happy holidays!...2016/12/06 · 2. place the tongue to the roof of your mouth. 3. keep your lips...

IN THIS ISSUE:

THE LURE OF KONALAKE ANNA ULTRA TRIATHLONSLOST TRIBE ADVENTURE RACEBOOK REVIEW: RUNNING MAN

CRIS HOWARD COMPETES AT KONA

DECEMBER 2016

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

COVER PHOTO BY: ANDREA CHAMPLIN

http://www.potomacriverrunning.com

3ENDURANCE SPORTS & FITNESS MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

ES&F

Happy December!This is my favorite time of year! I love the spirit of the holidays - the end of year parties, Christmas cookies, and the DECORATING.I don’t know what it is about decorating but I love to deco-rate my home. Decorating includes hanging wreathes, putting up lights and getting the tree up and adorned with ornaments. I enjoy lighting candles and keeping the house festive throughout the whole month of December. December is also planning time. Normally at this time of year I plan races and other athletic endeavors for the fol-lowing year. 2017 will need to be another healing year

with the hope of fall races and a new lease on life for 2018.Surgeries Galore: As many of you know, 2016 was a total wash for me race-wise. After finally get-ting surgery to fix a labral tear

on my left hip on January 8, 2016, on June 22, 2016 I woke up with a herniated disk in my neck. The hernia-tion affected the nerves and functionality of my right arm. Since I am left-handed, I treated my herniated disk conservatively and tried to stave off surgery. I kept running and even ran a 5K to keep myself in the game. Through time, however, I realized wasn’t going to improve and after six months, I bit the bullet and had disk fusion surgery on December 7, 2016.I feel so much better now! In hindsight, I wish I did the surgery sooner....but I was so

afraid of the unknowns of having neck surgery.The surgery itself turned out to be a breeze but I will tell you the first few days post surgery were difficult. The soreness and pain caused by intubation caused immense pain. I took the pain meds mostly so I could swallow. The incision was sore but I didn’t eat for four days because my throat hurt so much. Now, I can finally chew and swallow and I am back on track.The bone graft used for the spinal fusion (see images) will begin to stabi-lize in a month or so after the surgery. The bone needs to grow between the fused vertebrae. The hardware I have in my neck now just serves as a brace until this is achieved.From what I’ve been read-ing I can potentially start to swim in about 6 weeks. Any activity will depend on how strong I am. Running, from what I understand, is not recommended for quite some time, so I hope that by April, I can start to jog again.

In the meantime, I can keep covering races. It gives me great joy to see all of you be successful in your endur-ance careers.Have a very happy holiday season.

Alix

EDITOR’S LETTER

Some of my favorite things!

I am hoping Santa brings me the Iwatch2. The technol-ogy is so cool. I still will use my Garmin, but I’ve been so jazzed about this watch ever sincce I laid my eyes on it.

So while I love every color silver is my choice.

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ENDURANCE RACING MAGAZINE

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EDITOR’S LETTER

3 Yay it’s December!After my new surgery, am ready to get out there again.

By Alix Shutello

CROSS TRAINING

6 Yoga for Endurance AthletesBy Payge McMahon

If you are an endurance athlete (or aspire to be one), you need to cross-train with yoga. It will make you stronger, and increase your stamina, flexibility, agility, balance and mental focus.

COACHES CORNER

8 Mental Endurance Skills, Practice Makes PerfectBy Gary Dudney

Most training for endurance sports focuses on the physical aspects: how to build the physical strength, endurance and stamina it takes to withstand the physical strains of prolonged exertion. But there is an-

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other type of strength required to succeed at endurance sports: mental strength.

ATHLETE PROFILE

10 Cathy Tibbetts, Endurance AthleteBy Alix Shutello

Cathy Tibbetts is not only an established ultra runner and Ironman, she’s also a contributor to ES&F and a sponsored athlete with the Snapple Tri Team. ES&F was honored to be able to interview her for this issue.

FEATURE

14 The Lure of KonaBy Cathy Tibbetts

Cathy Tibbetts, an renowned Ironwoman, approached Endurance Sports and Fitness Magazine about writing about athletes who compete at Kona. Tibbetts, who’s competed at Kona and many other en-durance triathlon events, worked with a number of athletes from around the country to bring their perspectives on the United States’ signature triathlon. Cathy has completed in numerous Konas including a run of 12 consecutive Konas, with next year being thirteen.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAYGE MCMAHON - YOGA FOR ENDURANCE ATHLETES

PHOTO CREDIT: CATHY TIBBETTS

PHOTO PROVIDED BY: PAYGE MCMAHON

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CRIS HOWARD - KONA

COVER PHOTO CREDIT (AND OTHER CRIS HOWARD PHOTOS)THANKS TO ANDREA CHAMPLIN

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RACE REPORT

18 Two, Three and Five Times the Fun – Going the Ironman-Distance at Lake Anna’s Anvil RacesBy Alix Shutello

Every fall, a group of kindred spirits come together at Lake Anna, Va., to compete in Double, Triple, and Quintuple Ironman-distance races.

