from Andrew Yoder..

This past weekend I made the short trip to Maryland to compete in the spring classic Columbia Triathlon. I always look forward to racing Columbia for its challenging course and strong competition. Going into the race, I was lacking a bit of confidence from a DNF two weeks earlier and then getting sick, which knocked me out for 5 days. Not the ideal lead up to a race but my coach Matt Dixon of Purple Patch Fitness assured me that I would be ready and I still was capable of a good result. The goal was just to go back to basics and enjoy racing.

With a non wetsuit swim and no super swimmers in the field, I was aiming to have a fast swim and be near the front. The swim start at Columbia is very wide so there was hardly any contact. I ended up not having a great start and settled into a long line of swimmers. I attempted to move up throughout the swim but was never able to reach the front. I exited the water in 4^th position just off the leaders which included Tim O’Donnell. I held my own in transition and was in striking distance at the beginning of the bike.

The bike course is gently rolling for the first few miles and then has three challenging climbs and with the wet roads, descents. I moved into 1^st by mile two and rode as hard as I could up the first climb to get out of sight. My Trek Speed Concept felt absolutely amazing on the climbs and I was able to open up a gap on the chasers. After surviving the sketchy roundabouts and twisty descents during the first half of the ride, I picked up my effort to see if I could increase my lead on the back half. Typically on this course I slow the last 20k but my main goal was to keep the pace and effort high. I ended up riding very solid the entire 42k and came off the bike with a 4:15 lead on Tim and 4:45 to the next group.

From the beginning of the run, my legs just felt empty. They didn’t feel tired just no power which was disappointing considering the run training I had been doing the past few weeks. The constant up and down was making it hard to find a tempo but I just tried to stay steady and focus on the present and not finishing. I held my form to the finish, claiming my first professional and Columbia win. It was great to bounce back at a race that is very special to me and come out on top on a very challenging day.

I want to give a special thanks to Brian Shea of Personal Best Nutrition for coming down and supporting me during the race. Thank you to my sponsors Team Trek/K-Swiss, Matt Dixon of Purple Patch Fitness, 1^st Endurance, Oakley, and AquaSphere for the support and giving me a chance to pursue my dream.

Below is my nutrition report which I have developed with the help of Brian Shea and 1^st Endurance.

6:45 Swim Start

3:45 – 1 serving of Ultragen, 1 bagel w/ PB

4:00 to 5:30 – Sipping on 24oz. of EFS Lemon Lime

6:00 to 6:30 – 16 oz. of EFS Lemon Lime mixed with one scoop of Pre Race

6:30 – 1 serving of Liquid Shot w/ water

On the bike – 20oz. of EFS Lemon Lime w/ 1 scoop of Pre Race

Start of Run – 1 serving of Liquid shot w/ water

from Laurel Wassner

I’m very happy to report that I won my first big pro race on Sunday at the Columbia Triathlon in Maryland.  I was determined to keep the title in the family as Bec won the race in ‘09 and ‘08.  Since her foot isn’t quite ready for a hard 10k, I knew I had to step in and defend!  It wasn’t easy since the course is very challenging and it was pouring rain. I did my best to not let the weather get to me and had a little PreRace in my water bottle before getting in for a swim warm up.  It really helped me get going, especially since the race started at 6:55am!  I had a decent swim, and hopped onto my bike wearing my speedsuit.  After freezing at Rev3 Knoxville, I decided to keep an extra layer on, and it worked!  I wasn’t cold at all and was in the lead with Bec until I got passed by a very fast riding Margie Shapiro after about 21 miles.  I just tried to keep her within 30 seconds.  I knew if I could do that I could run myself back into first place.   About a mile and a half into the run,  I could see Margie and that I was gaining on her. The course is extremely hilly so I wasn’t able to just crank out my pace and zoom by. I had to be conservative since there were many more hills to come.  I got a little sick of waiting so at the 3 mile mark I made the pass and got into the lead.  At this point the lead biker turns to me and says, “Are you even in the race??” Apparently there was some twin confusion!  Margie hung with me for a mile and then at mile 4 I went for it. It hurt, but I was confident that I could run the day’s fastest 10k and that is what it took to win.  I was so happy to see the blue finish chute and then to have my entire family greet me at the finish line.  It is the best feeling in the world to make the people you care about most so happy (especially when they have done so much stressing/worrying about me!). It was a big win for all of us.  After a little celebrating, I went right to the car and mixed up an Ultragen Cappucino smoothie.  I packed a little to-go container so I could get in some important recovery calories after the race.
Congratulations to Margie and Natascha for their strong efforts and to Andrew Yoder for crushing the men’s race!  Great to share the podium with such a talented athletes.  Next up is Rev3 Quassy in Connecticut.  It’s a long one for me so, better start training!

