For me, this race is my passion. I have raced for the past 20 years and so much of my racing history has taken place in Muskoka. Whether it was trying to win our yearly local Muskoka Triathlon in the 1990′s, competing in the 1992 World Championships, running away from the men in Subaru Muskoka Chase in the 2000′s or now, racing International athletes at our very own Ironman 70.3, Muskoka is ‘triathlon home’ for me. And so, even though I would have liked to end my race season on a winning note with my victory at Philippines 70.3, my heart wanted to close out 2009 in Muskoka.

Why was this such a hard decision? For most of this year, I have been battling some CF related health issues. For most of my career, I have competed mostly healthy save for a few brutal infections but never anything chronic. After IMC 2008, my doctor found that my lungs were growing a nasty bacteria called pseudomonas – a condition which can become chronic and lead to lung damage. The result was that I had to begin inhaling IV antibiotics twice per day beginning in February. We discussed whether or not I should be racing but the conclusion was that I would be even healthier after killing the pseudomonas so I should continue competing. During that treatment, I was on and off of antibiotics to battle one infection or another but I never really got healthy. The good news was that I was pseudomonas free so the inhalation therapy worked. BUT, the inhalation therapy led to other problems. Of course, my results lacked the pizzazz I enjoyed for much of my career but my love of racing was still there.

Basically for the past 6 months, I have been on 5 courses of oral antibiotics, inhalers and on the inhaled IV antibiotics but I kept getting sicker. By August, my cough was getting more severe and my lung capacity was starting to drop and not rebound the way it had rebounded after clearing an infection. We started a new inhalation therapy to try to clear my lungs. It would clear my lungs but my lung capacity continued to drop. I really don’t know how I raced so well in Philippines – but I managed to pull out the victory. Two days after winning that Ironman 70.3, I went to St. Mike’s Hospital for another attempt to solve my cough and inability to breathe and my lungs were now down to 75% of their normal capacity. The crazy thing is that there is no question that I was unwell but the doctors didn’t want to give me more drugs – they wanted to clear my body of antibiotics and test me again in two weeks.

Two weeks brought me to Tuesday, the week of Subaru Muskoka Ironman 70.3. The diagnosis was that my lungs are growing a fungus that is normally occuring in the environment so on its own, it isn’t bad. But, as a result of the CF, I have developed an allergy to the fungus growing in my lungs! So it is sort of like being allergic to a cat and wearing a cat around your neck all day and all night!

That allergy is driving down the ability for my lungs to work and let’s face it, I need my lungs to work. The reality of this diagnosis – that I am actually not running on properly working lungs in a sport that requires 100% lung function – was hard to hear! Dave didn’t want me to race in Muskoka. I didn’t want to lose in Muskoka but I wanted to race. I love swimming, biking and running. I have always said that you do the best you can with your deck of cards. I am blessed with CF and I have had the most fantastic, full, wonderful career in spite of CF and yet because of CF. I have won 11 Ironmans and 11 Ironman 70.3 events while having CF. That is a miracle. And in my heart, in spite of really suffering from CF with this allergic reaction and reduced lung capacity, I wanted to race for all of those with CF that cannot race. I wanted to race for all the children at Sick Kids that cannot race. To not race Muskoka because I was not going to win would be a dis-service to my career. My career has been about sharing sport, loving sport and doing sport. The winning has been the bonus.

I also knew that on Tuesday – 2 days after the race – I would be right back at the CF Clinic at St. Mike’s Hospital beginning a pretty potent drug therapy program – I can’t even talk about it because it makes me so upset. I promised the doctor that I would never run or bike hard ever again and that I would be fine to survive on 75% of my lungs just so that I can avoid the proposed drug cocktail – but they will not allow me to cause permanent lung damage. And so, in 2 days – on Tuesday – I will be 100% devoted to getting healthy – and this will be the hardest race for me – because I won’t like the journey!

Because I don’t know what the future will bring, I had to race Muskoka! Besides, in a weird kind of ‘positive thinking’ way that is ingrained in my soul, I really thought I was getting better. I was still having my coughing attacks and my body lacked power and my heart rate was through the roof, but I really did feel better and I was convinced that with a bit of adrenalin, I could have a great race!

I must say that I woke up feeling so incredibly happy and calm. There was nothing I wanted more than to race my favorite sport in Ontario’s favorite triathlon playground. I felt good in the swim and exited with my usual deficit but nothing to sound the alarm bells. I felt ok on the bike – my tongue was down to my knees as I gasped for air but I loved it. The sun was shining, the roads were like roller coasters, there were people out walking dogs, the leaves were changing color – I was having a ball. I was falling further and further back but I was not discouraged. This was my choice to race and I was doing the best I could with my deck of cards. Starting the run, I was still very happy but the gasping for air was certainly tough and my lungs were hurting. Again, I reminded myself of my choice to be there and there was still no where I would rather be. I had a little scare at 3 km when I coughed up some blood but I knew it was just because my lungs were working so hard. I so desperately wanted to finish the race – to finish what I started – to do the best with my deck of cards – and so I slowed down to take the stress off of my lungs and promised myself that one more sign of blood and I would walk. During my slower paced run, I thought about Carter, the young boy with CF that I crossed the finish line with at the Hawaii Ironman. I thought about Kaitlyn, our 13 year old patient ambassador from Sick Kids who has endured 30 surgeries. I thought about my long term health and how my life with my husband Dave is really just getting started. I thought about how grateful I was to be running – even if it was slow – even if I wasn’t racing to win or place – I was doing the best I could do with consideration for my health.

My run was truly a celebration. It was a celebration of the theme of my career – to finish what you start and to race with heart – that is what I did. No, I did not win and I did not place but I did what I loved with my triathlon family.

And now my goal is to get healthy. I am still hoping that my doctor will tell me that I am fine and that I don’t need all those nasty drugs with terrible side effects. But regardless, I will ‘step away’ from competition for a little while and focus on pursuing all of the other things that I love – motivational speaking, representing my sponsors, coaching, exercising, consulting, healing and living! I wish I could ‘step away’ with a win .. but I think I did!

Thank you so much for your support!

The heat and humidity were unbelievable – way hotter than any Kona conditions or any race I have ever competed in. I did not run very fast out of transition but I was running faster than others and I moved into 1st place within the first kilometre. From that stage on, it was survival for me and a lot of positive thinking. I literally was just running from corner to corner and reminding myself to be light and to run with quick turnover. I also thought about all of the Polo Tri Team members who were now my teammates and I thought about my husband, Dave, racing on very little fitness and I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. It literally felt like running in an oven. It was apparently 35 degrees Celsius and well over 40 degrees with the humidity.

