EverymanTri.com

Pro Triathlete Chris Lieto Gets a REFUEL Chocolate Milk Ad

(April 2) GALVESTON, TEX. - For decades, the "Got Milk" campaign has used celebrities to pitch the health attributes of milk. Now the milk industry is giving triathletes the all-star treatment with its REFUEL, Got Chocolate Milk promotion. This past weekend, three-time Ironman Champ Chris Lieto unveiled his new ad, which will appear in Sports Illustrated later this month at the Lonestar 70.3 Ironman in Galveston, Texas.

Lance is THE story at the Lone Star 70.3 Ironman Triathlon

 

EverymanTRI.com is in Galveston, Texas to cover the Lone Star 70.3 Ironman, and as our reporter Ben Greenfield notes, the local press is all about Texas's favorite son, Lance Armstrong.

Follow on twitter @everymantri or view latest videos onYouTube.

Lance Looking to Run a 1:14 in Galveston 70.3 IM

In an interview with Ironman yesterday, Lance Armstrong mentioned that "on a good day I think I can run a 1:14." Lance was speaking about the half-marathon course he'll face in tomorrow's Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas in Galveston, which IM designated as the U.S. Pro Championship. That may not be the fastest split among top-level pros, but don't forget that Lance will undoubtedly be the fastest man on the bike.

Snowsill and Atkinson win Noosa

Emma Snowsill and Courtney Atkinson both won at Noosa, Australia's most prestigious triathlon.

Courtney Atkinson made it a double triumph by winning the men's race.

Racing for the first time since the Beijing Games in August, Snowsill, 27, had the women's event at her mercy after opening up a 38-second lead in the swim leg.

Youngest racer ever wins XTERRA World Championship title

 A Spaniard and Brit have won the 2008 XTERRA World Championships in Hawaii.

Ruben Ruzafa, 24, from Spain and Julie Dibens, 33, from England won the men’s and women’s XTERRA World Championship this weekend in Maui.

Two Kiwis win final ITU World Cup Triathlon in Mexico

New Zealand triathletes Kris Gemmell and Sam Warrine won the final ITU BG World Cup of the season in Mexico.

Gemmell bided his time on the run, staying on the shoulder of Jarrod Shoemaker (USA) and Laurent Vidal (FRA) before comfortably running clear to win by 9 seconds.

Warriner ended her season in style with a commanding victory that earned her the world number one ranking for the year.

The Chicago Triathlon Blues

The Chicago Triathlon is feeling the pinch of the economic meltdown. The prestigious event has yet to secure a title sponsor for the 2009 race.

“It’s a tough economy, as we’re all aware,” said Jan Caille, president of Capri Events, the Chicago-based firm that owns and organizes the city’s triathlon event, which took place in August.

Breaking News: Simon Lessing Retires from Competition

Yesterday we filed a podcast with long time professional triathlete and five time world champion Simon Lessing, during which Roman Mica asked him what it felt like to be getting ready to race for the last time (this weekend at the longhorn 70.3 in Austin) after a 23-year-long career.

You can listen or download the podcast HERE.

Today Simon Lessing made it official and announced his retirement and future plans.

The Press Release is below:

"Unsportsmanlike and Dangerous Behaviour" at the Duathlon World Championships

Paul Amey of Great Britain and and Vanessa Fernandes of Portugal both took home the top honors at this weekend's Duathlon Championships in Rimini Italy.

The ITU duathlon  consists of a 10km run, 40km bike, followed by a 5k run.

The Most Bitter Sweet 24-hours of my Life

Editor's Note: Last year Lance "Gutti" Panigutti surprised many seasoned professionals by just missing out on the top podium position at the 24-Hours of Triathlon. This weekend he went back to the ultra distance race to win. 

After last year's winner dropped out, it looked like he was on track for a record breaking solo win of his young career.

But a lot can, and does goes wrong, when you race, swim, bike and, run for 24-hours.

Adopt-a-Pro for the 24-hours of Triathlon

Note: Many professional  triathletes don't make a living as pros, in fact many have day jobs to support their triathlon racing careers.

This is especially true for newbie professionals who have very little if any funding or sponsorship money.

For this reason I'm adopting a pro who is just starting out his career and I'd like you help please.

