Issue #5 April/May 2000

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As of press time, fully 26 women and 14 men have qualified to race in the U. S. Olympic triathlon trials. The Americans will be allowed 3 men and 3 women, with an alternate of each in case of injury or illness, to compete in Sydney in September. Many of the top contenders have lived here for years, and most of the rest have done a significant amount of training time in these mountains, taking advantage of the sun, altitude, and multiplicity of world class training partners and programs. They are fit and ready to race, even with hardly an off-season to count among them this winter. There was no time to this year, because the last minute scurry to get ITU points around the globe and the preparations for trials (including staying race-sharp) didn’t allow for much of a break.

Our trials include two races, the first in Sydney, Australia on April 30th. The regular ITU World Cup race is on the Olympic course, and the top American male and female finishers will earn a slot on the team. Only the top seven or eight ranked of each gender get to go there, however, which means that they will get two chances to win a slot. All five of the women from Colorado will get to go to both trials races. Of the men it looks like it will be Wes Hobson, Hunter Kemper, Michael Smedley, Tony DeBoom, and Nick Radkewich. All of the rest will get one shot and that’s it. The second chance comes in Dallas, Texas on Memorial Day weekend, with the women going on Saturday and the men on Sunday. The Dallas Regional Sports Commission has put in a bid to be a future summer Olympics site, and is holding trials for a few sports. To make the race more closely resemble a world cup, USA Triathlon has invited international athletes who are in the top 125 in the rankings to participate. As an incentive, they have come up with a $100,000 prize money purse of which $30,000 is reserved for the top domestic athletes. This will be the biggest payday most of these pros have ever seen. The swim will be in Lake Caroline, with a pontoon start. The five loop bike leg has many turns and rolling hills, and the run has a steep hill and four laps. Driving up that hill for the fourth loop at the end of the race should really show who has the strength in the field. The women are not only a force on the world triathlon scene, but strong personalities as well. Susan Barthlolomew and Jenny Gutierrez have both continued their professional careers outside the sport while racing for the U.S. abroad in the ITU events. Barthlolomew (ITU world ranking:24) is an engineer at Lockheed-Martin and has her home in Littleton. Her impressive list of results from the end of last season, including a win at Ixtapa, Mexico, show that she is long over her troubling pulmonary embolism of a year ago and ready to make the team. Gutierrez (ITU rank:14), known among the rest of the U.S. team as the busiest triathlete of all, works as a school teacher in Denver and has to hustle home from far off places to get to class on Mondays. As the top American finisher at last year’s world championships, and having scored some wins already this year (see page 8) she is certainly a favorite. Jill Newman (ITU rank:20) at least temporarily gave up her career as an attorney in California to move to Colorado Springs in ‘96 as part of the first Resident Team. Opting out of the dorms, she and her husband now own a lovely home there and he (an accomplished triathlete himself) runs a successful contracting firm. Jill has competed consistently and trained with great discipline towards the Olympic goal. She will be a formidable opponent in both Sydney and Dallas. Gail Laurence (ITU rank:28) also moved to the Springs to be one of the first Residents, and has had great results on the world circuit for four years. Siri Lindley (ITU rank:16) has been on the bounce-around-the-world plan with training and racing in the U.S. and Australia both. She is a serious contender for not only an Olympic berth but perhaps even a medal. She has the occasional off race (that she even plays up in her articles for the national magazines) but when she’s hot, and just took 4th at the Australian National Championships (see page 7) which had one of the toughest world fields in recent years. Leading up to the two trials races she should be feeling confident. There are many reports of her being the only ON THE COVER: top row: Josh Dapice, Hunter Kemper, Nick Radkewich, Wes Hobson, Ryan Bolton; second row: Tim DeBoom, Tony DeBoom,Susan Bartholomew; third row: Jill Newman, Siri Lindley (photo by ed.), Jenny Gutierrez THIS PAGE: Gail Laurence, Marcel Vifian (right) and Michael Smedley Special thanks to: for the use of the photos on the cover and this page CONTINUED ON PAGE 9...

