conditions. Just recently, officials warned swimmers to stay out of lakes Mendota and Kegonsa due to high concentrations of toxic blue-green algae. Of course the race will be staged in neighboring Lake Monona, but the close proximity is enough to warrant concern. The full story can be found on the WISC-TV website.... View a mapquest overhead of Madison.... Missouri Governor Matt Blunt is traveling the state to tell Missourians to shape up. His "Healthy Missourians" initiative targets what he calls an "obesity epidemic' and he wants to promote healthier habits. SBR has some health-minded ideas for his Governorship: connect Kansas City to the KATY Trail, incorporate the Boonville Bridge into the trail system, and actively promote statewide trail use.... We have a copy of the Wood River Triathlon application that you can copy, paste, and print. We don't know the slot availability status of this August 13 event, so if you're attempting to get in we suggest you call 618-251-3130 or email before sending money.... The Penrose Velodrome got a little press via a small article written by Kathleen Nelson that was published in last Saturday's Post-Dispatch.... What are the odds of having two local youth triathlons scheduled for the same day? While that unlikely scenario has become an August 13 reality, it's not all. Furthermore, the parents of most local youth triathletes have already committed that morning to either the Wood River Triathlon or the USAT Age Group National Championship near Kansas City. It would be a blessing to everyone if the U City and Crestwood youth tris could secure different weekends from the adult races and from one another, but at this juncture that unfortunately may not be possible.... Yesterday we neglected to mention the competitive division of the Stoneman Triathlon. John Conners finished 2nd, a mere four seconds behind the winner. This is remarkable when you consider that he typically races in the Clydesdale division. A most excellent effort, JC. The 14-participant competitive field included other metro area athletes battling it out: 6- Bob Wingo (1:09:38), 8- Robin Rongey (1:12:05), 9- Jeff Fairbanks (1:13:06), 13- Angela Wingo (1:22:19).... The annual Dew The Tri Kids Triathlon took place after the big kid's race. The little ones are always a source of great joy to watch as they give it their all. The "results" for metro area youth were: 2- Clay Sharp of St Louis 10yrs old 12:25, 19- Adrienne Hatch of St Charles 10yrs old 14:52, 21- Madeline Sharp of St Louis 12yrs old 15:23, 23- China Rongey of Edwardsville IL 10yrs old 15:38, 28- Rees Hatch of St Charles 8yrs old 16:13, 32- Jade Rongey of Edwardsville IL 11yrs old 16:58, 41- Jordon Wingo of Collinsville IL 10yrs old 19:23, and 44- Grace Kenney of St Louis 11yrs old 20:16.... The past weekend was both event-filled and eventful in many respects. When we weren't doing the races, there was compelling racing on the television screen. The Life Time Fitness Triathlon saw Craig Alexander break the three-year women's winning streak and earn triathlon's version of a king's ransom- $160,000 plus a $40,000 Toyota Forerunner. Emma Snowsill was the women's winner and struck paydirt with her $80,000 check.... Metro area athlete finishers in the Lifetime Fitness Amateur Olympic course were: Men 71- Doug Boeme (2:28:00), 489- Michael Conley (3:01:05), 808- Robert Medler (3:27:06), 984- Brian Mitchell (4:02:18). Women 684- Marissa Matsumoto (3:14:41).... Special congratulations to SBR friend Elizabeth Fedofsky of Naperville, IL who finished 2nd overall among the 1014 women who competed in the Olympic distance race.... In the Short Course Amateur race Dan Soshnik of Clayton (1:27:32) came across the line 47th position out of 849 finishers.... As a final footnote: SBR takes a perverse pleasure in pointing out the network television triathlon broadcast faux pas that seem to continually haunt the sport. Last year it was CBS misspelling "triathlon" in their promos for Escape From Alcatraz. Yes, they inserted the dreaded extra "a" (triathalon). When was the last time they misspelled baseball? If you listened carefully to NBC's lead-in promo minutes before the Lifetime Fitness broadcast, the voice-over indicated that the winner would receive $500,000 which of course was completely erroneous. You gotta love it.... Great work to all of the athletes who completed this long, hot, competitive race. Special congratulations go out to Matt Bonastia, Tim Giddens, and Patrick Mullen, the three of whom managed to complete sub-five-hour races. "Nasty" took it step further by ducking under the 4:30:00 mark. Outstanding job guys and nice work to all the athletes who endured the weather....

July 18 The weekend saw local athletes participating in multisport events both near and far. Sarah Haskins cashed in for the second week in a row on the ITU circuit. Her effort at Corner Brook, Newfoundland netted her a 7th place finish and one of two cash bike primes that were offered.... The field for the Ballwin Triathlon filled quickly again this year which comes as a mild surprise given its relatively short nature. At 300yds, the swim finds most seasoned triathletes almost warmed up when they exit for T1, and at 9 miles the bike route may find them just beginning to feel their cycling legs when T2 calls. At just over 5k, the rolling, subdivision roads of the run course probably give an overall advantage to the fleet of foot. That suited Sam Yount just fine. Though not having a weak hand in any of the three disciplines, running would probably be considered his trump card. Earlier in the month, Yount won the July 4th Hillsboro Biathlon largely on the effort of a five mile run at 5:30 pace. Yesterday, he showed to be the class of the field by punching out a 49:11 and taking the win over Matt Brier (50:17) and younger brother Anthony Yount (50:53). The women's top three held a couple of recurring names and a relative newcomer to the local podiums. Andrea Robertson of St Charles has begun asserting her presence on the local tri scene this season with some strong showings and yesterday was more of the same. This time, however, the difference was that her solid 58:56 finish was good enough for the win. Mary Sundy (59.42) also went under the hour mark for second and Stephanie Petersen (1:00:17) finished in third. In all, 213 reached the finish including many first-timers. Nice work in steamy conditions. Complete results.... The Cutting Edge Half Iron Triathlon managed to fly under the World Triathlon Corporation's copyright radar but the Effingham, IL event was a bright blip on Tim Battle's screen. On a sunny day and shadeless course, he was one of only two athletes managing a sub-five hour race, as he ground out a 4:53:42 to finish 2nd overall. Todd Glass (5:05:32) displayed an equal level of intestinal fortitude as he placed third. Ernie Carr was an age group winner among many local athletes who finished top three in their respective brackets. In all, 103 of 119 starters finished. Complete results.... Just a hand full of metro area triathletes opted to make the drive to Springfield, Illinois for the open water swim of the Stoneman Triathlon this past weekend. But for those who did, depth of experience appeared to be a determining factor. 54-year old Patrick McCreary (1:03:34) and 56-year old Doug Burns (1:04:36) put the master in master's athletes by showing the kiddie crew how it's done. They finished 8th overall and 10th overall, respectively. They managed these efforts against a a winning time of 1:00:13. Way to go guys. Complete results....

July 15 The Back a Child Triathlon in Forsyth, Missouri was won by Ultramax Events course director Tony Rigdon. He was the only finisher to go under an hour in the 400m-20k-5k race.... Gateway Trailnet is sponsoring the River Ring Century Ride on August 21. The route includes portions of the interconnected trail and greenway system covering an area of 1,216 square miles. Day of event registration at 7:30am, Upper Muny Lot in Forest Park. Pre-registration deadline Aug 15. PDF.... A recent spate of bike theft has struck local shops this summer. Mesa Cycles was hit earlier this year in what remains an unsolved case, and more recently, the Alpine Shop was the target of two thieves who police chased down and ultimately apprehended....

July 14 By virtue of her 2nd place finish at the NYC Triathlon, Sarah Haskins saw her ITU points ranking climb to 91st in the world, up from the 150th position.( PDF file) In that race she narrowly lost to the 23rd ranked Julie Swail. A good showing in Cornerbrook, Newfoundland this weekend could propel her into the top fifty. Let's keep our fingers crossed.... Good luck to local triathlete, Beat Bartlome, who will participate at Ironman Switzerland this weekend.... Also quickly approaching is our second SBR training day this year at Innsbrook Resort. On Saturday, July 23, we'll get things underway at 8am with an open water swim, then follow it up with a bike and run. If you've been unable to attend any of these practice sessions in the past, we strongly encourage to attend. The venue and camaraderie are sure to make it one of your most enjoyable training sessions of the year.... A little further down the road are the Lake St Louis practice sessions scheduled for 7am on August 21 and 28. These annual sessions are run under the auspices of the Department of Parks and Recreation of the city of LSL and are extremely well attended. We'll provide an additional reminder as those days draw near....

July 12 The South County YMCA Youth Triathlon is scheduled for Sunday, September 18. It will be staged entirely on the grounds of the Y in order to provide the safest possible environment for its young participants.... Multisport athletes shut out from this weekend's Ballwin Triathlon still have time to register for the Touring Cyclist Biathlon held over in nearby Fairview Heights on Sunday. Sadly these two races events have again been placed in a position of competition with one another for participants. They have shared the same date for three consecutive years. To find complete event information, download an entry form, or register online, go here, or you can call 618-398-6800.... The USAT website posted a nice article and podium shots of the NYC Triathlon. It's amusing to note which steps the guys then the gals stand upon for their photo ops. Who said guys weren't competitive to the bitter end?....

Perspective- Another beautiful day in the park and my routine called for that unique flavor of pain known as sub-threshold work. This effort requires a little higher degree of motivation than my standard workout fare. Taking it to the edge of one's anaerobic threshold is one thing, but staying there for an extended period is quite another. I'm certain that on occasion we've all employed self-talk, positive imagery, motivational sayings, and who knows what other mindgames to manage through a tough session. I don't know about you, but the quaint clichés have lost their efficacy for me. I think that long ago in the midst of a grueling track session, recalling the words, "Pain is weakness leaving the body," may have spurred me on once. These days that phrase has mutated into, "Lactic acid is pain entering the body." Well, on this particular day I seemed to need a swift kick in the back side to keep it going. Five minutes in and my mind was already reeling with an assortment of logical arguments to cease and desist. Then the mental Rolodex started spinning. "That which doth not kill you....", heard it a thousand times. "Effort is a measure of a Man...", yeah when did 1800's theologian William James run anywhere? As I sunk ever closer to the abyss, I spotted the bobbing figure of a runner well off in the distance. I'd found my motivation. Little could he have realized that his red singlet suddenly became a target. Now if I could just run him down before my exit point from the park. It required an immense effort to bridge the gap, but eventually I found myself positioned just behind him for the last uphill mile. Digging deeper than I had in a long while, I made the pass and pushed to the cutoff. The "race" was over, I was sucking major air, but I wore a smile. I had found motivation where I could, and it helped me achieve an attitudinal one-eighty....

July 11 The International Olympic Committee announced that triathlon will remain an Olympic sport through the 2012 London Games. This good news follows in the footsteps of baseball and softball being dropped. Triathlon was first added to the program for the 2000 Sydney Games.... It was just a matter of time before Sarah Haskins put it all together on the ITU circuit. Sunday morning found her competing in the New York City Triathlon. Midway through a season that has seen two of her high profile races end in disappointment, one the result of a brake lockup and the other a bike crash, she was due for a clean race. A typically strong swim (in the Hudson River) put her in very good position on the bike. She then carried that momentum into the three lap run through Central Park. Leading for a good portion of the race, it came down to a sprint finish with Julie Swail just nudging by Sarah for the win. The second place finish was a very strong showing indeed and netted Sarah important ITU points, plus a check for $3000. This comes on the heels of a recent seventh in Puerto Rico and is her best finish in a major event since a fourth place showing at the 2004 Boston Triathlon. Next weekend she races at the the Corner Brook World Cup Triathlon in Canada. That event will be webcast live on the ITU website. Way to go Sarah and continued success.... The South County YMCA Triathlon crowned two new champions on Sunday. The men's division was headed by a trio of thirty-somethings. Tim Battles (1:02:57) won the overall by nipping Ryan Roth (1:03:03) who took second mere seconds behind. Jason Lind (1:04:13) rounded out the top three with a gritty performance. The women's division saw Kristin Moore (1:05:47) nab the title decisively in a very strong effort. Mary Sundy (1:10:08) and Laurie Kreienheder (1:10:12) took second and third respectively. This season, the talented Moore has made quite an impact on the women's side. The 31-year old's time yesterday was good enough for sixth overall among 277 finishers. Nice work to everyone who competed in and completed this year's event.... Fleet Feet has the complete results available on their site.... Our South County Triathlon video is now available for viewing. This is a 10.6MB Windows Media Video download. Hope you enjoy the images and the funky Chemical Brothers soundtrack.... The Mattoon Beach Triathlon drew a modest field of 88 triathletes over the weekend for a .7 mile swim, 18 mile bike, and 5 mile run. Barry Knight (1:28:29) and Andrea Robertson (1:47:15) came away with the overall winners trophies. Dana Riederer (1:36:52) grabbed third, Robert Montani (1:40:19) took seventh. Also finishing were Christian Espinosa (2:04:01), Rick Bender (2:14:04 ), and Phil Shayne (2:26:29). Since the results don't list cities, please inform us of omissions....

July 9 The South County YMCA Triathlon is locked and loaded for tomorrow morning's start at the Kennedy Recreation Complex pool. The race filled weeks ago to its 320 participant cap, time constraints limiting what would otherwise certainly have been a larger field. Tim Sandfort and Jennifer Meyer are defending champions. The race could be conferred "super-sprint" status, given its short proportions, but it will seem long enough to many athletes as they ascend the second of two tough climbs out on the run course. See you there and good luck to all.... The Hawaii Ironman was first conceived by a US Navy man, Commander John Collins, thus the race has long embraced its military entrants. Metro area athlete, Tom Jackson USAF, will represent his branch of the service in the military division at the Hawaii Ironman World Championship this October.... For anyone who has cycled south the from Market Place in Columbia, IL through the flat farmlands, is familiar with the long climb that awaits them in Valmeyer. Its 400 foot elevation gain is stretched out for over a mile and a half giving riders a steady burn to the summit. That same hill will be part of a running race scheduled for September 24. The Hills and Hollows Half-Marathon will feature this challenging uphill finish with the finish line waiting for runners at the top.... The Trail of Tears Triathlon is scheduled for September 17 in Cape Girardeau. This jewel of a race has become increasingly popular in recent years as more triathletes, weary of pool swim tris, are discovering its open water and beautiful venue. The city informs us that race flyer and applications will be available shortly.... New York state becomes center stage on two July weekends as it hosts the New York City Triathlon tomorrow and Ironman USA Lake Placid on the 24th. Good luck to Sarah Haskins in NYC....

July 8 Triathletes made their mark on the Firecracker 5k in O'Fallon. Jason Lind (17:49) finished 5th overall with his 5:43 pace, Bernd Faust (20:01) crossed the line in 13th position, and Margie Martens (20:54) was the women's champion... Ironmanlive.com has a streaming video of the Ironman Austria highlights package. We strongly recommend you set aside 70 minutes to view this very well done show in Windows Media.... If you are riding 2003 Rolf Prima Vigor or Prima Elan wheels, you may be part of a product recall. The affected wheels have a serial number between 03926 and 06586 which is located on the rim, under the yellow rim tape.... Slowtwitch.com has a new female columnist which in itself is a good thing in many respects, but it will be interesting to see how long her salty language and adult subject matter are deemed acceptable by Dan Empfield....

July 7 The bike route for the short course of the LSL Triathlon has been tweaked just a touch, making it a bit flatter. However, the international distance bike course remains the same and should provide a surprising degree of challenge to its participants. The north end of the course offers two loops of rolling hills that will get your attention.... Metro area swim guru Hap Gentry will be the guest speaker at the St Louis Tri Club monthly meeting- 7pm, Wednesday, July 20, The Heights, in Richmond Heights. All are welcome to attend, get a sense for the club, and pick up some great swim tips.... THF Realty and Big Shark Bicycle are sponsoring a Thursday Night Track Series at the Penrose Velodrome. The track will be rocking for four Thursdays, July 21, Aug 11, Aug 25, Sept 8, and Saturday, Sept 17 for the Missouri State Championship (raindate: Sept. 24). Registration will open at 5:30pm each night with the races commencing at 6pm.... The USAT announced that registration for Age Group Nationals near Kansas City is reaching its upper limit. The field will be capped at 1400 for this outstanding event. Even if you have no chance of a podium finish, we strongly encourage you to be a part of this race. Immersing yourself in the atmosphere and hanging out with the best international distance amateur triathletes in the nation is worth the price of admission, not to mention that the race is in Missouri this year.... Big Shark proprietor, Mike Weiss, will once again view the Tour de France in person, but this year he will provide his impressions from France via the store website.... The completely remarkable Pam Reed, two-time winner of the Badwater Ultramarathon, was recently interviewed on Endurance Radio....

