Friday, September 30, 2016

Utah Age Group Rankings (WALL OF FAME): Men 25-39

With only one more race on the schedule (Lake Powell 10/22), it's time to roll out our "very close to final" WALL OF FAME age group rankings for the 2016 season.

Whereas so many of our friends and neighbors staggered out of bed to watch Saturday morning cartoons in their pj's, these individuals got out and RACED... (in fact, at least 3x in order to qualify for these rankings).


Here are the M2529, M3034 and M3539 divisions. As always, you can click on the pictures below to make them a little bigger.

If you're friends with someone on the list, please spread the word so they can bask in their much-deserved glory!







A reminder on the methodology:

* Utah races only

* To be eligible, must have raced at least 3 of the 32 options below:
  • Icebreaker  (RaceTri)
  • Ironman St. George 70.3
  • Ghost Town  (TriUtah)
  • Salem Spring  (RaceTri)
  • Sand Hollow S/O   (BBSC)
  • Daybreak S/O  (USTriSports)
  • Rock Cliff S/O  (RaceTri)
  • East Canyon S/O  (TriUtah)
  • DinoTri S/O
  • Echo S/O  (TriUtah)
  • Toughman Utah Half  (RaceTri)
  • Jordanelle S/O  (TriUtah)
  • Escape From Black Ridge S/O (RaceTri)
  • Camp Yuba S/O  (RaceTri)
  • Brineman S/O/H  (TriUtah)
  • Kokopelli  S/O   (BBSC)
  • Bear Lake Brawl  S/O/H/F (On Hill)

* Ranking is an average of your Overall %... so as a simple example if you placed 60th out of 100 in one race, 500th out of 1,000 in another, and 40th out of 100 in another, you average out to 50% for the three;  keep in mind, if you raced more than 3x, we take the average of your top 3 results... that gives some incentive to race often, as you can only better your ranking each time you toe the line.


Related Posts:

Utah Age Group Rankings (WALL OF FAME): Local Pros & Rising Stars


Utah Age Group Rankings (WALL OF FAME): Women 25-39

Utah Age Group Rankings (Round 2): Men 25-39

IM Canada: Havoc Officially Wreaked!

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Kona Profiles: SUTC Superstar Diane Tracy

The Ironman World Championships ("Kona") are a mere two weeks away, taking place Oct. 8th. As you all know, it's incredibly competitive to qualify and a major accomplishment to do so. We'll be catching up with a few of our local Cinderellas in the coming weeks... getting to know them better as a tri community and seeing how they're feeling as they get ready for the ball!

Thanks for the time, Diane! You've got this!!

What’s your athletic background and how did you get into triathlon?

I played sports from junior high through college. After that I started running to lose weight and after a few races was hooked on running. I ran everywhere, to work, up canyons, trails, roads and in every town I visited. My first marathon was the Deseret News Marathon in 1977. I ran road races and marathons from them on. After graduate school racing started again. 1994 was the start of my St George Marathon streak. This year will be my 23rd St George Marathon. 

How I got started in triathlon...


When St George hosted the Ironman in 2010 and 2011 I was excited to go out and support the event and was in awe of the athletes. Like many others I had watched the NBC coverage of the World Championships in Kona. I never really thought I could complete this event. When I saw a marathon runner from St George complete the Ironman in 2011 I made the leap and signed up for the 2012 St George Ironman at age 61. I started training in November of 2011 and completed my first sprint tri in the spring of 2012.

Where did you qualify for Kona, and how did that race play out for you?

I qualified for Kona at Ironman Texas which was epic. I was nervous going in because they kept changing the course, the swim was changed, the bike course was not set until about 2 weeks before the race, and I still had not figured out my nausea on the run. Race preparation at the site went well. It was comforting being with many people from my tri club.


The day before the race I checked in my bike and looked to see how many in my age group were there. Two had dropped – maybe because of course changes. One in my age group won our age group last year at Kona. She is a phenomenal athlete whom I admire.