Colorado Pros Head to the Olympic Trials by Kristen McFarland

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Expectations … So there I was at the boat ramp in Kona, where the competitors would exit the water in a very short time. Finding a good spot for photos and chatting with various acquaintances in the tri world, I struck up a conversation with a man next to me. He was a coach and he matter-of-factly informed me that the young female athlete he was there at the race with was about to break the swim record. “Sure,” I thought to myself as I filed through the names of the female pros likely to be first out of the water. Fortunately I suppressed my arrogant assumptions and did not squelch this man’s obvious enthusiasm.

The first men began to come in and sprint up the ramp and moments later we began hearing the announcer wildly exclaiming that the women’s swim record was going down. The man next to me began jumping up and down and screaming, “Go Jackson! Go Jackson!” As the young girl hurled her way through the transition area I joined him in his cries. My arrogance melted into warm appreciation, and while she wheeled out of T1 I sent her a ‘telepathic’ cheer. “You go, girl”, I thought, “Surprise them all.” In every sport we have expectations, assumptions, and ‘sure things.’ When these are not met we label the results upsets, the athletes a cinderella team or a dark horse. But achievement and talent are just that and should not be discounted as a fluke. Jodi Jackson is a 22 year old from Honolulu who swam for Stanford. It was her first IRONMAN race, but she knew she could break the swim record and set out to do it. She covered the 2.4 miles in 48:46, 25 seconds faster than the previous record put on the books by Wendy Ingraham just last year. In April and May our first American Olympic Triathlon team will be chosen in two races, in Sydney and Dallas. Many of us have hopes that our favorite athletes will prevail and be rewarded for all of their hard work over these last few years. But several of the men and women who will be at the trials are up-and-coming athletes newer to the sport whose names you may have never even heard. Both races will be ITU draftlegal style races, as the Olympics will be. For any of you who don’t already know this, the outcomes of these races can be quite unpredictable. Wrecks are unfortunately frequent and if a participant has a less-than-perfect swim or a flat tire it is unlikely they will be able to catch up with the leaders on the bike in the drafting format. To a certain extent the fates will decide who will be on this very fateful first Olympic team. But all the qualifiers are talented athletes who have spent countless hours training and travelling to other countries to get those ITU points in order to get to the trials, and whether they are familiar faces or our newest bright shining stars, they have all proven that they deserve to go to the big show. Intervals Along The Way PHOTO BY JUDY MARTIN JAMIE JANOVER

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People claim that triathlon is a contact sport. They say you can get pretty knocked around during the swim! My response is to ask, ‘have these folks ever really played a contact sport?’ Have they ever had a 220 lb. LaCrosse defenseman with a six foot stick preparing to send them into next week?? Have they ever had a middle linebacker about to tackle them so hard that their whole family would feel the impact? My point is that triathlon is not a contact sport.

However, if it were … I might actually be able to quali- fy for Hawaii, a n d once there I might even be on that podium. I thought that if I could hijack Hellriegel and Van Lierde on the bike something like the Lone Ranger... there’s two big names gone. The only pro to stand a chance would be Jurgen Zack. He looks big enough. But I met him at the ‘99 Wildflower and I sized him up and felt quite sure that my old hockey skills would be no match for the pretty blonde German tri-boy.

Is there something that you would like to speak out about? Would you like to compliment or berate a race director? NBC? An issue facing triathlon today? We welcome your submissions to our Open Forum Column.

Send your thoughts to: openforum@coloradotriathlete.com, or you can snail mail us at the address at the top left of this page. OPEN FORUM Stephen Kirwin is a 7-time IRONMAN finisher and a very strong massage therapist in Boulder. -ed.

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6 THE COLORADO TRIATHLETE APRIL-MAY 2000 For Sale For Sale: : 49 cm Litespeed Catalyst, Time Carbon fork, Campy Chorus (w/ergolevers) Groupo, Syncros stem and post, Shimano Dura Ace pedals, TTT ergo bars, Mavic Reflex Ceramic wheels (700c, clinchers), Continental Grand Prix tires Perfect Condition!: $2500 also for sale: Campy Shamal Wheelset (700c), Campy hubs, Zipp Tufo tires (tubulars), used only twice!: $600.

