What Are You Waiting For??????

Tomorrow - March 31st - is the LAST DAY for your discounted registration fee. The price increases as of April 1st!

Sign up before midnite tomorrow and save a few bucks!

One Foot in Front of the Other.....

This is my new mantra. This is the reality of how our family must face each day. One foot in front of the other, one day at a time....

As I'm sure most of you are aware, this blog (well the blog formerly known as seaisletriathlon.blogspot.com) was created by Matt McCulley.

Matt suddenly passed away on January 12th. He was a loving husband, father of 3 beautiful girls, a beloved son, brother, and friend. TRI FOR OUR VETERANS was extremely important to him, and it is our family's wish that his vision be carried on.

I am Matt's sister, and I hope to be able to continue what Matt started....to support our military veterans. I am now the race director for this year, and the TRI is scheduled for May 29, 2010.

I won't promise to be as insightful, thorough, or as funny as my brother was - but I am willing to give it a go! I will not have the answers to everything, as I have never competed in a triathlon in my life! I do, however, have many people who are helping me learn the ropes and guiding me through this new journey. I want to especially thank Neil Semmel from Piranha Sports, Shannon McGroagan from GO! Athletics, Chuck Brodsky from the Nation's Triathlon, as well as, my family and friends. Since Matt's passing, the amount of support we have received has been overwhelming. Thank you does not seem to be enough.

Matt was very special to me, and I miss him more as each second goes by. His drive, commitment, and determination to help The Injured Marines Semper Fi Fund, Sea Isle's VFW Post 1963, and all military veterans was amazing......you can help to continue his passion by signing up here!

Thank you!!!

Tri For Our Veterans III: Saturday, May 29, 2010

One sign of the triathlon off season is the opening of race registrations. Now is the time to let your bodies rest a bit, recover from those long workouts/races-- then get excited for next season. I am happy to announce that registration for Tri for Our Veterans 3 is now open. This race has SOLD OUT every year and 2010 will be no different. If you sign up now, you guarantee your spot and pay the lowest registration fee offered!

Click HERE to register.

Here is another update: All proceeds are directed to two different organizations helping our military veterans. The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund receives 50% of the proceeds and the other 50% goes to rebuilding Sea Isle's Veterans' Memorial. Want to see what it is going to look like? The picture up at the top of the page is the architect's rendering. You can read more about the project by visiting Sea Isle's project page-- click HERE for access to the pics and click HERE for a press release.

By signing up for this race, YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OUR MILITARY VETERANS!

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2010 Registration coming very soon

Tri for Our Veterans III will open registration in the next week. The 3rd annual race will take place on Saturday, May 29, 2010 in Sea Isle City, NJ.

Stay Tuned!

Thank you Racers!

We raised $35,000 this year at Tri for Our Veterans II. THANK YOU! I sent off a check for $17,000 to The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, The VFW took the other $17,000 for the new Veterans' Memorial in Sea Isle, and we left $1,000 in the fund for start up capital-- afterall, Tri for Our Veterans' III is only 10 months away!

See you soon and thank you for all of your help. Through racing, you have helped our brave men and women of the US Armer Forces.

Sincerely,

Matt
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This is why I prefer ocean swim triathlons!

Okl. Officials: River Water Made Triathletes Ill


By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 4:12 p.m. ET


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Health officials are blaming bacteria and parasites in the Oklahoma River for sickening dozens of international triathlon participants last month.
The Oklahoma Department of Health said Wednesday that river contamination caused gastrointestinal problems for at least 45 participants in the Boathouse International Triathlon in Oklahoma City.
The department says a few athletes tested positive for different illnesses, including norovirus and bacteria that could be ''associated with exposure to water contaminated with human or animal waste.''
Athletes practiced in the downtown river and swam 1.5 kilometers as part of the triathlon. Some participants later reported diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramping and fever.
The river has tested high for bacteria, particularly after high runoff from storms. The triathlon was held May 16-17 after a heavy rain.

Just woke up-- so how did we do?

Wow. What a week. I just woke up, dug myself out of 400+ emails, and got back to work.