July 6 The combined individual and team field for Quartermax is pushing the 500 barrier with nearly three full weeks or registration to go.... Ghisallo Sports, is sporting a new look logo. Click through the banner on right margin to view images of their beautiful new retail facilites..... A concerned reader previewed the sold-out Ballwin Triathlon's bike route and reported that it's very bumpy and potholed in places. SBR will get out there this weekend, assess street conditions, and render our two cents worth.... Some readers have no doubt noticed that we've widened the homepage just a smidgeon. Intitially we adhered to a safe 750 pixel width to accomodate smaller screens, but by now it's probably safe to assume that nearly everyone has at least a 15 inch screen.... It's time to say goodbye to our Google search bar. This attempt to profit from Google search ended with a five month windfall of $3.70. Given that Google's market capitalization has topped $80 billion, it's unlikely they'll bemoan our departure....

The annual fourth of July Hillsboro Biathlon hasn't changed much over the years. Its participants have balanced an easy familiarity with the course against the AT painfest they know awaits them. Sparks flew Monday on this arrow-straight hammer course as the opening five-mile out and back run only set the stage for the drag race to follow. Sam Yount (1:18:08) parlayed a 5:31 run pace and 23.7mph bike ride to edge Shawn Oneal (1:18:15) to the line by a mere seven ticks of the clock. Oneal spotted Yount nearly five minutes on the five mile run before lighting the fuse on his two-wheeled bottle rocket. His 26.1mph ride was easily the best of the day, but Oneal ran out of pavement. Third place went to Chris Arnold (1:21:48) who stepped out from behind his camera and stepped up large with a solid run/bike combination. In the women's division, Bette Chesser (1:36:17) could only manage an 8:35 run pace but it was good enough after she rode away from the women's field on the bike. Robin Rongey (1:37:50) finished second and Brigitte Cutler (1:38:47) took third.... The Fair St Louis 10k run drew 352 men and 196 women to the foot of the Eads Bridge over the holiday weekend to be a part of one of the largest Independence Day celebrations in the nation. It was not without some perverse irony that Soimo Kiplagat came away with the title. While all around him we celebrated our 1776 pronouncement of freedom from British rule, African Americans waited nearly another hundred years for the Emancipation Proclamation to be issued. However, it was likely the immediate issues of breathing and foot turnover weighed more heavily on his mind during the mere 32:10 it took him to chew up the 6.2 mile course. Among the women, diminutive Kate Schwetye (40:36) made a big stride in her running career by finishing first. The race had been reformatted for 2005 with no time handicaps issued as in previous years when any entrant could theoretically win the event....

July 5 Our web host's server was out of commission all day Monday and into this morning. Sorry for the inconvenience.... This upcoming weekend's South County YMCA Triathlon has succeeded in selling out again, but prospects for those on the wait list are dim at best. Those fortunate enough to be racing can look forward a forecasted return of some serious heat and humidity by race day. Be prepared.... The IronKids Triathlon is apparently back on. The official website indicates so and will announce the dates and venues very shortly.... Hilary Orf of Ballwin (46:53) finished 115 among 722 women in the Peach Tree Road Race yesterday. Greg Reecht of Crystal City (42:24) finished 182 out of 2315 masters men runners. This internationally famous 10k run is held in Atlanta each July 4th and has become the largest 10k road race in the world. Gilbert Okari of Kenya (28:19) and Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands (31:17) were this year's winners.... Tom Jackson outclassed fellow military personnel at the Scott AFB Triathlon by posting the fastest swim, bike, and run splits of the day. His chief rival produced the second-best swim, bike, and run splits in the event, hitting the line in second place more than four and a half minutes back.... Chris McCormack successfully defended his title at the Roth Challenge over the weekend with another sub eight-hour performance (7:58:49). Belinda Granger (9:14:06), also from Australia, took the women's title. No metro area athletes participated in the event as far as we could tell.... Raynard Tissink (8:14:37) and Kate Allen (9:07:04) were the champs at Ironman Austria also staged over the weekend.... Next up on the IM tour is Ironman Switzerland on July 17. Good luck to metro area triathlete, Beat Bartlome (first name pronounced: bee-aht), who will be participating at this spectacular venue.... A handful of local athletes will be heading to New York for Ironman USA-Lake Placid on July 24. Registered for the event are: Ryan Barr, Jason Blom, Lou Di Guiseppe, David Hoffman, Jay Indovino, Annette Koob, Tim McCallister, Bev Ofsthun, Steve Ryan, Brian Uthgenannit, Stephen Warner, William Petersen, Ed Breda, and Andy Brendel. Good luck to all.... To this point in time, three area triathletes have made their reservations in Kona for the 2005 Ironman World Championship. They are: Rick Mann, Tom Jackson, and Bev Ofsthun....

July 2 Perspective - Bicycling Magazine, along with other sponsors, have instituted a program entitled Biketown USA. For 2005, the editors of that magazine have selected twenty cities (St Louis not included) across the country in which to give away a total of one thousand bicycles. The purpose of this currently ongoing project is to learn how incorporating a bicycle into an individual's daily life can affect change for themselves, their families and/or their communities. Biketown USA is indeed a generous and noble corporate pursuit. Most participants have reported that they've rediscovered the joy of riding, lost weight, reconnected with nature, or saved money on commuting, etc. While SBR enthusiastically applauds the magazine's effort, our brainstorming R&D department analyzed the program and developed what we feel is a missing yet vital enhancement. Putting a thousand more bikes on the street is a good thing, particularly when those pedals find the feet of people who don't normally ride like you or I do. We'd like to see a corollary program established, and for lack of a better name, we'll call it Autotown USA. The way it would work would be to likewise go into twenty communities throughout America, but once there, rather than give away two-wheelers, they would remove the vehicles from the fifty most intolerant and/or belligerent drivers. Now that would affect some change....

July 1 SBR pal, multisport enthusiast, tech guru, shutterbug, bon vivant, raconteur, & connoisseur, Chris Arnold, had his image gallery from the Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon published on Xtri.com.... Just when you think you're getting in decent training miles on your bike, you read a quote from Lothar Leder stating that he's cycled 15,000km since January....

June 30 There may be not be an IronKids Triathlon Series this year, but more than one hundred kids aged 7-17 got their tri-fix in Columbia, Mo. last weekend at the youth triathlon staged from the Wilson's Beach and Tennis Club. Elite Columbia triathlete, Stephen Taylor, took time out from his own training and racing to direct the event for the fifth time in its fifteen year history.... Amazingly enough, the USAT has received no nomination to fill the vacancy on the Board of Directors for its 14-state Heartand District (Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee). A second chance has been issued, until July 11, for someone to fill the position. SBR may have to throw its name in the hat. details.... The St. Louis metro was represented by a group of cyclists at this week's National Road Race Championships in Utah. Congratulations to Carla Farrell of Velo Force, for her 4th place finish among the W40-44. complete results.... Huge thanks go out to all of our readers who have made June, 2005 the biggest month ever on SBR. We'll finish out the month today at just under 15,000 vistors....

June 29 The Ozark Off Road Challenge is set for August 28. This triathlon will be staged from Lake State Park located just south of Osage Beach in the Lake of the Ozarks. An 800 yd swim will precede the 15 mile MTB ride and 6 mile run, both of which will be conducted on the park's single-track trail system. website.... In cycling news, the National Time Trial Championships are being held this week at Antelope Island State Park out in Utah. The 34k course has experienced scorching heat and strong headwinds, but that didn't deter 91-year old John Sinibaldi who rode 1:03:02 to win his 18th stars and stripes jersey. Sinibaldi is a member of the Bicycling Hall of Fame, two-time Olympian (1932, 1936), and once set a 100k TT record that stood for fifty years.... The 2005 Fair St Louis Run will not utilize the time handicap equalizing system as it did in previous years. This year's 10k race will be a pure event with the title being awarded to the fastest runner, period.... Site sponsor, Ghisallo, has a newly redesigned website that smartly employs their team colors and uses a clever interface.... The Maplewood Bicycle web has a new look. A nice photo of Rich Wierzba graces the splash screen.... The Goomna Adventure Race saw the team from Alpine Shop (Jeff and Carrie Sona, David Frei) take first, followed by Big Shark (Doug Nishimura, Amy Strahan, Eric Buckley), and Race St Louis (Karen Casey, Todd Holtmann, Kerry Rascher)

June 28 Training- Do you bilateral breathe? That's a question most often heard when the conversation turns to swimming. Proponents correctly contend that doing so results in better overall balance and form. Now it's time to consider taking the bilateral breathing concept to another discipline- running. It's very likely that the majority of runners give little thought to the nature of their breathing pattern while putting one foot in front of the other. It's tends to be more free form, rather than the controlled breathing pattern that swimming demands by necessity. Just about all runners fall into an even count breathing pattern synchronized to the footfalls of their strong side, much like breathing on just one side when we first learned to swim. However, during your next easy run, try altering your breathing to an odd count. Initially, this may require a little concentration, but a low exertion day will help facilitate the learning process. Some experimentation should eventually yield a comfortable 5-count, 7-count, or even 9-count pattern. I favor the 7-count with a three-inhale/ four-exhale rhythm, though there are other permutations. It's easier for me because I complete a breathing cycle with four right footfalls, then the next with four left footfalls, then four right, etc. But I rely on a 5-count when my breathing becomes more labored and a 3-count on steep hills. The key is to complete the breathing cycle on an odd number footfall and beginning the next cycle on the opposite foot. It helps to sort of visualize yourself swimming when you attempt this for the first time and to concentrate on exhalations rather than inhalations. It really only takes a few minutes to get the hang of it. When you let yourself fall under the spell of this method, you begin to notice several subtle and interesting changes occur: 1) Your weak leg begins to carry more of the work load, 2) You stay well oxygenated 3) It results in a better balanced running form, 4) Your pace may remain consistent for longer periods. - If you're open to new training concepts, this may be one worth considering....

June 27 CBS broadcast an interview with Lance Armstrong on 60 Minutes yesterday. The network typically makes videos of their show available for viewing on their website for those who may have missed them. However, a link for that video hasn't appeared just yet (just the transcript), although the other segments appear. While we all know the LA story, it's still worth viewing if CBS ultimately posts it.... More Lance- The Sports Illustrated Tour de France commemorative issue is definitely worth buying for the wealth of info and insight, but the back cover will blow you away. It's a NIKE ad featuring post-brain surgery Lance, head shaven, and the flap-like cranial scar staring back at you- the caption of course reads "Just do it.".... Nice work to the crew who competed at the Buffalo Springs Lake Half Ironman down in Lubbock, Texas yesterday. Known for its brutal heat, the race actually "only" saw the race day thermometer rise to 86 degrees by noon. The south wind was 10-20 mph virtually all day. The event had 34 Kona slots to distribute among the racers meaning that they would be tough to come by. Matt Bonastia brought home the fastest finish time but all four athletes went sub five hours. Rick Mann found himself roadside for a bit of the bike leg while he waited for race support to appear and assist him with a mechanical. website

29	9	Matt Bonastia	M30-34	St Louis	4:40:14
49	5	Rich Wierzba	M35-39	St Louis	4:52:37
51	6	Rick Mann	M35-39	Bethalto, IL	4:53:04
56	9	Michael Bub	M40-44	St Louis	4:55:53

The Metro area also had a cadre of triathletes going 140.6 miles on Sunday. A couple were cutting their ultra-course teeth in Idaho and for them the closest previous thing to Coeur d'Alene may had been Creve Coeur, but nice effort making the leap to the big stage. Other familiar names? Good showings by Ultramax Events director Mark Livesay (11:00:11) and wife Amy (11:42:17)....

177	45	Travis Fittro	M35-39	St Charles	10:39:02
315	61	Kevin Jokisch	M40-44	St Louis	11:18:28
478	118	Doug Wynd	M35-39	Chesterfield	11:44:16
679	20	George Schweitzer	M18-24	St Louis	12:17:02
1315	119	Bennett Frank	M45-49	St Louis	14:23:17

Perspective - Upon arriving in the town of Marthasville on Saturday afternoon to await the appearance of some early Race Across America riders, it was clear that this small town really embraced their role as an official race timing station. Every effort was made to welcome and accommodate the RAAM racers and their support teams. Several thoughtful placards lined the main road that they would ride down, offering words of encouragement. I noticed one particular sign, painted in huge black letters, that welcomed the RAMM riders. I winced hard when that one came into view....

I captured some images of a few RAAM riders as they passed through the metro. The scope of this event eventually has its participants spread out over 100's of miles, so it requires a bit of planning to successfully rendezvous for photos. All riders have GPS systems in their support vehicles to track their locations for race central. Some racers have a huge entourage with as many as five vehicles toting family, staff, supplies, and gear. Several are filming the event for documentaries. Many riders average between 2 or 3 hours of sleep per day. The support teams must keep a close eye on their rider to ensure that he stays safe and does not fall asleep while riding. RAAM sadly suffered a casualty last week as a result of that situation. Support crew personnel are not allowed to cycle with the racers. It is construed as outside help. Communicating with the rider while on the road is often done via radios, or some crews simply have loud speakers mounted atop the support vehicle. The heat for most of the race has been just this side of brutal. Riders jumped right into the furnace with 107 degree days in the desert southwest and have been sun-baked across the Midwest. Each team contends with a thousand concerns, besides the obvious ones like calories, hydration, and electrolytes, which makes the accomplishment all the more amazing.... View an updated progress map, or get complete event information from race headquarters.... The event website also has a gallery of spectacular photos from the race....

June 25 Good luck to all of the metro area triathletes who will be competing at Ironman Coeur d'Alene and the Bufffalo Springs Half-Ironman this weekend. It would be great to see a few more Kona slots get dished out to some deserving localites. With regard to the the Buffalo Springs racer, it will be the final time this half IM race serves as a Kona qualifier with the advent of the 70.3 series beginning in 2006.... Kudos to Trailnet for the Pedal in Our Parks – Museum District Family Bicycle Ride Series. We attended yesterday's Puffin Pedal Ride in this free series of youth and family-orientated events. The event was extremely well planned and executed with plenty of free snacks for the kids, lots of water, a very well marked route, two bike technicians on hand from REI, and plenty of helmets for anyone who forgot one... and oh yeah, we did see some puffins....

June 24 Perspective - The World Triathlon Corporation recently made official the announcement of their new 70.3 World Championship and its supporting series. SBR broke the story way back on February 16, but we had sparse details at that time. It appears to me that the WTC hopes to capitalize financially on the increasingly popular half-iron distance, with its potentially broader appeal, in much the same way as they've succeeded with full Ironman. The M-dot franchise has become a veritable printing press for greenbacks. While we have no qualms with capitalism or the series concept, the timing is troublesome. This is clearly a reactionary effort, lobbing a thinly veiled volley at the US Half Triathlon National Championship. Mark Livesay had the vision and initiative to launch a championship race as well as band together a supporting cast of qualifying events to feed it. The WTC, perhaps feeling that this was infringing upon their "territory" and/or realizing the potential of a windfall, simply copied the idea. Of course I have no way of knowing if this was on their drawing board for years or months, but it's timing is suspect. The future of the US Half is unclear, but it's looking more and more like the corner store vs. Walmart all over again....