I felt much better on the second lap as did my competitors who looked very fast and scared me into running a bit quicker. I won the race in 4 hours and 24 minutes and after lots of photos, I went back on the course to cheer for Dave and Lance, my coach. Dave did amazing (and looked amazing in his 2XU gear!!). He was a determined little camper out there riding further than he has ridden all year and running further than he has run in a few years. It is his first race back after his back surgery, so a big thank you to his surgeon, Dr. Villavicenzio!!

I will write more later. I wrote a whole recap of our incredible 10 day trip but I don’t think it is on my website yet! It has been the most unbelievable experience of my life. The kindness and hospitality has been priceless and the best ever! Stay tuned!

Lisa Bentley
www.lisabentley.com

I felt pretty good coming into the race. I finally received clearance from the CF Clinic that my lungs were improving and that I could in fact race. I was so excited to be finally healthy enough to race full steam and with full lungs since I had been a bit subpar in both St. Croix and Florida. And that is why I cannot explain why I felt so flat on race day. I swam well exiting close to Belinda Granger and Mirinda Carfrae, but then I lost so much time on the bike. I rode as hard as I could but I never found that magic gear or sweet spot of the pedal stroke but I ploughed along aiming to get every last watt out of each pedal stroke. Granted, I was racing with some pretty tough customers, but still, I have been riding so well lately that this mediocre ride was unexpected. I charged off onto the run and felt great. It was a super hilly run – my forte – and I was sure that I would claw back some time and hopefully some women. But I never got it rolling – it was all effort and no payback. I finished in 11th place just behind Belinda Granger who had won Honu 70.3 the week before – so I was in good company – but I was definitely disappointed. I suppose the accumulation of ‘stuff’ may have caught up to me – 4 months of antibiotics, Brunswick going to Heaven, countless doctor’s appointments. My body and soul got into the fine beauty of Connecticut and went on holiday!!! Regardless, it was a good little hit out with some of the best triathletes in the world and I got to have a great visit with Belinda Granger and Jo Lawn. After our 5 minute grunt match complaining about our races, we were quickly laughing and joking and remembering why we love our sport so much and why personally I have been doing it for 20 years!

No time to dwell on that, the Muskoka Triathlon was the very next weekend. It was now time to freshen up the legs and squeeze another race out right in my own backyard!

I have been racing the Subaru Muskoka Triathlon for over 15 years. The course keeps changing but the general venue stays the same. It is the go-to race for Ontario athletes! It is a super hilly race and pretty darn short by my Ironman standards. I might not be racing Ironman anymore, but my engine is all about Ironman. No matter how hard I try to ‘sprint’, I have no ‘sprint’ available in this body. I am all about slow twitch!

The morning of the race, my bike fell over and a rock broke a spoke in my rear Zipp 404 race wheel. Ouch! I think that this is the last technical issue I am going to have for 2009. I have had the broken shoe, the cracked frame and now the broken spoke. This would not be an easy fix since I ride 650 c wheels and finding a rear replacement would be a challenge. Luckily, within minutes, we found a rear 650 race wheel. We fitted it up – checked the gears – and I was ready to go. It was a clincher and I race on tubular tires so I would have no spare but at this stage, I figured that everything comes in threes, and this was in fact ’3′ – so we were good!

I had my normal swim – nothing super special – and exited about 3 minutes behind race leader and upcoming pro, Jen Coombs. I felt quite good on the bike and started to eat into the lead of the women up ahead. I got to the turnaround and could see that Jen’s lead was down to about 90 seconds and I was gaining on the others as well. That is a bit of catch-22 for me. You see, I coach Jen and I desperately want her to get her first big win but I am also in the race – so part of me is happy I am catching her and part of me is wondering how I am going to make her even faster on the bike!!!

And then ’3B’ happened! If ’3′ was the broken spoke earlier this morning, then my current drama – my chain jamming in between the frame and the derailleur and causing my pedals to lock at 3 and 9 o’clock at 40 km into the ride – must be ’3B’!!!! I couldn’t believe it. My pedals are absolutely jammed and I am just hoping to not crash as I slow my bike down in order fix the problem. I have NEVER EVER STOPPED in a race EVER in 20 years until this year – first for the broken shoe in St. Croix and now for the jammed chain. It has happened before when I go into my very biggest gear but never in a race. I suppose borrowing a rear wheel didn’t help! Anyway, I grabbed the chain and put it back in place and then pedaled off to make up my lost time and did not use that gear again!! Attitude is more important than fact – the fact is that I had to stop and lose time with a mechanical issue but my attitude is that I will get that time back and more over the rest of the race.

Into transition, there were about 4 women within 90 seconds. I headed out to run as fast as possible and by 2.5 km, I was in the lead. Again, it was with a bit of reservation that I passed Jen. I offered her lots of encouragement and advice and took my own ‘coaching’ notes on how we were going to improve Jen’s run so that I don’t catch her anymore. It is all a work in progress and Jen is so talented, I know it will happen in time!

Once in the lead, I ran as hard as I could to hold off the other great women runners and I crossed the line in first for my first victory of the season! I won my first Muskoka Triathlon over 10 years ago and it is pretty special to be winning it now in 2009!

With that race done, I flew to Boulder, Colorado for a super cool photo shoot on behalf of my bike saddle sponsor – fizik. Fizik had gathered its athletes – Craig Alexander, Matt Reed, Luke Bell, Tim DeBoom, Greg Bennett, Leon Griffin, Mirinda Carfrae, Belinda Granger, Chrissie Wellington and me for a photo shoot. These photos may not be seen until 2010 – so stay tuned – they are not to be missed! It was an absolute blast to get to hang out with my triathlon friends outside of a race venue. There was no pressure and no race face. The only competition was the race to the buffet when the shots were done!

With that 24 hour jaunt complete, it was time for our Muskoka Subaru Success Camp on June 26th weekend. It was a fantastic weekend. The athletes were amazing soaking in all of the information, coaching and encouragement and reaching new athletic goals to fuel them toward their 70.3 goal. Our Subaru Success Camp team of Jody, Teresa, Jen and Mike worked seamlessly together. We had a few curveballs

St. Croix had been a great event for me. If you forget about the minutes I lost with the cycling shoe incident, my riding was excellent and I had out biked many of the athletes who would be racing in Florida. And I had finally had a great fast run after 2 years of injury. Needless to say, with a bit of fairy dust sprinkled in my direction, I just might have the magical race I had been visualizing.

