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Israman 2015 Race Review

Israman takes place in Eilat, Israel, the furthest southern point in Israel. Located on the Red Sea, it is home to some of the best diving in the world. It is also known for its tax free shopping zone and opportunities to splurge on jewelry and clothing. Eilat is accessible via a quick flight from Tel Aviv’s domestic airport, or by car via two main highways. If you’re considering a winter race, particularly if you’re based in Europe, this is the race to consider. The ten hour flight from Newark to Tel Aviv—and 12 hour return flight—can make an active person stir crazy. Don’t forget compression tights or socks to keep legs on both legs of the flight. The race is on a Friday, which works best for observing the Sabbath from Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset.

Israman Chronicles: Day 7- Tel Aviv and Jaffa

Founded in 1909, Tel Aviv is a modern city of 3.5 million, roughly half of Israel’s population. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it sports modern architecture and a lively youthful atmosphere. New residential and commercial towers are being constructed everywhere, and gentrification of neighborhoods are making the cost of living exorbitant. Much of the growth is fueled by immigrants who continue to pour in from Russia, Europe and the U.S.

Israman Chronicles: Day 6- Eilat to Tel Aviv

This morning I woke and took a jog to the border of Jordan.  Its port city, Aqaba, is adjacent to Eilat and serves as a vacation sport for Jordanians and other mid-Eastern countries.  Just south of Aqaba is Saudi Arabia.  Let’s just say the Jordanian border crossing didn’t look too welcoming, so I turned around and headed towards Egypt.  Where in the world can you say that but in Eilat?  At the main beach, the city was hosting an endurance swimming event.  While there probably weren’t many Israman athletes participating, there were several hundred swimmers. 

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. 

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.

Ben Greenfield passes along some important race lessons from the Tiger Triathlon

As a pre-race tune-up before I go defend my gold medal at ITU Long Course World Championships in Spain, I dropped into the Tiger Triathlon.

This race is advertised as a "quarter Ironman".

Which basically seems to be a 1K swim, a 40K bike, and an 8K run. I'm not quite sure how the math on that works out with the run part, but whatever - I'm in!

So I showed up on race morning with 2 kids, 2 dogs and my wife (bless her heart, once I took off on the swim she was left with all 4 of them) and with the help(?) of my 4 year old boys set up transition area in a blistering 20 minutes, with barely enough time left over to put on my brand new Blue Seventy Helix wetsuit (thanks B70 guys!) and rush down to the water.

The swim horn sounded and we were off. Here's where I remembered an important lesson:

2012 Ironman 70.3 California Results

Last Saturday, the West Coast's premier kick off to racing season, the Ironman 70.3 California in Oceanside, Calif. saw Andy Potts put on a strong start-to-finish win while Melanie McQuaid, 3-time XTERRA world champ, won the women's event.

2012 Galveston Ironman 70.3 Results and Video Links

Lance Armstong's Ironman race series debut on U.S. soil at the Lonestar 70.3 in Galveston, Texas was the big news of the weekend, but his 7th place finish--dropping a spot in the final steps of the race--showed everyone that the hot, humid and breezy conditions took a toll on all the participants.

Timothy O'Donnell won the event in 3:47:40 after coming up short the two past years. Sebastian Kienle pushed himself to the limit for his second-place finish, collapsing after crossing the line 23 seconds after O'Donnell. 

As expected, Armstrong made his move on the bike, but couldn't pull away from the elite pro ranks. He told the Houston Chronicle that he was shooting for a 3-minute gap off the bike, but had to make do with 41 seconds. He seemingly had 6th-place locked up but Jordan Jones,

Video - Lance Armstrong Weighs In on Ironman Panama 70.3 Performance

 

Find out if Lance Armstrong was surprised at his result and placing at Ironman 70.3 Panama, in this press conference video from Ironman Texas 70.3

Follow on twitter @everymantri or view latest videos on YouTube.

Video - Pro Triathlete Tim O'Donnell Explains Texas Ironman 70.3 Strategy

 

Watch as Sebastian Kienle collapses and Tim O' Donnell Explains what it's like to push your body to the limit in a triathlon, at Ironman Texas 70.3

Follow on twitter @everymantri or view latest videos on YouTube.

2012 USA Triathlon Elite Duathlon Winners

At the US Duathlon Nationals the men's and women's winners earned the right to represent the United States at the 2012 ITU Duathlon Worlds in September. See the full USA Triathlon Press release below.

PELHAM, Ala. (March 25) - Daniel Hedgecock and D'Ann Arthur recorded convincing victories Saturday to capture the USA Triathlon Elite Duathlon National Championship titles at Oak Mountain State Park. The race was run in conjunction with Powerman Alabama.

Erin Densham claims ITU Triathlon World Cup in Mooloolaba, Australia

In a race with 2012 Olympic slots up for grabs, the ITU World Cup was a competitive race. Read the full ITU Press Release below – EverymanTRI 

Mooloolaba, Australia (25 March 2012) - Australia's Erin Densham put in one of the most impressive performances of her career, leading the swim and then crushing the field with a stellar run to win her second career ITU World Cup in Mooloolaba on Sunday.

2012 Ironman Asia Pacific Championship, Melbourne Results

Melbourne, Austrailia (March 25, 2012)

The inaugural Asia-Pacific Ironman Championship in Melbourne wrapped up earlier close to midnight North America-time with convincing wins from Aussie Craig Alexander in 7:57:44 and an 8:34:51 from Swiss phenom Caroline Steffen, who now trains down under.

Ben Greenfield figures out how to keep cool at the Ironman 70.3 Worlds

I showed up in Vegas for 70.3 World Championships ready for a raging hot and extremely difficult course. Throughout this race report post, I'll fill you in on everything I implemented to keep my body cool in the heat. This is some of the same body cooling stuff I will do in Kona.

Barbara Riveros Diaz wins her first 2011 ITU Elite Sprint Triathlon World Championship

Lausanne, Switzerland (20 August 2011) - Barbara Riveros Diaz (CHI) claimed the 2011 ITU Elite Sprint Triathlon World Championship title at the Lausanne round of the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series round.

Chile's Barbara Riveros Diaz claimed her maiden ITU World Championship and second career series win with a thrilling come-from-behind sprint finish in Lausanne.
 
Riveros Diaz had dropped to fourth coming into the final kilometre, as Australian Emma Jackson looked like she had the race wrapped up ahead of New Zealand's Andrea Hewitt and Great Britain's Helen Jenkins. But Riveros Diaz cranked up the pace with about 500 metres to go, passed Jenkins and Hewitt and then took aim at Jackson. Last year's Under23 world champion tried to stick with the pint-sized Chilean star, but couldn't keep up as she crossed the line in a time 58 minutes, 35 seconds.

Kris Gemmell and Mary Beth Ellis Win Ironman 70.3 Singapore

In a race that raised several thousand dollars to assist earthquake victims in Japan, New Zealand's Kris Gemmell and Boulder's own Mary Beth Ellis took first place at Singapore 70.3. Keep reading for the Top 10 Pro Men & Women.