June 22 RecPlex Triathlon Race Report-- A triathlon at the St. Peters RecPlex had been a long time in coming. Opened in 1994 at a cost of $21 million, the 124,000 sq.ft. facility housed one of the finest natatoriums in the Midwest. The Olympic size pool seemed a perfect launching point from which to send triathletes out on their bikes to the nearby flat, fast, rural roads and then on a run along the adjoining, shaded and paved park trail system. So in 2002, nearly a decade after first filling the pool with water, the inaugural RecPlex Triathlon filled it with bodies as it brought 183 triathletes to the venue. Last weekend approximately 450 participants queued for a serpentine swim start. The intervening four years found race director, Vicki Vojak, unabashedly striving to tweak, adjust, and otherwise seek ways to improve the event. A one-time military division was tried, teams entries were introduced, a money race was created for the elites, a second race was added to the 2005 calendar, and a youth triathlon was planned for 2006. Much to her credit, she grew the event significantly while keeping the entry fee much in check, yet simultaneously operating in a market of ever-spiraling registration fees and feeling pressure from above to boost the profit margin. 2005, as it plays out, should be a watershed year for the event.

Last Sunday's race was the beneficiary of extraordinary weather. Only moderate heat and humidity coupled with a slight breeze were in the forecast. Despite a 6:30am start, the sun was well above the eastern horizon as the first of the elite wave triathletes began their 500m swim. This would be the first of two go-arounds on the course for them, thus making it a cumulative 1000m- 42M- 10M effort on the day. Fourteen men and eight women comprised the elite fields, but potential winners from those rosters formed a short list. Several participants, it seemed, registered for the elite wave simply for the opportunity to go long. Defending women's champ, Amber Mounday, was clearly the one to beat in her division. To this point in the season, Kristin Moore had put together solid results and appeared to be the one most capable of dethroning Mounday. The men's side was less clear, though it was a good bet that Shawn ONeal would be at or near the top, given his Cat 3 cycling credentials. Caleb Goldkamp brought a running ability that had landed him the 2005 Missouri State Marathon title. Former RecPlex winner, Bill Sladek, was in the race and couldn't be dismissed. So, the elites quickly got through the water and out on their bikes. They'd return to the pool at 9:30, but for now it was game on.

The other 97% of the field landed in the non-competitive division, which in reality was anything but that. War would be waged for the top spots in twenty age-group categories. The earliest registrants were placed at the head of the line. Those who fell in behind were in chronological order back to the tail end which was populated by the rash of race-week entries. An early start on this June day was just reward for getting the money in first. The long procession was uniformly put in the water and sent on its way.

The elite women's field was shaking out as expected, but an unpredictable element played an unwelcome role in the event. Someone had sabotaged the bike course by painting additional arrows on the roads. Most mis-markings were discovered and handled, but as fate would have it, one wasn't and Kristin Moore found it. She made an errant turn despite the efforts of volunteers to stop her, thus shaving miles off the bike route. Race director, Vojak, ruled that Moore could add the missed miles to her second race and no one voiced objection. Whether this had any real impact in the overall finish order is subject to debate, but it seems more likely that it worked against her by shredding any possibility of racing tactically against Mounday in the second lap. After racking their bikes and completing the five mile run, Moore (1:23:38), Mounday (1:39:15), and Mary Blandford (1:43:26) finished an asterisked one-two-three.

The elite men stayed on course and hammered the bike. Shawn Oneal turned in a very strong bike split, followed it up with a gutsy run, and hit the line at 1:28:10. John Beyer showed no weakness in the pool, atop his bike, or on foot, but still hit the tape nearly two minutes back in 1:29:51. Dana Riederer (1:34:26) and Caleb Goldkamp (1:35:30) might have optimistically felt that they were within striking distance, but if Oneal replicated his first race it would provide too large a margin to realistically overcome.

The age-groupers began to emerge from the tree canopy along the running path and make their final kick for the finish line. The time trial nature of the event would have all avidly waiting for the preliminary results to be posted and discover where their times fell. Most of the brackets were won by comfortable margins although the athletes would have no way of knowing it while out on the course. Notable among finishers was Rich Wierzba who recently took top age-group honors at Halfmax. He did likewise here displaying his cycling prowess in what he termed a tune-up race for an upcoming half-iron race in Texas. The M35-39 bracket is talent-laden at virtually every triathlon and Wierzba managed to finish ahead of several able names: Topash, Battles, Lind, and Conners. The M45-49 was decided by a mere nine seconds. Curtis Brooks (1:41:03) utilized his strong bike to just get by Jim Harris (1:41:12). The men 19 & under had an up and coming member finish 7th overall. Brett Heuring (1:36:35) will be a force to be reckoned with in the metro area as he continues to grow in the sport. The W30-34 hailed a return to the sport by Laurie Kreinheider (1:47:01) and she responded not only with a win, but by also turning in the fastest lady's age-group time overall. Stephanie Petersen (1:48:46), Tambra Galarnyk (1:48:47), and Kathryn Snyder (1:49:40) handily won their age-groups going under the 1:50:00 mark.

As it turned out, round two in the elite divisions was more of the same. Shawn Oneal and Amber Mounday slowed a bit as expected, but still set unmatched tempos. Oneal's cumulative time of 3:02:08 bettered Beyer (3:05:47) and Riederer (3:13:42), thus earning him a $150 payday in the process. The women finished the day with Mounday (3:20:25) in number one position. Kristin Moore (3:23:32) and Mary Blandford (3:34:52) also managed to cash-in as they came home two-three earning $100 and $50 of Momentum Cycle's money respectively.

Post-race conversation with Vicki Vojak revealed a race director who remains intent on staging a safe, affordable event. She shows every evidence of being a curve ball hitter given her agile responses to pranksters, a race course train interruption, and a flood of last minute entrants. It seems entirely possible that this event is capable of further expansion without bursting or compromise. As fine a job as the production staff performed, there still remain areas of improvement, but that can be said of every event. It's a certainty though, that as this fine wine of a race ages, the best is still yet to come.

June 21 Those who attended the Rec-Plex Triathlon were pleasantly surprised to learn of an upcoming autumn version of that race scheduled to take place on Sunday, October 9. It appears that everything about the event will remain exactly as the June 19th version with the possible exception of (as a few of the triathletes no doubt hope) the winners. The event will be added to the Missouri Regional Triathlon Series. Registration is now open.... Ironhorse race director, Paul McDevitt, reincarnated the Ironhorse Triathlon, offering participants a streamlined version of the race, now imbued with importance. Once a 1.5M-45M-10M long-course, the race was reshaped to more closely resemble international distance employing the .66M-28M-6.6M quarter-iron distance popularized by Quartermax. The event was significant in the fact that it served as a qualifier for the US Half Triathlon Championship (a half-iron format) near Kansas City in September- and- it qualified the top Illinois male and female finishers to represent their state at the Best of the US Championship in Guilford, NH this August. Twenty-eight metro area triathletes drove to Springfield to spoil the party and came away with a whopping 18 top-five AG finishes. Lou DiGuiseppe showed that a 40-year old Ironman can still high rev the motor when necessary, returning home with the 3rd place overall trophy. Jennifer Meyer had intended to use the race as a tune-up for age-group Nationals but was already firing on all cylinders as she won the women's division outright with an outstanding performance. Great work by the entire crew. It's a good thing there wasn't a metal detector at the Missouri border with all the hardware that rested in their cars....

Perspective - I was one of those baby-faced guys in high school who had scant need of a razor. While you could set your watch to five o'clock by my buddy's late day stubble, you could probably set your calendar by my Friday shadow. A lesser "man" might have suffered from pangs of inferiority, but being wise beyond my years, I recognized that it also meant I'd be younger looking when it really counted, when I was older. I was reminded of that bit of personal history during a run yesterday. I headed off on a one-mile warm-up before settling into a nice tempo run. The legs felt great, the weather was magnificent, and my spirits were soaring. I intended to knock off 7's for 20-25 minutes, not a spectacular pace but maximal effort was not on the agenda. Now I'm proud of the significant progress I've made with my running this season by virtue of some hard work plus a little luck with keeping my fifty-three year old knees functioning properly. Though still short of my glory years, I keep reaching for them and can honestly say that I feel years younger, and as long as I keep a cap on my head, I can still pass for someone in his forties. So, along the Forest Park Trail I sped with a nice turnover, even breath, and steady heartrate- all was right with the world. Ahead of me was one of those exercise walker-types. I had to give him props though for still moving, I thought, particularly at his age. As I approached, it's entirely possible that in a moment weakness I subconsciously speeded up, just a bit. But the moment I made the pass, he coaxed me on with, "Way to go old guy, keep after it."....

June 20 Congratulations to both the age-group and elite division winners at yesterday's Rec-Plex Triathlon. Shawn Oneal (3:02:08) took the top spot in the elite division, followed by John Beyer (3:05:47) and Dana Riederer (3:13:42). The women's elite had Amber Mounday (3:20:25) in first, with Kristin Moore (3:23:32) and Mary Blandford (3:34:52) rounding out the top three. A self-congratulatory pat on the back goes to SBR whose pre-race handicapping skillz were nearly perfect by picking five out of these top six finishers, and coming within 21 seconds of getting all six correct. Just how significant was this accomplishment? Well, that and three bucks will get you cafe mocha at Starbucks.... We'll have a complete race recap written and posted within a day or two, so in the meantime, all of the information hounds..er, kindly readers, can hurry up and wait.... Chris Arnold pointed his Canon SLR at you on Sunday and here's a small gallery of some of his favorite images. Nice work CA.... Link to complete race results....

Perspective - The admonition, "and hey...be careful out there," made its way to popular culture years ago on the old TV series, Hill Street Blues. I suppose no one should adhere to this obvious advice more than myself after enduring a nasty three-year string of bike related accidents and resultant mis-aligned bones. Happily, I can say that 2005 finds my skeletal system completely intact (I type this while knocking on anything and everything remotely resembling wood). But this isn't about me. Rather, this piece was spawned from the alarming number of world-class triathletes who have crashed or gotten hit while on a training ride. This year alone has seen: Chris Lieto- fractured wrist, Faris Al-Sultan- stitches and knee injury, Gina Kehr- shattered radius and ulna, Jan Rehula (Olympic bronze medalist)- severely internally damaged perineum, Matt Reed- massive road rash, split head, Spencer Smith- broken ribs and clavicle, numerous stitches, Paul Amey- fractured pelvis... and the list goes depressingly on. The fatalists among us may suggest that when it's your time, there's nothing you can do, but I for one don't adhere to the notion that an unavoidable, preordained date with a car fender awaits anyone. The fatherly advice SBR wishes to dispense here is to become more proactive when dealing with the inherent risks of cycling. Questionable riding habits may be the most easily correctable aspect. Distilled down to one word, smart riding is all about anticipation. We cyclists are nearly completely vulnerable out there on the road, so staying safe is largely a function of being one step ahead of the environment, at least as much as one can hope to be. The hazards take many forms: potholes, grates, fissures, vehicles, debris, dogs, kids, other cyclists, meteorites, etc. Only a swivel-headed, compound-eyed cyclist could take note of every possible menace. Then, factor in one's waning focus, three withering hours into that 80-miler. It's tough, but play the mental game as strongly as you play the physical game and your odds of safe passage rise dramatically. The other issue is equipment. This might be construed as a sponsor plug, but have your machine checked out each year by a bike mechanic. The older your ride is, obviously the more crucial this becomes. Stress cracks, loosened bolts, weakened joints, cut tires, frayed cables, rust, et al, are the enemies. If your bike is five years old, replace your seat and stem bolts. Aerobar bolts corrode quickly from dripping sweat and could be replaced annually. If you hear a persistent groan in your stem or handlebars when climbing, it's time to repair or replace. When it comes to tubes, replace over repair. When it comes to tires, buy the best, most pucture-resistant you can afford. In summation, be smart and control your risks. We want to see you out there training and racing all season long....

June 19 Generally recognized track etiquette- 1- Unless a specific track indicates otherwise, fast runners clocking themselves have the right to the inside lane. This is so even if fast runners are running slower than other fast runners. So, if you're running intervals, a Yasso 800, or a mile for time, etc, grab the inside lane. 2-When on a fast (timed) lap, you may be overtaken by other, faster runners. Do not move wide because they will be more likely to collide with you. 3- Use the term "track" to indicate you are coming up on someone but only to avoid collision. If you are running fast and someone approaches from behind and yells "Track!" and you feel you have the right to the inside lane, simply wave them around you with your right hand. 4- Between fast laps, whether walking or jogging at an easy pace, move to an outer lane. Be aware of other runners coming up from behind. Do not come to a complete stop after finishing your fast lap or laps, because others may collide with you. Slow down gradually, look back, then move wide or step to the infield. 5- Be aware and alert for runners at varying speeds on the track. 6- Most track coaches are happy to see others use their tracks, but usually between 3pm and 6pm they are with their teams, have full control of the track, and could limit your access. 7- Be attentive to what goes on in the infield, particularly if shots and discuses are flying, and be cognizant of hurdlers or sprinters who may be using certain lanes....

The Quad Cities Triathlon took place in Davenport, Iowa on Saturday. Metro area finishers included 52-Nick Fichter (1:16:09) St Louis, 90-Christopher Payne (1:19:12) St Louis, 95-Anthony Payne (1:19:23) St Louis, 117-Margie Martens (1:21:44) Florisssant.... The Komen Race for the Cure experienced a huge field of runners for the 5k event on a picture perfect day. Vincent Morogah made it to the line first in 16:02 and 16 year old Jessica Bolinger, a Ste Genevieve HS cross country runner won the women's division with a time of 18:56. The chair division was a familiar face as Don Dowlin from Eureka won it again with a time of 12:35. And last but certainly not least, the cancer survivor winner was Stepahnie Gorman who came in with a nice 23:17 finish....

June 18 A mechanical problem has forced The Center of Clayton to drain their competition pool and relocate swim programs to the Shaw Park Aquatic Center, 111 South Brentwood Blvd. 314-290-8507.... There may be no IronKids Triathlon this year, but triathletes age 7-12 can compete in the USAT Youth National Championships at the University of New Orleans on August 27. The event will feature a completely closed bike course and offer an exhibition race for athletes 13-15 years of age. They along with the 16-19 year olds will have their own National Championship at the Baker's Healthy Start Foundation Triathlon on August 7 in Bellingham, Washington. There are no qualifying events for this year's youth or junior nationals. For more information jump to the website....

June 17 Race Preview - The Rec Plex Triathlon gets set to rock this weekend with registration having exceeded 400, including a few team members. It's anyone's guess who will take the top spots, but the women's competitive division has an wonderful battle shaping up among the trio of Amber Mounday, Kristin Moore, and Mary Blandford. There are also a few unfamiliar names in that heat that could prove us wrong by usurping the women's throne. Many of the area's male elite racers have abstained from the event in lieu of chasing IM slots the following weekend, but the men's competitive division will still field a talented group. Look for Shawn Oneal, John Beyer, and Caleb Goldkamp to turn up the heat on the competition. The age-groupers will labor in the so called non-competitive division which in reality will be anything but that. However, they won't be employing the same degree of tactical race strategy as the money division, relying instead upon pure, blind time-trialing effort. The forecast is for sunny skies, uppper 80's, and a slight SE breeze.... Results - The Route 66 Duathlon offered participants an opportunity to sample the rolling terrain in and around Rolla, Missouri. A 5k run preceded the challenging 18.6 mile bike ride. Ironically, the men's division saw Scott Shaw, who calls Edwardsville home in the predominantly flat state of Illinois, make it to the finish line first in a time of 1:10:46. He was followed by Gregory Schrick of St. Louis (1:11:41) and hometown boy Dan Fuhrman (1:13:58) from Rolla. The women's division only entertained seven racers, but Jill Tillman from Rogersville didn't let that bother her when she posted a comfortable winning time of 1:20:26. Thirteen minutes later in second place, arrived Becky Tackett of Kansas City (1:33:23). Yet another nine minutes later, Kaile Bouma (1:42:10) from Ozark, Missouri finished in third place. Metro area men's finishers included: 7-Matthew Hertell, Manchester 1:19:19, 9-Charles Wood (Eureka) 1:23:44, 10-Drew Corwin (Chesterfield) 1:24:09, 15-Edward Logan (St Louis) 1:28:14, 17-Bud Straumann (Wildwood) 1:30:25, 18-Steve Hahn (St. Louis) 1:31:19, 23-Phil Milligan (Eureka) 1:34:49. Metro area women to complete the race were: 6-Joanne Schneider (Festus) 1:51:08 and 7-Leah Schneider (Festus) 1:53:35....

