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Registration opens tomorrow for 2012 Duathlon National Championships

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Registration for USA Triathlon's 2012 Duathlon National Championship, opens Thursday. The nation's top run-bike-run event will be held April 28, 2012, in Tucson/Oro Valley, Ariz.

Contested in Tucson/Oro Valley for the second straight year, Duathlon Nationals features standard-distance (5k run, 35k bike, 5k run) and sprint-distance (2.5k run, 17k bike, 2.5k run) events.
 
"Following a very successful event last year, USA Triathlon is excited to return to Tucson/Oro Valley for 2012 Duathlon Nationals," said USA Triathlon National Events Director Jeff Dyrek. "By offering two different race distances next year, more athletes will be able to enjoy competing for national titles on what is a scenic and challenging course."
 
Team USA spots for the 2012 International Triathlon Union Short Course Duathlon World Championships in Nancy, France, on Sept. 22-23, 2012, will be on the line in the sprint- and standard-distance races. The top 18 finishers in each age group (rolling down to 25th place) will earn the chance to represent the United States on the world stage.

Review: Myorope for self-massage, trigger-point therapy and myofascial release

I've been a dedicated foam roller for a long time now. OK, I'll admit, I do slack on it every now and then because that thing can hurt, but overall I love what it does. I also use two tennis balls that are duct-taped together. So when I got word of a product that sort of combines those two things into one, I was intrigued.

It's called Myorope, and I likey! A good addition to the world of recovery as a tool for self-massage, trigger-point therapy and myofascial release.

According to it's creator, Neil, a triathlete who also strength trains, etc., Myorope was created to do what most self-massage tools can't: Target hard-to-reach spots that a big foam roller can't hone in on, and pinpoint those spots --including trigger points -- with multiple balls (that aren't covered in duct tape) vs. just one or two.

WTC to introduce Age Group Rankings in 2012

Fancy being a WTC World Champion? Well now you could if plans to introduce age group rankings across all distances at all WTC events come into effect next year.

Speaking on IM Talk podcast Andrew Messick who joined the World Triathlon Corporation as CEO in May this year says “We are looking at implementing age group rankings for 2012 and creating a global system of evaluating age group athletes based on their performance across multiple races over the course of a year. Full Ironman distance races, 70.3’s and 5150’s.

Athletes will have an opportunity to earn points based on their performance in their age group across races and then there will be a global evaluation system so you can see where you rate in your age group versus people in your country, region or in the world and to create a Champion in each age group.

Video of the Day: Russia sets sights on 2012 Olympic triathlon medal

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Video review: The ultimate road trip family & tri gear hauling truckster

The 2012 Nissan Quest 3.5 LE is Nissan's newly redesigned minivan, and it competes directly with the Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Town and Country to name just a few of its car rivals.

The new Nissan Quest seats seven and has plenty of room to take you and your family on a cross country trip from coast to coast or to your local triathlon with ease.

Our sister blog TFLcar recently had the chance to explore the Oregon Coast in the Quest. The Quest was a reliable travel companion in the near constant rain. The minivan's 260 HP engine provided plenty of power to take on the twisty and hilly 101 Highway.

The roomy 2012 Quest also has all of the deluxe appointments that you expect from a luxury car including heated front seats, supple leather, and duel sunroofs plus enough roof for all of tri gear and even a family pet or two.

Check out this road review from our sister Blog TFLcar.com.

Chrissie Wellington calls BBC Sports Personality of the Year list 'Disgraceful'

It seems that Great Britain has no worthy female athletes this year...as least non that make the BBC's annual BBC Sports Personality top 10 list.

Every year sports writers in Britain nominated and vote for their Top Ten Sports Personalities of the year.

This year athletes like cycling's Mark Cavendish, and running's Mo Farah were selected into the BBC's top ten list.

BTW: You can see  the entire list HERE.

What do they all have in common?

The most comprehensive list of triathlon Cyber Monday gear deals. Period

There's no doubt that everybody loves to get a great deal of triathlon gear. And today is the day to get those one-a-year Cyber Monday triathlon gear deals.

Thankfully Michael Hutto on his blog has put together a truly huge and crazy comprehensive list of Cyber Monday deals on the best triathlon gear.

If you are looking a great stocking stuffer or just something to make you faster next year...check out THIS list of today's best triathlon Cyber Monday Deals, and don't forget that most of the Black Friday deals are still going strong.

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Video: Hawaiian Ultraman Day 3: Ribeiro & Monforte win big on the Big Island

Brazillian Alexandre Ribeiro won a record 5th Ultraman World Championships on the Big Island of Hawaii by crushing the stage 3 double marathon in a time of 6:30:39 for a total time of 22:09:54. He advanced from third to first place on the run beating second placed Canadian Michael Coughlin who completed the grueling three day race in a total time of 22:19:08

The last podium place went to Slovakian Miro Kregar who finished the three day ultra triathlon with a total time of 23:33:11.

The women's race was all about defending women's champ Amber Monforte, who cruised to win in a total time of 24:42:02 beating second place Brazilian ultra triathlete Vanusa Maciel by over four hours.

So what is it like to marshal Ironman's most notorious drafting race?

We're all in one big hurry.  Hurry up to get to work, hurry up to get home and hurry up to get to the end of the work day.  As triathletes, that hurry up attitude carries over to the swim, bike and run.  We are constantly looking for ways to improve our split times, transition times and up our rankings in the final results.  Sometimes, that leads to looking for a competitive edge that may be outside of the rules. 