NEWS

26 Third Annual Search and Rescue Adventure Race hosted by The Lost Tribe Expeditions By Eldar and Erin Spahic

The Search and Rescue Adventure Race hosted by The Lost Tribe Expeditions simulates a scene from a real disaster. Race Directors strive to create an event that is realistic and uniquely challenging.

30 Jorge Ariel Rodriguez Crashes His Bicycle, Performs Surgery, Then Finishes the Quintuple ‘Ironman By Cathy Tibbetts

On the fifth day of a quintuple Ironman race (one Ironman-distance a day for five days), Dr. Jorge Ariel Rodriguez crashed his bicycle on a wet bridge and went on to perform facial surgery on another competitor.

32

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Athlete Profile: Pam Rickard

5AUGUST 2016 ENDURANCE SPORTS & FITNESS MAGAZINE

RACE AD

32 Sky Dive Ultra By Eric Friedman

Try something new - sky dive, then run.

BOOK REVIEW

34 Running ManBy Alix Shutello

This book is about Endurance Athlete, Charlie Engle.

CONTRIBUTORSES&F is made possible by the contributions from athletes and seasoned writers who bring their unique ideas, expertise and perspectives to the magazine.

- Gary Dudney, Endurance Runner and Author- Payge McMahon, Adventure Athlete- Eldar Spahic, Race Director of Lost Tribe Expeditions- Cathy Tibbetts, Endurance Triathlete

STAFF- Alix Shutello, CEO & Publisher- Courtney Cornelius, Executive Editor- Christiana Ferrar, Graphic Designer

LAKE ANNA LOST TRIBE ADVENTURE RACE

PHOTO CREDIT: ALIX SHUTELLO

PHOTO PROVIDED BY: ELDAR SPAHIC

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATIONSubscribe today at www.EnduranceSportsandFitness.com COVER PHOTO CREDIT (AND OTHER CRIS HOWARD PHOTOS)

THANKS TO ANDREA CHAMPLIN


ENDURANCE SPORTS & FITNESS MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016

CROSS TRAINING

Payge McMahon

Why Endurance Athletes Should Cross-Train with Yoga

If you are an endurance athlete (or as-pire to be one), you need to cross-train with yoga. It will make you stronger, and increase your stamina, flexibility, agility, balance and mental focus.

Yoga began more than 5,000 years ago in Northern India. It was originally designed to calm the mind and prepare the body for meditation – to heal, enlighten and unite the mind, body and soul. Over the years, it has evolved; yoga is now much more physical, and very popular.

Yoga StatisticsOver the past 10 years, the number of Americans who practice yoga has nearly doubled – to 37 million. Seventy-five percent of those practitioners use yoga to cross-train for other activities. Correlating with studies that show en-durance athletes peak later in life, 43% of the yoga population are 30-49 years old and 38% are over age 50. Although women make up the majority of yogis, men are seeing its benefits and embrac-ing the practice; they make up 28% of yogis today.

Professional Athletes Do ItMany NFL, NBA, world football (soccer) and rugby teams now incorporate yoga

into their training schedule. From LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal to Ray Lewis, Aaron Rodgers, David Beckham and the entire New Zealand National Rugby Team, the All Blacks – real men do yoga.

Professional endurance athletes, also, are adding yoga to their training regimens, including ultra marathon running legends Anna Frost and Dean Karnazes; adventure racer, James Mag-ness; long distance runner and Olympic medalist, Lynn Jennings; Iditarod sled dog musher, Zoya DeNure; and Iron-man triathletes Sara Piampiano and Anthony Carillo.

What Type of Yoga to Practice?Today, there are many different types and hybrids or fusions of yoga. In general, the main poses (asanas), like a common language, stay the same in all practices.

The favorite types of yoga among endurance athletes (and, coincidently, those who have ADHD) are Vinyasa/Power Yoga, Ashtanga and Hot Yoga. These practices combine meditation through movement, linking controlled breathing (prana) to holding and tran-sitioning to and from various poses and

positions. Your heart rate will increase, and you will sweat. These types of yoga are not for those who just want to do a little stretching, sit, meditate and work on their chanting.

