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Israman Chronicles: Day 4 Eilat, Israel

Eilat is Israel’s southernmost city located on the north tip of the Red Sea on the Bay of Aqaba.  Most tourists know Eilat (population 48,000) as the starting point for tours to Petra, Jordan, which is only a two hour drive.  Eilat is a popular beach vacation destination for Israelis and Europeans who come here for its excellent scuba diving, duty free shopping, fantastic weather and resorts.  From Eilat you won’t need binoculars to see its sister city Aqaba, Jordan, and the border with Egypt. 

Our day started early with a tour of Timna Recreation Park, about 20 miles north of Eilat.  Timna Park is rich in copper and has been mined since the 5th century BC.  The valley contains places of ancient Egyptian worship.  Timna Valley is notable for its uncommon stone formations, and looks very similar to Moab, Utah.  Original Egyptian hieroglyphs can be seen on Solomon’s Pillars.  The park is ideal for camping, mountain biking and hiking. We hiked up to an arch and back down the slot canyon on the other side.  Visitors should not expect the same awesome beauty of Arches, Canyonlands or Bryce—nor the number of formations-- but it is definitely worth a stop. 

Candel and Mazin Win Israman Eilat 226K Iron Distance Triathlon

The weather was perfect for this year’s Israman Triathlon in Eilat, an Israeli resort town on the Red Sea.  Bart Candel, 25, of the Netherlands stole the show and the 1st place finish in the January 30, 2015 Israman Eilat 226 Kilometer Triathlon.  Candel finished in 9:42:24, more than 33 minutes faster than defending two time champion, Petr Vabrousek (CZE), 42, who was ill with fever and finished in 10:51:31.  Candel finished second to Vabrousek in 2013, but had the ride of his life today finishing the bike segment in 6:42:53.  Israman arguably has the most difficult iron-distance bike course on the triathlon circuit. 

Italians Triumph at 2015 Israman Half Iron Distance Triathlon

The grueling 1,895 meter climb through the The Eilat Mountains didn’t slow Italians Mossimo Cigana and Martina Dogana at the 2015 Israman Negev triathlon today. 

Cigana, a former pro cyclist turned triathlete, finished the race in 4:33:20, followed by Edo van der Meer (NED) finishing in 4:38:55 and Dimitry Grabovsky (ISR) in 4:41:39. 

Cigana, 41, said the course was “very tough.”  He smashed the bike event in 3 hours 10 minutes.  Van der Meer, 31 commented at this finish, “no segment was tougher than the other.”  After a strong swim of 23:54, Van Der Meer couldn’t keep up with Cigana on the bike, falling six minutes behind on the segment. 

Pro Triathletes Descend on Eilat

Eilat, Israel-- January 28, 2015

The atmosphere was light-hearted and the mood relaxed at the Israman Negev press conference held this afternoon at the Eilat Royal Garden Hotel.  Race organizers and professional athletes alike were confident in their preparation and training for the full- and- half ironman-distance triathlon to be held on January 30th in this resort community on the northern tip of the Red Sea.  Arguably the most difficult long-distance triathlon on the planet, the athletes seemed well-trained for the “brutal” 10,000 feet of climbing and steep descent on the marathon course. 

Race Director, Boaz Ribak, called the 2015 race the largest Israman to date with 1,400 registered participants. In addition to the half and full distances (226 and 113 kilometers, respectively), the event added an option for relay teams.  Another breakthrough includes the number of registered female participants- 450 this year, greatly exceeding expectations.

Israman Chronicles: Day 3- Dead Sea, Masada and Eilat

Israman Chronicles: Day 3- Dead Sea, Masada and Eilat

We left Jerusalem for an hours drive to the northern end of the Dead Sea, which lies 417 meters below sea level. The Sea is 45 KM long and 14 KM wide at its widest point. It is also the saltiest body of water on Earth, which is why it is called “the Dead”-- no organisms live in its waters.  The rich mineral content of the water makes skin and beauty products highly prized both within Israel and abroad.  Upon our arrival at about 9:00 am, the public access beach was closed; but Benni and Jiri pulled some strings with the manager and snuck us in for a quick dip.  They warned us that the water was cold at 75 F; it is normally well into the 90s.  After stumbling awkwardly over the gravel, rocks and mud we floated effortlessly in the water for about 20 minutes before high-tailing it back onto the highway to Masada.  Even Erin managed to float without a problem…that’s a lot of salt.

Israman Chronicles: Day 2- Old City of Jerusalem

This morning we met our guide, Benni Dagan, who would spend the next five days with us in Eilat and Tel Aviv.  Benni is a fit gentleman who speak s perfect English and has traveled to the U.S. at least a dozen times.  His favorite visit to U.S. was touring the West and Canada on a Harley Davidson motorcycle.  A lawyer by training, Benni has been guiding scores of people through Israel for the last 30 years.  I fondly nicknamed him “mountain goat,” as we could barely keep up with him on the steep steps and narrow passageways in Jerusalem.  Photo journalist Larry Rose immediately recognized Benni at breakfast; he guided PBS’ Rick Steves on his tour of Israel and Palestine.  Our courageous driver is Jiri, who will take us south to Eilat after a stopover at the Dead Sea and Masada tomorrow. 

Israman Chronicals: Day 1- Denver to Jerusalem

Israman Chronicals: Day I- Denver to Jerusalem

Most triathletes would say that training and completing their first long-distance triathlon is a life-changing experience.  Now, combine triathlon with a visit to the Holy Land and your experience just might be transformational. I arrived in Tel Aviv this morning after a ten hour, uneventful flight from Newark.  You see, EverymanTri is a lucky guest of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism to participate in Israman-- Israel’s iron-distance triathlon—and to share our experience with you.

 Israman, located in Eilat on north tip of the Red Sea (see red circle in the image at left), was named one of Triathlon magazine’s top 10 races.  The inaugural race took place in 1999 with only 26 brave souls at the starting line. This year the race is on Friday, January 30th.  Israman also holds the distinction of being one of the most difficult bike courses of any triathlon. 

Review: Clif Builder’s Protein Bars are not just for Body Buiders but also Endurance Athelets

If you pay attention to your Facebook or Twitter feed, you undoubtedly see all kinds of add and posts about the need for high levels of protein in your diet. Whether you’re a weekend 5ker, Ironman, cross fitter or obstacle course racer, every fitness related food maker and their dog are racing to get their latest and greatest protein products in your hands.

If you’re at all interested in eating better to go along with all those hours you swim, bike and run, then you have probably realized the importance of eating the right combination of fats, carbs and protein. It’s not just about the protein. It’s a delicate dance of factors from desired weight to expected race performance. If you’re not fueling the engine right with more than just protein, it doesn’t matter how many hours you train to reach your goals.