On Saturday, August 11th, Chris Kaminaris and Colin Cook competed in the inaugural Ironman US Championship that took place in New York City/New Jersey.  Despite some complications with the water that nearly caused the swim to be canceled and some pretty crazy logistics for a race in such a big city, the race went off as scheduled. The course started with a 2.4 swim in the Hudson river, followed by a 112 mile ride mostly on the Palisades Parkway, and then a 26.2 mile run that ended in Manhattan, but included a trip across the George Washington bridge.

Chris really took advantage of current in the swim to start his day off with a very fast 53:27 swim.  After that, Chris stayed disciplined on the bike and had a respectable bike split of 6:59:26 on the consistent rolling hills of the Palisades Parkway.  Chris then maintained a very steady pace during throughout the very challenging run course to finish his marathon in 5:18:59,  allowing him to complete his first Ironman in 13:35:10.  Way to go Chris!  YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!  Here is a picture of Chris crossing the finish line:

Colin Cook had a very big day as well.  Colin also advantage of the current during the swim to come out of the water in 45:42.  Colin then stayed very disciplined on the bike finishing the 112 mile ride in 5:26:17.  Colin then completed the 5th fastest marathon in his age group of 3:30:57 on the very hill run course to complete his 5th Ironman in a total time of 9:48:07.  Colin ended up as the 25th overall age grouper of the nearly 2500 participants and earned a qualification into the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on October 12, 2012.  Here is some video of Colin heading down the finisher chute:

Outstanding job guys!!!

2012 MascomaMan Half-Ironman race report by Greg Indruk

Our intrepid race report author shows off his well-earned race bling.

-As luck would have it, I came down with a cold the sunday before the race (less than one week out). As a result I took the entire week leading up to the race completely off. I figured I would call my participation in the race on Friday (the day before the race).

-Friday came and I decided I would NOT do the race. I figured it would do more harm than good.

-By Friday afternoon I started to feel a little better, but still did not think I would race. I did, however, decide to drive up the night before with Chris P to cheer him and Zuzka on in the morning. I brought most of my stuff…just in case; however I left my wetsuit at home, since the water temp was 80 (over the cutoff for awards qualification) for the last week.

-Both Chris and I picked up our packets the night before at Drummond cycles.

-Chris and I met Zuzka at the Salt Hill restaurant in downtown Lebanon. Chis had started to feel like he might be getting the cold I had so he figured he couldn’t possibly hurt his performance by his meal choice…he opted for a cup of chili chased by a large plate of mac and cheese and a beer (remember that!). The food was reasonably good and there was a fair selection to choose from.

-By bedtime I decided I would do the race as long as I didn’t feel terrible in the morning.

-I woke up at 4:30- tired, but willing to give it a go.

-Chris and I drove the 20 minutes from our hotel (Baymont inn) in West Lebanon to the venue in Enfield. The event is fairly small, so parking was not an issue. There is probably a 0.25mile walk from parking to the transition area.

-Be sure to check your packets carefully for helmet numbers and wave numbers. The helmet number is small (I either lost mine or was never given one). I also neglected to check my wave number (on a sticker on the outside of the packet bag), so I went around in the AM asking every volunteer I could find if they knew how the waves were broken down…none knew, but fortunately I was not the only one in this position and the race director was good enough to have one of her volunteers available with a list of bib numbers and waves. It looks like the waves covered at least 10 years (2 age groups). Chris and I were wave 2. Zuzka was wave 1. The heats were separated by 3 min.

-At the last minute the race director changed the swim status to WETSUIT LEGAL. This was obviously a downer for me, since I had left my wetsuit at home. So, the lesson is, always bring your wetsuit! You never know what the weather may bring (rain and cold nights) and many race directors seem willing to stretch the rules a little bit in order to error on the side of safety (read buoyancy).

-SWIM: Start slightly after 7am. I did NOT warm up in the water, as I was trying to figure out my start wave. This was a MISTAKE. When the swim finally started, my goggles fogged up almost instantaneously and stayed that way for the entire swim (worsening if anything). At times I could not distinguish swim caps from buoys (swim caps were hot pink and the buoys were hot orange). I had to stop several times in order to get my bearings…at one point swimming inside one of the buoys and having to stop and swim back around the outside. Sun glare was not a problem…it was overcast.

-Again, I did not have a wetsuit but almost the entire field did. This was definitely a drag (literally) on my performance.

-The swim is a double loop with a short (maybe 30ft) beach run between the end of the first loop and the start of the second. There is a buoy on the beach to help with sighting.

- After the exit there is an approximately 200ft uphill grass run to the transition area.

- 38:20. Around 3min slower than my swim on the same course in 2011. By the time I looked at my watch in the transition area, it appeared as if my swim was 40min—not encouraging.