Meet Lance "Gutti" Panigutti. He's a struggling pro who coaches swimming, works at a bike shop, and baby sits to make ends meet.  As a Newbie professional you not only have to pay race entry fees, but also all of the cost associated with the needed travel to get to your world wide races.

For this reason I'm adopting Gutti to help him achieve his lifetime goal of making it as a professional triathlete.

Gutti wants to race the 24-hours of triathlon (this coming labor day weekend) and he needs some help with the $240.00 entry fee. If you can, or want to help, just click on the donate tab below. Any amount will be greatly appreciated and we won't go over the entry fee, if and when, you guys are that generous.

In exchange for your race entry donations Gutti and I will chronicle his 24-hour race as either a podcast or perhaps a reality video. That way you'll be at the race with Gutti.

You'll be able to follow along with him as he soars or crashes on his journey to make his dream come true for an incredible 24-hours of racing. You'll be at the race with him as he swims, runs, and bikes for 24-hours straight. Think of it as American Idol without Simon and a multi-billion dollar budget. 

Thanks for your generosity and let's help Lance with his dream.

Here's a short bio of Gutti's career to date:

"Gutti" grew up in the rural Connecticut town of Newtown.  Even though he is only 25 Lance has been racing triathlon at the national/international level since 1996.   At the age of 14 he broke out in the swimming world winning a state championship and earning All-Connecticut honors.  Being so fast at such an early age came with expectations, but Lance quickly sought a new challenge – triathlon.   Over the next 5 seasons Gutti would go on to race in 2 ITU World Championships in the 16-19 age division, with a high placing of 25.

Suddenly in 2001 he disappeared from the sport.  During the fall of 2001 his mom was involved in a bike crash that left her paralyzed from the waste down.   The injury of the C7 vertebrae was not complete, but doctors offered little hope that she'd ever walk again.  According to Gutti, "Racing was the last thing I wanted to even think about.   When I came home from college in the summer time I was able to help with her pt.  As far as I was concerned my days in the sport were behind me and I didn't have any regrets."   During his 5 years on an academic scholarship at CU he found different avenues to keep busy.  In 2003 as the mascot "CHIP" for the cheerleading team he earned All-American status, you might remember seeing CHIP on the All-American Capital One commercials.   When he wasn't helping in his mom's rehab program he competed as an ocean lifeguard for Compo Beach (Westport, CT), dominating the North East rescue board and Ironguard competitions.

Upon graduating in the spring of 2005 with honors in classics and history Lance was ready to move on to Pepperdine Law School.  However, he never lost the passion for his sport and decided to put grad school off until 2012.  Gutti's focus is completely on ITU draft-legal racing with his focus on Olympic Trials in 2012.   "It's more of a head-to-head aggressive style of racing.  Does it take the bike out? – Hell no, it makes the swim important again and creates way more action out on the rode - Rubbing is racing!"   He credits his success since his return to his family, coach Grant Holicky, training partners Cam Dye and the RACE Swim Team.

Currently when he is not training or working at Colorado MultiSport, you can find him coaching at RallySport Health and Fitness Club.   Lance runs the summer league swim program at Rally, along with being the head Masters Swim Coach. 

Feel free to e-mail Gutti anytime for private swim lessons, triathlon coaching (Without Limits Performance inc), or any triathlon related questions.

Mid Week News

For those of you who listen to my podcast, you must be well aware that I'm always a bit dismayed at how little money professional triathletes earn. When you compare the best in this sport to any other endurance sport like running or cycling, the tiny pay day numbers are astonishing. Professional triathletes are some of the hardest working athletes in the world yet most must have a second job to pay the rent.

That's why I want you to sponsor Peter Vabrousek. Not only is he Czech like me, but unlike me he's talented and going to Kona. So for $5000.00 put your company name on his chest and help a worthy pro pay for his airfare to Hawaii.

A few weeks ago I interviewed legendary adventure racer Ian Adamson about his new race the 24-hours of triathlon.(basically a 24 hour triathlon) You can listen to the interview by clicking HERE.

The second Press Releas is an update on how that race turned out.

SPONSOR PROFESSIONAL TRIATHLETE PETR VABROUSEK FOR IRONMAN HAWAII AND SPONSOR A WINNER!


