:: Brian Scott ::

Date:   July 2008
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

I had the pleasure recently of talking triathlon with the TCSD’s very own Brian Scott who qualified for Ironman Hawaii with his stellar 9:26:53 performance at Ironman Arizona. Please join me as we get to know Brian.

:: Mac Brown ::

Date:   April 2008
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

I had the chance recently to talk triathlon with TCSD member Mac Brown. Please join me as we get to know a humble, but super fast guy.

:: Jackie Atkinson ::

Date:   May 2008
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

I recently talked triathlon and Ironman with TCSD member Jackie Atkinson. Join me as we congratulate Jackie on her first ever Ironman finish at Arizona on April 13th in a solid time of 12:51:38.

:: Lynn Trimble ::

Date:   March 2008
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

You might think that I choose Ironman Canada because of the attractive one lap course, the picturesque scenery, or the friendly atmosphere of Penticton. Nope, it was none of these, but something much more emotional and enlightening. The one thing Canada had in common with Kona was the chance to run the streets of Penticton before a cheering crowd dressed only in my BVDs. Yes, I am talking about the underpants run. Mike Olson, Barb Olson and I had a fun time. As a prior competitor you know the feeling Craig. There is talk of Kona qualifying slots for the underpants run and I am ready. Bring it on!

:: Eric Rehberg ::

Date:   February 2008
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

In 2000 I was on deployment in Guam. A guy in my detachment was really into triathlon. He had packed his rollers and Litespeed Blade (I remember laughing when I heard how much he paid for that bike) and all his gear. I had packed a rusted out Specialized mountain bike and my surfboard. I was talked into a triathlon sponsored by Bud Light on Guam, so off we went. Him on his Litespeed and tri-suit and me on a rusted mountain bike and running shorts. Turned out, it changed my life instantly. I raced and loved it, and funny enough I won the thing on my crazy rusted mountain bike. There were a few laughs over that one. That night I was on eBay looking for a tri-bike to order for when I got back to San Diego.

:: Jill Childers ::

Date:   January 2008
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

The bike went smooth for 40 miles, then going uphill the winds were head on..ugh! The Kona winds were back this year. I suffered from very hot feet on the bike and had to stop, take off my shoes & socks umpteen times to rub them but my nutrition was dead on and I was looking forward to my favorite leg…the run. My feet were at home in running shoes. My first mile was an 8:30 pace and I was giddy. I ran the course with ease and finished in 4:54, passing 117 runners along the way. The finish in Kona was amazing… the cheering fans, hearing Mike Reilly calling my name out. I crossed the line in 14:41:03.

:: Kevin Koresky ::

Date:   December 2007
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

At mile six I felt something at the bottom of my feet. Blisters. The top of both feet and both heals blistered. I had sand in my socks and it shredded my feet. I was forced to walk 18 miles. With about 8 miles to go, the blister on my left foot popped. At mile 20 the right foot blister popped. Pain, Pain, Pain! It felt like I was walking on glass. At mile 24 the right heal popped. The pain was intense. I could see the finish line. I was willing to crawl to the finish line. It is amazing what you will sacrifice in life to chase a goal. Crossing that finish line had a way of taking the pain away.

:: Kim McDonald ::

Date:   November 2007
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

The race itself was everything I expected. Everyone who was there was in shape and prepared to put it on the line, but there was a lot of camaraderie and great sportsmanship too. Running down Alii Drive all I kept thinking of was coming back again next year and what I’m going to do different to go faster. ....it’s the only athletic event I’ve ever done that teaches you some valuable lessons about yourself and what you can accomplish in life by just hanging in there. It’s as much a test of your mental resolve as a physical challenge.

:: Barbara Olson ::

Date:   October 2007
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

All my emotions were in high gear waiting for the cannon to go off. The swim went well, the bike course was beautiful, and then there was the run. It got very dark outside of town by the lake. At one point I thought how nice it would be to lay down along side the road, but figured I wouldn’t wake up until the next day. Crossing the finish line was unbelievable -- what a sensation. The lights, the music, the crowd – it is all very overwhelming. I was amazed at the size of the crowd still there cheering people as they came across the line.