Contact Cindi at 303-666-6141 or cindi_lehman@yahoo.com For Rent: Foraweek,month,or summer: Guest room in lovely mountain cabin in Nederland, just off the Peak-to-Peak highway (8500’ altitude!) $150 per week, less if longer term. Meal preparationservicesavailableforanadditional cost. Contact Nina at the Pioneer Inn at 303-258-7733 for more information.

Looking for Lakes: Can anyone suggest Denver area lakes/reservoirs for open water training? please contact dickgentry@ wescofabrics.com. -Thanks Looking For Betty: Hi there, I recently read about Boulder resident Betty Skip winning the Worlds Duathlon Championship for her age group (70-74) and I would love to get in touch her. If you know her or happen to know how I can reach her, I'd appreciate any input. I'm a journalism student at CU and I'd love to do a story on her. thanks, Steve Benson (contact: benson@ fourkelvin.cudenver.edu) Classifieds are $10 per issue for up to 2 column inches (3 column page like this one) for services offered or items for sale by individuals. Classifieds looking to buy items will be printed for free. Contact us at classifieds@coloradotriathlete.c om or 303-443-3371 for more information.

This section is available for free listings of group rides, folks looking for training partners, travel companions or car-pooling to races, general requests for help or information, etc. Basically anything non-commercial. Send submissions to the address above or email to: bulletinboard@colorado triathlete.com.

Letters to the Editor can be sent to 1906 13th St., Suite 206, Boulder, Colorado 80302, or emailed (preferable) to: letters @coloradotriathlete.com Letters pertaining to general issues in triathlon will be published in the Open Forum column, letters concerning the magazine itself will be printed in the regular Mail section. All appropriate letters will be published. Submissions may be edited for grammar and spelling. MAIL CLASSIFIEDS BULLETIN BOARD Are any of your family or friends attending your race good photographers? Coloradans in triathlons. Anything used will earn you $, photo credits will be given, and your pictures will be returned. Contactusformoreinformation .

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Newman, Lindley, and Laurence race in Australia Jill Newman (Colorado Springs) spent most of the winter in Australia preparing for the first segment of the US Olympic trials to be held in Sydney. She raced in 4 ITU triathlons, in Geelong, Victoria State on Jan. 30th (4th place, 2:04:45), Devonport, Tasmania on Feb. 26th (13th, 2:05:29), and Canberra on March 12th (9th, 2:01:47). Both Newman and Siri Lindley (Boulder) competed in Mooloolaba on March 26th. This year’s Australian Championships and part of its team’s Olympic trials process, the race had an impressive field that included three former world champions. The two finished exceptionally strong in spite of the tough competition, with Lindley taking 4th in 2:03:29, and Newman 6th (2:04:45). Lindley had raced the St. George Formula 1 triathlons in Australia from late November until February 6th this year. The five sprint race series consists of 2 times through a course of 300M/7k/2k. The races are set up with only 20 athletes, broken up into two heats of ten each. The top five in each heat go to the final round and there is a consolation round for the remaining ten. Lindley won the consolation round in two of the races (which is technically called 11th place) and finished up the series in 12th place overall. Gail Laurence (Colorado Springs) participated in the races as well, ending in 16th place overall.

