Race sells out; Team Semper Fi storms the beach in Sea Isle

Tri for Our Veterans is SOLD OUT. Sorry, we do not have a waiting list. In 2010, please be sure to register early! Our race continues to grow in popularity and we will have over 500 racers competing this year.

In other news, Team Semper Fi is again competing in the Sea Isle triathlon. Click HERE to learn more about their efforts and their schedule of events.

You can also watch a video interview of one of their members, Dan Lasko, by clicking HERE and HERE Dan competed in the inaugural Tri for our Veterans and was a driving force in getting Team Semper Fi to the beaches of Sea Isle. He also kicked butt at last year's Philadelphia Triathlon (look for his Philly Tri finisher medal in the video).

Lastly, we will be sending out the Athletes' Guide in a few days-- keep an eye out for the notice in your inbox.

See you in Sea Isle...just 29 more days...
.
.

Less than 100 spots left; Treats for Troops

Hey Racers,

Less than 100 spots left for Sea Isle's Triathlon! Please spread the word-- we will sell out in the next two weeks.

On another note, I am very pleased to announce a partnership with Treats for Troops. This organization collects various goods and ships them out to our troops in the field. The list is provided by our military and it is put to very, very good use. At our registration area, we will have a table set up for people who would like to donate the requested items. After the race, we will pack up the goods, deliver them to their Partner Representative in Ocean City, who will then have them shipped out to our troops in the field. Want to make a difference? Here is how-- bring these goods to the race:



baby wipes
bar soap
batteries
beefjerky
body lotion
bubblegum
Campbell's Chunky Chili
Campbell's Chunky Soup
candy
candy bars
cereal bars
Chef boy r dee raviolis
chess set
chewing gum
chicken salad -lunch to go
cigarettes
coffee
coffee creamer
coffee sweetner
coloring books
crayons
cup of noodles
dental floss
deodorant
devil dogs
Dinty Moore beefstew
disposable camera
DVDs
ear plugs
envelopes
eye drops
foot powder
fruit cocktail
games
granola bars
hard candy
hot sauce
ibuprofen
insect repellent
jigsaw puzzle
lip balm
lollipops
macaroni and cheese
magazines
manicure sets
microwave meal
microwave popcorn
mouthwash
music cds
novels
peanut butter
peanut butter crackers
peanuts
pens
playing cards
poker chips
poptarts
powdered drink mix -individual servings
powdered Gatorade
power bars
puzzle books
q-tips
raisins
ramon noodles
razors
Religious Medals
rice krispie treats
Rosaries
salt and pepper
scapulars
shampoo
shaving cream
silly string
slim Jims
soap dish
tissues
toilet paper
toothbrush
toothbrush holder
toothpaste
tootsie pops
toys and games
trail mix
travel fist aid kit
t-shirts
turns
tuna fish in a pouch & Mayo
tuna salad kits -lunch to go
Uncle Ben's microwave rice meals
Vienna sausage
waterless hand sanitizer
white socks
writing tablets

People always ask me-- "How can I help?"--- let me count the ways-- you can race in the triathlon, donate goods to Treats for Troops, volunteer at the Race or simply make a donation.

Keep the Memorial in Memorial Day weekend! See you in 67 days!
.
.

T-minus 32 days

August 16th, 2007. I wrote Sea Isle's Mayor, Len Desiderio, on this date, proposing the idea of a Sea Isle triathlon. Now we have 32 days to go. Where did the time go? Things continue to progress. From a race director's seat, job duties switch from marketing the race and filling the registration list, to more of an operational one. We have 271 racers signed up-- yes, 21 people signed up in the last six days-- so I am very confident we will hit 300+. In fact, we will probably inch towards 350. The city has not cut us off and we have a very large transition area, which will accomodate our racers with plenty of room to spare.

From an operational perspective, I just put the finishing touches on the race manual. 18 pages...wow! I am lucky to have two people to lean on when writing this paper-- Chuck Brodsky, who is behind The Nation's Triathlon and has a ton of experience-- and my father-in-law, Gerry Quinlan, who was a logistics manager for Verizon before retiring (and he still retains his keen eye for details). Gerry is a Sea Isle resident and has saved me countless trips to the beach. These two guys have helped me get this off the ground. Thanks, guys!

Details, details...I think I have put together a solid course. The swim is what it is-- 400m in the ocean. The real key here is protecting the athletes by providing plenty of lifeguards and lobbying for some back-up...like the Coast Guard. They will have a boat on the scene, which is very reassuring. (And, no, it is not going to be cold...Sea Isle water temperature is 56 today and will only go up...expect high 60s!).

The bike course is the trickest venue because of traffic control. The city has been kind enough to close Pleasure and Landis (southbound) Avenues, but there are other concerns: 30+ cross streets to block, five 90 degree turns, four "s" curves, and lots of parked cars. Obviously, we will need to have a good number of volunteers (70+ so far) and educate our athletes about the twists & turns. On the positive note-- bikers will enjoy the very long straight aways-- almost 9 miles of straight riding. I have been to some races where they force you to do a 180 degree turn on each lap (Philly Tri, Wildwood Tri)-- not fun and SLOW. I estimate the bike course contains more than 9 miles of flat, laser straight road (Landis, 79th-42nd, is going to break speed records).

Finally, the run. This has been the easiest to organize-- a 3.1 mile, out and back course on the hard sand. No traffic to worry about, only the occassional, washed up jellyfish.

All in all, I would have to say, a race director should be required to particpate in 5-10 triathlons before starting their own race. I have tried to eliminate any concern for the racer and put on a bodacious (did i really just use that word) venue for you athletes!

Have any suggestions? Add a comment to the blog!

EXTRA, EXTRA: Mimi supports the troops.

BREAKING NEWS: Mimi registers for the Tri for Our Veterans race!

Wow. I am very proud to announce my Mom signed up for the race. After weeks of training, she felt she could safely sign up and compete. That's right..."Mimi", mother of three and grandmother to four beautiful girls, is signed up and ready to compete on May 24th. As a wife of a veteran, Mimi supported the race since its inception and has been a proud backer of our efforts to support our military veterans.

This is her first triathlon and she is very excited. It goes to show that this race is possible for all ages and even first timers. I have received a number of questions about this race, mainly from first time triathletes. Because of the short swim, the flat bike course, and the overwhelming crowd support, this race is a perfect setting for "rookies".

Nice job, Mom. I can't wait to give you a hug at the finish line!