:: Sonja Doherty ::

Date:   September 2007
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

My husband said ‘I don’t want to freak you out or anything, but you are at least top five, maybe even in 2nd place’. A mile later some other friends confirmed I was in 3rd place with 10 miles to go. “WOW!” is all I could think. I was stoked … but it was time for an inventory. I was feeling really strong and with that news I felt an even greater surge of energy. Stick to the plan I told myself. As I got closer and closer to the finish line it felt like my feet were not even hitting the ground. Kona has always been a goal of mine.

:: Matias Negatu ::

Date:   August 2007
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

Cross winds from the Sahara Desert and the Atlantic were upon me. I reached down to get my water bottle, and my front wheel was almost taken out from under me. The Zipp race wheels were not cut out for the cross-winds. It was so scary that my mindset went from race mode to survival mode. I was not able to keep up with hydration and nutrition while fighting the winds. I had a few more near falls. Soon the hills were upon me. The overall elevation gain was 8,300ft. The Lanzarote bike course was by far the most taxing both emotionally and physically.

:: Craig Zelant ::

Date:   July 2007
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

My goal within the run was to run fast enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon. With 250 meters to go I passed one guy in my age group and then in the final 5 meters I passed another guy in my age group. I covered the 26.2 miles in 3:19:59. This was the 2nd best run split in my age group and my 2nd best IM run ever. I staggered over to check on the results and learned I had finished 5th! This was the 1st time for me on the podium of an IM event. I beat 6th place by 1 second and 7th place by 12 seconds. The next day I learned that there were 6 Kona slots for my age group. It amazes me that after racing for nearly 10.5 hours, it comes down to seconds

:: Jim McCann revisted ::

Date:   June 2005
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

The sport of triathlon has been and is a gateway to athletic adventure. I’ve seen so many people who were never athletic their whole life, join the club, do a sprint triathlon, do an Ironman, take up adventure racing, and ride their bike across the USA. The Tri Club is a positive place. Good things are happening and people tend to be upbeat

:: Jim Vance ::

Date:   December 2006
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

Honestly, no race has ever given me the joy I felt when I turned that final corner at Florida, and saw the finish line. Everything I had committed to that race, and the injuries I dealt with, it all paid me back that day. I was so fired up, jumping and hollering. If you saw the video of the finish, you can’t see under my Rudy Projects, and you wouldn’t guess it by my excitement, but I was in tears. As soon as I crossed the line, I walked back to Orlanda, my fiancé, and we hugged, both in tears. It was the single most emotional moment of my life. I came into that race facing a lot of doubts, and a field that was stacked with amazing resumes

:: Matthew Evans ::

Date:   November 2006
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

A friend of mine suggested that I do a triathlon as a challenge since I rode my bike and ran quite a bit. I did my first triathlon on an old mountain bike with slick tires. It was at the Mission Bay Triathlon in 2002. It was a great feeling just to complete the event. I basically dog paddled the entire swim. It took me like 20 minutes. I finished with such a big smile that it made me want to see if I could do more.

:: Kim Rouse ::

Date:   October 2006
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

17 days before Ironman last year I was cruising home from my last long ride alone when my front tire exploded, throwing me off the bike. This was 50 feet from our Marine memorial on Kearny Villa Road. My clavicle was broken and I had some road rash. The first Orthopedist told me Ironman was out so I immediately went to Roger Freeman (also known as “Orthopedic Ironman”) and he gave me the risks. If I can handle the pain, a one arm swim and stay on the bike, I would not do more damage. That meant a go for me.

:: Craig Zelent ::

Date:   September 2006
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

I have been racing triathlons for 20 years now and initially never thought I'd accomplish the "big" goals. It took me 13 years to qualify for my first Team USA (this was my 10th Team USA). On September 2 I raced for Team USA at the Triathlon World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. I was very happy with my race as I placed 29th out of 108 men in the 40-44 age category and I was the 4th out of 10 Americans with a finishing time of 2:20:17.

:: Vickie Alexander ::

Date:   August 2006
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

My first Ironman was Hawaii in 1996. I qualified at Mike and Rob's Most Excellent Triathlon, a Half Ironman in Ventura. I never thought about doing an Ironman and it was only about 8 weeks away and the furthest I had ever ridden my bike was the 56 miles I just did in the Half. Well, I did the Ironman and finished in 12:48. I suffered a lot in that race, especially on the bike, and vowed never to do another Ironman. That only lasted for 3 years.

