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News Items and Announcements

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BTT Indoor Time Trial Results for 2010

Author: Dave

The results for the BTT Indoor Time-Trial held at Landry's Bicycles in Boston on 21 Feb 2010 are posted here:

BTT is on NPR!

Author: Rachel

Week in Review and Race Reports

http://blog.bostontriathlonteam.com/search/label/week%20in%20review

Week in Review (September 12-20)

Author: Pat Dwyer

Lots to report over the past couple of weeks. We've had a ton of people racing late season tris and road races (mostly to get ready for a fall marathon).

We'll start with September 12 and 13. September 12th saw Steve Sian and Mark Pelletier race half marathons, Maple Leaf Half Marathon (VT) and Plymouth Run to the Rock Half Marathon, respectively. Both put in solid races. September 13th had a few BTTers head up to Maine for the Pumpkinman Triathlon Festival. Pete Jensen and Mary Beth Begley both raced the half ironman distance event. The quiet man, Jamie Strain, continued his 2009 tear with a top five overall finish at the Mighty Hamptions Olympic distance race (he also won his AG). Great job Jamie! And, lastly, taking her skillz offroad, Jess Douglas raced the Hale Offroad Triathlon in Westwood where she finished 6 woman overall and won her AG. Never at a loss for words:), Jess gives us her report:

I entered this race last year on a whim. Thought it might be fun to try mountain biking in a tri, despite the fact that I don’t do any offroad training. Ended up winning, despite crashing and breaking/spraining a few ribs and my big toe.

Then comes this summer, where I had a full race schedule planned, and it did not include this race. But with injuries, etc, my plans changed and I figured I should at least try to defend my title.

Then it poured buckets on Saturday. Maybe I would bag it, but couldn’t be that wimpy. Got to the race really early and set up transition. Got on my bike, and played on the trails a little. What was I thinking?? The last time I was on a trail was the race last year (when I crashed!!)! Anyways, I ran a little, then got in water – very metallic and brown. And a lot more chilly than Walden had been last week, darn rain.

This is a very small race, and all the proceeds are used for a scholarship fund they use for the summer camp they run at the reservation. Pretty cool.

Swim was good. Got smacked in the face right out of the gate, knocking my goggles a little and letting a little water in. So, I stopped, fixed them and tried to find a rhythm. Felt good after the 1/4 mile swim, got in and out of transition fairly well. I did miss the crowd of blue and green cheering me on at Timberman, though!

The bike course was different that last year, more technical and a little longer, I think. VERY wet, muddy, slippery and generally yucky. I am proud that I did not crash again, but was worried that I would. About halfway through, my left shoelace came untied and wrapped itself around the crank. OW. Stopped to fix that, and 2 women and a few men passed me. NOT happy about that. I do not like being passed. But it was hard to get back around the people in front of me on the narrow trails. There were many times that I had to get off the bike, mostly on the uphills, but also one nasty downhill, and one wooden plank over a creek/giant mud puddle.

The run was also longer than last year. Really nice trails, nothing too big as far as climbs or descents. Still really muddy and rocky. About 1/4 mile in, my right shoelace came undone, but I had just passed one of the aforementioned ladies who passed me, and didn’t want to lose ground to her again. So I ran the rest of the race with that shoe untied. Needless to say, this is the last race I will ever do with regular laces in my sneakers. Caught the other woman who passed me as well! Finished the run feeling pretty strong, but was disappointed to hear that I was only the 3rd female finisher. I hadn’t even seen the other 2! Anyways, it was a fun day. They also have 2 kids tri’s for ages 9 & under and 10-15.

Plans for next year:
1) Take advantage of the training rides the offer on the course and actually get out on the trails other than the day of the race.
2) Recruiting some more BTTer’s to participate in this “Alternate BTT” event.
3) NEVER racing without yankz on my sneakers…

On September 19, we had BTTers at both the Lobsterman Triathlon and the TDD Triathlon. After a lot of pre-race smack talk between Brian Quigley and Jorge Martinez on Facebook, only BPQ toed the line at Lobsterman, along with his better half, Michelle. BPQ finished second in his AG (Jorge is still trying to figure out a way to redeem himself:)). Meredith Harjes and Ira Sills (making up for lost time) trekked out to the edge of Western Mass for the TDD triathlon, where both had AG podium finishes.....Meredith 1st and Ira 3rd. Great job guys!

