By Jorge Palacios Jr.

A week before the day of the race, it finally hit me… I was going to participate in what would be my first race as a UCSD Triathlete. Throughout

Jorge pushing through the final stretch!

that entire week, I couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen that upcoming Sunday, on race day. Whenever I thought about it, whether it be during class, at home or when I was out for a workout, I always got a little freaked out. I’m usually able to calm down my nerves, since I was a Cross Country/Track & Field runner back in high school for three years, but this time it was different. Read more »

By Vivien Tran

Soo… UC Irvine’s Zot Trot was my first triathlon, and boy was I super nervous. I met Alex at her house with 2 over-packed bags my bike, and a sleeping bag. We drove up together listening to Jack Johnson, discussing traffic, and avoiding the pink whale that everyone probably saw. We had a hearty lunch at Kaitlyn’s house with DIY paninis, and went to the pre-race ride and workout with the team. I got quite nervous after seeing the bike course, and being an inexperienced cyclist I wasn’t too comfortable with all the U-turns and turns. I’m pretty sure the race directors choose the hilliest and sunniest part of Irvine for the course on purpose. Read more »

By Cameron Martino

Here it is on Monday, one day removed from Race Day. I will separate this review into four parts:

Cameron hammering his way through the UCLA campus. (Photo by California Triathlon)

1) Logistics and Lodging
2) The Swim
3) The Bike
4) The Run

1) Logistics and Lodging:
The whole tri-team should give Dad & Haley a big thank you for putting in some serious work to make sure everyone got to UCLA and had a place to stay, as well as other fatherly duties like making sure we knew where to pick up our packets. It made the whole race easier for everyone else. I drove myself from UCSD and it took about 2 hours as I talked to myself about terrible drivers on the road. When I got to UCLA parking came pretty easily. I parked in parking lot 11, which was right next to the swim so if you’re looking for parking next year it was a pretty sweet spot. The packet pickup and registration were both very smoothly run and well organized and this trend continued for the whole race. I have to hand it to UCLA triathlon, for being in a very densely populated area they managed to hold a very organized and easy to attend race. They also did a great job marking and keeping the course clear. I didn’t use the first aid or the ambulance this time but they seemed nice as well, some of them were even cheering us on (until they were busy). Read more »

By Gretchen Stumhofer

As the 2014 polar vortex began to encroach on the rest of the US, the sun rose brightly over the idyllic UCLA campus. No doubt it was with great premonition that our friends at UCLA chose this beautiful and sunny November weekend to throw their annual triathlon festival! And to make this already awesome event better, a draft legal race was added to the mix. Now typically I’m not one to volunteer to race draft legal, but IronBruin is a special case. The hilly and technical bike course adds a unique twist to what you would usually expect of the draft legal format and fortunately for me, this plays in my favor. To add even more motivation to compete in the draft legal race is the opportunity to help promote triathlon as an emerging NCAA women’s sport. The UCLA team did a fantastic job of showing that such events are possible on college campuses. Read more »

Katie coming in strong for her second loop of the swim
- Photo credit goes to Jort Sports Photography -

By Katie Hosch

My alarm went off at 7am on a Saturday. I sat up slightly confused since usually Saturdays are my “sleep-in” days. Then I realized: It’s the morning of Coveskipper! (an aquathlon at La Jolla Shores). Although the race didn’t actually start until 10:30, UCSD triathlon team members were assigned to certain jobs and were expected to arrive at 8 am sharp. I walked onto the beach searching for the timing team, since that is what I signed up for. I was instructed to set up the mats, then roll them up, then set them out again, then roll them up, and set them out one last time. Quite the process, huh? Read more »

Hi there!

My name is Dan Gonzalez and I am the president of the UC San Diego Triathlon Team for the 2014-2015 season. I’m very excited about the upcoming season. Each year is filled with excitement and I 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!

Here are some important dates coming up:

Friday, October 3rd

• Several of our team members will be at our table on Library Walk. If you have any interest in our team you should definitely stop by and check it out.

Thursday, October 9th

• 7pm, in the Green Room at RIMAC
• Informational meeting going over a brief overview of our team and how things work

Monday, October 13th

• First official practice at 5:30 at the Track. Bring your bike, running shoes, and water!
• Here’s our practice schedule: http://ucsdtriathlon.org/practicefaq/

Oh! And if you want to join make sure you fill out your SCOMS! (They’re medical forms to make sure you stay safe) https://scoms.ucsd.edu/

I know triathlons might seem a little scary at first, but I guarantee that with the support of this team, they can be conquered. We all have a triathlete inside of us, and UC San Diego Triathlon is the best place to find it!

Take care, and have fun!

Dan

Redemption by Bryce Zaffarano

Last year at this time I was explaining to those who asked that two bags of saline (an intravenous solution given to combat dehydration) was not that big of a deal. And the fact that I was given smelling salts between the bags was also a relatively minor, even routine, occurrence after half ironman distance races. Read more »

“Have you seen America’s Next Top Model? You gotta be fierce!”

by Esther Walker

There is no race quite like Wildflower: an entire weekend in a beautiful scenic location dedicated to the sport of triathlon with tents, bikes, and triathletes as far as the eye can see. Sadly, it’s also the last collegiate race of our season, but it was a great end to an amazing season! Read more »

2014 Collegiate
Triathlon Nationals -Bill Jones

Day 1, The Day before the Race: Good Sensations Read more »

Gina getting ready to rock the swim!

By Gina Horath
If you had asked me a few months ago if I was thinking of doing the draft legal race at collegiate nationals I would have told you a flat out no. Heck, if you had asked me 1 week before the race I still would have told you no. I wanted to focus and put all my energy into the Olympic distance race, hoping for a top 10 finish. Plus I was definitely planning on doing our team relay Saturday afternoon… which would mean 3 races?? That’s just crazy. But even with these thoughts, a part of me absolutely LOVES draft-legal racing It is such an exciting type of racing; you’re going head to head with your competition the entire time, and it takes skill in all 3 sports to have a shot at doing well. So in the days leading up to the race I kept going back and forth, thinking I would have regrets not racing. It was this slight indecision that ultimately got me roped into racing DL—which I have Coach Chris Burnham to blame (or thank). Read more »