All of my pre-race preparation went off without a hitch. There was a bit of creaking from my bottom bracket but I wasn’t concerned. Dave had taken care of it and when I checked in my bike the day before the race, it seemed like it was 100%. My bike shoes looked intact, my body was intact and my mind was 100% focused on racing at my best.

At 6:23 a.m., the canon sounded the beginning of our race. The first 5 minutes was so tough. It is almost dark when the race starts, so there is no swim warm up allowed. Instead of actual in water preparation, I spent time practising my stroke and swimming with my bands on the beach and visualizing my Phelps-like freestyle! That said, without doing a few sprints to get your heart rate ready to hit 160 beats, those first few hundred meters are a gasp fest! I settled in on some feet ahead of me, but the feet I really wanted – Jo Lawn in the green cap – were ahead by a few body lengths. I tried everything to catch that cap but I could not. I exited the water with Magali and we were both about 30 – 45 seconds behind Jo Lawn and Amy Marsh. About 3 minutes up the road were the leaders, Leanda Cave and Nina Kraft.

I got onto my bike pretty quick and hit over 350 watts trying to keep Magali in sight but the gap grew on the many turns out of Fort Wilderness. On the open road on World Drive, I could still see the women up the road and I was catching them, but once Magali caught them, they were able to work together and they were out of sight. This was certainly tough for me to watch. I keep thinking that I am not suited to flat courses, but that isn’t the case. The trouble is that athletes can get together and gain an advantage by working together on flat courses, where as hilly rides make that impossible. When I rode up the Beast in St. Croix (16-21% grade – about 6 minutes of climbing), I dropped all the women who were riding with me. But on a flat course, there is no Beast and so athletes can stick together and make it tough for someone riding alone to catch them!! Rats! Regardless, 20 years of racing has taught me never to give into discouragement and to never, ever give up. I continued to ride hard and my wattage was over 200 watts and my average speed was hitting the 38-39 kph mark for much of the ride.

I loved the ride and I rode as aggressively as I could. I could see no one – not another women – not a man – not a draft marshal – no one – but I continued to pound the pedals, hydrate and take care of my nutrition as I prepared to run the women down.

Meanwhile, I was losing quite a bit of time to the women in the pack ahead of me. The pack, which now included 4 women, got off their bikes about 8 minutes ahead of me. Those were a long 8 minutes for poor Dave to watch. You see, my creaking frame was actually cracked along the bottom bracket! Unknown to me, Dave had returned to the transition area the night before the race and had applied epoxy to my frame to mend the break. So when Dave saw these women, some of whom I had out biked 2 weeks prior in St. Croix, get off their bikes so far ahead of me, he thought that my bike had busted and I was lying in a heap of carbon on the road! Not only was Dave just happy to see me when I rolled in, he was relieved to see me! I didn’t even listen to the time deficit – I just ran as hard as I could.

I stayed positive, happy and totally engaged in running fast. Regardless of the outcome, this is a workout and a step towards being a fast racing machine in the next few months. I ran down a few women but I couldn’t put any time into Jo or Magali or Leanda, the race leader, who was way up the road and having the race of her life. I made up quite a bit of ground on Nina and Amy but I ran out of road and finished in 6th place. One of the best things about this run was that I felt fast, my energy was great, my attitude was positive and my heel was absolutely 100%.

I finished the race feeling great and feeling pretty fresh despite racing every single minute of it at my very best pace. That is success. In the meantime, I will build on my swim, bike and run speed in preparation for the REV3TRI event in Connecticut on June 7th and then the Subaru Muskoka Chase on June 14th.

In the meantime, I have savored yet another day in sport – a day well spent celebrating fitness, health and friends! Thanks for your support.

Lisa Bentley

11 Time Ironman Champion, Lisa Bentley!

Lisa Bentley is one of the most charismatic and openly accessible pros on the professional triathlon circuit. A former high school cross country runner and a budding triathlon analyst for various networks, Lisa has managed to position herself as one of triathlon’s “cross over” success stories as she has achieved great wins on the course as well as succeeded in giving motivational speeches, brought great awareness to the sport among kids and families while battling cystic fibrosis. We were thrilled to get time with Lisa this month and wanted to share this interview.

The REV3 race is getting more and more packed with the top talent in the world — in fact, after Clearwater and Kona, I don’t think any other race will feature so many Ironman champions and top talent. How does that kind of a lineup motivate you and/or change your preparation?

It is very exciting. I love to race and to race against great competitors and REV3 will provide that. I definitely plan to be in good shape for the event. The organizers have put a big effort into creating a competitive environment and a great professional event with good exposure and prize money and the athletes need to come out and perform at their best.

Unlike so many other triathletes who consume a carbohydrate laden diet (although this is changing everyday), you have been a strong advocate of the 40%/30%/30% carbohydrate, protein and fat regimen of the Zone diet. Tell us about your experience moving to this nutrition pattern and what were the biggest changes you felt.
It happened by accident really. I went to the dentist and had a bunch of cavities and I couldn’t figure out why. I went to my chiropractor/ART specialist, Dr. Mark Scapaticci, and he said that I ate too much sugar since I ate so many carbs. He challenged me that I could not stop eating bread and simple sugars. I took up the challenge! That was in 2003 and I could count the number of times I have had bread or bread products. I started to eat gluten free and organic and I just tried to eat protein and carbohydrates at every meal. I never eat pasta for dinner. I might have some brown rice pasta or Zone pasta as a side, but the majority of my meal is salad, veggies and a protein source of chicken, tuna, wild salmon or cottage cheese. I am still not a big fat eater, but I do not fear eating healthy fat like almonds or adding some organic olive oil to a stir fry. The biggest change was that my health improved – I wasn’t catching as many colds. And I was able to get a bit leaner which ultimately made me faster. I had my best racing seasons after 2003 and I like to think it was new diet.