Chris strikes a winning pose.

-BIKE: The transition requires a short (maybe 20ft) run over grass and fine gravel to the bike mounting area. There is then a short (200ft) winding ride on a paved driveway to the main road/course. The course is a single loop with typical NH terrain. The road surface quality is generally good.

-I started the bike knowing I needed to make up time on the head of the field, especially considering my slow (slower than normal) swim. At the same time, I was conscious of not going out too hot. I didn’t have my heart rate strap on, but I was careful to keep my breathing and exertion level comfortable; being especially careful at the start of the ride.

-In the first 15 miles I passed several riders. From mile 15 to 30 I was pretty much alone; passing only one or two riders in this section. I developed knee pain in this section, which stuck with me…not sure at all what this is about, but hopefully it goes away.

-The first 30 miles of the course was hillier than I remembered. However, the hills were all relatively short and punchy. “Rolling” is probably the appropriate description.

-At about mile 30 I saw Chris P and a few other riders. I slowly reeled them in and passed them on the long climb starting around mile 35. Chris stayed with me for a while after the pass.

-Around mile 35 the course starts a long and fairly gradual stepped climb back toward the start of the course. Much of this climb is shallow (maybe 3 to 5%), with only a few steeper sections (maybe 7-8%). There are no very steep headwalls like that found on N. Groton road in the Mooseman course. And, again, it is stepped, even rolling at times, so you do get some recovery here or there.

- The last 6 or 7 miles is rolling to descending; with a few sustained and straight descents.

- The last 4 or 5 miles of the half course overlaps the sprint course, I ended up passing several sprint racers at this point.

- I sat back a little bit for the last 2 miles or so. By this point I was at the head of the race and wanted to stretch my legs out for the run. I also didn’t want to get caught up in a winning the bike split mentality…nor in “hearing footsteps.”

-The bike in is right next to the bike out…and the run out for the (sprint and half); be sure to stay on the correct side of the cones to avoid runners. After the dismount there is an approximately 75 ft run over mostly grass (flat) terrain into the T area.

-Over the course of the run I drank 1 large bottle of water mixed with maltodextrin (carbohydrate) powder and a little electrolyte mix. I also drank ¾ of a small bottle of water.

-2:26:52. Slower than I thought, but I don’t have any complaints.

Eddie makes his 70.3 debut.

-Run: Ugg. Need I say more? By this time everything was starting to catch up to me. My legs have never felt so heavy and I had a stomach cramp for pretty much the whole run. My perceived exertion was high for the first 2 to 3 miles (not sure what my HR was, but it was definitely high). I struggled to find my target pace, constantly over or under shooting.

- Again, run out parallels the bike in, so be sure to stay on the correct side of the cones. The run out mat is the same as the bike out mat.

- The run starts with a moderate downhill to flat for just over 2 miles; the first place finisher passed me in this section. There are two aid stations in the first 2 miles and this section is shared with the sprint course, so you may, as I did, find yourself passing sprint runners.

- At mile 1.6 the run turns left onto a beautiful but hilly road paralleling in the shoreline. This road slowly climbs to an apex probably around mile 4.5 (with an aid station around mile 3.5). This section is well shaded, but fairly steep at times. Chris P took his vengeance on me just before the top of the climb and passed me like I was standing still.

-From the apex of the hill, the course descends until you reach a nice rail trail (about mile 5.3–volunteers provide good direction). There is a rest stop at the start of the rail trail. The rail trail is obviously flat and well shaded. Most of the trail is medium sized, and fairly well packed, gravel. The rail trail section is short and includes two more aid stations….including one at the turn around and one which you pass twice (miles 6.1 and 7.4).

-After the turn around (mile 6.7) you retrace part of the rail trail and then are directed onto the street running through a small downtown. This section doesn’t have much shade and could be hot on a brighter day (or later in the day). There is a very slight, but perceptible, incline here. This section is, however, short; it just turns you around so you can start climbing up the backside of the hill you summited on the way out. Be sure to look for course markers; there is a right hand turn near the center of town.

-So yes, you do have to climb back up the hill you crawled over on the way out. On the plus side, you get a nice sustained descending to flat section once you reach the summit. There is one aid station on this road; it is around mile 10.

-Once you make the right turn off the back road (about mile 11.5), you are clearly on the home stretch. The terrain is flat to slightly rising from here. There are two rest stops (mile 11.6 and 12.1) from here to the finish.

-It looks like the course is just shy of a true half marathon; which is welcome relief!