So Racers-- what did you think of the race? Please leave comments so we can make adjustments for next year.
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Went for a Swim

Ran 6 miles, then donned the wetsuit in the afternoon for a swim. The water was nice, but it was a bit chilly when I got out of the water. It is only in the mid 60s today-- Saturday will be 70+ degrees, so we should be all good.

I also visited the transition area today-- it is beautiful! The sod has been down for a week and it feels great to run on.

Race day is near and we are looking great.
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Wanna Race? Get your motor running...

See you at the starting line? I wouldn't mess with this runner, she looks fast and furious. Plus, she has two older sisters, so you know she is tough.

I was with the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol (SICBP) yesterday and set up the swim course. We went out on a jet ski, dropped the weights, then measured them with my GPS for accuracy. After moving them 2-3 times, we got them in place. On the way back to the Guard shack, I asked Lt. Chuck if I could swim back. I jumped in and swam about 150m to shore. The water was not bad at all. The readings were 61 degrees. Get your race caps on!

The transition area is BEAUTIFUL! The City recently cleaned the entire lot, dumped a ton of topsoil, and laid down sod. They really did a nice job. Racers should love it because running through this beautiful grass will knock a lot of sand off of those feet. The new set up does add some work for me because the City removed the wooden fence that surrounded the lot. For security purposes, I have to add a orange flex fence around the entire perimeter. That is OK-- we'll survive!

Saturday's weather is calling for a warm day, 74 degrees, with a passing shower. Bring plenty of water or Gatorade! It seems as if the "scattered" showers will come later in the day, so we should be OK. The race will be wrapped up by 11am (including awards) and we can head home for an afternoon nap at the shore-- I will need it!

Lastly, Mike's Seafood is helping us with a seafood pasta lunch after the race. Join all of your fellow competitors back at The VFW Post for a great meal (and a few cold ones!).

See you in Sea Isle...

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Live report from Sea Isle

Iron Granny was swimming in the ocean today. She said the water temperature was over 60 degress. The locals reported a rapid warm up this week (fishermen know the water best). This is good news!

Heading to Sea Isle tomorrow and will do some swimming-- need to set the weights for the swim course with SIC Beach Patrol. I will have a wetsuit on and will post an update tomorrow night or Monday morning.

The weather on Saturday, May 23rd is coming into focus. It seems as if we will have a cloudy day with temperatures in the low 70s. One forecast (Accu-weather) is saying occassional showers. Keep those fingers crossed!

More information to follow after my day trip to Sea Isle.
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Reason to Race #212

An email from a racer last year:

It was an honor, in some small way, to support both the VFW and The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. As I was exiting the swim, I saw a guy really struggling as he crawled to the shoreline. I though, "Boy, this guy is in trouble". He was floundering toward what appeared to be his family and they had a great look of concern on their faces. Suddenly, a woman handed him his prosthetic leg and he snatched it and moved towards the transition area.

If I needed any additional motivation to get moving, that was certainly it-- what a champion that guy is!

Lord willing, I'll be back next year. If it requires competing in the pouring rain or swimming in 40 degree water, so be it. Any discomfort the icy Atlantic can dole out is a small price to pay when compared to the sacrifices of the men and women in our Armed Services"!

Well said. For the record-- we'll have a warm ocean in 2009! The temperature hit 56 degrees today and we have 10 days for it to jump into the 60s.

See you in Sea Isle City!
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Important Race News…12 days to go!

Sea Isle City is ready to host Tri for Our Veterans II. The weather forecast is promising and we expect another great race. We will have more than 500 racers competing on Saturday, May 23^rd and look forward to sun, sand, and a sensational start to the summer.

A few items to mark down as you prepare for the race:

Packet pick up: You must bring a photo ID & your USAT ID card (if you are a member). Racers must pick up their packet and cannot have someone else pick it up for them (insurance purposes). Packet pick up on Friday, May 22^nd is from 4:00 PM to 8:30 PM at the VFW Post in Sea Isle (301 JFK BLVD). Packet pick up on Saturday (RACE DAY) is at the transition area, JFK and Pleasure Ave., 5:30 AM to 7:00 AM.