Petr is seeking sponsorship in his quest for the podium at Ironman Hawaii on
October 21, 2006. The race is televised in the US on NBC and has won numerous
Emmys for its coverage of this arduous event. If you sponsor Petr your company's
logo or website has a very good chance of being seen by millions on the show as well
as in newspapers and magazines all over the world.
Petr's resume includes:

1st Place Ironman South Africa

1st Place Ironman Asia

1st Place Slovakian Long Course (Iron Distance)

FOR YOUR INVESTMENT YOU WILL GET:

Logo on front and back of race jersey

Introduction of your company on the bodyzen.com and petr vabrousek website-
roughly 2500 new hits every day

Write up in bodyzen.com monthly E Letter to 25,000 Subscribers

Personal update email from Petr before and after the race
INVESTMENT: $5000.00US

For more info or to sign up please click HERE.

World’s First 24 Hours of Triathlon A Huge Success

BOULDER, CO, SEPTEMBER 10, 2006: The world’s first 24 Hours of Triathlon concluded at 12 noon to an enthusiastic crowd of onlookers. Athlete’s braved a variety of weather conditions to complete repeated laps of swimming, biking and running throughout the day and night. The short course format (0.5/17/4) catered to professional and recreational competitors and highlighted the two Pro for a Day athletes, Iona MacKenzie and Alfredo Matheus.

Iona MacKenzie of Golden, Colorado was the overall female winner and the fastest solo competitor at the event. Iona was the female Pro for a Day recipient, a prize awarded by event management. As Pro for a Day, Iona received all the luxuries reserved for factor sponsored athletes. She had full support for the event. With the extra attention, she rose to the occasion and completed 10 triathlon’s, covering a distance of 215 miles (5 swim, 170 bike and 40 run miles).

The men’s solo winner was Andrew Holton, of Pine, Colorado, with 9 complete triathlons. Each solo won $1,000. The fastest overall relay team was Go Fast! of Boulder (Adam Chase, Karen Melliar-Smith, Mike Inglis,) with 15 completed triathlons. Go Fast! cyclist set an individual personal record and the team blazed across 292.5 miles (approximately two Iron length triathlons). Go Fast! walked away with $3,000 for the 3 vs 3 Competition and the Co-ed 3 Person Team category.

“Great event, very well managed and athlete friendly.” Said Robert Sibley of Team Fast Forward B, “Everything was beautifully done, and the fan support at 3:00 am after a long run was REALLY encouraging. I will definitely be doing the event next year.”

Sponsors, resource partners and vendors provided exceptional support with athlete services, product and awards. Special thanks to Nike, Descente Athletic, GU, Princeton Tec, DeFeet, Eldorado Springs Water, Fuel Belt, Headsweats, Chipotle, Cartridge World, 3Bar, Colorado Multisport, Massage Specialists, FastForward Sports, Fleet Feet Sports and Nicole DeBoom of Skirt Sports.

“I am proud of the race this year.” said event producer Ian Adamson after the awards ceremony, “Without exception the competitors had fun, stayed safe and embraced the challenge with enthusiasm and camaraderie.” Developing this new race concept is an exciting step forward in triathlon and sport. “A big thanks to the City and County of Boulder, the Boulder Sheriff’s Department, Colorado State Patrol and the Boulder Reservoir,” exclaims Adamson. “We owe the permitting bodies an enormous amount of gratitude for their support in the efficacy and safety of the all-night competition.”

About 24 Hours Of Triathlon (24HOT) www.24HoursOfTriathlon.com: The World’s First 24 Hours Of Triathlon is the creation of Ian Adamson, seven time adventure race world champion, three time world record holder for endurance kayaking and Boulder resident. The 24HOT non-stop competition takes a new direction in endurance and multisport athletics, combining the popular swim-bike-run disciplines in a well supported venue. 24HOT is committed to providing an arena for group activity and a celebration of healthy lifestyles. The event supports First Descents and Mark Jones Relief Foundation.

Press images courtesy of 24 Hour Events and available for unrestricted use.

Ian Adamson
Event Producer
24 Hour Events LLC

If you can’t stand the heat…

I posted my story about Lance Armstrong (see below) on the Slowtwitch discussion forum. For those of you who may be wondering, ST has one of the bigger triathlon discussion forums on the web.

