Race series winners, beer mile, winter break!

Who won the Race Series?
First Place Men's ==> MIKE!
First Place Women's ==> LINDSEY!

Woohoo! Another successful race series, and winners of the Vince Lavallee cup have been dubbed. May there be many more race series events to come!
Thanks to all those who participated, we look forward to seeing you guys out with the club next term.
In case you were wondering, Vince Lavallee is a legend of the Triathlon Club, much like Rocky Balboa in the boxing world or Zelda in "Legend of Zelda". I'd like to thank him for donating an important award to the UBC Tri Club. And a thank you to our sponsors for another awesome term. Without your ongoing support we wouldn't be able to do all the cool stuff we do (but don't worry your support is not being used toward anything like our beer mile).

TO THE BEER MILE! -->!!!!!

What is beer mile?
Running a mile composed of 4 laps, and before each lap a beer must be consumed. Also defined as the greatest Tri Club event of all time!

There was a huge pump up for the race:
Above: Jon the Man-Horse Whisperer and Wrecking Ball Kevin

In case you didn't hear, we were also joined at the track by the quiditch club!
Above: Jon Heinz who decided to grab a broom, flying across those beer mile laps.

Above: There was a pretty big crowd out for the race. No surprise there. The Beer mile kinda… Is a BIG DEAL.

Dan went into the race probably the most motivated, and had been training for weeks, gearing up for the race with a warm-up lap. Jorge had been carb loading though MONTHS ahead of time, eating tons of German potatoes and Kraft dinner - dinners. Eric and Katrina decided that they would go for a more moderate strategy of wearing headlamps and bike helmets for the race, little did Eric know (but understandable since he's just getting into the sport) that the aerodynamic value of a helmet for biking does not necessarily transfer for running. BUT somehow, that helmet gave Eric magical powers to take on the race head first (get it? bad joke? because his head was safe with a helmet so he could charge into anything on the race?). Moving on.. But first, check out dese' pics below. Some good looking people below.

Lindsey was the proclaimed underdog going into this event against Jorge. However, I was thoroughly impressed that she not only finished without puking (yes, that is a feat) but that she also may have set a record for best female time. Keith was another big shot who also had a lot of promise going into the race. Keith finished hard, and really did giver! Unfortunately, he was quickly disqualified after the race once it was discovered that he was juicing earlier that day. Fortunately, he was reinstated and re-qualified as a racer once we found out that the juicing only pertained to juicing oranges to make smoothies earlier that day. Mmmmmmmmmm smoothies.

One man adorned with a Movember Stache' conquered the beer mile with a smile on his face, claiming the moustache would make him faster THAN EVER BEFORE. Dylan stepped up to the challenge though and transformed into the beer mile master. You could read his power level from (beer-able) miles away.


While, Nick could not join us for the race [as he was racing an important 10km the next morning], he did wield a pizza box above his head to stay dry while cheering everyone on. Another note-able member of the cheering squad was Tia who set-up her iPad as an awesome timer for the race!

In other news: There was a naked man who ran the race.
Lets take a brief quote from naked dude post-race: " it was so cold, but first place was so close. I could feel it [and I thought I could distract the competition and take first place]"
It was a Bold Strategy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ru8DMW-grY

Unfortunately there was no battle of the Bhatlas at this beer mile, which means there will still be yet another epic battle to go down at next terms beer mile!

Now, for the REAL question... Who won beer mile?
Jorge!

Here are the top 3 times from the beer mile:
Jorge 7:55
Brendan 8:26
Tom 8:57
Pretty amazing huh.

Now the even MORE REAL question... Who really won beer mile? The real winners were all those whom remain unnamed who puked during the race and successfully completed their penalty lap, maintaining the pride of ubctc, and anyone who came out on Friday to celebrate the end of another awesome term!

The mile was followed by an epic after party featuring pizza, and good tunez.
Da pizza party was great, er'body loves a good pizza!

Shout out to the quiditch club for joining us for the beer mile! I'm not gonna lie, they're pretty good at drinking, and I'm very stoked they came out.

So now what do we do now that the race series is over? 
Sit at the couch and sulk because you don't have anything else to do?
Join a new sport like jousting or synchronized swimming?
Well... how about make a post on the Tri club Facebook wall to find a friend to run with, swim with or cycle with.. Or even ski with!
And if you're not staying active over the break, don't sweat it, you'll get whipped back into shape once you start coming to workouts again in January. ;).

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYBODY!
Congrats on another great season!
Try to stay in shape, come up with some new goals, and most of all, HAVE FUN!
Cheers,
The UBC Triathlon Club Exec

Da MILE!

