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by Christopher Johnson, PT, and Bruce Wilk, PT

Coaches have long used mindful and purposeful barefoot running to help prepare triathletes for the swim to bike transition (T1). The most appropriate running method to use during T1 is a flatfooted, balanced stride. A forefoot sprinting stride is not appropriate because of the risk of delaying transition vasodilatation (widening of blood vessels). Blood has to be moved from your swimming to biking muscles and this process takes time even in the fittest triathletes.

Since the run from the swim exit to the transition zone can be a half-mile or more on asphalt, a heel striking pattern should also be avoided to protect the heels from inadvertently over-striking on hard, uneven surfaces. To prepare for running during T1, a combination of barefoot balance drills and stride drills should be included in your training program. Balance exercises should be practiced in front of a mirror in order to develop a balanced, barefoot stride while stride drills should be performed barefoot on a safe surface.

Once you reach the run leg of the triathlon, it’s time to revert back to your usual training shoes and stride. Understand that you’ll run faster and safer in a properly-fitting, manufactured running shoe than if you ran this portion of the race unshod. Below is a list of drills to help prepare you for a smooth and timely T1 transition, with a video demonstrating the drills above. The ultimate goal of these drills is to foster a balanced, flatfooted stride; the term “gliding” is used to describe a running pace of 5 – 7 mph.

Glide Drill – Arms In

Action

1. During glides, purposely overswing your arms in front of your body until you begin to feel out of balance.
2. Bring your arms back into correct armswing position to find your balance.

Focus: Notice how the position and motion of your arms affects your balance.

Glide Drill – Arms Out

Action

1. During glides, purposely rotate your armswings outward, away from your body, until you begin to feel out of balance.
2. Bring your arms back into correct armswing position to find your balance.

Focus: Notice how the position and motion of your arms affects your balance.

Glide Drill – Feet In

Action

1. During glides, purposely rotate your leg inwards, toes pointing in, just until you begin to feel out of balance. (Don’t rotate so much that it causes you to stumble.)
2. Rotate your legs back into a normal, forward position to find your balance.

Focus: Notice how the alignment of your legs and feet affects your balance.

Glide Drill – Feet Out

Action

1. During glides, purposely rotate your legs outwards, toes pointing to the sides, just until you begin to feel out of balance. (Don’t rotate so much that it causes you to stumble.)
2. Rotate your legs back into a normal, forward position to find your balance.

Focus: Notice how the alignment of your legs and feet affects your balance.

Glide Drill – Hands on Head

Action

1. During glides, place both hands on top of your head.
2. Keep the elbows pointed straight out to the sides. Do not twist the upper body.
3. Tighten the muscles of the trunk to help control your balance.
4. Run with your body straight, feet straight, and chin tucked.
5. Running motion should be straight forward, not side to side.

Focus: Maintain the alignment of the trunk over the pelvis while keeping the arms stationary.

One-Legged Armswings, Barefoot

Regions

1. BASIC
2. Toes, arch

Equipment: Hand weights

Starting Position

1. Stand barefoot on a level surface, with “straight”  posture.
2. Bend one knee 90 degrees so the lower leg is parallel to the floor (kickback position).
3. Holding a hand weight in each hand, bend elbows to 90 degrees.

Action

1. Slowly swing your arms from the shoulder, keeping the elbows bent and close to the body. As one arm moves forward, the other arm moves backward.
2. Alternate legs before you lose your balance.

Focus: Work the ground with your foot while using your arms to help maintain your body straight and balanced over the weight-bearing leg. The only part of your body moving should be the balanced armswing. Create symmetry and build up to your glide rhythm and target time.

Barefoot Push-Up

Regions

1. BASIC
2. Toes, heel

Equipment: None

Starting Position: Barefoot, stand in “straight” posture, elbows bent 90 degrees.

Action

1. Raise one knee to the “high knees” position, keeping your foot aligned under the bent knee, and hold.
2. Move your armswing to the coordinated position for balance, and hold.
3. Push up through the big toe of the weight-bearing leg, lifting the heel off the ground.

Focus: Try to maintain a small, smooth, controlled motion as you transition from the flatfoot position to the big toe, keep your body straight and balanced while your weight moves forward and up into a push-off position. Create symmetry and build up to your glide rhythm and target time.

_____________________

Chris Johnson is a leading New York City physical therapist who specializes in the care of endurance athletes. In addition to being the owner and director of Chris Johnson PT, located in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, he is also a co-founder of Formula Triathlon Club, and an all-American triathlete. Chris also shares tips and advice for multisport athletes on his blog, “Critter’s Corner.”

Bruce Wilk is a physical therapist and orthopedic certified specialist, who is the director of Orthopedic Rehabilitation Specialists, based in Miami, Florida. 

Having already noticed this sleek, magnetized transition shoe in an ad in our latest magazine, we were keen to get our hands on the 2012 Trivent at a press launch last Friday. Specialized was in town for the the ITU World Triathlon Series stop here in San Diego, and ready to allow curious triathletes to play with the new shoe at their expo booth.

We joined Specialized athlete Tim Don, in town for Saturday’s race, and the company’s footwear engineers to scope out the new Trivent. Here are a few things that stood out to us at first glance.

Rob Cook showing the drawings and mock-ups

I must admit that I was a little skeptical when I first saw the Trivent’s new dial closure system. I own a pair of S-Works road shoes that features two such BOA closures, and while I love the precise, secure fit the cable lacing achieves, I can’t imagine trying to perform this under the pressure of exiting transition zone on my bike. Sitting in the comfort of my living room, sure, but navigating my way around other competitors? I’ll pass. But when I actually got my hands on the shoe and began to play with the dial—in this case a larger BOA number 4 dial instead of the S-Works’ BOA 5—it worked. Its beefier size feels better in the hand, and turns more easily than the S-Works version. To enter your securely-placed shoes, you simply slide your foot in, grab the dial, and twist. The open heel cup comes down and your foot is safe and secure in the shoe. It’s as easy as that.

Which brings me to the flip-down drawbridge heel. A magnet on the outside of the heel cup keeps the shoe open while you’re getting your foot in, and closes easily with a few twists of the dial. According to Specialized product developers, this magnet was the single most difficult feature of the shoe to get right. Initial worries that it might interfere with timing mat magnetic fields were dealt with; so don’t worry, your splits are safe.

The launch clip in action

For those who wish to go sock-free, the inside of the shoe is smooth and comfortable. The sole, following the original Trivent, is super stiff and light for maximum pedaling efficiency. My favorite part, however, is an upgraded launch clip that will securely fasten the shoe to your bike throughout the transition area, keeping it stable for easy entry. The older version of the Trivent featured webbing that you could thread an elastic through, leaving the hassle of a leftover loop at the other end of the elastic. Depending on your bike’s set up, there might be no convenient place to secure that loop. This shoe is more versatile, in that you can tuck the elastic under the shoe’s clip, which gives you more options for threading the remaining elastic through on itself anywhere on your bike. Genius. All that’s left to wish for is a pack of red elastics included with the shoe. (Yes, they actually considered this.)