Restorative Yoga is another favorite among athletes who need a good stretch and/or are going through some type of injury rehabilitation. Everything is done sitting or lying down on the mat and at a tranquil, slow pace.

Getting Started – Just BreatheWe cannot live without air. Breathing is the most important thing we do; if done with certain techniques, you can maximize your oxygen intake – which can help enhance your focus and per-formance.

There are eight types of breathing tech-niques (called pranayama) taught in yoga. The most fundamental and useful is the Ujjayi Breath, also called ‘Ocean’s Breath.’

Ujjayi BreathThis type of nasal breathing invigorates the body and calms the mind. Com-bined with certain types of yoga, it can lead to a lower heart rate and increased cardiovascular and physical endurance.

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ES&F

Engage it in everyday life, from calming yourself down in gridlock traffic with screaming kids to focusing your energy while mountain climbing, skiing, and run-ning ultra marathons. It works!

How it’s done:1. Eyes can be open or closed.2. Place the tongue to the roof of your mouth.3. Keep your lips together.4. Through your nose, take a long, smooth inhale.5. Through your nose, take an equally long, smooth exhale.6. An audible sound, like the wave of the ocean crashing to shore, is typical.7. Repeat.

Most Requested: Hips & HamstringsThe most requested ‘tune-up’ from ath-letes: hips and hamstrings.

Here are a couple of my favorite yoga poses for the hips and hamstrings to get you started. Don’t forget to incorporate the Ujjayi breathing technique!

Pyramid (Parsvottanasana)A great way to lengthen your hamstrings is to do a variation of Pyramid. This pose

will stretch the hamstrings, back, shoulders and calves.

1. Stand with your feet together and hands on your hips. 2. Step your right foot 3 to 4 feet back. Turn the right foot to a 90-degree angle. Make sure the heel of the front (left) foot lines up with the middle of the back (right) foot. 3. Keep legs straight.4. Keep hips even/squared. 5. Inhale, lifting your chest, and gaze toward the sky.6. Exhale, leading with your chest; fold forward over the front (left) leg, bringing your forehead to your shin and hands to the ground (or your leg if you can’t reach the ground). 7. Squeeze quadriceps, keeping hips even.8. For an even deeper hamstring stretch, lift the front (left) foot’s toes off the ground.9. Breathe.10. Hold the pose for 60 seconds.11. Switch legs and repeat.

Standing Pigeon Pose (Half-Chair, Half-Ankle to Knee, One-Legged Squat)

This is one of the best hip opening, leg

strengthening and ankle stabilizing poses you can do. If you are not used to doing this one, use a wall, pole or tree to help keep your balance.

1. Start by standing, bend the right knee and cross the right ankle above the left knee. Keep the right foot flexed.2. Slowly bend the left knee and sit the hips back, keeping them even. (Pretend you are sitting in an invisible chair.)3. Bring your hands to chest in prayer po-sition; press the back of the arms against the chin and lock the flexed right foot around the back of the left arm.4. Breathe.5. Hold the pose for 60 seconds.6. Switch legs and repeat.For more information or answers to your yoga questions, contact me via my web-site, www.turnthepayge.com.

Payge McMahon is a Professional adventure athlete, journalist and certified yoga instruc-tor. she has studied yoga in thailand, india and nePal, and trained with shiva rea, ddP (diaMond dallas Page) and yoga for athletes author, sage rountree. Payge has a B.a. froM Pennsylvania state university and an MBa froM california lutheran university.

ES&F



COACHES CORNER

ERM

Most training for endurance sports focuses on the physical aspects: how to build the physical strength, endurance and stamina it takes to withstand the physical strains of prolonged exertion. But there is another type of strength required to succeed at endurance sports: mental strength.

The physical conditioning may be there; but without the mental toughness and extreme patience that are required to get through the punishment of an en-durance race, an athlete can fail to reach his or her peak performance or even fail to finish the race.

Runners competing in hundred-mile endurance runs are fond of saying that the first 50 miles are done with the legs and the last 50 with the mind. Another saying, Yogi Berra–like in its illogic, holds that “Ultrarunning is 50 percent physi-cal…and 90 percent mental.” Two-time Ironman world champion Chris McCor-mack says, “Success in the sport is, above all else, about enduring suffering.” In other words, success is about the mental game.

Don’t leave your mental game to chance. Practice the following mental tech-niques while you train, and they’ll be there for you during the big event.

Keep your thinking positive. If you allow your mind to dwell on negative thoughts, you open the door to fear and self-doubt, which in turn can cause you to tighten up and make it even harder to continue. Your fear of failing becomes

a self-fulfilling prophecy. Think about what you’ve already done in your work-out or race, not what is left to do. Con-gratulate yourself with each milestone reached. When you encounter pain and fatigue, associate that feeling with doing your best, putting out a maximum effort and reaching your full potential.