It is the place that those who are “in” or think they are “in” or want to be “in” or are indeed “real” triathletes like to hang out…at least that's what a number of people who know these things have told me. As I write this my story had 1730 views.

It was certainly an interesting day, and I pretty much got my butt handed to me on a silver platter. Here’s a sample of some of the comments from the folks on the forum today who choose to express an opinion:

Marcus Marcus wrote after copying the first sentence of my post:

“So it was very refreshing to see the 2004 women’s Ironman winner Nina “the Machina” Kraft say, “Yup…you got me. I sure did use EPO. I screwed up” after she tested positive for EPO.

Not sure how refreshing that is. I would say it is more refreshing to find out that they don't cheat at all. Not that when they get caught they admit. There is nothing admirable about cheating and does not deserve a positive spin at all.”

That seemed liked like a good point but wait for it.

One_lap wrote after also copying one sentence from my post:

“I suppose that if you really pressed me on the Lance question…Nobody pressed you; you posted this tired retread without any provocation. Stop shilling your site. This is worse than the frigging rules you made up a couple weeks ago.”

Record10carbon jumped in with this comment:

“Someone needs to find you a flame suit”

Flames, of course, being negative comments expressed my way.

beatnic_tx got a hold of that comment and added:

“Do the fat guy sizes cost more? If so that can be the subject of his next story.”

And you didn’t have to wait long as Marcus Marcus added:

“ouch”

Thanks Marcus Marcus for the support.

Now there were a few other choice comments that were even a wee bit nastier. Besides being accused of shilling, I was also accused of Internet stalking. But the best comment came from somebody called “Lance” as posted on my web site:

“You're an [email protected]$%! Drop the Lance [email protected]%@! What - are you French?”

Somehow I suspect that Lance may have found his way over here from ST.

You are welcome to read the entire exchange HERE.

A coaching friend of mine made an interesting comment. He read the entire exchange and said that he was surprised at how much negative energy people put into their comments. Which got me thinking. Is it the anonymity Internet that makes lions out of ice weasels or did I walk into a den angry triathletes?

I’m well aware that people are passionate about Lance and his accomplishments. But the negative comments had very little to do with my Lance story. They were nasty comments about me.

For those of you who read my stuff must know that I spend most of my race time at the butt of the spear…in other words, toward the tail end of the race. The athletes in my part of the woods tend to be very supportive and encouraging. We are all part on the same triathlon team and ego and pride play a very small role. Most everybody is competing for a personal best and not trying to crush their competition.

The running and triathlete friends I’ve come to know in the blog world are also very encouraging and very positive. Thanks gang for all your nice comments and emails. They really mean a lot to me. I really appreciate you coming by my site and saying “Hi” It is what keeps me writing.

I suppose if you can’t stand the heat, stay of the kitchen, or at least the slowtwich discussion forum.

On the other hand perhaps I just ran into a bunch of ice weasels pretending to be lions.

I’ll end this story with one of my favorite sayings from Matt Groening's Love Is Hell comic strip adapted for my own purpose:

“Triathlon is like a snowmobile racing across ice. Suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night…the ice weasels come!”

So for all you negative slowtwitch ice weasels I have this invitation. Come race the 2006 Boulder Peak Triathlon at 5430 feet above sea level and show me what you can do when you are not hiding behind your computer.

Did Lance Cheat?

Whenever Lance Armstrong is mentioned in a conversation the elephant in the room is always performance enhancing drugs. He could be on OLN, or the Jay Leno Show, or on CNN, but I always have this feeling that people are wondering if he was clean when he won the tour a record 7 times.

I’m not sure it really matters. Does it matter to you? It is all just so much water under the bridge now that he has retired. Sure there are lots of people out there who want to knock him of his thrown by proving that he cheated. And I must admit that there is a certain part of me that wants to know the truth. But at the end of the day I really loved watching Lance kick some European Cycling ass…and I’m European.

The fact of the matter is that Lance did something that we all love to see. He beat the European biking elite at their own game, on their own turf, in their most hallowed biking hall…the Tour De France. And that’s the part that the French will never forgive. It would be like a Frenchmen crushing Babe Ruth’s homerun records, or an Italian team winning the Superbowl. Could America ever believe this possible without thinking of some sort of cheating to justify the victory? Could Americans let this stand?