How has your reliance on the Zone diet changed your "in race" nutrition choices?
I am still a big Power Bar Performance bar and Protein bar eater – that has not changed. I eat Powerbars before and during my workouts – they are fast and easy energy and they are complete nutrition (with protein and fat but lots of carbs to fuel my training which is important). I try to eat whole foods at other times though. I have had so much success with eating PowerBars for racing and training that I will never change this. Racing and training requires carbs and fast energy and that is provided by PowerBar. The difference is that I am a better fat burner now and I don’t require the same number of calories. I still eat my PowerBar on the bike and Power Gels on the run but I don’t fall into the same deficits that are inevitable when training and racing for long hours. And now, I take about 8000 mg of Eico/Pro Zone fish oil every day with a 4 ounces of Sea Health antioxidant drink. That helps reduce the inflammation from my training and helps me recover faster and means that I don’t have to take anti-inflammatories anymore.

You are infamous for your incredibly high run cadence, even in the last few miles of a Ironman–how did you train yourself to run so efficiently and is your styled modeled after the "pose" method?

I don’t even know what the pose method is?? My running has just evolved from running and from trying to run faster. Running hills and running on the Treadmill have helped me with cadence but I never set out to increase my cadence. But I do encourage others to try to run at 90 cadence or over and I try to teach them how to do that. I find that the higher cadence means that my foot is on the ground for less time and that reduces the impact on my muscles. That in turn translates into faster recovery times for me from training and racing Ironman.

When you think back over your years of triathlon, what racing experience has had the single biggest impact in the way you train?
Racing Kona changed the way I trained. I knew that to race well there, I had to go to Hawaii about 4-5 weeks pre race in order to acclimatize and train on the course. I was sweating out way too much salt in that race and I could not take in enough sodium to replace it and it was leading to some major cramping. I knew that if I could really acclimatize then I could train my body to sweat out less salt and be more efficient. I love the heat, so it wasn’t a matter of getting used to the suffering – it was all about helping my body chemistry adjust. Salt loss is one of the side effects of Cystic Fibrosis. Once I started to spend weeks pre race in Kona, my racing really reached a new level.

You have been a great advocate for fitness and the value of a healthy lifestyle–especially with those affected by your disease, Cystic Fibrosis. How have you had to alter your nutrition and/or training to compete with this condition?
I have to eat healthy so that I don’t catch a cold because when I catch a cold, it always goes to my lungs and then I get a chest infection. The bacteria that my lungs grow – called pseudomonas – is a very bad bacteria and it requires some very strong antibiotics to fight. So that is the vicious cycle that I get into when I get sick. I train with chest infections – if I didn’t, I would never train or race. That is my reality. The difference is that I back off on the intensity so my body still gets a workout but it won’t be a real high intensity workout. So I suppose my training may suffer during these periods but you just have to do what you can with what you have and I am blessed to be as healthy as I am. It is very important to keep moving when I get sick or when others with CF get sick because the exercise helps to clear the lungs. I do have to take salt pills to deal with the high salt loss that I encounter – that is one of the side effects of CF and it is actually how it is diagnosed.

You’ve been training under the Lifesport banner for some time now. What have been the biggest obstacles in your training that they’ve been able to help you overcome?
I started to work with Lance Watson well before there was Lifesport. Lance helped me with my mental game and taught me how to race at my best every single time whatever my ‘best’ happened to be. He has supported me through so much – training, racing, training and racing disappointments, life’s highs and lows, injuries, appendix rupturing, broken ribs – there is no question that he has been a life coach. And as a good coach, he has taught me to take a bit more ownership over my training so that he doesn’t have to guide me as much anymore – but that said, he guides me when I need it and plays a big role in my career. He is that one person that I can talk to about pretty much anything and he is that impartial person that every athlete needs to bounce things off of. He is a great sounding board and is truly a ‘life coach’.

If there were 3 things you could change about the sport of triathlon, what would they be and why?
– Both drafting and non drafting time trial triathlon events in the Olympics (and Ironman)
– Pros start separately – men and women by 30 minutes – completely separate the races
– Athletes wear a tracking system so that drafting isn’t a judgement call but a factual call – or – that draft marshalls would just pull over the entire pack of athletes who are drafting and start them 30 sec apart one by one

How does the sheer dominance of someone like Chrissie Wellington effect the women’s field? I imagine, at times, you’ve got to feel like a male PGA pro golfer going up against Tiger Woods!
She is amazing and it is fun to watch someone go so fast and so effortlessly. I wish I was in the prime of my career so I could have a go at racing her.

You’ve battled some very tough foot injuries over the past 1-2 years. What did those injuries teach you about your training or how you had to potentially change it?

It is a chronic injury caused from too many miles. But I wouldn’t change anything. Our careers are finite and I have loved every single race. If this injury had happened in my 20′s, i would have had surgery and bounced back and raced hard. But when you suffer a huge injury in your late 30′s, there is no time to take a year off and get healthy. So i have had to be resourceful with my therapies and I have chosen to race in some pain. But I am happy to say that I am running painfree right now (I don’t know for how long though??). I will likely never go back to my big volume running days – I will keep my runs shorter and faster and less frequent. I want to run painfree and fast. When I train for a marathon now, my long run will be no more than 2 hrs whereas many years ago, i would do multiple 3 hr runs and back those up with a second run in the evening. The antibiotics that I have to take for the chest infections I get with CF – it is called Cipro – has been proven to cause Achilles tendon rupture and damage. I have raced while taking cipro several times, so the doctors believe that that has contributed signifigantly to my chronic Achilles tendon issues. Racing a marathon on Cipro can’t be good for your Achilles!! Now, when I go on Cipro (now that I know that), I don’t run hard – just easy. And I try to avoid Cipro at all costs. I have had to take it once this year in February.

Lisa Bentley:
Born: November 28, 1968
Age: 40
First Triathlon: Royal LePage King City Triathlon in 1989
Turned Pro: 1992. Resigned from teaching to become a full time professional athlete in 1999.

Lives: Ontario, CA

Career at a glance:

• 5 Time Ironman Australia Champion
• 3 Time Ironman Canada Champion
• 2 Time Ironman New Zealand Champion
• 3rd place, Ironman World Championships, 2006

Lisa, it is an honor to get this opportunity to interview you. You are one of the freshest personalities in the sport and are always there with a great attitude and quick smile. Thanks so much for your time.

Interview by Max Wunderle
www.gotrimax.com/TriMaxBentley.htm

HIronman 70.3 Calgary is pleased to announce its official partnership with Canadian agricultural business icon, Viterra Inc. The company will assume the role of title sponsor of the event, now known as Viterra Ironman 70.3 Calgary.

