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 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 »
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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 »
by Alireza Sarebanha and Maggie Goodson
Ali:
Although some of my non-triathletes’ friends found it irrational (not the exact word they used!) to do this race on my birthday weekend, I was really pumped and ready for it. I couldn’t find a better way to enjoy my birthday weekend doing three things that I love (swimming, biking, and running) with people that I love, my super awesome teammates!
4:00AM alarm went off and 4:20AM I am driving on empty streets of LA on my way to UCLA. Read more »
by Jasmine Stansil and Billy Wegeng
Jasmine:
I was up at 7 am, getting myself together so that I’d be ready to leave at 8 am with Ella and Tyler. I’d packed the night before, so no last minute packing this time! I was heading downstairs when Ella texted me that she’d be a little late, so I was like, ‘Cool. I’ve got time to pump up my tires.’ I went and did that, and then waited for Tyler and Ella to show up. Tyler beat Ella by a couple of minutes, and at 8:30 we were off! Read more »
by Nathan Platt and Jasmine Stansil
Nathan:
I was super excited to race Zot Trot up in Irvine this past weekend. Not only would it be my first triathlon on the triathlon team (albeit a reverse one), but what a great excuse to not study for midterms! After getting lost (slightly) on the way up, Jake and I met the rest of the team at UCI Saturday afternoon to preview the course. I had been told by numerous people so far that this course was very challenging so I was anxious to see what it was like. And indeed with obstacles such as sharp turns, mud, strewn shrubbery, and even worse hills, I wasn’t feeling too hopeful about my performance the next day. To make matters worse, it was supposed to be foggy the next morning! Eager to boost my confidence, I loaded up on some delicious fake chicken and even deliciouser Trader Joe’s bread (carbo loading yo) that evening and settled in at Jason’s house for the night. Read more »
by Joana Coker and Barry Weickert
Joana:
A race report about Tritonman is always bigger than just the race. Because this is my account of the race, I can only talk about the work I did and people I interacted with. And I don’t have space to mention even all of those. Although I’m going to miss many people’s contributions to this awesome event, thank you everyone for your hard work.
On Friday, the day before the race, I spent the afternoon with the registration crew at Moment Bicycles in Point Loma, helping to check racers in and distribute timing chips. I was also attempting to put new tires on my TT bike. With the rain pouring down Friday and a wind advisory in effect, aero wheels were sounding worse and worse for Saturday. I needed some new tires on my bike’s regular wheels if they were going to be ride-able for the race. Putting brand-new tires on a bike wheel is a test of patience and mental stability, and I was fast heading towards instability at Moment. I had given up on the back wheel – after getting the tire on but producing a pinch flat in the process – and was struggling with the front when a Good Samaritan offered to help. He got the front tire on successfully, and then introduced himself as the coach of WeTri, a triathlon team for teenagers. They had come all the way from Sacramento for this race, a testament to how much Tritonman has grown and become respected in the tri community. Read more »
by Barry Weickert and Nailea Regin
Barry:
I check the packing list once again making sure I have everything I need for the trip, all I know is that I am going to the desert and I’m about to have the best time of my life (according to anyone and everyone who has ever gone to UCSD triathlon bike camp before). Everything is good to go, my driver is on his way and I’m about to find out what it means to be cyclist… whatever that is. Read more »
by Beril Polat & Zack Goodman
B:
As a new team member who has never done a multi-sport race before, Coveskipper was my very first official aquathlon! I had to use a (!) mark because I never thought I would get into a multisport race so it was a big deal for me. I see Coveskipper as my initiation to the triathlon madness. So YAAAYYY!! I also need to give a shout out to Zack Goodman (who is also a new member in the team) for his persistent push on making me come to practices. If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t try to get into this madness or be aware of all the meetings and events.
Up to the race day, I had been practicing with the UCSD triathlon team which is an awesome group of people (including our coach Kim McDonald). Those practices helped me understand the feeling from water to ground transition which was a part of the Coveskipper aquathlon. I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to race at first because I guess I didn’t want to embarrass myself (which is not a healthy thinking so I highly suggest you to NOT do that). I also had no strategy in mind for this kind of race. However, three days before the race, I changed my mind. UCSD triathlon club was hosting the race so we all had to help set up the race. I think I was also more about getting to know the team rather than trying to finish with a fast time. Read more »