I think the answer is yes. In some ways this continues to separate the New World from the Old World. In America there is a level playing field for immigrants and most Americans still love the underdog. Just because you are from Peoria or Peking does not make you any better or worse in the eyes of the locals. Americans still cheer for the new comers, or at least don’t get in their way when they work hard to realize their American dream.

So if an Italian team did compete in this year’s Superbowl…let’s call them the Linguine Lions. Certainly most Americans would cheer for their home team. But if the Linguine Lions won, I think the Linguine Lions would be accepted, and dare I say it, even embraced.

I was in Lillehammer for the 1994 winter Olympics. What struck me the most was how the Norwegians cheered for every nationality. It didn’t matter if the skier was Russian, French, Italian, or German; they cheered just as hard for all the athletes. This is something that I try to remember every time I race. It doesn’t matter if I’m being passed, or if I’m doing the passing, a word of encouragement to my fellow racers always make me feel good.

I suppose that if you really pressed me on the Lance question, I’d say that in my opinion Lance probably did cheat and he used some sort of performance enhancing drugs. Why? I have four reasons. None of my reasons are scientific, and most are from my gut, so take them with a grain of salt.

Reason # 1
I believe that the sport of professional biking is one of the dirtiest (when it comes to performance enhancing drugs) sports in the world. I have this feeling that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. The news is filled with this pro cyclist and that pro getting busted for doping or using some sort of banned substance. Funny thing is they all say the same thing when they are caught with their hand in the steroid jar, “It wasn’t my fault, I must have somehow eaten a tainted food supplement or somehow gotten a bad blood transfusion.”

So it was very refreshing to see the 2004 women’s Ironman winner Nina “the Machina” Kraft say, “Yup…you got me. I sure did use EPO. I screwed up” after she tested positive for EPO.

Reason # 2
I have little or no confidence in the ability of the sanctioning body to police the sport. I recall a surprise police raid on a hotel a few years ago hosing one of the elite cycling teams during one of the big European races. It quickly turned into a sort of Marx Brothers movie with mysterious bags of pills and syringes being thrown out windows and flushed down toilets. This does not speak well for the sanctioning body’s ability to police the problem.

The entire Balco drug scandal that changed the face of American baseball and track and field is a case and point. The only reason we even know about the designer steroid used by many of the top athletes implicated in the scandal is that a used syringe (full of the steroid) was anonymously sent to a testing lab. Until that syringe arrived in the mail, none of the watchdogs even knew that the designer steroid existed. Once again, this speaks volumes about the sanctioning body’s ability to police the sport.

This also brings up an interesting problem. Lance has passed every drug test given to him, but how do they test for a drug they don't even know exists? We can only take Lance at his word.

Reason #3
Did you know that statistically the incident of testicular cancer in the general young male population is extremely low? Yet the incident of testicular cancer in professional young male athletes is extremely high…at least when compared to the general population of young men. Have you ever wondered why this is? Could it have to do with testosterone use or overuse? I’m certainly not a doctor but somebody should look into this smoking gun.

Reason #4
Very successful people tend to be very driven to succeed…no matter what the cost. Just image that you have spent your entire life pursuing one goal. You have worked for this chance to grab the victory, the fame, the money and the success, not to mention the admiration of millions. You find out that the playing field is not all that level. So as you see it, you really only have two choices. You can play by the official rules and most likely lose, or you can play by the rules that everybody else is using and win. Which do you choose? I suspect that most of us would choose winning over losing, riches over rags, and fame over the life of the domestique.

And that’s why I don’t think that it really matters what Lance did or did not do. The fact is that he won 7 times in one of the hardest sporting events on the earth. I believe that he won by playing by the unofficial rules of the game. Are these the rules that everyone uses, I certainly hope so because a large part of me likes to see Lance kick some serious European Cycling ass.

At the same time, it could be that I have been blinded by Lance’s great accomplishments over years. I feel like I owe him so much for the long hours of great OLN entertainment he provided. It was magnificent watching a small-town-boy from Texas conquer the Alps and stamp his authority on the tour year after year.

I loved seeing him dance on his bike as he climbed, while leaving all the others in his dust. It was so terrific to see him crash, get back on his bike, and still win the tour. I had shivers running down my spine when this kid brought up by a struggling single mom took the old school mountain bike way through the field, on that harrowing descent, where others crashed. I had tears in my eyes as he drank the champagne on the last day, of his last tour.

