Lake Placid –home of the 1980 Winter Olympics and for the last 10 years our July stop in the North American IM Tour . Well, OK not exactly a ‘TOUR’ but it’s July and we’re all thinking ‘TOUR’ so I had to work it into the blog post. I have a racing roster of 37 members from Endurance Nation racing IM-USA this coming Sunday and a growing number coming out to be a spectator, volunteer, or signup for next year. While we don’t have the insider on all 37, here is a snap shot of our members who will be EXECUTING EN-style on Sunday:
TEAM BOYLE
After a highly successful 2008 season, Team Boyle is excited to stay local and return to LP this year. The 2009 edition will be Leigh’s 4th IM and Dave’s 2nd. This years’ preparation has been anything but smooth sailing, but both are confident with the fitness they will be bringing to the table. Unlike IMFL, there will be no yard-work wager this year (“the jungle” cannot be tamed by one person thanks to the monsoon season in NH this summer). However, the losing party will in fact be inheriting some long overdue house work. This years’ wager will be based on who will have the best negative split run-times.
DOMINIC MALLEO
This will be number 2 in LP and third IM for Dominic. Last year racing with EN he had a 1:26 PR in Florida. He returns to LP the site of his first IM in hopes of maintaining that sub 12 hour time. His focus for the day: “ executing the best race possible under the given conditions will be my focus and let the time work itself out. I am really fortunate to have my family’s support – cheering on race day from home will be my wife Tracie, daughters Sophia, Grace and Eva, and my son Peter. As always, my family is my “one thing” and I will think of them throughout the day, knowing that they are watching, and hopefully finishing before the kids go to bed at 7pm EST. After 2 full seasons in the “haus”, this has been my most consistent and fun season of training yet and I’m already looking forward an even better year under the EN banner for IMCDA 2010!”
BRADLY LOESCHER
A veteran IMer with 6 under his belt, will take a first crack at the LP course. His expectations: “ to execute a smart race. I have goals in mind, but I am not going to allow the success of my day to be defined by time or competitor measurements. Rather, given my fitness and the conditions of the day, did I execute my race plan to the best of my abilities? Hopefully the answer will be yes.” His one thing: “My one thing is pretty basic, I am just thankful that I have the ability to swim, bike and run (no matter how slow). The support of my family and friends allows me to demonstrate my thanks by challenging myself in an ironman.”
MARIANNE PARK
This will be Marianne’s first time in LP and her 4th IM. She has been with EN since 2007 and a formidable voice in the forum. Her day will center on a celebration of “my health, God, my friends and family that got me to race day and not hold back anything!! I will race smart, encourage others, and gut it out to the finish! My one thing? Stay Strong!”
MIKE COOK
This will be Mike’s third IM and second in LP. His expectations for the day will be to “celebrate my fitness, and the long journey to arrive at this goal. Have fun-that’s why we do this: don’t obsess/worry too much about the race: just do it, and enjoy the event; the results will be what they will be”. Other thoughts on race week: “ Enjoy the company of my friends, family, and meet some of the cool EN peeps.” Mike’s One Thing: “ I want to RUN the entire marathon, and I plan to do everything I can re: intelligent execution to give myself the best chance of doing that!”
GREG CHARBENEAU
Greg’s first IM was last year in LP. He returns to: “Have a great race, PR it, stay in the box and execute according to my plan. Knowing that “pain is temporary and Ironman is forever” with my family cheering me on is my ‘one thing’.”
JEREMIAH CROWLEY
Jeremiah is a newbie to Ironman but like many new comers brings a perspective vision for us all: “Race day expectations are pretty basic…I just want to finish my first IM. I want to execute the race wisely and put to use the hours of training, reading and listening about IRONMAN. My ‘one thing’ is to challenge the ‘spoiler’. That little (or big!) voice that tells me ‘I can’t’ or that ‘I am not good enough’. Training puts me in direct contact with the ‘spoiler’ as I need to confront it each moment to continue. I came to IRONMAN to hopefully, bury the spoiler or at least, do some serious damage. Truthfully, this process has given me skills to deal with the spoiler that I hope to carry to other aspects of life. As a guitar teacher, the process has helped me pass on some skills to students as they deal with their own spoilers. In short, my one thing is to become the ‘Spoiler Dominator’.”
