Tri Alliance Feature Story

The Triathlon Season is nearing a finish - what are you going to do?!

You will most likely be in either one of two places.

1.  You have been training and racing for 11 months of the year and you are HANGING out for the last race so you can have a break from training and racing.

2.  You are new to the sport of Triathlon and have just realised you are hooked - but the season is now coming to an end!

We can help you no matter which situation you find yourself in.....

1.  You are hanging out for a break!

So you have been training for 11 months straight, your body is feeling fatigued and you are starting to drop training sessions as you can’t drag yourself out of the bed, or muster the energy to pull on the runners after work. If you are normally fairly motivated, then this is a very good sign that your body needs a break! So at this time of the year, with only one race left of the Gatorade/Brooks Triathlon Series, don’t beat yourself up if you miss a session here or there. You have been training for 11 months already so you are not going to undo all your hard work in taking a session off - if fact you will find that it will actually help you! (Remember recovery and why it is so important? At this time of the year it is doubly important to ensure you get through the last part of the season!)

So if you are feeling mentally and physically tired, take a few days off training. Replace your run with a yogo session or stretching at home. Instead of an early morning swim, sleep in a little later and then do a light strength session with theraband or light weights - focusing on the triceps and lats (your main swimming muscles!) Get an extra massage (or get a massage period if you have never had one!) and make sure you continue with your nutrition to ensure your body is getting the right fuels. After a couple of days off you will feel more refreshed and you will be able to put in a sharp session in the pool, on the bike or run and your body will not only thank you for it - your head will too.  Mentally it is the toughest time of the year, so it is important to give your ‘head’ a rest too. You want to be sharp and ready to give your last race everything to finish off on a good note.

As soon as the last race finishes, don’t stop your training completely though. The next two weeks are important in your recovery phase. Enjoy some active recovery and mix up your recovery with mountain biking or get out in the bush for trail run/walks. Invite your friends/family who are normally too scared of your crazy training and enjoy a walk/jog with them. Making the next couple of weeks run (and easy) is the key. Then if you need to take 2 weeks off completely. Have total time away from triathlon, don’t think about it, don’t read any magazines about it, even go to the extreme to not talk about it. This will then have you wanting it even more when you come back to your training. You want to regain the drive, thirst and passion for triathlon - which will set you back up for the 2010/2011 Season!

2.  You have just realised you are hooked on triathlons!

You have only recently discovered triathlons and you have found yourself hooked, only to find out that the 2009/2010 season is almost over! Don’t fret, there is plenty still to do.

Firstly focus on the remaining race of the year. Have a goal (or goals) for the race - break it down into disciplines and set goal times for each leg. Or why not step up from the Brooks Fun Tri to the Gatorade Sprint Distance - nothing like a challenge, and finishing on a high!! 

One the last race of the series has finished, go back and have a look at your times, set them out in a spreadsheet and look at where you can feel you can improve the most. In our previous article we wrote about working on your weaknesses. The off season is the perfect time to work on your weaknesses and you will see a significantly bigger improvement than working on your strongest leg.

This is also the best time to look at your goals. What races do you want to focus on in the next 12 months? If you raced the Brooks Races this year, then why not make it your goal to race the Gatorade Series next year?! And more importantly, how are you then going to reach these goals/races?

To get started, go back to the basics, start building on long slow km’s and work on improving your technique (and efficiency). You might also want to consider training with a group of people who have similar goals to help push you through, and there are many drills that can improve your technique in all disciplines. Tri Alliance specialise in developing beginners in the sport of Triathlon, so why not contact us to find out how we can assist you with your goals. Pre season winter based programs commence in April, so start thinking now so you don’t miss out on getting the jump on the 2010/2011 season!

To help you keep motivated over the colder winter months, also look at entering in some fun runs/rides and events in your area. There are loads of events over the Autumn and Winter months, so why not start planning a few off season races to keep you motivated!

Check out our race calendar for races over the off season.

Tri Alliance Race Report - Race 5 Portarlington

Gatorade Triathlon / Brooks Fun Tri Series

Sunday 14 February 2010

Almost perfect weather conditions greeted us for Race 5 of the Gatorade and Brooks Fun Trii Race Series. Nice and cool, overcast and still calm water in the bay (free of jellies too!). Tri Alliance had approximately 50 athletes make the journey down the highway which is a fantastic effort and shows the commitment that we have in the squad.

The day started with the Brooks Fun Tri where we again had some very good results. The lack of room and slight hill at the mount and dismount line made for a very eventful morning where a number of athletes lost control of their bikes.

