Lake Tahoe’s clear blue water extends for miles, nestled between mountains blanketed with towering pines and punctuated with barren rock outcroppings. The thin, crisp, cool air at 6,200 feet above sea level is just one more reminder that I’m not in Michigan anymore.

This is the site for the inaugural 2001 XTERRA National Championships.
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“The Odyssey Off-Road Triathlon is not by any means a ‘typical’ triathlon.” — Odyssey web site

Nestled in the Shenandoah Mountains not far from Richmond, lies the Sherando Lake Recreation Area, the site of the Odyssey Off-Road triathlon and duathlon series. This July triathlon is yet another exciting event in the XTERRA Point Series. (more…)

It all started with an argument over who were the best athletes: swimmers, cyclists, or runners. During a 1977 running race awards banquet in Hawaii, Navy Commander John Collins grabbed a microphone and laid down a challenge which would settle the debate. He invited the crowd to an ultra-endurance race which borrowed courses from the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (112 miles) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles).

“I said the gun will go off about 7 a.m., the clock will keep running, and whoever finishes first we’ll call the ‘Ironman.'”

Twenty-two years have since passed and I find myself standing on a chilly beach in Panama City, Florida hidden amongst a crowd of other racers. The announcer’s voice is barely discernible as last minute instructions are repeated and the countdown clicks toward zero. The start cannon blasts and the mass of adrenaline-filled competitors scurry en mass to the Gulf water. The inaugural Florida Ironman triathlon is underway in grand fashion.
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Originally published in Local Dirt (#5), the MMBA Southeast Chapter newsletter:

One of the big buzzes in sports these days is off road duathlons and triathlons. There are at least four of these races in Southeast Michigan this year.

Yesterday was the Addison Oaks Duathlon: a 2.4 mile trail run, 8 mile mountain bike, and a 2.4 mile trail run. The standard Addison Oaks mountain bike course was used for both biking and running. There were two challenging 4-mile mountain bike laps.

The weather was perfect: warm, sunny, and not too humid. I’m guessing there were around 60-70 participants competing as teams or individuals. I decided to do the whole enchilada. As the race began, the fast runners flew off the front, the fastest guy running sub-6 minute miles. I recognized two guys as the State’s top mountain bikers (one expert, one Pro-elite) and we ran together at around sixth position. With a mile to go I picked up the pace, adding five beats per minute to my heart rate. (more…)