September 20th brought us our last tent series race...Buzzards Bay. Being a late season race, we didn't have a strong showing, but we still had a couple of diehards race....Stephen Wall and Elaine Metcalf. Both finished on the podium (2nd and 3rd) in their respective age groups. Way to represent! And Scott Stavely entered the elite wave at the Dover Sherborn Triathlon and finished with a 5th overall placing. Way to step up!

Lastly....we have Mat Davenport. For those new to the team....Mat is Juli's ornary husband:) You may remember him from the pub run. Then again, you may just choose to forget! He actually used to do triathlons...seriously! Now, Mat is an ultradistance runner. Mat recently completed the Iroquois 100 Trail Race in New York in under 24 hours. Yes, people, that's 100 miles!!! Maybe Mat will grace us with a race report. At the very least, we'll hear him mumbling about it on December 5th! I'll be the guy next to him, mumbling about Kona!

Speaking of Kona, this is my last posting until after the big race. As I mentioned in a early report, I'll be posting daily updates and pics from the Big Island on my blog:

http://bigisland2008.blogspot.com/

I'm also going to try to use twitter while I'm there....but I can't make any promises!

I know we still have some races left, I just wanted to congratulate everyone of a very successful 2009 season!

-Pat

Week in Review (August 29-September 7)

Author: Pat Dwyer

Hey folks....lots to report with Labor Day weekend in this review.

August 29-30. Only one race to report here (following Timberman). But it was a big one....The Cranberry County Triathlon. This olympic distance race is always heavily attended by BTT and this year was no different. We had at least 6 BTTers race (at least those who registered results!), with long time member Scott Stavely placing 2nd in the male 40-44 AG, and Brett Johnston's relay team finishing 3 relay team overall and 2nd in its division. Nice job everyone!

September 5-7 (Labor Day Weekend). There was lots of racing going on over this extended weekend. The big race(s) of the weekend was the Plymouth Rock Triathlon Festival, which included the Mayflower International Distance on Saturday, and the Plymouth Ironman Distance and Iron Aquabike on Sunday. On Saturday, as par for the course, Rachel Saks dominated her AG and finished 41st overall. On Sunday, Krista Schepanovsky tackled the full iron distance race...trying to exorcise some demons from the previous year. Also, Elaine Metcalf, Nicole Kimborowicz and Pat Dwyer (me) competed in the iron Aquabike. Kudos to all those that raced the iron or aquabike. As a veteran ironman racer, I will say that Plymouth was definitely one of (if not the most) difficult iron bike I've ever done. The wind was blowing at a sustained 20mph....and it wasn't a warm wind. And, the roads were terrible...with bumps and ice heaves everywhere. In fact, I broke my aero arm rest 60 miles into it. That being said, it's a nice race...they do a good job. At the end of the day, Krista did exorcise her demons and podiumed with a 3rd place AG finish and a time of 13:47.

However, Plymouth wasn't the only race of the weekend. Austin Whitman went to the far reaches of the New England region to do some early leaf peeping and cherry picking...I mean racing! Kidding Austin! Austin dominated the field at the Circle Triathlon in Ashland, New Hampshire. And Dave Marinofsky started his Boston Marathon build by competing the Laborious 10 Miler in Marlborough, Mass. Lastly, our old friend Mike Williams, who left us shortly after IMLP, continued to fly the BTT colors in Austin, Texas. Mike raced the Austin Sprint Triathlon and made his first podium appearance with a 3rd place AG finish. Mike gives us his report:

Bringing it BTT-style to Austin

I came out of post-IMLP semi-retirement to mix it up in my new town of Austin! After six weeks of unpacking boxes, building baby furniture, and starting a new job, I dusted off the BTT kit for my first Sprint(!) distance race in over two years. Long story short, I was finally able to put the BTT "podium" shirt to good use. I placed third in my age group! Yes, Austin, that's how we roll in beantown. Here's my summary: Austin, as you can imagine, is a great town for triathlon. Good people, lots of positive energy, year-round training. What I missed, however, was the cheering section that I've become spoiled with in New England. I didn't hear a single "go BTT." So... the upside of being a little lonely out there was the absence of any distractions... and I found a fast (enough) gear to make the blue and green noticed. Ok, small secret... there was also an Olympic distance option so I have to believe that's where the real players were racing. Richie Cunningham ran away with the men's and Desiree Ficker came from behind on the run to win. I miss all of you and hope you're having a great New England fall. Please look me up if you come through Austin. I'm thinking BTT "WINTER" Training Weekend!