Da MILE!

The rain fell like gels pouring out of the clouds. Though weighed down by the water, the warriors tredged on to the dankest of race courses for the 5km glory.



The winners were...Drum roll please?.... Simon and Jen Moroz.

But more importantly, we got a mini interview with Hyun!
Here's it is... Behold!

Q: Hyun, anything you'd like to say to the fans after an amazing race?
Hyuen: don't stop believing, and if you're not first your last!
Q: What was your prep like for this astonishing race?
Hyuen: Mostly running. I run to class, run in class, run after class. Even in my dreams I'm always running
Q: Did it feel as good as you imagined it to passing by Seth and tiff on your final lap?
Hyun: Better. The look on Seth's face crying because he couldn't take home the gold was priceless.
Q: If it got so rainy the course was flooded would you have still won? Hyun: No, it would have come down to the best swimmer. While Brendan or Carl or Jen are more like a big tunas in the water, I'm more like a little baby anchove, so I would have had no chance, unless a shark came by and ate Brendan but that wouldn't be nice, and who would want to clean up that mess. 

Above: Hyun leading the race as he passes an innocent bystander.

Thanks to all who came out these last few weeks for the 5km, Iona tt, and the 500m swim!!!
Get ready for tha beer mile coming soon!
Tentative date? Next Friday Night, meeting at Camosun Oval, (then making our way to Alma for an Alma-wesome after party.)

Also, shout out to Victoria, Brendan and Winston for amazing races in Arizona this past weekend!!!
Way to rep the club, and look beautiful doing it too.

Aquathon, Nautical mile, and the Ice cube (Brick)!

Aquathon, Nautical mile, and the Ice cube (Brick)!

It's been a busy week for the Tri club! I'm gonna have to cover a lot of ground today within one post but it should be worth your time… so stick with me!

Agenda:

1) The Aquathon 2) The Nautical Mile 3) Ice Cube 4) Poem

1) The Aquathon

 

This is a 500m swim followed by a gallant run around campus.

I must admit, gathered before the race there was a lot of speedo-lacking-ness.

Considering when I joined the tri club I was the only one NOT wearing a speedo, I think I should be entitled to rant about those who didn’t wear one.

That is unless you fit the list of excuses below...

Acceptable excuses for not wearing a speedo:

-You're a girl (recently was brought into disagreement about, but still valid)

-You're not actually in the tri club

-You’re speedo is tan coloured and might shock opponents

-Youre Chris Bhatla and know you'll win the race anyways. Jk not a valid excuse...

But it does Segway well into the rest of the post!

Chris Bhatla smoked the competition for tha’ men at the race. Some tourists watching the event wear reported to have mistaken Chris for Simon Whitfield. Despite Chris taking a minute to give out autographs he still won the race.

While Chris was busy giving autographs Eric and Keith were on his tail.

Have you ever gotten dinged in transition for taking too long? Eric got a little slowed down after the swim – stuck in transition. Eric was reported to have pulled off a 1 minute 500m, 2 minute run but his transition took 20 minutes. Yes, 20 minutes… Well maybe more like 3 minutes but still - he got out of the pool, took a nap, went out and got a haircut, went the wrong direction heading out of the pool and then went back to the pool, the mall, then did the run. Jen Moroz and Jen Bhatla had an intense swim off! Imagine, two dragons fighting underwater…Well, it wasn’t that epic. But I heard it was pretty sweet. After politely asking each other who deserved to win this race, Jen Bhatla decided that it was Jen Moroz’s turn and the deed was settled as they kept racing toward the finish line. Monica and Heather also had some competition –  Monica stole the lead in the end, but it was only because Heather decided that she would help Winston since he had collapse about 10 meteres into the run (which is understandable since he did just did a marathon the other week!). – While Heather made her way to the finish line piggy-back carrying Winston – Lise chased – and somehow Heather managed to get ahead of Monica, but realized later that Winston had fallen off her back. Winston got up, and suddenly he was back on his feet running head to head with Mike– or should I say shoe to shoe, or should I say speedo to speedo. This is just getting weird. But the point is there was some good intense competition and to those who braved this event, I salute you.

Cheers!

2) The Nautical Mile

It was a mild mid-october evening. The mood for running was just right. A little too right…..