Tim Don demonstrates

The rubber-band solution is actually one of the triathlon hacks that the shoe engineers decided was best left untouched. As the company’s triathlon guru Mark Cote pointed out, the market is changing. Gone are the days of jury-rigged solutions, taping ugly accoutrements to our otherwise attractive bikes, and borrowing from swim-, bike-, and run-specific developments. Triathlon is its own sport, and through their innovations, Specialized is trying to approach it as such. With Trivents that match the new integrated Shiv, it’s all going to be part of the package.

Look for the new Trivent ($400) at your local Specialized dealer this month.

In addition to providing water for IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3® races around the world, Aquadraat Sports will also be the title sponsor of the IRONMAN U.S. Championship taking place in metropolitan New York and New Jersey on Aug. 11, 2012. The inaugural Aquadraat Sports IRONMAN U.S. Championship will include nearly 3,000 athletes from 46 states and 41 countries, nearly 5,000 volunteers and more than 200,000 total spectators, in one of the largest media markets in the world.

“We are excited to have Aquadraat Sports as a partner across IRONMAN and 70.3 events,” said Erik Vervloet, Chief Marketing Officer of IRONMAN. “Water is arguably the most crucial product on our race courses and having consistency at events around the world will be good for our athletes.”

Aquadraat Sports, with the company slogan Water for Life, is known for producing one of the most unique waters on the planet. Quickly absorbed into the body’s cells and carrying extra oxygen, Aquadraat enhances cellular respiration and supports the body’s ability to meet demands for increased energy production. Aquadraat has been shown to increase exercise capacity and to stimulate an overall feeling of well-being.

“As we expand our footprint globally and launch Aquadraat Sports in the United States, we want to align ourselves with athletes who can directly benefit from consuming our product,” said Marcel ter Stege, Chief Executive Officer of Aquadraat Sports. “There is no tougher event than IRONMAN, and Aquadraat gives triathletes the fuel their bodies need to develop and sustain peak levels of fitness and health. Top IRONMAN competitor Yvonne van Vlerken has been drinking Aquadraat for years and her fantastic results speak for themselves.”

The global sponsorship was reached in conjunction with sports marketing and entertainment company Wasserman Media Group.

Subscribe to LAVA between today and Tuesday the 22nd and be entered to win the above 11×14 autographed photo of Lance Armstrong from his race at Ironman 70.3 Galveston.

We’ve been around for less than two years, and proudly stood behind our design and concept: delivering reportage by and for the serious triathlete. But our June issue is something special for us, with a newsstand debut and sophisticated redesign that improves the reading experience. Plus, some special access to some unique personalities.

For this issue, Senior Editor Jay Prasuhn was granted a few days with Lance Armstrong to talk to him not only about his return to multisport, but also his past and the guys that helped shape him into the athlete and personality he is today. Prasuhn and Senior Photographer Donald Miralle spent two days shooting Lance at his home, at the Lance Armstrong Foundation, at a Masters swim workout, and out on the roads of his home in Austin.

We were grateful to have Lance’s longtime personal photographer, Elizabeth Kreutz (author of the World Press Photo award-winning book Comeback 2.0 that chronicled Armstrong’s return to bike racing following his bout with cancer) came along to capture the behind-the-scenes action in the gallery above. And there was action: Miralle fell into Armstrong’s backyard pond while backing up to find a wider frame. Yes, the camera was saved. That aside, much of the portraiture was procured from a studio we built in a few hours in Armstrong’s garage.

For Kreutz, used to following Armstrong with a Canon or two in tow, it was a welcome arrival. After all, she was shooting triathlon, chasing her husband and pro triathlete James Bonney on the Ironman circuit well before her work with Armstrong.

“I was always excited about the possibility of Lance coming back—at least I always hoped that he would,” Kreutz said. “But knowing Lance and seeing how much fun he’s having is great. He and James have a great swimming and running group that push each other.”

If you’ve been curious about what makes our publication the best in the industry, head down to your local specialty retailers or Barnes & Noble Bookstore, grab a coffee, and join us on the journey.

Subscribe to LAVA between today and Tuesday the 22nd and be entered to win the above 11×14 autographed photo of Lance Armstrong from his race at Ironman 70.3 Galveston.

Last week, we had the chance to tag along to a bike fitting with Julie Moss and Kathleen McCartney—two of the people responsible for catapulting triathlon into the public eye back in 1982. This October, these two darlings of the original Ironman World Championship in Hawaii will return to the Big Island to race each other again, in honor of the event’s 30th anniversary. Thanks to Cannondale bikes and Nytro Multisport in Encinitas, Calif., they’ll be swimming, running, and especially biking, in style.

Be sure to check out our video of the afternoon of fun, fitting, and rehashing old times.

Thirty years ago a college woman named Julie Moss made history by crawling her way across the finish line of a grueling race in Hawaii. The Big Island suffer-fest would eventually grow to become the famed Ironman World Championships—held every October in Kona and attracting the world’s best triathletes.

This year, Moss and Kathleen McCartney, the woman who passed her that year to take first, have decided to return to Kona to race the 30th anniversary event together. After deciding she wanted to do the race again last February, McCartney then had the brainwave to ask Moss to join her. The two spoke at a Triathlon Club of San Diego meeting last fall, and then participated in a weekend triathlon relay thanks to Bob Babbitt’s prompting. This helped water the seed, and soon after, both had committed to swimming, biking, and running their way to the famous Ali’i Drive finish line on October 13th.

Both women now reside in the San Diego area, and so we took the opportunity last week to follow them to their bike fitting session at Nytro Multisport. There was a lot of excitement as Bill Rudell of Cannondale presented them each with a 2012 Cannondale Slice, and Skip McDowell outfitted them with shoes, transition bags, and all the gear they would need. Hear what Moss and McCartney had to say about the big race, and watch some of the action in this short clip. Read the full story on Ironman.com, and check out our photo gallery of the afternoon as well.

The first-ever ITU stop in triathlon’s birthplace was welcomed by energetic crowds and Olympic team qualifications. Additionally, check out our men’s and women’s race reports.

Such were the stories—respectively—of Americans Manny Huerta and Hunter Kemper. While it was Great Britain’s Jonathan Brownlee who stormed away on the run to win the ITU World Championship Series men’s race in San Diego Saturday, it was Kemper, who regained health and his fitness after a crash in Myrtle Beach, S.C.,  finished fifth to earn the automatic placing, and Huerta, who saw the American Dream realized in earning a spot on the pontoon this summer in London.

Upon finishing in ninth position—meeting USA Triathlon qualification standards of a top-10 finish, Huerta had to be sure. So he did a head-count of those men who’d finished ahead of him. Only eight. The Cuban-born Huerta was headed to the Olympics.