Viterra is a leader in Canadian agriculture and an important player in the global agri-business marketplace. The Ironman brand is synonymous with challenge, hard work and determination, which mirrors Viterra’s commitment to high performance and excellence in its business and growth strategies.

“We are thrilled to have Viterra on board,” said Lisa Bentley, marketing director of Viterra Ironman 70.3 Calgary. “As an international food ingredients supplier, Viterra is committed to performance excellence and being the best at what it does each and every day. Ironman athletes bring that same principle of achievement to their training and their race. We also rely on healthy food choices to help us make it across the finish line, which is another significant link to Viterra and its role in bringing nutritious products to market that ultimately fuel the health and wellbeing of people around the world.”

The inaugural Viterra Ironman 70.3 Calgary will take place August 2, 2009 and will include nearly 2,000 athletes from every province in Canada and from over 20 countries. The race begins with a 1.9 km swim in Ghost Lake with the rural backdrop of the Rocky Mountains in the distance. From there, athletes will ride 90 km from the foothills of the Rockies to the city of Calgary linking the majestic mountains with urban landscape of the city. Then, athletes will run 21.1 km along the scenic paths of the Glenmore Reservoir finishing amidst the beauty of the park.

“Our title sponsorship of Viterra Ironman 70.3 Calgary is a perfect fit for us,” said Mayo Schmidt, President and CEO of Viterra. “Our employees are committed to a healthy approach to life. Many of them are involved in sport and fitness in some way, and work with their communities to support health and wellness initiatives. Already enthusiasm is building, with some employees registered for the race and others looking forward to contributing to the event by volunteering, and fundraising for our chosen charitable initiative.”

In connection to the sponsorship, Viterra will raise funds for the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS). STARS is a non-profit helicopter emergency medical service that provides emergency communications, patient care and transport, education and research, and fundraising and community partnerships to the people in the communities in which Viterra works and lives.

Tourism Calgary, proud partner and supporter of Viterra Ironman 70.3 Calgary, is pleased to join Viterra, Canada’s agriculture leader, in welcoming athletes from around the world to this exciting event.

About Viterra

Viterra Inc. is Canada’s leading agribusiness, with extensive operations and distribution capabilities across Western Canada, and with operations in the United States, Japan, Singapore and Geneva. The Company is diversified into sales and services of crop inputs and equipment, grain handling and marketing, livestock feed, agri-food processing and financial products. These operations are complemented by value-added businesses and strategic alliances, which allow Viterra to leverage its pivotal position between producers and destination customers. The Company’s common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol VT. For more information visit www.viterra.ca

For more information, contact:

For more details, please visit www.ironmancalgary.com.

Peter Flengeris
Viterra Inc.
Tel: (306) 569-4810
Email: peter.flengeris@viterra.ca

Dan Ouimet
Viterra Ironman 70.3 Calgary

Tel: (403) 400-3743
Email: dan@stridesrunning.com

David Cracknell
Viterra Ironman 70.3 Calgary
Tel: (647) 388-5644
Email: canada2xu@rogers.com

Lisa Bentley
www.lisabentley.com

I have been racing in St.Croix for over 10 years.  This race is tough and that is why I came back to race it in 2009!  Now, with 2 months of consistent running under my belt, I figured that even if I was not at full speed yet, I was at least fit enough to battle this hot, windy, hilly race which favors the experienced, strong and ‘never give  up’ kind of athlete. I figured that that was me and so I booked the trip. What I may lose in speed, I would make up in perseverance!

The plan was to arrive on Thursday so that I could get settled with the course and not have to rush like I did in New Orleans.  But, a delay in Miami caused 32 passengers, including myself, to miss our flight from San Juan to St. Croix. The two other flights to St. Croix were oversold and so we had to overnight in San Juan and wait until 8 a.m. to fly for 28 minutes to St. Croix.  Dave took control of the situation and found a beach for us to swim. Our little Canadian triathlon contingent of Tyler Lord, Ayesha Rollinson, Jen Coombs’ sister Stephanie (Jen took the direct flight and made it all the way) and I made the best of San Juan.

On Friday we arrived in tact at 9 a.m. and made our way to the group swim at the Harbour.  I did a little run, got groceries and then took my bike for a spin.  It wasn’t shifting properly despite the fact that it was shifting perfectly before I left.  Travel is so hard on our equipment. I could not source out a bike mechanic at this stage since the evening pre race celebration called ‘Jump Up’ was underway but I was all set to meet a mechanic at 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Saturday, I woke up anxious to get my bike working.  He fixed the problem and I went for a ride. Yes, the original problem was fixed but now my chain was dropping right off when I was in my easiest gear – a gear that I desperately needed in order to get up the biggest climb in triathlon known as “The Beast”. It is a 600 ft climb that varies from 14% to 21% grades. Yes, I desperately needed my chain to stick in my 39-23 gear.  We returned to the bike mechanic and he found that my SRM cable was broken and he figured that was the problem. So we removed my SRM and he test rode my bike and said it was fine. I still wasn’t convinced but I could not ride up and down hills all day testing it out or I would be too tired for the race.  Dave tested it up some hills and I felt pretty confident that it would be fine.

Race day began for me Saturday night when I went to bed since once again, I was too excited to sleep. I just laid there all night waiting for my 4:20 a.m. alarm. It finally rang and off we went to transition.  The swim went off fast and furious as usual.  I could see the pack that I wanted to be in – the Jo Lawn (multiple Ironman Champ), Mirinda Carfrae (70.3 World Champ) group – but I was about a body length behind it. I was still getting a draft as I worked hard to bridge that body length.  At about halfway, the body length grew and I found myself swimming without that beautiful draft but still within sight of the group. I exited the water about 2-2.5 minutes down on the leaders Joanna Zeiger, Nina Kraft and Jen Coombs and about 30 seconds behind the Jo Lawn pack. 

I felt amazing on the bike. I love the hills and I found a nice rhythm early on.  I had my electrolyte bottles snugly fit into my cages and extra packs of salt pills so that I would not suffer the same fate of losing my nutrition in New Orleans 70.3. By 6 miles, I had caught a few girls including Jo and Jen. I would sneak away on the climbs and they would catch me back on the descents and flats.  But finally, when I got to The Beast, I was able to get away. I love The Beast. It is such a tough climb but I love it.  The best thing was that my gears and my chain behaved beautifully and I skipped up the hill gapping Jo, Jen and Tara Norton.