You can also divert negative thinking by repeating a mantra to yourself. Practice with different mantras while you’re training. A mantra should be a short, meaningful phrase that will have the effect of focusing your attention on a single positive thought and renewing your determination to continue. Some examples of mantras are:

“Just keep moving”

“I got this”

Being mindful is another way to strengthen your mental capacity for en-during. Mindfulness, simply put, is focus-ing your attention on the present with acceptance. If you are crashing down a technical trail on a mountain bike fo-cused solely on what you’re doing, what you’re seeing and feeling (i.e., being mindful), you won’t be thinking about being disappointed in your performance or feeling like the effort is too demand-ing. When you do have these thoughts, acknowledge them and accept them; but don’t get attached to them and get emotional. Instead, be an objective ob-server of the thoughts, and then gently shift your attention back to the present moment. That’s the acceptance part of

mindfulness: Acknowledge the pain or the strain, but don’t get attached to it; meet it head on, sink down into it and really experience it, and then move on.Finally, use your training time to practice relaxing while you’re running, biking or swimming. Focus on each part of your body, beginning at the top of your head. Relax your muscles as you work your way downward. Repeat the whole sequence every time you feel yourself tightening up. It will kill time, keep your mind occupied and keep you from unconsciously tightening up.

Your ability to endure mentally gets better with practice. The next time the training is not going well and you start thinking it’s just not your day and that you should quit and try again later, resist that urge. Dig deeper and tell yourself this is a golden opportunity to try out some mental techniques.

So don’t back off – GO FOR IT!

Mental Endurance Skills: Practice Makes

PerfectGary Dudney, author of The Tao of Running

PHOTO PROVIDED BY GARY DUDNEY

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PHOTO PROVIDED BY GARY DUDNEY


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ES&F: We’d like to know how old you were when you made that first step to go to ultra distances. What drove you over the edge? A life experience? Just circumstance? Tibbetts: I had never heard of ultra distances until I did the first Antarctica Marathon in 1995. I thought marathons were as far as anybody ever went. I saw people wearing all kinds of 50- and 100-mile finisher shirts on the boat ride to Antarctica and was astonished. “How do they DO that?” I wondered.

I had to find out. I was 40 years old at the time.I got started in sports later than most people. I was in high school before Title 9 happened, when girls could basically take home economics and be a cheerleader. Girls had a little bit of a sports budget, but it wasn’t much and we didn’t have real coaches. I remember

the biology teacher would organize a team and take us to softball games.

When I first started playing basketball it was half-court, where most of the girls on the team could run only halfway across the court and then had to stop. They thought we were too frail to go farther than that.

Later, I worked my way through eight years of undergrad and optometry school, usually working three jobs and taking out loans. My endurance training started then, as I’d go from one job to another and lived on four hours of sleep for many years.

ES&F: And how did you get to where you are today?

Tibbetts: I live in an area where there isn’t really a lot do, but we have the most

beautiful trail system across the high desert that you could possibly imag-ine. Even today, 25 years after running the same trails, I still rave about how beautiful I find Northwest New Mexico. I started running farther and farther, first doing a 50k, then a 50-miler, then 100-milers. I didn’t take up triathlons un-til I completed the Grand Slam of Ultra-running, just a few days after I turned 50. (The Grand Slam is the Western States 100, Vermont 100, Leadville 100, and Wasatch 100’s all in one summer.) After the Grand Slam, I decided to get out of ultra running while I still had knees. But I am feeling the urge to go back to it!

ES&F: We’d also like to know a little about your training, who you train with and why, what products you use

Continued on page 12

Athlete Profile: Cathy Tibbetts, Endurance Triathlete

Cathy Tibbetts is not only an established ultra runner and Ironman, she’s also a contributor to ES&F and a sponsored athlete with the Snapple Tri Team. ES&F was honored to be able to interview her for this issue.

CATHY TIBBETTS

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Continued from page 10

(clothing/food/equipment, etc.) in your training and then on competition. Also, are you sponsored? What is your family life like? Married? Children? Busy execu-tive?

Tibbetts: The people I train with change from time to time, with friends moving, having kids and other life changes. My town doesn’t have a masters swim team, bike club or running club, but the few people I work out with are a lot of fun. Most of my running is on trails; I think it has helped me avoid a lot of injuries (although I have had my share). I always rotate shoes and wear cus-tom orthotics. Even at the track, I change direction every mile. Chiropractic care has also been key to keeping me healthy.As far as clothing, I love running skirts and don’t even own a pair of shorts. My favorite triathlon kit is by Louis Garneau. With really long distances like Ironman or the 1x5 Ironman, which I did last year, quality and fit makes such a difference.

