Shamrock Sportsfest 2009

On Sunday, March 22nd, six NORSA members traveled to Virginia Beach to participate in the Annual Shamrock Marathon and Half Marathon. This event, coupled with its flat course, strong organization, large cheering crowds, and great post race finish party featuring essentially unlimited Yuengling and all you can eat beef stew, was a hit with NORSA members last year, and so were joined by three additional competitors this year to make it one of NORSA's largest events (and without a doubt the highest female to male ratio).



Bethan repeated her performance from last year by running a strong full marathon. This year she brought along a contingent of fellow classmates to also participate in the full. Julia, Adam, Anna, Alan, and Taylor meanwhile settled for the half marathon. This was a NORSA-filled weekend for many of the competitors, as Julia, Alan, and Taylor participated in Sir Walter's HHH 800th R*n and Adam returned from the NORSA Ski Trip to Wyoming the day before.

The race conditions were perfect (if maybe a little warm by the end of the marathon) for strong finishes by all competitors.

Full Marathon:
Bethan 4:22:28

Half Marathon:
Julia 1:38:45
Adam 1:49:36
Anna 1:51:47
Alan 2:15:36
Taylor 2:49:23

After the race, all NORSA participants, as well as three of Bethan's classmates ate a celebratory meal at Olive Garden - the site of a similar celebratory meal after the 2007 Sandman Triathlon.

Legs and joints ached at the end of the day, but all members were satisfied with an excellent race and a successful challenge. Special thanks also to NORSA newcomer Jasmin and the Tidewater HHH for a motivational refreshment stop on the course.

140.6 Miles - Team NORSA Completes IRONMAN Louisville!

Team NORSA has reached new heights. On Sunday, August 31st, 2008, at 7:22 AM, tri-team members Alan Stewart and Adam hopped into the Ohio River in Louisville Kentucky to culminate a long year of training. Over 14 hours later, they were Ironmen.

They both signed up for this grueling day on September 13, 2007. Since that day, they swam, ran, and biked their way through training injuries, miles of pavement, and countless laps in pools and lakes. Training involved swimming in the NC State pool and nearby Lake Jordan, running half and full marathons, and spending hours on the bike - both in the frigid cold and the blistering sun. As of three weeks ago, they were as strong as they were going to be. The final long workouts were scheduled before beginning a two-week taper in timid anticipation of race day.

On Thursday at noon, the team departed Raleigh (along with supporters Taylor Hinson and EYE of the World member Anna Blount - they were later joined in Louisville by NORSA veteran Julie Brockman) in the decorated team car, and drove nine hours to northwest Kentucky.

Friday and Saturday were spent registering, prepping gear, checking in equipment, and previewing the bike and run courses by car. After a final carb-loaded dinner Saturday night, the racers went to catch a few hours of sleep. They awoke at 4:30 in the morning, made their way down to the transition area to do final preps to the bikes, and then headed to the swim start.

This race is unique in that the age groupers have an individual time-trial start. Instead of a mass start which features much unintentional grabbing, kicking, and fondling in the water, the racers stepped over a timing mat one by one before jumping in the water. The swim was a 2.4 mile up and back in the Ohio river. The water temperature was 83 degrees making it non-wetsuit legal (which are allowed up to 78 degrees and help with buoyancy).

Out of the swim and into the transition area, racers were handed a bag with their bike apparel and headed to a changing tent where helpful volunteers took their swim gear and sprayed the racers with sunscreen.

Leaving the transition area, bikers headed northeast for 112 miles in the rolling hills of Kentucky horse country. Temperatures were in the mid-90s with a triple-digit heat-index. Both the hills and heat took their toll on the racers, but were fortunately supported by 9 aid stations and 1 special needs bag hand-off. The two-lap course passed through a thick cheering crowd in the town of LaGrange twice before beginning the 30 mile descent back to Louisville.

Special note needs to be given to the Team NORSA IRONMAN support team featuring Alan's parents Dawn and Paul, Alan's sister Tana, Adam's parents Piotr and Maria, SWH3 member Doug/A.C., and of course, the 'That's What She Said" cheering squad of Julie, Taylor, and Anna. Seeing them at the transitions, in LaGrange, and throughout the run course was incredibly motivating.