“The last kilometer, it was all guts. I didn’t know if I was 10^th, if I was ninth, if I was eighth,” an emotional Huerta said at the finish. “When I counted and realized I was ninth, I realized I was on that flight to London. I couldn’t believe it—it actually happened. I did it! This is Mothers Day weekend, and this is the best gift I can give her.

The qualification standard for the Americans was simple: the top American finisher would earn a ticket to the London Olympic Games this summer, and any other—up to two, excluding the top finishing in the top 10—would also claim a ticket. And the men gunning for the spots were deep: Kemper, Huerta, as well as Jarrod Shoemaker, Greg Billington, Matt Chrabot and Mark Fretta. For Kemper, the path to even make the start in San Diego was a tough one. It made him an wild card, for the first time in his long career.

Huerta, Kemper embrace

“I had a PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter—ed) put in my arm that drains into the big central heart valve, bedridden for eight weeks and couldn’t swim or run at all,” Kemper said. “I was in a deep, dark place and didn’t talk about it, tried to avoid the media.”

Quietly, Kemper launched into his rehab. Then, as his American compatriots were out racing, he was building back into proper training. “The reason I didn’t race was I didn’t have time.”

Huerta, too, was someone not on immediate radar. A political refugee from Havana, Huerta traveled to America with his parents. “When you’re in a communist country, you don’t have too many dreams, because the government will shut you down,” Huerta said. “When I came off the plane, the first thing I remember was the highway—I saw so many cars. So many lights. Everything was so beautiful.”

His father Hermino died two years ago of stomach cancer, and his mother Marta has been fighting cancer the last two years. So his motivation was simple: race for mom. “I didn’t give up on my fight of my dream, and for her not to give up on her fight against cancer.”

Perennially considered a threshold finisher, Huerta always recorded solid results in Pan-Am efforts, but for whatever reason didn’t show his prowess in big WCS races. And from the outset Sunday, his work was cut out for him; he was out of water in the final pack. Fortunately, the gods were smiling on him, as the race came together into a single massive peloton midway through the bike.

And Brownlee, who safely paced and controlled the group throughout the 40k bike from the front, did the same once the 10k run began. He instantly put the field in a death grip, ripping out to an unassailable lead, with South African Richard Murray and Swiss Sven Riederer holding on gamely.

Early on, it was Huerta and fellow American Greg Billington who punched ahead of Kemper as the leading Americans as Jarrod Shoemaker breathed down his neck just a few steps behind. But he remained unfazed. “I’m an old man at 36, have a tendency to try to wind it up. I knew the back half would be my strength, and I’m a strength 10k runner,” he said. “I don’t go out in 61 in the first quarter; that’s not really my style.”

As Brownlee cruised away and Riederer, Murray, Great Britain’s Tim Don, Spaniard Mario Mola and Kemper tried to keep him in view, it was Huerta, wearing a desperate look, digging in, knowing that at least a top 10 would punch his ticket. Billington began to fade, and fellow American hopeful Matt Chrabot, who worked hard in the lead break, was too fading on the run.

“I was just running on guts,” Huerta said.

Brownlee was pressured lightly in the final 200 meters by Riederer, but on the heels of a 30:01 10k run, coasted in for the win, Riederer taking second six seconds back, with Murray claiming the bronze.

“It was a bit different not having Ali or Javier (Gomez) here, as they’re both aggressive, and I felt a bit tired there at the end—but that’s just lack of racing,” Brownlee said. “And Sven’s a tough guy. He’s chased me down a few times before, never gives up. Someone offered me a Yorkshire flag with 100 meters to go, but I was too tired to take it. I thought I better not, in case he caught me. That woulda looked silly, eh?”

Kemper’s fifth-place finish secured Kemper for his fourth Olympic experience, having raced in Beijing, Athens and Sydney. And after the Myrtle Beach crash that nearly ended the chances for him to qualify, he’s grateful for the luck of a quick rehab. “Let’s put it this way: I’m glad I’m going back to the Olympic Games and that it didn’t cause me to not go,” Kemper said. “I want to get a medal, but even if I don’t, I think just getting to four Games is pretty special.”

For his part—a 30th place finish and second Australian finisher after deftly organizing the chase pack from nearly a minute down, to join the leading group. Chris McCormack will now let the Triathlon Australia officials make a decision, which will come sometime after ITU WCS Madrid on May 27.

“It’s not over, because every race I’ve been top three (Australian). I’ve won two and had a second and a third. I don’t know how these selectors think, but this may be my last ever World Cup race. And if it is, this one, here in San Diego, was a good one,” McCormack said. “I know my role; I can’t run as fast as the guys can.

In the meantime, he plans to race Ironman Cairns in Australia on June 3rd. “ I honestly thought they’d announce the team after Sydney and I’d have eight weeks to prepare. Now I’ll have three, which means I’ll have no chance of doing well there, which is a shame. So I’ll just get through it, ratify, which gives me options for Kona. It’s gonna be a tough ask to be ready five months out for a shot at Kona, but with great speed, I’ll see how the buildups goes. And to have the opportunity to race Lance Armstrong in Kona, it’s a special thing in our sport’s history. And as a historian, I don’t want to miss that opportunity.”

The three men serve as three-quarters of what was referred to as triathlon’s Big Four, and now join Dave Scott—the fourth of that quartet, who was inducted into the hall last year.

“It was them plus Dave, the four of us doing our thing together that created this momentum that seemed to be a big part of helping the sport grow in the ‘80s,” said Mark Allen. “I don’t think any of us would have done what we did without each other.”

Together, Allen, Tinley and Molina, own nine Hawaii Ironman World titles; Allen with his six titles (1989, ’09, ’91, 92, ’93, ’95), Tinley with his two (1982, ’85), and Molina with his victory in 1988. Beyond that, the three won numerous titles across a variety of events, including ten victories for Allen at the Nice Triathlon in France, Molina’s 50 U.S. Triathlon Series victories, and Tinley’s three Ironman World Series wins.

Poetically, the induction, taking place in advance of Friday and Saturday’s ITU World Championship Series San Diego event, was delivered in San Diego, where the three raced and trained during those burgeoning years of the sport. “Somehow, it’s very appropriate,” Allen added, referring to the chance of location from Colorado. “We get to be here, and a lot of people I knew from the sport are here.”

Also inducted into the hall Thursday was Sally Edwards, a steward of fitness during the growth of multisport, Bob Babbitt, founding publisher of Competitor Magazine, and longtime age group triathlete Ethel Autorino.

Lance Armstrong delivers a video message

Many triathletes are familiar with Edwards’ name as author of Heart Rate Monitor Guidebook, one of the first and most ubiquitous books on heart rate training. She’s also authored over 20 other books and many more articles. Seen for years at many women’s events as the “final finisher” so no other woman had to take up the honor, Edwards was also a savvy entrepreneur, having founded Fleet Feet Sports.

