A few minor updates to the calendar, which are reflected below. Prices increase for many of our local races on 12/31, so sign up already!
Need a little offseason inspiration? Here's how things are shaping up for the inaugural Utah Triathlon Championship Series (UTCS) calendar. As described here, the UTCS will be the basis for season awards, age group rankings, Most Improved awards, Championship Belt holders, Volunteer awards, and other swag, where to qualify we take the average of your top 3 races. The series will conclude with Brineman as the 2018 State Champs, and you will not want to miss the great racing and season-culminating party new TriUtah RD Brogg Sterrett will provide. The State Champ venue will rotate annually, and we hope you'll get out and support this new endeavor on the local scene.
That said, there are other great races in the state, and although they're not part of the UTCS for 2018, they'll be vying to steal a spot for the following season.
This list is still considered a work in progress... please contact us if there's a race you feel should be included. Please note that a strong preference will be given to races with an open water swim vs. pool swim.
Get to know the new president of the Southern Utah Tri Club, Mr. Shawn Jaca (pronounced "Hacka"). Shawn is our kinda guy, using the word BUZZ 8 times in this interview... let's all continue pitching in to build the buzz and camaraderie throughout the state in 2018!
For
starters, can you remind us on the general history of SUTC?
The
Southern Utah Triathlon Club was founded in 2006. We are a non-profit
501c3 club and have been at the forefront of the Utah triathlon club
scene. Our club members range from new beginners to seasoned elite/pro athletes such as Sarah Jarvis.
Where are you from originally, and how long have you lived in St. George? What initially brought you to Utah?
I'm originally from Central Oregon, a small town north of Bend named Madras, "The Gateway to Central Oregon" and home of the "White Buffaloes." I moved to St. George 13 years ago for a career opportunity. I told myself moving away from family and friends to work for the Arizona Strip BLM that I'd give it 3 years. Well this secret gem grabbed me for an additional 10 years! Ha! I work Fire and it's been in my blood since I was 16 years old in high school as a "White Buffalo." Fire has been an amazing career and supports my kids and my addiction of triathlon.
What’s your personal athletic background and how did you get into triathlon?
After playing competitive sports as a kid and through high school, I chose to focus on school which led to my career. So needless to say that my athletic background after high school was playing the occasional pickup game of hoops and softball. I didn't get into triathlon until four years ago. My family changed, I became a single overweight dad of two amazing kids and I decided that I needed a lifestyle change. I ran the Dogtown 10k and that buzzz of competition hooked me. I saw that St. George offered a couple sprint triathlons and the Ironman 70.3 and I was all in! I signed up for the Trick or Tri, SHAC Tri and SG Ironman 70.3 without having a bike, weighing 240lbs, single with two kids, but that buzzz was still buzzing me. Today I have raced 3 Ironmans, 5 Ironman 70.3's, 3 marathons, numerous local triathlons and running races and I'm down to 180lbs. The buzzz is still in me!
What initiatives are most important to you as the new president of SUTC… what do you hope to accomplish?
"Train Hard, Race Well, Help Others." It's important that we focus on these three elements. We need BUZZ back in SUTC! Having this opportunity to be the president I've build a team to build the buzz. I can't do this alone, so I've reached out to past presidents Amber Blair and Ryan Duckworth, past board members Lyle Anderson and Justin Bandley, and current members Ian Gerritsen, Heath Snow, Tara Snow, Telea Hollingshead and Shantel Pack to be on the team to build our new BUZZ. We've all put our heads together with input of SUTC members and we will be focusing on the dynamics of the club. Social events, more group workouts, being in the spotlight in southern Utah, supporting local races, and giving back to our wonderful sponsors.
What’s
the greatest strength and also opportunity for improvement of SUTC in its
current form? The greatest
strength is that we have passion on the board and passion in our club.
Without passion for the sport and without the passion for each other, the club will
fall apart. Areas where we can improve are in "recruitment and
retention."
•Recruiting -
bring in new members who have a passion for this sport or who just want a
fun group who Trains Hard, Races Well and Helps Others. Don't focus on the
longer distance races. Focus on local. •Retention -
ensuring that we follow through with what we told members we would bring
to them. I want members to feel like they have ownership in SUTC.
Pardon
our ignorance on this one… is it more common for SUTC athletes to venture north
for local races or to race further south/out of state when not racing in St.
George (ie Vegas, etc)? I'm
not too sure! I will say that we have members travel north and we have
members travel south to Las Vegas. As for what's more common I can't
answer that question. But I so want to promote the Utah Triathlon Championship Series.
