Abu Dhabi Triathlon

(Abu Dhabi, UAE) World class triathlon racing is now coming to the Middle East. Past Ironman world champion, Faris Al-Sultan, is a resident of the UAE and team captain of the Abu Dhabi Pro Triathlon Team that recently announced a new race on March 10th, 2010.

As someone who was raised in nearby Saudi Arabia and recently traveled back to the Middle East and witnessed the intense interest in endurance sports in communities with expat and Western populations, this is long overdue. The region already boasts world class events including; horse racing (camel racing too), adventure racing, race car driving, and now triathlon!

This event will draw the attention of all the heavy hitters from the international professional scene. It features an unique distance of a 3-k ocean swim, 200-k bike, and 20-k run. The temperatures in this part of the world was a factor in determining the distance, but possibly wanting to cater towards the strengths of their favorite, local hero, the race also suits the strengths of the powerful cyclist Al-Sultan. With a prize purse of $230,000, paying $50,000 to first place, it would be a surprise it other strong cyclists like Norman Stadler, Chris McDonald, Chris Lieto, Ain Alar Juhanson, Matty Reed, Massimo Ciagano, and their two wheeled peers opted not to toe the line. Surely, Chrissie Wellington and Julie Dibens will have their eyes wide open to a race like this.

A race like this will also provide a local race for expats to compete on the same stage as the athlete's they could previously only follow in the magazines and through on-line websites.

Here is a link to the Abu Dhabi Triathlon website: http://www.abudhabitriathlon.com/

motor pacing Crowie

This is a short video shoot from earlier this summer on a motor pacing session with Crowie.

Mary Beth Ellis: Trek TTX bike fit

Earlier in the week, Mary Beth Ellis visited our Retul Multisport Studio in Boulder to work on her Trek TTX time-trial bike fit.

Mary Beth won the Pan American Games, Escape from Alcatraz and Boulder Peak Triathlon earlier in the year and is in her final preparations for Clearwater 70.3 World Championships where she was the runner-up last year.

Short video: approximately one minute

update

Been neglecting these blog entries lately so I'll give you a quick few lines of our last month.

- We flew out to Long Island, NY for Em's cousin, Jeanette's, wedding
- I flew out to Kona during Ironman week. If you want to see some sweet, behind-the-scenes footage from the world champion, Craig Alexander, download the "Crowie backstage" app on your iPhone for free.
- We were both sick for a week with coughs and congestion
- I am training for IM Cozumel on Nov. 30th

Exciting blogs in the future.

LF

Greg Bennett Comeback Video

Here is the newest video I just finished editing (more under RetulGeek on YouTube). We'll have more coming in the near future as Greg continues to make an astounding comeback after being hit by a car back on August 1st. His comeback is coming along nicely as he took 1st and 2nd in the Nautica Malibu Olympic and Sprint distance triathlons last weekend against Leito and McCormack.

IM Moo - race report

DNF = OUCH!

I've had some time to let the end result sink in and will take away some good lessons from Sunday. I made a few mistakes that sound so simple but ones that zapped me out of the race.

Keep the engine cool

All week long, Madison rode in the low to mid 80's. Lake Monona was a stifling 76-degrees in the days leading up to the race. Race officials made a decision to allow wetsuits during the swim even though the cut off temperature for pros is 72-degrees. The reason for the decision was to avoid course congestion on the bike as they worried faster age groupers (who were allowed to wear wetties) would eliminate the 10 minute head start pros are given and catch up. Numerous athletes in my swim group yanked off their swim caps to cool their heads and I kept having to open up my wetsuit to let water pass through in attempt to cool off. The real effects showed up slowly during the bike as I started out more dehydrated than usual after the 2.4 mile swim. Overheating in the swim, coupled with wearing an aero helmet on the bike, made my engine overheat, I believe.

Be willing to change your pre-race plan

To be honest, I don't know what I would change, I only know it didn't work on Sunday. I wanted to mark Chris McDonald and knew this was within reason on both the swim and bike. He's done this race in the past - bloody won the race last year! - and always comes off the bike in the lead. I knew he would take me to the front of the race.

Chris and a few others came out with me from the swim but had a faster transition. I hustled best I could and went hard the first 5-7 miles out of town until I caught up to them. We settled into a nice pace but I kept going to the front of the group to drive it forward towards the two or three race leaders up the road. We caught Brandon Marsh before Verona and he told me later he just watched us fly by, however at around mile 30 I noticed my aero drink bottle between my aerobars had come loose and was about to fall out. I had to make an instant decision to pull over and attempt to refasten it or to throw it away and proceed with one bottle. I was unwilling to give up my position in the race and got rid of it. I felt like A MILLION BUCKS for the next 30 miles until I found myself spaced out and unable to tap out any power from my legs. I lost contact with Chris and the whittled down group of three riders but was also repassed by eventual race winner Raynard Tissink and the Estonian racer who finished 3rd. I had to let them go too.

For the next 20 miles I took three bottles at each aid station, pouring one water bottle over my head, keeping a water bottle on my bike, and holding a Gatorade bottle in my hands between the aerobar. I snapped out of LA LA LAND around mile 95 and rode back into T2 a decent clip (thankfully it was not a head wind back into Madison). Once into T2, I still managed to get off the bike in 7th or 8th place but felt as though I had spent 12 rounds in a dark room with Buster Douglas. I ran out onto the run course, saw Em and her friends who all came to watch Amy and Brandon Marsh and me race, ran nearly two miles down the road and was totally tapped out.

Pick yourself back up

I read in the paper the next day race winner Tissink had gone through a bad spot during the race, vomiting during the swim and unable to see the road in the early bike miles. I believe a large part of this was due to the wetsuit swim as it caused racers to overheat more than usual (racers will never give up a competitive edge and go without a wetsuit). What a champion to be able to stay with the race, refocus, and finish on his own terms. I also watched Chris McDonald ride to the fastest bike of the day on a machine that was not shifting properly. He rode with patience, strength and was a fighter to the end during the run. I'll try and take a similar attitude into my next race.

A quick shout out to the Travel Club organizers Terri J, Beth S, Chris and Jenny F and Emily. Having spectators out on the course always makes the race go by a bit faster and allows for added fuel to the fire. Just look at what their support did for Amy Marsh, their teammate and friend, who won the whole blasted women's race in only her second Ironman. Congrats to the Texas transplants, Amy and Brandon!

Finally, but not least of all, thanks Stephanie and Zak for opening your house up to me and Emily. We had a blast. Congrats to getting into the 2010 race, Stephanie, and we'll enjoy watching you race!

Stay tuned,
LF

long day -- back home

just got back home from Madison. i will write a more in-depth race report later this week but i will say this quickly. despite not having the race i had trained to have, i sure had a fun time out there. the course was challenging, the fans were crazy, and i got to hang out with friends and watch our girl, Amy Marsh, bring home her first IM victory home in front of all of her college swimming teammates (good luck Gopher charms).

LF