June 16 Congratulations to Jennifer Meyer of St Louis for her recent third-overall finish at the Reebok Women's Triathlon up in Naperville, IL behind winner Nicole DeBoom. Also with a solid day's work were 29-Sarah Sander, St Louis, 45-Robin Rongey, Edwardsville, 232-Jeni Johnson, Chesterfield, 334-Kimberly Cotsworth, Clayton, 431-Paula Malone, St Louis, 794 Ann Rolfes, Webster Groves, 923-Jan Held, Ballwin, 1007-Shae Wyatt, O'Fallon (Mo.), 1376-Barb Klein, St Louis, and 1442-Karen Moffitt, Richmond Heights. Hopefully we didn't miss local athlets from among the 1671 women who participated in this huge event. Nice work to all....

Perspective - I became intrigued with the St. Louis Track Club's Pace Series being staged throughout the summer. Truth be known, convenience was certainly a contributing factor, living two blocks from the venue as I do. The remarkable low cost appealed to my pecuniary side, 50 cent now thankfully connoting much more than some hip hop artist. But most of all, I found the format fascinating. The central concept was to predict one's finish time without benefit of a watch. Now this sort of self-knowledge is a product of experience, of which I've got plenty, but it seemed that one's most recent running experience would provide a better yardstick. Developing an accurate strategy was challenging. My spate of 40-mile weeks have been spent glancing at my heart rate monitor and a finish time, not a GPS device with pacing information, so that didn't offer much insight. My regimen had revolved around road runs approximating either 10k or 13 miles, but these distance were best-guess estimates. On the other hand, a few track sessions reminded me of the effort required to perform measured 800m repeats at a pace I'd definitely not be capable of holding for this 5k run, so that was of limited value. Should I run hard, medium, or a recovery pace? The answer to that question should have jumped at me like an uncoiling Missouri copperhead. Anytime a group of competitive athletes gets together, it's gonna be a race, whether it's official or not. I should have remembered the "influence factor." My good news/bad news finish resulted in a solid run but alas 1:09 too quick. It was odd feeling being disappointed about running too fast, but I'll still smile wryly about it and bring this bit of data next week in hopes of nailing the 2.5 miler in + - 10 seconds. The whole event seemed a throwback to yesteryear- no race numbers were doled out, the honor system was employed for record keeping, and a few simple post-run snacks with water were provided. This series is a breath of fresh air addition to the crowded and often expensive event calendar. Check it out, Wednesdays, 6;15pm at the Forest Park visitor's center, you'll be glad you did....

June 15 Bits and pieces of the SBR Halfmax race report found its way to an article on the Inside Triathlon website in a joint effort with website editor Jeff Henderson. The thrust of the article is the U.S. Half Triathlon Championship with brief reports about the Halfmax and Mooseman Triathlons woven into it.... Results of the Rincon Triathlon in Puerto Rico showed Sarah Haskins second out of the water among the women, finishing in 7th place and Nate Kortuem in 17th among the men, eight minutes back of first. The men's pro division saw most of the top finishers running a 32 to 35 minute 10k after the 1500m swim and 40k bike. Nice job to both athletes.... The Riverfront Trail will be closed at Merchant's Bridge due to construction on the railroad bridge. The closure dates are June 21 to July 1, and again July 26 to August 5. The Tuesday Night Riverfront Trail Rides will be cancelled June 21, June 28, July 26 and August 2. Four additional Tuesday Night Rides will be added on August 30, September 6, 13 and 20. The Fair Saint Louis Riverfront Bicycle Ride on July 3, is planned to proceed as scheduled. For up to the minute status of the trail, check the Trailnet website.... If any participants in the recent Conquer Castlewood Adventure Race have the urge to take it to the next level, then maybe the Freedom Challenge in South Africa is for them. Check that, maybe if they want to ratchet it up 100 levels. How about 88km run, 2200km mountain bike, and 208km paddle. Go solo or with a partner....

June 14 Read Andrea Fisher's Halfmax race report on Xtri.com accompanied by SBR buddy Chis Arnold's compelling digital images.... Feet's website this Thursday. For anyone still interested in entering this weekend's race, remember that there is NO race day entry.... The July installment of Outside Magazine hits the news stands today with Lance Armstrong gracing the cover. This is a Tour De France preview issue. Speaking of LA, he unveiled a new time trial bike this week at the Dauphiné Libérée.... The St Louis Track Club has completed measuring and marking the outermost loop of the trails at Forest Park. It comes to 5.65 miles. A start point is directly north of the Visitor's Center and is marked as mile-0.... Congratulations to Tanya Crews who won the F50-54 age group at Escape From Alcatraz this past weekend. There were other local triathletes in the field, but the results data base is unsearchable by state. Athlete seach....

SBR recently alluded to the Saturday morning group ride from Ghisallo and how its popularity is on the rise. We now have a first-person account of this gentle, weekend get-together courtesy of Matt Fairchild, or was that Phil Liggett? This is too good not to share-- "Wow!! The peloton was greeted with fireworks this week and the pace of the ride just keeps getting hotter.. This week we approached Mt. Ossenfort at a respectable pace of 22-23mph and as we got closer, I found myself repositioning and riding in the 3-slot to counter the inevitable surge at the base. I felt very good about my ability to challenge for the KOM, but the race was over before it started with Dave tearing the legs off the peloton as he came from somewhere behind me and hit the base of the climb doing no less than 25mph.. So much for KOM!!, Dave took that jersey!! This move looked like something that had been calculated for weeks in the backroom of Ghisallo.. Next up came the decent of Melrose and with it's winding switchbacks and the morning dew, it was eager to lay claim to any cyclist that dare to perform outside their comfort zone.. Well, it happened and some Tri-guy on a brand new Javelin was spotted on his aero-bars descending this hill and moments later he looked like a brush hog as he flew into the ditch and cartwheeled over his bike, he had company as another individual had already missed the turn and was also in the ditch, also doing an impressive flip.. Neither one of these guys has been to "IL FALCO's Descending Camp"" (Mike Mercer) because the first thing he teaches you in the classroom is that aero bars should be left at home!! The ride back off of Ossenfort had the peloton splintered and a group of 7 of us were torching up the road at speeds ranging from 25-29mph.. The group found most of it's strength from some dude with a British accent and a bald headed dude we will call Bruno.. This guy could haul ass and he did!! We dropped a couple of guys, but the remaining 5 worked like a well oiled machine.. Probably more amazing was strongman Marco Velo (Greg Witther) leading a small group of only 3 people and chasing only 100 yards behind.. Velo is everyone's choice for a leadout with the huge engine and impressive legs, he can turn over a 53-11 in anger and wind does not seem to bother him..."....

June 12 The Conquer Castlewood Adventure Race will never rival Eco-Challenge, but it does provide its eager participants with a great time and an interesting diversion, judging by its sell-outs the last two years. Teams of two-members canoed the Meramec river, then mountained biked and ran the trail system of Castlewood State Park. The male team of David Frei/Eric Buckley (1:29) managed a two minute win over Matt Farichild/John Lynch (1:31). The female team of Laura Scherff/ Susie Booth (1:52) won their division over the second place team of Dawn Burtnett/ Teresa Petro (2:02). The coed division saw Dan McManemy/ Megan Moran (1:43) take first with Matt Brier/ Sarah Moberg (1:44) in second, just one minute behind. complete results....

A week removed from the quad-pounding that was Halfmax, Rodney Adkison managed to find the legs to win the Tri-Jesus Triathlon yesterday. He exited the swim in second then went on to post the fastest bike and run splits of the day. Adkison (59:59) finished ahead of Ultramax Event's Tony Rigdon (1:01:43) and Rolla resident Mark Mullin (1:05:04). In the women's division, the top three was all-Illinois and mostly Lapeta as 18-year old Eileen Lapeta of Downers Grove (1:07:38) won handily. Kim Genebacher of Decatur (1:10:08) took second and 14-year old Meghan Lapeta (1:11:02) finished four and a half minutes behind her older sister while taking third. Several metro area athletes made the drive to Quincy. In the men's divison were: 5-Christian Morrow (1:07:42), 6-Dennis Noel (1:08:49), 9-Tom Reinsel (1:11:07), 13-Michael Miles (1:12:10), 17-Jeff Sharpee (1:15:36), 48-David Cruzan (1:35:01), 54-John Schimweg (1:40:26). Over in the women's divison were: 7-Shana Kays (1:22:53), 12-Stephanie McCreary (1:25:04), 24-Ann Kelly (1:36:05), 30-Stacey Hawkins (1:46:46), 35-Jeanie Wilson (1:53:25), 36-Jennifer Kelly (1:53:55). Nice work to all who finished. complete results....

Perspective - Runners World magazine came out with a list of the top 25 cities in which to run. St Louis area runners are once again reminded that we have no blue ocean or mountain vistas serving as scenic backdrops to our training jaunts. New York City (#3) seems a curious high-ranking choice. True, they stage one of the most popular marathons in the world each year, but how many times can you run Central Park along with more than 7000 other daily runners before it begins to lose its luster? And evening running there would certainly become anaerobic out of necessity. Glancing over the selections, a few others seem surprising. Until now, I was under the impression that the best running in Washington D.C. (#5) stemmed from reporters chasing down stories of political misdeeds, or members of the House and Congress trying to work off the extra pounds from their diets of pork barrel politics. Phoenix (#22) jumps out at me. Now I've been there in the summertime and while the desert is a cool place to be, it is also a very hot place to be. It's my opinion that as long as you can restrict your outdoor running there to either: 1) the months of September thru April, or 2) before and after sunrise beween May and August; then it can be a lovely place to run. Houston (#21) never struck me as being a running mecca even though it hosts a popular 26-miler each year. I've heard tales of that Texas city breeding mosquitos as large as sparrows and with my aerobic capacity, I need to keep every red blood I've got. In the end it may not be so much about where you run that matters, but the fact that you are running at all that really counts. Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta run....

1. San Francisco, CA 2. San Diego, CA 3. New York, NY 4. Chicago, IL 5. Washington DC 6. Minneapolis, MN 7. Boulder, CO 8. Boston, MA 9. Denver, CO 10. Portland, OR

11. Austin, TX 12. Seattle, WA 13. Philadelphia, PA 14. Colorado Springs, CO 15. Dallas, TX 16. Anchorage, AK 17. Raleigh, NC 18. Salt Lake City, UT 19. Honolulu, HI 20. Atlanta, GA

21. Houston, TX 22. Phoenix, AZ 23. Madison, WI 24. Monterey, CA 25. Fort Collins, CO

 

June 11 Trailnet recently redesigned its website to provide comprehensive information on (1) Bicycle Rides & Recreational Events offered by Trailnet and others, (2) Volunteer Opportunities for trail projects, bicycle rides and other events (3) Advocacy Alerts to promote the visibility, importance, and use of trails, greenways and bike/ped compatible roadways.... The website will be expanded with sections on St. Louis area (1) Trails & Bikeways (an interactive, searchable regional locator map of trails, greenways, and on-road bikeways) (2) Educational Programs & Services related to bicycle/ped safety and alternative transportation, (3) Trail and Greenway Planning Services for Municipalities, and (4) Trailnet Projects. Trailnet also launched a redesigned monthly e-newsletter that you may sign up for on-line....

June 10 Pespective - They say running in the rain can make one feel like a kid again. OK, I didn't exactly revisit those carefree boyhood days via some wormhole, but yesterday's long run was as wild a sensory experience as I've had in a while. The hot, late afternoon thirteen-miler began as an exercise in managing heart rate and core temperature. A controlled pace and water bottle kept my world in check. The western horizon grew progressively darker with an approaching thunder storm, but if my effort was timed properly, I'd watch it blow in from the cozy quarters of my living room. Before long, it was just one more six-mile lap and I'd be home free. It was then that the sky mutated into an eerie combination of bright eastern light with a fast moving black cloud line overhead and a trailing grayness of obvious heavy rain. Portions of the sky swirled with blues, purples, and scary greenish hues. The wind picked up and thunder rumbled loudly. Electrical discharges flashed, causing me to soberly recall a casual analogy I had made only the day before- that having a blowout on a fast bike descent was as rare as getting struck by lightning. The storm front savagely pulled down high-alititude air, and as the cool gusts swept to ground level, it was as if someone had flipped on a switch to some gigantic outdoor air-conditioning unit. I picked up the pace while I savored these meteorological phenomena. I wondered if perhaps I should have grabbed a cycling helmet instead of a cap when I walked out the door as I now I fully expected to be pelted by hail. That didn't materialize, but a light sprinkle began to fall. I ran through warm pockets of steam that rose from the asphalt as the droplets hit and evaporated. Finally the sky opened and the rain fell in earnest. Now only a couple of blocks from my door, I was getting thoroughly drenched but enjoying every minute of it. Who said long runs were boring?

June 9 Metro area runners looking for an interesting weekend road trip might consider the Run Hit Wonder 5k and 10k races up in Chicago on September 13. The event will feature music provided by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Donnas, Fountains of Wayne (no relation to Wayne's Words), Nina Sky, DJ Z-Trip and Chingy. Then again, there's a ton of other things to see and do in the Windy City as well.... No local triathletes will be gunning for any of the thirty Kona slots up for grabs at this weekend's Eagleman Half Ironman Triathlon in Cambridge, Maryland.... Best of luck to Nate Kortuem and Sarah Haskins as they jet off to Puerto Rico for the Rincon Triathlon this weekend. Good work by John Lynch who put together a nice send-off dinner last evening at Chevy's. Mr SBR better go long today to shed those chimichongic calories.... Ultramax Events race director, Mark Livesay, was in a bit of an awkward position when Nate Kortuem won Halfmax last Sunday. There wasn't really an official, professional division. Andrea Fisher and Jamie Cleveland were there making guest appearances, as it were. Mark still went ahead and did the class thing by giving Nate a very nice Trisports.com gift certificate. Bravo....

June 8 Halfmax Triathlon Recap-- When Ultramax Events launched the first Halfmax Triathlon back in 2003, race director Mark Livesay knew the undulating terrain would provide a formidable June challenge. While the verdant, rolling hills and pristine waters of Innsbrook Resort can easily conjure up images of Lake Placid, this Missouri venue is apt to throw in a couple of race day bonuses like heat and humidity. In 2004, participants got a bit of a reprieve from the heat as the temperature dipped 20 degrees below its seasonal norm, but this year racers hit the triple-H trifecta. The hills were still there of course, an early morning rain raised the humidity to a wet-sauna level, and the summer heat made an emphatic return with the mercury projected to hit the mid-nineties. Oh, and there was one other minor detail for the racers to mull over, something about a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run that lay ahead.

Triathletes by their very nature tend to be drawn to challenge. Perhaps that helps explain why they traveled from 25 states to embrace the rigors of Halfmax. In just its third year, word has filtered around the country that this race is one not to be taken lightly. Neither that nor sore quads after last years race prevented celebrity pro, Andrea Fisher, from returning. She put it on her calendar at the 2004 awards ceremony and this year succeeded in convincing a host of energetic and animated, Austin-based triathletes to accompany her as well. Even hubby, tri-pro Jamie Cleveland, decided to give a go.

It was a foregone conclusion that barring catastrophe Fisher would post the women's overall best time, after all, she is a world-class triathlete against a field of age-groupers. There was no pot of gold prize pool for her to chase, so it speaks volumes that she would expend the effort. When asked about the race, she simply said that she fell in love with the cozy environment and friendly atmosphere. How many races have condos with back doors that open directly into the transition area?

As for the men, Cleveland was poised in much the same position of being the closed-book favorite, that is, until Nate Kortuem filled out a race-week entry form. The two of them dwell in radically different triathlon universes. Cleveland is a former Ironman Florida champion, long-course and ultra-distance specialist. On the other hand, Kortuem is an ITU pro far more accustomed to peloton-style Olympic distance, draft-legal riding. Furthermore, Kortuem had not yet attempted the half-iron format. However, there was one attribute they shared, and that is immense talent. It was setting up to be an interesting war of worlds.