Bolton wins Dallas 10K Ryan Bolton (Colorado Springs) was in Dallas on the weekend of March 4th to see the course of the upcoming Olympic trials and decided to do the local Symphony 10K race through downtown. His running background and readiness for the upcoming season really showed as he won the race in 31:57. Keep an eye out for the Visa Kangaroo ad featuring triathlon Visa, a sponsor of a few of our national team members, has produced an advertisement for prime-time television that includes Hunter Kemper and Nick Radkewich (Co. Springs) in a triathlon competing with a kangaroo, as a humorous reference to the upcoming Sydney Olympics. The ad is part of Visa’s larger international Olympic sponsorship campaign and will be shown on such shows as Law and Order, Friends, and the X-Files. Inaugural race in Avon Organizers of the first North American Snowshoe Championships managed to put together a hefty $8500 prize purse for the 10k event and drew some tri and duathletes in the process. In an interesting camaraderie style finish, Kimberly Bruckner (Boulder) and Danelle Ballangee (Dillon) crossed the finish line first together to share the first and second place prize money, taking home $1500 each. Not a bad day for playing in the snow … On the men’s side, Tri- Glenwood organizer (and second place finisher in that race last year) Charlie Wertheim took 3rd, racingunderground.com’s Darrin Eisman (Boulder) fourth, and pro triathlete Wes Hobson seventh. Kimberly Bruckner awarded The USAT has named Kim Bruckner (Boulder) Female Pro Duathlete of the the Year for 1999. The relative newcomer to the sport was inspired by her younger brother Andy’s successes and has taken the American duathlon scene by storm. The award was presented at the annual Competitor Magazine Awards banquet in California. Arizona Duathlon Two of Colorado’s most talented women triathletes took one-two in the McDowell Desert Duathlon on February 27th in Fountain Hills, Arizona. Susan Bartholomew (LIttleton) and Kerstin Weule (Evergreen) placed first and second to take home $400 and $300 each. The course was a 3.5 mile trail run, a 21 mile road bike, and a 2.7 mile trail run that they completed in 1:38:09, and 1:41:44, respectively. They were both in the area doing warm weather training (to avoid the cold that never really came this year in Colorado). (ed-Thanks to duathlon.com for the results times) Barthlolomew and Smedley receive NYPPE sponsorship The New York Private Placement Exchange, a venture capitol firm specializing in private equity funding, has started a triathlon team that includes Susan Bartholomew (Littleton) and Michael Smedley (Colorado Springs). One of the partners of the firm, Michael Van Patten, is a triathlete and noticed that other financial service industry companies were not getting involved with the sport. He told Triathlon Digest that he felt that they were “missing out on a potentially huge market: They don’t understand the sport of triathlon or the triathlete himself … they don’t realize that the triathlete wind sprints

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8 THE COLORADO TRIATHLETE APRIL-MAY 2000 in general is very educated and has a high income.” NYPPE is also the lead sponsor of this year’s Cheyenne Mountain Sprint Triathlon in Colorado Springs being organized by Lisa and Bud Rainsberger. The race will be on June 18th and will be a traditional half olympic distance sprint race: 750m wet suit swim, 20k bike, 5k run. Gutierrez wins 2 in Chile Denver’s Jenny Gutierrez, top American woman in last year’s ITU World Championships, travelled to Chile for two early season ITU races in Licanray on January 23rd and the following weekend in Puerto Varas. In Licanray she led the women’s field the entire race. She also took first place in Puerto Varas. As of press time she is ranked 13th in the world.

Tony DeBoom also successful in Chile this winter Chile was prolific with races to do this winter as Tony DeBoom also travelled there to race in two different triathlons, the Pucon Triathlon (1.8k/64k/12k) on Feb. 8th and the La Serena Top 15 Triathlon (Grand Prix style) on Feb. 11th. He placed second in both.

Mt. Taylor Quadrathlon After 17 years running, the Mount Taylor Quadrathlon has become a favorite for winter competition among many area athletes. The race is in Grants, New Mexico, and is an up the mountain and down the mountain course with the following elements: 13m bike, 5m run, 2m XC ski, and 1m snowshoe, all done twice. Each sport is done on the same piece of the route, so everything is in reverse order on the way down. Unfortunately there was not enough fresh snow for the ski portion this year, so the participants were allowed to run or snowshoe that leg.

Local race director Darrin Eisman (Boulder, 3:26:47) finished second, just three minutes behind XTERRA Series winner MIchael Tobin, to take home a nice $500 prize. Dillon’s multi-sport phenom Danelle Ballangee won the women’s race ($1000, 3:52:09) handily over XTERRA Series women’s champ Kerstin Weule of Evergreen (4:16:21). Other notable finishes: duathlon.com’s Eric Schwartz (Boulder, 3:41:36) and pro triathlete Pat Brown (Boulder, 3:49:17). Hobson talking triathlon Wes Hobson recently had his first experience as a commentator for triathlon this past December. He was called in to help with the Ironkid’s Bread National Triathlon Championships broadcast. The show was aired on ESPN.