Bob Babbitt is known as triathlon’s preeminent storyteller, a guy who was present for much of the growth of the sport, particularly in Ironman, and made his name crafting the story of a sport’s birth and the yeoman effort of athletes to find success with Running and Triathlon News. When the publication folded, Babbitt joined a burgeoning free California publication called Competitor, where he would find his success. Today he writes a column in Triathlete magazine, while still conducting Q&A sessions with athletes and other sport luminaries on his radio show, The Competitors. He’s also known for helping lift into prominence the Challenge Athletes Foundation, which helps provide funding to acquire equipment that allows physically challenged athletes to participate in sports.

Mark Allen speaks

“I feel like the old George Gobel quote, the one about the brown shoes with the black tuxedo,” Babbitt said in his always self-deprecating manner. “We all grew with the sport. The sport has succeeded on the personality of these athletes, and you have nothing if people don’t share the stories. You got that with these guys. My job was to be the documentarian, to tell the stories—but these guys made it easy.”

One of the evening’s guests, two-time Hawaii Ironman World Champ and former ITU World Champion Chris McCormack of Australia was grateful to be in the room. “For me, that was a buzz. I grew up worshiping those guys. If someone said to me 20 years ago you’d be sitting at the Hall of Fame induction of three of the Big Four, with all of ‘em here, I’d be like pffff—I’d pay money for that! And for Bob to get in with these guys, what a night for him to be inducted.”

In my recent article (“All Out, All the Time”) in the June print edition of LAVA, I covered how I’m working with pro triathlete Logan Franks on scaling back his intensity as he approaches his season. This is a further look at some of the pitfalls that can befall age-groupers as they seek to progress over the long term.

As a coach who has always focused on long-term progress over short-term success, I find myself holding athletes back much more than I do finding ways to have them do more. A very smart coach once told me, “the best decisions you make as a coach are those that result in holding folks back. When was the last time you said, boy, I wish we did more.” This couldn’t ring more true especially when working with professionals and elite age-groupers.

When many age-groupers start racing triathlon, they train in a very unplanned manner—basically, going as hard as they can every day, every session. Many are able to apply and absorb huge quantities of stress and therefore get big results early in their triathlon career. I’ve seen this many times. However, as they go into year two they often find that accumulated chronic fatigue catches up with them, and the previously applied level of stress is just not sustainable over the long term.

It’s all about making the kinds of sacrifices that fit with your natural talent and your expectations.

Coaching such athletes can be tough. After the first year, as you apply the correct training load (less than previous), race results often decline initially due to the reduced training stress. Athletes here might begin to blame their coach, wondering why they can’t go back to what works. But in reality, if they continued on that same path of higher than appropriate stress for more than a year, they’d get burnt out, injured, and/or ill. Some athletes realize this after year two when it’s too late. Although the proper approach will result from looking out two to five years, it can sometimes be difficult to see after a stellar first year, especially for younger athletes.

Ironically, many times the sacrifices that best foster long-term progress are the very sacrifices that can lead to burnout and a premature career end. The common scenario is an age-grouper who sees a very successful pro out having beers and not eating the ideal performance foods. The age-grouper thinks, “That pro is one of the best in the world, and doesn’t make a high level of sacrifice, so why do I need to?” The reality is, however, that many pros are born with extreme talent that doesn’t require unrelenting sacrifice to be successful. Others were born with huge talent, but have an unbelievable ability to make sacrifices which allow them to move through the ranks and end up in the same place as the more talented athletes. I’ve seen both.

The bottom line? The ability to make sacrifices outside of training is what will improve you the most; however, many times these sacrifices are what burn you out over the long haul. The hope is to strike a balance based on your situation. However, if your “balance” involves multiple beers, junk food, and late nights, you cannot expect a high level of progress. But if these are the things that keep you in the sport, they may be more important. It’s all about making the kinds of sacrifices that fit with your natural talent and your expectations. For the pros, it’s about striking a similar balance, and as a coach you can’t expect every athlete to hit everything on the ideals. Although hitting the ideals may be the best path to making progress with the career time available, it may also be a very good path to early retirement.

Finding a sustainable level of sacrifice over the long term is a difficult task. Whatever your level of sacrifice, realize that it’s what you give up that will propel you forward. But, if these same sacrifices are too deep and unsustainable, time spent not competing due to burnout is time spent going backwards.

________________________

Jesse Kropelnicki is an elite/pro level triathlon coach who founded QT2 Systems,com, a leading provider of personal triathlon coaching; TheCoreDiet.com, a leading provider of sports nutrition; and Your 26.2 a marathon training company. He coaches of professional athletes Caitlin Snow, Ethan Brown, and Pedro Gomes, among others, with interests lying quantitative training and nutrition protocols.  Follow him at www.kropelnicki.com.

I discovered these bottles when the company introduced their new cell phone sleeve, “The Runner.” I couldn’t believe I’d never heard of them. Just days before I’d spent a good hour grumbling over my slimy water bottles in the kitchen sink, attacking them with bleach and scrubby brushes in hopes to restore them to their original sanitary standards.

If you’ve never tried a Clean Bottle, do yourself a favor and buy one. At just $9.95 per bottle, these things are an investment in frustration-free germ elimination. The company also donates 10 percent of its profits to eco and cycling friendly charities, so you can feel clean in more ways than one.

And there’s more. Consider this a two-in-one review; as I already mentioned, the innovators at Clean Bottle recently debuted a cell-phone carrying case for their already tricked-out bottle.

Unlike cycling, with its longer treks, heightened safety issues, and multiple carrying options, running used to be largely a phone-free activity. Clean Bottle’s new “The Runner” case has changed all that. The case ($14.95 without a bottle, $24.95 with) features a clear front pouch so you can see—mid-run—whether it’s your boss or your boyfriend trying to reach you. It also fits your ID, up to three gels, and a house key.

I must admit that running and swimming for me are two activities where I like to stay off the grid, but this bottle has excellent crossover potential for the bike, where smartphones tend to be more welcome companions. For anyone who’s fond of aerobar-mounted hydration, this sleeve helps bring nutrition into handlebar territory, where our favorite training apps (like Strava or Wahoo Fitness) reside. For those of you who’ve discovered the genius pairing of Spotify and Jabra headphones for your trainer workouts, this sleeve really has potential.

Besides its genius design, behind these products lies a dedicated triathlete. Founder David Mayer (who we’ll be profiling in our July 2012 print issue) is fearless. In 2010, he donned a giant water bottle costume to chase riders in the Tour de France, generating over $70,000 in sales. On January 20 of this year, Clean Bottle was featured on ABC’s Shark Tank, where Mayer was offered support from billionaire Mark Cuban to help expand the line. To top it all off, Mayer finished the grueling last installment of Ironman St. George this month, in 11:49:55. (Click here to watch a video of Mayer explaining how the Clean Bottle works.)