What I have found to be the best race fuel for me is EFS by First Endurance, although in longer events like the quin-tuple Ironman I use real food. I don’t eat meat at all, and usually manage to keep 1-2 meals a day completely vegan. This year I made the Snapple Triathlon Team, a small team of about 14 top athletes. A lot of them place first overall in their races. At age 62, I can’t do that; but as of this writing, I am ranked #1 All World Athlete in my age group by Ironman. There is also a Snapple Tri Club that anybody can join. It’s free and you get many of the same discounts that sponsored athletes get. My family life consists of one husband, who does not race, and two elderly rescue dogs. I’d have more rescue dogs

if I weren’t gone so much. My career as an optometrist in private practice allowed me the freedom to take time off whenever I wanted to go to races. I worked long hours when I was home to make up for the time I spent at events. Now I am mostly retired and work just a few afternoons a month to support my triathlon habit.

ES&F: On your mental training – it takes a certain mental fortitude to do this sport. What drives you and keeps you sus-

tained during competition?

Tibbetts: The mental aspect is huge in both training and racing.

For training, I go to a lot of effort to make workouts fun – organizing runs in the Grand Canyon, driving to Rails to Trails systems for multi-day rides, or spend-ing a few weeks in Florida to swim in the ocean and run with the Panhandle Runners Club. I do most of my biking indoors and find great shows on Netflix. “The Walking Dead”, “Sons of Anar-chy”, “Break-ing Bad”, and “Trailer Park Boys” have entertained me for many indoor century rides.

During races I find interesting people to talk to whenever

possible, or draw on funny things; I like to think about old “Seinfeld” episodes, movies and things like that. I have seen athletes much more talented than I drop out because they were so negative and got into a mental downhill spiral.

I do like the challenge of figuring out what it is I need to do to keep myself go-ing – and avoiding complainers is at the top of the list!

ES&F: Do you budget for your competi-tions each year? Tibbetts: We all spend money on what is important to us. I absolutely don’t care about expensive cars, a big house, jewelry or designer labels. All of that is completely lost on me. I never hesitate to spend my earnings on experiences, such as running in Antarctica or across the Sahara Desert. That excites me a lot more than “stuff.”

Visit Cathy’s blog at: http://cathytibbetts.blogspot.com/

I HAD NEVER HEARD OF ULTRA DISTANCES UNTIL I DID THE FIRST ANTARCTICA MARATHON IN 1995. I THOUGHT MARATHONS WERE AS FAR AS ANYBODY EVER WENT.

CATHY TIBBETTS. PHOTO BY SUSAN BRIERS

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The Lure of Kona

14

FEATURE

Only the top 1% of triathletes who com-pete in Ironman-distance races qualify for Kona. What is Kona you ask? It’s an annual Ironman-distance triathlon event held every October in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – and is the equivalent in many ways to the Boston Marathon; an interna-tionally-recognized marathon where qualifying times are required.

There are 40 Kona-qualifying events worldwide. In 201, 260,000 athletes worldwide competed in one or more of

these Ironman races to earn a spot in the Kona Ironman. Of these those athletes, only 2,300 qualified…and of those, only 100 slots are awarded worldwide each year to those who have completed 12 Ironmans.

Rocky Ursino:Rocky Ursino, a triathlon coach with Vo2Multisport dreamt of someday competing at the Hawaii Ironman World Championship. The 47-year-old from Bel-levue, Wash. has competed in Ironman

triathlons since 2005 and in 2016, after completing 13 grueling 140.6-mile races he got a spot in Kona. He bought a new bicycle to celebrate.

“It was a BMC timemachine with full top-of-the-line components and Enve 6.7 PowerTap wheels,” Ursino said.

And then it was stolen a month before the race.

The following Saturday, I was racing a

Cathy Tibbetts, an renowned Ironwoman, approached Endurance Sports and Fitness Magazine about writing about athletes who compete at Kona. Tibbetts, who’s competed at Kona and many other en-durance triathlon events, worked with a number of athletes from around the country to bring their perspectives on the United States’ signature triathlon. Cathy has completed in numerous Konas in-cluding a run of 12 consecutive Konas, with next year being thirteen.



ERMATHLETE PROFILES

ROCKY URSINO

local triathlon for training and used my old bike; after the race, I rode it back to my car with my transition bag dangling from the handlebars. It got tangled up with my front wheel, and I went over. Thankfully I wasn’t going fast and was okay, so I put the bike on top of my car and went home and pulled into the ga-rage with my bike on top of the car.”