Swimming is a little easier to grab a draft of a stronger swimmer and ride the wave to T1. Short of holding on to someone's foot, getting penalized for swimming is hard to do.  Sure, you could get caught up using a pacer for the run, but really, how often does that happen?  The big ticket to a time penalty on the Tri scene is drafting on the bike.  It's tempting to ride up to the wheel of a stronger rider and let them break the wind while reaping the benefits of speed with less work.  That happens to be a big NO NO for Ironman events.  So much so, they dedicate motorcycles with marshals to troll the bike course to catch people in the act and penalize them.

That's where we caught up with Chloe from Running with a bottle of wine. She recently tweeted and blogged about being a course marshal for the 2011 IMFL bike course.  We were interested to see what goes on the mind of a marshal and what kind of person signs up to perform such a conflicting task.  You love the sport so much, yet you are ready and willing to penalize the very people you race with.

Lovato and Benz win Ironman Cozumel

Last year's men's runner-up is this year's Ironman Cozumel champion.

American triathlete Michael Lovato battled it out on the run after hitting the marathon with a slim lead off the bike. But his 3:01:41 marathon split was enough for him to win the race in a total time of 8:23:52 over second place American triathlete Patrick Evoe who crossed the line in 8:30:36.

In third place was Alejandro Santamaria of Spain who finished in 8:32:50.

In the women's race Swiss triathlete Simone Benz came off the bike in first place and never looked back to win the day in a total time of 9:14:08.

Video: Hawaiian Ultraman Day 2 as Colting and Monforte lead the pack

Jonas Colting of Sweden is hanging on to a bare thin 6 minute lead over Canadian Michael Coughlin today at the Ultrman World Championships with a total time of 15:24:17 on a day that saw almost 50 MPH winds make the 171.4 mile bike around the island of Hawaii an adventure of survival of the fittest.

Rounding out the men's podium is Brazilian Alexandre Ribeiro with a total time of 15:39:15.

On the women's race defending American champ Amber Monforte holds a commanding lead with a total time of 16:51:35 over second place Aussie Ultra triathlete Alice Robb who had a total stage one and stage two time of 19:15:43

Brazilian ultra athlete Vanusa Maciel is the only non-American in the top 5 racers with a total and third place time of 20:04:03 after the first two stages of competition.

Tomorrow the ultra athletes move on to the final stage of the three day triathlon which is a double marathon from Hawi to Kawaihae and then on to Kailua-Kona...of course all run in the Big Island heat and humidity.

How to get a flat stomach like an Ironman Champ (part 2)

This is part of Ben's advice on how to get a flat stomach like an Ironman Champ. Click HERE to read part 1

-Transverses abdominis: The transverses abdominis is an interesting muscle group, because it doesn't really move you through a range of motion as much as support the stomach and the gut. So when you suck in your stomach, that's the transverses abdominis muscles working.

Although you can work this muscle group anywhere, such as sucking in your stomach while you're driving in your car, sitting on an airplane, or standing in line at the grocery store, you can also make it work pretty hard with an exercise like front planks.

-Low back muscles: Finally, the low back muscles can be worked with a simple contraption at the gym that allows you to do low back extensions or, if you're not at a gym, you can do back extensions on a stability ball, or from the floor by lying on your stomach and lifting all four limbs off the ground.

So during a typical flat stomach workout, you would include several sets of a flexing exercise, a twisting exercise, a planking exercise and an extending exercise.

Get Rid of Stomach Fat

No matter how well you've developed your stomach muscles, you need to get rid of layers of stomach fat that can cover up your abs. Here are three tips to get rid of that last little bit of flab around your waistline:

Video: Hawaiian Ultraman Day 1 as Jonas Colting takes the lead

Jonas Colting is in first place after Day One of the 2011 Ultraman World Championships. He swam the 10K open water swiim in 2:20:33 and biked the first day's 90K bike in 4:55:27. He currently holds a 30 minute lead over second place Canadian Michael Coughlin.

The Ultraman World Championships is a 3-day, 320 mile (515 kilometer) individual ultra-endurance event which takes place on the Big Island of Hawaii. Entry is limited to 40 participants and is by invitation only. Founded in 1983, the event is held annually on the traditional Thanksgiving weekend.

How to get a flat stomach like an Ironman Champ (part 1)

Whether it's a sign of health, beauty, virility, or movie star status, a flat stomach is something that many people all over the world crave. This is because a flat stomach is so hard to get, it can indicate full-body power or virility, and it is essential to powerful performance. In this article, you'll learn how to get a flat stomach safely, effectively, and with zero liposuction involved.

How To Get A Flat Stomach

Despite what many folks appear to believe, six-pack abs are not six soda-can shaped muscles that sit under the skin of your stomach, somehow magically filling and emptying as you become more or less fit.

Instead, your stomach muscles are made up of four basic groups that, like most muscles, appear to be named by ancient Latin monks:

1) The rectus abdominis: The rectus abdominis is one big sheet of muscle tissue that runs from your breastbone down to your pelvis.

Zen and the art of Triathlon: Brett chats with Mike Ricci about how to get faster quicker

 

Click Here to Listen to the Show!

Mike Ricci joins us again to explain how to improve your weakness with "Sport Rotation".  Get faster by focusing on one thing.  We talk about how to do it right!

I also take you along with me as I test out the new Suunto Quest explain how to do speedwork correctly, and top it off with interviews at a local Turkey Trot 5K where I take first place in my age group.  Enjoy!

And don't forget to sign up for ZenTri Base Camp and save your spot here!

Photos of the day: You know you're not from Colorado when your car is worth more than...

There's a saying aout people who live in Colorado and probably Oregon and perhaps even Vermont. It goes...You know you are from Colorado when your bike is worth more than you car.

These two photos prove the exact opposite.