My Favorite…
….snack is hummus, crackers and beer
…race venues are Lake Logan and Lake Lure, both so beautiful
…places to shop are Athleta and Title Nine

How I Got into Triathlons
I got into triathlon after being severely injured in both feet while long distance running. Fellow MCM club member Susie Gilbert was in my running club and she had once mentioned that she did triathlons. I emailed her and started asking questions. I did my first race in 2006 the week before my first of many surgeries and gave Susie a hug at the mount/dismount line! Triathlon gave me an opportunity to challenge myself without the impact of so much running. Learning to swim was tough but was a much needed blessing as this is how I stayed fit while recovering after surgeries. I also love the social aspect of triathlon. I have made so many friends and I am forever hooked on multisport!

My Best Race…So Far!
Wilmington YMCA in 2009, this was the first time I ran through the whole run without having to walk and I was really proud of that.

Best Tri Experience
Best Tri Experience was Lake Logan 2010….I was coming back from another injury after a year off and was so happy to be there. It was a great day!

Craziest Race Moment
Once during a winter tri, I couldn’t find my watch in transition. While on my bike, I heard the alarm beep and I was so confused as to where it was. Then I laughed as I figured it out. The watch was inside my skull cap under my helmet and I rode with it on my head the whole time!

Goals
* Several sprints and a few aquathlons
* B2B Half Aquabike

My Favorite…
…beer is Allagash white

How I Got into Triathlons

My Best Race…So Far!
I have really enjoyed all the Rambling Rose Tris I have participated in.

Best Tri Experience
My first tri was Riverwood and I was thrilled to have been apart of it.

Craziest Race Moment
Riding to 2010 Rambling Rose Tri, I hit a speed bump and bent the front wheel on my bike.  Thankfully my friend Marilyn’s husband was able to take the front wheel off his bike, drive to Chapel Hill, switch wheels and fix my front brakes before I finished my swim.  

Goals
* To try to branch out from Rambling Rose Tri’s.

How I Got into Triathlons
I got into triathlons very early in the history of triathlons. I had been running competitively and doing marathons for a few years when I first heard about triathlons. My running friends and I thought we should give it a try. I did my first triathlon in 1981 and I have been doing them ever since. That first triathlon that I did was a half mile swim, about a 15 mile bike and a ten mile run! It was put on by a running club.

My Best Race…So Far!
My best tri so far was 4th at the Worlds Age Group Championship in Honolulu in 2005.

Best Tri Experience
My best tri experience was B2B full Ironman in 2009. It was my first, and everything about it went so well. I was thrilled to sprint across the finish line in 16 hours!

Craziest Race Moment
A National duathlon event. I pretty much did the last run all by myself. Very close to the end a woman came out of nowhere and passed me; same age group! I wasn’t going to let anyone beat me so close to the end. We both really turned it on. It was almost a photo finish. I beat her by one second! We both still laugh about it.

Goals
* 10 to 14 tris this season
* Complete the B2B Full Ironman again this year

My Favorite…
…All Time Movie: Back to the Future
…Current Movie Favorite: Inception
…BBQ: The Q-Shack,
…Beer: Anything from Foothills or Abita
…Music to run/ride to: Any of the “In Search of Sunrise” mixes by Tiesto,
…Off season activity: Skiing

How I Got into Triathlons
After college, I managed a bike and ski store for 3 years. I wasn’t really interested in straight up cycling races and was intrigued by the transitions and the strategy therein. After my first one, I was hooked.

My Best Race…So Far!
My best race so far: would probably have to be my first one, it was the most memorable one because it was all so new.

Best Tri Experience
Getting my fiance to do Swim for Smiles in 2009. The look on her face when she finished was well worth it.

Craziest Race Moment
Cary Duathon two years ago. I was really pushing to finish with a strong run. About a mile to go there was a drink stop and they were handing out water and sports drink “x” (don’t want to offend a possible sponsor). I had never tried this drink before, but I didn’t care. I needed a drink. Grabbed a cup…down in one gulp. “Oh, my gosh, what was that?” …The finish photo crossing the line is me totally evacuating the drink in a frothy geyser with everyone standing there clapping and smiling.

