From the Editor
BOSTON ON OUR MINDS
By Jayme Ramson McGuire
On Marathon Monday — before the bombings — I hit the trails for an easy lunch run. I let my mind wander as usual, but on this day, I thought about the Boston Marathon and how there just might be enough life left in the ol’ knee to try and qualify one of these years. Upon finishing the run, I saw texts asking if I’d heard about Boston and if friends at the race were ok. I flipped on the radio and the news was worse than I could have imagined — two explosions near the finish line at the marathon, apparently a terrorist attack.
It’s been a few months since the Boston Marathon, and we’ve had some time to reflect on what happened that day. What resonates is how the endurance community came together to support Boston. It doesn’t matter whether you identify yourself as a runner, walker, triathlete, duathlete or cyclist. So many of us banded together to support Boston. We donated to The One Fund, which to date has raised over $51 million for the victims and their families. We dedicated miles. We wanted to hear how Dave McGillivray, the long-time Boston Marathon race director who got his start in our sport, was doing.
During his 2011 USA Triathlon Hall of Fame induction speech, McGillivray regaled the crowd with stories of life and sport, including one on how he runs the Boston Marathon every year — after his race-directing duties are complete.
This year was quite different. But McGillivray kept the tradition going — finishing the marathon 11 days later.
Planning to qualify for Boston and race for those who no longer can? Expect plenty of your friends from the endurance community to join you at the start line next April.
Jayme Ramson McGuire is the editor-in-chief of USA Triathlon magazine. Contact her at
jayme@usatriathlon.org.
MAILBAG
Something to say about USA Triathlon Magazine? Email letters to the editor to
communications@usatriathlon.org with “mailbag” in the subject line. Be sure to include your name. Letters may be edited for length and grammar.
THE LOWDOWN: RESPONSES TO “THE MEMORY OF RACING”
Jeff, well said ... you just quoted a chapter of my life — only I started in ‘87. It is a real struggle to come face to face with reality. The harder you train, the more you get hurt and to no avail. I was told recently by my best friend and training partner, “your mind is writing checks your body can’t cash.” How true.
Thanks again for letting me know that I’m not the only one who struggled with this.
— Nick Scott
Jeff, I wanted to reach out and say thanks for sharing this article. While I’m still a bit younger (29), I’m a late entry into the world of fitness and endurance sports (having lost 102 pounds and completed two triathlons, a half marathon and several shorter races in the last year or so). I appreciate the perspective relayed in your article and found comfort from my own never-ending desire to be more competitive in my times. Thanks for reminding me that racing isn’t about the time it takes you to get from start to finish, but about the time you have in between.
— Clayton L. Legear
TRIWALKERS ARE TRIATHLETES, TOO
Dear USA Triathlon, I recently received the Spring 2013 magazine and read Mr. Urbach’s “From the CEO” piece on New Initiatives for 2013. In it, he says, “Imagine if all 300 million Americans were triathletes.”
Well, I consider myself a triathlete but one that does not seem to belong to any traditional category. I am a triwalker. I walk the run leg. Many in the triathlon community frown upon this.
Prior to completing my first triathlon, I had my right hip replaced at the age of 32 due to the side effects of steroids given during chemotherapy to treat the Leukemia I was diagnosed with when I was 19. Prior to my hip replacement, I ran marathons and half-marathons.
After replacement, I stuck to the pool, the bike and walking as running is not for artificial hips.
My challenge to USA Triathlon is to recognize those of us who can no longer run due to physical limitations. If I had lost my entire leg, I would be considered a paratriathlete. If I weighed over 165 pounds, I could compete as an Athena. The half-marathon in my city this year added racewalker as a category in addition to runner or walker. I challenge USA Triathlon to do the same.
— Nicole Lukes, Indianapolis
Dear Nicole: While you may not fall into a traditional race category, you’re very much part of the multisport family whether you’re walking or running to the finish. Many of our members walk on the run, including one of our frequent bloggers on
www.usatriathlon.org (see Steve Jonas’ Ordinary Mortals blog). USA Triathlon is always looking for ways to make the sport more inclusive and your suggestion for a race-walking division is something we’ll review. Congratulations on overcoming your obstacles and thanks for fueling the multisport lifestyle. — Editor
16 USA TRIATHLON SUMMER 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108