BOB ARSENAULT
Bob is also making his first IM journey in Lake Placid. His newbie thoughts: “I have never done anything in my life ‘just to finish’. I have been training and studying for the past year so as to have a great experience and finish with the best time that I can. I do not know if I will ever do another IM, so I want to make this one memorable and I’ve been preparing so that I will have no regrets. This has truly been quite the commitment and has taken a lot of my focus. My family, especially my wife Ellen has been tremendously supportive. My ‘One Thing’ is to make them proud of me !!”
DAVID MARTIN
For number of IM’s David says this is his “ First one ever!” His expectations for the day: “ I want to finish. I want to run well off the bike (walk/slow down as little as possible). I would like to go sub-13 hours.” Sounds good David, I say just change the “want” and “would like” to “will” and you are good to go. His one thing: “ I have two: my 9-year-old son will be there and I want him to see me do well, but mostly I am doing it for the young boy who watched the Hawaii IM on ABC sports (1980-ish) and said that one day he would do it.”
JEFF BENOIT
Third IM/third in LP. His thoughts: “I’m hoping to have a fun, fast, and great race up in LP. My one goal is to get to the finish line healthy and standing, and hopefully not make a trip to the medical tent. If I can race faster than in years past with a well balanced bike and then a strong run using the EN race plan I’ll be happy. Oh, and the icing on the cake will be if the weather is better than last year!”
JOE RUIZ
This will be number one for Joe who has also been in the EN “haus” for awhile learning and practicing what he has learned with a few HIM’s. Joe’s one thing for the day: “ to execute the bike so the run is a non issue! Also, to remember I am doing this for fun and enjoy every second….whether I am in pain or joy!”
ERIK BRICKER
Erik’s third IM and first in LP. He has put some time in his swim and has a swim time goal of sub 1:10. Other expectations for the day: “‘One thing’ for me is a sub-11 finish and/or a 3:45 run split with a steady run pace.”
CARRIE CHAVEZ
IM #12 for Carrie and her 6th time in LP. Her thoughts for race day: “ I feel prepared to race and will see if I can better the previous races I had there. I will be happy with whatever the day brings me. This is all a gift and I just love this lifestyle and being able to race with my husband Steve!!” Steve is also on the roster racing this Sunday. Carrie’s ‘one thing’: “My one thing will always be my faith! “Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord”. This goes exactly with EN’s philosophy of holding back in the race and waiting until mile 18 of the run. Being patient and trusting in your training. Not going crazy in the beginning and just waiting for the glory of the last 8 miles. As the reward for your patience is being able to continue running!!! I pray all day on the race course and sing songs in my head that remind me of this. Believe me it gets tough out there and we all enter those dark places of doubt. It is at those times that we need to be prepared with a plan. Just like in life when people or circumstances try to rob you of your joy. You need to fight back with positive thoughts and actions!!! I will be thinking of my online team on race day and using you for strength. You have all been so supportive this year. Thank you very much!!”
MARK DEMELLO
This will be Mark’s 5th Ironman and 4th in LP. His expectations for the day: “ I have improved on every race by 30 minutes or more and am looking to set a PR of under 11:00 hours ( last Placid was 11:34). I want that photo to have a 10 in it so lets shoot for 10:59. EN has helped to make it a reality as long as my Plantar Fasciitis stays calm.”
CHRIS SYMTH
Chris raced Canada last year under the EN banner and will add IM number 5 with a first crack at LP this year. He comes to race day with no expectations. His thoughts: “ I have been taking international flights for work most weeks in 2009 so the training has taken a back seat. I just need to acknowledge that I am not as fit as I should be and so must execute an intelligent race. My aim is to enjoy the day, support the EN team and finish with a smile.”
That’s just a look at 16 of our 34 racers for Sunday, all coming from different experiences and perspectives looking to hang for the day with one single Ironman race hinged on the IM tag line “Anything is Possible”. True to the tag anything IS possible this ENer will not be racing this Sunday:
GRANT STAUFFER
This would have been IM number 2 for Grant but has been put ‘on hold’ for now due to a cycle accident during the Florida Half in May this year. Grant’s thoughts for the race day and his fellow team EN: “I want to be there to support all the athletes that have worked so hard to get their day and to be part of the high energy all around. My ‘one thing’ will be to try and keep my emotions in check having to stand on the sidelines.”
Thanks to Grant for reminding all of us that first and foremost: “Be Safe”.
