As the snow disappeared, the lakes defrosted, and the weather warmed up, it was time for NEMS members to unhitch their bikes from the trainers (or wipe the dust off for some), dig out their wet suits and get ready for a great season of racing! One of the great things about our club is that we have members of all skill levels, some are new to triathlon, or have a new goal to aim for, while others are almost always near the top of the podium. Despite this, we all support each other and acknowledge each other’s achievements, no matter how big or small because even the smallest accomplishment is attained through sacrifice, hard work, and grit.
At the Quassy Olympic distance tri, Lucas knocked 9 minutes off his course PR and won the top spot, while Craig crushed his PR by 10 minutes and won third place for his age group. The next stop for him is Ironman Cour D’Alene. You are going to do great!
Lucas wrote in his race report:
“What I have discovered since then is that triathlon is a way for people of all ages and abilities to challenge themselves, to overcome obstacles, and to achieve truly amazing things that they never thought possible! You do not have to be the best or the fastest racer to do a triathlon and to be proud of what you have accomplished; regardless of whether it is your first sprint or first ironman. In my opinion; with the right amount of dedication and perseverance you can achieve just about anything you put your mind to.”
The Nashua Tri is a big race for the club. It is an early season sprint race that is local to most. There is always lots of proud NEMS blue and orange among the crowd, between the organizers, racers, and volunteers. A big thank you to Jay for all of the work he does to make it run smoothly! Club member Lucas won the top spot while many others placed in their age groups (Woot!). Larry did rather nicely despite having spent his off-season recovering from a skiing injury and Mo, a club newbie, focused on achieving her goals while having a lot of fun doing it, welcome to the club!
The Patriot Half went off smoothly for Norman, who was using the race as a tune-up for ITU Long Course Worlds the following weekend. He placed 4th in his age group and I’m sure he’ll do fantastic at worlds! Sarah raced with her heart and placed 3rd in her age group, only a minute behind 1st! Richard hit a sweet PR and placed 6th in his highly competitive age group.
There are, of course, times when things don’t go as planned but you learn to adapt your plan. Kevin learned that happiness with a race doesn’t necessarily have to be based on the result (he had a rough off season) and despite losing his goggles in the swim, and having a water bottle troubles on the bike, Mark was able to adjust his race strategy and conquer his very first 70.3 (congratulations on such a huge accomplishment!).
Meanwhile, the next day was a big one as well. Members Zuzka and Colin won their age groups at Ironman Syracuse 70.3, and Chris finished with speed and strength! At the same time, Stephanie was at Ironman Mont Tremblant 70.3, using it as a tune-up for her first full Ironman in a few months. She killed her goals!!! Good luck Stephanie, you are going to do great at Mont Tremblant 140.6!