Race course videos: Click the following link to watch a series of videos. Each video gives a walking tour of the course. This should be very helpful to those wanting to get a preview of the course. https://cid-d0c8902976e7be97.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Triathlon%20Videos

Athletes' Guide: Please be sure to download/print the Athletes' Guide to the race. This gives you all of the information you need. http://www.piranha-sports.com/Media/Image/athlete%20guides/2009_TFV_%20Athlete_Guide.pdf

Ride the course on Friday: Take a one lap tour of the bike course with one of our Elite athletes. Meet at the transition area at 5:30 PM on Friday, May 22^nd. The distance is only 4.1 miles and will last about 15-20 minutes. It is a light ride for informational purposes only.

Water Temperature and Wetsuits: Got your attention, right? The water temperature will be roughly 60-62 degrees. The average time in the water last year was 11 minutes. We have many Sea Isle City lifeguards in the water and around the swim course in boats. The USCG will also be on hand as back up. It is strongly suggested that you have a wetsuit. Don't have one? Our sponsor, Xterra Wetsuits, rents them and can ship it out to you via Fedex. Check it out at http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/shop-xterra/product_info.php?cPath=0&products_id=43

Have fun & thank our military! This triathlon is the USA's only race dedicated to our military personnel and veterans. More than 15% of the field is currently serving in uniform, have served in the armed forces, or have retired from the military. Please be sure to support them throughout the race—they will have the BLUE caps on for the swim. Our friends at Team Semper Fi get a thunderous "OORAH" from Sea Isle—check them out at http://www.semperfifund.org/team.html

See you soon in Sea Isle City!

Matt McCulley
Race Director

Initial Weather Report

Accu-Weather has delivered the initial weather forecast for Tri for Our Veterans on May 23, 2009. Good news! The long term forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 80 degrees. Because we start the race at 730 AM, we will not hit those warm temperatures-- I would suspect we enjoy a cool 65 degree start.

As for the water temperature, it is hitting 55 degrees. With warm weather here to stay, it can jump a degree per day and I suspect we will have 60-63 degree water temperature.

Other race news:

*Transition Area: Racers will find a different transition area in Sea Isle this year-- The City has sodded the entire lot.

*USCG on hand: The Coast Guard will have a team in the race (Go Team Semper Paratus!) and have helped coordinate back up to our SIC Beach Patrol. The USCG will have a boat near the race course and a helicopter overhead.d

*Finish line experience: At the finish this year, we will have children handing out American flags right before the finish line to celebrate Memorial Day. If you would like your children to participate, have them report to the finish line area at the start of the race.

14 days to go!
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Want to better understand the race course?

Don't forget, if you want to get a preview of the race course, we have a number of options for you to familiarize yourself to the course design.

1. Click HERE to view the videos of each and every segment of the race course. Get a bird's eye view of the transition area (entrances/exits), bike course, swim and run courses. All have audio commentary from me. (I'm no Larry Mendte!)

2. Download the Athletes' Guide by clicking HERE. The Guide has all the maps and instructions you need to compete.

3. First Timers Meeting: At 7pm on Friday, May 22, 2009, we will host a first timers' meeting at the VFW Post in Sea Isle. The meeting is in the same room as check-in. One of our elite competitors, Mark Brace, will lead the session and walk everyone through the course, transition area, and other related triathlon topics. Mark will also do his best to answer all of your questions in a Q&A session at the end of the meeting. Make time to get to this meeting!

The Tri for Our Veterans course is a very easy course to understand. The swim is a simple out/over/in design, the bike route is a 3 loop course of a rectangle, and the run is an out and back race on the beach.

Last year, our inaugural race, only one racer got lost out of 400 competitors! He was in the Air Force and the US Marines who competed said he did not have his RADAR tuned properly!

If this is your first triathlon-- have no fear, you will complete it and have a blast. If you are a racing veteran, then you should recognize the fact that this course is fast, flat, and fabulous.