At around 30 miles, I could feel something was weird with my left cycling shoe and pedal. I looked down and saw that my shoe was moving in a different direction from the cleat.  I had 40 km left to go with some fairly significant climbs. But I had to preserve my shoe, so I committed to pedaling full circles and staying seated for all hills.

At 39 miles, the leather upper completely separated from the carbon sole and cleat of my cycling shoe. Yes, my shoes are ‘well worn’ – I love them – and never want to change them. Yes, I am working in a new pair of Louis Garneau cycling shoes at home but they were not yet grooved in the way I wanted them so I brought my old tried and true shoes (not LG) to St. Croix.  So now, with 17 miles to go, the carbon sole and cleat are attached to my pedal and my foot is in the air!! 

My first reaction was to ask for a Power Bar at the next aid station with the idea that I would stick the Power Bar between the sole and the leather and hope that it would bind the two together like glue.  So I slowed down at the aid station asking for a Power Bar but they only had Power Gel.  So I stopped – yes – 0 km per hour – stopped!! I was having the ride of my life and I stopped.  I begged for tape – ‘did anyone have any tape’.  A volunteer ran to his car and grabbed some electrical tape. Then, we taped my foot to the carbon sole and to the pedal. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get out of my shoe because we taped it pretty tight, but it didn’t matter – I just wanted to finish the race.  At this stage, I have been stopped for anywhere from 2-4 minutes but none of that mattered. Had this happened going up the Beast, I would have crashed. Had this happened further from an aid station, I would have lost more time. Had this happened in training, I would have worn my LG shoes!!!!

Off I went with the fire in my belly. Now I had been passed by Amanda Lovato and Jo Lawn and so I went hard and rode the last 10 hilly miles in their neighborhood. I was able to get away a little bit on the last big climb but we essentially got off our bikes together.

Onto the run, I felt like magic. My energy was good and my body felt great.  I finally felt like a runner again. I carried my Fuelbelt to ensure that I would stay hydrated and energized. I caught Tara Norton and ran with Amanda for a few miles. She was running so darn well and it was great to key off of each other as we hunted down the other women.  I got away from Amanda on a climb and never looked back. I caught a few other women and I was closing hard on Nina Kraft in the last few miles, but I never could make up that last 30 seconds. I finished the race in 5th place but only 1 minute out of 3rd place. Oh yes, the ‘what ifs’ have entered conversation but when my cycling shoe ‘broke’, the only ‘what if’ that mattered was getting to the finish line.

On Saturday before the race, I was interviewed by TSN and they asked if anyone could beat Zeiger and Carfrae. My response was ‘yes’. I said that St. Croix was a crap shoot – there were so many factors on the day that came into play – heat, wind, hills, equipment.  I didn’t know that I would be the ‘crap’ part of the ‘shoot’.

The great news is that I had a fabulous race – probably my best executed race ever in St. Croix.  I had a terrific swim. I was aggressive and strong on the bike. And I ran faster on this hilly, hot course than on the flat New Orleans run with just 4 more weeks of running.  So my fitness is going in the right direction and that makes me excited.

My next race is Florida 70.3 in 12 days.  So in the next week and a half, I need to recover, break in some new cycling shoes, get a new SRM cable and a bike tune up and pack my bike like a carton of eggs so that the travel doesn’t hurt my little Cervelo anymore.  Oh yes, and get an electrical tape sponsor since this is now part of my race kit!

Lisa Bentley
www.lisabentley.com

It is always a whirlwind when you get  home from a 3-month training camp.  I have been home for almost 1 month and I am finally getting back into the swing of things.  Gone are the days of running in shorts and cycling outside in a jersey – I just finished cycling on my Computrainer for 3 hours of gruelling intervals and time trials and then running in a winter hat, mitts and tights – this weather is probably warm for most Canadians, but for me, I was quite thankful for my hat and mitts today!!!  But the great things about being at home are that I am back running on my 1 mile loop so I can time all of my efforts, I get to wear all of my awesome spring and winter Saucony training gear, I get to enjoy my DVDs while I gut through my many hours on my Cervelo and Computrainer, I get to swim with the Dorado swim team and get my butt kicked routinely by 12 year olds!  Oh, the joys of being home!!

I raced in the New Orleans 70.3 a few weeks ago.  I did this race because I ‘could’ but not because I was ready to race.  Once again, I took a huge break from running this winter.  Prior to New Orleans, I ran for 4 weeks in the past 4 months – that was about 16 runs in total.  So I was not completely run fit but I was run hungry and race hungry. And I was swim fit and bike fit.  And so, I made my way to New Orleans eager to see what 16 runs in 4 months could do! 

First, I must say that racing and visiting New Orleans was a very educational experience.  To be in a community that was ravaged by such destruction was incredibly humbling.  The race director, Bill Burke, did a wonderful job closing down the entire bike course.  And staging the finish line in Jackson Square right in downtown New Orleans was truly spectacular!  I applaud the race organization and the community for welcoming a bunch of lycra clad athletes to play ‘triathlon’ in their city.

I arrived in New Orleans on Friday night and hurried to figure out the logistics of the event – finding and driving the bike and run courses, locating the transition areas and swim start and finish area, finding a bike mechanic to fix a ‘travel induced’ braking issue with my bike, locating the registration, my hotel, groceries and places to eat!  Whew – I was exhausted before the gun even went off.  I was very excited about racing and that was evident by my sleepless Friday night and my 2-hour sleep on Saturday night!  Honestly, the racing part is simple – the waiting and the organizational stuff – the thinking part – well, that is the worst!!

As soon as the canon fired, all remnants of my sleep deprivation were gone.  I had a great swim and lead the second pack of swimmers out from Lake Ponchatrain. Exiting with me were Kate Major, Heather Gollnick, Linsey Corbin and some other speedsters.  In one way, it was great to get to ride with so many women, but it made the ride very challenging since we have a 10 meter drafting rule and we only get 25 seconds to move through that zone and complete a pass of another athlete.  That may sound like a lot of time but we are all riding around the same speed and for me to go from 35 km/hr to 36 km/h to complete a pass requires so much energy.  When I was trying to pass another woman, I would see my watts jump up to about 280 watts.  That is huge for me!  By the time I got past the athlete, I was so tired, that my watts would drop to 150!!  My normal time trialling watts is around 200 watts. Oh yes, it is fun to have women to ride with, but  it was tough work!  I did have a great ride though in spite of losing 2 bottles of my electrolyte drink and my salt pills on a huge bump at 5 km into the ride. I finished the bike in the general area of Kate Major and Heather Gollnick – both great riders – but I had lots of fast women still ahead of me that needed to be caught.   