Lastly, I'll leave you guys with a couple of pictures of some pretty cool bikes....Woody Bikes. A buddy of mine from Cape May, NJ makes these. I saw them up close in August and they're very cool. However, I don't think you'll see them at any triathlons any time soon!

Week in Review (August 15-23)

Author: Pat Dwyer

August 22-23 represented one of BTT's big weekends....w/the Timberman Triathlon Festival on the schedule. In all, BTT had over 25 members racing over the weekend. We also had a big turnout at the tent, which was situated just next transition. The women of BTT were the story on day one, with Rachel Saks and Jess Douglass taking the podium. Rachel, in usual fashion, crushed the field and won her AG and finished 52nd overall. While Jess took home some of Keith Jordan's syrup with a 5th place finish. It's also worth mentioning that Braden Larmon, Ira Sills and Nicole Richer all just missed podium spots. Also, a shout out to Ira who, after suffering an early season crash, competed in his first tri as a member of BTT. On Sunday, we had a sea of blue and green on the course. Unfortunately, the heat and humidity left a lot of it melted on the run course!!! Yes, it was hot! We had 4 podium finishes (3 individual and 1 relay). BTT was led by Trish Weston's 2nd place AG finish (post your results Trish!!!). Carolyn Cullings also endured the heat to reach the podium with a 5th place AG finish. And, Pat Dwyer (me) finished 3rd in his AG. The relay team of Brian Kearney, Brian Quigley and Joe O'leary (non btt), dominated the relay field to win easily. Also, just missing out on a podium spot.....and I mean JUST missing out....was Meredith Harjes. Meredith was kind enough to write up a report on her day:

Week in Review (August 1-9)

Author: Pat Dwyer

We'll wrap up 2 weekends w/this edition.



August 1-2. This weekend saw many BTTers heading up to Salem for the Witch City Triathlon. In all, 8 members raced (or at least logged their results on the website)...with 2 podium finishes. Austin Whitman led the blue and green w/a top 3 finish overall. While new mom, Nicole Richer got back to her winning ways with a 2nd place AG and 10th overall finish. We also had some near miss podium finishes w/Marybeth Begley (4th), Marissa Solomon (4th) and Kristin Parlangeli (5th) just off the mark. Also worth mentioning...not to be outdone by her husband (Austin), although not a member (yet), Victoria Arrigoni won her AG and finished 5th overall woman. All in all a great day up in Salem. There was even a Rip sighting:)



We also had a smaller BTT contingent head up to the Greenfield Litelife Triathlon...where we had all 3 members racing reach the podium. Jay Higginbottom (3rd), Carolyn Cullings (1st) and Lauren Cullings (2nd) all placed in their respective AGs. Great job!



August 8-9. This weekend saw some highlights and lowlights for BTT. First the highlights. We had a strong contingent head up to Gloucester for the inaugural Gloucester Sprint Triathlon (a tent series race), where Stephen Wall and Madame President (Meredith McHarjes) both reached the podium in their respective AGs.



Rachel Saks Aronis made the solo trip up to Salem to do the Wildfish 1 mile swim, where she won her AG and finished 8th Overall.



Lastly, Matt Pokress finished w/his highest placing ever (2nd overall) in a triathlon at the Lowell YMCA Tri (great job Matt). However, we can't mention Matt's placing without mentioning Bill Reeves. Bill helped Matt's placing by getting smoked by a car on the course while leading the race (we can joke now that Bill is fine...but it was a fairly serious crash). Rumor has it that Matt plans to take Bill out to Helens to thank him! Consolation for Bill, of course, is that he is now up for the O'toole Award at the Banquet!