:: Diana Noble ::

Date:   July 2006
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

I had no idea of what place I had come in when I had finished. My family got a kick of how my energy level increased when I found out that I had come in 4th place in my age group. I couldn’t believe it! I was waiting at the qualifiers registration tent at 9:00AM the next morning and sure enough there were 4 spots! Amazingly the 1st spot went to me in 4th place and the 4th spot fell all the way down to 14th place. I was on my way to Kona!

:: Tom Washington ::

Date:   June 2006
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

Once I had all of the distances down, I drove to Mission Bay Park to check out the race site. After I saw the water, I chickened out. I spent the rest of the spring regretting not racing. I then found TCSD and ... eventually did the July club race. I was hooked! I did a few more club races before I did my first paid race, Mission Bay Tri. I loved it so much that I swore I would never miss an opportunity to race because I was chicken.

:: Dennis Kasischke ::

Date:   May 2006
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

I was racing a duathlon in Tucson, AZ in 1999 and Bob Macy had just passed me on the bike to take the lead in our age group. I saw a rabbit dart from the shrubs on the side of the rode and straight into his front 4-spoked wheel! Fur was flying everywhere!! And Bob somehow kept his bike upright as he slammed on the brakes and I passed by to take the age group win.

:: Andy Seitz ::

Date:   April 2006
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

....into T1 and realized I had a flat rear tire....about 1 mile later I got another flat. At the bottom of the hill my tire was flat again, ..... got back on only to get another flat near the top of the hill. On the way down I got a flat again.... I got two more flats on the next loops and when I got back to the bike after the race it was flat again - a total of 7 flats on a 9 mile course! I got a upset after the first flat, but relaxed after the second and by the third started laughing about it. It never crossed my mind to quit...came in dead last. Luckily I was able to return the next year and repeat my first place.

:: Katrin Szardenings ::

Date:   March 2006
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

I had a few margaritas. Before going to bed, I was curious about that IM race my friend had done and so I checked out the website. There was a “sign up” button. Because I was a little drunk, I didn’t really know what I was doing and clicked on it. I couldn’t believe I could still sign up for it, but I did and when I realized, what I had done, I almost had a heart attack. That is how I got into triathlon.

:: John Chisholm ::

Date:   February 2006
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

I just showed up race day without knowing a thing about triathlon. I was going to get an edge on the competition by NOT wearing a wetsuit. Cold and slow are the words to best describe my swim. I thought I could get another edge by drafting on the bike. I had no idea it was illegal. By the end of the bike, I had made many enemies. I got cramps halfway through the run. It was a really bad day. But despite all those mistakes, I was so proud to have finished that I started racing regularly and haven't stopped.

:: Norm Smith ::

Date:   January 2006
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

My first Tri was Carlsbad in May 2004. I was terrified of the 1000 meter swim which doesn’t seem like that much now, but at the time the longest session I’d completed in a pool was 500 meters and I’d only done one open water swim of about 5 minutes to test out the wetsuit I bought the week before the race. I remember being ecstatic when I exited the water – after all, no one drowns on the bike or run.

:: Amanda Benedict ::

Date:   December 2005
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

Race day was incredible! At first, it had all the signs of a nightmare. I was so nervous the day before that I could not relax. I had new shoes, new race wheels I had never ridden on before, and a new outfit to wear. All the things I was taught not to do on race day. On race morning, when I walked my bike into the transition area, I noticed that the tire was going flat and that my bike computer did not work with my new race wheels. I was a nervous wreck at this point.

:: Andi Ramer ::

Date:   November 2005
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

My race in Wisconsin was awesome – I still feel like it’s my strongest race yet. ....After lap one of the run, he said “ I think you’re top ten”. At that point, I knew Kona was within reach. I pushed that out of my mind, and simply raced for a PR – reminding myself to just do MY best and see what happens. I ended up 7th in my age group, and was super proud of my race. I really did not believe that I would get a slot at roll down.