Powerman Alabama Widely considered the most important duathlon in the country, Powerman Alabama has a $15,000 purse and is also a qualifier for Powerman Zofingen. It is held in the rolling hills around Irondale, Alabama, and is quite hot and humid already this time of year. Boulder’s Kimberly Bruckner didn’t have any trouble with acclimation, however, as she won for the second year in a row. This year’s race was shorter than ever, with the second 10k run cut in half. Bruckner moved to the front on the bike and built up more of a lead than the competition could make up for. Danelle Ballangee (Dillon) recorded yet another strong finish, coming in fourth. w wi in nd d s sp pr ri in nt ts s w wi in nd d s sp pr ri in nt ts s. . . .

POWERMAN ALABAMA ELITE RESULTS MARCH 26TH, 2000 10K/60K/5K

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woman to show up at the Boulder group rides and her hanging with some of the best pros in town. Down in Colorado Springs, the Resident Team members Nick Radkewich, Ryan Bolton, Josh Dapice, Hunter Kemper, and Mike Smedley have been using all available tools in their quest for a trip to the Games. This will be Nick’s sixth year at the training center. Although he does not live in the dorms, as a Resident Team member he has use of the facilities. He is currently the top ranked American man at 40th, and has the experience of years on the world cup schedule to his advantage. Ryan Bolton (ITU rank: 81) moved from up in Boulder down to the center and into the dorms with great purpose this year to completely focus on making the team, with improving his swimming speed a main goal. With his strong running background he feels that he needs to just make sure he is out of the water with the first group to stay in contention. Hunter Kemper has been in Colorado only about half the time for the past couple of years (his family lives in Florida) so he has taken advantage of the convenience and simplicity that the dorms have provided. He is considered a ”clutch” performer by all of the other top U.S. pro men because of his silver medal at the Pan Am Games last year that earned the Americans at least one assured Olympic slot. They all believe that he is a favorite for a spot on the team and so does he. In addition to the Pan Am Games performance , he was the first U.S. finisher at last year’s World Championships, and is 47th in the ITU rankings. Mike Smedley (ITU rank:72) and Josh Dapice (ITU rank: 101) have dozens of ITU races between them racing for the U.S. Team. They have worked diligently towards the trials, gaining knowledge from the different coaches at the center and in the area, and growing experience in the world cup races. If their training peaks just right on race day, they will be in the running.

Wes Hobson, Tony DeBoom, Tim DeBoom, and Marcel Vifian are all part of the slightly older group of athletes (including Radkewich also) that have been racing a variety of formats and have broader competition experience. Wes (ITU rank:70) and Tony (ITU rank:88) have won many races, last year’s highlights being a win at Alcatraz for Hobson and the St. Anthony’s victory for Tony DeBoom. A sentimental favorite for many of the local age groupers because of his friendly, approachable nature at master’s swim classes and group rides, Wes will have a lot of folks rooting for him on race day. Tim DeBoom has emphasized the IRONMAN distance for years but has shown his talent for the short course repeatedly, finishing the USTS Series in second place overall last season. He has not done very many ITU points races, however, and is barely qualified to go to the trials with a rank of 120th (top 125 is the cutoff) at press time. He plans to do St. Anthony’s this spring to get the handful of points he’ll need to stay in the top 125. Marcel Vifian (ITU rank:87) has been working with Dave Scott as his coach and hopes that “The Man’s” guidance will give him what he needs to be one of the best in Dallas. These men and women make up quite a field. It will be interesting to see who shines the brightest in the next two months.

Olympic Trials...(continued from page 2) ❂

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10 THE COLORADO TRIATHLETE APRIL-MAY 2000 Headquarters to stay in Colorado...for now. The planned move of USAT’s national offices from Colorado Springs to Cleremont, Florida has hit an unresolved snag. Orlando Healthcare Systems and South Lake Hospital had entered into an agreement with USAT to build a new facility for headquarters and training programs and camps for athlete, as well as human performance labs. Part of the arrangement included free housing for our elite athletes at a sort of hotel adjacent to the hospital building. Construction for that building has not begun.