Hydrapak Wooly Mammoth, $15.99

This 20-ounce bottle comes in blue (above) or red (below) and features Primaloft insulation—which looks a lot like wool—as its chief draw. Thought wool kept you warm? Here the fabric does double duty. Wedged between two walls of plastic, the wool keeps your liquids cool and your hands dry. No more warm, mid-ride electrolytes or slippery bottles.

The polypropylene bottles are lighter in weight than standard bottles, and of course, BPA free. I’ve washed mine dozens of times and the bottle has stood up just fine. The Big Gulp valve comes out for easier washing, is softer on the teeth than the usual suspects, and has great flow.

On an unusually hot day last week, I left this bottle in my car while completing a 3.5 hour brick workout. I returned to find my Kona Cola-flavored Nuun so nicely chilled that I was almost surprised when I took a sip. If there’s anything worse than warm water after a hot run, it’s warm cola-flavored water.

FLEXR Sports Lined Bottles

You know you’re a triathlete when you drink seven of your eight-glasses-a-day from a plastic bottle. My bottle collection had certainly started to show signs of wear, with slimy insides, black spots, and funky smells. New this year, these bottles have a BPA-free disposable liner that keeps everything as fresh as a new pair of cycling shorts.

The treehugger in me was a little skeptical at first of something that I thought meant more waste. The “fully biodegradable” promise helped nail that one, and really, the cheap-o plastic bottles you get at every race are probably much worse, given how much plastic they use in comparison to these thin liners. The bottles keep bacteria and odor residue at bay, and the outer plastic is remarkably soft and flexible. Though I found them to be a little difficult to sip from while running (the liner shrinks down as you sip, making it tough to cycle air through for the proper pressure), the idea is a good one worthy of being refined. FLEXR bottles are available in a 28 ounce aerodynamic bottle, a 21-ounce bottle with neoprene sleeve, and a standard 16-ounce ergonomical option. Replacement liners come with each purchase.

I slowly moved toward the boat ramp and into the water with the other women in my age group, when one of them bumped up against me. At first, I thought it was an accident until I looked up and realized that she was actually trying to get my attention.

“So, is it worth 1,200 bucks or are you just kidding yourself?” she retorted.

I paused for a moment before answering. I had enjoyed a few swims in the Freak of Nature leading up to this race, and I figured even though she was being rude, I might as well be straight with her.

I ran my hands down each arm to show her the custom molded cuffs on each arm before reaching up for a quick stretch.

“It’s worth every penny,” I said. And with that, I was off.

I’ve had more wetsuits than I care to divulge. I’ve been a surfer since the age of 11, and I remember when the first zipper-less wetsuits came out when I was in high school. It was a huge leap forward in wetsuit technology, and while I always felt that womanly curves made zipper-less suits more of a hindrance than convenience, I still thought they were cool and couldn’t wait to finally get one.

Zipper-less wetsuits were really made possible by neoprene innovation, specifically the use of rubber that was as stretchy as it was strong. With surfing and diving wetsuits, comfort, mobility and warmth are key. When it comes to triathlon wetsuits, the technology bar is raised even higher with the addition of buoyancy, stabilization and what I refer to as the “ease-of-exit” factor.

The Freak of Nature’s most obvious feature is the use of #40 cell Yamamoto rubber. This is the highest-grade neoprene rubber available for triathlon wetsuits, and it offers considerable strength and sturdiness along with the ability to stretch to seven times its original length. This stretch factor makes for incredible mobility once the suit is on, and an incredibly fast ease-of-exit once you’re back in T1. An extra design feature of the suit that I really appreciated was the low-neck design, which effectively eliminated neck chafing while keeping the fit incredibly comfortable.

The wetsuit material, combined with a streamlined design, also gives the suit amazing buoyancy, with a specific gravity of .17, which in layman’s terms means it has almost the exact same density as water. To put it even simpler: this baby floats, and so will you when you put it on. For those of you who liken the first leg of a triathlon to full-body water boarding, this is a very, very good thing.

An extra layer of neoprene in the core area of the suit is one of several “elevation panels” found throughout the suit. The core panel serves much like a corset, except it doesn’t just cinch in your waist, it encourages efficient movement of the torso in a side-to-side motion in perfect harmony with your legs and arms. Another group of panels can be found on the thighs of the wetsuit, and help facilitate an efficient roll of the hips during propulsion forward.

While your core and leg panels are helping you roll efficiently from side to side, another feature of the Freak is helping you propel forward with as much force as possible. Custom-molded rubber V-GCP pull panels along the forearm catch water at one part of the stroke and help move it away during another. The panels do this by creating a larger surface area on the forearm, not unlike how swim paddles do.

Each feature on the Freak of Nature is impressive on its own, but when you combine them, you get a wetsuit that doesn’t just keep you warm and afloat, but actually facilitates every part of your swim stroke, allowing you to put forth maximum propulsion with minimum wasted energy. And while $1,200 is a lot to plunk down on anything, let alone a wetsuit, if you’ve got the cash and would like to see just how fast you can get through that first leg of the race, look no further than the Freak of Nature.

Just be ready for a lot of people to stare.

$1,200, tyr.com

In our June issue, Ben Greenfield outlines the process of how to trick your muscles into superhuman strength. To accompany his article, he put together this video on how to perform the nine plyometric exercises properly.

Don’t miss our full photo gallery from the event.

The Wildflower seed was planted in me two years ago, when I moved to California and joined the Triathlon Club of San Diego. I was a recently-relocated rookie triathlete, and one night at a group swim, I found myself in a conversation about everyone’s race plans for the coming season. (Every triathlete’s favorite topic, right?) There were the local sprints and Olympic-distances events, and a wide range of Ironmans and Ironman 70.3′s represented by the group. But one event with an almost magical name kept popping up: Wildflower. Not wanting to expose my ignorance, I just smiled and nodded—and then ran home to Google it.

Oops. It might have been good to do a little more research before I tried to hob-nob with San Diego triathletes, let alone start a job at the newest tri magazine on the scene.

This year I had the privilege of attending my first Wildflower Triathlon on its 30th birthday; looking back from my post-race state of immobility, I think it’s the start of beautiful friendship.

The festival atmosphere helps make this race unique

Transported

For someone new to the Wildflower experience, the first thing I noticed was the “tucked away” nature of this race. Though Lake San Antonio is only a day’s drive from major centers like San Diego, L.A., and San Francisco, once you’re there, it feels remote. Phone and Internet connectivity? Good luck. Unless you like spending the weekend standing at the top of a hill with your phone above your head, you’ll give up fast. Once you’re in, Wildflower engulfs you—and it’s perfectly OK.

Stepping into Wildflower’s world felt like being transported to a place where happiness means having a swimsuit, bike, and a pair of running shoes. There was a worry-free element to the weekend that was refreshing and calming at the same time. I wasn’t sure if it was the nature of the race site, the historical significance, or simply the beauty of the course itself.