Goals
2 half marathons, a duathlon and thirteen triathlons for 2011…all before I get married on 11/11/11!

My Favorite…
… Beer – Dog Fish Head- 60 Minute IPA
…Wings – Tyler’s 4 Beer
…Favorite Baseball Teams – NY Yankees & South Durham Little League Twins

How I Got into Triathlons
While at Performance Bicycle I worked with triathletes and thought it would be fun it give it shot, I just needed to learn how to swim. Once my neighborhood pool opened in the spring 2008 I took it 25 yards at a time.

My Best Race…So Far!
2010 Triangle Sprint Triathlon, that was the first race that I thought, “Yeah, I can get better and I can compete.”

Best Tri Experience
2008 Asheville Tri, my first triathlon, I caught the tri bug. We followed the race with a tour of the brew pubs downtown.

Craziest Race Moment
I haven’t had one in a race yet. Right after pro-dealing a Fuji Aloha 1.0 last spring while working at Performance Bicycle I rode it to work and got a flat. Fix it and put the old tube in my jacket pocket. I forgot to zip the pocket. The tube fell out, wrapped around the chain and ripped off the rear derailleur. All the bike geeks got a good laugh out of it.

Goals
* Personal bests in each race
* Complete at least 1 international
* Have fun training and racing with the club.

My Favorite…

How I Got into Triathlons
I was a swimmer my whole life, and swam for UNC. After entering the workforce, I let myself go drastically to the point where in late 2007 I weighed in at 240 pounds (my swimming weight was 165 in college) and had sky-high cholesterol and BP. I started running a bit and eating better… worked up to a marathon at the end of 2008…. then in 2009 I signed up for my first triathlon…. the Duke Half Iron. It was like coming home to get back in the water. Over two years, I dropped 70 pounds to get back to 170. Keeping a steady race and workout schedule helps me maintain my fitness goals.

My Best Race…So Far!
Masters Swimming 1 mile Open Water National Championships in 2010, where I was second place in my age group (35-39).

Best Tri Experience
The duke half iron…. was my first triathlon… just thrilled to finish it.

Craziest Race Moment
White Lake Half last year…. wind and heat were brutal…. and after crossing the finish, I threw up on the kid who was removing the chip from my ankle. Poor guy.

Goals
* Just to compete with myself… improve my times in general year on year, and by the time I’m 40, I’d like to complete a full Iron (likely Lake Placid).

My Favorite…
…Movie: Valley Girl.
…Favorite Scene from a …Movie: Pee Wee Herman dancing to “Tequila” in a gay biker bar in the movie Big Adventure.
…Song: “Melt with You” by Modern English
… Activity (that we can talk about?)- Running, of course!

How I Got into Triathlons
When I first moved into my house in St. Petersburg, Fl there was a huge crowd at the waterfront, 2 blocks away. I walked down to the water to see what was going on. I got to see my very first first St. Anthony’s Triathlon that day. I watched 81 year old Jim Ward finish running 10 km in 90 degree weather after having swam 1.5 km and ridden 40 km. He totally inspired me.

Best Race…So Far!
Great Floridian Iron Distance race 2002 2nd female overall – I know, I know, this is ancient history!
Best Race Experience: Breaking 3 hours and winning cash at the 2004 Boston Marathon.

Best Tri Experience
Sand and Stone Off-Road Triathlon 2002 Naples, Florida A totally gnarly mtb course, 3 swims, you had to jump off a cliff into the lake at one point. The very best part of the race though, was the mud pit that everyone had to pull themselves through. That is where the largest crowd of spectators was hanging out. We all had mud coming out of odd places for about a week after that!

Craziest Race Moment
Ironman Lake Placid 2001. I ran out of transition without my race number. Not wanting to be DQ’d, I turned around and ran back in only to find a huge pile of transition bags where mine had been thrown after I left the tent. I took me 10 minutes to find mine. I missed qualifying for Kona by 4 minutes!

Goals
* To not panic during the swim!

My Favorite…
…tri discipline is cycling but swimming is closing in. But nothing is fun without training buddies!

How I Got Into Triathlons
I ran into my friend, Sage, who had just gotten certified as a USAT Level 1 coach. She talked me into training for the August, 2006 Sportsplex Sprint. Sage is still my coach.