I started the run about 20 seconds behind Kate thanks to her blistering transition and I gradually bridged that gap and moved passed her into 7th place.  I felt pretty good running and I was careful with my nutrition since my lack of run training meant that I was likely not as efficient with my calorie burning and I might need an extra Power Gel (I usually take 2 Power Gels) on this half marathon.  Kate caught back up to me at around mile 3 and then we ran the next 7 miles together exchanging the lead.  Kate has placed 3rd in Hawaii several times so I was quite pleased to be running with her given my lack of run preparation. 

At about mile 9, I had already taken in my 2 Power Gels and I knew that I would need one more.  Kate was gradually gapping me and I got pretty desperate for some calories.  I usually carry all of my nutrition with me even though the aid stations stock Power Gels.  But when I yelled for a Power Gel at an upcoming aid station, they didn’t have any!!!  Uggh – I guess not all the aid stations have Gels!!  That is lesson number one that I give to any athlete that I coach – always carry your own nutrition – don’t give that control away!  And here I failed to ‘practise what I preach!’  Finally at either mile 10 or mile 11, I got a Power Gel and I felt a great surge of energy.  I ran as hard as I could to the finish line but I just couldn’t catch Kate or any other women for that matter!  I ended up running 1:29 for the half marathon which is about 5-8 minutes off of my usual pacing but not too bad considering that I am in the re-building phase of my run training. 

The best thing about this race and this season so far is that my heel is pain-free which it has not been in over 5 years!  And I am finally back to running in my favorite racing flats – the Saucony Fastwitch – which I have not been healthy enough to run in for 2 years!  These are small victories but victories none the less!!

When I returned home, I did a day long photo shoot with one of my new sponsors – Hydropool  Hot Tubs and Swim Spas (www.hydropoolhottubs.com).  They are launching a brand new swim spa equipped with wide stream swim nozzles that project a non-turbulent water current allowing swimmers to swim and do other aquatic exercises against the resistance of the current right at home!  It was a long day (which began with a 3 hour computrainer bike session first) but a great day!  The Hydropool team is passionate about their latest aquatrainer and I am so proud to be able to work with them!!!

This weekend, I will be representing Saucony at the Oakville Running Company meeting people and promoting Saucony!!!  So stop by if you are in the neighborhood this Saturday around noon!

My next race will either be the St. Croix 70.3 or Florida 70.3.  Our dog, Brunswick, has been ‘less than 100%’ for the past 3 months and I am not sure if I can leave her for 5 days while I go to St. Croix.  We are working on making her as comfortable as possible but there have been many sleepless nights and lots of tears.  She is not suffering – we are making sure of that – some days are fantastic and she is chasing squirrels and licking dishes in the dishwasher and other days she is lethargic.  But I will be racing at least one of these two events.  If I don’t race St. Croix, then I will race the Sporting Life 10 km run in downtown Toronto.

And lastly, in terms of my health, I am still doing my inhalation therapy to get rid of that nasty pseudomonas bacteria.  It is quite time consuming – 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening but I have just bought a car adaptor so that I can do it while I drive or while I am a passenger.  I have always been a great multi-tasker.  One side effect is that the breathing burns calories and makes me very hyper and so I have lost 5 lbs since February 23rd when I started the treatment!  Now before everyone signs up for this therapy in an effort to lose that last 5 lbs, I must now take that calorie burning into account when I am training and racing.  It is all one great big life balance, isn’t it? 

In the meantime, training is going well – I am pretty tired from all of my training sessions – my running is progressing nicely – when I finished my 3 hr computrainer interval ride today, I got off and ran hard for 15 min and then did 5 x 1 km repeat – ‘just for fun’. 

I will be updating my website with a similar note to this one and with some photos if you are interested.

Take care and thank you for your continued support!

Lisa Bentley
www.lisabentley.com

I had hoped to race in Pucon but I wasn’t quite ready and I have been itching to race. I am finally injury-free so I wanted to get racing and New Orleans was available!

You’ve suffered some disappointments these past couple of years due to a running injury. Can you tell us about it and how it’s healed? Since running is usually your weapon of choice, was this a mental/emotional blow to you?

This running injury was huge but it is just part of our sport. Yes, it was a big emotional blow but when you race professionally and race often, it is expected. I have raced 33 Ironmans – I loved every single one of them – but racing that hard and that much takes its toll and the toll was a chronic heel injury. As elite athletes, injury is part of our job description. I actually have had a healthy, injury-free career aside from the past few years and given the difficulty of our sport, that is a huge compliment to my therapists and doctors who have dealt with me day to day throughout my 20 year career! I have only had to skip one race (Hawaii Ironman 2001) due to injury. My heel is really quite good now. I have taken a lot of time off from running and I can now finally run in my normal Saucony running shoes (the Hurricane) instead of modified versions. I will never likely go back to the crazy number of running days I used to run, but I will run shorter, sharper and more efficient sessions and take that speed through to the marathon.

This past winter, you spent several weeks training in Clermont. While there, you swam under the guidance of Sara McLarty (an ITU star and very strong swimmer). Did you learn anything new from her expertise that you can carry with you into this season? And how did you decide to use Clermont as your winter base?

It was great swimming with Sara and the master’s team. It is a great training environment and good for my speed. I have been training in Clermont since 2003 for a few months each winter. The National Training Center is a fantastic training base. The outdoor pool is absolutely gorgeous and I can swim any time of day – a luxury that I do not enjoy at home in Caledon, Ontario. The cycling is amazing – quiet, hilly country roads. I do most of my running on a 10-mile clay trail which is my little oasis. And the weather is brilliant. The sun is always shining and so even on a chilly morning, it is still warm enough to swim, bike and run. Years ago, I used to train in Australia and that was wonderful but now, I have too many ties to home and I need to be closer in case I need to go back. I am also not willing to give up my ‘life’ to train – so I bring the dogs to Florida and my husband Dave can travel easily back and forth to Canada to do his work. Basically, I needed a training venue that I could drive to (so that I could bring the dogs), but be able to fly back and forth as needed. Clermont is all of that. And now, I have made such wonderful friends there – it is like a second home for me.