Jen Moroz lead an intensive warm-up gearing everyone up as the competitors arrived near the track. We almost didn’t get to use the track (due to some random varsity track guy who told us the track which they weren’t using was only for them). Luckily, after speaking to the varsity coach we got around that meany varisty athlete and although confined to the outside 2 lanes had a fierce nautical mile. There was a massive amount of girl power at the race (14 girls! and 8 guys!). The guys started out first to give them a head start. Everyone guy feared the wrath of Tiffany, Karli, and Jen moroz who lead the way for the girls. There was mad kompetition between all those girls in the club with a first name starting with K…Karli, Katrina, Keely, Ketty and (K)Camilla. – Meanwhile for Mike and Tom battled it out for the mile 1^st place title but Mike took off on his last lap taking the lead. Hyun, Josh and Kevin also put on the pace. Hyun and Jojo were also battling it out – showing off all the speed they’ve gained in these last 2 months. I guess we’ll have to see who’s favoured for the 5km run coming up!

3) The ice cube (da brick!)

OR

It was a cold cold morning. It was the kind of morning when cliff bars would be frozen and toes would be swollen or if you were old - you'd either stay at home or go bowling....

But not too cold for the 12 or so who showed up ready to race!!!!!

The brick involves an epic combo of running and biking.

The racers all gathered and were ready to race making motorcycle noises before jetting off to begin.

Eric and Katrina had an epic battle off on the bike. Imagine pirate ships trying to board each other with cannons firing and civilians cheering both pirate ships on. That was nothing like their epic battle, but it does sound cool doesn’t it. Meanwhile mike was reported to have used his fenders during the bike much like a catapult to launch banana peels and turtle shells at his opponents (much like a Mario kart racer)

The race went on... Mike stole the lead, but was closely followed by Sherwood....Sherwood, carried his bike for the run and was reported to have still beaten Seth over tha entire race- what a boss!

There was only one first timer who showed up to the race - tom - who ended up destroying the competition. He pulled off an epic bike and although tailed by Tiffany he went hard in the paint ( show hard in the paint video) and finished strong!

Lyndsey, in her hungover state apparently was found napping in transition, but was woken up by the thunder of Sherwood's thighs as he ran through the finish line. Lyndsey quickly awoke and then she still rocked run!

MVP Tiffany showed some sick improvement on the run and bike yesterday! Many attribute her recent success to her beautiful mussette cafe kit.. Gotta look boss to be the boss! Triathlon is all about style, take a look at winstorm for example. Winston, wearing a leather jacket, black jeans, and a bandanna - stylish as hell- sexy like no other- he had pretty much won the race before it had started. Be sure to make it out to the 5km to see Winston sporting the fashion of the future. THE FUTURE! Future, future, future… (that was meant to be an ‘echo’ voice in case you missed it). Look forward to seeing you all at the next race!

Winston looking stylish (he removed the leather jacket and bandanna for the photo). Sherwood looking ready to do the race all over again.

UBCTC @ the Brick!

Do to my lack of posting recently I offer you all an extra poem today. Here it goes:

I call it,

UBCTC…

UBCTC, you athletes are all so pretty!

You get to train in this beautiful city,

With friends like Tom, Brendan and Lyndsey.

Some of us love to bike like eddy, and Derek lee,

Or maybe running is your think like tiff and Mikey,

Or maybe you rock the pool like Jen Bhatla and her bro chris'y.

Whatever you like doing, you do it successfully.

Being in ubctc, we never make like a tree, I mean we barely sit around and just drink tea, but we do occasionally stop during runs to go pee, or drink between miles at the biannual beer mile party!

I hope all you have made ubctc part of your ubc family,

You guys are all great, seeing all your faces at practice is lovely!

An original work by Seth Bluman. Autographed versions available upon request.

Fall Classic Race Series BEGINS! - Aquathon Tomorrow!

THE FALL CLASSIC RACE SERIES ... IS HERE.

Bring your friends, bring your runners, pack your swim caps, you can even bring your mom, and get ready to RACE!

As a recap - last springs winners were Nathaniel Janzen and Jen Bhatla...

BUT WHO WILL WIN THIS YEAR! 

This year the heat is on.

Will Jen reclaim the crown? 

Will there be a brother sister throw-down between Chris Bhatla and Jen Bhatla?

I heard them smack-talking each other in the swim lane the other day and I would not want to be caught in the middle of that epic feud.

 Here's a quick recap from the race series event so far - the uphill run and bike!

For the Men of the Tri club: Eddy took the lead on the uphill bike, and Mike took the lead on the uphill run last week.

Sebastian and Tom tied the uphill bike, but I've also heard word that they may have just been riding a 2-man bike http://3219a2.medialib.glogster.com/media/38/3825d27166a475846b8b391da4131a7397e114bb8edd5d75ec6b352413ab4998/two-person-bike.jpg

There was also a tight race betwen Seth and Ryan on the uphill run.

