Congrats to everyone who participated at Ice Breaker! It takes guts to show up to race, and we commend everyone who got after it yesterday in American Fork. RaceTri's first event (and race #1 of the Utah Triathlon Championship Series) was a big success, with the weather cooperating and a great field of participants, spectators, and volunteers. Next up in the series is St. George 70.3on May 4th, followed by Sand Hollow (Olympic) on May 18th. Below is the results breakdown for Ice Breaker, and thispost explains what this is if you need a refresher.
UTAH TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES 2019 DETAILS --> SEE POSTHERE !
Below are links to all the races in the 2019 Championship Series:
We started a Patreon account (link below) with the hope of raising a few bucks towards awards & swag for athletes of all abilities in our tri community. We've given out a lot over the past 2 years, but would like to continue to expand our offerings & the volume we can do.
If you enjoy Utah Tri Buzz and would like to pitch in, any amount would be greatly appreciated... (there may be something in it for you as well!)
“It is not the critic who counts; not the wo/man who points out how the strong wo/man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the wo/man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends her/himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if s/he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that her/his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt
UTAH TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES 2019 DETAILS --> SEE POSTHERE !
Below are links to all the races in the 2019 Championship Series:
We started a Patreon account (link below) with the hope of raising a few bucks towards awards & swag for athletes of all abilities in our tri community. We've given out a lot over the past 2 years, but would like to continue to expand our offerings & the volume we can do.
If you enjoy Utah Tri Buzz and would like to pitch in, any amount would be greatly appreciated... (there may be something in it for you as well!)
We started a Patreon account (link below) with the hope of raising a few bucks towards awards & swag for athletes of all abilities in our tri community. We've given out a lot over the past 2 years, but would like to continue to expand our offerings & the volume we can do.
If you enjoy Utah Tri Buzz and would like to pitch in, any amount would be greatly appreciated... (there may be something in it for you as well!)
It's now RaceTri's turn for an update... support the local scene, get out and race!
What’s new with you guys, and how is the Alaskan winter treating you? Aaron, do you have a sense for how long you’ll be in Alaska and/or whether or not you’ll return to Utah?
The newest thing with RaceTri is the biennial and triennial schedules for half of our events now. Some events [Black Ridge, ULO and Yuba] will only take place every 2 or 3 years. Heber & Alaskan Winter's are probably very similar and are like most of our triathletes; adventurous, unpredictable, and earth shaking (did you hear about the 7.0 earthquake?)! We take Aaron's return to Utah one year at a time.
Has it been difficult to run RaceTri with one of you out of state for much of the year, or no big deal?
We are both eating more salmon than before but other than that we don’t think much has changed.
By being in the Top 10 in participation in 2018, Icebreaker, The Utah Half, and Salem [chosen by 2019 host RaceTri as the State Champs race] all qualified once again for the Utah Triathlon Championship Series in 2019. What’s your favorite thing about each of these races?
Our favorite thing about this event is the camaraderie before and during the event as friends are seeing each other again after the long cold winter. Such genuine feelings of being happy to see one another. Also it seems to attract the most newbies as friends and family can convince their loved ones to try a triathlon because of the pool swim. I love that it is a time trial start, everyone gets their one personal start time and spectators can cheer them on like they are the star of their own event!
This is an event that every triathlete and newbie should attend! It’s awesome! Sprint, Olympic and Half distances. So something available for everyone. But the things we love most about this event are:
The Date! By June it’s starting to get hot in the valleys. So athletes can cool off by getting up into the mountains. The Jordanelle state park is an amazing destination triathlon venue that is less than 1 hour away for almost everybody in the Salt Lake and Utah valleys.
The Course! We swim near the head waters of Jordanelle where the water is fresh and clean. The bike offers a challenge with a gradual incline for half of the event and a steady decline for the other half, so it favors those who get tired as the race marches on. And the run through the state park on those board walks makes one want to pause and just enjoy the moment. Lots of mental pictures worth taking or bring your GoPro and take actual pictures.
Salem: September 7, 2019 (all experience levels and abilities are welcome to join this State Champs party!)
The wonderful city of Salem was so good to work with us to find one special weekend this fall where the TRIATHLON State Championships could be hosted! It seems that this event acts as a rite of passage for most Utah Triathletes. It has been around for so long and has a unique vibe to it. Like a family afternoon at the park kind of vibe where friendship, good times, and helping others is more important than performance. That doesn’t mean that athletes don’t show up to throw down a PR or strive for the podium. If I have to pick some favorite moments from this event as an athlete it is either swimming under the Salem bridge, or running over the knoll and through the Fireman’s shower, or the final bridge sprint into the finish. Just a perfect visual setting!
The thought of a sprint distance State Championship race is exciting, and Salem is an awesome venue – what do you hope to see on race day?
We hope to see many people there. Those experiencing triathlon for the first time and the best in the state coming out to test their fitness! We hope to see smiles, sweat, flying bike mounts, finish line sprints, cheering crowds, and an all-around good time had by all!
With Ice Breaker being the unofficial kickoff to the local tri season (and first race of the UTCS), once this last gasp of snow melts we can’t think of any reasons why a local triathlete would sit this one out… can you??
Yes, the only reason one might potentially miss out on this event would be if they had a major medical episode and was hospitalized the night before… and even then, I can think of some Ice Breaker die-hards who would drag themselves there come hell or high water.