Best Race…So Far!
The 2008 Beach 2 Battleship Half. Was utterly shocked that I could finish that distance.

Best Tri Experience
The Rhode Island 70.3 in 2009. The best way to see my home state, ever.

Craziest Race Moment
Flashing the entire crowd during T2 at the 2008 B2B Half. And yes, I was in the changing tent. They had “forgotten” to put down the sides. At that point, I did not care.

Goals
I have met most of my goals. Now, I just want to get better at swimming.

My Favorite…
My loves are pretty simple- Teaching, training, family time. That is about all my time.
… love movies. I teach and study how the media works and spend a gross amount of time watching movies and all the talking heads on TV.
…My training is a very personal area of my life and it directly connects me to my relationship with God.
…Family time is my time to travel, eat out, and have fun.

How I got into Triathlons
I had been training for a marathon when I met up (can’t even remember now) some guys who were into riding bikes. Hmmm, need a bike. So off to eBay and found a bike. Then on a ride I started talking to Jay Crooker who was a tri coach and pretty good athlete. I went home talked to my wife and decided to give a tri a try. Much the same as other folks- I was hooked and have not looked back in the four years I have been racing.

Best Race…So Far!
I would have to say Ironman Lake Placid. I met some really amazing people and took part in something that was so clearly larger than me. I was in awe of the day, the race, the volunteers, and my family (who spent the entire 15-hours) out there rooting for me, and getting my broken body and gear back to the hotel. When I think back to the start of that day—2700 athletes, at least 5000 more people cheering! What a rush. And then hearing my name and being called an Ironman. A true honor to be there and get across the line that day.

Best Tri Experience
My first open water triathlon- After consulting with my coach, we agreed that White Lake would be the best place for me to get past my anxiety of the open water swim (when I started triathlons I was a TERRIBLE swimmer). I could barely swim 100 meters without stopping for air. Just horrible. So White Lake it was! The morning comes with heavy winds, white cap waves on the water. Oh no! I went in and made it…Same could not be said for the 50-plus people that were pulled out or simply did not try the swim.

Craziest Race Moment
1)      Biking up hill at Ironman Lake Placid and there was a true hillbilly on the side of the road with two humongous goats as if they were dogs. I still laugh when I think of that moment and that man smiling with missing teeth.
2) Cary Duathon two years ago. About a mile to go there was a drink stop and they were handing out water and sports drink “x” (don’t want to offend a possible sponsor). I had never tried this drink before, but I didn’t care. I needed a drink. Grabbed a cup…down in one gulp. “Oh, my gosh, what was that?” …The finish photo crossing the line is me totally evacuating the drink in a frothy geyser with everyone standing there clapping and smiling.

Goals
Goals for the season- I have some secret goals. But, for the most part my goal is to get back to the roots of where I started. I feel like the last couple years I have been such a volume junkie that I lost track of keeping focused on having fun. No long races this year. I am sticking to Olympic and going to travel to Connecticut in June to see what a Nationals Qualifying race looks like. Hoping to put my best racing flat forward.

Favorite…
…Movie:Chariots of Fire
…Book:Lord of the Rings trilogy
…Beer: There are just so many good ones out there!

How I got into Triathlons

Best Race…So Far!
B2B Half Iron 2009. With cramps and calorie debt bonking during the run I’d never been more miserable but I’ve never felt better than when I crossed the finish line!

Best Tri Experience
Races venues I really like include Lake Logan, Woodlake and Lake Kristi. I also like racing in the Wilmington area because 1) I like the swims and 2) I can’t climb hills on my bike. UNC Wellness is fun because it’s close by, super short and it’s a great atmosphere.

Craziest Race Moment
Saw karma take care of an obnoxious guy who illegally squeezed past me on a no-passing bridge. He wiped out right in front of me 50 yards later when he took a turn too fast. Of course I’ll also never forget the time I was pedaling as hard as I could and I looked over and this guy was passing me, sitting upright with no hands on the bars and drinking water!

Goals:
* Half Iron sub-6 hours
* Lake Logan Inter.sub 2:30
* Finally place in my group at Wilmington YMCA (I keep getting fifth!)