Wednesday, August 12, 2015

ITU World Triathlon Series training celebration

The ITU World Triathlon Series Grand Finale takes place in Chicago next month! Over 150 of the world's top Olympic-distance triathletes will compete.


On Monday night, I attended a Fleet Feet event celebrating the World Triathlon finale.

We started off with a product demonstration from Jabra. Reps were on hand to show us their Sport Pulse Wireless earbuds, which have a built-in biometric heart-rate monitor. Basically, it tracks your heartrate through your ears, eliminating the need to wear a chest strap. The earbuds also have detailed training app data capabilities to measure distance, elevation, pace, etc. Super cool!

Next, all of the attendees went on a guided run led by Mike Norman, the founder of Chicago Endurance Sports.

Here is a picture of Zenaida, Maggie, Amanda, and me shortly after starting the run.

From L to R: Zenaida, me, Maggie, and Amanda

Mike pointed out various key points along the World Triathlon course such as transition areas and the starting and finishing line. For example, Queen's Landing (the lakefront near Buckingham Fountain) is where the swim kicks off:

From the 2014 Women's Elite event
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Transitions and the finish line are set up right next to Buckingham Fountain:


Here is a snapshot of Amanda, Maggie, Zenaida and me in front of Buckingham fountain, near the same location pictured above:

L to R: Amanda, Maggie, Zenaida, and me

Mike gave us a quick overview on triathlon transitions. He shared some tips and tricks and demonstrated some of the elites' best practices and ruthless efficiency.

I was blown away by the sophisticated equipment and all the details. For example, Mike showed us helmets with magnetic straps instead of manual clasps. What an ingenious idea!

Mike walking us through a sample transition setup

We then headed back to Fleet Feet's shop. There, Melissa Stockwell, a three-time Paralympic World Champion, spoke to the group.

Melissa's story was very touching. She was a U.S. Army officer who had served a tour of duty in Iraq. She lost her left leg when a roadside bomb exploded as she was leading a convoy in Baghdad. 

Melissa talked about the extreme mental and physical challenges she underwent after the explosion. She described how she realized that she was so fortunate because others had injuries much worse than hers, and even though she was missing a leg she still had her life.

After being released from the Army, Melissa set her sights on becoming an Olympic paratriathlete. She represented the United States during the Beijing Olympics and even carried the American flag during the closing ceremonies.
Source
Now Melissa is training hard with the hopes that she can represent the U.S. in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Here is a picture of Melissa showing us her three prosthetic legs - one for everyday walking, one for running, and one for biking. I was amazed at the scientific and highly sophisticated design features, as well as the cost (the everyday prosthetic costs about $50,000).


I learned so much about triathlons and para athletics at this event! Additionally, prior to Monday night I had no idea that Chicago was hosting a triathlon event of such magnitude. What an amazing honor!

A few ITU folks mentioned that the triathlon was in need of thousands of volunteers during race week (September 14-19). I have been wanting to do some race volunteering and this sounded like an awesome opportunity! Yesterday, I signed up for two volunteer shifts. (Folks that work two or more shifts get VIP status and extra swag =) ). If anyone wants to join me as a volunteer, here is the link to sign up.

I can't wait to witness a World Triathlon Series event next month in person!

15 comments:

  1. Isn't Melissa totally inspiring? I've met her a few times and heard her talk, too, and she just makes you want to live life to the fullest.

    I have some friends from Live Grit who are doing ITU so I've been thinking about volunteering. Thanks for the push!

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    1. Melissa blows me away! I had tears in my eyes when I was listening to her story. She is so strong and so inspirational.

      YAY for volunteering together!!! This is going to be such an awesome experience!!! How cool would it be for you to see your Live Grit friends cross the finish line, too!?!?!?

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  2. What a cool event! Sounds like a really exciting fun run, and yay for volunteering. I'm sure they could use a lot of help at something that big.

    Bethany

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    1. Thanks Bethany! I looked on their website and they said they need 3,000 volunteers!!! That really gives you an appreciation for how much work goes into hosting these events, eh?

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  3. Heart rate ear buds? What will they think of next. Melissa's patriotic prosthetic legs look so cool. What an inspiration she is! Kudos for volunteering during this event!

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    1. Scientific advancements never cease to amaze me, indeed! Melissa in general is an extremely patriotic person - she says this is a big reason why she joined the Army! So the patriotic prosthetic was very much a reflection of her personality. =) Thanks for the support on the volunteering!!!

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  4. Wow! What a fun event to have been a part of. Melissa is so inspiring. So awesome! Just goes to say that anything is possible.

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    1. I was definitely not expecting to be so blown away by everything that I learned at the event! Melissa is a rising star, for sure. We'll definitely need to keep an eye on her in coming years because I KNOW she'll continue accomplishing SO MUCH!!!

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  5. ITU will be AWESOME!!! World Championships for age group triathletes as well, and paratriathletes! There is a Dare2Tri Gala event on Friday evening if anyone is interested!

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    1. I'm guessing you aren't competing at ITU since you're already completedly focused on Ironman Wisconsin - but is Mike planning to compete?!?!? And/or, will you be there to spectate? Would love to catch up with you there!!!

      Thanks for sharing the Dare2Tri gala info! I'm actually going to volunteering at ITU Registration that night, but I'll definitely help spread the word. It sounds like an amazing event!

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    2. Mike is hoping to compete! He is currently on the wait list for the Paratriathlon Elite wave, but will compete in a different wave if he doesn't get into the elite wave. (Unfortunately the way ITU works, you have to travel and accumulate "points" to get onto the starting lists. Since his division is not eligible for the Rio Paralympics, he chose not to pay to travel around the world to race, and doesn't have as many points as other paratriathletes who did. The Start List ranking is not by division/category of paratriathlon, but rather for all paratriathletes-- so he's up against those who have been racing a lot to be able to go to Rio!)

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  6. This seems like an amazing event!

    I'm curios about the heart rate earbuds. How much were they and do you think they're accurate?

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    1. Yes, the event was surprisingly fun! I didn't anticipate learning so much!

      I didn't personally test the earbuds, but Maggie did and she thought the stats seemed accurate. I also didn't look at the prices that night, but a quick Google search shows that they are around $170. (Ahhh, the magic of Google!)

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  7. It was a great event! My favorite part was listening to Melissa. She is a very beautiful person!

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    1. Agreed! I didn't expect to be as inspired as I was after listening to her. She's amazing!!!

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