Toyota US Open Triathlon (Dallas)

The final stop of the Lifetime triathlon series is the Toyota US Open Triathlon in Rockwall, TX (just east of Dallas).  I won the elite amateur race here two years ago.  I enjoy the race as a whole, but I still have mixed feelings about the Lifetime series.  I decided to do this race for my sponsors...BH and Champion System are large supporters of the Lifetime series.

I knew going into the race that it was going to be a chilly weekend.  I was prepared for it but at the same time I was not.  I do not have the amount of body fat necessary to perform well in cold temperatures.  As much as I want to mentally, my muscles lose too much of the elasticity to perform at the level I would like to.  I remember one time when the heater was broken at the pool where I workout.  As much as I tried, after 30 min I could no longer swim hard in the cold water.  I knew it was something I was just going to have to deal with.

The air temperature at the start of the race was 48 degrees, by far the coldest triathlon I have ever been a part of. The water was the warmest part of the race, but still not cold enough for a wetsuit.  It would have been nice to come out of the water a little overheated before getting on the bike.  I knew I would have to overdress to survive the bike and in turn the race.  After a very lackluster swim I took my sweet time in T1.  I wanted to put on a long sleeve and knee warmers so my body would make it through the bike.  The stretchy material of the long sleeve led to the slowest T1 of my life and one of the slowest of the day.  Oh well!  I had a pretty good bike ride, but the leaders were riding at tremendous speeds.  Cam and Ben rode 3 min faster than the rest of the field.  I had a good T2, all things considered.  I took off my knee warmers and long sleeve, because I knew I would get warmer on the run, and still had a middle of the pack transition.  The hardest part of the day to swallow was missing the fastest run split.  Chris Foster out ran me by 15 sec.  I'm not mad about Chris outrunning me, he is a solid runner and triathlete, and I was training through the race to get ready for Rev3 Florida.  It hurt because the pay day at Lifetime races is terrible if you are not in the top 4.  So instead of coming out comfortably ahead on the trip, I lost money on it.

I did this race for my sponsors and I am glad I went, it just wasn't a great investment for me.  It was nice to chat with Brien from BH and Ronnie from Champion System.  I look forward to long partnerships with both companies, they both make top of the line products.  A big thanks goes out to Melissa for coming with me.  She was a trooper and hung in there during the race.  She was freezing but still able to give me split updates, words of encouragement, and a warm smile while I was racing.

Set your goals high, and don't stop till you get there. ~Bo Jackson

Kaleb

REV3 South Carolina and REV3 Maryland Race Reports

 

This past weekend I won REV3 South Carolina.  It was such an awesome experience and a wonderful follow up to winning REV3 Maryland, The Half Full Triathlon, the weekend before.  (BTW- ALL the profits from the Half Full Triathlon go to the Ulman Cancer Fund for young adults. It is a really special race and everyone should think about it for their race calendars next year. There were 29 cancer survivors competing and 92 % of all competitors raced in memory/honor of someone. It is a special atmosphere and a real celebration of life and hope.  It should be on everyone’s radar for next year!!) 

South Carolina was such a great experience, mostly because of the awesome competition (awesome as competitors and buddies). It was great to catch up with my Canadian friend Tenille Hoogland- but I knew she was going to bring the heat - that is what she does. She is such a fierce competitor and someone who is not afraid to ride the bike all out- it was going to be a hard day with her there.  Malaika Homo has also decided that she is going to dominate everyone on the bike in the late season races and I think both Tenille and I were surprised by how much time she put in on us during the bike course- wow- I was impressed with that.  As a recap of the race, basically I had a good swim for me. This put me about 2 minutes down from the leaders coming out of T1. I caught 2 girls on the bike and was sitting in third at mile 35ish of the bike- a position that I was not surprised to be in at that point considering the strong swim/bike combos of both Tenille and Malaika.  Starting the run, I was about 4 minutes down from Malaika and about three down from Tenille. I knew my run has been going well recently so I thought that I had a shot at the win if I just focused and ran smart. I found myself in the lead at mile 7 and from there I just tried to run as comfortably home as I could (although I have realized that the last few miles of that half marathon are never comfortable not matter what.)

Right now I am sitting in the lead of the REV3 Point Series Race, which is a $25,000 prize to first place.  That, coupled with an additional $12,000 on the line for the win in Florida next weekend means that there is quite a bit at stake, to say the least, for this upcoming decisive race. When I think about the situation though, I just feel so blessed to be where I am right now in general and have this awesome opportunity going into next weekend.