Despite the bike mishap, Ursino’s experience at Kona was amazing.

“The Hawaii Ironman World Championship takes triathlon to a whole new level of competition,” Ursino said.

“After doing 13 Ironmans, I felt qualified to compete with the best in the world. I was starting to get tired, but this has totally re-en-ergized my passion for triathlon. When it comes to the start, I will be in the best shape of my life.”

Darryl Lehtola:Darryl Lehtola, a specialty running store manager from Brandon, Miss., said, “It is the Super Bowl, the Boston Marathon of triathlon! It is where it all started. You can’t just pay your way and go. You have to pay your dues to get there, either by doing a lot of Ironmans or being a top finisher.”

Lehtola, 53, has done 20 Ironmans since 2000 and got in on his third application to the Legacy Program.

“I was going to race Kona in 1984, when you could just sign up and go. But I was 21 and had some self-doubts, and didn’t do it. The next year you had to qualify, and I

have been kicking myself ever since!” he exclaimed.

Lehtola, not letting anything get is his way, persevered in his efforts to reach Kona.

“I even did a marathon in Kona one year be-cause it was on the leg-endary Queen K Highway and as close to the Hawaii Ironman as I thought I’d

ever get. I am not going to believe this is happening until I actually get my feet in the water!”

Tim Laird:Tim Laird of Appleton, Wis. began his quest for a Kona slot in 1999.

“I have always been top ten in my age division and kept missing the slot. At the 2012 Ironman Wiscon-sin, I missed it by 45 seconds. At Ironman Florida I once missed it by two minutes. And at another race I had to go to work and missed the roll-down where my name was called.”

A roll-down is when a top finisher doesn’t want to go to Kona, giving the next-place finisher the option of the slot. An athlete must be present to claim their slot; slots roll down until they reach a taker in each age division.

“Kona is the Indy 500, the epitome all endurance events,” Laird continued. “If you say you do Iron-mans, everybody asks if you have done Kona. It’s one of those iconic races. Completing it is a sense of accomplishment knowing you have done


DARRYL LEHTOLA

the hawaii ironMan world chaMPionshiP takes triathlon to a whole new level of coMPetition

- Rocky Ursino

if you say you do ironMans, everyBody asks if you have done kona. it’s one of those iconic races.

- Darry Lehtola




CRIS HOWARD. PHOTO CREDIT: AMANDA CHAMPLIN

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FEATURE

Continued on from page 14

everything you can to be in the top 1 percent around the planet. The spot is earned. People there have put the time in, and you have to have serious results to get there.”

“I SHOW UP AT WORK EVERY MORNING WITH WET HAIR AND NO MAKEUP AND THE KIDS AND PARENTS JUST LOVE THAT. THE KIDS ALWAYS WANT TO KNOW HOW MUCH I SWIM, BIKE OR RUN EVERY DAY. MY STUDENTS LOVE TO HEAR MY STORIES – AND I HOPE TO BRING BACK SOME GOOD ONES FROM KONA!”

- ALICIA SHULTZ

Alicia Schultz:Alicia Schultz qualified for Kona at her third Ironman, having missed it by four minutes the year before. She won her age group at Ironman Florida – despite a bike crash at mile 107 that left her bloody and bruised. “ ‘Nothing is broken’,” the 50-year-old teacher from Jupiter, Fla., told herself. “ ‘Get yourself up and keep going. You can deal with the injuries later.’ ”

Not only was Schultz first in her age group, she finished 6th overall female.

“What I am most excited about is the opportunity to be lining up with the best athletes, the same as me or better. Kona is the ultimate. Triathletes all say ‘Wow, you’re doing Kona!’Not many people make it there,” she said.

Schultz is the ultimate definition of a dedicated athlete and loves to show up to work at her school post workout.

“I show up at work every morning with wet hair and no makeup and the kids and parents just love that. The kids always want to know how much I swim,

bike or run every day. My students love to hear my stories – and I hope to bring back some good ones from Kona!”

Barry Lewis:Barry Lewis returned to Kona for the fifth time in 2016, and competing against the

world’s top triathletes has not lost its excitement. “It really is the pinnacle of the sport,” said the 57-year-old from Philadelphia. “A selective process ensures that the top athletes from around the world are there, and the bar is raised. You find a little more in your-self; you’ve got to bring your A-game.”

