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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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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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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XTERRA Wetsuits sponsors Tri for Our Veterans

I am very excited to announce a renewed partnership with XTERRA Wetsuits. In our inaugural race, the swim caps and some prizes were provided by XTERRA. They have generously stepped up to the plate and pledged their support to Tri for Our Veterans II!

Thank you XTERRA!

XTERRA is also our preferred wetsuit rental partner. As you know, the water temperature will be about 62-64 degrees for the race in Sea Isle and wetsuits are strongly encouraged. Though it is a short swim (400 meters), most athletes will want a wetsuit for buoyancy and warmth. Don't have one? No problem-- XTERRA provides an inexpensive and easy solution-- rent one for the week by visiting their rental shop-- CLICK HERE for more information. Rent it for this race or the Avalon triathlon and others (Stone Harbor Triathlon)

I race wearing an XTERRA suit-- the Vector Pro. I love it-- feels like I am gliding through the water and it is very easy to take off during transitions.

70 days until we hit the water-- you ready?
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Race hits 80% of capacity

Hi Racers,

80 days to go before Memorial Day Weekend kicks off and Tri for Our Veterans II launches. With 80 days to go, we just reached 80% capacity for the race-- what a coincidence! We have over 300 racers signed up and more going into the system tonight (Team Semper Fi). Last year, we capped our race at 400 and we expect the same limits from the city.

If you know of someone interested, or, if you have not signed up for Sea Isle's Summer triathlon, do so now by visiting http://www.piranha-sports.com/Race54.aspx

We will sell out and we will NOT offer any type of registration during race week.

Other race updates:

1. Giveaway: Long sleeve t-shirt, light blue. I met with our supplier and love the design, quality of the shirt.

2. Giveaway II: Hoping to deliver a Coolmax visor to each racer. I tried one supplier, but everything has to make its way to Sea Isle on a SLOW BOAT from China. That will not work. I still have high hopes for a cool visor!

3. Medals for Mettle: The race registration area in Sea Isle will have a table from www.medals4mettle.org. This organization takes your old race medals, cleans them up, puts a new ribbon on it, and gives it to people fighting disease or other health related battles. Very cool idea and we are happy to extend an invitation to them-- if you have any medals you would like to donate, bring them to registration!

More to come...until then, See you in Sea Isle City!
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Oakley signs on as Sponsor

Great news to share-- Oakley has signed on as a sponsor. Our top athletes will be chasing an awesome prize packages, which will include Oakley sunglasses.

Oakley really stands out from the crowd of companies offering sunglasses, especially when it comes to products geared towards triathletes.

I wear the Flak Jacket model when competing and it is a great offering. They are lightweight, a snug, but comfortable fit around my [big] head, and they block the UV rays. Believe it or not, sunglasses actually conserve energy during endurance races. How? Every time you squint due to the sun, you are using muscles, which draw down energy levels. Oakley sunglasses can help you go longer, go farther.

I am very happy to see so many companies stepping up to help our military veterans. If you are a company looking to help, I'd like to point out our social networking prowess-- Tri for Our Veterans had 450 competitors last year and attracted 2,000+ spectators. Our email blast list reaches more than 7,000 people. This race blog has attracted more than 1,000 page views per month for over a year, and the Facebook Group has more than 90 members in the 15 days since it was created. If you sponsor, people will know about it!

Sea you in Sea Isle City!

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SELL OUT coming...Heads up.

Hey racers,

Tri for Our Veterans II is really shaping up nicely. Our sponsors have been great and I wanted to give a shout out to XTERRA Wesuits. They are again supplying us with a sponsorship package, which includes prizes for the winners and swimcaps for all participants. THANK YOU XTERRA!

XTERRA is also preferred partner for anyone looking to purchase a wetsuit OR if you need to rent a wetsuit. Click HERE if for rentals, or HERE for purchasing.

I swim with a Vector Pro X2 and love it.

SOLD OUT? I received an email this week about our status. We are not sold out...yet. We recently eclipsed the 75% mark-- I encourage everyone to register now if they want a spot. Last year, we allowed a number of athletes to register on the day before the race. This will not be happening in 2009.

Register now by clicking HERE. See you in Sea Isle City!
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Avalon Islandman 2008

Yesterday was the tri in Avalon. This was the first triathlon I ever competed in and I really, really like the race. When I first started to put Tri for Our Veterans together, I often thought about Avalon and how it was shaped, organized, and directed. Their race director, Midge, does a wonderful job and she continued her great work yesterday.

The race was a lot of fun and it too donates a significant amount of money to various organizations and charities. The course is very nice-- especially the bike, which I consider the best in South Jersey. The swim yesterday was brutal-- the water temperature was fine, but boy was it rough. I was smacked in the face with a monster wave and it threw me right on omy back. Just goes to show you-- you cannot control Mother Nature. Tri for Our Veterans had colder water, but it was smooth as silk out there. I think I would rather have a cold, but calm ocean!

Iron Granny (my mom) completed her 2nd Tri-- and she broke two hours! Awesome race, Iron Granny!

Check out the results by clicking HERE.
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EXTRA, EXTRA: Triathlon breaks 200 registrations

200 registered racers for the triathlon. Remember, first 300 racers to register receive the best race swag on the Jersey shore-- Polar water bottle, t-shirt, and beach bag complete with race logo.

Tell your friends and sign up today by clicking HERE.

Trophies for top finishers

Most races give out trophies or awards for top performances. Top relay team, 1st place, and top performances in age groups (i.e. Men 30-34) are all examples. Tri for Our Veterans is no different-- we will have awards and they will coincide with our veteran's theme. All top performances will win a customized dog tag key chain, as pictured above. I was worried if this was going to be well received by our military and veterans in attendance, but the VFW assured me it was "a-ok". My number one goal is to put on a great race and raise a lot of money for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, but a close second is to raise awareness to the true purpose of Memorial Day-- honoring our military. Hopefully, we can accomplish both!

We are now over 180 participants...guarantee your spot by registering HERE before we close out the race.