Ryan dominated by one second - stealing the lead like a hamburgler. However, Seth claims to have been working on his training on summer and is ready to throw down on the aquathon on Sunday. Ryan also feels ready to bring DA HEAT. What's got Ryan's confidence up you might ask? He's been eating loads of granola bars and other goods which he's gotten recipes for from the nutrition blog. Little does he know, Seth edited ALL the nutriton blog posts to double the sugar quantities in all recipes as part of a secret plot to weigh (pun!) Ryan down in the races.

For the Women of the Tri club: Lindsay took first place in the uphill bike, but Tiffany took the first place for the uphill run. Looks these two will be fighting an uphill battle between each other. And it looks like my commentary just got cornier than ever. 

Other competitors to look out for?

I've heard newcomer Monica is looking for a new trophy for her mantle...but so is Jen Moroz..AND Tiffany.

Watch out for a feud between Tiffany Bilodeau and Jen Moroz. These two may seem like the nicest people you've ever met but they both want that Vince Lavallee cup (he's a legend you know). Will Tiffany's flexible ballet ankles for flipper feet in the pool be enough to match Jen's speed on the run?

WHO KNOWS!?... But stay tuned to find out after Saturday's Aquathon race.. Be thurr or be square!

Or... Will this be the year of Winstorm taking the cup home?

There's been talk of an epic matchup going down this term between Dylan Stephanian and Chris Bhatla... 

I put together a research team to run some stats on these two for you all.

Chris Bhatla:

-smart

-good at chemistry labs

-did "kids of steel" triathlon training

-only eats a strict diet of cliff bars and vegetables

Dylan Stephanian

-has been around the club way longer than Chris

-once killed a bear with nothing but a bike seat

-only eats a strict diet of Chris Bhatla's

-has been getting secret tips from Brendan

-goes to stretchy time more often than Chris

Bear in mind (pun intended), this epic duo will face-off in the gear of warriors. Well, not like armour like gladiators - but they will be decked out in spandex, gels, and quick tie laces

Getting back to the big picture. Who will take home the Fall Race Series Vince Lavallee (He must be a legend) cup this term?

I guess we'll just have to wait and see! ;)

See you at the Aquathon tomorrow!

There isn't anything like running around campus in a speedo in the fall!

Swim Goal Setting Sheets!

The term has begun and it's a great time to start making some training goals!!!!

Below I've attached Tia's Swim Goal Setting sheets. These are to be printed and brought to her (hard copies only) at any Tuesday or Thursday swim. This is to give yourself something to improve on and give Tia an idea of how to get you there.

Feel free to come up with some goals for running or biking too!

We're having some big crowds out for workouts lately - which is obviously...SUPER AWESOME!

For runs it's still light out - AND BEAUTIFUL... but... later into the term it is advised to start bringing headlamps to runs.

Also, don't miss out on the Club's Annual Welcome Back BBQ happening this Saturday after the bike ride at 11:30am.

Even if you're not coming for the ride feel free to come by for some burgers n salad and a bike maintenance workshop after!

Stay tuned for new club spin sessions TBA.

Cheers!




GOAL SETTING SHEETS
(Fill out the following and print please)

"Name:

Swimming Goal Setting: Fall 2013

Swim Technique/Stroke Goals:

1.

2.

3.

Swim Time/Speed Goals:

1.

2.

3.

Swim Workout Attendance Goals:

1.

2.

My Weekly Swimming Goals:

1.

2.

Other goals I have for this term in my training/racing:

1.

2.

3.

I am part of the UBC Tri club because (use back if necessary):

Goal setting is a huge part of achievement and success. I have to know what you are striving for so I can help you get there. Please think this over and bring it with you to your first practice back to give to Tia. New members have until the end of September!"

Back to School - Back to Training!

WELCOME BACK!!!!!!!

So Tri Club is back in action! And I hope everyone in the club is ready for another awesome year.
In case you missed our awesome booth at Imagine Day - here are some photos of SOME of the crew who came out to help out! Unfortunately we didn't manage to get a photo of everyone - but it was amazing to see so many faces from the club excited to recruit new members for the fall term. Thanks for all your help guys!
This year we had 376 new sign ups!!!! To put this into perspective - last year we only had about 100 sign ups.. that's like a 3.76X IMPROVEMENT! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vdqc2veHDg
...Or an even better video to show my excitement over this. It's OVER 300! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiMHTK15Pik



Left to right: Jenn (VP Internal), Tiffany (VP External), some weird looking dude

 

 From left to right: Some weird looking dude, Chris (one of your VP Athletics), Ryan Hirakida (VP Social)

If you missed us - come check us out on Clubs days!!!! - We can also accept club membership fees on club days as well (or before any of the workouts).

