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Summer 2010 Letter from the Editor |
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Written by Terie Box
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Thursday, 05 August 2010 |
Dear Driven Readers,
It’s hot. It’s so hot I can hardly think of anything to write except that it’s hot. I hope you’re staying hydrated before, during, and after your workouts, and reminding your swim, bike, and running buddies to do the same. And don’t forget the sunscreen!
In this issue you’ll get to read all about the Swim Around Key West that myself and two friends competed in back in June. We all learned a lot and had a great time, and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. Except maybe an ice-filled swimming pool at the moment – but I digress. You’ll meet the Journeymen Racing Team, a newer tri team in town tearing up the race courses, and we’ll also tip our visors to a prestigious group of runners known simply as the Masters and Grandmasters in the racing scene. Local triathlete and training coach Kevin Leathers has joined us again in this issue with two columns, and all of our regular columnists have written interesting, funny, enlightening articles for your perusal while you’re waiting for the awards ceremonies to start out at the race courses. We also included a few pages worth of photos and commentary from this year’s Memphis in May Triathlon; check it out – you may be in the pictures!
On an environmental note...with the catastrophic BP oil spill threatening the coastlines of the gulf and surrounding areas, we’ve heard that several races may be canceling their events altogether this year. Of course, that’s the least of our worries when it comes to the oil spill, but it’s a good example of the unexpected impact it will have, and may have for many years to come. Therefore, if you have an inclination to do something about the crisis in the Gulf, here are a few options: Beyond the Gulf Coast, environmental and humanitarian groups and grass-roots activist are encouraging concerned Americans to get engaged without leaving home, for the time being. The Daily Green website lists callouts by dozens of environmental groups to write the White House, Congress, and their state governments to express their concerns about the spill. Global Green is asking for volunteers to lobby Congress to enforce tougher regulations on the oil and coal industries. Oxfam America is taking donations to provide financial assistance to Gulf Coast communities affected by the spill. It may sound unusual, but Matter of Trust is collecting human and animal hair and other materials used to make hair mats for oil clean-up operations. Sites such as OilSpillVolunteers.com and the Oiled Wildlife Care Network are providing online volunteer information. Crisis Commons is setting up an online platform to merge “crowd sourced” digital media on the oil spill disaster. And of course, several organizations are calling for boycotts of BP over its safety record. Hopefully some of these ideas will point you in a helpful direction.
Good luck to all of you racers during this hot tri season - race fast, be safe, and stay cool - and I’ll see you out there.
Stay Driven!
Terie L. Box
Editor |
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Once Around: The Story of a 3-Person Relay Team and their 2010 Swim Around the Island of Key West |
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Written by Bruce Fetterman, Sami Sarkardei & Bruce Fetterman
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Thursday, 05 August 2010 |
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The residents of Key West call it “Paradise,” a place to leave your worries behind, grab a drink, and head out on a charter fishing trip or sunset cruise. It’s a tropical island of laid back water-lovers, and the perfect place, we thought, for a small group of swimmers to try out open water distance swimming for the first time. The Florida Keys Community College Swim Around Key West takes place every year in June, the date varying in accordance with the arrival of cruise ships and other ocean-related obstacles. The 12.5 mile swim literally circles the island, going clockwise around it under bridges, through boat mooring fields, and around piers. The water is hot and the sun is hotter, but there’s nothing cooler than a finisher’s medal, right? |
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2010 Memphis in May Triathlon |
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Written by Terie Box
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Thursday, 05 August 2010 |
This year’s Memphis in May Triathlon, aside from being unseasonably hot, held up its reputation as the biggest, most exciting tri of the year in the Midsouth. Memphis in May Tri is always a fantastic event for competitors; safety is always a priority, and this year was a good example of the race directors’ attention to the triathletes out on the course. As the heat pushed several participants to their knees during the run, they were quickly picked up and cared for or taken to the medical tent. Everybody showed up and raced the course for what turned out to be last time. Surprising everyone, Start 2 Finish dropped a bombshell that weekend, announcing that the race will relocate to a new venue next year, making 2010 the last year of MIM in Millington. In 2011, Harrah’s Casino will host the race in Tunica. While this is a surprise, many athletes expressed their approval at changing the venue. |
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Driven Team Talk: Down and Dirty with Journeymen Racing |
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Written by Terie Box
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Thursday, 05 August 2010 |
A new jersey has been showing up at the multisport and off-road biking events around town – and you may have seen their pop-up tent and banner at the Los Locos Duathlon or the Wolfpack Triathlon this spring, but if you haven’t seen them yet, don’t worry, you will.
The Journeymen Racing team is comprised of about 20 people from all types of backgrounds; some of them run, some of them ride, and a lot of them tri. These fun-loving guys got their official start in March of 2009, but two of the four founding members actually met the year before at a Wolfpack Triathlon Training Day run by the Terrapin Racing team. Shawn McKinney (“SMACK”), 25, and Charles Flanigan (“Shakey”), 36, were both training for their first triathlon when they met, and decided to start training together. Enter Brad Hopper (“BHopper”), 32, who they met on a Friday night “beer ride” with some of the Stanky Creek Cycling riders, and Adam Eisan (“Memphis Buckeye”), 31, also a Stanky Creek rider. These four guys were quickly united by their love of riding the trails. |
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Pickin’ Up The Pace: A Driven Salute to Memphis Masters Runners |
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Written by Terie Box
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Thursday, 05 August 2010 |
Gone are the days when every podium winner was a strapping young college kid; nowadays local races are chock full of ferocious over-50 competitors, some of them finishing 5 and 10K’s in astonishing times.
Once considered an age group that ought to be slowing down and putting less stress on their bodies, Masters runners have defied such old-school logic and are taking the road racing world by storm. It makes sense that an entire generation of competitive Masters has emerged, since many of today’s Grand Masters are the actual originators of the sport. Those who caught the “running fever” that originated in the 1960s are the same people still pounding the pavement in the heat of summer, grinding out the miles with nothing but experience and determination on their faces.
As anyone who has ever trained for a footrace knows, running is hard. It’s arguably one of the hardest things the body can be forced to do. Every muscle strains, the cardiovascular system is taxed to its limits, the mind is conquered, and many emotions must be subdued in order to gain speed over distance while training. Perhaps that’s why years and years of serious running almost inevitably add up to a superior runner.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 05 August 2010 )
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