:: Craig Zelent ::

Date:   October 2005
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

Then with 250 meters to go, a guy named Mark passed me. I rallied and passed him back in a sprint finish. I knew Mark was in my age group and I really just thought we were racing for pride at that point. But the next day I learned that sprint finish was my ticket to Hawaii. I just needed 1 guy from positions 13-17 to decline the slot and that is exactly what happened.

:: Al Tarkington ::

Date:   September 2005
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

I was positive that I finished dead last in my age group. The following day, my wife insisted that we go to the Qualifier meeting. They announce the slot winners starting with age 18 and the winners must be present and pay the Ironman Hawaii entry fee on the spot or forfeit their slot. They had slowly gone through 28 of the 30 slots when they reached 65-69 age group. When they said my name, I was literally stunned. It was a total surprise. I was overcome with emotion and could hardly speak.

:: Dennis Villavicencio ::

Date:   August 2005
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

In Ironman Utah, I caught my brother Alan on the run and I thought it would be cool to finish together. But, after losing to me at Alcatraz and another race, he was determined not to get beat by me again so coming into the finish, he took off and sprinted in. I didn’t think it was a big deal so I didn’t try to catch him. It turned out to be the last spot for Kona so he went to Kona and I did not. At Ironma USA he again sprinted the last few feet and beat me by one second. Luckily, we both qualified for Kona and we ended up 4th and 5th in the age group.

:: Bob Baranek ::

Date:   July 2005
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

The guy who won my age division and I went head to head from mile 10 on the bike through mile three on the run. Then he turned it up a bit and I decided not to go with him. I didn’t want to risk running myself out of a qualifying spot. My goals for the race were to qualify for Hawaii, and then if I was lucky, a podium finish. I knew if I kept moving I was going to be in good shape. I knew I had several minutes between me and the fifth and ninth place guy. I finished the race in 9:49. Good enough for 4th place in my age group and a spot to Kona.

:: Carla Mason ::

Date:   May 2005
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

When I gave her the T-shirt the biggest smile came across her face and she told the nurse she wanted to wear it. The medical staff cut that shirt right up the middle and put it on Michelle. Two days later I got the call that Michelle had died still wearing her 1988 Carlsbad Triathlon T-shirt. I still have my t-shirt, holes and all; I wear it, and it puts a smile on my face every time I do. Michelle taught me to race with a purpose.

:: Dean Rosenberg ::

Date:   April 2005
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

I had an encounter with an overzealous aid station volunteer, and after an unsuccessful evasive maneuver, I went down hard. It was there at Mile 70 that I had my own personal “Paula Newby-Fraser incident” - sprawled out on my back looking up at a bunch of people trying to help, police officer on his radio saying, "Racer 1045 is down, roll Fire Department". Then I remembered Paula and announced, "Don't touch me, and DO NOT send the Fire Department!"

:: Mark Ford ::

Date:   March 2005
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

Nothing can duplicate the feeling of knowing that you are going to actually finish a race that you've watched on television for years. Getting out of the water, finally stepping off of that bike, and ultimately that last right turn down Palani Road, marking 1 mile left in the run, escalate into the stereotypical flood of emotions associated with finishing that first Ironman in Kona. The best thing about it is it's the same feeling whether it's your first Ironman finish or your 20th.

:: Joe Esposito ::

Date:   March 2005
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

My first triathlon experience was in July of 1987 in New York City. It was absolutely the most disgusting race I have ever done – the swim took place in the Hudson River among plastic bags, diesel fuel, and the occasional dead fish. You had two choices on the swim start you could either jump off the pier, or you had to climb down a rickety wooden ladder into the water and hang onto a piling. I finished, and lived to tell the tale.

:: John Holman ::

Date:   December 2004
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

John Holman finished his 1st Hawaiian Ironman on 10/16/04 in 16:48:12. John had a great race finishing 22nd in the men’s 65-69 age category. John completed his first Ironman in Canada in 2002 in a time of 15:51:36. He also did Canada in 2003, 14:35:50; and Lake Placid in 2004, 16:30:50. In April 2004 John's name was selected in the Ironman lottery.