Berit Barton continued her great form for the summer though as she finished a strong second place in her category. We also had a number of first time athletes who we officially welcome to the club, being Carly Laughton, Sabine Benthien, Michelle Donnison and Emma Baston. Well done girls and we hope you enjoyed your first experience!! 

In the Gatorade race, we had some more very good results. The distances in Portarlington are longer than the normal sprint races and it is a more challenging course as well. The wind had picked up a bit around the back end of the bike course, making it an even tougher morning for all.  Sarah “Rocket” Grove put in another big race to finish second in her category, and fastest Tri Alliance athlete overall; this also includes the fastest female bike split for the day, even beating the elite bike times!

Pebbles Donnellan took the step up from Brooks to Gatorade with an amazing result, also finishing second in her category. Geoff Taylor finished in the top 3 for the 4th time in 5 races to now lead his category for the series by 8 points. Tracey Curran and Stan “The Man” Asimopoulos both finished 4th on Sunday, just one week after completing the Geelong Half Ironman! Tracey and Stan are both in the top 3 for the Series in their categories after been very consistent performers also. 

Click here to check out our full Tri Alliance athlete race results.

Special mentions must also go to 3 of our injured female athletes who came down and competed in teams. Grace Phang (swim/bike), Bernadette Shanahan (run), Lynne Evans (swim/bike) and Kevin Fountain (run) all put in great efforts on Sunday.  

Our cheersquad also needs special mention. Your noise, support, cheering, enthusiasm (and the girls pom poms!) earnt us an additional 10 points in the SuperSprint Tri Club Competition.  We have now amassed a total of 383 points, with an unbeatable lead of 104 points. Top work guys!

Click here for the full leaders’ board. 

We also have a timely reminder for all athletes to check they have all their gear for the weekend by using the Tri Alliance check list. James Usher was lucky to have his bike shoes in time for the race after leaving one at home! James now owes his mother Maria after she drove from Melbourne to deliver the shoe to transition area just in time!!! What would we do without our mums???!!!

We would also like to recommend all athletes to use Google Maps or have an up-to-date Melways in their cars, as Brianna Scarlett and Sandii Douglas drove round and round Port Arlington for over half an hour looking for the accommodation. Well done girls! :)

And a big thank you to Ian 'Roofie' Renouf for providing in house entertainment in the form of our own home cinema! Avatar is an awesome movie, and even better in your own private cimena. A final big thank you to Pernilla, Sandii and Bree for cooking up a big pre race dinner on Saturday night. Although the verdict is out on how much Bree assisted when she was caught napping at one point, and drinking the other!! Thanks again girls - much appreciated!

From a coaching perspective, we would like to highlight a few areas that athletes had where there is definite room for improvement.

• Firstly, many athletes were seen trying to take off their wetsuits while they were still getting out of the water. Refer to the photos and video footage for this. There is plenty of time once you reach the sand to take your wetty off - remember you should be fully out of the water first!
• There were also a lot of athletes who didn't porpoise for as long as they could have. Quite a few athletes were trying to run through the water which is slower and uses more energy. Portarlington was the best venue to utilise your porpoising skills!
• The slope in the roads made mounting and dismounting more difficult than we are used to, but several athletes had a lot of difficulties with this, which shows that even athletes who have been around a couple of years, still need to practise these skills.

All in all, it was an absolutely fantastic effort by everyone and a great weekend had by all.

There is now 5 weeks until the next race in the series which gives everyone time to improve on any weaknesses and make your strengths even stronger. St Kilda is the last race for the season, so let’s get as many athletes as we can out on the track and put in one last almighty effort!!  

Good luck to James Usher (15-19M) Sarah Grove (25-29F), Geoff Taylor  (50-54M), Tracey Curran (30-34F), Stan Asimopoulos (Clydesdale) and Stella Barber (45-49F) who will all be starting in the Championship Wave in St Kilda which is made up of the top 5 athletes in each category. So make sure if you compete in the Brooks race or have a later start in the Gatorade you get down there and cheer on our athletes!!!

Click here to view our race day photos

Upcoming events/races 

Thurs 17 Feb

Sund 21 Feb  

Sund 28 Feb

Sun 14 March

Sun 21 March

Sun 28 March

Sat 8 May

Tri Alliance Team Meeting, photo & BBQ 

Australian Sprint Distance Championships

Nissan/BRW Corporate Triathlon  

Weetbix Kids Triathlon

Race 6 – Gatorade/Brooks Series 

Mooloolaba Multisports festival (Olympic distance)

Port Macquarie Ironman (Goodluck Colin Brown & Rob Grummit!)

Elwood Lifesaving Club

Sandringham

Elwood

Catani Gardens, StKilda

StKilda

Mooloolaba QLD

Port Macquarie

Tri Alliance Race Report

Geelong 70.3 Half Ironman - Sund 7 Feb 2010

This year’s Geelong Half Ironman saw a large number of our athletes completing a Half Ironman for the first time. Cam Pegg, Paul Cassie, Dan Palmer, Jono Tucker, Rohan Belmore and Stan the Man were all going to be lining up on Sunday morning for their first Half Ironman. Saturday before the race nerves had well and truly set in as they contemplated the enormity of what they were about to achieve the following day. 1.9km swim, 90km ride, 21.1km run - more than the majority of the population can even fathom.

Athletes, coaches and supporters all woke to their alarms early on Sunday. Some, after a restless sleep thanks to theWedding reception in our Motel. The aftermath was evident as Rocket went outside to pack the car and a guy was passed out on his doorstep! So we proceeded to repay the favour by making as much noise and we possibly could!

Getting down to the venue early to set up the TA Taj and you could already feel the build up to a big day ahead. Athletes wondered down the hill in the dark with their gear in tow, iPods fastened to their ears as they focused on their race and nothing else.

As 7.00am neared, the nerves began to build again - not only for those new to Half Ironman, but to the ‘old timers’ also. With wetsuits lathered and goggles in hand the squad headed down to the race start like a herd of cattle. The pro’s kicked off proceedings, with age groupers 5min behind, and teams another 10 behind again. All reports came back that the jellies had made their way from Sandringham to Geelong, and the buoys were little more than dots on the horizon to make for a difficult swim. But a group of swimmers had a lucky break when they weren’t pulled up for dodging the first buoy and made it to the second buoy right up there with the leaders. I bet they were mighty surprised when they saw their swim times!!

Col Brown was the first of our athletes out of the water, with Brett Miller and Jono close behind. First timer Cam Pegg had a fantastic swim, as the remainder of the boys continued to stream in.  Our lone individual female Tracey Curran had a solid swim also and the swimmers in the girl’s teams Stella, Jen and Lisa all made it through as they gladly passed their baton to their riders – apart for Jen, who braved it to complete the bike leg also. Top work Jen!

Coach Rocket was set up with the camera at the mounting line and boy was it an eye opener! Many of the Ironmen racing could learn a thing or two from Tri Alliance’s Clinic’s as they clambered down the road with their cleats, stopped dead on the mounting line and straddled their bike for a standing start to their bike leg. It was absolute chaos as the marshal’s tried their best to keep a steady flow of athletes coming through.

With the bike leg underway, and the majority of the Tri Alliance support crew on the sidelines, there was plenty of cheering for our athletes doing it tough on the hot course. Unfortunately race plans didn’t all go according to plan. Rob Scapin had to pull out after lap one with a tyre blowout (I wonder if he took it out on one of our beanbags which also had a mysterious blow out!?) and Jono Tucker copping a flat on the 2nd lap and his bike computer malfunctioning, which had him chasing down his competitors the rest of the day.

The TA crew cheered on from the sidelines as athlete after athlete completed their 3 laps of the bike course. It was tough going for our cheersquad trying to spot those not in TA gear though – so make sure you get yourself some to ensure we don’t miss you next race! But a random wearing TA gear continually got our support throughout the day as we mistakenly took him for Kev! :)

Brett Miller was the first of the individuals to rack his bike, with Nick Sissons hot on his heels with a great ride also. The TA Cheersquad held their spot on the bike course for the last of our riders to come in and then gladly relocated to some shade on the run course.

As the sun started to really heat up, we could slowly see it taking its toll on athletes. Smiles were replaced by grimaces and runs turned into shuffles for many. Richard 'Olly' Oliver felt it big time as the squad cheered him on through his last lap as ‘gunshots’ kept wiping out his legs. His pain is evident in our video footage! Stan on the other hand was enjoying his race and provided much entertainment for others as he ‘sung’ his way through the race. Busselton Ironmen Greg Nugent and Dale Beehre put in a solid effort to back up from their Full Ironman in December, Rob Grummit has returned from the UK in style to post a 5.01hours and Kev Fountain and Brendan Cullen ticked off another half to add to their collection. The girls teams finished off strong, in particular Kathryn who gained back 10min to take out the ‘Tri Alliance teams competition’!

As the final competitors made their way around for their last lap, the Cheersquad started to feel the effects of the long day in the sun also, nearly as tired as the athletes! But still managed to cheer in the very last athlete to cross the line with little under 10 minutes to spare. Top effort guys for all your support - our athletes greatly appreciate it and the favour will be returned two fold when you take on your next big race.

 Tri Alliance Athlete Results:

But the biggest excitement of the day for Stan, Nick and Olly came hours after they finished. They hung around in hope of gaining a roll-down spot for the world 70.3 champs in Clearwater Florida USA in November - and gain a spot they did! Another international onslaught for Tri Alliance!

 

A top effort by all athletes who raced. Geelong isn’t an easy course to race, with some short climbs that zapp your energy, the cross winds and today the sun! So great work by everyone.

A big thankyou goes to Steve MacDonald for offering his services as team masseuse for the day. He was well utilised after the race! And to all those who came along and supported, and helped assist with set-up and pack down of the TA Taj - much appreciated guys!!

Coming up....

Our next is Race 5 of the Gatorade/Brooks Tri Series in Portarlington on Sunday 14th Feb, as a strong contingent heads down the freeway again. The following Thursday 18th Feb we have our last team meeting for the 2009/2010 season, along with team photoshoot - so you don’t want to miss that one! The 21st Feb see's the Sprint Distance Champs in Sandringham, followed by the Nissan/BRW Corporate Triathlon on 28 Feb. So a huge few weeks ahead!!

Keep up the great training and racings guys!! Until next race.......

Tri Alliance Race report - Race 4 Elwood

Gatorade Triathlon / Brooks Fun Tri Series

Soaring heat and hot, strong northerly winds made for difficult race conditions for Race 4 of the Gatorade / Brooks Triathlon Series held at Elwood on the weekend. With these conditions predicted early in the week, Tri Alliance athletes were well prepared both physically and mentally for a tough morning of racing.

The Brooks Fun Tri participants were away early, with some fantastic results by all. Newcomers Pebbles Donnellan was the first Tri Alliance athlete home (and first female overall!) winning the females 30-39 in a very fast time and adding to her collection of 1st place medals, but she had Berit Barton hot on her heals who also crossed the line in a fast time to take out 3rd spot in F30-39. Sue Greaves won her category in style also to take home another first place medal for the squad and Camilla Forss was 3rd in F18-29 with just 2 seconds separating the top 3! Well done girls, very deserving results.

In the Gatorade race, we had several athletes making their first appearance in triathlons and some making the step-up from the Brooks distance. Victor Romero has become an instant crowd favourite as he completed his first ever triathlon after starting in the last wave and receiving the worst of the conditions. Did he complain? Never! His never-say-die attitude saw him cross the finish line with a big smile on his face in a very good time of 1hr 19mins.  Only later did he learn that if he entered the first timers category could he have taken 5th spot!

The hot windy conditions also played havoc with concentration levels as Stella Barton received a yellow card on the bike course for drafting! Little did they realise she was more worried about being blown off her bike than catching a draft! But she faught back admirably to take 6th place in her category.  Top effort!

We again had some fantastic results, which included Sarah Grove flying around the course to come in 2nd in F25-29 - even though she missed out on the opportunity for another photo on the podium due to timing malfunctions.  Geoff Taylor continues to race like a man half his age to take out another podium finish in M50-54 after sprinting the last 1km of the race to try and shake a competitor only to be pipped on the line. Tracey Curren’s preparations for Geelong seem to be on track as she came in 4th while Greg Nugent showed some speed to come in 5th and also racing in Geelong this weekend.

Karyn 'Rowdy' Winterton also had some success as part of a team which won the female team category; so well done to Rowds and her team.

Another big winner of the day was TRI ALLIANCE as we create a near unbeatable lead in the Tri Club Points race, adding another 71 points to our now total of 306 - 73 points clear of our nearest rival!

Click here to view the tally board.  And there is a BIG prize up for grabs.  $1000 is awarded to the squad/club with the most points after Race 6 - going straight back to our athletes! So if you aren't registered as a Tri Alliance athlete in your supersprint account - make sure you get it in.  Log on here and enter Tri Alliance as your 'Company Name' in your profile.

Top work to everyone who competed and hung around to help support the rest of the team get through the day. Welcome to the world of triathlon to those who completed their first triathlon. We also had a number of athletes take the plunge by stepping up from the Brooks race to the Gatorade race so well done to all of you as well!

Watching from the side, the effort put in by all the athletes is inspiring and your hard work during training is paying off.  So keep up the great work!

The Geelong Half Ironman is our next race with a large number of athletes heading down to race either individually or as a team. It will be an even bigger day for some as they take on the Geelong course as their first Half Ironman including Stan the Man, Cam Pegg, Rohan Belmore, Coach Jono Tucker, Paul Cassie and Dan Palmer. Good luck guys - the prep is done, now just go out and enjoy it! 

The rest of the squad should now be looking forward to Portarlington now on Valentines Day!

Keep up the great work guys - the enthusiasm, dedication and encouragement for each and everyone of you creates an awesome atmosphere for everyone involved with the squad !

Full Tri Alliance Athlete Race Results and Race Photo's will be available to view later this week.

Race Results: http://www.tri-alliance.com.au/tanews.cfm

Race Photos: http://www.tri-alliance.com.au/photo_album.cfm

Tri Alliance Race report - Race 3 Sandringham

Gatorade Triathlon / Brooks Fun Tri Series

Almost perfect weather conditions greeted us on the morning of the Sandringham event which played host to the Victorian Championships. It’s not often the water at Sandringham is as still as it was, which was a fantastic sight for all the athletes! It wasn’t until we entered the water though that we realised we weren’t the only ones who were making the most of the conditions, with hundreds of jelly fish out to ruin the party! It was going to be a fun, fast and enjoyable day of racing though, and with the Victorian Titles up for grabs, it was going to be fast and furious in both the Elites and Age Group events.

The morning kicked off with the Brooks Fun Tri series where we had many competitors posting some very fast times and some top 10 finishes, before spreading around the course to support our other athletes.

The Olympic Distance race was next to follow with many athletes successfully taking the plunge with the longer distance. Personal bests were tumbling all morning and we had more top 10 finishers here as well. A huge congratulation to all athletes completing their first Olympic Distance; it is an achievement well deserved!!!

There were also some very good performances by our athletes in the Sprint race, rounding off a fantastic day of racing by the entire club.

A couple of our athletes had less than perfect race day preparations, including Emma Jackson - who had the worst of them all! Her day started with a sleep-in; her car breaking down on the way to the race; having to leave her car and ride the rest of the way to the venue only to be pulled over by police because she was riding without a helmet! She finally made it to transition, had a record fast time in getting on her wetsuit and made it to the start line with 2 minutes to spare! She still managed to smash the race though in True Tri-Alliance spirit! Top effort Emma!

Other memorable moments from the day included Irish recruit Brendan O’Brien riding around on a Cervelo P3 with runners on...! (Don't think I've ever seen that before!) But the most memorable part of the day occurred while we were taking down the TA Taj (our aptly named Athlete Marquee)... Coach Ollie was keen for the side walls of the Taj to be cleaned. But Roofi was sick of the mop and bucket and decided the best way was to turn it into a Slip ‘N’ Slide!!! With a few athletes assisting in bringing down the Taj, everybody made the most of the opportunity to run around like kids again and make a splash. The photos Taliya took capture the moment!!

The post-race BBQ was also another great success as athletes made the most of the shade and bean-bags after burning up the roads of Sandringham! The next race in the Series is back on our home turf in Elwood on January 31, so make sure you come on down to join in the fun!!!

Tri Alliance Athlete Results

Well done to Brad Campell and Camilla Forss as the fastest male and female Tri Alliance athletes in the Brooks Race, James Usher and Michelle Thwaites in the Sprint, and Brett Miller and Sarah Grove in the Gatorade Olympic. Top results!

We also had some other fantastic results from our athletes, including a number of Top 10 Placings:

BROOKS
39:39.57 Camilla Forss 2 Female F 18-29
40:23.26 Berit Barton 2 Female F 30-39
40:58.35 Alecka Patralakis 6 Female F 18-29
42:00.49 Sandii Douglas 7 Female F 30-39
44:18.75 Nitel Tunas 7 Female F Kids 12-14

GATORADE SPRINT
1:15:40.47 James Usher 8 Male M 15-19
1:16:57.92 Paul Seddon 6 Male M 35-39
1:21:36.36 Brad Riddington 8 Male M 40-44
1:24:45.88 Michelle Thwaites 2 Female F 35-39
1:26:07.94 Christine McEwan 2 Female F 30-34
1:29:55.94 Danielle Guesdon 4 Female F 35-39
1:32:26.87 Tara Sansom 6 Female F 35-39
1:50:48.65 Cindy Hawkins 14 Female F 35-39

GATORADE OLYMPIC
2:19:19.63 Geoffrey Taylor 4 Male M 50-54
2:22:41.26 Sarah Grove 4 Female F 25-29
2:36:15.43 Stan Asimopoulos 8 Male Clydesdale
3:12:27.80 Stella Barber 8 Female F 45-49


To see how your times compare with your fellow teammates visit: http://www.tri-alliance.co m.au/tanews.cfm

Tri Alliance Race Day Report

Race 2 - Gatorade Triathlon & Brooks Fun Tri Series

(and Christmas Break-up wrap up!)

Tri Alliance embraced the Christmas Spirit with it's own Santa, tinsel and lights adorning the Tri Alliance Athlete Marquee and set the scene for a great day of racing ahead. 

We had large numbers ready to take on the first 'real' triathlon of the series, and race 2 also meant a number of nervous first time Tri Alliance 'Triathlete's' ready to put their training into action.  Luckily for our athletes, Elwood is our 'home ground' so a pre race swim in similar conditions the day before helped ease the nerves a little. 

The Brooks race kicked off as usual at 7.00am, with many newbies to the sport looking very anxious at the start line.  Clumps of seaweed wrapped around their ankles, choppy waves beckoning, yet as the gun goes off all fear is gone and the race is on.  Berit and hubby David and Lisa and her hubby Paddy had their own race going - who was going to be the fairer sex and come across the line first? Ask the girls and they will gladly tell you!

A small Elite field kicked off proceeding in the Gatorade, then the F25-29 were the first age groupers off.  Sarah 'Rocket' Grove was lining up to keep her 1st place mantle and came out fighting back to 1st place after the bike and held off her competitors on the run to take 2 from 2. Top effort. 

A bad day out for a few of our guys.  Paul Seddon taking a puncture on his new Cervelo.  Sandii coming across TWO flats and running 7 of the 8kms of the Brooks Bike leg but stil managed tol finish the race, and Sheree riding the whole 20km with flat tyres - next time she won't forget to pump them up! :)

Friends, family and fellow athletes of those out on the course enjoyed cheering on our athletes.  Our race gear is easy to spot and there were plenty of snaps taken throughout the day.  Check out HERE to view our Race Day Photo's. 

Well done to our first time Triathlete's yesterday (and yes you can call yourselves Triathletes!) a top effort.

First time Triathletes:

Mark Hyoms, Dean Hawkins, Cindy Hawkins, Lisa MacFarlane, Paddy Fitzgerald, Cameron Pegg, Timeka Kennedy, Adrian Wright, Danielle Guesdon, Brianna Scarlett and Katrina Ward. Awesome work guys!

Congratulations to our Podium Finishers:

Sarah Grove - 1st F25-29 with a time of 1:06:42

Ken Murley - 1st M 65+ with a time of 1:13:25

Geoffrey Taylor - 2nd M50-54 with a time of 1:07:21

Berit Barton - 2nd F 30-39 (Brooks)

Sarah, Ken, Geoff and Berit all took the podium for the second time running and are currently leading their respective age groups in the series points.  Awesome start to the season - let's keep the ball rolling!

To see a full report on how our Tri Alliance Athletes went, click here to view our results.

A reminder if you are NOT on this list, then you do not have Tri Alliance as your 'Company Name' in your Super Sprint Profile. To ensure your race results are registered, login to your Supersprint account and update your profile.

Click here to update.

And the Awards go to:

Tri Alliance - for winning the 'Christmas Spirit Award!' (we won ourselves a free race entry into Race 3)

Brianna Scarlett - for winning the Tri Alliance Christmas Spirit Award and taking home the free Race Entry

Paul Cassie - winner of the $50 CBD Voucher for the 'Tri Alliance Race Gear Award' for proudly wearing Tri Alliance Race Gear. To get yourself in the running to win a voucher, click here to check out our training and race gear.

A BIG thank you to:

Everyone who assisted setting up and packing down the Tri Alliance Athlete Marquee. Your assistance pre and post race is invaluable in ensuring we all get to enjoy the benefits of being a Tri Alliance member.  Special mentions to Sheree Gall and her boy Joey, Brad Campbell, Stan the Man, Emma-Lise Jackson, Hendo and his girl Nikki and Ollie's Mum Irene! Thanks again everyone.

Bounce Health - for your ongoing support managing our athletes bodies and your valuable support on Raceday in providing massage, nutritional and hydration advice. Big thanks to Simon, Cale and Meagan for lending your time on Sunday.

Extreme Fitness Australia - for sponsoring the warm-up area and spin bikes for athletes.

For an official race report and photo's visit SuperSprint.

For full race results click here

Tri Alliance Christmas Break-up

Highlights of the afternoon/evening:

1. Dave Fitzimons consistently bugging/ hounding/ harassing Brad Campbell to move up to the Gatorade distance
2. Realising that we have more foreigners in our squad than ever.. Irish, Scotish and more British!
3. Berit and David Barton finding out they are soon to be new home owners!
4. The girls taking a big win with Berit beating her hubby David across the line and Lisa taking on Paddy (on her new bike!) Awesome work girls!
5. Finding out that Paddy's bike is older than Coach Jono! (A new bike is SURELY on Santa's list Paddy!) :)
6. Coach Jono getting knocked back at the bar - it must have been the reindeer ears!
7. Another drunken bet put on the table.  Dave Fitzimon V's Coach Jono in the Geelong Half Ironman.  Jono with a strong swim and run and a new bike to play with. Newbie Dave with a strong bike (and new race wheels!) and solid run.  Who will win the bragging rights?  We'll have to wait and see....

Until next race day - happy training! From the Tri Alliance Team

Tri Alliance Race report - Race 1 

Gatorade Triathlon / Brooks Fun Tri Series

The new Tri Alliance Athlete Marquee - or ‘TA Taj’ as it has been aptly named by athletes, was out in force over the weekend. With pre and post race massages from sponsors Bounce Health Group, stationary bikes to warm up on in the Extreme Fitness Australia warm-up area, bike maintenance and assistance from CBD Cycles, bean bags to chill out on, and a post race BBQ - you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else! PLUS we were all able to stay dry (and warm!) while it pelted down with rain around us.   

The day started off early, with Ollie and his crew down at the venue at 5am - already with the news that the race had been made into a duathlon due to the extreme weather conditions in the previous 24hrs.  But this didn’t dampen athletes spirits. As 6am rolled past, the marquee was starting to fill with nervous yet excited athletes - the majority of them competing in a triathlon for the first time. With Tri Alliance coaches and seasoned athletes to support them, our ‘newbies’ could be assured that they had done all the preparation and were ready to race!

As the rain fell down outside, the first of the Brooks Waves set off at 7am for a 500m run, 7km ride and 2km run. At 8am, the main stage kicked into action as the Elites and ITU Juniors set out at cracking paces. A 1.5km run, 20km ride and 5km run was smashed in a time of 52min 06sec by elite Male athlete Peter Kerr and the first elite female Renae Lane crossing the line in 1hr 45sec. The elites set a sizzling pace for the age group athletes to follow, with over 1000 athletes competing in the Gatorade Triathlon.

Well done to all Tri Alliance athletes who raced. A great effort by everyone, in particular those who raced for the first time! Well done!

 Congratulations to the following Tri Alliance athletes who finished on the podium:

Sarah Grove - 1st F25-29

Ken Murley - 1st M 65+

Geoffrey Taylor - 3rd M50-54

Berit Barton - 1st F 30-39 (Brooks)

And well done to Lincoln Stephen - 5th M20-24, who sported a brand new bike and race gear courtesy of being ‘Pro for the Day’ for Race 1! Lincoln gets to keep all the gear provided to him (exc bike) including a new Garmin 310XT, helmet, wetsuit, runners plus more! Well done Lincoln.

Post race Tri Alliance athletes were treated to a BBQ and refreshments and thanks to their new Raceday Marquee, were able to keep warm and dry. A big thankyou to Steve Mac, Jono Tucker, Tracey Curran, Brendan O’Brien and Sheree Gall for assisting with pack-up - your help post race was much appreciated!  

Congratulations to Stella Barber - winner of our Tri Alliance Race Gear Award! Stella was spotted proudly sporting her brand new Tri Alliance Two Piece Tri Suit and has won herself a $50 Voucher to spend at CBD Cycles! So if you are new to the Tri Alliance squad, make sure you pick up one of our race suits (either one piece suit, or two piece tri suit) and wear with pride on race day for your chance to be spotted and win yourself a CBD Cycles Voucher!To check out our training and race gear click here. 

Until next race day - happy training!

From the Tri Alliance Team

35 Tri Alliance Athletes hit Noosa for the Noosa Multi Sport Festival!

04/11/09

35 Tri Alliance athletes hit Queensland shores last week to prepare themselves for one of the biggest Triathlon and Multi sports festivals in the country! With an array of multi sports events lined up over 5 days, you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else at this time of the year. Events included: Noosa Journal Breakfast Fun Run, Eyeline 1000m swim, SuperKidz Tri , 'Legends' Triathlon, Asics 5km Bolt , Womens and mens crit racing and finishing off with the Noosa Olympic Distance Triathlon on Sunday!

For a large number of the Tri Alliance squad, Noosa was scheduled as their first Olympic Distance Triathlon and what a location to complete it! The rest of the squad were eyeing off PB’s, so the weekend was set for fast times and inspirational achievements. The majority of the squad arrived Thursday before the race. A light ride over the course and dip in the lake allowed those athletes new to Noosa a glimpse of what was to come on raceday. Many athletes commented on how fast the course felt - and fast it was!

Saturday afternoon bikes racked amongst the 4000+ others in transition and with 7 months of pre-season training under Head Coach Ollie Allan, there was nothing more to do now. All the preparation had been done - all that was left was to race!

Race day was uncharacteristically overcast as event organisers confirmed the race as an optional wetsuit swim. This pleased many of the Tri Alliance squad who came prepared with wetsuits in hand! But the clouds and light rain did nothing to dampen the spirits and mental preparation of our athletes as the race starter began sending wave after wave of athletes over the 1.5km swim course.

In the next 2-3hours, scores of athletes were going to cross that finish line, proud of their achievements and soon enough searching for their next goal. And it didn’t matter if they were a seasoned athletes or new comers to the sport, the great thing about Triathlon is that anyone can get involved, including the teams event with Tri Alliance sporting 3 teams - allowing beginners the taste of their first Triathlon.

Well done to all Tri Alliance athletes, PB’s all round for the majority of the squad and top 10 place getters for Sarah Grove (7th 25-29F) Ollie Allan (8th 30-34M) and young Monty Cooper (2nd Tingirana Special Triathlon).

Congratulation also to Carol Jasper, Juliet Cooper, Lynne Evans, Jen Ashmore, Dan Weekes, Sarah Grove, Karyn Winterton and Paul Seddon in completing their first Olympic Distance Triathlon - 1.5km swim / 40km ride / 10km run. Head Coach Ollie Allan said of his athletes after the race, “I’m exceptionally proud of all my athletes and the great results they produced. With 8 first timers all posting fabulous times you couldn’t ask for much more. Tri Alliance has been coming to Noosa for the last 10 years and is a great chance to get the squad together and enjoy some awesome racing.” 

Tri Alliance athlete Carol Jasper was amongst those competing in an Olympic Distance race for the first time and was extremely pleased with her efforts, in particular in having to overcome injuries threatening to stop her from reaching her goal. “Wow, I’ve never felt such a sense of achievement in my life - thanks to you Coach! What an awesome atmosphere, wonderful team and fantastic venue – I’ll definitely be back next year!” 

Post race Tri Alliance joined our sister squad - Brisbane Tri Squad (BTS) for post race celebrations. Thanks BTS for hosting a great night - we look forward to returning the favour when your team next heads south. If you have yet to experience Noosa, you will have to make sure it is on your calendar for next year - with an awesome atmosphere, fast and fantastic course to race and after party celebrations you are surely missing out!

For a full wrap-up, race photo’s and reports visit the Tri Alliance Facebook page.

Tri Alliance next heads to Shepparton for the Shepparton Half Ironman on 15 November and then gears up for Race 1 of the Gatorade Triathlon and Brooks Fun Tri Series on 22 November - launching our new athlete marquee !

80 athletes participate in Tri Alliance 6 Week Coaching Clinic

19/10/09 

Tri Alliance - as Official Coaching Partners for the Gatorade Triathlon and Brooks Fun Tri Series offered the first 100 series entrants free participation in a specially designed 6 Week Coaching Clinic to help them get to their first Triathlon for the 2009/10 Season. In the first week of the 6 Week Clinic, participants of all ages, fitness levels and skills gathered at Elwood Lifesaving Club to learn and develop skills in Triathlon and how they can improve their races.

With five Tri Alliance coaches on hand, participants began their first week by learning the art of mounting and dismounting their bike (the way the pro’s do it!), transition set-up for a seamless (and fast!) transition, bike safety and more. Tri Alliance Head Coach Ollie Allan is ecstatic with the participation and enthusiasm of all participants involved, "It’s exciting to see participants of all levels developing their triathlon skills. Our aim is to provide an enjoyable and encouraging environment in which participants can learn skills to make their triathlon experience more enjoyable. The fantastic feedback we have received after only the first week has shown just that!"

One of our participant who thought he’d give our free 6 Week Clinic a go, has now after only 2 sessions joined the Tri Alliance Team. "I have tried at least one other tri club in the area and found the coaching team and members at Tri Alliance to be a really friendly welcoming bunch." Over the coming weeks participants will also learn open water swimming - including building confidence, how to navigate in the water (without swimming any further than you have too!) the fastest way to get in and out of the water (and your wetsuit), how to read waves, practise their own mini triathlon and much more! 

If you too want to learn more about triathlon skills, tips and tricks or to increase your fitness or race times, visit Tri Alliance’s website for further details on programs. Tri Alliance also offer specially designed clinics and programs to lead you into your first race - and we’ll even enter you in your first race for free! Click here to read more.

The first Gatorade/ Brooks Triathlon for the 2009/10 season is held on Sunday 22 November at Catani Gardens, St Kilda. For further details and to enter click here