Race day morning I felt good. Always cautiously optimistic. The swim went well. I am a slow swimmer and always have to come up through the pack in my races. While I didn't have my best split, I felt comfortable, sighted decently and came out of the water at 1:50. Okay for non-wetsuit.


It must have been about 82 degrees or so. I am not sure of the humidity at that point. The course had over 90 turns, so I was always focused on turns and caution. During the bike the heat and humidity climbed. I did fall off of my projected time. My nutrition was not working so I had to improvise and opted for some of the trial items I got in my race bag. Happy to be done with the bike and with a split of 5:37 I ran sock footed the long way to the transition tent. I felt decent and was not too nauseated. I saw friends coming out of t2, they cheered me on and said to run steady eddy on the run.



I was running and happy for it. The heat was full on and I said to a spectator who was dancing – "is that a rain dance?" That worked... not 3 miles later the clouds moved in and we were warned of heavy rains and lightning. About 6 miles in the heavens let loose and lightning was very close. On the plus side I started to feel better and better in the cooler weather. Racers were told to take shelter. At its worst all were wet through, shoes and socks. In the wind and hail I was fighting to stay up right. After that initial storm the rain rolled in 4 more times; it would lighten up then get bad again. Spectators were amazing, staying out there and cheering us on. 
It was as usual a tough last 6 miles but I was happy not to be too nauseated and finishing. Run was 6 hrs which is an hour longer than I wanted to be.

The next day I was told Cullen (who won our age group) had already qualified for Kona and the slot would roll down. It did and I was thrilled to be going back to Kona for the second time.


How has training gone throughout the summer and how are you feeling now, only a couple weeks out?

Unlike other years, qualifying for Kona in May meant I had all the summer to concentrate on Kona. Now I could do some fun events, hike, and trail run. I changed my nutrition plan to help with the nausea and it had worked well. I also incorporated more weight lifting to help with my osteoporosis. Good health is my main goal and having fun. I don’t feel over trained, I feel strong and eager to test the course. I have no injuries.

Where did you qualify that first time, what year did you go, and how was your overall experience?

I qualified at Coeur d'Alene. That is special to me. That was where I completed my first full Ironman and I love the town and the people there.

2013 was the year I qualified. I was like a wild eyed child when I got off the plane in Kona. Everything was mythical to me. Here I was in Kona, swimming at the swim start, running in the energy lab, and biking along the Queen K. I was star struck to see all the elite athletes. My friends from St. George surprised me and we did the underpants run together. Turning in my bike and gear bags was fun, we are treated so well.



Race day was actually fun. I got fatigued on the swim but it was so nice to swim in the ocean. I found out later a pod of dolphins swam with the elite men a little. The bike went well and then I found myself on the run dealing with some nausea but going along fine. I was tired when I got to the energy lab. It was a push from there. As I was coming down Pulani hill to the finish a spectator saw my shirt that said BOOYAH, (that was our triclub remembrance of a triclub member that killed while training.) About every 20 steps he called out giving me a booyah. I kept answering back, it was great. The finish was wonderful and tearful thinking about Braydon and saying Booyah. My brother had to laugh because I was celebrating on the race side of finish. He said next time finish, then celebrate. What a wonderful experience.


What’s the atmosphere like during race week, and how will your previous experience will come in handy this time around?

Race week can be as nervous or calm as you want. First year I got caught up in all of the gear, vendors, snorkeling, and prerace events. My crew spent Friday before the race last time looking all over Kona for sport beans. This year I will take it more easy. This time I have everything I need and don’t plan on shopping so much. I will concentrate on prerace nutrition, relaxation, and workouts. I will do the underpants run again.

You’ve been described by Ryan Duckworth as “our [SUTC’s] super star.” How has SUTC helped you though with your progression in the sport?

I was totally self-coached in my marathon years. But triathlon was totally new. I relied heavily on club members for information, coaching, training partners, and race support. They gave us workouts, helped us with preseason training and offered many clinics, open water swims, and practice bricks. I hope I am useful by giving back to our club members that are new or have questions.

What motivates you to continue tackling Ironman when many of your peers have long since “retired” from various activities?

I honestly love the training. I like to bike long hours, love to run, and have a fondness for swimming. Blessed with good joints, I have no injuries and am not in pain while training. Getting a Kona slot motivates me and I will be attempting to qualify again at Ironman Arizona this year. Our club also motivates me. Running was a lonely sport, all those hours of training. Triathlon can be social, training together, racing together, and talking gear. So when the club has a lot of members going to a race that motivates me to do that race.

You worked for Intermountain Healthcare, is that right? What did you do there?

I did work for them over 30 years. I am now retired. I started in cardiac rehabilitation and wellness and moved on to analyzing clinical data for our doctors. I enjoyed my work and tried to always do some work in wellness.

What does your family think of your triathlon lifestyle? Any other triathletes in the fam?

My parents were not athletes, nor my brothers but they admire my commitment and support my triathlon life. All have come to my races and support me. My brother and sister in law come to Kona and help with race support. I have a nephew who is a gifted athlete and we share triathlon and running.

Anything else you want to share?

One week before the St. George marathon last year I found out I had osteoporosis. My mother has healthy bones and I never expected that. So I started taking calcium and nursing an injury in my hip. It was not healing though 5 days before I was to do Ironman Arizona last year... I had an MRI and found out I had a stress fracture. Research in the subject revealed that many young cyclists have osteoporosis. So I like to share with athletes my story and get them thinking about getting a scan to see if they have osteoporosis.

I have heard many triathletes express thanks for support received with racing and training. I agree with this. There is no way I can do this sport without support from friends, family, and fellow triathletes.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Utah Age Group Rankings (WALL OF FAME): Women 25-39

With only one more race on the schedule (Lake Powell 10/22), it's time to roll out our "very close to final" WALL OF FAME age group rankings for the 2016 season.

Whereas so many of our friends and neighbors staggered out of bed to watch Saturday morning cartoons in their pj's, these individuals got out and RACED... (in fact, at least 3x in order to qualify for these rankings).


Here are amazing women in the F2529, F3034 and F3539 divisions. As always, you can click on the picture below to make it a little bigger.

If you're friends with someone on the list, please spread the word so they can bask in their much-deserved glory!








A reminder on the methodology:

* Utah races only

* To be eligible, must have raced at least 3 of the 32 options below:
  • Icebreaker  (RaceTri)
  • Ironman St. George 70.3
  • Ghost Town  (TriUtah)
  • Salem Spring  (RaceTri)
  • Sand Hollow S/O   (BBSC)
  • Daybreak S/O  (USTriSports)
  • Rock Cliff S/O  (RaceTri)
  • East Canyon S/O  (TriUtah)
  • DinoTri S/O
  • Echo S/O  (TriUtah)
  • Toughman Utah Half  (RaceTri)
  • Jordanelle S/O  (TriUtah)
  • Escape From Black Ridge S/O (RaceTri)
  • Camp Yuba S/O  (RaceTri)
  • Brineman S/O/H  (TriUtah)
  • Kokopelli  S/O   (BBSC)
  • Bear Lake Brawl  S/O/H/F (On Hill)

* Ranking is an average of your Overall %... so as a simple example if you placed 60th out of 100 in one race, 500th out of 1,000 in another, and 40th out of 100 in another, you average out to 50% for the three;  keep in mind, if you raced more than 3x, we take the average of your top 3 results... that gives some incentive to race often, as you can only better your ranking each time you toe the line.


Related Posts:

Utah Age Group Rankings (WALL OF FAME): Local Pros & Rising Stars


Utah Age Group Rankings (ROUND 2): Women 25-39

Utah Age Group Rankings (ROUND 1): Women 25-39

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Kona Profiles: Interview with Tracy Campbell

The Ironman World Championships ("Kona") are a mere two weeks away, taking place Oct. 8th. As you all know, it's incredibly competitive to qualify and a major accomplishment to do so. We'll be catching up with a few of our local Cinderellas in the coming weeks... getting to know them better as a tri community and seeing how they're feeling as they get ready for the ball!

Thanks for the time, Tracy, and best of luck!!

What’s your athletic background and how did you get into triathlon?

My dad was a distance runner in college and he shared his love of running with me. After a few years of track and distance racing, I got injured. This led me to swimming and water polo in high school. I didn’t participate in any racing through college, but I was always into fitness. After my fourth child, I decided to enter my first triathlon in 2007, the Echo Sprint Triathlon. To my surprise I finished 14th overall and 3rd AG. After having the triathlon fire lit I took a break and I had another child, our fifth and last, and then returned to the opportunity to race in 2009 competing in the Echo Sprint Triathlon and the Kokopelli Olympic Triathlon. I managed to fit a few marathons in there and have been fortunate to run the Boston Marathon a few times. From 2009 until now, I am passionately addicted to the multisport world of triathlon and am thrilled to be competing at the Ironman World Championship in Kona this year.

How would you sum up your season so far?

This season has been the culmination of innumerable hours of sacrifice and work. After Kona, I will have completed 3 Ironman distance events within 12 months. It has been exhilarating setting out, after IM Arizona, to make it to Kona. I have been supported and helped along the way by so many people. I can’t wait to walk into the water at Kailua-Kona.

Which is more stressful / pressure-packed: attempting to qualify for Kona or the thought of actually racing Kona? How are you feeling now, only a couple weeks out?

For me, the stress of qualifying was greater. IM Arizona was my first full Ironman and I missed qualifying for Kona by 1 spot. But, I wasn’t really expecting to qualify on my first full IM. There was a lot of pressure to qualify at IM Texas because we anticipated more available Kona slots. I had been training so hard for with no break and my family had been supporting me through all this craziness. We told our kids that if I qualified, we would take them all to Hawaii. I do feel a certain amount of stress getting ready for Kona, but really I’m just excited and I am feeling pretty good about my training and confident in my abilities.

Ironman Texas was such a unique day, I never get sick of asking people about it (for example Jen Johnson, Sam Hobi, & Amber Blair)… can you give us a quick synopsis of your experience?

Texas was one of the craziest races that I’ve ever experienced! The bike course was wild with over 85 turns, but that actually made it fun. It was very hot and humid, but I was hoping for a hot race because I do better than most in the heat. The clouds rolled in on the 3rd loop of my run and the cooling air was such a welcome relief. At mile 22 of my run the rain became extreme. I almost didn’t notice because I was in finish mode. Finally, I realized how close the lightning was and there was actually hail at one point. One mile from the finish line I was pulled off the course! I debated just running around the officer that had stopped us and sneaking past the barrier. But, I figured I might be in a Kona spot and I didn’t want a DNF. I gathered in a parking garage with other athletes where Jen Johnson and I found each other. She had been stopped 0.2 miles from the finish and was also in a possible Kona spot. I was so confused and disoriented to have all the adrenaline you get at the finish and not be finishing. Finally, they let us return to the course and there was a collective cheer from the athletes as we all left the parking garage. I ran so fast that last mile. I wasn’t going to let anyone stop me from finishing. As, I ran toward the finish line, there were no crowds, no voice announcing me and no clock. There was just Mike Reilly in a poncho to give me a high five. Of course my husband and coach Andrew Stasinos were there! It was kind of an eerie finish line.


Do you have specific goals for Kona or will you be more, as many people put it, “happy to be there” your first time?

Definitely, I will be happy to be there. But, I want to race well and feel good. As mentioned, I tend to do well in hot climates.

How was your experience at 70.3 Worlds in Austria last year? Does competing on that stage give you confidence going into Kona or do you think it will still be pretty overwhelming?

I’ve competed in two 70.3 World Championships (Austria and Las Vegas 2013). Those were both amazing experiences. I think Kona will be different, but I feel confident in what I can do and wherever I end up against the other athletes is just where I end up. I would absolutely recommend to everyone that if you get a chance to race in the 70.3 Worlds…DO IT! The experience of being with the best in our sport doing what we love is fantastic.

Tracy in Austria - 70.3 World Champs 2015
What’s your best distance, and rank the 3 disciplines for strength to (relative) weakness.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I think my best distance is the full Ironman. I’m not really that much faster as I drop down to the half distance. Running is definitely my strength. It’s kind of a toss up between swimming and biking. I would list biking as my weak link because you spend the most of the race on the bike. But, I’ve been working really hard this last year to try and change that.

Rumor has it you and Jen Johnson were exchanging elbows and obscenities in the final miles of the Brineman Half. Are you prepared to call Jen out as the dirtiest competitor in the state?

Oh, yes definitely!! I think she even tried to trip me at one point. Ha ha. As you can see from the picture, we were having a lot of fun at that race. We ran the last 3 miles together and came in across the finish line together.

Speaking of local races, what’s your podium for top 3?

Echo is definitely a favorite. I do that one every year. I would have to mention St. George 70.3, but if we are sticking to more locally run then I would say Kokopelli. Brineman was a brand new race this year and I would add that to my favorites.

synchronized running team showing excellent form at Echo
Any thoughts for 2017, or too soon? Another run at Kona? Chattanooga? Local?

Right now, I’m looking forward to the off season. I haven’t really had a break for about a year and a half. I’m sure I will be racing. I don’t think I will do a full next year. Maybe I will just stick to 70.3’s and local races. But, never say never.

coach Andrew Stasinos and husband Mick
Any advice for people like you balancing family/work/training, and are there any current or future triathletes among the Campbell kids?

Balancing family/work/training is always a big challenge. My husband is a huge support. He travels a lot but, when he is in town, he is always committed to helping me get my training in and even some extra rest sometimes. I plan all of my training around my 5 kids’ schedules (they are busy) so I can be there for them. I schedule all of my training in my calendar like appointments at the beginning of the week so I can see how it’s going to be accomplished. Mostly, I have cut the ‘fluff’ from my daily schedule meaning that if it isn’t necessary then it isn’t happening. My son is a swimmer. He has dabbled in triathlon and really enjoys it. I think he will be joining me one day.

Anything else you want to share?

I think one of the biggest strengths to me this time around has been having a group of other athletes to train with. You really get a boost from training with others and it is so helpful to have talented people around to give you strength when you are feeling weak. The BAM athletes have all been so supportive and FUN! Regardless of where you find yourself in triathlon, one of your best decisions will be to connect with BAM, www.balancedartmultisport.com.

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Utah Age Group Rankings (WALL OF FAME): Local Pros & Rising Stars

With only one more race on the schedule (Lake Powell 10/22), it's time to roll out our "very close to final" WALL OF FAME age group rankings for the 2016 season.

Whereas so many of our friends and neighbors staggered out of bed to watch Saturday morning cartoons in their pj's, these individuals got out and RACED... (in fact, at least 3x in order to qualify for these rankings). 



We'll start off with our local pros and young speedsters. As always, you can click on the picture below to make it a little bigger.

If you're friends with someone on the list, please spread the word so they can bask in their much-deserved glory!









A reminder on the methodology:

* Utah races only

* To be eligible, must have raced at least 3 of the 32 options below:
  • Icebreaker  (RaceTri)
  • Ironman St. George 70.3
  • Ghost Town  (TriUtah)
  • Salem Spring  (RaceTri)
  • Sand Hollow S/O   (BBSC)
  • Daybreak S/O  (USTriSports)
  • Rock Cliff S/O  (RaceTri)
  • East Canyon S/O  (TriUtah)
  • DinoTri S/O
  • Echo S/O  (TriUtah)
  • Toughman Utah Half  (RaceTri)
  • Jordanelle S/O  (TriUtah)
  • Escape From Black Ridge S/O (RaceTri)
  • Camp Yuba S/O  (RaceTri)
  • Brineman S/O/H  (TriUtah)
  • Kokopelli  S/O   (BBSC)
  • Bear Lake Brawl  S/O/H/F (On Hill)

* Ranking is an average of your Overall %... so as a simple example if you placed 60th out of 100 in one race, 500th out of 1,000 in another, and 40th out of 100 in another, you average out to 50% for the three;  keep in mind, if you raced more than 3x, we take the average of your top 3 results... that gives some incentive to race often, as you can only better your ranking each time you toe the line.


Related Posts:

Utah Age Group Rankings (ROUND 2): Local Pros & Rising Stars


Utah Age Group Rankings: Local Pros & Rising Stars


Thursday, September 22, 2016

NEED YOUR HELP!

As we were updating the Age Group Rankings yesterday, we had a thought… sure, we’re attempting to shower everyone with LOCAL HERO GLORY, but wouldn’t it be cool if we could hook people up with actual awards as well??

And we’re not just talking AG winners, podiums, etc. here… we’d love to reward other categories as well, for example “who got out and raced the most” in each AG, people who contribute Utah Tri Buzz content, etc. For next season we’ll also include a healthy list of “MIT” awards (Most Improved Triathlete) for each AG. Some half-baked ideas are in the works too, such as rewarding people who get friends/family off the couch and into the sport!

So along those lines, we're reaching out to our readers... do you have any ideas for potential sponsors of Utah Tri Buzz? 

Could be your employer, your own business, where a family member or friend works, etc, etc. Really any company in any industry that would be willing to support the cause.

FOR THE RECORD:

1) There’s ZERO financial motivation for Utah Tri Buzz… EVERY penny (if there are any sponsorship funds at all) would go directly back to the community / awards / trying to do cool things

2) We’ll make it worth your while... nuff said


If you have any ideas or questions, please send them to UtahTriBuzz@gmail.com. You can also stay anonymous if you prefer (if you just want to refer us to someone and we’ll keep your name out of it).

It would be awesome to have a budget to do some of the things mentioned above, but if not that’s ok too. Appreciate you giving it a thought.

Thanks!


Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Results Breakdown: Bear Lake Brawl (Part II) 2016

Assisted by a couple of number crunching fellow triathletes, we'll be breaking down 2016 results race by race. The idea is to show everyone's percentile for each discipline, which is simply your swim rank, bike rank, etc. divided by the # of total participants. That way you can better compare your performance from one race to the next. Lower # the better!


The Bear Lake Brawl takes place over two weekends... below are the results of the Half and Full 140.6 distances. 

Sadly, at this point only the Lake Powell triathlon in October is left on the Utah triathlon calendar. Head south if you need one more fix!


As always you can click on any of the snapshots below to make them a little bigger.

HALF







FULL (140.6)



Sunday, September 18, 2016

Kona Profiles: Interview with Luke Rothey

The Ironman World Championships ("Kona") are a mere three weeks away, taking place Oct. 8th. As you all know, it's incredibly competitive to qualify, and therefore a major accomplishment to do so. We'll be catching up with a few of our local Cinderellas in the coming weeks... getting to know them better as a tri community and seeing how they're feeling as they get ready for the ball!

Thanks for the time, Luke, we'll be cheering you on!


What’s your athletic background and how did you get into triathlon?

I'm generally the guy that is pretty good at everything but not great at anything. I've always been very active but saw no need for endurance sports until 2007. During a high stress time of my life I was introduced to trail running and marathons by my neighbor and great friend, I found this to be the therapy I needed to get through tough times. I finished my first marathon in 2007 with a Boston Qualification with about :20 seconds to spare. After a few successful marathons I jumped into the local tri scene with Tri Utah's Cache Valley Tri that has since been canceled. It didn't take long to figure out Ironman was where it's at, and Kona would be a dream come true.


Which is more stressful / pressure-packed: attempting to qualify for Kona or the thought of actually racing Kona? How are you feeling now, only a few weeks out?