USAT has decided to postpone their move and has revised the association with South Lake. The center will, however, still be called a USAT National Training Center. South Lake Hospital is a training and sports science research site for the British Olympic Committee and will be a valuable sea level research and testing lab for USAT as well.

NewClubForming !

NewClubForming !

USA USA T Triathlon News riathlon News Inside Triathlon Magazine Names 13 Coloradans Age Group All-Americans Triathletes: Teri Duthie Boulder 20-24 Andy Johnson Boulder 25-29 Tim Sandell Co. Springs 30-34 Diann Sweeney Denver 30-34 Michael Orendorff Pueblo 45-49 Frank Moore Co. Springs 50-54 Diane Ridgeway Arvada 50-54 Rita Sharp Boulder 50-54 Paul Martin Boulder BTK/PC Duathletes: Knut Nystad Denver 25-29 Cindy Hazen Littleton 30-34 Andrew Ames Boulder 35-39 Betty Skipp Boulder 70-74 CONGRATULATIONS ATHLETES

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The CU Triathlon Team, winner of five National Collegiate Triathlon Championships since 1994, was out in full force on Sunday, February 6. It was an important step in preparation for their title defense. Rather than hammering out a brick workout or cruising through a long Sunday run, tri-team members were manning aid stations and coordinating logistics for their annual 5K fund-raiser. Race director and team presi- dent Gretchen Keisling wit- nessed a turnout of over two hundred runners in the second year of this event .

Despite the name, spring arrived early this year in Boulder and the weather pushed into the fifties for ideal race conditions.

At 9:00, the runners gathered near the giant buffalo in front of Folsom Stadium. Final preparations were made to the lead bike. A stick attached to the bike seat dangled bananas, offering a bit of good-humored, Pavlovian enticement for the racers. The starting gun was the only encouragement needed, however. The crowd dashed downhill from the starting line and headed east along Colorado Avenue. Immediately, the twists and turns of the winding course began.

Adrenaline flowed and buoyed a large pack through the first half mile. Thereafter the numbers thinned and by the mile marker Andy Aimes and James Johnson were on their way to dominating the race.

After negotiating the streets and sidewalks of the CU campus, Aimes crossed the finish line behind the Duane

performance. The first CU Triathlon Team member to finish, Ryan Ignatz, brought home a fourth place finish in a time of 16:34.

In the women’s race, Lesia Hlady quickly APEX COACHING Providing expert individual coaching to all endurance athletes.

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12 THE COLORADO TRIATHLETE APRIL-MAY 2000 established herself as the top contender. Hlady cruised to the finish in a time of 18:50. Alyson Blomquist from the CU Triathlon Team showed her running strength with a second place finish in 19:39. Denise Custon came in third with a time of 20:27.

Ignatz and Blomquist weren’t the only members of the CU Triathlon Team to compete. Several Buffs showed their leg speed after finishing with pre-race volunteer duties, providing a glimpse of another unstoppable CU triathlon squad.

Out of 112 members, the Buffs will be taking seventy-five to the Wildflower Triathlons Festival on May 7, site of the Collegiate National Championships. This year’s contingent will be the largest ever and due to the awkward timing in the middle of finals, the squad will be flying to California. The seventy-five bikes will be loaded into the back of two trailers and hauled out to the race site by a handful of members able to leave a few days early.