:: Debbie Gallo ::

Date:   November 2004
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

Debbie had a podium performance at the Ironman World Championships in Kona on 10/16/04 placing 4th in the women’s 50-54 age group with a time of 13:16:59. Debbie qualified for Kona by winning her age group at Ironman France on 6/26 with a time of 12:19:45. "Racing in Europe was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot about being patient and going with the flow."

:: Kim Mueller ::

Date:   September 2004
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

Kim Mueller, professional nutritionist, a repeat club race winner and now a Kona qualifier. Kim in only her second year in the sport of triathlon qualified for the Hawaiian Ironman with her 4:56:00 performance at the Half Vineman in Santa Rosa. This placed her 3rd among her age group, women 25-29.

:: Rob Evans ::

Date:   August 2004
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

I saw that I was in 13th place and knew the roll down would be close. I was disappointed the next day when the roll down made it to the 12th spot and then stopped. I was only 9 seconds out of 12th place! Later I found out they had awarded only 79 spots and the 80th was supposed to go to my age group. I got the call on Thursday of that week that I was going to Kona.

:: Sarah Reinertsen ::

Date:   July 2004
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

I didn't start doing triathlons until 2003 - shortly after moving from Brooklyn to San Diego. My first race was the Carlsbad Triathlon. It was of course very intimidating for me since I had never swam in the ocean surf -- and I only had learned to ride a bicycle a month before, but I managed to get through the distance and I haven't stopped since.

:: Bob Rosen ::

Date:   June 2004
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

At Half Vineman I came out of the water about 50/55 in my AG, and was pretty frustrated. I didn’t give up. I managed to channel my frustrations positively. Peddled like a madman and ran like my life depended on it. Finished 2nd in AG on the bike, 4th on the run for a 4th place finish. Also set a ½ marathon PR that day.

:: Katya Meyers ::

Date:   April 2004
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

At the 2004 Ralph’s Half Ironman in Oceanside Katya dominated the women’s amateur race and only eight of the pro women finished ahead of her. Katya also had a podium appearance in the 2003 Kona finishing 3rd in the women’s 18-24 category with a time of 11:05:20.

:: Ann Leath ::

Date:   March 2004
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

I failed in my first attempt to qualify for Hawaii in 1995. At first I thought that was the end of it, after all, one turns 50 only once. But then I realized I was going to continue being 50 and just because I didn’t make it the first time, if I still wanted to do it, I would keep trying. So still being coached by Roch Frey, I qualified at "Mike and Rob’s" in Ventura in 1996.

:: Mike Plumb ::

Date:   February 2004
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

We used to have friendly arguments about which one of us would do better in a triathlon, the runner or the cyclist, so to settle the argument we both entered an upcoming triathlon at the end of the summer. I ended up winning it overall and was hooked. I went on to win that same race, the Sandman in Gulf Shores, AL 11 times in 15 years.

:: Patrick Baldwin ::

Date:   December 2003
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

The greatest part of the bike was climbing up to Hawi. My buddy Trevor had chalked ‘Go Patrick #1564’ about every mile up that hill and he had made a giant sign out of a sheet which he hung between trees and a sign. I climbed that hill with tears streaming down my eyes harder than I had ever ridden a bike. It was the intense feeling of support that took me there emotionally and physically.

:: Sean Boyle ::

Date:   November 2003
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

Sean qualified for Kona at Coeur d’Alene with a time of 10:03:56 in his first Ironman. He then went on to post a time of 9:44:27 at Ironman Hawaii on 10/18/03 becoming the undisputed Ironman World Champion of the Triathlon Club of San Diego. How does a guy shave over 17 minutes off that time at an even tougher venue?

:: Mike Ortiz ::

Date:   October 2003
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

Mike Ortiz qualified for the Hawaiian Ironman at Ironman Canada by placing 16th out of 283 men in the 40-44 age group. Mike’s time was 10:17:50. "The early portion of the race was going pretty much as planned - until about mile 25 on the bike. At that point, for some strange reason, I got a bloody nose. I suffered a couple of asthma attacks while on the bike and run due to the forest fires."

:: Birgit Prigge (Wester) ::

Date:   September 2003
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

Birgit qualified for Kona at Ironman Germany with a time of 11:01:49. She has come a long way in the sport all the way to the World Championship. I remember doing a 100-mile training ride with Birgit in 2001 where halfway she fell in a stream crossing, but finished the final 50 miles. Even Lance Armstrong would have fallen on this slippery, algae covered road. This woman is determined!