And, although not an official race...but more of a benefit of sorts, I participated in the inaugural 5-5-5 (5 mile swim, 5 mile beach cruiser bike, 5 mile run) down in Cape May, NJ. It's a grass roots event put on by some freinds of mine to benefit the parents of my buddy Terry who he lost to cancer. Only 25 or so people participated, made up mostly of current and ex-lifeguards. It was a ton of fun. I may see if I can invite a couple BTTers to participate next year.

Up next....Timberman!

Week in Review (July 25-26)

Author: Pat Dwyer

With the summer half way over, we have 2, heavily BTT-attended ironmans in the books....IM Switzerland and IMUSA- Lake Placid. The next "big" race for BTT is the Timberman Triathlon Festival (sprint and 70.3), where we'll have a huge contingent racing....and cheering. It will also be the second (of 2) "enhanced" tent series races. We're hoping to have team sponsors Landrys and Marathon Physical Therapy with us at those events. If you're not racing, definitely plan to come up in support. It figures to be a very fun weekend.



July 25-26. What can we say about this weekend? It's LP. It's typically the biggest event on the BTT schedule, not only because of people racing....but also volunteering, spectating and training. Like IM Switzerland, once I have some race reports and pictures, I'll do a separate race report posting, specifically for this race. But, first I need the writeups! So, please get those to me. Also, I know those of you who raced are still recovering...but I need for you to POST YOUR RESULTS!!!! I promise that typing your results will not cause much post race stress on your already fatigued bodies:) As of today, only 2 have posted. Long time member, Evan Israelson, came out of the witness protection program to race LP once more! We haven't seen much of Evan lately, but he must have been training as he put forth an impressive 14:46 ironman. Also, Austin resident (more on that later), Mike Williams put in a solid 12:14 ironman...even though he'll readily admit that he didn't heed my advice to take it easy on the bike....especially the back section of the first loop. I'd call it a rookie mistake, but this is Mike's second ironman!!! Regardless...it was a great effort...on what is considered one of the toughest ironman courses. As I mentioned, Mike is heading to Austin, Texas with his wife, Lynn, to start a new job. Good luck Mike! We'll miss you! 2010 figures to be an epic year at LP for BTT, with over 20 people racing. LP was not the only race of the weekend. Some of us stayed local....to compete in the inaugural Marlborough Triathlon and the Massachusetts State Triathlon. In Marlborough, Scott Stavely finished an impressive 2nd Overall Amateur...way to go Scott! Also racing, with solid performances, were Brett Johnston and David Welch. In Winchendon, we had 4 BTTers racing....Jim Sweeney and Katie O'Dair (not the swim portion of a relay...but the whole thing!!!) raced the sprint, and Pat Dwyer (me) and Glen Cote in the International Distance. I finished 2nd Overall (trying to run 6 miles hard the day after a 100 mile bike is not fun) in my race and Katie finished 2nd in her AG. I realize that I'm breaking my own rule here by posting Katie's result...since she didn't post it on the BTT website! But, in my defense, she did send me a race report:

I know it has been awhile (a few years) since I have written a triathlon race report. But I will use any excuse to write a race report (recall the time when I didn't actually race but wrote a report anyway) so you go. While many friends and teammates were racing at Lake Placid this weekend or doing other adventures which required hours upon hours of time, I chose to do the relatively obscure Massachusetts State Triathlon in Winchendon on Sunday for my triumphant return to the sport. I wanted to see my sister Liz and convinced her that it would be fun to meet in the middle and do the race, so she signed up too. So off I went to the middle of Massachusetts early on a Sunday morning. Even though I had made a cup of coffee for the ride, I was jolted awake by a sign in Leominster that said "Birthplace of Johnny Appleseed." It seemed too early in the morning for my world to be rocked but the truth is I am from Ohio and I always thought Mr. Appleseed was from Ohio. I made mental note not to get too upset and to look it up later. My hope for anonymity was quickly dashed when I pulled into the parking lot and Pat Dwyer pulls in next to me. He seemed equally shocked to see me at a triathlon, and I explained that hey, just like Lance, you have to start your comeback somewhere. He then quoted LL Cool Jay, saying "don't call it a comeback..." and I knew the day would be interesting. So then I see Jim Sweeney, Glen Cote, and the rest of the 600 people who apparently didn't get the memo about small, obscure race. I also saw a woman with a t-shirt that said "I don't do triathlon; I do triathlete." That's a creepy t-shirt slogan, imho. She was pushing a baby carriage, too. So Liz and I set things up in transition and headed down to check out the swim. There was a sprint race and an intermediate race, so both swims were marked. They looked decent, not too short. We goofed for awhile at people who were carrying huge buckets of water to set up in transition. You see, the transition was through a field of wet grass, not sand or gravel. God forbid a blade of grass gets on your shoes. Anyway, off we went on the swim. Believe it or not, I sprinted this, trying to be true to the name of the race. As some of you know, after my mom gave birth to me and the doctor came around to have her select certain traits for her new baby she decided not to check the "fast twitch muscles" item. I don't think they do that anymore in hospitals, btw. So the mens wave went 4 minutes ahead and by the first bouy I was swimming with some of the men. I ran into this blind guy searching for the bouy. Well, actually, it was Jim and he forgot his contacts and obviously could not see. He eventually followed some of the pink caps from my wave and made it to shore safely. I had a great swim and then a beautiful and short ride which was rolling but for one hill, at mile 4, that lasted 1.5 miles and it was steep. Everyone on the climb seemed to know about it but because I never read the race info I had no idea. Better that way. I was still holding my own at the start of the run but we all know what happens next - yep, got passed by 4 people on the run. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Halfway through I was passed by this woman in my age group, she was strong yet so supportive and encouraging that I held on nearly until the end. It was great sportsmanship and I thanked her later. Ended up second in my age group, very happy with that. I attribute this to the fact that lots of people were up at Lake Placid this weekend! Liz had a great race, she is becoming a regular on the tri circuit racing consecutive weekends this summer. Pat got second overall in the intermediate race, looking strong even though he did a 100 mile ride yesterday. Jim (sprint) and Glen (intermediate) both had great races, and it was fun to hang out with them a bit. Dave Marinofsky was there with his Pure Madness and if his business is any indication, the economy is picking up. All in all, a very fun race and fun day. And in case you are wondering, I looked up the Johnny Appleseed thing. He was indeed born in Leominster under the name of John Chapman, however he got the name Johnny Appleseed in Ohio in 1800 when he used a pack horse to bring seeds to the Licking River. Now go and tell someone you learned something today!

Lastly, I'll leave you with an Ironman Switzerland race report from Marybeth Begley, who travelled long and far for her first ironman distance. I met MB in 2006 while competing at the 5 Star Sprint Tri in Douglass, MA. It was her first triathlon...and she was scared to death about the swim. Look at her now! She's a seasoned vet and ironman finisher! Way to go MB!


Ironman Switzerland – July 12, 2009

The crew: Brian and Michelle Quigley, Rachel and Jeff Aronis, Alan White, Jamie Strain, Mark Vautour (Landrys), Lauren Scafidi (QT2) and me. Nancy Arena raced the Zuri Olympic Triathlon on Saturday, July 11th and was our support and cheerleader the entire day for IM Switzerland.

I’ll focus mostly on the race but traveling to Switzerland was part of the whole experience and cannot be overlooked. From the flight over (most of us were on the same flight) to going separate ways on Tuesday after the race. With the exception of The Quigleys we all stayed at the same hotel so we were together a lot. I can’t imagine a better group of people to travel with and do my first Ironman.

We helped each other drag bike boxes and luggage on and off the trains (Jeff directed us) and then walked from the train to the hotel. Only one casualty … an outdoor table got knocked out during our march to the hotel.

We met some great folks from England, ran into Team Psycho racers and practically joined a new Pirate team but we decided just to steal their motto……aaarrrrgggghhh.

We had some great pre-race fun like five of us renting a Fiat and driving the bike course. We got a little lost (but we had an IPHONE), got stuck in some construction and lifted the Fiat off of the ground which meant I finally got some lifting in my schedule.

Nancy and Jamie (yes he raced both Sat and Sun) raced the Olympic distance on Saturday and we had some great fun cheering them on during the run portion. It definitely helped keep my mind off of my race.

