This morning City of Newport Dunes (CNB) & Cal Tri Events conducted a regularly scheduled meeting to review the terms of the permit for the upcoming triathlon. Topic A on the agenda was the recent oil spill. CNB provided an update that the oil has not made it’s way to our swim area and gave assurances that at this time, there is no impact on the triathlon.

Plan to race on October 31. If the situation changes, we will let registered athletes know.  

Run941, the Florida-based producer of both running and triathlon events, has opted for race insurance coverage via the California Triathlon Endorsed Race Director Insurance Program.

Run941 events include the City Island Sarasota Triathlon, Sirens & Mermaids Triathlon, Siesta Sprint Triathlon and Over The Hill Triathlon

Thierry Rouillard, Race Director at Run941, said “To battle the high cost and hassle of traditional triathlon insurance, Run941 has partnered with California Triathlon.

“The California Triathlon Endorsed Race Director Insurance Program meets or exceeds all of our requirements in Florida. The major athlete benefits include significant financial savings as well as a higher level of protection of the athlete’s personal data.”

Thom Richmond, President of California Triathlon, said “We welcome Run941, Thiery Rouillard and his athletes to the growing list of organizations that use the California Triathlon Endorsed Race Director Insurance Program.

“As an early adopter, Run941 will have an important voice in charting the direction of future collaboration in areas including athlete safety, marketing and national partnerships.”

www.run941.com
www.californiatriathlon.org

Even though we are half way through the calendar year, it is still relatively early in the 2021 race calendar.  The updated 2021 Grand Prix USA results are now online.

2021 GRAND PRIX USA.  The 2021 Grand Prix USA Series Competition returns with over 30 races across the U.S.  A total of 130 athletes will be recognized (Top 5 Overall Male, Top 5 Overall Female & 120 Age Group).  

SCORES.  For each race and each event, the average event time is calculated.  The athlete’s score = (average event time / athlete’s event time) x 100.  Maximum point score allowed per race is 150.  Athletes have their 2 BEST event scores added together to determine total points.  Athletes who only complete one race are eligible for awards.

AWARDS.  In 2021, over $10,000 worth of prizes will be awarded.

• Top 5 Overall (Male & Female)
• Top 3 Age Group (Male & Female) – 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, 85+
• Participant ages will be calculated as of 12.31.21.
• If an athlete finishes 1st overall and 1st in their age group, they receive 1st place points in each scored category.

• Top 5 Overall (Male & Female)
• Top 3 Age Group (Male & Female) – 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, 85+
• Participant ages will be calculated as of 12.31.21.
• If an athlete finishes 1st overall and 1st in their age group, they receive 1st place points in each scored category.

Triathlon returns to Charlottesville for the first time in over 20 months at 2021 Cal Tri Fry’s Spring – 6.27.21.  The race starts at 7 AM on Sunday, June 27 at Fry’s Spring Beach Club (FSBC).  There are 7 events including triathlon, triathlon relay, runbikerun, swimbike, swimrun, swim & 5K run.  The marquee event, the sprint triathlon, offers a 350 meter pool swim, 12.7 mile bike & 5K run.  Below are a few tidbits about the competitors and an update on the race.

• 51% female
• 7 states & DC represented (FL, MD, NC, NY, OH VA, WV & DC)
• 75% participating in the sprint triathlon
• 11 is the youngest competitor
• 71 is the oldest competitor
• 35% first time athletes
• The 12.7 mile bike course has over 1000’ of elevation change

“2021 CAL TRI COMMONWEALTH SERIES” This summer, each race features Virginia’s official flower, bird, dog or fish on a medal as a tribute to some of the things that make the Commonwealth special.  Each medal locks together to form a pyramid (pentahedron) that will be a great keepsake.

• 2021 Cal Tri Fry’s Spring – 6.27.21 – Dogwood (Flower)
• 2021 Cal Tri Crozet Park – 7.11.21 – Cardinal (Bird)
• 2021 Cal Tri Walnut Creek – 8.22.21 – American Foxhound (Dog)
• 2021 Cal Tri Charlottesville – 9.26.21 – Brook Trout (Fish)

Are you ready to race again? It’s been a year since everything was cancelled and we are starting to see races on the calendar again. Although we’re excited to get back at it, a word of caution to try avoiding unnecessary injuries. 

Many people started off a year ago exercising more because they were no longer commuting, sick of being stuck at home or just had more time on their hands. As the year wore on, a lot of those good exercise habits were dropped. But now with races being held, we’re anxious to get back at it. Be sure not to jump back into it too quickly leading to an overuse injury. 

An overuse injury is basically what it sounds like: and injury stemming from training too much and often times too quickly. Sometimes they just slow your training down for a while but they can also end your season before it starts if you’re not careful. Interestingly, it’s not uncommon for overuse injuries to present themselves months after you ramp up your training. Regardless when it pops up, it’s likely because you took on more than your body could handle. Overuse injuries can affect seasoned athletes as well as beginners. 

After taking a break from active training, it’s easy to jump in right where you left off. Let’s say you were running 20 miles per week consistently for the first half of 2020 but then life happened and you were barely running at all the last half of the year. As you begin prepping for spring races, don’t jump back into running 20 miles per week like you were last year—your body won’t be accustomed to the impact involved with that much running. A safer approach would involve slowly building your weekly miles by incremental amounts. When it comes to running, many are familiar with the 10% rule: never increase your weekly mileage by more than 10% from the previous week. Recent research suggests this may not be true for all runners (elite runners might tolerate greater than 10% changes with minimal risk to injury). Although it can be mentally painful to progress back to your previous volume this slowly, it greatly reduces your risk for injury. 

The same principles apply for swimming and cycling. Although the 10% rule isn’t quoted in these arenas, it would be prudent to slowly build your volume for these sports as well. While deciding your workouts, you should look at both weekly volume and daily volume. For example, if you previously cycled 50 miles in a given ride without any thought, but haven’t cycled for 3-4 months, don’t go out for a long 50 mile ride your first ride back. Take a few weeks and ride 20-30 miles as your longer ride, just to get your body use to sitting on your bike for hours at a time. With swimming, spread out the volume evenly over the week. Don’t do one swim of 3,000 meters when you haven’t swam more than a few hundred meters for months. By doing swim workouts with limited distance and with increased rest times, you will decrease the likelihood of straining one of your rotator cuff muscles or irritating a tendon in the shoulder.   

Pretty much all workouts are recorded now days. Although many people log their workouts solely for bragging rights on social media, having a record is a great way to see where your training volume currently is, where it has been and how you can progress. Training Peaks, Strava, Garmin, Suunto, Polar and many other platforms/devices track your volume. Look back in your history to see how your training volume has fluctuated and how you can gradually progress you training to meet your racing demands.

Lastly, if you feel aches and pain as you increase your volume, listen to your body. It’s not unusual to have minor aches every now and again—that’s part of endurance athletics. However, these aches shouldn’t last for days or weeks and turn into pain that limits your function. Don’t be stubborn and try and run through that ankle pain or swim through the shoulder pain. Your training will be more satisfying and rewarding if you address these issues before they sideline you. Seek professional advice from a trusted doctor, physical therapist or chiropractor familiar with endurance athletes.

~Jordan Perry PT, DPT

California Triathlon, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, announces a campaign to raise $10,000 in support of its safe, affordable & accessible mission.  Funds will be used to support key initiatives including:

• Youth Racing  Athletes 22 and under enjoy a 50% discount meaning an athlete can enter a sprint triathlon for as little as $30 at early registration.
• Free Coached Clinics.  California Triathlon supports 22 clinics for 2021 tailored to get athletes race ready.  Funds raised cover insurance, permits, and coaching.
• Free Coaching.  New triathletes get free coaching via the SPRINT 90-Day Program, 
• Free Race Entries For Race Volunteers.  The VOGO (Volunteer One, Get One) program rewards athletes who volunteer at race events. Since its founding, over $300,000 worth of race entries has been earned.

California Triathlon’s Online Donation Platform

 Since 2010, California Triathlon members have enjoyed free membership.  For funding, the organization has relied on a combination of sponsorship and fundraisers.  “Historically, in-person activities, such as working concessions at collegiate and professional sporting events and concerts, has been a significant fundraising vehicle” says Anthony Grey, California Triathlon’s VP of Fundraising.  “Because of a decade of goodwill, we are able to rely on the generosity of our most active and loyal members.”   Supporters can donate here.