Despite the warming air temperature, a surprisingly wetsuit-legal swim had Cleveland and Kortuem out on their bikes ahead of the field, as expected. The two-lap route would take cyclists through a section of serious rollers within the resort. Ironically it wasn't the sine wave hills that impacted Kortuem as much as it was a mini-roller in the form of a speed bump. One mile into the ride, too much speed over one sent both of his bottles flying towards the roadside. It could have spelled a re-hydration disaster, but fortunately the bottle exchange was just up the road and he managed to reload.

From the lead vehicle, Cleveland could be seen extending his first lap lead to over two minutes by virtue of his strong riding. Kortuem, on the other hand, was content to ride a more conservative pace early on. This measured approach seemed to pay dividends when he eventually applied the accelerator and took back most of the deficit by the end of the second lap. When they finally re-racked their machines, all that remained between them and the finish was a brutally tough 13.1 mile, two-lap run through the resort's relentless hills.

The issue was settled relatively early when Cleveland's stomach refused to hold fluid. In that steamy environment, the equation was simple. No hydration = no finish. Kortuem made the pass near the four mile mark to the gracious Cleveland's acknowledgment, then he pushed steadily to the finish. His 4:06:37 was spectacular in light of the terrain and weather. Equally as impressive, was the fact that the nearest team entry, and a strong one at that, made the line still some thirteen minutes back.

Andrea Fisher continued her steadfast effort to the finish, hitting the line in 4:42:14. Her performance was strong in light of an extended off-season absence from the sport. She'd be the first to admit that her conditioning isn't where it was this time last year, but the time off was just what she had needed. The season is long and Halfmax was another step closer as she builds towards Kona, still months away. This affable Texan with the ready smile succeeded not only in garnering another first, but also in building a St Louis area fan base.

The age group race had ramifications beyond the podium. Halfmax is one of twenty qualifying races for the U.S. Half Championship near Kansas City on September 25. While the top 25% of each age group would earn slots, it was doubtful however that many of the athletes were thinking much beyond the daunting challenge that lay before them.

Certainly 36-year old Rich Wierzba felt that way as he loosened his pre-race muscles connected by electrodes to an ART machine. The electro-stimulation may not have boosted a rather pedestrian swim, but his strength was on the bike anyway. A huge effort there netted the fastest age group split of the day. He paired that with the second best run split to take the title by more than three minutes from Kona-bound Rick Mann (4:33:15). In fact, the top three finishers reside in the ever-tough M35-39 bracket. Beat Bartlome (4:37:52), who recently recovered from a bike/car incident in Florida, made the race part of his Ironman Switzerland preparation and registered a very strong performance in third.

The women's division had several pre-race contenders to consider, but when the day was done, Elizabeth Fedofsky brought it home first with her very fine 4:50:39. The petite 29-year old from Chicago should be more accustomed to wind, but said she loves the hills and proved it with a sterling effort over the remarkable 43-year old L.A. Lowe (4:58:03) and a still more incredible yet 49-year old Laura Sophiea (4:59:29). The trio proved to be equally matched in the swim and on the bike, but ultimately Fedofsky's run split was the difference.

Much attention is usually devoted to the the early finishers and justifiably so, but the back of the pack held many stubborn racers who simply refused to surrender to the course. Among them were Sister Madonna Buder. The 74-year old "flying nun" recently returned to her St Louis roots for an annual domination of the Senior Olympics, and while here opted to jump in Halfmax. She confided before the race that she was vastly undertrained, but it wasn't evident as she made a smiling pass through the finish chute to the cheers of the crowd.

By the end of the day, 338 starters wore finishers medals. Each fought his or her own epic battle against some very tough elements, the other competitors, and the all too common inner demons. Some took home hardware, most did not, but all came away winners.

June 7 Nice work to Karla Lang (3:12:47) and Larry Doerr (3:10:53) for their wins in the Halfmax Aqua Bike division. Lang came within two minutes of winning it outright based upon the strength of her bike split, the fastest overall (21.5mph).... It was good to see the Halfmax Triathlon preliminary results get quickly cleaned of most of its anomalies. There still appears to be a couple of bike split errors (28.9mph stands out), but they may be beyond repair, plus they have no impact on the podium anyway.... The Missouri Regional Triathlon Series standings will be brought current with Sunday's results on Wednesday's update.... A big St Loo thanks to Jamie Cleveland who surprised us with a cold beer while we were tearing down the bike racks after the race. That was nice.... Speedy recovery to Edgar Breda who went down hard on the bike. SBR doesn't know the extent of his injuries, but we wish him well. There were a couple of other bike spills, but we have no names or details. This is the nasty part of the sport and we obviously all hate to see anyone get injured out there.... This Saturday, the cities of Ballwin, Chesterfield, Ellisville and Manchester will hold a surplus property auction at the Ballwin Public Works facility at 200 Park Drive. The auction will begin promptly at 9am. Among Items to be auctioned are unclaimed bicycles. Items will be on display at 8am and all bidders must register.... Big Shark Athletic Company is now forming women's groups for road rides and runs. For more information on how to become a part of the action, email patricia@bigshark.com.... Fleet Feet drew an amazing number of participants to its first weekly session of summer speed work. Over 230 runners took part between two venues. Looks like many of the age-groups are upping the ante.... The Saturday morning Ghisallo rides are becoming increasingly popular. Of course it doesn't hurt to have the smooth, hilly Wildwood roadways at your back door. Rumor has it that the peloton routinely numbers near thirty riders.... While the city of Wildwood may be well ahead of the curve in their effort to upgrade pavement conditions, it seems that the St Louis metro area in general is lagging behind just about every major metropolitan area in the U.S. A national transportation research group (TRIP) has determined that St Louis metro road conditions are third worst in the country among metros with a minimum population of half a million....

June 6 Here are some race results to tide you over while we play catch-up after what has been a hectic and exhausting five days.... Congratulations to Halfmax Triathlon age-group winners Rich Wierzba and Elizabeth Fedofsky, as well as the professional division winners Nate Kortuem and Andrea Fisher. Very nice work to all who completed this very tough event on a hot, humid day. Our full race recap will be available later in the week. In the interim, here are a few digital images captured courtesy of Chris Arnold.... Nice work up in Palo, Iowa, goes to Spencer Kathol of St Louis who finished 8/18 in the M20-24 in a time of 1:31:12, and to Jess Davidson of Edwardsville, Illinois who came to the line in 1:27:18 finishing 5/20 in the F25/29. Also great job to SBR friend, Christian WaterStraat, who took first of 53 in the highly competitive M30-34 bracket, while his significant other won Halfmax women's overall AG title.... Nice work to the local guys at the Honu Half Ironman: 29 7/96 M40-44 Mike Bub St Louis 4:51:06, 39 9/96 M40-44 Lou Di Guiseppe St Louis 4:54:57, 69 13/99 M35-39 Brad Werner St Louis 5:06:47, 115 25/99 M35-39 Tim McLeod St Louis 5:18:54, 471 82/99 M35-39 Jeff Morrell Chesterfield 6:44:10.... The Tri Shark Triathlon: 143 4/15 F40-44 Robin Rongey Edwardsville, IL 1:17:04, 247 7/21 M40-44 William Baker Chesterfield 1:24:44, 342 40/45 M35-39 Cliff McKisson St Louis 1:35:06, 368 6/7 M60-64 David Cruzon St Louis 1:39:52....

June 4 SBR has been monitoring the IronKids website for months now. While the homepage continues to indicate that their schedule is yet to be determined, we have word from a reader who contacted the Sara Lee Bakery Consumer Affairs Department and was informed otherwise. She was told that due to several changes in their organization, they do not have someone to organize the triathlons and consequently they probably won’t be having them this year. The word "probably" connontes the impression that the door may still be open, but realistically, with June already here, the chances of salvaging the 2005 series grow dimmer by the day.... Television - One show to look for is Running, a thirty-minute monthly series broadcast on the YES Network. Cycling enthusiasts can tune into Cyclism Sundays airing on the Outdoor Life Network every Sunday at 4pm. This week watch highlights of the Tour of Connecticut and the Dauphine Libere. Also on OLN beginning this Sunday is Road to the Tour, which is a weekly Tour de France preview show leading into the big race. For those who want to set their DVR's way ahead of time, The 2005 Ironman World Championship will be aired on NBC, Saturday, November 12 at 3:30 CST. There is still no word available on the broadcast schedule of other Ironman events or ITU races....

June 2 After an easy group spin on the bike course, it was back to business as SBR spent Wednesday afternoon lending a simple mind and two left thumbs to the Halfmax set-up effort. If the time we spent tugging and lugging contributes in some small way we're pleased, but for sure it serves as SBR's annual memory jogger of the time, effort, and expense required to stage a high-profile triathlon. Amidst the task of unloading trucks and trailers, it became readily apparent where a healthy portion of the entry fees necessarily goes. Staring at me were countless rolls of orange snow fencing, huge power generators, stacks of bike racks, scaffolding, massive tents, hundreds of cones, swim buoys, tables, thousands of zip ties, and so forth and so on... Oh yeah, this isn't simply a quaint 5k run. Weather permitting, the transformation of that hilltop into a bustling tri-central and the grassy knoll by the lake into the transition zone should be complete by late Friday.... Speaking of the weather for this weekend's race, it will definitely not duplicate last year's unseasonably low and extraordinarily comfortable conditions. Expect for the air temperature to be in the upper 80's with accompanying high humidity.... Look for an upcoming issue of Triathlete Magazine to feature Halfmax in a write-up and race recap. Maybe you'll find your picture in that national publication.... Athletes should be certain to attend the pre-race meetings. Among key topics will be some minor, final tweaks to the bike course done in the interest of keeping it as safe and mileage exacting as possible.... The all important water temperature was hovering near 78 degrees yesterday. It's anyone's guess what the thermometer will read on Sunday, but overcast conditions and a few raindrops could serve to keep the race wetsuit legal....

June 1 The Lake St Louis Triathlon is the oldest, continuous triathlon in the St Louis area. With its twenty-three year heritage firmly in place, this event is only a few years younger than the sport itself. 2005 will begin a new era for this race as it takes on the added significance of St Louis Metro Championship. The long course male and female overall winners will be crowned 2005 Champs of the St Louis Area. (This is distinct and separate from SBR's tri series which includes races in Columbia, Kirksville, and Cape Girardeau).... SBR will sit down with Sister Madonna Buder tomorrow and try to learn what makes this remarkable woman tick. She will bring her aura to Innsbrook Resort this weekend to take on Halfmax.... Website Statistics- The month of May brought us 10,582 visitors from 39 countries. 91% were Windows based operating systems and 86% used Internet Explorer. We received 611 links from Google searches and 164 click throughs from the LSL website. We had 431 visitors add us to their favorites. Aside from the hompage, regional multisport was the most sought page. Monday still rules and 7am thru 4pm is the preferred visiting time....

May 31 The Highland Biathlon once again marked the return of Memorial Day for many metro area multisporters, but it was also a homecoming of sorts for Sarah Haskins. While spending a couple of weeks back in St Louis after months of training in Colorado Springs, she turned out to defend her 2004 title and did so in convincing fashion. Haskins (1:13:33) put three minutes on the remarkable 42-year old, Helen Alexander-Kratz (1:16:20), and five minutes on the ever-versatile 37-year old, Amy Strahan (1:18:30). It wasn't more than just a couple of years ago that SBR was asking out loud where the new, young, local, multisport talent was to be found. As it turned out, Haskins answered that question emphatically in 2003 when she burst upon the local scene at 22 years of age. Now in her 2nd year as an ITU Pro, this unassuming athlete has held her own while racing head to head with many of the best international distance women triathletes in the world. The men's division saw a new face cross the finish line first. Nate Kortuem (1:03:21) accompanied Haskins to St Louis from "the Springs" and virtually duplicated her margins in his win with a three-minute cushion over Tim Meyer (1:06:32) and a five-minute differential on Tom Jackson (1:08:35). The Highland event's 5-mile run / 15-mile bike format tends to favor good runners who have decent bike skills. Kortuem showed what the result can be if you couple very good running ability with prodigious bike talent. Also racing on the ITU circuit with his pro card, Kortuem will stay on to give Halfmax a go next weekend in his first effort at that distance. Nice work to everyone who participated in the event. Photos courtesy of Chris Arnold. More of his images from the race.... The St Louis Track Club opens its 2005 Track Series tonight 6:30pm at Parkway North High School. Also on today's schedule is the first session of Fleet Feet's annual Summer Speedwork. The lactic acid begins flowing at 7pm from Francis Howell North High School in St Charles....

Perspective - When I was a kid, my excitement could hardly be contained each summer as the Ringling Brothers circus made its annual visit to St Louis and pitched their big-top tents. Now that I'm a bit older but still very much young at heart, that same youthful enthusiasm seems to gush forth when Ultramax Events sets up their tents at Innsbrook. Granted, many triathletes reading this can recount more years of the local racing scene than myself, but a host of newcomers have since been drawn to the sport who didn't experience some of the ancient, grass root days like this semi-oldster. Those events of yesteryear weren't better or worse, just different, and perhaps a little more improvised. Fast forwarding to the present, we can now savor the production skills of Ultramax Events, a modern-day organizational juggernaut that gets it right. Local triathlete veterans who don't support this weekend's Halfmax or the Quartermax in July may not be missing the greatest shows on earth, but they will be missing one of the best traveling road shows to come to town each year....

May 28 The ITU Duathlon Long Distance World Championship has duathletes from around the world gathered in Barcis, Italy. The event will require a 16.5k run - 80k bike- 11k run. Greg Watson of the US will look to defend his title against a predominantly European men's field. The women's age groupers offer a set of interesting circumstances. The 20-24 and 60-64 brackets each have one entry. Those ladies need only finish the race to become world champions. No metro area athletes are participating.... The Fleet Feet track sessons begin next week with offerings on either Tuesday, May 31 or Thursday, June 2nd. Prospective participants in this summer speedwork program are encourged to attend the all-important first week in order to establish their one-mile run benchmarks.... As you read this, Ironman Brazil is underway. Ironmanlive is providing their accustomed live updates.... The final 2005 Ironman World Championship slot being auctioned on eBay has 2-days remaining. Don't let the latest bid of $25.6k bid scare you.... The Friday evening Total Immersion mini-clinic at the Center of Clayton began last evening. There are a couple of spots still open. If interested, email Hap Gentry....

May 27 The ongoing ordeal of the KATY Trail Bridge in Boonville is becoming much like the trail itself, it seemingly goes on forever. But while the trail is mostly beeline straight, the battle of the bridge has provided some intriguing plot twists and turns. The latest development has State Attorney General, Jay Nixon, filing suit against the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Details in the Associated Press news brief....

Perspective-- Triathletes have been known to selectively let loose of some serious coin, all in the name of training and racing. A short list of expenditures might include: entry fees, expensive bikes, wetsuits, GPS devices, airfare, hotels, race expo merchandise...and on and on goes the credit/debit statement. I'm certainly not the most extravagant tri-consumer, but if I had back all the Benjamins from the last decade and a half of tri-spending... well let's just say it would amount to a tidy sum of green. Unless you've somehow managed to successfully parlay one dollar into millions in the lottery, there's a good chance you're operating on a fiscal budget, and a key off the field challenge of we multisporters is allocating resources. Which races? How much for a bike? Do I fly or drive? There is an interesting phenomenon that crops up now and again in tri-families. It may be a distant cousin of the old "penny-wise and pound-foolish" adage. Many a wife has been recently heard to ask the knifing question, "Honey, you mean to tell me that you spent $_____ (fill in the amount) for your bike, but we can't buy popcorn at Star Wars III ?" To the layman, these budgetary decisions make little economic sense, while to the multisport life-stylist they are a matter of proper priorities. Personally, I vacillate between two personas, the free-spender and the nickle-bender. My latest turmoil unfolded at an unnamed grocery store, just suffice it to say that I wasn't about to be "schnookered." My routine finds me first sauntering down the health food aisle which also displays a variety of energy bars. Somewhere along the line and for whatever reason, the "one dollar" price point for bars got implanted in my brain and I'll rarely spend more for one (note to self: you own a bike you paid 1/4 the cost of your last new car purchase). Then, last year there was the Snickers energy bar. If the term pony up means anything to you, you know my course of action, but that extra 69 cents was an investment in my training, I justified. Recently, I ventured down that same-said aisle to sniff out bargain purchases and spied the newest Snicker offering-- their low-calorie bar. Being the human calorie furnace that I am, the product concept didn't appeal to me. But if it had, the price would have steered me clear. They proudly, almost daringly, displayed the $3.99 price adjacent to the 99-cent Balance bars. Wow, never has an opportunity to pay more for less been so glaring. A few mental calculations put things in perspective. At current gasoline prices, the same four bucks gets my Hybrid all the way to Columbia. Alternatively, that bar will fuel me for fifteen-minutes on my bike. Heck, maybe I'll just get a six-pack of Michelob Ultra instead....