These are some of the greatest sports memories of my generation. So does it really matter if he really cheated? I want to believe that it does not matter…that everything is now just so much water under the bridge. But I can’t help but feeling that the elephant in the room will just not go away.

I sincerely hope that when the matter is final settled and the elephant leaves the room, I can still look back at the Lance years with pride, few tears and smile in my heart.

The Golden Era of Triathlon

There is no doubt that we are living through the Golden Era of Triathlon.

We are at the precise moment in history when the sport is verged on the cusp of greatness. The moment that it goes from being a passionate pursuit of a few to the wider mainstream of general society.

Live the day!

Because like so many sports before it, once the sport hits the big time it will become commercialized, popularized, materialized, and sanitized. It is already happening. Have you been to a Ironman race recently? The Expo now looks like a Ford Dealership. While you are checking out the latest in bike, run and swim equipment, why not purchase your next explorer?

Enjoy the day!

On most Thursday nights during the summer you’ll probably find me standing in the cold and gray waters of Boulder Res. I’m waiting for the start of the weekly Stroke and Stride (a short race that’s made up of a 1500 meter swim and a 5 K run).

Standing next to me on my right is Simon Lessing. On my left is Cameran Widoff and just in front of us is Bella Comerford. That’s a pretty interesting foursome. Three out of those four triathletes have won an Ironman race…one has not. Three out of those four triathletes are considered the best in the world…one is not. Three out of four of these triathletes will be trying to win Kona….one will not. I’m sure you can guess which one will not.

Image being in a golf tournament and teeing off in a foursome with Tiger Woods, VJ Singh, and Annika Sorenstam. You know that’s never going to happen.

Embrace the day!

I’ve been visiting my new triathlete friends recently. And by visiting I mean checking out their blogs and I’m amazed at the amount of time, energy and passion they put into triathlon. I salute you all! I can tell that triathlon is much more than just a weekend hobby or casual pastime for you. It has become your passion and driving motivator in your life.

I think that it used to be this way with many of the other now “major sports” when the Everyman athlete could compete and put himself among the pros. But today the distance between the pros and the fans of the major sports has grown to an enormous size. A night at the ballpark can cost not tens, but hundreds of dollars. And the closest you’ll likely get to a top ballplayer, is if he happens to hit a foul ball your way. In football they even put a screen up to keep the balls away from the fans.

Is it no wonder that so many people play fantasy football and baseball? The real sport has become just a far away television show for so many fans.

Be the day!

All sports have defining moments and elements that distill the essence of the sport to a moment, sight, or sound. For me, in baseball, it is the crack of the bat as the baseball leaves the ballpark. In football, it is the snap of the ball and the roar of the crowd as it is passed to the quarterback. In basketball, it is the squeak of the shoes on the court and swoosh of the ball as it passes through the net.

But how many of us have actually experienced any of these moments? Sure you can go to the local gym or ballpark and play a game with your friends. But can you play it in a packed stadium, next to the best in the world, with a world championship at stake? You know that’s never going to happen.

Celebrate the day!

My defining moments in a triathlon are broken down into the three sports. I love the feeling of the swim, when my head is in the water, when everything is quiet, except for the sound of my labored breath to the back beat of my pounding heart.

On the bike, I always remember the salty taste of my sweat as it drips down my face, into my mouth and down onto the spinning wheel front wheel of the bike.

On the run, I’ve come to expect the moment when my thighs seize up as I push them from biking to running. However I treasure the feeling when my legs finally get used to the new motion and I settle to a good pace and beginning to really run.

And while I’ll never cross the finish line at the same time as Simon Lessing, Cameran Widoff or Bella Comerford. I’ll be there next to them at the start. I’ll race the same course, with the same fans, put in the same painful miles, with the same weather, use the equipment, and suffer the same, pain and joy…on the same day.

Carpe Diem!

For the day will pass all too soon.

You Go Girl!

From Triathlon to Modern Pentathlon to Curling

Olympic Gold medalist swimmer-turned-world champion triathlete Sheila Taormina recently announced that she will be leaving the world of triathlon to try her hand at making the 2008 Olympics is a third sport, that of Modern Pentathlon.

