News and Community

Summary: John Chisholm, a sports podiatrist known around the club as “the foot doctor guy,” came to triathlon after a ruptured Achilles and six surgeries ended his running and basketball days. A proud middle-of-the-pack age grouper who has raced every Ironman Coeur d’Alene since its 2003 debut, he offers honest, relatable wisdom on balancing family, career, and Ironman training.

Summary: Norm Smith, a Chicago transplant and former hockey player, recounts his first Ironman at the inaugural Ironman Arizona (11:07:35), well ahead of his 12–14 hour goal. With trademark humor he explains how his “grimace of pain” keeps getting mistaken for a great smile, shares his heavy 2006 race calendar, and offers methodical, mental-game advice for first-timers.

Summary: J.P. Theberge, a below-knee amputee and two-time ITU paratriathlon World Champion, shares the motorcycle accident that cost him his leg and the reawakening that followed. He traces his path from advertising to endurance sport, his gold medals in Vancouver (2008) and the Gold Coast (2009), and his work to make paratriathlon an official Paralympic sport.

Summary: Charisa Wernick earned a podium at the Hawaiian Ironman, placing 5th in the women’s 30–34 in a blazing 10:17:14. A former gymnast who came to the sport alongside her dad, she describes transforming her bike into a weapon (a 5:32 Kona split), her decision to race professionally in 2010, and how she keeps triathlon fun while chasing big goals.

Summary: Chuck Pateros tells how a car wreck and a health wake-up call at 250+ pounds launched him into triathlon, leading to Ironman Arizona and a family-crewed Ironman Revisited in Hawaii—all while championing engineering education.

Summary: Dr. John Martinez, sports-medicine physician and founder of Coastal Sports & Wellness, shares his path from soccer goalie to multiple-time Ironman and USA Triathlon team doctor, along with his integrated approach to treating athletes.

Summary: Introduced to triathlon during rehab from a serious car accident, Brad Golden turned relentless consistency into a breakthrough — a 9:35:34, 3rd-place age-group finish at Ironman Coeur d'Alene that qualified him for Kona.

Summary: Former elementary school teacher Jim Vance describes his rapid rise to a two-time amateur world champion and professional triathlete—including a 3rd-place Ironman Florida finish—and his transition into full-time coaching.

Summary: Elizabeth Daubner—beloved for baking the Aquathlon desserts—shares her cheerful late-start journey into triathlon, culminating in a 45–49 age-group win at California 70.3 (5:02:29) and a Kona qualification.

Summary: Darcy Eaton recounts her transformation from a college partier and smoker to a top age-group triathlete, culminating in a 10:29 at Ironman Arizona 2009 that earned her a coveted Kona qualification.

Summary: JT Lyons, a mechanical engineer turned triathlete, shares how a college race-car project and a career in composites led him to open Moment Cycle Sport, a San Diego shop built around expert bike fitting and customer service.

Summary: Osamu Chiba, TCSD member since 1993 and founder of the sports-photography company Opix, shares his journey from Japan to San Diego, his love of Xterra off-road racing, and his friendship with the late TCSD president Jim McCann.

Summary: Swiss-born scientist Philippe Krebs traces his path from competitive swimming in Fribourg to winning the M30–34 age group at Ironman Arizona 2008 in 9:08:21, crediting TCSD training partners, smarter equipment and a healthy lifestyle.

Summary: After surviving two heart attacks in his thirties, Don Lopez turned a cardiologist’s advice to jog, swim and cycle into a mission — completing Ironman Arizona in 12:53:43 despite a mid-race bike crash. He raised over $13,000 for the Cardiovascular Disease Foundation, earned the Ford Everyday Hero Award, and formed a lifelong bond with cardiologist Dr. John Fitzgerald along the way.

Summary: A former baseball player and lifelong surfer, James Walsh stumbled onto triathlon after watching the Solana Beach Triathlon in 2005 and did his first race in a surfing wetsuit on a mountain bike. He rose quickly in off-road racing, and just a few years later won his 30–34 age group at the Xterra World Championships in Maui, finishing as 2nd amateur overall.

Summary: A former golf pro who found his true calling in ultra-endurance running, Mike Rouse has completed more than 200 marathons plus dozens of 50- and 100-mile races and 24-hour runs. He came to triathlon at age 50 after a trip to Kona — unable to swim or ride a bike at the time — and went on to become a multi-time Ultraman World Championship competitor and 50+ age-group winner.

Summary: New Mexico native Daniel Derkacs grew up as an ultra-competitive junior runner in Los Alamos before burning out, taking up hockey, and rediscovering triathlon in college. A UCSD PhD student in electrical engineering, he qualified for Kona with a 9:51:32 at Ironman Coeur d’Alene 2008, battling cold water, cramping and nutrition struggles — and once out-ran the legendary Dave Scott at the New York City Triathlon.

Summary: Research scientist Rachel Richards recounts her move from competitive equestrian sports to triathlon, culminating in her first Ironman at a brutally hot Arizona in 14:40:47—a race she describes as an experience more than a competition.

Summary: One of TCSD’s original members, Dave Krosch reflects on 250+ multisport events across two decades—from five Ironmans and a Kona qualification to grueling 24-hour adventure races and his passion for Xterra.

Summary: Chemist and former Cat 2 cyclist Brian Scott shares his deep Ironman resume—including a 9:26:53 Kona-qualifying performance at IM Arizona—and his data-driven philosophy of racing by heart rate and power.

Summary: Marine Corps officer and Iraq veteran Jackie Atkinson shares how she quit smoking, learned to swim from scratch, and channeled her military discipline into completing her first Ironman at Arizona in 12:51:38.