May 26 Ironman Nuts and Bolts-- The recently held Ironman Japan broke from tradition by reducing the time cutoff from 17 to 15 hours. This coupled with a race day storm made it tough on age groupers, yet 88% of the starters reached the finish line.... If a secret backdoor to Kona existed, at one time it may have been IM Brasil. The days of that so-called "easy" slot are long gone. A race that in its near history drew a just few hundred racers can look forward to over a thousand participants this weekend, two-hundred alone coming from the US.... The Buffalo Springs Lake Half Ironman has applied an interesting marketing approach to bring athletes to its tough as nails event. All triathletes 65+ years old are admitted free. Plus, the first ten triathletes to notify them of their finish at the Ironman World Championship can save the $150 entry fee at the the following year's BSL race as well. What a deal.... Iron distance athletes looking ahead at qualifying for the 2006 Ironman World Championship have a new event to consider. The Half Ironman Monaco is scheduled for Sept. 4, 2005 in the glamorous city of Monte Carlo in beautiful southern France. This is truly a vacation race destination.... The Honu Half Ironman is set for June 5th on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Kohala Coast sets the backdrop for a race that sets aside fifty-five slots for Hawaiian triathletes who meet residency requirements. Locals scheduled to make the trip looking to snare a piece of the thirty international slots are: Mike Bub, Lou and Pam DiGuiseppe, Tim McLeod, Jeff Morrell, and Brad Werner.... St Louis area triathlete, Beat Bartlome, is registered for Ironman Switzerland to take place on July 17. He intends to file a race report for SBR readers. We look forward to that.... To date, three SBR pals have reservations for Kona in October- Rick (the) Mann, Tom (action) Jackson, and Bev (still in need of a nickname) Ofsthun.... Halfmax-- We gave our own two thumbs-up appraisal of the final Halfmax bike route back on May 22 (see daily update archive). SBR reader Lou Jearls sent us his own test ride results for your consideration-- "Fellow triathletes racing Halfmax, I want to let you know about the new bike course. To start, it is unfortunately the same until Highways F & M intersect. This means you still have the wonderful and fun hills of the resort. With that being said, the route from the F & M intersection is all paved and very nice to ride on. No worries there. There are hills, but compared to the resort hills, the route is entirely flat. The hills are mostly composed of gradual inclines and descents with a few scattered short, somewhat steep climbs. You may have to get off of your seat depending on your level of riding. Other then that, it is hammering it out on highways M, to O, Stracks Church Rd, all the way to Highway F again. FYI, the turn from Highway O onto Stracks is more than 90 degrees. At Highway F, the road gets rough quickly. Spot patching makes it bumpy and uneven in places. On this road there is one moderate hill that you want to take at a somewhat conservative pace so you can then quickly hammer it down the other side. Finally, there is a monster hill that is going to set your legs on fire just before you re-enter the resort. Since you either have another bike lap or the run following, plan accordingly. At this point I was low gearing it up the hill to save my legs. Once back into the resort, you know the route; it is the same as in the past. There is variable shading all along the route. If the sun is out, sunscreen is recommended. (Trust me, I can show you my back and shoulders if you are questioning this). Best of luck"....

May 25 Listen to an Endurance Radio interview with Dave Scott as he discusses his triathlon clinics, a little Ironman lore, and nutrition.... Senior Olympics competitors will rule the bike paths of Creve Coeur Park this morning as they compete in four cycling time trial events. Participants must be 50 yrs of age or older.... Tonight is the finale of the the St Louis Track Club Road Series in Forest Park. Meet at the Visitor's Center for a 6:15pm start. Results through the first four events.... At 9am on Saturday, June 11, the cities of Ballwin, Chesterfield, Ellisville and Manchester will hold a surplus property auction at the Ballwin Public Works facility located at 200 Park Drive. Among miscellaneous items will be a number of unclaimed stolen bicycles. May be worth a peek during the 8am preview.... Dave Luecking of the Post-Dispatch, who cycles when he can, wrote a cautionary article by way of his own bicycle mishaps.... This link was sent to us by a reader. Fired Up is a website currently mounting a petition campaign to save the KATY Trail Boonville Bridge. Regardless of yours and the site's political party affiliations, it would be a good thing to make your sentiments known to the chief in Jefferson....

May 24 The St Louis Track Club's segues from their Road Series, which finishes tomorrow evening, right into their Track Series beginning next Tuesday, May 31. The weekly races begin at 6:30pm, range from 3000m down to 400m over the course of five weeks, and all take place at the Parkway North HS track.... A "very nice race" goes out to SBR friend, Christian Waterstraat from Lisle, IL, who went 2:03:58 at the Memphis in May Triathlon, finishing 4/137 in the extremely tough M30-34 age group.... The Terre Haute Triathlon had five St Louis metro area triathletes who comprised a small but hopeful minority in the field of 334, and they managed to make their presence known. Helen Alexander-Kratz delivered again in what has become a series of fine performances. A-K rifled through the field finishing the day 2nd in the women's division. Robert Montani, after aging up for the 2005 season, won the M40-44. And the towering Peter Sauer, displayed enough talent to race M25-29 instead of Clydesdale by bringing home 2nd in that bracket. Nice work to everyone who participated. Peter Sauer (1:46:10), Robert Montani ( 1:50:04), Helen Alexander-Kratz (1:55:41), Thomas Priester (2:20:52), Paul Milligan (2:25:09)....

May 22 Florida Half Ironman- Nice work to the guys who went long at Disney World. A fast course and hot conditions greeted them. No Ironman World Championship slots came home, but all of the athletes should be proud of their efforts. The metro area finishers with their overall and age-group places included are: Matt Bonastia- 63, 16/257 (4:37:11), Rich Wierzba- 89, 16/334 (4:41:43), Gregory Magee- 843, 71/123 (5:56:54), Jeffrey Sadowsky- 1054, 128/233 (6:14:48), Michael Toon- 1315, 171/233 (6:42:54)....

Memphis in May Triathlon- A familiar name battled the top professionals. Trent Tollakson , who warmed up his pro card with a win at Race For Sight, brought his skillz to Millington. His fourth place overall was powered by a 27.7mph average bike split. The difference between he and the top three (Potts, DeBoom, and Cleveland) were their mid-five minute miles on the run. As usual, a host of metro area triathletes made the trip to Tennessee for the phast and phurious MIM Triathlon. John Beyer led locals to the finish line. Special distinction goes to these top-ten Age Group placings: 7-John Beyer (2:08:50), 9-Tim Giddens (2:13:17), 5-Bill Grebenc (2:21:30), 8-Paul Tripodi (2:33:50), 6-Jim Wright (2:43:54), 8-David Whiting (3:15:04), 7-Sarah Sander (2:24:00), 7-Mary Blandford (2:16:28), 2-Jennifer Meyer (2:18:12), 4-Dana Berkbuegler (2:23:01), 10-Teresa Telford (2:42:38), 4-Nancy Lieberman (3:14:08), 4-Linda Killhoffer (2:44:10), and 7-Edgar Breda (2:12:36).... Congratulations to everyone making the finish line.... Lou Jearls (2:10:14), Derek Fruend (2:12:09), Ron Hefley (2:20:59), Michael Sampson (2:22:58), Craig Langnefeld (2:41:55), Chad Blatz (2:43:57), Patrick Adams (2:46:00), Joseph Goldberg (3:04:22), Patrick Mullen (2:19:53), Damien Garrels (2:25:30), David Nothmann (2:25:31), Morry Cole (2:28:49), Jeremy Jamerson (2:40:58), John Strassner (2:44:43), Bill McGowan (2:52:46), Corge Umlauf (2:53:55), Patrick Gross (2:55:29), Jeffrey Haas (3:57:41), Ted Sward (2:24:33), Stephen Logsdon (2:28:44), Sean McKessy (2:33:08), Scott Farroll (2:38:02), Nick Engelbrecht (2:38:29), Jim Rhodes (2:44:29), David Pessin (2:47:37), Tommy Rosenthal (2:50:25), Mark Cassorla (2:58:07), Steve Zoll (2:21:55), Johathan Whiting (2:29:20), Paul Schon (2:34:13), Greg Starrs (2:35:13), Steve Walters (2:39:30), Michael Pepper (2:39:49), Seichi Noda (2:42:31), Ken Boyd (2:57:06), Edward Clark (2:57:42), Jeffrey Loebner (2:47:43), Jim Chambers (2:50:27), David Havens (2:41:03), Dennis Noel (2:43:48), John Whitaker (2:59:34), Tom Irwin (2:59:55), Jerry Goodson (2:44:44), Bruce Edwards (2:45:52), Adam Breeze (2:58:33), Tom Miller (3:20:17), Timothy Miles (2:44:39), Bill Cragg (2:47:37), Phil Milligan (3:23:16), Bethany Jobe (2:50:10), Shanike Cook (2:35:18), Laura Herring (2:50:30), Abby Pessin (2:56:40), Beth Sandborn (2:44:31), Mina Nashan (2:53:32), Stacey Jones (2:54:04), Christine Powers (2:59:10), Holly Ball (2:40:48), Julie Thomas (2:44:51), Stephanie Teague (2:50:45), Pamela Wucher (3:16:29), Susan Iverson (2:32:43), Carol Wright (2:43:06), Heidi Chambers (2:47:08), Becca Stevens (3:11:26), Jeff Been (2:35:40), Joseph Williams (2:38:25), David Burroughs (2:52:05), Mark Czelusta (2:18:22), Andy Killhoffer (2:28:42), Mark Varner (3:27:26), Robin Rongey (2:47:02), Rebecca Gillum (2:55:43)....

Halfmax- I rode the newest, new-version of the bike course last week with SBR buddy Curtis Brooks. This one differs slightly from the one we marked for our training day. It can be said that this one is definitely the best and possibly fastest configuration yet. It may lose just a touch of spectator friendliness by reducing the hot corner pass-throughs from last year's four to this year's three, but it more than atones for that alteration. Gone are several momentum breaking turns and having to deal with the marginally-safe Highway T. Most participants in last year's race admitted that the third bike lap through the Innsbrook rollers really took it out of their legs, but by contrast, the 2005 route will not only delete one lap but also provide the riders more recovery time between them (assuming that you ever really recover while racing). True, the leg-sapping climb up the Hwy F hill just before re-entering Innsbrook is back, twice. That one will get your attention, but this latest incarnation of the bike route offers a longish stretch for the riders who favor just getting into their aero tuck and pounding. Once reentering Hwy M from the small out and back spur on Strack Church Road, it's head down and hammer time all the way around the north, east, and south outer perimeter of the route. We expect to see some smoking hot bike splits....

May 21 In the Run To Breathe 5k yesterday, Alan Heincker from Dittmer (16:05) and Jennifer Shambach of Chestefield (22:32) had enough wind to take the titles.... Results from the Memphis in May MTB Triathlon Derek Freund (1:09:10), Tim Giddens (1:09:55), Ted Sward (1:18:39), Sean Mckessy (1:21:18), Robin Rongey (1:25:48), Ashley Cade (1:37:17), and Jen McKillips (1:43:34 ). Nice work to all....

May 20 The Lake St Louis Triathlon has officially filled. Athletes may place their name on the waiting list by calling the Parks Department at 636-561-4620.... Metro area triathletes will face the tough, Fathers Day choice of racing in the Rec Plex Triathlon at the St Peters Rec Plex or making the drive to Springfield, IL for the Ironhorse Quartermax Triathlon. So far, eight local athletes have opted for the reborn Ironhorse. No participants list has been posted on the Rec Plex race site. In its three year history, the race has drawn 183, 296, and 290.... Congratulations to Mike Blume and Amber Mounday who were the overall winners at the Momentum Challenge Off-Road Duathlon last weekend.... The Ford Motor Company has targeted the much-pursued triathlete demographics by announcing its title sponsorship of Ironman North America events. SBR would be the first in line to salute the generosity of any esteemed tri-sponsor, yet somehow the Ford Ironman Triathlon World Championship just doesn't seem to have the same ring to it....

May 19 The Halfmax bike course has been simplified, safety-enhanced, and finalized. A map of the route is now up for viewing on the race site.... Good luck to the large number of local triathletes making the trip to Tennessee for Sunday's Memphis in May Triathlon.... A final version of Bicycle Safety Bill finally passed the Missouri Legislature. Nice work to all who lobbied to get it through. Now it just needs the Gov's signature....

Perspective - I made it a point to take part in the Ride of Silence last night. The event's principle purpose was to honor cyclists killed or injured by motorists. My reasons for being there were many, but chief among them was the fact that I fell into the latter category. So it was with a slight emotional charge that I rolled up to the meeting point in front of the Missouri History Museum only to be dismayed at finding a smallish group of riders, forty in all, gathered for the two-wheeled tribute. In retrospect, I suppose that my expectations were unrealistically high. I had imagined the group, a couple-of-hundred-strong, genteelly but purposefully taking the roads back from cars in a sort of "critical-mass lite" effort. Needless to say that didn't transpire, for reasons I can only surmise. Perhaps it was because of the Wednesday 7pm conflict with American Idol, or that it wasn't a midnight ramble, or an apple pie, ice cream, or pizza ride. Then it occurred to me that this was really a wake and no one looks forward to attending those, so I shouldn't have been so shocked after all. About the ride itself, much of the solemnity evaporated early on for me as many of the riders chattered about various, vastly important topics- so much for the silent aspect. It was difficult to bite my lip and not tell them to shut up. I don't want to convey an impression that I was into some kind of "holier than thou" scene, but my darkly-tinted, introspective mood nearly got the better of me. I was processing the mind-numbing list of everyone I knew who had been hit by a motor vehicle. We rolled on and as the ride progressed, it was only appropriate that there be at least a couple of altercations with the steel boxes and the mindless individuals guiding them- no harm, no foul, just an mild exchange of pleasantries. The ride did succeed in its effort to raise awareness of cyclists if the horn blasts and floored accelerators were accurate indicators. It was nearly with a sense of relief that I finally returned to the start point. What had I accomplished? In the big picture, I'd say disappointedly little. Privately, I came to the conclusion that the relationship between bikes and cars is much like that between native Americans and the settlers. One was here first and the other came along with such a strength of numbers that it nearly rendered the other obsolete in the name of progress. Still, there is much to be encouraged about as great steps have been made forward in the movement for cyclists rights and it was only fitting that we somehow honor those who laid the foundation with their lives....

May 18 Congratulations to SBR friend and reader, Elizabeth Fedofsky from Naperville, IL who won Powerman Ohio. She completed the 8k run- 57k bike- 8krun with a very nice time of 3:00:14. You know the bike will not be flat when event officials recommend a 12-25 cassette. Elizabeth also has Halfmax on her June calendar.... Halfmax registration has surpassed the 450 participant level as it marches steadily towards 500. The race is becoming in just its third year the type of big-time event we foresaw it to be when Ultramax Events created it back in 2003. As word continues to spread about the race, it won't come as a shock to us if subsequent years see the field swell to 1000 racers.... The St Louis Track Club's Road Series continues this evening with a 2-mile run. This is race #4 in the five event series. Horn sounds at 6:15pm at the Forest Park Visitor's Center. For more info 314-781-3926....