The thing is, I have pretty much already won. Not the money, but in general. I have an incredible coach who is unmatched in his dedication, care and investment in me as both an athlete and, more importantly, as a person. I have people from Charlottesville flying down to Florida with me to see the race that care about me, no matter how I do. I have sponsors that have been with me since the beginning of my professional career and have supported me long before I ever started winning races. Profile Design and Rudy Project, in particular, have supported me with the best products on the planet and really believe in me.  These sponsors do anything they can do to help me succeed- which says a lot about their dedication to this sport as well as their dedication to their customers.  Quintana Roo, Hammer, Champion System and Computrainer have stepped up this year to help me in any way they can, also enabling me to use the best products on the planet (it feels good to believe so strongly in the products of my sponsors). I am so thankful to REV3 and their sponsors like Pilot, who make it possible to pursue a career in professional triathlon.  We are so blessed in triathlon that the money is there to make a living. I have friends who are dominant professional runners and swimmers who struggle, so I know we are lucky.  It is all thanks to organizations like REV3 and their sponsors that support the pursuit of professional endurance athletes and a quest to expand the limits of human performance.   Mostly I have won because I am healthy, happy and living a great life right now. It may sound nauseatingly cheesy, but that is how I feel. I have a great future, no matter what I decide to do, and I have the freedom and support to pursue it.  To be toeing the start line next Sunday in the position I am in right now- it would be insane for me not to realize that I already have it all.  Of course I am going to turn myself inside out on the course next Sunday, but no matter what happens, I am loved, supported and blessed beyond anything I ever imagined- the rest is just gravy…and it is going to be fun....

 Can’t wait.

Life as a pro triathlete and medical student- thank goodness for a great coach and some amazing sponsors!!

Life as a pro triathlete and medical student- thank goodness for a great coach and some amazing sponsors!!

 

I finally just started my second break from medical school for the year and I will get the next month off while I finish my triathlon racing season!  I am excited and back to rest and recovery as a major factor in my training. The key elements to my ability to be able to race as this level and be in medical school at the same time have definitely been both a superb coach and fantastic sponsors. Greg’s approach to rest, recovery and not overtraining has really kept me healthy and not burnt out through a very difficult stretch of full time pro training and full time medical school clinical rotations.  Sometimes less is so much more and with the stress and decreased sleep of medical school we have come through the other side injury free, fresh and ready to rock the end of the season! I was even able to pick up a win at REV3 Wisconsin during my med school stent and a 3^rd place at REV3 Maine, so Greg definitely had me doing something right! The right coach makes all the difference- couldn’t be more true in my situation.

The other folks I would like to thank are our sponsors. Profile Design has supported us with absolutely everything we could possibly need and at any moment in time. They have never said no, they always make it happen and they are a true support to professionals in this sport.  There is absolutely zero possibility that any of us could race professionally without sponsors like Profile Design.  Their wheels, wetsuits, stems, bottles…the list goes one….have kept us going all season and we are thrilled to be with them because they have, hands down, the best products. Rudy Project is another sponsor that has always shone a deep commitment to the pro triathlon community. If you ever see a pro race, you will see that almost every pro in the field is racing with a Rudy Project Wingspan helmet.  This is simply because it is the fastest helmet on the market (tunnel tested by John Cobb) and your helmet matters, a lot. Quintana Roo has helped me with the fastest bike I could ever dream up, the CD0.1. I just received my Computrainer, which will be an absolutely essential piece to being able to train full time and pursue a medical career at that same time (I would said this is a “must have” training tool for anyone who works full time and has a little cash to spend on getting faster).  Thanks also to Hammer for the best nutrition products in the world and Champion System racing gear that stands in a class alone.  It would be impossible for me to do triathlon and med school without this help from these amazing companies and the people behind them. Thank you so much for everything.

 

USAT Nationals

Last year I happened to be the runner-up at USAT Nationals and 3rd overall at the race.  This year I wanted to do well, but with it being my 3rd race in 4 weeks, I was not sure how it was going to go.  Going into the race I was battling some fatigue but once the horn sounded I felt surprisingly well.

Swim - It was not a wetsuit swim, but the water and the air were chilly so I decided to warm-up in my wetsuit.  In the first 200m I was repeatedly smashed into and took another "punch" to the eye.  The physicality of the swims seems to happen to me a lot, so I am starting to wonder if all swims are like this or if I just happen to be the one that swerves all over and causes the contact.  But at any rate I was tired of it so I did what I normally do in this situation: I grabbed the hip of the person to my right and pushed him under me to the left so I could be on the outside.  I felt good in the water and I knew I was swimming well, because I was with William at the first buoy. I maintained contact with the people around me and for the first time in as long as I can remember I got out of the water in a good position and I still had some energy.