-Over the course of the run I choked down two or three gu blocks and one small cup of warm flat coke. I also took several small cups/sips of water. The whole run felt terrible, but the last 3 miles were particularly brutal. I am not sure precisely why this run felt as bad as it did…it could be due to: inappropriate nutrition, going too hard on the bike (it didn’t feel that way), the fact that I did no long brick runs off the bike, the fact that I was getting over a cold, the fact that I had zero workout time in the week leading up to the race, the fact that this is my first year getting back into reliable run training or just that fact that I am not that good of a runner….of course I’m sure I could come up with any number of excuses…the bottom line: halfs are hard!

-1:38:18. Faster than I thought and much faster than it felt, but, again, the course appears to be a little short.

NEMS in the house.

Lessons learned:

1) Always (Always!) bring your wetsuit.
2) Always check your packets carefully for numbers and or labels which may indicate heats.
3) Pack your entire race packet in your transition bag. If you forget anything, you will not have to go back to the car.
4) Warm up in the water? At least get your face wet and swim a few strokes. You need to test out your goggles and acclimate them.

Results:
http://back40timing.com/?p=385

Chris P’s effort was good enough to place as the second overall male finisher. I came in third, by a couple long minutes.

Zuska had a strong race, winning her age group.

Eddie also joined us on the half course (his first ever!) and finished in fine fashion.

Northeast Multisport was well represented at Ironman Lake Placid last weekend with Andrew Levine, Chad Quinlan and Josh Cleland participating in their first Ironman event and Dan Dugan participating in his second in the past 12 months. Additionally, Colin Cook was present to cheer on his group and encourage them to stick to the plan for success that was devised prior to race day was stuck too. Richard Hostler was also present and he spent race day volunteering at the first aide station on the run course. It was a terrific mental boost for the NEMS participants to see a fellow teammate while just starting the marathon and 3 other times along the run.
The weekend started on Friday when all 4 NEMS members registered for the race.

Following registration Andrew, Chad, Dan and Josh returned to their hotel rooms to pack their gear and take in a little R&R. Meanwhile Colin was finishing up a training session which entailed completing the 112 mile bike course. He was really checking the bike course for any dangerous objects that might obstruct NEMS members from achieving their goals of becoming an Ironman the following day.
Saturday July 21st was a beautiful day in Lake Placid with sun, a light breeze and a temperature around 77 degrees. It was time for mandatory gear check in at the transition area at the Olympic Oval. It was an amazing site with all the gear bags hanging in rows and the nearly 2600 bikes in the transition area.

The weather on race day was beautiful and mirror lake was smooth as glass. The temperature of the water was 74.1 degrees so wetsuits were legal for all athletes during the swim. The pros started the swim at 6:50 then it was time for the rest of the field to start at 7am. Although mirror lake was calm at the beginning of the race this was anything but the case when the gun went off and nearly 2600 athletes began the 2.4 mile swim and the start of their Ironman day.

The above is a good youtube vid of the swim start
All NEMS participants had respectable swim times and moved on to the 2 loop 112 mile bike course. The excitement of the day made it difficult to stick to the plan at times but all NEMS members were able to maintain a solid base and not experience cramping issues. The bike also entailed a lot of caloric and fluid intake to be sure the athletes had adequate energy to complete the bike and run, which at times can be difficult. By the middle of the bike course the temperature approached 80 degrees and there was not a cloud in the sky.

Once the bike was complete it was on to the 2 loop marathon. The temperature appeared to increase during the first half of the run but at about that time some clouds rolled in which started to bring the temperature down which was a well deserved respite from the sun.

Despite the pain associated with completing a full marathon all NEMS successfully completed the course and on July 22nd 2012 became Ironman in respectable times.
1. Andrew Levine: 12:05:57
2. Chad Quinlan: 12:18:02
3. Josh Cleland: 13:07:12
4. Dan Dugan: 13:46:36
Exact details of their individual times can be found here.

http://ironman.com/events/ironman/lakeplacid?show=tracker&race=lakeplacid&year=2012#axzz21eBy1Q5Q

Here is some video from the action:

Black Fly Weekend 2012 (July 7-9) was certainly one to remember. This unique race weekend, now in its 4th year, takes place in Waterville Valley, NH and includes a bike time trial, “international” triathlon, sprint triathlon, and a late-evening 5K. Racers can participate in individual races or compete in the Lords of the Flies challenge, which combines the times from the TT, and both triathlons.

Weather conditions were ideal throughout the weekend, and NEMS racers Colin Cook, Richard Hostler, Josh Cleland, Tom Frost, Jim Petersen, Zuzka Trnovcova, Carolanne Caron, Tom Rogers, Eric Beuregard, Emily Strong, Brian Lemire, Nancy Donovan, Chad Quinlan, Chris Veilleux, Jay Francis, and Frank Mulcahy took full advantage. Over the course of this 3-day event, NEMS earned an impressive 14 podium spots. Yet another great showing for the club!

