by Michellie Jones
Over 1,000 men and women representing more than 150 college clubs competed in the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships in Tempe, Ariz. The teams were not only challenged by racing against one another in the hot weather conditions but also had to overcoming adversity and rally together. The Collegiate Nationals competition keeps growing with athletes that are not only nationally ranked but who also hold world rankings.
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by Dominic Miller and Roise McSorley
Dominic:
Having just recently bought the first road bike I’d ever owned, and it being my first year on the triathlon team I was pretty pumped for Bike Camp, and it did not disappoint in any aspect. It was a fantastic weekend of biking and running in the desert all while getting closer to an amazing team.
You wouldn’t think that deserts would be nice places to exercise but Anza Borrego State Park was a great location for bike camp. Shortly after I arrived Saturday afternoon the team planned a run/hike up onto a steep ridge near the campsite which provided a spectacular view of the landscape we would be cycling the next day. I stared in awe at the rocky peaks and steep canyons around the campsite and the gently rolling hills stretching for miles in the other direction. Read more »
by Monica Thrukal and Josh Weimer
Monica:
I had been looking forward to racing at Coveskipper for a few weeks. I was mainly excited because not only would I get to race with my new team mates, but also with my friends from USC who were driving down that morning for the race as well.
As a new member of UCSD triathlon, I got to observe what it takes to put on a race behind the scenes for the first time.
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by Barry Weickert
Barry:
I’ve been in and out of injury with ITB for a while now so I was unsure of racing, but I signed up anyways since my rehab had been going well and I was itching to get a race in. My resolve was not unwavering though; I even tried to transfer my race entry to a teammate a few days before the race. Fortunately for me, it didn’t work out and I was stuck with the race spot.
Hello current and future triathletes!
We’re very excited about the upcoming season, and have some special events coming up to kick things off. Each year is filled with excitement and we can’t wait to see what kinds of adventures will come our way!
Our team is comprised of both undergraduate and graduate students of all levels of ability. No previous experience is required. To keep things fun this first week, we’ll be having some special team bonding practices that are open to all.
Here’s the schedule!
Tuesday, October 2nd @7pm – Info Meeting – 4th floor of RIMAC conference room
- Meet the team, get a brief overview of how things work, and carboload on pizza for the season ahead.
- 7pm, 4th floor conference room at RIMAC. Enter through the main doors and go up the stairs in the lobby!
- Did we mention the free pizza?
by Liezl Maree
Liezl:
Racing at Stanford was quite an experience. This was the first race this season that offered a draft legal option for us newbees. So, wanting to give everything a try at least once, I decided it was a wonderful idea to sign up for the draft legal Treeathlon. Little did I know that draft legal also stood for “do not attempt if you can’t swim fast”. I found out that if I ever called myself a swimmer, I was poorly mistaken. Surely, being MIA for a week of practices due to poor time-management during midterms round 2, didn’t help my case at all during the Treeathlon.
by Sara Lucero and Michael Chen
Sara:
I don’t know why I signed myself up for the Irvine race, the first triathlon of the season. I didn’t have a race kit. Or clip in pedals. Or any sort of real training for the last couple of months.
Perhaps I was compelled by the amount of money I spent already in becoming a triathlete and needed to make it worthwhile, or felt ashamed for making rare (very rare almost non-existent) appearances at practices and needed to forcefully reinsert myself into the team, or maybe I am subconsciously a masochist and enjoy sabotaging myself. Whatever the reason, I soon found myself in a car, with B and Emily, heading up to Irvine–the Land of Zots.
By Sofia Schugar and Rory Runser
Sofia:
That One Time at Bike Camp by Sofia Schugar
Bike camp is much more than just bikes, it is bikes, burritos, bonking, and much much more, in fact we prefer to call it Barry’s Bike Burrito Brew Bonk in Borrego, and I’ll just leave that to interpretation. Upon arriving in the 80 degree weather at 8:00 in Borrego, I witnessed a group of athletes consume Mexican food at record breaking paces, and I myself indulged in the experience as to “carb-load” for some huge ride the next day. After this we found ourselves around a campfire getting to know the teammates we would suffer and succeed with the next day. There we also played a few ice breaking games that some of us were not as good at as others (think two truths and a lie turned into ten truths and a lie). After that, the sound of manic coyotes lulled us to sleep as we rested for our ride the next day. We wake the next day to a beautiful sunrise and Beril counting down the minutes until we needed to be dressed and ready at Christmas Circle, the most dazzling attraction in all of Borrego Springs, from there the real fun began.
By Beril Polat
When I qualified for NCAA Nationals after racing at Bearathlon (UC-Berkeley), I felt very honored. I never really thought I would make it to NCAA Nationals when I used to swim varsity in undergrad, but here I was, going for triathlon. I was ready to take on the challenge and go race at Nationals although I knew that the competition was going to be fast. I packed my good old Hyundai Tucson again and drove from San Diego to Tempe, Arizona with Zack. I’m glad he was with me because the roads were pretty boring along the way. We arrived to our hotel on Friday night and went to sleep right away. Read more »
by Zack Goodman
I’ve come full circle – this time last year, I was writing my race report for my first ever race as a Triton. And what a great year it’s been! *Happy tears*
Coveskipper is the first of two races that our team hosts, the second being Tritonman. Coveskipper is an Aquathlon – a swim-run – which means no bike racks in transition. Which means setup and breakdown is a breeze. Happy volunteer here. Read more »