A day after winning the inaugural 2010 Ironman St George, Heather Wurtele sat down and detailed a nutrition plan that allowed her to race with no cramps and no stomach upset.  “I am super happy to be working with you guys as well. Your products are far and away the best out there and it is SO exciting for me to know that my nutrition is totally working for me on race day and in all my training.”

First Endurance triathlete Michael Lovato shares his nutrition plan and strategy for his race day nutrition.  This 8 minute video is a must see for anyone racing Ironman.

First Endurance triathlete Jordan Rapp shares his strategy, race preparation, race re-cap and race nutrition following his record setting 2009 Ironman Arizona win. This 10 minute video is a must see for anyone racing Ironman.

Sponsored triathletes Jordan Rapp and Justin Park took 1st and 4th respectively in the Vancouver International Triathlon (1/2 Ironman Distance).  Rapp’s first race under 4 hours saw him dominate with an impressive 3:53 that included the 2nd fastest swim and run and fastest bike splits of the day.

In the men’s race Jordan Rapp of the US took the lead early in the bike and never looked back claiming over a 7 minute lead off the bike eventually leading to his first place 3:53:17 final clocking – also a new course record. Stephen Kilshaw of Victoria, Canada claimed second place besting his mentor and Vancouver defending champion, Jasper Blake who took 3rd.  Kilshaw keeps his Subaru West Coast Series podium streak alive after his victory early this year in the Subaru Shawnigan Lake Triathlon, and 2nd place finish at the New Balance Half.

Men
1st -  Jordan Rapp                New York, USA         3:53:17
2nd – Stephen Kilshaw         Victoria, Canada         3:59:48
3rd -  Jasper Blake               Victoria, Canada         4:02:04
4th -  Justin Park                  Chapel Hill, USA         4:03:15
5th -  Kelly Guest                  Victoria, Canada         4:07:47

FROM JORDAN RAPP

Good swim. Tied for the lead going around the first buoy, and then settled into 2nd position, well because I’m lazy. Honestly, I win races on the bike and run, so all I care about is being in a good position on the swim. I’m never inclined to lead on the swim, especially if it’s a choice between leading the front of the race and being 2nd at the front. A bit of a relaxed transition (i.e. SLOW. But I wasn’t rushed either). Took the lead about 1mile into the ride, once I got my shoes on. After that, I did my thing on the bike, which is what I love to do. I put pretty consistent time on everyone on each lap, despite dodging lots of people on laps 2, 3, and 4. Fortunately, I also love to run lately, and I had a great run off the bike as well. I had a good lead, but really I cared about breaking four hours (for the first time, which I did, by a lot, and also would have if it had been a 21km run instead of 20km, which also felt really good) and also stamping out the bad memories of the past two races. I ran hard but also felt good the whole way. 2nd fastest swim (except for relays, which is forgivable, since they had a former two-time Olympic swimmer on a relay, who led, but by not as much as you’d think), fastest bike by about 7min, and 2nd fastest run (paced for 1:17:00 for 13.1 according to my GPS. Paced for like 1:15:30 according to the race, which had me at 1:11:15 for 20km, which I had as actually being short.) Anyway, good day, and a good way to put the bad memories of the past two races behind me.

JORDAN RAPP’s Nutrition

Breakfast:
Optygen & Multi-V
Ultragen & banana smoothie
Bowl of Koala Krisp & almond breeze (BIG bowl)

Pre-race:
1/2 bottles of EFS grape + 2 salt stick caps + 1 scoop of pre-race
I actually think I threw most of this up during swim warm-up. I f’ed up putting on my wetsuit, and it was squeezing my stomach. Fortunately, I remained calm, adjusted my wetsuit, and was fine.

In Race:
1 bottle of “Rappstar mix” (from a friend, who dubbed it this) 1 scoop of EFS grape + 2 scoops of ClifShot crisp apple + 3 salt stick caps
1 flask of EFS liquid shot (THE BEST!!)
4 additional salt stick caps
2 on course 20oz. bottles of gatorade

Run:
Gatorade at every aid station (12cups?)
Dropped my salt sticks in transition. Fortunately, I had a 7min cushion to rely on… So no salt, which made me nervous. Fortunately, when it’s 75F and you’ve been training in 90F weather, that also makes it easier to run well.