This motivation came in greatest need on the run. After a beautiful and fast bike, the racers changed into running shoes and began the final portion of the event. They headed out to cheers of "You're almost done!" which were both appropriate and lies at the same time. The majority of the event had already been completed - both in time and mileage - but the thought of that didn't ease the fact that they still had to run a marathon - 26.2 miles.

Aid stations were positioned every mile. Sometimes, even that was too far. The greatest pain the racers felt wasn't in their legs or knees, but rather in their stomachs. Nutrition and hydration were the biggest challenges of the day, and it took every bit of effort to keep putting countless packs of PowerGel and Gatorade-Endurance down.

As night fell, the racers were given glowsticks, but as the night approached, so did the finish. The ultimate goal was to cross the finish line alive, standing, and ahead of the 17-hour limit. Alan and Adam both succeeded.

The Race

The Finish

Adam's stats. Alan's stats.
Adam's official race photos. Alan's official race photos.

Check out Alan's description and additional photos at http://sailnaway.blogspot.com/.

Thanks again to the support team at the race and everyone who followed online. Thanks to everyone who spent miles on the bike and pavement training with us. A super NORSA thank-you goes to the team host, David Wicks. David is a Watertribe member and three-time Everglades Challenge competitor who hosted the team at his wonderful house, took them kayaking late at night, and introduced them to the wonders of Kentucky.

And by the way, if you think an IRONMAN teeters on the brink of absurd, how about a double, triple, quadruple, or even 15X IRONMAN? That's right, a 36 mile swim, 1680 mile bike, and 393 mile run. The current world record is 312 hours and change.

What's the next grand feat for Team NORSA? Who knows, but we'll try and keep it interesting.

Louisville Countdown!

With less than a week to go until the 2008 Louisville Ironman, NORSA racers Alan Stewart and Adam are at the peak of their taper and are focusing on being as strong as they can for race day.

In Louisville?
There are many places to watch the athletes. Either from downtown to view the swim, run, and bike transitions, or LaGrange to watch the bike loop.

Where do the athletes plan to be during their day? Here's a projected breakdown (with some time allowances):

Sunday August 31st, 2008:
7:00 AM ~ 10:30 AM - Swim and swim-bike transition
10:00 AM ~ 6:00 PM - Bike and bike-run transition
5:00 PM ~ 10:00 PM - Run

Both Alan and Adam are shooting for a finish time between 13 and 15 hours.

Not in Louisville?
Follow Team NORSA live online! Right here at teamnorsa.blogspot.com!

Olympic Triathlon Coverage

Credit: the following information was obtained from coachjoeenglish.wordpress.com

The Olympic Distance races feature a 1,500M swim, 40KM bike race, and 10KM run. The men’s and women’s triathlons will be held as separate events on Sunday, August 17th (Women) and Tuesday, August 19th (Men).

US TV Coverage:

Women’s Olympic Triathlon:

NBC Prime-time, Sunday, August 17th, 2008 10:00PM-Midnight*
Second broadcast: NBC Prime-time Replay, Monday, August 18th, 2008 2:00AM-5:00AM

Men’s Olympic Triathlon:

MSNBC, Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 12:00PM-5:00PM*

On-line Coverage:

Women’s Olympic Triathlon: On-line, Sunday, August 17th, 2008 10:00PM-12:45AM*

Men’s Olympic Triathlon: On-line, Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 10:00PM-12:35AM*

* Check your local listing for NBC Prime-Time Olympic Coverage or visit their extensive web-site at http://www.nbcolympics.com/tv_and_online_listings/index.html.

The NORSA Guide to the Olympic Games

As the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing get underway, here are a few events outdoor enthusiasts might enjoy:

Whitewater Kayaking/Canoeing
These events feature a race down a whitewater course where athletes zig zag through a set of gates (both up and down current) and hope finish with the best time. The US team used to train in the DC area until the opening of the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC.

US Athletes to watch:
Heather Corrie and Bethesda resident Scott Parsons, both in the K1.