Which begs the questions:

1) What the heck is Modern Pentathlon?
2) Why is it an Olympic Sport?
3) What was the Ancient Pentathlon and?
4) Why is Sheila Taormina switching sports?

To answer these questions I turned to Google and got an easy answers to the first question: “Modern pentathlon combines shooting, fencing (one duel against every other competitor), riding, swimming (200-meter freestyle) and running (3,000 meters) — all in one day”

I suppose Ancient Pentathlon must have combined the “sports” of cannon shooting, jousting, chariot racing, lion fighting and elephant head stomping---all in one day. Now that’s a sport, if televised by Fox, might actual surpass stock car racing as America’s fastest growing past time. Cable channels would kill to have it on. Every channel from Animal Planet to OLN to the ESPN to the History Channel would love to broadcast the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat of the Ancient Pentathlon.

And unlike current OLN triathlon television coverage, you really wouldn’t need to spice up the sport with all those human interest stories. Let's face it there’s nothing more thrilling than seeing an exciting chariot race followed by the potential of a rousing elephant head stomping.

Now the second question (Why is it an Olympic Sport?) took a bit more digging but I found the answer on the Olympics web site. The sport has an interesting and noble history. According to the official Olympic web site:

“A young French cavalry officer of the 19th century was sent on horseback to deliver a message. He rode across the uneven terrain, through enemy lines, and was confronted by a soldier with his sword drawn. Challenged to a duel, the officer won, only to have his horse shot out from under him by another enemy soldier.

After felling that soldier with a single shot, the officer ran on. He swam across a raging river, and then finally he delivered the message. So, legend has it, was born the modern pentathlon.

The brainchild of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, the event was based upon the unlucky officer and introduced into the Stockholm Games of 1912. Only remotely resembling the ancient pentathlon inspired by the warmongering Spartans, modern pentathletes shoot, fence, swim, compete in show jumping and run - five events testing endurance as well as athletic versatility.”

So the truth comes out. The reason Modern Pentathlon is still an Olympic sport is because the French founder of the Olympics fancied the sport. Talk about a sport with connections in high places.

Image the story behind the Ancient Pentathlon. A young Spartan foot solider was sent on horseback to deliver a message when he encountered the black knight who challenged him to a joust. After skewing the knight like a toasted lamb shish kabob, he tethered his horse to a chariot. But this was his unlucky day. A lion jumped out of the forest and chased after him for just over 26.2 miles at which point he shot the lion with a cannon, only to be captured, buried up to his neck, and almost have his head stomped by a wild elephant stampede.

I bet you can guess at the answer to the fourth question: Why is Sheila Taormina switching to the modern Pentathlon? Because she can, and because she most likely believes that she can leverage her running and swimming skills to have a chance at a medal in this “Modern” sport.

I’m sure that it does not hurt her chances that the world of the modern pentathlon athlete is miniscule, at least in comparison to some of the other more popular Olympic sports. How many people do you really suppose participate in and follow the sport of modern pentathlon? Fifty or sixty? And most of them probably attend West Point or the French equivalent.

Being on the wrong side of 40 I have to respect Sheila’s spirit for trying, and I wish her all the best of luck. For her and all of us older athletes I would kindly suggest another Olympic sport that we can still tackle. In fact we are just approaching the ideal age for this sport and many of us, including Sheila, can not only excel but even medal in this very ancient sport . I am of course referring to the ancient sport of Curling. Once again from the Olympic web site:

“Curling originated in the 16th century in Scotland, where games were played during winter on frozen ponds, lochs and marshes. In the early days of the sport, stones were taken from river bottoms. In the 1600s, stones with handles were introduced, allowing a delivery style similar to what is used today.

The key developments in the sport in the 20th century have been the standardisation of the stone and the use of indoor, refrigerated ice facilities.”

So Sheila just remember if the Modern Pentathlon thing does not go your way, the Winter games are just two years away. I’m sure that you, like most of us, have a broom in the closet and we could find a big stone or two.

With a bit of practice and a little luck you could end up competing in 4 Olympic sports. I know that when I’m finishished with all this triathlon biz, I’ll seriously think about moving to Canada. I’m sure that I would be one of the most fit Curlers North of Detroit...and that’s got to be worth something.