 So what does this mean now that we have so many new members who are gonna be around?
Well, it means a few things...
a) BIKES: We're gonna start having an A group and B group both meeting at the same time and location but for different levels of challenge for the Saturday 9am rides lead by Eddy (Cycling Coach).
 b) RUNS: We had a HUGE turn out on Monday and Wednesday (5:30pm runs)- and also over 10 people doing Ab ripper. With such a big crowd its a lot easier to find others your own speed and meet new people. I can't wait to see how many people come out next week!
c) SWIMS: Also a great turn out - and a number of people all at different skill levels! Tia given some game talk of doing technical workouts now earlier in the season and working more on endurance as we get closer to race season (spring)- then moving into tactical skills (e.g. drafting) as we get closer to the summer (and the races associated with em').
She's also given out goal setting sheets which I'll try to get up on this blog as well.
d) STRETCHY TIME: - this will be resuming next Friday at 6:30pm (and continuing every week after at a similar time for the rest of the term - if there are timing alterations these will be posted on the club facebook group). This is sort of a cross between stretching, pilates, yoga, and pirates - except without the pirates. Come try it out - there's always a big crowd (Bring your own yoga mat if you have one - if not we have a few spares kicking around the club office!).

 Come on out to a workout if you haven't yet!
Look forward to seeing you all around!

 Cheers,
UBC Tri Exec!

Battle of the Ex-Presidents

Over the next few days former UBC tri club presidents Matt Reeve and Nathaniel Janzen will square off at the ITU AG Wold Championships (along with Kevin Chariot).

The lack of trash talk surrounding the event is more a result of Vince's absence rather than an indication that this showdown will be anything less than the most intense encounter these two have experienced (and they've faced one another several times). This is no Kendra vs Vince Beer Mile challenge. Nor is it some silly intermural with an ugly t-shirt for 1st place. The winner will bask in the glory of all that is triathlon and will hold his head high for the rest of his life. The loser will become portly and feel the need to prove himself by finishing multiple Ironmans late into his thirties.

To whom the Victory? Let's look at the stats:

UBCTC Race series:
Nathaniel: 3 Race series wins
Matt: 3 Race series wins

Storm the Wall:
Nathaniel - Two individual wins
Twice Ironman Champion (narrowly beating out Matt the first time, beating the second place finisher by a mile the second time).
Matt - Two individual wins
Once Ironman Champion (beating the second place finisher relatively comfortably) and Once SUPER IRONMAN Champion.

Triathlons:
Their individual race results don't really help to determine who might come out on top in London. Although the'll be racing short course, the only thing that can be said about their triathlon history is that only Matt has come close to racing a REAL triathlon by completing a half-Ironman.

Personal Characteristics:
Nathaniel - a.k.a. Flipper (friends), Nacho (family), Pumpkin (Sophie)

Strengths: Nathaniel is an ex-varsity swimmer and ran track in high school. He's recently come close to the Club record for the Mile and has been banking some serious pool time. He also received not-so-secret coaching from Vince over the winter resulting in more power on the bike (although it's believed that his improvement on the bike is due more to being in the presence of Vince's mustache rather than any direct coaching).

Weakness: Untouchable at shorter distances, how will Nathaniel fare in the latter parts of the race?

Matt - a.k.a....Matt

Strengths: Matt is the consummate all-rounder. Not only is he consistently fast in the water, on the bike and on the run, one discipline doesn't impact the other. He's been lightning fast in both the club bricks and aquathons. He's a handsome Ginger that doesn't have the word quit in his vocabulary. The guy has biked across CANADA people! Even crazier, he spent an entire winter in Kitimat! Most of all though, he's hungry for revenge from Nathaniel's Storm the Wall victory.

Weakness: Has a year away from UBC tri club rendered him soft and chubby?

Joker - As with any great duel, this one's got a wild card: Matt's impressive ability to get it done, no matter what it takes. 

During his failed attempt to take the Race Series lead from the Club's funniest and kindest member, Matt convinced both Brendan and Kevin to get hammered with him on St-Patrick's Day, the eve of the aquathon. Kevin obliged (very happily) and Brendan did his share by downing a Merlot in one swoop. Matt drank water. The moral of the story? Matt's ruthlessly competitive so never, ever, ever count him out - it can come back to bite you (perhaps literally).

With the above information, it's up to you to decide - seems pretty close to call.