Cycling
There are many cycling events, and although all on a bicycle, each event is fundamentally different in its tactics and athletes. Track cycling features high speeds on stripped down bicycles. Road races require endurance levels typical of several of the grand tour events; both in road and time-trial formats. Mountain biking is a timed race through a long and treacherous course. BMX is a timed mass-start event on a short course featuring jumps and turns.

US Athletes to watch:
Tour de France celebrities David Zabriskie (now sporting a sweet 'stache), George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde, and Levi Leipheimer.


Sailing
There are many different classes of boats in the Olympics, each of which are sailed in slightly different style and by different types of athletes. There is the dinghy (470), the skiff (49er), the singlehanders (Finn and Laser), the windsurfer (RS:X), the sloops (Star and Yngling) and the cat (Tornado). Sailing is not the most spectator-friendly sport, as competetors work their way around a multi-buoy course and it is often difficult to tell who is winning; however if there happen to be some high wind days in Qingdao, any event will be a thrill to watch.

US Athletes to watch:
ODU and MAISA superstar Anna Tunnicliffe in the Laser, Zach Railey in the Finn, and Amanda Clark/Sarah Mergenthaler in the 470.


Shooting
A sport which stresses focus and mental endurance, shooting (like the other NORSA sports) has a number of categories. There are rifle (target), pistol (target and rapid-fire), and shotgun (trap) events. [Tom]: Though not as interesting as the Winter Olympics' biathlon event, summer shooting sports primarily favors the more disciplined technical shooters able to limit their bodies' heartrate and use bone-structure to support their firearms, rather than muscle strength. Since this differs so greatly from the faster-paced endurance sporting events, you'll be lucky to catch it on TV. The good thing is that, though the US is not one of the best countries when it comes to competitive shooting, we are poised for gold in the skeet and trap events.

US Athletes to watch:
Matt Emmons and Stephen Scherer

Triathlon
A NORSA favorite, this event features the traditional swim-bike-run format. The course covers a 1500 m open water swim, a 40 km bike, and a 10 k run. One significant difference between this olympic event and all USAT events is that drafting is allowed on the bike portion. In most USAT races cyclists are not permitted within two bike lengths of another competitor unless passing. This rule eliminates much of the strategy associated with traditional road racing and makes it more of a time-trial event. The Olympics, however, allows drafting which makes the event fundamentally different but also much more spectator friendly. Watch for athletes strategizing over the course and making moves.

US Athletes to watch:
Jarrod Shoemaker, Julie Ertel, and Sarah Haskins.

Trampoline
... still trying to figure this one out ...

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.

Team NORSA Joins Forces with Team ENERGY at the Second Annual OBX Marathon!

On November 11th, 2007, Team NORSA members Julia Brockman and Adam partnered with Team ENERGY members Jana and Erin Dennis at the second annual running of the Outer Banks Marathon. Starting in the town of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, runners wound their way through the coastal towns of Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head before crossing over to Roanoke Island and finishing in the town of Manteo ... 26.2 miles later.

This was the first marathon for each team member - and on a sunny, breezy, and crisp November morning, all of their training paid off in success. The course was primarily flat with the exception of a few mild hills and one large bridge. Along the way runners were treated to views of the Albemarle Sound, the Wright Brothers Memorial (location of the first human powered flight), Jockey's Ridge State Park, and the many quaint neighborhoods that the Outer Banks are famous for. Throughout the day, runners were cheered on by packs of locals and race fans completely caught up in the thrill of it all.

All team members met or exceeded their goals. Despite spending several minutes in a port-o-potty at mile 13, Adam still finished with a time of 3:58:45 - thus succeding in beating Oprah's 4:29:20. "I love you Oprah, you've been a great inspiration," he said before the race. "But I've got to beat your time, girl!"

Congratulations are especially due to Julie, who finished with a time of 3:40:27, thus qualifying for the Boston Marathon in April, which she plans on making her next and last marathon.

See the full results: http://results.active.com/pages/displayNonGru.jsp?rsID=49824

Thanks again to all Team NORSA supporters. Come join the team at the YMCA Turkey Chase in Bethesda, MD this next Thanksgiving morning. We hope to see you there!