This Week at the Races May 26th- June 1st

First of all I would like to apologize and claim an epic bonk of a 20 mile run with no food up in Ashville for not including this in Last weeks email:

                                            HUGE Congrats to Curtis Long - Men's 40+ State Crit Champion!!

*I am actively working on accepting my role in things instead of my knee jerk reaction to tell "the truth" which would have been Shawn forgot to tell me. Since I already threw him under the bus this week and he is now getting his 10 year old a puppy, I will take full public responsibility for the over site. *

This week Was the State Road Races and VMS had a few racing

To get on the podium in a cycling race at the top levels requires a ton of fitness acquired through LONG HOURS of training, suffering in the race to put yourself in the right position and then when you get there…you still need a little luck.  Travis Gibbon has done all the work…made the right move and got nipped at the line for win but still ended up in 3^rd place in the State Road Race.  That is AWESOME!!!  Congrats – all the hard work paid off. 

Curtis and the rest of the crew raced on Sunday and rode hard in support of the Velobrew team.  No podium this time but hey…1^st place State Champ in the Crit a week ago…it’s still a great start to the season.

Holt Harrell got to check off on of the top tier races in the triathletes bucket list at Escape from Alcatraz on Sunday.  This race and the venue is absolutely incredible. From the Pros to the age groupers, everyone loves this course.  The 1.5M swim from Alcatraz to shore starts with jumping into the cold pacific from a ferry and then navigating the currents to shore.  After a long run to T1, you head out on a VERY hilly 18M bike where the technical downhill sections don’t offer any relief from the “ups”.  After T2 the run is a combination of xTerra and sightseeing as you head toward the Golden Gate then over the hill to a sandy beach for a mile then up a sand ladder, through a tunnel and then finish.  It is really just THAT COOL!!!  Congrats to Holt…very nicely executed!!!

Heat, Hills and Humidity. Three things that on there own are awful but together pack a hell of a punch.  Two of our Navy guys, Nick Carver and Ben Sesson, took on the triple H's of Macon Ga at the Colosseum Rock and Roll Half. This is for their Ironman Louisville prep and they both handled it perfectly. This was Ben's first experience with the half distance (completing his first ever triathlon just a few short months ago). Nick signed up the night before to test out a few things in IMKY like conditions.

  Pretty dang cool from Don Davey, one more of Jacksonville's triathletes at Kona this year:
 I played in the NFL for ten years without ever reaching the Super Bowl. When I retired, I set a goal of reaching the Super Bowl in another sport. After 14 years of training and competing in Triathlon, I have been awarded a slot in the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii on October 11th 2014. If you thought I trained hard for my prior races, you ain't seen nothing yet! Kona! Carpe Diem!

 (Shawn said you are a svelte 230lbs, I call sitting draft legal off you!!)