May 17 The May Madness Triathlon in Effingham, Illinois found itself the beneficiary of a beautiful Spring day and a field of 123 eager triathletes. Jeff Anders (1:00:18) of Madison, Wisc made the most of the occasion by winning out over Ryan Roth (1:01:07) of St Louis by nearly one minute and Aaron Swallers of (1:03:48) of Duquoin, IL by three and one-half minutes. The women's division was a study in maturity with Helen Alexander-Kratz (1:13:27) of St Louis beating nine-year younger Mary Bradbury of Mahomet, IL (1:14:54) and 16-year old Rachel Lindner (1:15:28) of Indiana to the finish line. By own admission, Kratz needs still needs to build her biking legs for 2005, but she showed no weakness on the run as her 18:52 split placed her with most of the top men's run splits for the day and ultimately won the race for her. Several metro area triathletes made the drive across Illinois to take part in the race and a few returned with age group wins: Margie Martens, Jessica Hicks, Michael Gabris, and Angela Wingo. Complete Results.... The Wall Street Journal ran the story of the Boonville Bridge on its front page yesterday. This tug of war between KATY Trail enthusiasts to save and incorporate the unused span into the trail system and the Union Pacific Railroad to raze it, appears to be picking up more pulling power on the saving side. The strongest pair of hands in this tussle, however, still rest on Governor Blunt's desk in Jefferson City. The millions needed to fund the bridge restoration run contrary to his state spending cuts.... Three events down and two to go in the 2005 St Louis Track Club Road Series. Current age-group standings.... Keith Bontrager visits St Louis tomorrow to promote the new Trek Bicycle Store, raise money for local trails, and regale attendees with cycling lore. He appears at the Manchester Road location at 7pm.... Ultramax Events is still patiently waiting for the final police approval of the new Halfmax bike course. Law enforcement support would be instrumental for several intersections on the route which was previewed at SBR's training day last Saturday. With the race but a few weeks away, the sooner they come on board the better.... Our gratitude to everyone who sent Innsbrook thank-you notes after reveling in their triathlon playground this past weekend.... A map to the Lake St Louis Triathlon bike course is now available online. Long course participants will face a slightly more difficult route than last year as they will see an additional set of rollers along Guthrie Road on each of two laps to a turnaround. The simplified short-course bike route is a bit longer but markedly safer than last year.... Good luck to Metro area residents participating in the Florida Half Ironman this weekend....

May 16 Our readers know that SBR has followed the continuing saga of the KATY Trail and Boonville bridge. Local TV and print media picked up on the story last week, but it became newsworthy only after they sniffed controversy in the resignation of a state employee, not in the demise of the bridge itself.... KSDK aired a segment on ShowMe St Louis about the Tuesday night Riverfront Trail ride. Watch video.... The Run For the Stars 10k saw Brandon Collins from St Peters (34:58) and Debbie Kerber-Kerr from Chesterfield (42:32) take the winner's laurels. The event drew 165 participants.... The Lake St Louis Triathlon participants list was updated again last Friday.... Halfmax registrations continue to grow and the entry list for this half-iron distance race has topped 400.... The past weekend provided racing opportunities of many kinds, but one of the more interesting events was actually a practice session. The SBR Training Day at Innsbrook found itself, as did all Sunday morning events, looking out of an early a.m. window at raindrops. The precipitation most likely deterred many from making the drive of faith to Wright City, but those who did were ultimately rewarded with a spectacular day. After a drizzly swim, the clouds were swept away and near perfect conditions prevailed for the bike and run. Big thanks goes to those athletes who made it out, special thanks to Tricia from Big Shark Athletic, and of course our gratitude to Innsbrook Resort. A couple of athletes were nicked in falls on rain-slickened asphalt. We hope you both heal quickly....

May 15 Nice work to Rodney Adkison (1:03:17) and Amy Livesay (1:15:20) who were the overall winners at the Sean Martin Memorial Duathlon up in Kirksville. Ultramax Events director, Mark Livesay (1:09:05) finished fourth overall proving that not only do he and wife Amy know how to run a race, they also know how to run in a race....

May 14 Triathlon isn't the only endurance sport undergoing an unprecedented period of growth and expansion. Adventure racing, probably officially born in 1989 with the advent of the first Raid Gauloise, came along over a decade after the first Hawaii Ironman. Recent years have witnessed a huge surge of interest in adventure racing at world, national, and regional levels. In fact, small, adventure-style races are even popping up at the local level. The following AR's represent just a handful of options for metro area enthusiasts....

June 4	Ozark Greenway AR	Springfield, MO	website
June 5	Conquer Castlewood AR	St Louis	website
June 25	Goomna Adventure Race	Highland, IL	website
Sept 17	Midwest Monster AR	Quincy, IL	website
October	Berryman AR (2006)	Steelville, MO	website

May 13 SBR Training Day at Innsbrook Resort- Meet at the site of last year's event by the condos (enter Innsbrook at front gate, make immediate right turn and follow all the way to the transition area). At 7:45, a few short pre-event announcements. At 8am, the open-water group swim begins, then at 9am we'll preview the new bike course with a group ride, and upon returning we'll get in some hill repeats on the run course (same as last year). The bike course is marked with white, painted, double-arrows on the roads outside of Innsbrook property, the roads inside the property being chalked (weather permitting). The run course will be designated with orange cones that you will simply keep to your right. The run turn around is at the clubhouse/convention center complex. Refer to these maps of last years run course and transition area if necessary. This is a practice day, so there will be no water stations set up on the bike course. Make proper arrangements to stay properly hydrated. We will have water and Hammer Gel available at the transition area. A Porta Potty will be positioned near the beach swim start for your convenience. Patricia Nelson of Big Shark Athletic Company will provide support with basic bike tools, some race gear, and her remaining unreserved rental wetsuits. She may drive SAG support for us too. Water temperature is in the low to mid-70's. Parking will be directed by Innsbrook personnel who ask that you kindly hang your parking pass on your vehicle's rear view mirror. Please exercise caution on the bike course (particularly Hwy T) as it will be open to Saturday morning traffic, riding to the right in single-file except when passing. Also, Innsbook has inserted several new, bright, orange and black speed bumps. There is two feet road space on each side of these to ride safely around them. Anyone with additional questions may email or call me. I rode the bike course yesterday in a northerly breeze and it was still very fast. The only marginal pavement on the entire bike course is a rolling section of Hwy F from Strack Church Road to just before the last climb back up to the Innsbrook entrance on Hwy F.... Each vehicle will be required to display one Halfmax or Quartermax registration receipt at the front entrance gate to admit you and your guests. Hope to see you there....

May 12 The Berryman Adventure Race will not be staged in 2005. No specific reasons were cited on their website for this USAAR sanctioned event's cancellation, but it did indicate that the race would return in 2006.... The Post published an article about the consternation among runners in Forest Park who would like to see the refurbished trail system marked with a set of permanent, accurate mile markers.... "I am Ironman" - Ozzie Osborn had no idea of the future athletic implications of that rock anthem phrase. Over the years, the St Louis area has produced many triathletes who have learned the meaning of those words, some in quite a competitive fashion and others relying mainly upon sheer survival instinct. But regardless of how one reaches the Ironman finish line, one first needs to be at the swim start. For 2005, three metro area triathletes have secured their spots in the Ironman World Championship this October. The Kailua-Kona bound group thus far is: Rick Mann, Tom Jackson, and Bev Ofsthun....

May 11 Athletes attending the training day at Innsbrook on Saturday will be interested to know that the water in Aspen Lake was measured yesterday at a wetsuit-legal 73 degrees. The National Weather Service is calling for a 40% chance of thundershowers. Parking will begin at 7am with Innsbrook attendants directing traffic. There will be a Porta Potty available near the swim start, so you can enjoy your morning coffee without worry.... Registration for the Ballwin Triathlon opened on May 1. The event managed to sell out last season and expects to do the same again in 2005, so get your entry in when conveniently possible. This is an excellent first timer race with its relatively short swim and bike legs, and won't break the bank at $30.... Good luck to Mike Barro from Momentum Cycles as he goes Cajun at the Gator Terra Off-Road Triathlon in Ruston, Louisiana, this weekend. The event is billed as the oldest Xterra event in the 48 contiguous states since its creation in 1997.... Fans of Gordo Byrn may be somewhat dismayed to learn that he is returning to the real world from whence he came. Byrn is noted for, among other things, his near-maniacal training volume. He is equally adept at chronicling his exploits on both his personal website and Xtri.com. When Gordo directs his legendary, training work-ethic back to the task of making money, look out billionaire boys club.... Du Series says good-bye. It is with regret that the SBR Metro Duathlon Series has been shelved. The races are still on and we strongly encourage you to support them, but our one-year experiment in unifying the metro area duathlons/biathlons will remain just that for now. We had hoped that the Du series would stir some new interest in the swimless, dual-sport race scene, but unfortunately it was met with little passion beyond the scope of the overall contenders and a hand full of age-group brackets. For SBR, it boiled down to a matter of wisely allocating our time and resources....

May 10 The participants list for the Florida Half Ironman on May 22 in Orlando, Florida includes Matt Bonastia, Doug Hilbert, Andy Kaplan, Greg Magee, Michael Toon, Rich Wierzba, and Lisa Martinez. Good luck to all.... Look for an interview with Andrea Fisher to appear on SBR shortly. This affable, world class triathlete will return to Halfmax in June with a crew of Austin area competitors.... As the triathlon community well knows, the USAT National Age Group Championships for 2005 are being staged in Smithville, Missouri. Having this prestigious event in our homestate is significant and represents a golden opportunity to race with the best in the nation. At this point, ten metro area triathletes have registered.... You know you're a tri-stud when it's big news if you are a race day DNF. IronmanLive interviews super star age-grouper Joe Boness about his heart condition....

May 9 The construction of brand new facilities for SBR sponsor, Ghisallo Apparel & Bicycles, is edging ever nearer to completion. Look for them to be in their new digs by the end of the month.... Keith Bontrager will appear Thursday May 18 at the Trek Bicycle Store in St. Louis at 7pm. The evening will feature a presentation followed by audience questions. The evening will include a charity raffle to raise money for local cycling trails. The store will be closed during the event but will offer specials on select Bontrager items in the evening. Beverages provided.... Two swim groups were added to the weekly calendar below. Both take place at the Edward Jones location of the YMCA. A masters swim class on Monday and Wednesday (8:30p-9:30p) and a triathlon swim class on Tuesday and Thursday (Noon-12:45pm). Contact Anne Sievers for further information asievers@ymcastlouis.org or 314-439-9622.... Video- (high speed only) Cycling in the city takes on a whole new meaning when you're talking about bicycle messengers. While making one's living on the bike is a dream for most riders, dodging cars for meager means would be a nightmare. See what some hard core messengers do for fun in a series of remarkable videos. - Note: These are huge files, one up to 80MB. For best viewing, right click on the desired video link, then left click on "save target as", and save to a folder on your hard drive. When download is complete, open folder and click on video to play. After viewing, delete completely from your hard drive, then you're ready to reload another mindblowing video. Any questions? Zap me an email....

May 8 OLN begins their television coverage of the Giro d'Italia today. Citing the questionable economics of a full, daily live televsion presence, the network has drastically scaled back its production to deliver a same-day, weekend only broadcast. Hard core cycling fans in the U.S. cried foul when this news was released last year, but of course they don't work in the accounting department at OLN. In an effort to both appease its cycling fans and generate revenue, OLNTV.com will offer streaming video of the world feed and archives of the weekday stages. The commercial-less webcast subscription fee is $5.95....

May 6 The Big Shark Athletic Company is now forming women's biking and run groups. All ability levels are welcomed. For more information, email Patricia Nelson.... Last year, efforts began to save the old MKT Bridge in Boonville and incorporate it into the KATY trail system. The issue ultimately went to Governor Blunt's desk for state support, but he opted not to get behind the the renovation plans. By washing his hands of the matter, he has upheld the Union Pacific Railroad plan to demolish the structure. His reasoning was simple economics, citing that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources does not have the nearly two million dollars necessary to restore the old lift-style bridge.... Show Me St. Louis will film a segment about the St. Louis Riverfront Trail on Monday, May 9, at 9am. 10-15 riders are needed. If you can participate, please email kathi@trailnet.org. Kids are welcome too. The show will air Tuesday, May 10 at 3pm.... Restoration work has begun in earnest this week on the Penrose Velodrome Assuming the weather cooperates, the job of repairing and resealing the track surface along with installing new perimeter fencing should continue for about a month.... The man behind Dogfish, John Merli, is recovering nicely from by-pass surgery.... Alive Magazine writer, Marnie Kunz, is hard at work writing an article about women and triathlon that will appear in the June/July issue....

May 5 Congratulations to Michelle Neumann of St. Louis who was selected for Inside Triathlon Magazine's Age Group Team. Her winning essay was among thirty-one that convinced the judges she belonged from more than a thousand entries. If you spot her after any race in which she participates, you could win a prize.... And congratulations as well to Patrick Mullen of St. Louis who was the recipient of a brand new Wetzoot. This wetsuit from Zoot Sports was given to one lucky early registrant for the Memphis In May Triathlon. Speaking of the MIM Tri, Start 2 Finish Event Management is running the show now and it's certain they'll do a fine job, but they still may have a lesson or two to learn about posting a useful online start list for a high profile race. Participants want to see who else from their city and/or state are racing.... Although the Ironkids Triathlon Series has yet to determine its 2005 schedule, we fully expect to see a press release soon that will designate this year's dates and venues. This venerable program has spent two decades supporting triathlon while helping develop character in youth through sport. Numerous adult champions can look back with affection to their formative years and the Ironkids program for their start in multisport. The Center of Clayton near Shaw Park has been a popular stop on the national series for years drawing 150 kids or more to be winners for a day.... Javelin Press Release- Simon Lessing toed the line for his first race of the year at Wildflower along with fifty-seven Team Javelin members. Lessing won the men's long-course race in a record time of 3:59:33. "Everything about the bike was perfect today," said Lessing. "Being able to get off the bike and start the run feeling fresh made the difference. The time I've spent perfecting my position on the bike with Javelin has helped ease my mind going into races." Lessing's 1:13:38 run split was the fastest of the day by almost four minutes. In late January, Lessing traveled to Little Rock for fitting sessions with Scott Warren, Javelin's founder and bike designer. "When Simon came down here, we were excited to fix some of the flaws in his bike position prior to joining Javelin," Warren said. "I guess our time was well-spent. One of his concerns was being able to run well off the bike, and it worked." The Javelin Arcole that Lessing rode is a stock size 61 frameset and is exemplary of Javelin's aerodynamic design achievements. Developed through Javelin's wind tunnel testing program, the Arcole was designed specifically for triathletes and time trial racers. Lessing's bike split was 2:21:03, third fastest of the day....

May 4 The Missouri Regional Triathlon Series standings have been updated through the first two events, the Steamboat Classic and Race For Sight triathlons. With twelve races remaining, the series is long and the points are many, so look ahead for your opportunities to build your overall and/or age group position. While SBR wishes to claim infallibility, please report any inconsistencies you may notice in the standings. Thanks.... Good luck at this weekend's Gulf Coast Triathlon to Ryan Barr, Beat Bartlome, Rick Bender, Curtis Brooks, John Conners, Mason Duchatschek, Bruce Edwards, Christopher Flowerchinger, Jacob Martin, Greg Mattison, Tim McAllister, Kristi Rominger, Steve Ryan, Paul Schon, Kelly Watson, and Doug Wind....