The course is tough, but hard not to love

“There is a kind of simple order at the Flower,” wrote Scott Tinley in his “Checklist for 3 Decades of Triathlon” piece in this year’s athlete guide. And he was right: Doors stay unlocked, trash gets put away, campfires burn brightly by night and the sun shines tirelessly by day. Wildflower lived up to its music-festival roots, delivering me into a much-needed state of calm competitiveness, as paradoxical as that sounds. I slept like a baby the night before, despite our cramped quarters. My usual pre-race stress drifted away with the campfire’s smoke, and I woke up race morning ready to enjoy the day regardless of my finishing time. (Deciding even at the last minute to forgo my new Garmin 910XT and race by feel. That’s the laid-back power of this race!)

A sense of history

For those who don’t know the story of the race, Wildflower started in 1983 as a bluegrass music festival with arts and crafts displays, wildflower exhibits, and a 100K triathlon. The event struggled in its first few years, but took a turn in 1985 when the Parks Department decided that it must break even if it were to continue the following year. This meant a new strategy, and the emphasis was thus shifted from music to multisport.

Terry Davis (front center) dedicates the staircase with a host of past champions

This proved to be a good move, and in subsequent years, the event was granted qualifying slots to the Ironman World Championships. It begun to attract top pros like Scott Molina and Paula Newby-Fraser, who would go on to win the race five times. Over the years, new distances and events were added, and in 1994, Wildflower became the USAT Collegiate National Championship—also the year Davis launched Tri-California Events with his wife, Betsy. Race logistics were refined until it reached the standards and success it sets and continues to enjoy today, despite no longer being able to offer Kona slots after 1998.

“Wildflower has weathered the storm and remained a staple in the lives of triathletes,” Davis said proudly over the weekend. And not just for the amateurs who have discovered the sport at the edge of Lake San Antonio and over the rough roads of Monterey County, but for future professionals such as Eneko Llanos, Chris McCormack, Samantha McGlone and Andy Potts, to name only a few. Cutting your teeth at Wildflower is a well-known part of ascending the pro ranks, as last year’s champion Jesse Thomas will be the first to tell you.

With an atmosphere that is somewhere between family reunion and music festival, Wildflower has had 30 years to perfect the art of running a triathlon.

Reason to celebrate

Wildflower turned 30 this year, and welcomed a number of triathlon legends back to help celebrate. On Friday, Terry Davis dedicated the new Stairway of Champions, where past winners’ names are engraved on plaques in the cement, with plenty of space for winners to come. Saturday’s long-course race welcomed Thomas back onto the podium in the men’s race, and up-and-comer Heather Jackson scored a sweet victory for the women’s field. In clocking her first win at this distance, Jackson beat Julie Dibens’ 2010 course record (4:27:53) by a minute and a half, churning out her characteristically strong bike and earning the day’s run premium as well.

Jackson celebrates in the finish chute

For someone who would usually rather try a new race when given the chance, Wildflower was different. As soon as I got my cup of strawberries and Gatorade Recovery shake at the finish line, I knew I’d be back. Who wouldn’t want to launch their season in the calm waters of Lake San Antonio, test out their lungs along peaceful rural rolling hills, and give the early-season legs a run for their money on a brutally difficult trail run? Sign me up. (Getting to stay with this year’s newly-crowned women’s champion didn’t hurt, either—don’t even think I’ll divulge all her pre-race secrets!)

I can finally join the legions of triathletes who can say they’ve raced Wildflower. But the fact that this race finds its way onto many triathletes’ bucket lists doesn’t make it a one-and-done kind of event. That’s not why certain races are able to stand the test of time—they do so because they’re worth it.

Don’t miss our photo gallery from the event.

Avia Wildflower Long Course Triathlon
May 5, 2012, Lake San Antonio, Calif.
1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

Top 5 Pro Men

1. Jesse Thomas (USA) 3:58:59
2. Jordan Rapp (USA) 4:00:22
3. James Cunnama (RSA) 4:02:01
4. Paul Matthews (AUS) 4:03:20
5. Christopher Legh (AUS) 4:04:56

Top 5 Pro Women

1. Heather Jackson (USA) 4:26:29
2. Linsey Corbin (USA) 4:32:09
3. Magali Tisseyre (CAN) 4:34:30
4. Leanda Cave (GBR) 4:36:24
5. Charisa Wernick (USA) 4:38:42

Complete results here.

 A selection of images from Sunday’s race in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Greg Bennett and Kelly Williamson took the titles.

A historically hot race turned into a deluge Sunday for the 2012 Ironman 70.3 St. Croix Triathlon, where Angela Naeth and Andy Potts claimed titles. And while the wet roads brought their fair share of spills on top of the course’s biggest topographical challenge, “The Beast,” athletes were greeted on the run by cool, cloudy skies … and yes, a bit more rain. Read more…

A historically hot race turned into a deluge Sunday for the 2012 Ironman 70.3 St. Croix Triathlon. And while the wet roads brought their fair share of spills on top of the course’s biggest topographical challenge, “The Beast,” athletes were greeted on the run by cool, cloudy skies … and yes, a bit more rain.

Lance Armstrong lit up the race rolling into run transition in first place, but it was American Olympian Andy Potts who took top honors on debut winning in 4:03:31. In the women’s race, Canadian Angela Neath continues to impress this season, backing up her 70.3 Panama win with victory in St. Croix, topping top challenger Mary Beth Ellis in 4:28:12.

As expected, Andy Potts exited the Caribbean waters first, but had a passenger in former fellow ITU pro Stephane Poulat. The two rode together in the rolling early throes of the bike, knowing that a seven-time Tour de France champ would be coming. Indeed, Armstrong quickly and easily extracted himself from the group he exited the water with—which included Belgian Frederick Van Lierde and New Zealand’s Terenzo Bozzone— and soloed across the 1:30 gap, capturing the two early leaders at the bike course’s iconic climb, The Beast.

“No big surprise—Lance rides the house down. I knew he was coming … I mean, c’mon!” Potts said with a laugh. “He’s a fantastic cyclist, probably the best that’s ever ridden the bike.”

The three rode the short but steep incline together, and descended together. Behind, the likes of Van Lierde and Terrenzo Bozzone were losing time to the leaders at a deficit of up to seven minutes midway through the bike.

“It probably helped a bit,” Armstrong said when asked whether the rainy, slick road conditions were to his advantage. “The wet roads made the course a bit more technical and sketchier. I don’t like that, but you could argue that a guy that raced bikes for a long time (would do well) … though it took me a long time to catch (Potts and Poulat), so they were clearly riding aggressively in the corners.”

Armstrong managed to escape the duo with about 20 miles to go, entering T2 with a 2:15 lead. “We didn’t give him that lead—he took it,” Potts said. “I was a little worried when he left, because when you lose time to him, he’s the kind of guy who can take it in huge chunks.” In retrospect, Armstrong wishes he’d opened the throttle sooner. “I felt like I waited a little long to make my move on the bike,” Armstrong said. “When I caught them, maybe I shoulda just kept going. There was 20 miles there where I coulda gone a little harder.”