See you in Sea Isle-- 18 days to go...
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Athletes' Guide is posted; other news

Hello Racers,

Tri for Our Veterans has posted the Athletes' Guide. Download the PDF document by clicking HERE. The Athletes' Guide details the entire race and includes race maps, schedule, packet pick up information, and other pertinent information for you.

My advice-- open, print it, and keep it handy as the race is quickly approaching.

Other news:

1. Go WAWA! Thank you so much to Team Wawa. Their South Jersey Team was so very helpful to our race efforts. Wawa has sponsored the Finish Line drinks-- there will be ice cold Wawa juices awaiting you at the end of the race. Thank you Wawa!~

2. Giveaways: Polar insulated water bottles and long sleeve t-shirts.

3. Prize Packages: Winners will receive prize packs, filled with Oakley Sunglasses, Xterra Wetsuits, Xterra Transition bags, Hammer Nutrition items, beach towels, and 2010 Tri for Our Veterans comp'ed registrations (prizes vary).

4. Need a place to stay for the race? Rent a house by contacting Kevin Gillespie. Check him out at www.shorehouses.com

5. We are SOLD OUT folks, no waiting lists, no possiblilty of openings.

See you soon in Sea Isle!
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Special Offer and yes, we are SOLD OUT

Our wetsuit sponsor, XTERRA Wetsuits, just announced a special offering for Tri for Our Veterans racers: 50% discount on an XTERRA Transition Bag. Use the following special offer code RACEPACK and go check it out by clicking HERE. A transition bag for $25!!!

Also, we are SOLD OUT folks-- there are no spots left in any of the races (Duathlon, Triathlon, Relay). Sorry, but we have been forecasting a sell out since early March.

Finally-- have questions about the race course? Make sure you take a look at the videos posted HERE.

"Sea" you in Sea Isle...only 26 days left!
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Interactive Race Maps

Hi Racers-- Ready for Tri for Our Veterans yet? I have posted a few videos, which give an aerial overview and walkthrough of the race course in various sections. These should be REALLY helpful to you as you plan on a successful race in Sea Isle City!

Video #1, Swim Start and Transition Area overview
Video #2, Bicycle Course, Part A, Overview
Video #3, Bicycle Course, Loop 2, Loop 3, and Finish
Video #4, Run Course Overview
Video #5, Duathlon Overview

These videos are not generic maps-- they are real overhead shots of the course brought to you by Microsoft's Virtual Earth technology.

Click HERE to gain access to the videos.

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...
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Softmart signs on has Gold Sponsor

Very exciting news: Softmart has signed on as a Gold Sponsor for Tri for Our Veterans!





Softmart is located in Downingtown, PA. They are a global provider of all things IT-- services, software, hardware, you name it, and they've got it! Last year, Softmart was kind enough to donated a number of items as prizes for our winning racers. They liked what was happening in Sea Isle and decided to sign on as a Gold Sponsor. Speaking of GOLD...Softmart is a Gold Certified Partner of Microsoft, which means they have demonstrated years of quality service and support to Microsoft's products and programs.

One of Softmart's largest customers is the US Military-- so the sponsorship really makes a lot of sense for them-- supporting those who served and continue to serve our great country!

RACE UPDATES

• We are just about to close registration. We have hit our maximum and await a few registrations from Team Semper Fi. If you know of anyone who wants to get it, they will need to register by Friday, May 1st, when we plan on closing the registration process.
• There will be no onsite registration.
• Racer Information Packet: This will be posted on Piranha's website in about two weeks. We will blast out an email to the registered racers when it is available.
• Giveaways: This year we have two awesome giveaways for our racers-- a long sleeve, high quality t-shirt (Carolina blue), and Polar Bear insulated water bottles (24 oz, red & blue).
• Volunteers? Interested in helping out our cause? email me at mcculleyfordham@hotmail.com
• First time doing a triathlon? No worries, we have you covered. An experienced triathlete will be hosting a 1st timers meeting on Friday, May 22nd (time TBD) at the registration site.

See you soon in Sea Isle City!

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Mourners pay last respects to fallen Marine from Oxford - The Daily Local News : Serving Chester County

Mourners pay last respects to fallen Marine from Oxford - The Daily Local News : Serving Chester County

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