NORSA Makes It to Boston!

This past Monday, NORSA team member Julie Brockman ran in the 112th Boston Marathon. Considered the world champion marathon, Boston's hilly course challenges runners for 26.2 miles from Hopkinton all the way into downtown Boston.

Participating in the Boston Marathon requires runners to have run a recent marathon within a qualifying time (different for each sex and age group; Julie's qualifying time was 3:40 which she set at the OBX Marathon in October).

Julie finished the race Monday with a time of 3:44. Other noteworthy participants included Rick and Dick Hoyt (of Team Hoyt) and retired cyclist Lance Armstrong.

EYE of the World Has a Boat!

EYE of the World, an educational circumnavigation working in cooperation with NORSA, is in the process of aquiring a 40' Rhodes Reliant as its base of operations. We expect to close on the boat within a week.

The boat, currently located in Fort Lauderdale, will be moved up to a marina in Virginia where it will be hauled and a refit will begin. Keep looking on the NORSA and EYE websites for future updates.

1st Triathlon of the 2008 Season: Little Pepper

Greetings NORSA Members. Unless somebody registers for an earlier race, the first triathlon of the 2008 season will be the Little Pepper Sprint on Sunday, May 18th at 8:00AM in Culpeper, VA.

Be aware of the following before registering:
*** This Race is roughly 1.5 hours from DC - attending will require hitting the road at 5:30-5:45AM OR staying at a motel/hotel near the race site. I plan on the early drive for now; however, if a lot of people sign up, a hotel might be a good idea.
*** Registration is $79.50 Total ($89.50 for non-USAT members)
*** Open-Water Lake Swim! (hope its warm by May)
*** Sprint Distance (750 meter; 15 mile; 5k)

Non-USAT Members: USAT's annual membership fee is $39. If you plan on racing in 4 or more USAT sanctioned events this year (triathlon or duathlon), you should get a USAT membership. Non-members are charged a $10 fee per race.


Setupevents.com handles many of the triathlons which NORSA members have competed in (Kinetic, Little Pepper, Yorktown, Kure Beach, Culpeper, Patriot's, Giant Acorn). Feel free to create an account on their website.

FYI: An identical race is held in August. Competing in both would be a great way to track your progress!

Good luck to everybody this season!

NORSA Cyclists Make It to Virgilina!!

On Sunday, April 13th, NORSA cyclists Alan Stewart, Mike Rhodes, Tim Josey, and Adam successfully completed the epic Raleigh to Virgilina, VA road ride - a 116 mile trip from central North Carolina, north to the Virginia border town of Virgilina, and back.

NORSA had attempted the trip back in December but was hampered by 40 degree temperatures and cold rain. The cyclists made it only halfway to Virgilina and turned back at the town of Stem, NC. Virgilina remained in their sights, however, and April 13th proved to be the day when the weather and everyone's schedules cooperated.

The team left from Ryan Boyle's house in North Raleigh at 8:00 AM (Alan and Adam had spent the night before partying with the NC State Sailing Club for it's annual Commodore's Gala semi-formal). Following a route mapped out by Mike and Tim, the cyclists swiftly covered the first 25 miles of familiar territory past Creedmore and Stem. Just before reaching Stem, they were pursued by the first of many packs of dogs. A group of three dogs charged into the road as the team rode by a property, putting the cyclists into an all-out sprint which left the dogs behind but resulted in the first of two flat tires for Adam.

Adam patched his tire and the team continued on through some of the most beautiful countryside North Carolina has to offer. Horse farms, pine plantations, and traditional farmland provided scenery under a beautiful sun and 60' temperatures as they worked their way north. Then, a little after 12:00 PM, the cyclists left the State of North Carolina and entered the Commonwealth of Virginia!

After lunch at an exceedingly 'local' pub/restaurant/bar, the cyclists made a lap through town, and headed south. Following a different and partially bootlegged route back, they pedaled their way across rolling hills, through the town of Oxford, and back to Ryan's house. Legs and rear-ends burned with pain, but in a good way.

Virgilina was a success. The only disappointment from the trip was for Alan and Adam, who experienced a painful revelation of exactly how far the Louisville Ironman will be.

See Tim's photos and videos here! See Alan's photos here!
Check out Tim's GPS tracker. 5300+ feet of climbing ... not too shabby.

NORSA Has a Blast at Bull Run Shooting Center

The Bull Run Shooting Center in Centreville, VA, saw the first NORSA-organized clay shooting event. Coordinated by the newly-formed NORSA Shooting Sports Team, experienced shooters and new-comers to the sport both gathered to enjoy a morning of exciting target breaking. The event was planned by NORSA co-founder Tom Saffell, who was joined by NORSA long-timers Matt White and Steve. NORSA new-comers and shooting enthusiasts Kurt Couchman, Jerker Taudien, and Greg Stathes joined Tom, Matt, and Steve for this event, as well. They couldn't have picked a more fun event for joining the NORSA team.












Despite colder than expected weather, Kurt, Matt, and Tom shot some rounds of skeet before Tom gave a quick safety course to the new shooters. After renting some very nice shotguns from the Shooting Center, Jerker, Steve, and Greg were introduced to the sport with a round of trap shooting. All of them shot extremely well and will certainly be coming back for more. For those who couldn't wait for more, namely Kurt, Tom, and Steve, the Bull Run Regional Park is home to one of the most difficult five-stand courses on the east coast with nine traps and three levels of course difficulty. After a great morning of shooting, the crew returned their rented firearms and broke for lunch before heading home.













The event was a great success overall. And, as the weather gets nicer, similar events to this one will be forthcoming for any interested people who may not have been able to come along. So check the NORSA Upcoming Events section often or join the mailing list to keep informed of these opportunities.

Running from the Bulls at the Richmond Monument 10K!

On Saturday, April 5th, Team NORSA members Julie Brockman and Adam teamed up with Richmond Potluckers Fatima Sharif, Adam Sparger, Mickey Humsi, Paul Stoddard, James Todd, Tyler and Susan Trumbo, Jeremy Wacksman, Megan Wright, Laura Hack, Dave Prestosa, and Roy Lenn for the 2008 Richmond Monument Avenue 10K.

Inspired by Adam Sparger's personal experiences running from the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, the group decided to recreate the event at the 10K. With Hack, Sparger, and Stoddard dressed as the "bulls," the rest of the gang dressed in white with red scarves and did their best to escape the creatures' raw, unrestrained power ... with varying success.

The group's running background varied from seasoned athletes to others who had bought running shoes specifically for the event; but regardless, all participants finished the run with gusto.

Special recognition goes to Laura for putting so much thought and effort into designing the bull costumes that she forgot to bring shoes the morning of the race, and congratulations to all participants!