Bike - Once on the bike there were single people strewn out on the road and I could see a pack about 15 seconds ahead.  I rode as hard as I could to catch William, he got on the bike about 5 seconds before me.  I knew if I caught him, we could catch the pack within sight.  Once we caught that pack I realized there was another pack about 50 seconds up the road.  Darn it!!  I had a good swim but I was afraid this was going to happen...Ben Kanute is a great swimmer and a very strong cyclist. If he had a pack with him, I knew it was going to be a long day.  There were only about 4 guys in my pack that wanted to/could do any work.  I spent a lot of time pushing hard at the front and after 3 laps of maintaining or losing 5 seconds I had to start thinking about the run.  Not what I wanted to do but with minimal help and a strong cyclist at the head of the front pack I had to cut my loses, keep it close, and wait for the run.  I still spent a lot of time at the front of the bike pack, but it was more to keep my pack going than to catch up.  I also spent some time drifting back to yell "words of encouragement" at the rest of the guys with me.  At the end of the 40k we were 2 min down.  I had a lot of ground to make up on the run.

Run - My transition was a lot better this year!  Although, I still struggle to get my feet in my shoes occasionally. I was off and running with a lot of lonely ground to make up.  Finally after 2 laps I caught someone.  Then I caught Ben Kanute.  It was frustrating to lose time on the bike, but after seeing him death march the run, I knew I made the right decision to not go all in and try to catch the front pack.  On the last lap I could see 3 guys 25 seconds up.  I tried all I could to go faster and run them down, but I ran out of road.  I finished in 7th.  Not a stellar place, but I was happy with how I raced and how I felt during the race.  It just wasn't in the cards to have a repeat of last year.

Thanks to my mom for driving me to and from Buffalo, NY and for getting me where I needed to go.  And thank you to my amazing fiancee!!  Melissa, her mother, and her sister, Kristyn, made the 7 hour trip Saturday morning.  It was great to have them there for the race.  It was also nice to have Greg and William's family there to cheer on Team IE!!  And thanks again to all my sponsors.  This life would not be possible without them!

Never complain and never explain.  ~Benjamin Disraeli

Kaleb

Back-to-Back with BH

For the second time this season and the second time in my life I raced on back-to-back weekends.  What I learned, the second time around is not any easier.  I raced at Rev3 Maine on August 26 and then Hy-Vee US Championship this past weekend.  I debuted my new BH bike at Rev3 Maine and I couldn't be happier.

It is not only the lightest bike I have ever rode, it is very aerodynamic and incredibly rigid.  All the power I put into the pedals goes straight to the rear wheel.  Thank you BH!!

Rev3 Maine -  Another incredible race put on by Rev3! I like doing their races, but they become more fun each time out. I truly feel they are the best race series in the country.  The swim was in the ocean and although I felt like I was swimming well, I found out when I exited the water that I lost a lot of time.  Not sure what went wrong, but sometimes I seem to lose loads of time in the water.  Once on the bike, I felt good and was moving well.  The age group half distance athletes went off first so it was a little crazy riding through them for the first 6 miles.  At the halfway point I was in about 6th and felt like I could make up a spot or two before getting off the bike.  On the way back I was feeling the hard pace and slowed down a little bit.  I was able to catch one more person and get off the bike in 5th.  I felt good starting out on the run and could see 3rd and 4th place.  I caught Dave Thompson at around 2 miles and had my sights set on Richie Cunningham up the road.  He won the previous 3 races, so I knew I was having a pretty good race to see him on the run.  I kept up an honest pace, but wanted to shut it down a little bit with Hy-Vee coming up the next weekend.  With a mile to go I could see Conrad Stoltz up the road but had no idea how far ahead he was.  I was torn on what to do, do I throw it down with all I have to try and catch him or do I keep the current pace and live to race hard the next week?  I could not make up my mind and before I knew it I was half a mile from the finish with no chance of catching Conrad.  I finally shut it down and cruised into the line in 3rd.  It was a good result and got me into 4th in the season series, 10 points out of 3rd.

I made the trip to Old Orchard Beach, Maine with my sister who was 32 weeks pregnant.  It was a great trip and race, but I discovered I live my life eerily similar to a pregnant lady.  My sister and I had similar schedules when it came to eating, napping, going to bed, and having to pee.  Thanks to her for coming with me and being a trooper all weekend. 