Although you suffer from Cystic Fibrosis, you’ve still enjoyed an extremely successful tri career! How do you manage this disease? Has it ever affected you on race day, or is it more a matter of keeping it under control on a day-to-day basis?

In the past, it has only affected me when I get sick and so I am very careful to eat well, sleep well and stay healthy. Yes, it has affected me on race day – I was very ill when I raced the 2004 Hawaii Ironman – I was on some very strong antibiotics that week and then for another 3 weeks after the race. I am usually require a treatment of antibiotics about 3 times per year and and so it does have impact on my training and racing. Ironically, the antibiotic that I take to control the kind of bacteria that my lungs grow – pseudomonas – is a terrible (yet wonderful) antibiotic called Ciprofloxcin. This antibiotic causes Achilles tendon rupture and so it has definitely contributed to my Achilles tendon issues and this chronic heel injury. But, I am extremely blessed to have been able to race as a professionally and balance my health. I always say that you have to be the best you can be with what you have and who you are.

Recently, CF has had a bigger role in my life. For the past year, I have tried not to take that nasty antibiotic – Cipro – in hopes that my heel wouldn’t get any worse. But in the interim, my lungs have gotten a bit less healthy and I suffered a few more infections last year and unfortunately that made for a tough day at Subaru Ironman Canada and Subaru Ironman Muskoka 70.3. As it turns out, I now have to inhale an antibiotic called Tobramycin for 20 minutes twice per day with a nebulizer and a compressor. I will only have to do this until my tests show that I am pseudomonas free!! I am hoping that will be in May or June. Again, I am so thankful that the doctors at St. Mike’s Hospital are so thorough and take such good care of their patients!

You’ve also enjoyed being on the other side of the camera at some of the biggest events, including Kona last year, as a commentator for Canadian media. How have you enjoyed this experience? Have you learned anything from watching a race unfold, as opposed to being part of the action?

I love doing the television commentary for triathlon – any kind of triathlon – ITU and Ironman. It is fun to watch the athletes perform and as an athlete, I have a huge appreciation for what they are feeling and like to think that I can offer an empathetic interview as well as a celebratory one after the race is over! Having watched the races unfold, I can see that what we do is pretty amazing.

I see you’re on the start list for the Rev 3 Triathlon, a new race being held this June in CT, and boasts none other than Heather Gollnick as its marketing director. It also has a pro start list that’s deeper than many IM races! What attracted you to this event?

Naturally, I want to support Heather and her venture. But more importantly, this race is treating professional athletes like professionals with a great prize purse and great media. That is so important and athletes need to reward race organizers for doing that by attending those events.

Before it was disbanded, you were a member of Tri Dubai, a team of some of the best triathletes in the world. Do you still keep in touch with your former team mates? Did it make a difference for you racing as part of this team, versus racing on your own?

Yes, I do keep in touch with our athletes and our organizers and managers, Franko Vatterott and Tony DeBoom. I loved being part of this team – it is such an individual sport but we were truly a team in that we shared our knowledge, cheered for each other and shared in the victory. We all were top ten in Kona in 2006 – that was amazing for us as team. Dave and I keep in close touch with Franko and we are always thinking up new strategies to develop the ‘super team’ concept for triathlon.

As a multiple winner and native Canadian, IM Canada is obviously very special to you! But it’s been argued that racing an IM that late in the season can hurt your performance when it comes time to race Kona. What’s your take on this theory?

Personally, I rebound pretty quickly from Ironman and racing an Ironman with a proper taper and recovery, is actually easier than just training through to Kona! The only tough part is getting oneself up mentally for two events so close to each other. I usually bounce back from IMC stronger and go faster in Kona.

You’re known as a very healthy eater. What tips can you share for eating healthy food when you’re traveling to a race? Do you have any go-to restaurants in certain places, where you know you’ll get a healthy meal? And do you have any sinful treats that you eat occasionally?

When I am traveling, I bring the necessities with me – my organic cereal, some organic brown rice cakes, a few tins of tuna for quick protein, some almonds, Power Bars and Power Bar Protein Bars and some tea bags!! When I arrive at a race, I go to a grocery store and stock up on fruit and cottage cheese and then I am set. I have protein and carbs and fat right in my hotel room! If I travel to a race with Dave, then we’ll just look for a restaurant that can satisfy both of us. Generally, I cannot eat enough at a restaurant so I have to supplement later. I do not eat pasta or other simple carbohydrates so it does make eating out a challenge. PF Changs is a favorite – they serve brown rice and veggies and wild salmon which is pretty much my ideal meal!

Sinful treats to me probably aren’t sinful to anyone else! I love chocolate ice cream and I will have a scoop every night. But Dave will laugh his head off and tell you that it is Soy ice cream and it doesn’t count. I don’t normally eat bread but sometimes after a race, if I feel like have a big sandwich on homemade bread, then I will have it. Something ‘naughty’ for me is something prepared or processed. Generally, I don’t eat processed foods except for Power Bars but they have to be processed so they are easy to digest during training.

What’s the rest of your season look like besides the races mentioned above? Will we see you in Kona this year?

I will race in St. Croix and Florida 70.3 in May and then Rev3Tri and Subaru Muskoka Chase in June. I had not planned to race an Ironman this year but I cannot believe how good my heel feel so you never know. And if I do, then it will be in June or July. If not, then I will continue to race the 70.3 circuit. I would really love to race the New York City Marathon or the Boston Marathon competitively, so those goals are always in the back of my mind.

-by Betsy Delcour
www.xtri.com

Dave and I were meant to go on a holiday last week to the Outer Banks but that has been put on hold.  Dave is going for back surgery in Boulder next week!  After a whole summer of being in agony, Dave and his completely herniated disc are going to Boulder to be fixed up.  We leave on Friday with surgery on the following Monday.  This won’t be a training camp for me. I will be in full nurse and loving wife mode, but I am sure I will enjoy a few group swims and hopefully a run and bike workout.  I do plan to have a Retul bike fit done  by the guru of bike fitting right there in Boulder.  Stay tuned for that!

A big congratulations to Jen for racing to a PB in a recent half marathon, to Tyler and Steve for great races in Clearwater and to Gary for a 2nd place overall at Miami Man! And back tracking to Austin, well done Emma and Jason for being so determined and racing at your best.  A big good luck to Kurt racing his first Ironman in Arizona in 2 weeks time. 

Lisa Bentley
www.lisabentley.com