According to Keisling, "The team is training with the confidence to win for a fifth straight year." Look for a strong performance from the women, including favorite Beth Anderson, to power the Buffs past their main rivals, the University of Arizona, Cal-Poly, UC-Santa Barbara, and Northern Arizona University. Other women to watch are Kirsten Anderson, Kerry Barnholt, Gretchen Keisling, and Alyson Blomquist. The men to watch are Greg Woods, Ryan Ignatz, Andy Feeney, and Armando Galarraga. The team is coached by veteran triathlete Neal Henderson. The team holds meetings every Tuesday at 7:00 in Hellems 252. Speakers this semester include Dave and Jane Scott, Tim and Nicole DeBoom, Cameron Widoff, and Wes Hobson. Meetings are open to the public and more information on the CU Triathlon Team can be foundon their web site, http://www.colorado.edu/StudentGroups/triteam/. THE CENTER FOR INTEGRATIVE THERAPIES " A Holistic Approach to Physical Therapy " Traditional and non-traditional Physical Therapy Rolfing Massage Therapy Pilates " Free initial consultation Insurance billing available " 303.447.9939 1295 South Broadway, Suite B Boulder, Colorado 80303 ❂

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WES-LEE WEDS It has been a big year for Wesley Hobson, and it may get even get bigger for him if all goes well these next few months. Most of you who follow triathlon know or have heard of Hobson, but for those of you who don't, here is a bit of background on this Boulder professional triathlete.

Wesley Hobson married his beautiful bride, Jennifer Lee just a few weeks back on the 11th of March in Boulder, Colorado.

He met Jennifer at the Pro Championships in Oceanside, CA in October of ‘98 and has never looked back. Jennifer also competes in triathlon and is very competitive in her age group. Wes was born November 10th, 1966. He grew up in Praire Village, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City, where he developed an interest in both swimming and running. Wes is the youngest of three and attended Depauw University in Greencastle Indiana. He graduated with a major in Economics. Though Depauw didn't offer any athletic scholarships, Wes pursued swimming for all four years of college, as well as participating in the University's "Little 500" bike race. This was when his serious interest in cycling began.

Wes raced in his very first triathlon at the age of 16. He comments with a smile, "it was the first time I had ever biked 20 miles." He decided after graduation in 1989 that he would turn professional in the sport of triathlon after racing at the World Championships in Avignon, France. His very first sponsor was his father. He and Wes agreed to a contract stating that he would pay Wes $1,000 a month as long as Wes agreed to hand over all of his prize winnings to him. Wes agreed to these conditions and over the course of 18 months Wes, or actually his father, had won $7,000.

Wes moved to Colorado in the fall of 1989 sight unseen. He had heard about the wonderful training opportunities and high altitude environment that Boulder provides the athlete. The first day he arrived in Colorado, as he was approaching the Flatirons driving over the final hill on hwy 36 into Boulder, he remembers commenting to himself, "This is it." Since then Boulder has been Wes' residence.

When asked what Wes' best race and greatest memory is, he answers without hesitation, "1992, winning the Coke Grand Prix series in Las Vegas". He was 3rd overall, which led to winning the entire USTS series (United States Triathlon Series).

Unfortunately at that time the USTS went bankrupt and Wes was paid nothing of his $30,000 prize money. Pressure of a possible lawsuit against the USTS was threatened and due to this, he was able to receive 66% of the prize money eighteen months later. His worst memory ? “1996, at the Mrs. T's Chicago triathlon.” He had Wes is currently sponsored by Speedo, Cliff Bar, Team Pro 2.com, Bolle, Cervelo, and Carnac.

Additional product sponsors are: Speed Play Pedals, Giro, Reebok, and Profile.

Around The Mountains by Melissa Emmer Mangum

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been feeling terrible and ended up pulling out in the bike portion of the race.

Later, he discovered that it was the onset and beginning of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. For the next year and a half Wes battled with the symptoms. He found himself completely exhausted.

Desperate for a cure, he tried everything to combat it, but it was just a matter of time before it spun itself out of Wes' system. He says that he can still feel the residual of the Chronic Fatigue in his legs from time to time.