:: Patrick Rezzo ::

Date:   July 2003
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

My longest race was the Ralph’s California Half Ironman this past April. ...my only goal at the Cal Half was to finish, which I did in a unimpressive 6:57. Although I was moving slowly, as I crossed the line in Oceanside I thought to myself that I could not run another twenty yards, let alone go twice that distance. I found out a few days later that I won a lottery spot to Kona

:: Mickie Shapiro ::

Date:   June 2003
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

I caught the Ironman bug and did my first Ironman Hawaii in 1989 in 14:45. But the training to get there had been filled with challenges. I had broken my collarbone four times in one year due to bike accidents. In 1996 I decided to do Hawaii again to celebrate my 60th birthday. In 2002, I finished second in my age group. I had a very busy year because I went to two Nationals and Worlds in Cancun.

:: Dan Powell ::

Date:   December 2002
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

Dan Powell has plenty of goofy triathlon stories. When he was finishing the bike portion of a USTS (Olympic distance) race in San Clemente he did not realize there were TWO transition areas (suppose he should have read the race preparation materials). His running shoes were in T1, but everybody was racking their bikes in T2 (about two miles away).

:: Brad Buchanan ::

Date:   April 2003
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

For 2002 Brad was the winner of the Triathlon Club of San Diego Ironman of the Year Award. Brad finished 3 Ironman races during 2002 (Australia: 10:56; Vineman: 10:45; Florida: 10:17) after completing the same three races in 2002. His improvement was significant with each successive race.

:: Bill Gibbs ::

Date:   July 2002
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

My first triathlon was a club race on Fiesta Island. I thought I was ready but I was in for a big surprise. It was in 1995, I think. I barely knew how to swim. I think I was the last one out of the water. At one point I was swimming in the opposite direction of where I was supposed to be going. It was quite a challenge and I had a lot of fun.

:: Mike Drury ::

Date:   May 2003
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

I moved to San Diego in March of 1998. That first week I went to Road Runner Sports to buy some running shoes and saw a Tri Club newsletter. There was a 10-mile run that weekend at Fanual Park in Pacific Beach, a few blocks from my house, so I went. Two weeks later I bought a 51 cm used road bike. I’m 5'-10". I was clueless on size, but it got me started.

:: Rick Ashburn ::

Date:   September 2002
Interviewer:   Laurie Kearney

I got leg cramps on the swim. I had a good time (1:00:38), but within 10 minutes of getting on my bike, my legs felt like I had already ridden 100 miles. The best part of the race was the run, because you get to talk to racers, volunteers, spectators, etc. There is so much camaraderie out there. I had a blast on the run.

:: John Kenney ::

Date:   November 2002
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

"My first race was a Club race….on a mountain bike, no less, late in the Summer of 2000. I purchased my first tri-bike a few months later... In the meantime, I swam and ran when I could and by July 2001 I was ready for my first “real” triathlon, the San Diego International." Within two short years John completed his first Ironman at Madison Wisconsin.

:: Allison Felley & Rob McElroy ::

Date:   October 2002
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

My first race was Malibu 2000. I had a strong running background, but VERY much underestimated what it would feel like to run off the bike - considering I had never done it before. Almost fell flat on my face within the first 100 yards...and then realized I still had four miles to go. I had much to learn. (Alliey Felley)

:: Steve Diggs ::

Date:   February 2003
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

When I went to Penticton, BC in August 2001, I had no idea what I was getting into. Every day moved in slow motion, and I met the most amazing individuals who look like ordinary people. I was totally amazed that I crossed the finish line in one piece. After the first one, the distance of Ironman is still 140.6 miles, but it seems shorter, or at least more possible than it did before you complete one.

:: Denise Bienias ::

Date:   August 2002
Interviewer:   Craig Zelent

My first triathlon was Mission Bay. I figured I could just wing the short swim and do well on the bike and run. Wrong. I just about drown on the swim doing every stroke possible but the freestylet. Somehow I managed and then passed 100 on the bike and 50 more on the run and came in 7th in my age. Then I got the bug and decided I needed to learn how to swim.