Under cloudy but dry skies, Armstrong kept a light tempo as he left T2 in Christiansted for the half marathon. Through the first of the two-lap course, he maintained a 1:15 lead. Behind, Potts and Poulat slowly chewed into Armstrong’s lead, with Potts having double duty trying to drop a dogged Poulat. And in Potts’ mind, nothing was certain. “I knew the humidity would play a little bit of a factor, so I was patient on the run.”

With six miles left, Potts did unhinge Poulat slightly, and with four miles left in the final circuit through The Buccaneer golf course, Potts caught and passed Armstrong for the lead. “I gave him a little pat on the back and he said ‘go get ‘em, Andy.’ All class.”

Poulat assumed second position from Armstrong with just two miles left in the race, as Armstrong continues to impress with a third-place finish. “I knew a lot of the race was going to be with Andy,” Poulat said. “He’s a great swimmer, so I stayed with him on the swim and bike. I’m glad I made the decision not to follow Lance when he attacked, because I knew I had a good run in me.”

The women’s race was instantly a two-woman contest, between on-form Canadian Angela Neath and American Mary Beth Ellis of TeamTBB, recently returning to the circuit after a break for her nuptials. While it was Ellis that took the early lead, bike gunner Neath captured her prey after The Beast at mile 30, and attempted to drop her—to no avail. Then, as Phil Liggett would say, the elastic snapped.

“She was playing a little cat and mouse, and I was ready for it, but she’s strong on the bike right now,” Ellis said. “When she stopped playing games and went, she dropped me pretty quick.” Neath made the move quite decisively: “I knew I had to make a gap on Mary Beth and tried a few times, just couldn’t drop her. I knew I had the hills coming, and the time to gap her.”

The effort netted her a 2:30 lead as the bike wound down—but a flat tire with five miles left Neath making a choice: change or ride it in. She opted for the latter. “My back wheel started making a ton of noise, and I was like ‘shoot!’ It got flat and with six miles to go, let’s just ride it in. Descending Lowery Hill was a little scary, but after that, I was like ‘screw it, who cares what happens to the wheel!’”

Once on the run, it was a matter of holding the speedy Ellis at bay. Fortunately for Neath, last weekend’s St. Anthony’s Triathlon short-course event left her top-end legs in good shape. “That speed in my legs really helped. I think I went faster than I would have if I hadn’t done that race!”

Neath crossed for the win with Ellis taking second, and Canadian Sara Gross taking the final podium placing.

2012 Ironman 70.3 St. Croix
May 6, 2012, St. Croix, USVI
1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run

Top 5 Pro Men

1. Andy Potts (USA) 4:03:31

2. Stephane Poulat (FRA) 4:05:25

3. Lance Armstrong (USA) 4;07:08

4. Allesandro Degasperi (ITA) 4:08:53

5. Terenzo Bozzone (NZL) 4:10:04

Top 5 Pro Women

1. Angela Naeth (CAN) 4:28:12

2. Mary Beth Ellis (USA) 4:33:34

3. Sara Gross (CAN) 4:46:43

4. Nina Kraft (GER)4:47:44

5. Tamara Kozulina (UKR) 4:47:51

Don’t miss our photo gallery of this rainy race

Nearly 1,500 athletes ranging in age from 18 to 71 entered Sand Hollow Reservoir at the third edition of Ironman St. George. Top professionals Ben Hoffman (USA) and Meredith Kessler (USA) celebrated victories, crossing the finish line in 9:07:04 and 10:12:59, respectively.

After a swim that included strong winds and rough waters, Heath Thurston (USA) exited the water first followed by Maik Twelsiek (DEU). A strong group of professionals exited T1 and powered through a challenging bike course, but it was ultimately Twelsiek and Ben Hoffman (USA) who would set the tone for much of the 112-mile ride. Hoffman proved to be too much, breaking away at mile 102 and holding onto his lead into T2. The 2010 Ironman Lake Placid Champion continued to open up his gap on the last leg of the course and ran his way to a second Ironman title, winning the 2012 Ironman St. George.

Meredith Kessler (USA) was the first professional female to run on to the shore, exiting the water in sixth-place overall. From start to finish, it was Kessler who dominated the race as challenging conditions tested many of the female professionals. The multiple Ironman champion not only captured her first Ironman St. George title, but did it as the eighth overall finisher of the event. In the rest of the women’s field, Mackenzie Madison (USA), Uli Bromme (USA), Jessica Smith (USA) and Jessie Donovan (USA) all made charges on the bike, heading into T2 minutes apart, but it was Donovan and Bromme who would prevail on the run to ensure their places in the top five.

Top 5 professional men

1.     Ben Hoffman (USA) 9:07:04

2.     Maik Twelsiek (DEU) 9:25:58

3.     Axel Zeebroek (BEL) 9:35:33

4.     Thomas Gerlach (USA) 9:49:00

5.     Matthew Sheeks (USA) 9:52:03

Top 5 professional women

1.     Meredith Kessler (USA) 10:12:59

2.     Jessie Donovan (USA) 10:37:30

3.     Uli Bromme (USA) 10:53:20

4.     Gillian Clayton (CAN) 11:15:38

5.     Erin Spitler (USA) 11:16:42

We tried to capture a little of the action outside of Saturday’s iconic race, including the scenery along the way. From camping to ice cream cookie sandwiches, this race has even more to offer than its picturesque swim, bike and run.

Read the full story here.

Ben Hoffman and Linsey Corbin have lots in common: both were introduced to triathlon at the University of Montana, both have chased success in Kona early in their careers, and both can really let it rip on the bike. The two caught up before Ironman California 70.3 to talk pressure, patience, and the Big Island. Here are a few outtakes from our back page column in this month’s print magazine.

That’s where we caught up with Cuan Peterson, Oakley’s director of performance marketing, to find out not only about the new shades, but a new project highlighting the company’s sense of responsibility to customers. Turns out there are more reasons than ever to give back, in locations from Monterey’s Sea Otter, all the way to Kona.

LAVA: First, tell us more about the Radar Loc.

Cuan Peterson: The thing about Switch Loc and Radar Loc is how easy it is to change the lenses. We work with the product on a daily basis so it’s very easy for us to change lenses, but for the consumer they’ve always had an issue. They don’t want to be as rough as we are with the product so they’re always cautious. With the invention of Switch Loc and Jawbone and then going to Fastjacket, the natural evolution was to put it into our shield lens. I feel that it’s the best application of Switch Loc that we’ve ever done. It’s a very very slick mechanism—21 different components make up that frame, which is phenomenal in its own right.

The one we finally released to retail was probably the fourth evolution. We had a very very early sample in Hawaii which we showed to our athletes for feedback and input. A lot of them gave us some really good ideas, and we’ve continued to make changes as we go—that’s the thing about Oakley, we make performance products for athletes whether they’re professionals or weekend warriors. When we set out to make it we had to make sure it performed for the world’s best athletes. In December we actually seeded around 100 all blacked-out versions so nobody could see what it was. We had Javier Gomez in them, Crowie, Mark Cavendish…

Did anyone pick up on it?