Wes's plans post-triathlon might include going into business, but not for any large or major corporation. Since graduating from college Wes has realized for himself, that there are other ways to make a living besides the mainstream corporate occupation. Triathlon has opened his eyes to alternative lifestyles out there in the career world and for this he feels fortunate. Meanwhile, he says, "I will continue to compete as a professional triathlete as long as these three things are in place; 1. If I can continue to make a living at it. 2. As long as I am having fun. 3. As long as I feel I am improving in the sport. If just one of these things falters over a six month period, it's time to do something else" His advice for other triathletes out there is, "Enjoy life besides triathlon and try to maintain a balance." You can see that he practices what he preaches by some of his favorites listed below. Over the past ten years as a professional triathlete Wes has competed in highly visible national and international races. He has started and finished 179 of 181 triathlons and of these, has come up with 34 first places, 59 top three finishes and 89 top five finishes. However, his greatest aspiration is to make the US Olympic team 2000. He will be competing in Sydney, Australia on the 16th of April at the Australian Olympic trials for a seat on the American Olympic team. The course in Sydney is the same course that the Olympic triathletes will be racing come September for the summer games. If he does not place as the top American, he will then compete in Dallas on the 28th of May at the US. trials. We wish him the best in Sydney and in the upcoming weeks leading up to the summer Olympic games. Get that man some cookie dough. Just think of the endorsements. GO WESLEY !! Some of Wes' Favorites: Favorite food ? Cookie dough Favorite pastime ? Studying and watching the stock market Favorite movie? Midway (World War II film) Favorite race ? Escape from Alcatraz, won in 1999 Favorite ride? Anything around the Peak to Peak highway Favorite book ? The Call of the Wild by Jack London Favorite animal ? The wolf Contributing writer Melissa Emmer Mangum is a massage therapist in Boulder, works with the triathlete community, and is the wife of pro triathlete Glynde Mangum. ❂

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Jason Kaminski lay in a bed at Avista Hospital with every part of his body broken. He didn’t remember what had happened to him, but he had been told. That knowledge did not help his disbelief, however. On February 3 he had been on a training ride on Valmont Road on the northeastern outskirts of Boulder when he was hit by a car so hard that he broke the windshield with his head before being thrown 94 feet … and the car did not stop. Apparently left for dead, he was crumpled in the ditch by the side of the road with broken ribs, right arm, left elbow, left fibula, jaw, and skull (with accompanying head injuries), a punctured and collapsed lung, torn right knee ligaments, a compressed disc, sliced right heel, and serious nerve damage to his right arm and hand. A Boulder Valley school bus driver saw a shoe and a water bottle on the road and knew something wasn’t right and pulled over.

For the first three weeks the police did not return his calls, but they have now arrested a woman named Lacinda Kissiah who, shockingly, has done this before. Last July she hit a cyclist and left the scene and is on probation for the crime. In Jason’s case the investigators found two utility workers who had seen a woman drive by with a smashed windshield shortly after the incident. They also found plastic light cover shards at the scene that matched the woman’s car.

After a week at Avista, Jason transferred to Mapleton Center, the rehabilitation hospital at the base of the Mt. Sanitas Trailhead in Boulder. A picture of Lance Armstrong hung on his wall. He spent two more weeks as an inpatient and has been continuing his outpatient physical therapy since. Interestingly, Ray Browning’s wife Shannon was assigned to be his Physical Therapist.

He is still quite sore in many places, but has recently returned to his job as an optometrist in Longmont. He has been slowed in his work by the nerve damage to his arm and hand and feels that this will be the biggest issue in the long run to overcome.

Jason had been signed up for IRONMAN Florida in November, but knows that it is very unlikely that he will be recovered and back in shape enough in time. It would have been his first IRONMAN distance race. His first triathlon was in 1996 in Lake Sunape, New Hampshire and he has been competing in triathlons and duathlons ever since. He completed a 3:10 marathon last fall. He has lived in Boulder for two and a half years now and very much enjoys the training environment--still. He is up to running one and a half to two miles three times a week, but despite that modest distance is very confident. “I’ll probably do a marathon in the fall, and I think I’ll be ready for a half-ironman.” He is considering the new Harvest Moon to be held in Lamar in September. In the meantime, he has put his new Dean Titanium on the wind trainer for a while before getting back out on the road. -K. McFarland High Hopes Hit-and-run victim Jason Kaminski sets his sights on fall races Above: Jason and his girlfriend, Katie Gibon; Bottom left: racing a duathlon in Sylvania, Ohio; bottom right: exiting the water at Alcatraz ❂

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COLORADO STATE RACE SCHEDULE