Hy-Vee US Championship - With it being the largest prize purse in the sport everyone wants to get in, and do well once they get there.  It is the most fun race of the season too, having such a strong field doing laps around large crowds in Des Moine, IA.  Although I achieved a good result for me, I did not have a particularly great race.  I had a good swim, but my race went down hill on the bike.  Greg and I have lengthy discussions all the time on what happens in races.  Some people blame bad results on random things or terrible excuses instead of their poor decisions made during the race, whether it's riding too hard and having a poor run or choosing to drink a certain "sports" drink.  Post race I always try to determine what went wrong and how to fix it.  This one was a head scratcher though.  There were to many factors to determine what exactly went wrong; back-to-back weekends, heat (average temp of 92 during the race), or swimming too hard.  It seems that I always struggle on the bike when I lay it all out in the swim.  It is something I wanted to do in this race though, I wanted a good swim to set up a great race.  I felt good for about two laps on the bike, but struggled to find my legs the final two laps.  Macca and I had a little chat in the last 2 miles of the bike about how we both did not have the legs on the bike.  Once the run started I wanted to make up some ground but the struggles on the bike leaked their way into my run.  I did what I could to move through the field, but I was not passing many people.  It was a death march on the road and one guy actually started walking. The crowds were amazing and I kept pushing until I crossed the finish line.  I finished in 13th place, one spot better than last year.  I will take it, at the beginning of the season I did not think I would even make it into the race!

Thanks to my beautiful fiancee (Melissa), my mom, my grandparents, Greg, Lisa, the Deckards (John and Robbie), the Bachmans (Aaron and Lindsey), and Jake Rhyner for their words of encouragement on the bike and run.  It was a hot, hard day and you all got me across the finish line.  Thanks to Greg for getting me ready for the race.  Thanks to my mom for driving the group to the race.  And thank you to all my sponsors (Team IE, N.B. Properties, Bralin Laser, Champion System, Profile Design, Scott Shoes, Cobb Cycling, Rudy Project, Computrainer, Express Press, Enzyme Research Laboratories, Pro-Form Bike Shop, Hofferth Chiropractic and now BH Bikes) for helping me compete at the highest level.

Learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over which you have any control: NOW.   ~ Denis Waitley

Kaleb (@VanOrt_Tri)

Giant Eagle

 I did this race last year and really liked the course layout and the overall organization of the race.  This year it was part of the 5150 series, so I was excited to have it on my race schedule again.  I was mentally ready to race, but there was a problem, I had been battling some serious fatigue for about 2 weeks before the race.  I started to recover a couple days before and was feeling good about my chances of doing well at the race.  The will to win sometimes is just not enough though.  

The swim was a little shallow coming in and everyone started dolphin diving.  I started dolphin diving as well, but I did not have the energy to sustain the pace so I just swam in and lost a few seconds. Overall I was very happy with my swim and I got out of the water in a great position (for me).  Once I got on the bike I had a hard time getting my legs going.  It was a struggle to hit the watts I wanted but I was able to get there.  This race had a respectable field but if I could put together a good day, I could finally get a win!  I fought hard the entire bike and was able to get into T2 in second.  Dave Thompson once again was ahead of me and I knew if I could run well I would have a shot at catching him.  It just was not my day.  Everything I tried to get my legs moving was not working.  I was going to have to buckle down and just hang on for second place.  Overall it was not a great day but I was able to grab a second place finish and enough points to qualify for Hy-Vee.  A victory is still eluding me but hopefully some day I will achieve it!

It was great to have Kyle in the race as well.  Racing is a lot more fun with teammates in the race, even though it is every man for himself.  He had a good race and ended up 3rd.  IE did a great job at putting 2 guys on the podium!  That must mean that Greg knows what he is doing!  :) 

Since it was close to home I had a lot of support at the race.  Melissa, Greg, Lisa and I drove down together the day before the race and my Mom and Dad made the trip down the morning of.  It was nice to have a great group there cheering me on, too bad I had a rough day of racing. Melissa's friends, Kelly and Mark, who live in Columbus made it to the finish line.  It was great to see them.  Sorry I was a little grouchy while talking to you! Thanks to Greg for driving Lisa and Melissa around the bike course.  It was nice to get race updates and some encouragement along the way. I have the best fans and sponsors, and they all make racing at a high level possible.  Hopefully next time out my body will cooperate with my mind!!!

"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all" ~J.K. Rowling

Kaleb (@VanOrt_Tri)

New York Podium

I finally made it on to the podium in a non-draft race!  Half way through my second year as a pro I was able to slate a top 3 finish in a non-draft race. Greg and I have been working hard so it was nice to have a great result to go with it.