“The other appeal is that it is such a special place and atmosphere. People talk about the spirituality of the Hawaiian islands, and it is there. I love the whole experience: the beautiful water, the land-scape, people from other races and places around the world. It’s a different level than any-where else. I am blown away that I have ever been there, and can’t believe I’m back for the fifth time. I never expected this to happen.” Cris Howard:Cris Howard, a 46-year-old bio-pharmaceutical researcher from Reston, Va., said this about Kona:

“Kona is the triathlete’s version of the Olympics. To be shoulder to shoulder in the

arena with the best of the best of the best will be such a thrill! I have never been an athlete; to be able to do this has changed my perception of myself, and has given me a new identity for sure. When I first started triathlon, I was dead last; I was the one walking the whole race. I had to have the courage to be faster and let go of the phrase, ‘I am slow’.”

Howard, who was in the 14.5- to 15-hour range for many years, qualified for Kona at her 10th Iron-man at the 2015 Iron-man Maryland with a time of 11:04.

“I didn’t know I was second until I crossed the finish line. It just all came together. I never thought I would qualify,” she said.Getting to Kona was as emotional as the experience.

“I got here when I started saying, ‘I am an athlete’,” Cris Howard said just before the race. “I think it will be a pivotal moment in my life,” she said.



CRIS HOWARD. PHOTO CREDIT: AMANDA CHAMPLIN


http://www.somaxsports.com/breathing.php


Photos by Alix Shutello

18



ES&FRACE REVIEW

Every fall, a group of kindred spirits come together at Lake Anna, Va., to compete in Double, Triple, and Quintuple Ironman-distance races. This year, my goal was to be at the race as much as possible so I could focus on the Quintuple; but as in previous years, I kept my eyes on some of the other athletes – many of whom I met at this very race venue.

The Quintuple, as it’s commonly known, is a week-long race (yes, a week!). The traditional form of the Quintuple is a contin-uous format, where athletes swim, bike and run the equivalent of five Ironman-distance races. One Ironman-distance race is a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride and marathon 26.22-mile (42.20 km) run; athletes who complete the Quintuple swim 12 miles (19km), bike 560 miles (900 km) and run 131 miles (211 km).

On October 8, 2016, eighteen athletes from Canada, New Zealand and the U.S. entered Lake Anna on a beautiful autumn day under perfect conditions; the water was not too cold and the ambient temperature was in the 50s. Of the 18 competi-tors, 12 were racing a continuous Quintuple, versus those who completed consecutive Ironman-distance races each day for 5 days (1x5s). Those athletes completing the consecutive 1x5 Ironman-distance races, included Dolph Hoch IV and Christine “Kiwi” Couldrey.

Some claim that consecutive Quintuples are harder, arguing that it’s more demanding to complete an Ironman distance, sleep, get up and race, and repeat that for five days in a row,

versus a continuous Quintuple where competitors keep going on little-to-no sleep, many times finishing in four days.

“The daily grind of doing consecutive Ironman-distance races is more difficult for mental and physical reasons,” explained Hoch. “Going to bed and getting up day after day knowing you need to complete another Ironman-distance is tough. So, there is the mental aspect of preparing to do this, plus the fact that your body starts to tighten up; so each day that you have to begin again, your body fights you more every time.”

Nonetheless, Couldrey and Hoch finished the quintuple over the five days. At the end of the week, the following competitors profiles and finish times are listed below

David Jepson (first place male) 104:47:39Johan Desmet 107:19:21Michael Ward 115:21:10Zach Franklin 117:44:24Shanda Hill (first place female) 117:46:42Erik Hanley 129:41:48Al Manning 130:07:57Mark Blore 130:29:52Will Turner, DNF (Did Not Finish)Jerome Libecki, DNFKay Scott, DNFAngie Wise, DNF

Two, Three and Five Times the Fun – Going the Ironman-Distance at Lake

Anna’s Anvil RacesBy Alix Shutello



David Jepson, 38, of Livermore, Colo., won the Quintuple Anvil at Lake Anna, Va., on October 12, 2016.

Jepson is a regular at Lake Anna, whether he’s competing or not; he and his wife Amanda visit each year as part of a traditional trip.

“Lake Anna is a really special place for us. We have been there seven times now, and the annual trip from Colorado has become something we really look forward to,” Jepson said. Jepson, who completed the Double An-vil in 2014, eyed the quintuple for years, but injury and long recovery times held him back.

“I saw a number of folks I raced against move up and compete at longer distances, so I wanted to see if I could do it,” he said. “I have always had more trouble than others recovering from races, and I knew that would be a challenge. I’m not sure if that’s just because of my build, or if I’m just doing

it wrong!”

Despite what he may have thought about his ability to compete, Je-pson won the

Quintuple in 104:47:39 (4.3 days) Jepson, just three hours in front of Johan Desmet of Cummings, Ga.