All of your races grew last year, pretty significantly, so why the decision to change things up with Black Ridge, ULO, and Yuba? Is it just too tough logistically to fly here that many times?
There are many factors that led us to apply the Bi & Triennial model to some of our events. The short answer is we want to be able to continue to provide these events for years to come to our wonderful triathlon community and we think this will enable us to do that.
How can athletes best support our local RD’s, and why should people sign up for your races in 2019?
Keep racing and keep after it. Your example inspires more people than you can possibly imagine!
Learn more and register for all RaceTri races here: racetri.com
We started a Patreon account (link below) with the hope of raising a few bucks towards awards & swag for athletes of all abilities in our tri community. We've given out a lot over the past 2 years, but would like to continue to expand our offerings & the volume we can do.
If you enjoy Utah Tri Buzz and would like to pitch in, any amount would be greatly appreciated... (there may be something in it for you as well!)
Checking in with Cody Ford of USTriSports, we discuss the iconic Daybreak triathlon, the status of our local tri scene in 2019, and break a little news going down in 2020!
Daybreak has been a mainstay on the local calendar for a decade now – in your opinion what is it that consistently draws people to this race?
I think there are a few things that set Daybreak apart from most other races and draws athletes to this event.
1) The venue is the most spectator friendly venue in the state, allowing spectators to view their athletes from the swim start, along the swim course (point to point swim), while they transition, along the run course and then at the finish line. Athletes love to race with family and friend support and this venue is exceptionally accommodating for that.
2) Daybreak is in the heart of the Salt Lake Valley, making it very convenient for athletes to get to along with spectators.
3) The race is well organized and the finish line environment is electric.
4) Here is an event overview video covering more details about why The Daybreak Tri is so popular.
By being in the top 10 in participation (#7), once again Daybreak has earned a spot in the Utah Triathlon Championship Series (UTCS), with the Daybreak Olympic being the distance you chose as the official series race. What are your thoughts on the UTCS now that it’s entering year 2?
It is great to see the local triathlon scene embrace the idea of a state championship and have an additional level of competition and bragging rights. I see this growing each year and will be something that a lot of athletes talk about throughout the season.
Participation at Daybreak was up close to 10% in 2018 vs. 2017 and is approaching the 400 mark. Do you think there’s still potential for this race in terms of size, or is there a limit to how many the course can support?
There is still potential to grow this race and get it back to levels we consistently saw in the early years. Over the last decade, we have seen more triathlons and other fad races pop up that all competed for athletes and their money. We are starting to see these races lose popularity and even discontinue and I think some of the established races will benefit as a result.
The Daybreak area continues to expand… do you foresee this causing additional changes to the course in future years?
I don't anticipate a lot of changes in the future. Some development may change a couple of small sections of the bike but for the most part, the course should remain consistent.
You were an early supporter of the UTCS, and following TriUtah in 2018 (Brineman - Olympic) and RaceTri this year (Salem - Sprint), Daybreak will be hosting the 2020 state championship race – that’s a ways away, but is there anything you’d like to say about it now?
We are super excited about this. There are still some details to be worked out, but we are looking forward to hosting the state championship!
Your TriathaMom event is also very popular – anything you’d like to say about it for people not in the know?
I love TriathaMom. This is an event where we welcome triathlon experts but definitely encourage beginners. Our goal is to take the intimidation out of doing a triathlon and introduce the sport to new and aspiring athletes. This event turns into a celebration (complete with a carnival-type atmosphere for spectators and kids) and is used by so many of our TriathaMoms to prove to themselves that they can do hard things. As athletes cross the finish line, we celebrate all who do and share some of the stories of overcoming challenges that the athletes shared. So inspiring! Here are a few more things to love about TriathaMom:
It was great to see participation up virtually across the board last year. From your perspective what’s the current status of triathlon in our state?
I think we are starting to get back to a healthy number of races in our state. As I mentioned previously, I think we had too many races over the last number of years which provided a lot of scheduling flexibility for triathletes but ultimately watered down the race experience because of limited participation. I think everyone enjoys participating in events that are well run and that have an energy and excitement about them that is a natural byproduct of participant volume. We have the luxury of having multiple clubs here locally (SLTC, BAM, SUTC) that do a great job of supporting their athletes and really helping to expand the sport. It is awesome being able to partner with these clubs through volunteer efforts, clinics, and general participation.
How can local triathletes best support RD’s?
I strongly encourage local triathletes to join a tri club. Even for the casual athletes who only participate in 1-2 races a year, a tri club membership can be so beneficial, not only for the social/community aspect, but also for race discounts. These clubs do a great job of volunteering their time to give back to race directors and also building up the triathlon community.
Anything else you’d like to share?
As a triathlete myself, I understand what the expectations of athletes are and we work hard to try and produce high quality, exciting events. We would love to have you come out and race with us at Daybreak or TriathaMom and see what all of the buzz is about. You can register for Daybreak here and TriathaMom here.
We started a Patreon account (link below) with the hope of raising a few bucks towards awards & swag for athletes of all abilities in our tri community. We've given out a lot over the past 2 years, but would like to continue to expand our offerings & the volume we can do.
If you enjoy Utah Tri Buzz and would like to pitch in, any amount would be greatly appreciated... (there may be something in it for you as well!)