The pressure has always been the qualifier, Kona is the prize. The real pressure was the roll-down meeting the day after IM Tahoe 2015. On race day I knew there would be five KQ spots in the M 40-44 age group. At the finish line of Tahoe I saw on the electronic finish board that I took the fifth spot! About seven minutes after I finished, a competing age grouper crossed the line with a :14 second faster time than me. He apparently let everyone get a head start to avoid the rough water; he was the last one to start the race in the rolling start (the reason the old school mass start is king). Now the stars needed to align for me to KQ. I learned there was only one starter in the M 70-74 group. I watched his splits starts to slip late into the night and unfortunately for him he DNF'd. That KQ spot would be reallocated to the next largest age group and 35-39, 40-44, and 45-49 all had virtually the same number of starters...but what mattered were finishers. The next morning it was announced that the allocation came to 40-44. Kona bound!

Sources tell us you qualified at last year’s (now defunct) Ironman Lake Tahoe. Was it nice to get your qualification out of the way early or has it been too much time waiting and thinking about it?

Tahoe was one year ago this weekend. It has been such a fun year having Kona on the calendar. Had I KQ'd at Mont Tremblant or CDA it would not have been the same experience for me. It has been a blast planning for the big dance.


How has training gone in general, and do you have a coach or self-coached?

I have always been very disciplined and consistent in my training, but that doesn't mean I have done it right. I've seen my times plateau at all distances over the last few years and I have been looking for a way to break through. I felt like I was doing things right, but was often battling injury and never very good at taking time off for recovery. About two months ago I asked Rory Duckworth to coach me through my ramp up and taper to Kona. It's been great. I hope to experience a break-through race with some tweaks to my training, recovery and nutrition.

Have you been to Kona before? If not, do you have specific goals or will you be more, as many people put it, “happy to be there” your first time?

This will be my first time in Kona. My goal is to soak it all in. I have trained hard and I hope that pays off, but really I will just be so stoked to be there. I've got family and close friends going to support me and plenty of local race friends participating. It's going to be a day to remember.

You went 33 / 2:40 / 1:35 for a 4:52 at this year’s St. George 70.3… what’s the “secret” to running a nasty split like that on that hilly course??

Thanks Collin. That was a pretty tough race for me. I couldn't get the power I wanted on the bike all day. I Didn't feel cold like many did on the bike, but when I got on my feet I realized the weather had taken a toll. Cramps in the first mile made me wonder if I would make it up that first big climb. After some stretching I got rolling and felt pretty good about my run split.

Looking at our results database, we couldn’t help but notice that your name seems to often be right around two other names: Marc Rosello and Adam Hicken. Do you guys do battle on a regular basis or are we imagining things?

I haven't met Adam. I'm sure I will get a chance to in the next couple of weeks. Marc and I seem to think alike when it comes to race selection. It seems every race the last few years I can expect Marc to be there. Fortunately he is now in a different age group, that guy is strong! Brice Williams is another local athlete going to Kona this year. Brice took a spot in Tahoe last fall as well. We traveled to the race together, ran virtually the same race all day long, and both got our first KQ's in Tahoe. Watch for Brice in Kona, he has been hitting it HARD!


Brice, Luke, B.J. & Marc after qualifying for Kona at IM Lake Tahoe
Again looking at past results, you didn’t race as much locally this season as you usually do (I’d imagine with the focus on Kona), but you did just take 3rd in the Brineman Half. What did you think about the inaugural Brineman?

I've battled some tough injuries the last few years. My main goal for Kona was to show up healthy and as a result I have had to pull back from some of my favorite local races. Brineman was a great four week out race. The race is about 15 miles from home and I ride on Antelope Island often with my training crew Nate Cook and Josh Pay. I absolutely loved the course and couldn't have been happier that it was shortened.

What’s your podium for top 3 local races?

Because of the number of local participants I would put Spudman on top and call it a local race. I have been to the last nine Spudman's. BJ owns that race, but it is fun to compete for a spot on the podium. I always have enjoyed IM STG and I think Brineman will now be a regular for me.