Race Day:
4:00 a.m. for breakfast
5:00 a.m. for taxi
5:15 a.m. – 6:45 a.m. Lots of visiting the port-o-potties, they flush in Zurich. This IM is also old school as you keep everything at your bike – no swim to bike and bike to run transition bags.
7:00 a.m. Race Start. Although I felt the Swiss were very specific in the Pre-Race Meeting about how the race would begin and all the notifications (in-water start), I found myself with Michelle just barely in the water when we noticed that everyone was swimming and we looked at each other and said “I guess we should go” oh well, what’s another 25 or so yards when you are swimming 2.4 mi.

Its two loops, first is a rectangle, then a triangle and the first loop is shorter.

The buoys at the turns were huge but the ones in-between were the size of apples. We certainly got kicked around but we all made it out of the water safely.

I think I added about a minute to my T1 time because I was in a little shock at all the naked male bodies around me. I know its Europe but I was still a little shocked. This race was about 2,000 men and 300 women.

The Bike: We drove the bike course so I was prepared. The first 17 miles (of a two loop course) or so were flat. I had no idea that there were so many people behind me in the swim; I got passed by so many bikers. After mile 17 I knew what was in store for me…The Beast …. And this is where we got stuck so it put a smile on my face as I approached the “spot”. The views were spectacular but there is a reason why it was called the Beast. The downhills were technical and in about 4 areas, they did not allow the aero position.

Then the next climb… the climb to Forch… it never ended, long, slow and gradual. After that we headed back to Zurich. I knew that there was one more hill called “Heartbreak Hill” but we didn’t drive this one. I knew it was at the end of the loop but I’m at mile 50 or so and thought maybe we had already done it and it wasn’t so bad. I was delusional.

I turned a corner and started a climb then turned another corner and another climb then saw hundreds of spectators screaming and yelling my name while climbing more and I thought I was in the Tour de France. It was another tough climb but it was exciting. The Olympic distance got Heartbreak Hill 3x.

After the first loop, I decided just to slow it down on the flats and try and save my legs.

Drafting during the bike wasn’t enforced during the race and probably my only complaint about the race.

The Run: They say you need to prepare for anything in an IM and I definitely recognized that anything could happen. But I was surprised that as soon as I got off of the bike, I was sick to my stomach (I think I was expecting flat tires). Anyway, I thought flat coke would cure it, it didn’t and I couldn’t take down any food during the run. It really was run/walk but everyone was suffering and I was thrilled that I finished.

The run was a flat, 4 loops and so I was expecting to see the gang constantly but the configuration was a little strange but I did manage to see folks. I saw Jeff a few times where he always gave me more direction (he knew the exact distance between the aid stations), Alan called me out even when some trees were blocking views, Brian was always asking about Michelle. I was so excited when I saw Rachel that I forgot I was sick for a while. I saw Mark 3 or 4 times and we had one interesting exchange where he thought I was going to quit. Nancy was there on every loop taking pictures and cheering us all on.

“Lap control” gave you a wrist band in a different color on every loop and you knew that the red meant that folks were on their last loop and there was a lot of “red bracelet envy” but when you finally got that red bracelet (we called it the Golden Ticket) the pace got slightly faster.

I was the last of the crew to finish and despite the hour, everyone was there for me at the end and I couldn’t have been happier. After pictures, a shower and a massage, we rode our bikes back to the hotel (it was only 1.8 miles). A few of us made a pit stop for a bottle of champagne since we felt we needed to rest during our 1.8 mile ride.

Post Race: We all felt really great the next day, had an amazing group dinner together on Monday evening and then some shots with our British friends. On Tuesday folks started to go separate ways i.e. Prague, the Matterhorn, Lucerne. After some day trips, Lauren, Sara (Lauren’s friend), Nancy and I headed to Colmar, France for Stage 13 of the Tour de France. Even though it was the rainy stage and we got a little lost on our rented bikes, we had a great time. Before the start of Stage 14 we were able to see (up close and personal) Mark Cavendish, Noccentini (sp?) – the yellow jersey wearer at that point, and Tom Boonen (before he retired) and several others. The Tour was really exciting and great way to end the adventure.