Also, a big “thank you” goes to Frank Mulcahy on behalf of NEMS for hosting the club get-together Saturday afternoon. Good food, good friends, good times!

Check out these videos of all three days of competion.

NEMS member Nate Thomas recently competed in the inaugural Mt. Tremblant 70.3 Ironman in Quebec. The race took place in a picturesque location with a challenging bike and run course. The swim took place in Lake Tremblant, and Nate came out of the water right where he had hoped to be, in 34 minutes. The bike course was constantly rolling and had three good climbs. The total elevation for the bike course was 3200 ft. Nate played to his strength, having one of the top amateur bike splits, finishing the bike in 2:23, and coming into transition right around the 3 hour mark. Nate was hoping to have a sub 1:30 run, but side stitches in the first part of the run slowed him down. He had a solid negative split and ended up catching several people who had passed him early in the run. Nate ended up with a 1:32 run, finishing in 4:35 and placing 6th in his AG, M30-34. Nate was also the second American non-pro to finish, finishing 40th overall out of 2068 racers. He was lucky enough to snag one of the two allocated 70.3 World Championship slots for his age group, and will be heading to Las Vegas in September to compete against some of the best age groupers in the world.

WAY TO GO NATE!!!!

Over the weekend of June 22-24th, 5 NEMS members, Dan Dugan, Josh Cleland, Chad Quinlan, Andrew Levine, and Colin Cook headed to Lake Placid, NY to train on the Ironman Lake Placid course. NEMS members arrived on Friday, did a 1.2 mile swim, a 112-140 mile ride on Saturday with up to a 4 mile run, and then did a 2.4 mile swim and around a 13.1 mile run on Sunday. There was one rough patch of rain, thunder and lightning on Saturday, but besides that, the weather was terrific. This should be a big confidence booster for these NEMS members who are all, except Colin, racing IMLP next month. Here is a little video from their training over the weekend:

June 16th proved to be the perfect day for setting PRs, and our NEMS racers took full advantage at the Patriot Half in East Freetown, MA. Conditions were nearly ideal, with plenty of sun, temps that climbed into the high 60′s, and a bit of wind that added some chop to the swim. The first NEMS racer across the line was Brent Osborne, who made a last-minute switch from the tri to aquabike due to injury. A blistering 2:24 bike split propelled Brent to a 2nd place overall finish and a trip to the podium. Next in was Colin Cook, setting a PR, breaking 4:30 for the first time, and finishing in 8th place on the day. Colin was followed by Richard Hostler, who completed his first 70.3 in 4:58; Chris Veilleux, who fought through illness to finish in 5:29 and PR by 38 minutes; and Karin Chen whose strong run set the stage for a PR of 5:53.

Congratulations to all our racers! Way to represent!

NEMS was all smiles after the race.

Here’s the NEMS video recap from Patriot Half 2012.

On June 10, NEMS had a HUGE turnout for the Greater Nashua Sprint tri in Merrimack, NH. NEMS has a total of 38 members compete in this great event. The conditions were beautiful throughout the day. There are some many highlights to list that we’ll need to resort the results page. However, Nate Thomas has to be mentioned because he took the overall win. Nate used his incredible bike split to power his way to the top of the standings. Congrats to Nate for his first overall win!!!

Here is a picture of most of NEMS members that competed or volunteered on Sunday:

Here is a link to a ton of footage from the action:

Despite some very cold and rainy conditions, NEMS members showed their mental toughness at Mooseman on June 2nd and 3rd. The conditions were extra cold and there was a solid down pour for the International distance race on Saturday. Quite a few competitors were forced to pull out of the competition, but it not did stop any of the NorthEast MultiSport members. Zuzana Trnovcova took 2nd in female 25-29 age group, Chris Veilleux took 3rd in the male 30-34 age group, Karin Chen and Kristina Homoleski both took 4th in their respective age groups.

The weather started out a bit wet on Sunday for the Half Ironman distance race. However, the conditions turned to respectable by the time most competitors were on the bike. The slow conditions did not help the overall times for this already extremely difficult and hilly course. Nonetheless, the NEMS relay team of Colin Cook (swim), Greg Indruk (bike), and Chris Poulos (run) were able to win the relay competition. On the individual side, Floyd Kemske took 3rd in the 65-69 age group, while Andrew Levine, Chad Quinlan, Josh Cleland, and Mikael Taveniku all did an excellent job competing this challenging race and finishing in very respectable times.

Here is some video from the action over the weekend:

Way to go guys!

The water is still warming up, but it hasn’t held NEMS members from getting their open water swims in. Over the past few weekends, NEMS has been doing group swims at Silver Lake in Hollis, NH and it is really helping everyone get ready for their races this season. Here is some video from the action: