New Beginnings, New Faces, New Places
As the year winds down and we all crank up our pre-season prep work in the weight room, it’s a great time to feed that tri junkie “jones” by planning your 2010 race season. It was in that planning that I happened upon a few things that made me light up with anticipation.
A new addition to the HFP Racing calendar is the NEW American Triple T Series – East Coast edition! Held just outside Raleigh NC (about halfway between Raleigh and the coast) the Triple T NC will mirror the format of the outstandingly popular (and always sold out) Triple T Ohio with a series of 4 races over the course of a weekend, culminating in a half-Iron distance race on Sunday. The total distance of the weekend will put the participants (either solo or in teams) at a complete Iron distance event. Triple T Ohio has been rated as one of the Top 100 events of the year by a national triathlon magazine, and it always sells out months before the first gun sounds. The addition of an East Coast version of the event adds new folds to the HFP Racing family – as several of our SouthEast coasters have made the trip to Ohio for events, and now can stay close to home but also share the experience with their families and fellow local competitors. It promises to be as much fun (and as challenging) as its Ohio predecessor. Plan and reserve your spot now.
In the “new faces” side but still in the same places, North Carolina may be the next hotbed of new athletes for the triathlon world, thanks in part to a national organization with roots in the Charlotte area. “Girls on the Run” is a national organization (see www.girlsontherun.org) that encourages pre-teen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. The Charlotte Chapter is coached by HFP Racing fan and friend Lisa Keller, and after a 16 week ramp up, they are putting 15 girls in their first 5K this weekend! As part of the Charlotte Marathon weekend, the girls will be running in the Jingle Jog 5K. Coach Keller is so excited she can’t contain her enthusiasm and pride in her new athletes. “They remind me: ‘Remember when I couldn’t run, but used to walk?’ Now I can run the whole thing!’” Keller gushes: “I am so proud of them, they are doing so well.” All in elementary school (grades 3, 4, and 5) , these 15 new athletes could be starting a whole new chapter in their lives as runners, joggers, or triathletes. I tell people at every race: You live through your first race and live for your next one. Thank you Girls on the Run for seeing the need and filling the void, and helping our girls see their true worth. I know I was at the finish line when both of my kids completed their first races, and now both have aspirations to the High School track team and competitions beyond. I am quite sure there will be several proud parents and coaches at this finish line too, and those little pink shirts will be the real winners of the event, regardless of the clock. Good luck girls!
Maybe with a little encouragement we can get these new athletes to the Triple T NC and let them strut their stuff their too. (Girls on the Run has chapters all over the US – if you want to get involved, see the website above for details. I promise you’ll get back more than you invest). The hardest part of any race is getting to the starting line – so let’s help them get a good start.
See you on race day!
Rich
