Kim Stemple’s Legacy – We are NEVER Finished – by Coach TaxSlayer – TriCoachGeorgia

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TriCoachGeorgia is known for many things. These include the grim reaper, the horns up hand sign, nicknames of team members and many more. One thing people may not be aware of is the closeness of the team. When a member is in need, the team rallies around that member.

Recently, Kim Garrard Stemple passed away after a long battle with several diseases. While Kim was an honorary member, her mother, Judith, and son, Connor both are valued members of the team. A celebration of life was held on July 13th at Nellie’s Sports Bar in Washington DC and several members of the team went to support the family. The celebration consisted of stories about Kim, a New Orleans themed Second Line parade lead by a 5 piece brass band and a streaming video with pictures of Kim and her many friends. The outpouring of support showed by how many people attended the celebration.

One of Kim’s lasting legacies will be the charitable organization, We Finish Together. We Finish Together is an organization dedicated to collecting race medals, decorating them with messages of hope and donating them to people in need. Kim’s legacy will live on because of #WFT and TCGa’s support for Judith and Connor that continues today.

For more information on Kim, please click on this story from Runner’s World Magazine.
https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a20856808/woman-with-terminal-illness-runs-her-last-marathon/

 

Ironman Augusta 70.3 Recap 2016 – TriCoachGeorgia

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Thirty-six racers, coaches, family, and friends invaded Augusta, Georgia the weekend of September 25th, all ready to take part in the annual Ironman Augusta 70.3 race. As with most years this is a huge team event for TriCoachGeorgia due to the proximity of our athlete base. Coach Spartacus (aka Brian Patterson) and Coach Godfather (aka Chad Kimbrell) went above and beyond with the welcome to all of is out of towners, setting up a big team dinner Friday evening, providing transportation to different parts of of the course, and staking our teams claim of 10th and Broad St with tables, tents, and refreshments. where we gathered as one and cheered for athletes on the run course.

The above average early fall temperatures brought about some never before changes to race day. On Sunday morning athletes arrived to find out this year’s event would not be wetsuit legal. A little bit of a shock to some, but the Savannah River current was still flowing strong. No fear or concern shown with any of the TCGa athletes as they made the necessary adjustments and got ready to DO THEIR JOB’S! By the time they all hit the run course the heat index was close to 98 degrees, and the suffering began. We couldn’t be more proud of our athletes and how they faced down these conditions. All 36 started the race, and all of them finished. There was no quit shown in this crew. No matter how fast or slow, they continued to move forward to hear their names called as they crossed the line.

A special shout out and recognition to the following athletes who not only overcame the difficult weather circumstances, but qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Chattanooga next year:

Jarhead (aka James Miller)
KO (aka Robyn Wodzenski Wilham)
Emanboom (aka Estevan Price)
Judas Priest (aka Judith Garrard)
Hurricane Sandy (aka Sandra Murphy)

The Results Just Kept Coming – TriCoachGeorgia

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Run for the Reapers: TriCoachGeorgia May 2016 Update

As the calendar turned from April to May, the athletes of TriCoachGeorgia and TriKidsGeorgia started to turn their sights to several races across the Southeast. And their momentum grew proportionally to their strong performances.

The month kicked off with the Go Race Productions weekend series at Tall Pines. The weekend consists of an Olympic distance race on Saturday and a Sprint distance race on Sunday. The Reapers were well represented on Saturday as CJ O’Mara, Ingo McLean, Candace Kimbrell, Chris Cosby, Troy Garland, Will Boling, Amy Del Guercio and BJ Danson all competed. Many of them saw the podium after putting up stellar performances.

On Sunday, many of the youth team came to race individually or in a relay.  Jack Hayes, Harry Duncan, Jack Stansell, Ben Waltman, Keaton Tsepas, Ellie Gayer, Amy Gayer and Addie Hayes all raced hard and enjoyed having teammates to compete with and against. The Reapers Relay team of Simon Casey, Isaac Hayes and Jake Gayer came prepared to win the relay division against teams made up of adults. The preparation they made lead to a win in the relay division. The adults were represented by Seth Waltman, Becky Waltman, Julie Gayer, Chris Cosby, Candace Kimbrell, Chef Hav Usry (TV star on the Food Network) in his first race for the team, Richard Nasser, Jon Lunn, new team member Amy Del Guercio, and Amy Peavy Smith. TCGa was well represented on the podiums on Sunday.

While some of the reapers were racing at Tall Pines, other team members were completing their final preparations for Ironman Chattanooga 70.3. Team members started to arrive on Thursday. More members arrived on Friday and spent the evening together at Chattanooga Brewing Company. A great time was had by all on Friday and it will be a night many will not forget anytime soon. The final team members arrived on Saturday for the Sunday race.

During the awards ceremony, TriCoachGeorgia was announced as the first place winner of division 4 of the Ironman Triclub points series. TCGa had over 50 team members racing, being a volunteer, Sherpa or spectator cheering everyone on as they competed. Too many members raced to discuss each person’s race, but there were several outstanding races.

Dani Jordan, in her first half ironman with TCGa, competed and set a 20 minute personal best at the distance. Dr. Dick Thompson, aka Terminator, took home a fifth place finish. He received a spot in the 70.3 World Championships in Australia too. Finally, our new friend of the team Sebastian Kienle won the overall race and as he entered the finishers shoot did the Slayer hand gesture that the team is known for.

While Chattanooga was a one day race, Chad and Candace Kimbrell drove from Augusta, GA to Ohio to compete in the epic and iconic American Triple T triathlon. This race consists of a sprint distance race on Friday, 2 Olympic distance races on Saturday and a half ironman race on Sunday. Each racer gets points for each race and after the final race, awards are given for overall performances in the series. With her stellar performances, Candace placed second overall for the women. Chad raced hard and received many compliments for competing in the races with his single chain ring set up on his Shiv.

At the inaugural Mountains to Mainstreet Triathlon and Festival in Greenville, SC Chris Keysor, Dr. Brad Shephard, Paul McGinty, Anna Vukin and Dr. Peter Schriver competed in this new half ironman race. The race consisted of a 1.2 mile wetsuit legal swim, a challenging 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run that finished in downtown Greenville. TCGa Coach LW aka Lauren White, supported the athletes and commented that everyone had a great day. Stellar results for the Gator, Chris Keysor, who impressed George Hincapie on the course. George singled him out on the bike course.

In Knoxville, TN at the Knoxville Rev 3 Half Iron distance race, TCGa’s own Joan Jett aka Carrie Giordano, competed on this very challenging course. Prior to the race, Carrie commented on how hard the bike course was going to be with all of the hills and elevation changes. While the course was challenging, Jett did her job and finished second in her age group.

Finally, several members of the kids’ team raced in AAA Super Sprint and Youth Dash and Super Dash in Claremont, Florida. Simon Casey took second place overall in the male non draft legal race against competitors that were significantly older than him. In the 11-12 female division in the youth race, Emma and Jenna Champer  took the top 2 spots on the podium. Other team members competing and having great races over the weekend were Carter Fowler, Caiden Fowler, and Mya Champer. All the kids raced hard, had smiles on their faces, cheered for each other and enjoyed an after race meal together.

May has been a very busy month and the June will not slow down for the reapers. The next race for many of the team members is the Go Race Productions, Trybee Sprint Triathlon. The youth team starts swim meets in the month of June, the 3rd Annual Choobs camp in Chattanooga and the month ends with another weekend series of races at the Go Race Series Hartwell YMCA Olympic and Sprint triathlons.

Get in touch if you want to join the team that slays for team membership, coaching, training camps or just camaraderie! They would love to have you join the fun and #DoYourJob so you can #ReapWhatYouSow.

BIG EARLY SEASON – 2016 Triathlon Results – TriCoachGeorgia

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BIG EARLY SEASON

The Reapers of TriCoachGeorgia and TriKidsGeorgia have attacked the early season offerings. They’ve had huge smiles, PR’s (distance and pace), and podiums across the nation from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts and in between. They have crushed races in Oklahoma, California, Tennessee, South and North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, etc. and they continue to go further and faster. Not just racing, but training takes place in a variety of settings (indoors AND outdoors) too. All the while, the team’s genuine friendships and supportive, positive energy flows!

GREAT BLEND

One of the nice things about the squad is the natural blend of youth and adult athletes, and how they push each other to higher heights.  Sponsors like Specialized through great local bike shops like Georgia Cycle Sport, and Tifosi Optics and plenty of great affiliates including ORR Carbon Wheels, Nuun Hydration, Fleet Feet Athens, Infinit Nutrition, Generation Ucan, Fusion Sports USA, and All3Sports are jumping on board because of the work ethic, great relationships, and positive presence of the team. The team keeps growing as well and it has become more difficult to keep up with all the accomplishments out of sheer volume. Regardless of volume, some of these major accomplishments will be detailed in upcoming blogs.

Team member training is getting heavy into specificity, and we’re seeing some excellent results in these early races. All of the work put in during the USAT National Team Challenge competition that they won is paying huge dividends. For example, recent weeks have seen huge results in races at Tybee Island, Heritage Park in Georgia, Daytona Beach Florida, and at Go Race Productions’ LaGrange Sprint Triathlon and Dare to Tri Sprint Triathlon at Fort Gordon. We have hammered the Atlanta Publix Half and Full marathon, Marine Corps Marathon, The Snowflake 10k, Walt Disney World Road Races, a Dirty Spokes Duathlon at Fort Yargo, Wrightsville Beach Half Marathon, Hilton Head 13.1, Pensacola Double Bridge Run, Sweetheart Run, the 2016 Publix Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon & Half Marathon, many organized endurance group rides, and many more races.

This past weekend the team stormed the podiums and finisher chutes at All-American Marathon (#TeamTagg), Early Bird Triathlon, HITS Ocala Olympic Tri, Columbia Downtown Tri, Women’s Publix Half Marathon, Altamont Half Marathon, and Ragnar SoCal.

EARLY BIRD SPRINT TRIATHLON

Directed by TriCoachGeorgia’s own team member, Crisp McDonald, this event which follows the challenging Dare to Tri, is a great team kick-off to the season where adults, kids, and collegiate athletes can come together to compete on the beautiful campus of UGA. There was another huge turnout this year which included coaches, team members, and some of our new additions to the Reaper family. TriCoachGeorgia and TriKidsGeorgia red and black was front and center on the podium this weekend.

Congratulations to everyone who participated and placed.  Big shout out to Crisp and his crew at Go Race Productions for putting on another fantastic event!

Early Bird Sprint Triathlon

COLUMBIA DOWNTOWN TRIATHLON

This Set Up Events Sprint Triathlon is held each year on the campus of the University of South Carolina. TriCoachGeorgia was represented by our own YoungBull, aka Jeff Bullock, who did his job and took the second consecutive Clydesdale top spot.

Columbia Downtown Triathlon

HITS OCALA FL

The HITS Triathlon Series is a big list of events across the USA each year. This past weekend they were in Ocala, FL for a full series of all race distances from Sprint to Full Iron Distance over Saturday and Sunday. TriCoachGeorgia’s Wayne Taylor was in attendance and represented the team well with a 3rd Place Age Group podium.

HITS Ocala FL Triathlon

ALTAMONT HALF MARATHON

Upstate Ultra Series was in Greenville, SC this past weekend for the “Ultimate” Altamont. This off-road race covered all standard distances from 5k to full marathon.

TriCoachGeorgia’s Coach LDubb (aka Lauren Dobson White) decided last week to jump in and, as always delivered on race day.  She took the 3rd place Overall Female podium spot in the Half Marathon.

Altamont Half Marathon

PUBLIX SAVANNAH WOMEN’S HALF MARATHON

Held in the historic city of Savannah, Ga, this event covers much of the city’s beauty and history over the 13.1 miles. TriCoachGeorgia’s Firecracker Erica Carter participated in this year’s race and delivered a solid performance. Her huge smile was seen at the finish line and then she and Rocket, aka Chan, headed up to Athens for the team dinner at Buffalo’s and Rocket crushed the Early Bird Triathlon!

Publix Savannah Women’s Half Marathon

REEBOK RAGNAR SO. CAL

Part of the Ragnar Series held on the “Left” Coast, this relay team event goes from Huntington Beach to San Diego.  TriCoachGeorgia’s Nick Estilow. Nick had to go deep into the hurt locker for this one, staying up for 30hrs, running 15+ miles, and helping to drive the team vehicle another 150 miles. He represented us well.

Reebok Ragnar SoCal

LOOKING FORWARD

Amongst many more offerings, Chattanooga Training Camp with our coaching partner in Tennessee, FX Multisport, is approaching this weekend. Mountains to Main Street Training Camp, with our coaching partner TYB Coaching, follows at the end of the month. There are many more triathlons and road races including the Boston and Nashville Marathons, St. Anthony’s Triathlon, and West Point Triathlon this month. Next month is even more loaded.  The team hopes to see you out there this weekend if not sooner.

Get in touch if you want to join the team that slays for team membership, coaching, training camps or just camaraderie! They would love to have you join the fun and #DoYourJob so you can #ReapWhatYouSow.

Start It Up – TriCoachGeorgia

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INTRODUCTION

It’s been a big few weeks for TriCoachGeorgia as they’ve seen increases in coaching staff and new athletes, as well as high participation in several early in 2016 events. Everyone’s training is getting into full swing and the entire TCGa crew is kicking major butt in the USAT National Challenge Competition. The team sits at 4th overall in the NATION!

This past weekend was very busy. The team took on Run The Hogpen, Red Nose Half Marathon, Disney’s Dopey Challenge, and there was a local TriKidsGeorgia 5k race in Oconee at Veterans Park.

RUN THE HOGPEN

Riding up Hogpen Gap on a bike is brutal enough with grades of up to 14%, so imagine running it! TCGa’s own Missy Dobbins Hatchett aka S’later was up for the challenge and tackled this beast of a run in less than favorable conditions.

RED NOSE HALF MARATHON

Hosted by the Columbus RoadRunners, this annual event in early January is held in Columbus, Ga where the Southside TCGa team is growing. It’s a perfect race to kick start your season, and to add an even bigger bonus…IT’S FREE! This year due to the huge rise and overflow of the Chattahoochie aka the “Hooch” the course was wet and slippery but nonetheless still flat and fast.

There was a huge team turnout this year which included coaches, current team members, and some of our new additions. Athletes came in from Atlanta, Greenville, SC, Athens, and Milledgeville to hit the course and the town. Outstanding performances were offered by everyone, including some podiums and PR’s. There was no quit in this group, and lots of camaraderie, seeing old friends, and making new ones.

DISNEY DOPEY CHALLENGE

The most magical place on earth just got more challenging. Don’t let the name and location fool you. This race is no joke. It’s a 4 day run event that includes a 5k, 10k, Half Marathon, and Full Marathon on consecutive days. Every year the team seems to have some participants and this year was no different. Great performances were had by TCGa athletes Kevin Mills, Wayne Taylor, and Dathan Duplichen in this early season multi-day event.

LOCAL ROAD RACES

TriCoachGeorgia and TriKidsGeorgia also had some under the radar races this weekend. Most notably TriKids David Andrew and Caroline Duncan hit the Oconee Veterans Park for the 6th annual Pilot Chase 5k and both took home high placings despite far from ideal conditions.

Also, the Trikids were also treated to a talk from Kyle and Brent Pease of the Walking with K Peasy Foundation, which will be blogged about very soon. Suffice to say, that the talk was very inspirational.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Reapers are off to a great start. They are forming up, working hard, and showing no quit. The misfits all seem to fit together rather well already. New and existing Training Camps and details are out on Facebook and being shared and passed around by many.

The athletes of TCGA and TriKidsGeorgia inspire many, especially their coaches, families and friends. Are you ready to meet and hang out with some great people and have your best season ever? Then we hope you’ll come join up with us at TriCoachGeorgia. https://tricoachgeorgia.com/

2015 Year in Review – TriCoachGeorgia

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TriCoachGeorgia enjoyed another successful year in 2015 with multiple first time race finishers, personal records abundant at all triathlon and running distances, as well as some outstanding elite types of performances. The team continues to grow with many new athletes joining in 2015 and the addition of 4 new coaches. Plans for even more coaching additions have been hashed out for 2016 and the roster grows daily.

The team has expanded since the origination in February of 2012 of a two man operation to a team of 7 coaches and 50 plus triathletes. Augusta 70.3 camp has grown from 30 attendees the first year to 220+. The growth seems to be unstoppable. They also support several key philanthropic causes like #WeFinishTogether, the fight against Cancer, and #TeamTagg.

The team age range is huge from 5 years old to nearly 70 and there are several 60 year old athletes spoken for. The youth arm of the team, TriKidsGeorgia, has continued to grow as well. Staying true to their mission, they have developed happier, healthier, and faster age group triathletes. The kids have grown close and look up the adults and vice versa.

The coaching systems employed by the coaches of TCGA have proven results. Rarely will you hear an athlete complain about being unprepared. If anything some of their critics are worried about the team’s athletes being over trained.

The TCGA culture has grown to be a tight knit one that supports all levels of triathletes and single sport athletes. They fight demons together and stand side by side through thick and thin. Their motto is #NoQuit. Once on the team, athletes are Reapers for life. The team is also well thought of throughout the United States and abroad for their dedication, commitment, hard work, and humor.

Not just a team for elite triathletes, but in 2015 there were two 2016 Kona Ironman World Championship qualifiers, and several 2016 Ironman 70.3 World Championship qualifiers. The team saw several compete in 2015 world championships from Maui for Xterra, to Kona for the World Ironman Championship, and to Austria for Ironman 70.3.  In the USA Triathlon NCC Challenge (#USATNCC), the team is also a top 10 overall team and the defending 2015 USAT Division IV national champions and possess a big lead already for the 2016 title.

All told, this team is on fire. They do their jobs and reap what they sow. Inquire about how to be a coached athlete or team member and you, too, may be able to find out where your potential is.

Finishing Up the First Tri Kids Georgia Race Season – TriCoachGeorgia

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Our last weekend of the youth triathlon season kept us very busy with two races back to back. Saturday, October 10 was the Five Star Triathlon Championship. Many of our athletes qualified at various races through the season. They did add an open division as well which allowed some of our newer athletes to compete on this day as well. The race was held in Clarkesville, GA in an indoor pool with challenging bike and run on the hills of Northeast Georgia. We are proud of all our racers – Simon Casey, Jenna Champer, Carter Fowler, Caiden Fowler, Freeman Chamblee and Jack Chamblee.

Some of our TriKids were also competing in the GA Milesplit Cross Country 3K Challenge at Athens Christian on October 10th. Caroline Duncan and Ellie Gayer brought home impressive finishes on a rainy, muddy course helping their team, Malcom Bridge Middle School, to a 2nd place finish.

The rescheduled Senior Division race of the Atlanta Kids Triathlon took place on Sunday, October 11th. Even with the date change, we had a great group of athletes ready to compete. It is much different racing in October instead of August, but these kids did not let a little chill stop them. The XClass division raced first with Caroline Duncan, Addie Hayes, Jack Hayes Jenna Champer and Keaton Tsepas Buccier. The age group race followed with Emma Champer, Lindley Hawks and Carter Fowler. As always, the Atlanta Kids Tri brings tough competition from around Atlanta and the Southeast and our TriKids brought home great results.

Many of our kids are well rounded competing in football, soccer, horseback riding and dance when they are racing in triathlons. We are looking forward to some great off season training filling in our racing gaps with local 5K races and year round swim meets.

TriKidsGeorgia: Ironkids Alpharetta 2015 – TriCoachGeorgia

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As many of TriCoachGeorgia Reapers enter their taper phase for their “A” Ironman races in Augusta, Chattanooga, Maryland, Louisville, Cozumel, and Florida, the focus turned to the successful and growing kids team, TriKidsGeorgia, as they headed to Ironkids Alpharetta.  With over 700 athletes racing, the coaches and parents were sure the TriKidsGeorgia were well trained for their turn on the big stage.

TriKidsGeorgia sent 19 athletes to the race.  Racers for the team included Ben, Allison, Harry, Jack Hayes, Addie, Isaac, Callie, Jack Stansell, Luke, Keaton, Simon, Jenna, Carter, Caiden, Nicholas, Molly, David Andrew, Caroline and Sydney. Sadly, several were out of town and had to miss the event.

The race had three divisions for participants. The first to race were the Senior racers.

The team entered 5 kids in the Senior division. The race consisted of a 300 meter swim, 8 mile bike and 2 mile run.  The kids were lined up in numerical order and were ready to get in the pool to start his/her race.  Each athlete was well trained and sharpened in late Summer by swim instructor and Cal Poly Triathlete Cullen Goss, who was 13th overall at the 16-19 year old Sprint at the ITU Worlds in Chicago, Illinois. They completed the swim and headed into transition to get on their bikes.

The bike consisted of 4 laps of a difficult course with hill climbs and descents.  The practice the athletes put in over the past year with Coach Slayer and his assistant, professional cyclist John Butler of Watkinsville, Georgia, showed as each of them had exceptional bike handling skills and splits.

The run took them on an out and back course in the woods. All of the kids finished strong and had great races.

Next up were the intermediate racers.  Their race consisted of a 150 meter swim, 4 mile bike and 1 mile run.  The course was the same as the senior division.  The kids worked hard during their race and all had smiles on their faces when crossing the finish line.

Finally, the junior division raced. During this race, spectators often see a lot of first time triathletes. The TriKidsGeorgia had fun cheering on their teammates and other young children as they competed in the 50 meter swim, 2 mile bike and 500 yard swim. As the kids crossed the finished line, they had their names called just like at the adult Ironman races.

At the awards ceremony, TriKidsGeorgia was very well represented. The team had 7 athletes podium in their respective age groups. More importantly, all the kids and parents of TKGa showed class and respect for their fellow competitors. All told, it was a great day in Alpharetta!

Now the TriKidsGeorgia look to finish their competitive seasons at the Five Star Championships and the re-do of the Atlanta Kids Triathlon that was rained out earlier in the Summer. Let us know if your child want to join this free team that doesn’t quit!

Final Note: TriKidsGeorgia is a non-profit and has many sponsors and affiliates including High Performing Systems, Inc., Adams Tile & Terrazzo, Georgia Cycle Sport, Athens Fleet Feet, Wells Fargo Advisors (Seth Waltman), and Positive Outcomes Psychological Services, P.C. Special thanks once again goes to All3Sports.com for their support of the youth team with a donation of gear to the team. Also, a note of gratitude to TriCoachGeorgia athlete, Taylor Lewis, who donated her winnings from the SlayborDay Challenge to the youth team!

September Starts with a Bang – TriCoachGeorgia

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The early part of the week was all about learning about #WeFinishTogether. Read about it here in our blog on the topic. The team coalesced around Judas Preist aka Judith Garrard’s daughter Kim Garrard Stemple and her outstanding movement to giving race medals to folks who needed encouragement. We encourage you to like them on facebook and join the movement! We also are thinking positive thoughts for #TeamTagg as he faces one of his biggest surgeries yet.

After the WFT movement, this week was another mixed bag of fun and suffering for the Reapers. Some are hitting or enjoying the taper for ITU World Junior Elite Triathlon on Wednesday, Ironkids Alpharetta, Ironman Cozumel 70.3, Ironman Chattanooga, or Ironman Augusta 70.3, and others are still going long for their big A races in Ironman Maryland and Ironman Louisville, not to mention Ironman Florida, Ironman Arizona, and Ironman Cozumel. In addition there were some races on the calendar across the country for the TriKidsGeorgia and their older counterparts from the TriCoachGeorgia that the team just smashed.

Everything started off with the Hot Dam Weekend from Go Race Productions. The Olympic distance triathlon was on Saturday and the Sprint triathlon was on Sunday. Representing the reapers on Saturday was Hurricane Sandee aka Sandra Daust, who took overall female, and FC aka CJ O’Mara, who took seventh overall with an assist from his wife Nicole. Hurricane heads out to Kona shortly for the second time and has established herself as one of the top women in the world in her age group! In fact, rumor has it that she and the Man of Steel aka Jon Lunn went out for a long brick after the race.

On Sunday, FC, mentored by Tax Slayer aka Seth Waltman, was back with another huge day coming fourth overall. Also, repping the Reaper was the “Reaper” relay with #14 aka Jake Gayer and Simon the Swimmer paired up with Jim Casey to crush it for another 1st place. There were strong individual performances from Keaton, Jr. Slayer aka Ellie Gayer and Caroline. Also representing the team were the fast Benedicts, coached by Coach Spartacus. In fact, Lauren came first overall female and was joined on the overall podium by Caroline! Jr. Slayer and Keaton took 1st in age group (AG) as well. Lauren’s sister, Taylor, took 2nd AG too!

Go Race puts on great family friendly races that we sponsor and the TriKidsGeorgia families and TriCoachGeorgia athletes love to head out to their offerings. Crisp McDonald has been the consummate race director and we look forward to working closely with him again in 2016! There are some nice surprises on the race calendar for next year as well.

A few other newer TriKidsGeorgia, Carter, Cailen, Jenna, and Mya went over to the Bootlegger Super Sprint Triathlon and wreaked havoc on the course. The Five Star NP Series has been a nice entry level one for the kids and results were very good given their newness to the sport.

Another race on Saturday was the Run Like A Divas half marathon in Peachtree City Atlanta. We had two Reapers repping for Coach BigBad, Social D. aka Danielle Cheek and Darsh Vader aka Darsh Cook. Both showed off their hard earned fitness with solid races.

In addition, on Saturday, Georgia Multisports productions put on the Tugaloo Olympic Distance Triathlon race. Gator aka Chris Keysor tested out his fitness for his long awaited Augusta 70.3 race there. He came 2nd in AG just missing the stacked Masters podium by about a half minute. His race showed how far his run has come catching up to his already blistering bike.

Also on Saturday, over in Cedar City, Utah Gruesome aka Dr. Lisa Harrigan hit up the challenging 13.1 and came through the finish strong like she has all year. The organizers claim this race was “marked by both the red rock formations as well as the tree-covered hills and mountains there along the western edge of the Markagunt Plateau.  Cedar Canyon makes for an especially scenic and fast course thanks to its long, gradual downhill descent at the Cedar City Half Marathon, which organizers call one of the nation’s fastest half marathon courses.”

New TriCoachgeorgia athlete KenJ took his first week as a team member to hit up the local Rochester, New York, Sprint Triathlon called the Finger Lakes Triathlon. The website indicated that the course wanders through the Finger Lakes wine region, in and along beautiful Canandaigua Lake. There were rollers on the bike course and a flat run. Ken knocked it out of the park and we look forward to a huge 2016 for him with Ironman Chattanooga 70.3 and Ironman Chattanooga both on his agenda

On Sunday, we were all also glad to hear that Dad of TriKidsGeorgia Caroline and David Andrew hit up the Erie Marathon and gave it all he had. Results indicated that he came in at 3:12 and likely finally secured his Boston Marathon Qualifying Time again, but this time he should make the cut off and be able to race it in 2016 along with Longman aka Karl Langenbach and Coach Slayer.

Finally, big thanks to Ingo McLean who put on another free transition clinic at Augusta 70.3 The feedback from these has been very positive.

As one can easily see, the Reapers are crushing it again and again. There are a ton of smiles, PR’s, and podiums. More so there is great sportsmanship and lots of camaraderie. No wonder there is so much positive karma and strong growth. In fact, we look to add some more coaches shortly to the staff to accommodate the demand.

Now we turn to Coach KimPossible‘s athlete MadHatter aka Michelle Hughes crack at Ironman Cozumel 70.3 and one of the biggest race weekends of the year for the team the week after with Ironman Chattanooga and Ironman Augusta 70.3!

Slaybor Day Weekend – TriCoachGeorgia

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This weekend was supposed to be an easier one for many in the USA. However, Labor Day turned into Slaybor Day and a little idea born on the track during a Coach Slayer and TaxSlayer long run, grew to huge proportions.

Check out the awesome Viper aka Steve Smith video if you haven’t already. In this fresh new Slaybor Day Challenge (along with a video here) for everyone regardless of team or other affiliations was invited to knock this brick out over Labor Day. The results, as they unfolded, and afterward were simply astounding. The team will be awarding a $66.6 from all3sports.com to one of the participants once the data is all counted.

However, although all participants dug very deep to get their challenges done in some form or fashion usually over the amount required, one person in particular took things up a notch and added 2 more levels to the original challenge. Terminator aka Dr. Dick Thompson showed his grit and determination for Ironman Louisville this year with his astounding training days, that he dedicated to the leader of the #WeFinishTogether movement, Kim Garrard Stemple, daughter of our Judas Priest aka Judith Garrard. (A whole other blog on this cause is currently in production). Terminator actually finished the challenge at Level III which was more than a full ironman across disciplines!

Meanwhile the youth squad was in the throes of their early season football and cross county training and racing. Huge performances were put on by Caroline, Ellie, Ben, Amy, for their respective schools, Oconee Middle, North Oconee High School, and Malcolm Bridge Middle School. Every TriKidGeorgia is performing well and they still find time to practice multisports twice a week.

Practice led to great results at the Sugar Creek Youth triathlon in South Carolina for several of the youth team members. We had first timers, podium winners, and generally great performances! As can be seen from the pictures online, the TriKidsGeorgia just get it right. Congrats to Carter, Simon, David Andrew and Caroline, and Jake among the many other kids who rocked it out! Now the team turns to Hot Dam Sprint and Ironkids Alpharetta.

Close friend of the team David Eckles joined Rolling Thunder aka Troy Garland this weekend for a local favorite, the Butterfly Dreams 5k. RT was back on the podium. This race supports Butterfly Farms in Watkinsville, Ga where they serve the community with hippotherapy and honor a young child who died with health complications.

Up in New Jersey, after a long flight from Oklahoma traveling to her old home town of Holmdel, Gruesome aka Lisa Harrigan hit up the Walk in the Park 5k with her daughter Gracie. This was a rousing performance more so for the memories it stoked and forged than for the results per se. You see, the Walk in the Park women’s 5K took place on Gruesome’s old high school cross country field!

Over at gorgeous Callaway Gardens, Coach KimPossible sent first time triathlete and new team member Abby to the Callaway Olympic Triathlon. Abby didn’t have much time to cherish the beauty of the Gardens as she was too busy doing her job, and landed a podium in her first race ever! One can see the look of pride clearly on her face.

Finally, the team was stoked to see Kim and Martin M. as well as Xena aka Gina Farrell and Hoss aka Bradley Odom out at the Savannah Century September 6. Not only did these team members fight off some mechanical issues to go long. Some found it in them to run off the bikes after huge bike days setting them up nicely for their late season races.

All told, this week was huge! The team keeps going and growing and we have results and smiles to prove it. Inquire about how you can join them moving forward so your 2016 will be as fun as their 2015 is.

Final notes: It’s the final chance to get points in the Georgia Triathlon Series. Hope to see you at the HotDam Races for Go Race Productions this weekend. There are other races too like the Diva’s Half Marathon, John Tanner 2 Sprint Triathlon, and Tugaloo Olympic distance, that the team will be representing at.

Speedy Days & the Slaybor Day Challenge – TriCoachGeorgia

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As we end August, the team, both youth and grown ups, has a lot to celebrate. We have reaped what we sowed over the Winter and Spring. Training hard when many others take “offseason” always seems to pay off in spades. And now September begins the big time A races for many of our athletes.

This month includes Ironkids Alpharetta for the TriKidsGeorgia as well as Sugar Creek Youth Triathlon. The Go Race Productions Georgia Triathlon Series that we sponsor finishes up mid-month with the Hot Dam sprint and olympic triathlon weekend. We also will have Callaway Gardens Triathlon and Tugaloo Olympic races and Ironman Augusta 70.3 and Ironman Chattanooga later in the month.

The weekend started with a XC match West of Atlanta where the RedVenger aka Amy Gayer had a strong day. Then it was time for the Running For Rankin 5k at the Oconee Veterans Park. We had several racing and our friend and affiliate from Fleet Feet Athens, Dustin Shinhouser, won the overall race after crushing the #TriToBeatCancer on the relay with CoachBigBad! Team members young and old get special deals when shopping there. More importantly they get expert advice on comfortable running shoes and apparel. Likewise, they get great deals on gear and bike fits at other shops like Georgia Cycle Sports Concepts and All3sports.com.

On the male side at the Running for Rankin, Rolling Thunder aka Troy Garland and his younger counterpart David Andrew took home high podium slots. LongMan aka Karl Langenbach’s son Tai also performed well.

On the female side of the ledger, Caroline won her age group with a PR for the distance on her favorite course, and we welcomed back IronMouse who is rehabbing a knee issue, with a 6th in age group! All told, with all the training and racing, it was a great morning.

To finish up August, Speedy Gonzalez aka Lester Benitez traveled from his home in Virginia all the way to Austria on the European continent for the World 70.3 championship that we were all so stoked for him to qualify for at Augusta 70.3 in 2014. This is the 4th consecutive year our coached athletes have represented us in this amazing event.

SpeedyG did us proud after incurring a broken rib during the hellacious swim. This bothered him a lot on the run, but his bike was unaffected. He came out of the water 210th in the difficult 45-49 age group in the world, and moved up to 193rd after the bike, and still ran himself up to 173rd in the world in his age group at the end. This is no small feat and SpeedyG was quite the social media darling not just for his athletic prowess, but for his family life and friendships.

Time marches on for the Reapers. The training is getting more challenging. Ironman athletes are riding 100-112+ mile rides or more most weekends with brick runs. Half ironman are along the lines of 60-70+ mile rides with brick runs.

We are managing our niggles and trying to keep consistent as Slaybor Day rolls in.

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We hope that you will join in the fun! If not, no worries. Just keep doing your job and getting ready for your raceday(s). If you do, you surely will #ReapWhatYouSow. See you soon and hit up our blogs for more training tips.

Reaping Team Spirit – TriCoachGeorgia

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Close Knit Team

The team spirit has been on fire lately and many of our athletes are leaning on each other to get through big challenges. There have been some big birthday events and there are more races and epic training days taking place. This blog tries to capture some of the #MackDaddy nature of what’s been going on lately with the TriKidsGeorgia and their adult counterparts at TriCoachGeorgia.

Birthday and more Birthdays

The Week got started with a birthday bang! For his birthday early week, young stud and USATriathlon Junior Elite Cullen, who is coaching Summer swim for the youth squad, started off with a killer 19 year old brick of 19’s. He crushed 1.9k open water, then rode 19 miles at 22mph in the hilly sections of Oconee County, ran 1.9k at 6 minutes pace off the bike and finished off with a 1.9k cool down in Slayer Lake.

Cross Country Season Gets Going

Over at Athens Christian Academy, on a challenging course in tough humid and hot conditions, a few of the TriKidsGeorgia, hit up their respective races and showed their year round free training to be very solid. High places and team victories were taken by the Malcolm Bridge Middle School teammates, Caroline and Ellie. Also, Amy won her 3k JV overall in helping her North Oconee High School squad.

Columbus, Georgia is Our South

Over in Columbus, Georgia, our team members and #TeamHargrove were at it again. Dirty Tom raced the 2015 Miles Perret Cancer Services Triathlon in Lafayette, Louisiana! He crushed the course and came in 2nd in age group, while his son Taz, aka Wes, dominated the Alliance Ride for Heroes century in Callaway Gardens. Meanwhile, Coach KimPossible and Hacksaw aka Trey Sawtelle dug deep in their peak Ironman building, for Ironman Maryland and Ironman Florida respectively.

The Horses Age Up

On the night before our team’s quintessential Athens, Georgia and sponsored event, the Cancer Foundation of Northeast Georgia‘s Tri to Beat Cancer, (covered in a different blog found HERE) the team gathered at Chops and Hops in Watkinsville to surprise long time team members, Angela and Reuben Adams, aka Dark Horse and Iron Horse, who both recently celebrated their 50th birthdays. Folks like the Corleys and McGritty and Lauren drove in from far distances to join the party.

The surprise worked and brought a tear to the eye of each of the Adams, who also had special cakes made locally and snuck in by their daughter for the occasion. Thus, their daughter Delaney was there to see the surprise as well. A great time was had by all but the surprise didn’t end there!

#TeamTagg going to Disney World!

Later in the evening, two or the organizers of the Go Fund Me campaign for #TeamTagg presented the parents (Viper and IronMouse aka Steve and Amy Smith) of Tagg Smith with a check for close to 7700$ for the entire family, including their son Emery to be able to fulfill Tagg’s wish to go to Disney World before his next huge surgery in Mid September 2015. As you can imagine, the tears were flowing again!

Athens, Georgia’s Own #TriToBeatCancer

The Race Expo was on Saturday and was a blast. Like they did during their series of free clinics where free training plans for the event were given away, the coaches offered a lot of racers tips to improve their performances.

On Sunday, the race was a huge success. Volunteers were a plenty, as were supporting friends and family. Both the TriKidsGeorgia and their adult counterparts put on a huge showing described in a blog HERE.  The Reapers, young and old, had some stellar performances where athletes crushed prior year times, scored podium slots 0or just missed them in hotly contested age or category groups, and generally reaped what they had sowed. Lots of high fives and words of encouragement were exchanged beforehand, on course, and post-race.

The TriKids meet Hunter Kemper

A team video conference call with multiple USA Olympian, Hunter Kemper was arranged prior to race day. The video conference call was an absolute treat for the team. The team even Skyped in Keaton from up North where he’s visiting family for the call.

After a nice introduction about how he got into the sport and his progression, the team members one by one asked Hunter a lot of pertinent questions about what to eat before races, if he will ever do an Ironman, what his favorite and toughest races/competition was, etc. He then gave some race day suggestions, introduced us to the Pinky Swear Foundation as a charitable organization, and everyone thanked him for his generosity.

TriKidsGeorgia Crush Atlanta Kids Triathlon

While Ethan made the podium at a local 5k, Carter, Lindley, Simon, Luke, Addie, Nico, Molly, Issac, Callie Rose, Harry, David Andrew and Caroline headed to the 4th annual Atlanta Kids Triathlon, with athletes in regular and X-Class races.

Race day was pretty bad weather and a awful storm forced a cancellation of some of the races for the olders. This caused some disappointment but the youngers on the squad raced super strong with solid age group placings, podiums, and smiles. There was a 1st, a couple of 2nd overalls and 4th overalls as well as other great showings in tough age group classifications. More importantly, their sportsmanship shined through again!

Team TidBits

The team also sent a couple racers to half marathons where they performed admirably. Ingo knocked it out of the park at the Hotlanta Half Marathon on the way to Ironman Louisville and All3Sports.com employee and team member, All3Eedee aka Eedee also had a great race at the Area 13.1 Alien Half Marathon. However, this pales in comparison to her good news that she is now engaged to get married. Join us in wishing her congratulations.

Final Words

There is truly never enough time to write all that can be written. As you can see once again, the team is rocking it hard now with even more big events soon.

Come on over and learn about what makes us special. We would love to have you join us and see what sets us apart as a community.