Awesome
to here that! Our hope is that the newly created Championship Series will
create more traffic both directions for Utah races. What are your thoughts? I
think this is a wonderful idea. We need to see Tri clubs maybe
highlighted to bring buzz to the clubs in Utah. We need to work together
and promote. I again love this idea. I have and will continue to promote it to our
members.
the infamous island at Sand Hollow Reservoir
In
general how can we continue to build camaraderie among the Southern & Northern
Utah tri communities? We
could use some fun competition between the clubs in Utah and need to come
together for social, training and race events. We
love to hype the grassroots, local races, but St. George
70.3 is clearly the most prestigious tri in our state. What are some lessons
you’ve learned from training and racing on that course? Get
your butt on Snow Canyon as much as you can before race day, and transition
into that beast of a run. Be prepared for all conditions (hot, cold, wind,
sleet). SLTC / SUTC has a camp each year in St. George prior to
SG Ironman 70.3 and I'd suggest that every person that can participate should. Great opportunity to meet new people and learn from great athletes. We
showcase and train on the course with some amazing aid station
support.
Anything
else you want to share? Triathlon
is a great way to live a healthy life and it's an amazing lifestyle. Get
involved, be active, participate, and support local. Remember that SUTC is
about "Training Hard, Racing Well and Helping Others." Our
partnership with you is paramount to the success with SUTC and triathlon in Utah.
Very excited to announce the inaugural Utah Tri Buzz MOST IMPROVED TRIATHLETE Awards for 2017. This isn't a perfect science, but it's our best effort to recognize people who stepped up their game this season on the local scene. The methodology is pure math, comparing everyone's top 3 results from 2016 to 2017. As an example, let's say Jane Triathlete's best 3 Utah races in 2016 were 60th out of 100 (60%) at local tri 1, 80th out of 200 (40%) at local tri 2, and 100th out of 500 (20%) at local tri 3. The average of those 3 results = 40%.
Ms. Triathlete went to work in the offseason and it paid off. Her best 3 local races this year were a 40%, 30%, and 20%, averaging to 30%... a 10% improvement from last year. Keep in mind that going forward, these and other awards will be based on the UTAH TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES, which will give a little more structure and standardization to the process. So without further adieu, below is everyone who improved at least 5% in 2017. Please share with friends on the list!
We asked around the tri community for nominations for inaugural Volunteers of the Year awards. In no particular order, here were the names we heard the most. Congrats, and thanks for all you do! ADAM LEE
Man & Machine supported countless races this season
ANNA NEMECKAY
Anna kept us safe in the water at all TriUtah events
JUSTIN LYNCH
Mr. Dependable Justin Lynch led volunteer efforts for SLTC
SUZANNE MARTIN
Suzanne helped out at many races and as a side note became an official IRONMAN last month at Florida
WHEN: Friday, Dec. 8th 10pm WHERE: 245 Fort Douglas Blvd. SLC
OPEN TO ALL UTAH TRIATHLETES AND GUESTS
Please come join us for a FREE, exclusive early viewing of the 2017 Ironman World Championship NBC broadcast. We have rented a theater at the University Guest house to project on screen.
Be inspired by the athletes' stories and the Ironman motto that "Anything is Possible." We promise you will leave motivated to be a better person and athlete. Bring family and friends to take part in the Ironman experience.
Need a little offseason inspiration? Here's how things are shaping up for the inaugural Utah Triathlon Championship Series (UTCS) calendar. As described here, the UTCS will be the basis for season awards, age group rankings, Most Improved awards, Championship Belt holders, Volunteer awards, and other swag, where to qualify we take the average of your top 3 races. The series will conclude with Brineman as the 2018 State Champs, and you will not want to miss the great racing and season-culminating party new TriUtah RD Brogg Sterrett will provide. The State Champ venue will rotate annually, and we hope you'll get out and support this new endeavor on the local scene.
That said, there are other great races in the state, and although they're not part of the UTCS for 2018, they'll be vying to steal a spot for the following season. This list is a work in progress... please contact us if there's a race you feel should be included. Please note that a strong preference will be given to races with an open water swim vs. pool swim.
In the Utah tri scene, no one raced more this season than Mr. Gerald Brady.
We reported on a total of 19 Utah triathlons (36 total races when you count sprint, olympic, etc), but with some races occurring on the same day, there were 12 race opportunities.
Gerald raced 10 of them: six Olympic, two 70.3's, and two sprints.
We wanted to recognize this beast for being atop our list and get to know him a little better... thanks for the time, Gerald!
What’s your athletic background and how did you get into triathlon?
I swam on the swim and water polo teams when I was in High School. I followed that up with 20 years of a couch potato. A little over 6 years ago I needed to get a new job. I found USANA and that is what got me off the couch. I had a great coworker (her and her husband have started triathlons!) who talked me into joining her for a crossfit class at work. It was hard getting started, but I kept at it. I always hated running but was asked by our wellness instructor if I wanted to participate in a couch to 5k that another coworker was putting together. I was shocked that soon after I could run a 5k without stopping. I was added to the Facebook group Run4Fun and signed up for my first race on my own, the Revolution Run.