Swim - The swim was in the Hudson River west of Central Park.  The current was extremely strong in the morning so I was looking forward to a fast swim.  I was hoping to get out of the water closer to the leaders than I normally do.  When the horn sounded at 6am we dove in the water and down the river we went.  The first 300m was a battle in the water.  Some guy kept knocking my in the face so I swam over him to the left side.  Once I did this I drifted a little too far and ended up alone, all by myself.  It was nice to not have someone bashing me in the face but now I was not getting the benefit of drafting in the water.  So I headed back to the right to try and get on feet.  I got close to the group and when I tried to get back into it and catch a draft I found my buddy again, and took a few more shots to the head.  I had had enough so I drifted back to the left and swam solo to swim exit.  It was fun swimming in the Hudson current other than the copious amounts of sticks I kept swimming into and over.  Once out of the water is was a long run to T1.  I could see some people in front of me and  ended up catching one person between swim exit and T1.  

Bike - Once out on the bike I wanted to make up as much time as I could.  I was riding hard and hitting my goal watts early on.  It was fun riding around New York City with no traffic.  The city is so busy and chaotic, but they shut down the north bound lanes of the Henry Hudson Parkway for the bike course.  We even got to go through the toll booth for the Hudson Bridge.  I couldn't help but smile and get a little chill as I rode by Van Cortlandt Park.  That was the location of the Big East cross country meet my senior year. The team won going away and that confidence carried us all the way to a 3rd place finish at NCAA Nationals, the best finish for the Men's team since winning the national title in 1957.  By the halfway point my legs were feeling the strain of the work I was putting in on the bike but I was in good position, so I had to push on.  With 1 mile to go we did one last flip and headed to the exit off the highway.  I got one last look at where everyone was ahead of me.  I was sitting in 5th place, but with a good run, felt I could get into 3rd.  Jordan Jones was way off the front and at the time, during the race, I had no idea who was so far ahead.  

Run - I got in and out of T2 as quick as possible and started chasing down the guys ahead of me.  We entered Central park just before a mile and I passed Chrabot for 4th place shortly after that.  Once around him it was a lonely run knowing Dave Thompson was ahead of me.  We finish within 20 seconds of each other all the time in races.  He is a great cyclist so it all comes down to whether or not I can catch him on the run.  I kept getting updates from runners in Central Park that I was close, or that he was right up the road, but at no point could I see him until around 4.5 miles.  I figured I could catch him at the point but nothing is ever guaranteed in a triathlon.  I finally caught him right around 5 miles.  We had a brief exchange of words and I was on my way.  I respect Dave as an athlete and I feel bad about passing him late in races, but he races his way and I race mine.  Sometimes he has enough of a lead coming off the bike to get across the finish line ahead of me and sometimes I am able to run him down.  It would make for great TV if triathlons were more mainstream!!  I was excited to cross the finish line in 3rd.  I am still fighting to hopefully win a race someday, but I will take third...for now.

Post race I got in a cool down and enjoyed my Hammer Recoverite before heading back to Central Park for awards.  On the podium they interviewed each of us.  I was not ready for this but my fiancee, Melissa, assured me I did not sound like a complete idiot!  And before leaving the men's and women's podium finishers got to enjoy a champagne toast.  I big thanks goes to all of my sponsors!  It was nice to finally get on the podium for them.  They give me a ton of support and make this lifestyle possible.  Thank you Greg!!  This result would not be possible without your guidance.  Sorry you were in Europe during the race and missed the live updates!  And a huge thank you to Melissa!!  She put up with me prerace and was there for me during the race.  She gave me split and place updates throughout the race, kept my family and friends updated, and cheered me on with a smile!!  

After a nap and food we headed out for some sight seeing.  We went to time square and fought through all the other tourists!  I thought the city as a whole was busy but this place is 100% nuts.  We went to Rockefeller Square and found where they tape the Today show adn went into the Nintendo store.  And then we finally made it to the south east corner of Central Park.  We went into FAO Schwarz and saw the giant piano and then walked by the famous Plaza Hotel, where Kevin McCallister stays in Home Alone 2!  

It was a great trip and I am glad I was able to do the race.  It was very well run and the scenic tour of New York added a little extra.  I would do it again next year but it is right around the time of my wedding so I will not be able to.  I look forward to doing it again in 2014!!

I've worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals.  I will not let my teammates [coach] down and I will not let myself down. ~Mia Hamm