No. We made sure they weren’t posting on Facebook about it or tweeting about it. It’s amazing how quickly people copy stuff and come out with a knock-off. We just recently released them to retail, Crowie won Melbourne wearing them, we’ve had some phenomenal success with Tom Boonen in them, and right now we have about two dozen athletes around the world wearing them. It will be our primary focus at the Olympics—Switch Loc technology with the Radar Loc being the centerpiece. We’ll also release some versions of Radar Loc that will follow later in the year for retail.

Do you think you’ll do any limited-runs like you have in the past with the Tour?

For this year’s Tour no, we’ll probably use in-line. For the Olympics we have 18 brand-new colors, bright, great colors that allow the athletes to build any combination they can think of. I haven’t calculated them but I’d say there are at least 5 million different combinations you could build with all the components we’ll have. What it also does is gives us an opportunity to test some of the later on releases like the XL. We’ve had a lot of success with the XL in triathlon because of the 8 mm height increase. When you’re in the tri position it just gives you so much more visibility. So at the Olympics we’ll release Radar XL, Loc XL, and the Radar Loc Edge, which we currently have in the Radar.

Are you doing anything with Lance Armstrong at all?

Lance will always form a major part of our Livestrong marketing. He has a Radar Loc XL but it’s not in Livestrong colors. I’m busy building one for him that he can race in. We’ll do some exciting stuff around Kona this year, a bit of charity angle similar to what we’re doing here…

How do you plan on doing this type of project in Kona?

We have a lot of loyal fans who have been wearing our product for a long time but as you go along little things wear out. Your ear sock wears out or the icon might come off. So what we’re doing is we’re offering a spring refresh service, being the first big bicycle festival we’re helping people out if they have scratched lenses, or need something fixed. We don’t normally do that, but we decided to do it at a few key events this year. All we’re asking for is a donation, whether it be one dollar or a hundred, and we’ll take that and give it to a local organization. We’ve had a great response here working with a local club that completes trail maintenance.

Is Kona’s charity focus going to be Livestrong?

Quite possibly, but we want to make sure the money stays local wherever we are. We look for a charity or a club we can donate to, and the same will happen in Kona. Whether it’s a cancer charity or diabetes charity, we want something that has a community component.

It sounds like a simple question. But when was the last time you asked yourself honestly, and not during the midst of a suffer-fest?

I’ve been somewhat surprised to learn that my training motivation has changed from year to year. The drive to finish my first Ironman proved to be more than enough to sustain me through missed appointments, skipped decadent meals, abstention from beer, and even quality time with family and friends. For Ironman No. 2  (last year in Coeur d’Alene), my motivation centered on getting faster, stronger and smarter. That meant even more sacrifice at the expense of others.

How smart is that?

When I committed to my third Ironman, which will be this Saturday in St. George, Utah, I found myself in unfamiliar territory. I knew I wanted to see if I could handle one of the world’s toughest Ironman courses, but even that wasn’t enough to satisfy me.

I was sick of feeling selfish. I needed to make the miles count for something besides my own increased fitness. So, I decided to donate a dollar for every mile I trained for Ironman St. George to Starlight Children’s Foundation from March 5 to May 5. I was reborn. Energized. Filled with purpose with my passion restored.

Was this common? I decided to ask US Pro Champion Timothy O’Donnell and three-time Ironman champ Jordan Rapp, who also race for a cause. O’Donnell is a US Navy veteran who supports Team Red, White and Blue (RWB), which helps wounded military soldiers reintegrate into society after returning from combat, and Rapp hosts a major annual fundraiser leading up to Ironman Arizona for World Bicycle Relief (WBR), which provides bicycles to children in Africa. Both have incorporated philanthropy into their racing partially to overcome similar past feelings of selfishness and ego. O’Donnell thinks there’s a direct link between his support of Team RWB and his race results, which have included two 70.3 wins early this season and a third-place finish this past weekend at the St. Anthony’s Triathlon in Florida. “Professional triathlon is a very self-serving lifestyle as it requires so much of your time and energy,” O’Donnell said. “Knowing I can use my career as a platform for a greater cause brings a whole new layer of significance to what I do. When I succeed in racing, I bring more awareness to RWB and that motivates me.”

Knowing that every actual step you take helps someone else take a metaphorical leap is deeply satisfying.

O’Donnell supports Team RWB because he’s a Navy veteran and can relate to the plight of his wounded comrades. Rapp supports WBR for almost the exact opposite reason. As he puts it, Rapp was born a white, male American to two parents of reasonable affluence. He was expected to get a good job after graduating from Princeton, because everyone in his family got good jobs. That’s not the case with many children in Africa. “I started with basically every advantage in life,” Rapp explained. “And these kids have almost none. So while I couldn’t give them the unfortunately or fortunately very real advantage of being a young, white, male American, I thought I could do something to help give them some advantage, however small. I like the idea of giving these kids a tool.”

That outlook has led to the Rappstar Charity Challenge, which has raised $100,000 combined and sent more than 700 bikes to rural Zambia since Rapp started the fundraiser in 2009. Rapp kept the fundraiser going in 2010 after a horrific bicycling accident almost claimed his life several months earlier. He thinks that his affiliation with WBR and the Charity Challenge may have spurred him to a quicker recovery. “There was no way I was going to race without doing the fundraiser, but I would have done the fundraiser without racing,” Rapp said.

O’Donnell has been able to use his affiliation with Team RWB to rally him through tough moments. He has a famous Navy flag in his training room at home that says, “Don’t Give Up the Ship,” which serves as a reminder when doubt sets in. During his Ironman debut last year in Texas, O’Donnell ran fastest after passing the Team RWB sponsored aid station on the course. And seeing the Team RWB flag that had been flown in Iraq and Afghanistan filled him raw energy and emotion as he entered the finisher’s chute. “I raced for the flag and RWB that day,” O’Donnell said.

Do O’Donnell or Rapp believe that racing for charity is for everyone? Far from it. In fact, Rapp articulated that racing is about what matters to each individual. There is no “right” way to race. “No one should feel that they need to race for anything more than the simple joy of being out there,” he said.

Maybe there isn’t a right way to race. But for pros like Rapp and O’Donnell and mortal age-groupers like me, knowing that every actual step we take helps someone else take a metaphorical leap is deeply satisfying.

I will never win an Ironman. I probably won’t even stand on a podium. But knowing that my training has helped seriously ill children makes me feel like more of a winner than any new PR ever could.

________________________

Ryan Schneider is an Ironman triathlete and blogger who works in brand development when he’s not swimming, biking or running. You can read his blog at ironmadman.com, follow him on Twitter (@theironmadman), and read his monthly column right here.