The following year I was told about the KOPFC indoor Tri series, and signed up. Shortly after that several coworkers at USANA got together to race Ironman St. George 70.3. I went and loved it, well except for the running. It was getting ready for St. George when I was introduced to the SLTC. The support and friendship from the club is one of the major reasons I race.
move aside and let the man go thru, let Gerald Brady go thru
You crushed the field this year with 10 local races (of the 19 we tracked for rankings), with your closest competitors coming in at 7. You also took down Ben Russell’s 9 from last season. What would you say to encourage people to race more often? Maybe not double digits, but to get out and support the local scene a race or 2 more?
The biggest thing that helped me race so many was signing up for RaceTri’s "The Works" package. I signed up early in the season, so I knew when I had races. What else are you going to do on the weekends? Cut the grass? Do that the day before garbage day! 1) the smell around the can will be less and 2) You will have time to come out and race on Saturdays! Your attendance not only helps the local race scene, but you could actually help someone who may be struggling in the field.
We had you at 10 local races, but word on the street is you did a handful more… what others did you do this year?
When I signed up for Oceanside I took a package that included the Super Seal Olympic in Coronado Ca. Both of those races were amazing. Many cities will also put on races, and I did several of those. The South Davis Labor Day Tri is one of the first outdoor tri’s I raced, and I've been racing that one for a few years now. I also raced the Lifetime and KOPFC indoor tris. While IM puts on a good show, I really enjoy the city races. I have found many people who are just trying out this sport for the first time. I enjoy encouraging them to keep at it. It’s awesome to see them the next year or even at the next event with a smile on their face!
What gets you out to so many start lines… what do you love most about racing?
I wonder that often, but essentially racing is how I burn off stress. If it is not a race, a group training activity would also do the same. I try to get to as many as possible. I enjoy being out and active. When I let that old couch potato me take over, that stress builds back up. Burning that off is what I love the most.
Briefly summarized, in your opinion what is the biggest “pro” and “con” about each of the local tris you raced this year?
Icebreaker: Pro - First big outdoor race of the year, 50 meter pool!! Con – Rain.
St. George 70.3: Pro – Club support/beauty. Con – crashing on the bike coming out of the lake ☹
Salem: Pro – The firetruck shower after the swim. Con – first race after crashing at St George.
East Canyon: Pro – Bike ride down the canyon! Con – the run, did not match the views of the swim or bike.
RockCliff: Pro – Green, cool, great location! Super fun! Con – Mosquitos the night before
Daybreak: Pro – very close, good run course. Con – lost my good swim goggles, steep hill by Butterfield Canyon.
Echo: Pro – Bike and run along the lake! Con – Fellow Club member had a bad bike crash.
Utah Half: Pro – lots of personal time to think. Great support from several club members. Con – very hot during the run and too much time to think.
Black Ridge: Pro – last min swim change. Con – they did not include the water slide as the swim start.
Camp Yuba: Pro – RaceTri had so many race day issues collide this year. Final race of the year and we had a very long delay due to dense fog, yet they made it work. Con – Same day as Brineman.
After all those races, what was your favorite overall and why?
Camp Yuba. Life changes all the time. How do we deal those changes? So many things were going wrong with the weather that morning. Fog and mud. The race director was calm and supportive while they scrambled making changes so we could have a complete race. I feel I had my best run for an Olympic at this event.
What’s the prognosis with your knee, and how are things looking for 2018?
Left knee is healing well, as of right now, the right knee is still in question. They definitely have caused me many issues during the run portions of all my races this year with Oceanside and the Mt. Nebo Marathon being at the top of that list. At Oceanside if not for the support of many friends at the event I would have crawled off. 2018? I am going back to Oceanside to crush it. Plans for a full are on hold till I understand my knee issues and I hope to go back to St. George and get a new personal record.
Do you typically train solo or with SLTC, and in general how has SLTC influenced you as a triathlete?
My first year at St. George I had the support of several coworkers, and the following year I had the support of the SLTC. The support of the club, both on and off the course, made a huge difference in my race. I know this is an individual sport, but for me it is about sharing the experience with others. If it was not for the invitation and support of a coworker I would not have become active again, and I would not have found triathlons at the core of my activity.
I train when I can. My biggest struggle is time and myself. I do better with a group, when left alone I can easily talk myself out of the workout. If not for groups like Run4Fun and SLTC I don’t think I would be racing at all. I would not have pushed myself, I would not be racing.
You brought up Ironman when we met up for your swag. Have you completed one and/or is that a big motivating goal for you once your knee recovers?
I have never completed a full Ironman. That is something I would love to do. Training time and the run are what are keeping me from racing. We will see how my knees heal.
Anything else you want to share?
Help others. Keep a positive, forward moving attitude, stay focused and remember why you race. Say hi as you pass me on the bike or run!