May 3 Race For Sight- To those from around the country, Columbia, Missouri may have seemed an unlikely gathering point for some of the best sprint and international distance triathletes in the nation, but that is indeed what it was on May 1. The elite division of the Race For Sight has drawn high caliber competition throughout its relatively short history, but race director, Mark Livesay, managed to take it over the top in 2005. So, it was with high expectations that race day arrived. The early morning delivered 462 triathletes to check-in, bundled against the air temperature which had dropped to frost-level overnight. The cool air coupled with predicted breezy conditions, had everyone trying to figure out which race apparel to wear, particularly on the bike. Perhaps a blessing in disguise for participants appeared when the scheduled start was delayed, but when the slowly climbing sun didn't warm things up all that much, the racing eventually did. The formula division got things underway with the race heavyweights comprising the first three waves, two for the men and one for the ladies. Meanwhile, the serpentine swim start had waiting age groupers lined up into the adjacent gymnasium where Ultramax Events had cleverly projected a huge, live feed of the swim action high upon the wall. Back in the water, 2004 USAT National Champion (1:57:36 Olympic distance) Trent Tollakson, lived up to the pre-race hype as the ex-competitive weight lifter powered through the swim and exited first. This was despite limited lead-up pool time as a result of a broken collar bone he suffered not so long ago. Any margin for Tollakson at this point didn't bode well for the rest of the field as he was about to apply his massive quads to the pedals. Make no mistake, the rest of the elite wave was capable of producing significant cycling wattage, but this was Tollakson's specialty. The chase was on as former USAT National Development Team Coach, Ric Rosenkranz, completed the short, three-hundred yard swim, as well as sixteen-year old Arkansas phenom Willy Pickard, and Michael Boehmer who finished third overall at Nationals in 2004. The rest of the formula division held a cadre of very capable hopefuls who under different circumstances would be considered among the favorites to win. Stephen Taylor was a week removed from winning the Steamboat Classic Triathlon, Adam Zucco was the defending RFS champion, and Ted Zderic had taken the long course title two weeks earlier at the MaxTrax Duathlon... the list went on with both Christian Waterstraat and Sam Yount from Chicago, and Mark Carey from Kansas City competing. As expected, out on the bike Tollakson's power enabled him to extend his lead to nearly two minutes as he entered T2 in the first of two go-arounds on the course. As the run began, Rosenkranz was about to bring his strength to bear and subsequently managed to take back enough time to whittle the lead to 27 seconds before round-two of this tussle. Willy Pickard stunned everyone but himself as he crossed the finish in third. The teenager, who can now legally drive to races, has recently been making his presence painfully felt by older, elite racers in California and Arizona. Over in the lady's division, it was not unexpected for most pre-race handicappers to have looked at the past, steady, strong performances of Leslie Curry and install her as the favorite. Brianna Boehmer, the other half of the Boehmer powerhouse-hold, had her own ideas. Armed with the confidence bred of a 13th overall performance at 2004 Nationals, she carved out over a two and one-half minute win over Curley, and three and one-half minute margin over Elizabeth Fedofsky, a two-time age group National Long Course Champion. At the post race awards, Boehmer accepted the $1000 TriSport gift certificate as a means to help fund the racing wheels she lacked. Now there's a scary thought for the rest of the women's field. The female formula division was only seven-deep, and talent top-heavy at that, but it still produced excellent times overall. Now came time for the age-groupers to jump into the fray. Self-seeded by swim time, the faster swimmers gravitated towards the front of the line to begin their race. The blatant advantage of employing chip-timing was the fact that the racers didn't need to be assigned a strict place in line. Their individual time trials began when the first signal reader found their chips. If there was a downside to the start-format for the age-groupers, it was that it virtually eliminated tactical racing. Rather, it came down to a pure, blind, all-out, "let the chips fall where they may" effort. Nate Smith, now from Columbia, has a couple of iron-distance triathlons on his resume, but probably feels more comfortable at sprint to middle-distance racing. It showed as he blazed to a 1:12:18 and a nearly two-minute win over Jason Halfpap (1:14:02), and nearly five minutes over third place finisher Bryan Topash (1:16:54). In fact, Smith's time would eventually rank him as the 6th best overall time, including the elite first laps. For some amazing perspective, consider that Tollakson and Rosenkranz would both go under Smith's time on their 2nd lap, but more on that shortly. The women age-groupers witnessed a profound performance as they were overmatched by Kristin Moore. Relocating from Washington state and now calling St Louis home, Moore went 1:22:59 and came away with the 2nd best women's time overall for the day to take the ladies age-group title. This extended her momentum coming off of a 2nd overall last weekend at Cape Girardeau. Rounding out the top three were Sara Nelson (1:27:59) and Mary Sundy (1:28:19), the 2004 St Louis Regional Triathlon Series winner. As convincing as Nate Smith's and Kristin Moore's wins were, both will no doubt graduate to elite division status at RFS should they return in 2006. The race drew seven athletes sixty-years old and above. Special kudos to Jean Abbott who at 60 finished in 1:53:48, and to the very remarkable Oakland Demoss, who at seventy-six years of age, managed to beat 139 racers to the finish line with his amazing 1:51:52. Back out on the race course, the elite men found themselves weaving their way through a procession of age groupers who now populated the bike and run legs. No doubt the fastest riders among the age-groupers had to be taken aback when Tollakson flashed by on his bike even as the wind began to gust strongly. It was there he created sufficient separation that Rosenkranz's great running talent could not bridge. The first-year pro put his dominant stamp on the race by coming within twenty-five seconds of replicating his first effort earlier in the day with a no holds barred 1:08:53. The final standings had Rosenkranz solidly in second place. Stephen Taylor from Columbia took third. Despite briefly going down on the bike, Taylor just managed to pick himself up and leapfrog the young Willy Pickard who finished fourth. The event was a sellout, even with something less than ideal weather, and the spectators were rewarded with some jaw-dropping performances. All in all, it was one cool day..... complete results

May 2 The Bicycle Fun Club weekly rides begin with the Tuesday night Riverfront Trail Ride. Wednesday evening brings a choice of two and Thursday offers yet another BFC ride. These rides are essentially what you make them, that is, social occasion, hard training session, recovery ride, etc. The cyclists in attendance are typically across the board in terms of purpose and ability.... Tyler Small (32:51) and Tricia Small (41:56) both loomed large at the St Louis Track Club's 10k last Wednesday evening. They grabbed the early overal leads in the Road Series at the opener. The Series continues tommorow night at 6:15pm from the Forest Park Visitors Center with a four-miler. This is the last chance for new entries to be eligible for series awards.... The Golden Games 5k was run out at Lake St Louis last Tuesday. While all of the participants deserve to be singled out for their efforts, 76 year old Joseph Bell from Florissant grabbed the spotlight by completing the event in 25:27, which breaks down to an 8:13 pace. Nice going.... The past weekend offered an usually high number of concurrent road races which created an across the board diluting effect, but on the plus side, that much breadth of choice was a luxury the running community rarely enjoys. The Eric Westacott Foundation 4 Mile Run saw Andrew Knudsen (24:42) and Andrea Kipp (30:19) make it to the finish line first in a field of 84 participants. The Earth Day Run For the Rivers 5k had Dan Scott (18:45) and Kara Bates (20:54) taking the overall gender wins from a start line 270 runners strong. The Cinco de Mayo 5k proved to be the biggest draw, or were the post-race breakfast burritos and margaritas the real attraction? 1183 participants headed out from Chevy's in west county and Chris Givens (16:38) returned first with Momentum Cycle's Mike Barro (16:58) just behind. The women's division witnessed a close finish as runner and triathlete, Helen Alexander-Kratz (19:15), held off Maggie Conley (19:20) to make it successive titles after her 2004 win.... Congratulations to local finishers at the St Croix Half Ironman. Leading the way was Mike Bub (5:00:00) who finished 56th overall and 5th among the very tough M40-44 category. He was followed by Lou DiGuiseppe (5:22:20) at 107th overall and 15th in the same age group. The race held just 30 precious slots for the Ironman World Championship.... The Sullivan Triathlon was held this past April 24 under rather nasty, cold and windy conditions. A field of 236 triathletes gutted it out to the finish line with Chris Sweet (1:02:39) and Kim Genenbacher (1:14:31) as the overall victors. Notable locals included Robert Montani (1:06:47) 7th 1/17, Shawn Stegall (1:17:38) 43rd 11/30, Bob Wingo (1:20:58) 60th 11/26, Robin Rongey (1:23:41) 74th 2/8, Dom Fenoglio (1:38:11) 158th 21/26, Sean Hunt (1:40:11) 170th 24/26, Terri Jarus (1:54:15) 208th 6/7, Kaila Norman (1:55:22) 210th 10/11, and Kathy Norman (2:11:57) 228th 7/7. Good job by all in very difficult weather....

May 1 New appointed Executive Director of USAT, Skip Gilbert, issued and open letter on the National Governing Body's website.... Perspective- I arrived in Columbia late Saturday afternoon to get settled in and set up for coverage of Sunday's race. Bolting from town and kicking back at a Motel 6 or some other such swank establishment is usually fun, but home stays are still the best. They alleviate an entire set of petty concerns and create a much more relaxed environment. And it is yet again that SBR buddy Tim has provided me with all the comforts of home. I'm reminded of a habit I have tried to cultivate through years of traveling to out-of-town races. I make it a point to converse with as many of the other athletes as time will allow. The expo, packet pick-up, carbo dinner, transition area, and the award ceremony all provide plenty of opportunity to socialize, network, and swap email addresses. The point is, you never know who you might befriend from San Diego, Australia, or Germany and where that correspondance might lead, but that's a whole different tangent. So, with my trusty power strip lined with plugs leading to an array of electrical devices, dinner at Bambino's was next on the itinerary. The carbohydrates were necessary nourishment for the athletes topping their fuel tanks, but the conversation gave me plenty of food for thought. Our group held the widest possible range of triathletes from first timers, about to get both their literal and figurative feet wet the next morning, to the 2004 national age group champion. Things may take a serious turn in the morning when the competitive juices begin to flow, but for now there was no trace of elitism at the dinner table, just people, breaking bread and sharing laughs... more tomorrow....

April 29 NBC will re-air their two-hour coverage of the 2004 Ironman World Championship at 3pm this Sunday, May 1. As most of us remember, or perhaps would just as soon forget, last year's race was marred by illegal Kraft-work. The network's production was complete when that revelation came to light which then sent NBC back to the editing room to insert a disclaimer. That aside, the Emmy winning show offers a look at the event that most triathletes can only enter with a little lottery luck.... In a related TV item, we still await word on the 2005 Ironman Series broadcast schedule. Past seasons have seen OLN or ESPN airing nicely packaged coverage of selected international and most of the North American IM events.... Good luck to Kelly Hovland as she competes in the Xterra West Championship in Temecula, California on Sunday, May 15, and good racing to our Metro area triathletes taking part in the crazy Cali weekend also known as the Wildflower Triathlon....

April 28 Mark Gowler placed 5th in the Masters Division of the Forest Park Criterium last Sunday. The field of 23 riders held a number of very strong 40+ year old cyclists who are fitter than most individuals half their age. Gowler rides for the St Louis Cycling Club.... Best of luck to metro area triathletes heading to this weekend's St Croix International Triathlon. Located in the US Virgin Islands near Puerto Rico, St Croix offers racers heat (88 on race day), hills (the notorious Beast, among others), humidity (80%), and hope (30 Kona slots). The race web site has not posted a participants list, but we'll scrutinize the results for metro area athletes after the event.... Those of us less fortunate than localites spending the weekend in beautiful St Croix, will make the drive to Columbia, actually known by many as the Caribbean of Missouri. Sunday's Race For Sight looks to be the beneficiary of cool weather and hot racing. A cloudy day is expected with the temperature topping out near 63 degrees and the talent-rich formula division will provide spectators with plenty of viewing excitement. Entries for the event topped 550 which will make for a long single-file processional to the serpentine swim start. SBR will be in the middle of the action to bring you what we hope are some compelling digital images and the full race story.... The GORC website posted a handful of great aerial photos shot over the Midwest Mountain Bike Summit at Klondike Park. We need to email them and inquire as to how they secured the mini helmet-cam to that Red-tailed Hawk.... St Louis native, Mike Lang, finished the Tour of Georgia in 33rd position as a member of Team TIAA-CREF, aboard a custom painted Javelin Brunello frameset, no less. Outstanding job, Mike....

April 27 The participants list for Halfmax has just surpassed the 300 mark with another full month of registration before the race. At this point it might be premature to speculate about the overall men's and women's winners so we'll leave that for a few days before the event. However, there's no guesswork when it comes to putting on the event as Ultramax Events continues to spoil us with high quality productions. That X-dot branding coupled with Innsbrook's growing, national reputation as a challenging venue, have succeeded in drawing many out of state triathletes seeking a new destination race.... SBR just received race application forms for the Rolla Duathlon (PDF) and the Wood River Triathlon.... Sarah Haskins experienced a bit of frustration at her ITU race over the weekend in Mazatlan, Mexico. A mechanical forced her out on final lap of the 40k bike course. After exiting the swim (and its one meter surf) near the leaders, she was well-positioned in the first chase pack on the bike. It would have been outstanding to see Sarah her run her way to a top ten, but it wasn't meant to be. We wish her better luck at Tempe in a few weeks. Competition at the world class level is so brutally tough that success is usually a function having all three facets in sync: solid training, some smarts, and a dose of luck.... The St Louis Track Club's 2005 Road Series begins tonight with a 10k run at 6:15pm from the Visitor's Center in Forest Park. Complete info.... Multimedia- The video of the Steamboat Classic Triathlon is ready for viewing. This was our first, experimental effort at this process which included shooting in mini DV format, digitizing, editing, and converting to a Quicktime file of manageable proportions. Little did we know the most difficult step would be the first as camera problems plagued our efforts. This was most likely attributable to the pool area humidity. Much of what was shot didn't make it to tape, but in the end, enough raw footage was salvaged to assemble a three minute glimpse of the race. My video camera skills are rudimentary at best, but the experience taught me much. I already have a host of ideas and many professional suggestions that will greatly improve the finished product for this weekend's Race For Sight. I didn't embed this video in a web page like I did with the Banquet Video, so you'll need the Quicktime Viewer to watch it. If you don't currently have it on your system, it's free, quick to install, and easy to use. So put your earbuds in and I hope you enjoy....

April 26 Steamboat Classic Triathlon- The weather wasn't cordial, but the race staff, volunteers, and spectators were very much so as they exuded warming encouragement to the athletes who made the drive to Cape Girardeau for Sunday's race. An overnight hard freeze had early morning teeth chattering and gusty wind conditions rudely rearranged many participant's neatly laid out transition gear, but those elements didn't deter the racers. The question in just about everyone's mind centered on what to wear on the bike. After completing the 500 yd swim, many of the racers added dry layers in the warmth of the indoor swim area, some headed dripping outdoors to change, and still others must have embraced their Eskimo heritage as they mounted their bikes in typical summer gear. This writer stood gloved and enveloped in fleece, shivering, as he watched them pedal off. The first wave contained most of the notable pre-race favorites: Barry Knight from Kentucky, Stephen Taylor of Columbia, and Delbert Marriott, originally from North Carolina and now calling Cape Girardeau home. Nate Smith, who recently relocated to Columbia and had placed 2nd overall the weekend before at the short course Max Trax Duathlon, started later. The big guns left no doubt about the fact that one of them would ultimately win the race, and Marriott rose to the challenge of the others by hammering out an hour-sixteen and change finish. His convincing win was subsequently eradicated when in a curious act he disqualified himself, giving the win to original second place finisher Taylor (1:19:19), and thus moving Smith (1:22:10) up to second and Knight (1:22:18) to third. While some construed this move as an unselfish act, others viewed it as placing an unnecessary asterisk on Taylor's win. Regardless of one's personal perspective, the bottom line was that it was simply an awesome performance in less than ideal conditions. Marriott, not one to ever be called shy, imparted the post race awards ceremony with a dose of bravado, or smack-talk if you see it that way, by issuing a challenge to the course record in 2006, and he just may have the walk to back the talk. The more demure women's division saw history repeat itself as Kirsten Winkler (1:28:42) of Tennessee succeeded in winning back to back titles. She finished ahead of Kristen Moore (1:29:55) and Jennifer Meyer (1:33:01), both from St Louis. All told 151 solo racers and 17 teams competed under very tough conditions and should be commended for their efforts. SBR hopes your toes have warmed up by now.. complete results.... The Lake St Louis Triathlon participants list was updated yesterday with another large group of entrants.... If any metro area triathletes are heading down to Panama City for the Gulf Coast Triathlon on May 7, your assista