Coming off the swim, Jepson held a comfortable lead; but during the bike portion, he suffered a common condi-

tion called Shermer’s neck, a common condition for long-distance cyclists where the neck muscles weaken over time and make it difficult for athletes to raise their heads.

“I have never had that issue with my neck before, and it was brutal. With every passing lap, I could see less and less. I lost a ton of time in the last 12 hours of the bike portion because I had to keep stopping to give my muscles a break. When I would try to lift my head, it took so much effort that I couldn’t see straight. The only workaround I could figure out was to turn my head to the side and just try to look as far out in front as I could. If I hadn’t been so close to the end of the bike, I would have had to stop for an extended period of time.”

This is why having a support crew is

Quintuple Winner, David Jepson

I saw a number of folks I raced against move up and compete at longer distances, so I wanted to see if I could do it.

OVERALL, I’D SAY IT’S DONE, AND THAT WILL DEFINITELY BE THE LAST QUINTUPLE FOR ME. KIRBY AND HIS CREW PUT ON A GREAT RACE, AS YOU KNOW; BUT 703 IS JUST TOO FAR FOR ME. I’LL STICK TO DOUBLES AND TRIPLES FROM HERE OUT!

20



LAKE ANNA IS A REALLY SPECIAL PLACE FOR US. WE HAVE BEEN THERE SEVEN TIMES NOW, AND THE ANNUAL TRIP FROM COLORADO HAS BECOME SOMETHING WE RE-ALLY LOOK FORWARD TO.

critical. “The last two laps of the bike were at night, and Amanda, my wife, actually drove behind me to light up the road. At that point, I couldn’t really see in front of me; I was relying on the fact that I’d ridden the same patch of road 99 times already, I kinda knew where I was going,” he said.

Shermer’s neck has potentially lingering effects; so not only did this condition slow Jepson’s progress on the bike, it also could have affected his running. Fortunately, he was well enough to run – but not without pain. “I remember thinking to myself that once I got off the bike, my neck would be fine. My neck and back ached for probably the first 4 or 5 hours of the run, but then the muscles started to relax, as they were not really being used as much as they were on the bike,” he explained. Jepson’s battle with Shermer’s neck almost cost him the first-place finish; he got out of the water two hours before Desmet, the second-place finisher, but lost six hours on the bike, where Desmet gained on him. Jepson pulled ahead again during the run, where Desmet slowed. Reflecting on his achievement, Jepson was pleased to have overcome the challenge, but has no plans to repeat the performance. “Overall, I’d say it’s done, and that will definitely be the last quintuple for me. Kirby and his crew put on a great race, as you know; but 703 is just too far for me. I’ll stick to doubles and triples from here out!”

Of the race coverage, Jepson said, “I was really impressed with all the folks who came out to recover the race. The article in the NY Times took an unexpected angle, but I was appreciative of the fact they, Endurance Sports & Fit-ness Magazine and the film crew were there and interest-ed in the races. Steve Kirby, the race director, has a passion for putting on an excellent race. The amount of dedication and time he invests for a relatively small event is incredible.

jePson with wife, aManda

overall, i’d say it’s done, and that will definitely Be the last quintuPle for Me. kirBy and his crew Put on a great race, as you know; But 703 is just too far for Me. i’ll stick to douBles and triPles froM here out!


http://www.datemeboutique.com


Shanda Hill of Canada is an enthusiastic runner with a lot of energy. At 34, she has completed a number of ultra races in the United States and in Canada. Growing up, she did not have a television at home; so when asked if she would like to try an Ironman, she signed up more or less sight-unseen. "I didn't even own a bike when I signed up for my first Ironman," she said.

Hill, who came in first female for the Quintuple, was in high spirits during the race. On the second to last day of the competition, Hill, three mara-thons in, was running strong; I caught up and ran with her for a couple laps.

Hill grew up in a relatively conservative house-hold; her parents were very interested in utilizing natural products. Hill noted that she does not use ibuprofen or other painkillers unless she abso-lutely has to – and like many athletes competing in the Quintuple, her legs got quite sore with the completion of each lap.

Shanda Hill

22


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I walked a few laps with Al Manning, (58) a veteran endur-ance athlete who’s competed at Lake Anna a couple of times. To Manning, eating efficiently on the bike is a high priority. In order to do so while keeping both hands on his handlebars, he created a makeshift “feed bag” which is retrofit to his bike.

Manning has competed in several ultra triathlons in his rac-ing career, including a few ultramarathons. He has learned a lot from his many years of experience.

"I need to be able to keep both hands on my handlebars at all times,” Manning said. "This is why I created the feed bag, which rests over my handlebars so that when I take a slice of pizza or a hotdog, I can just lay it in the basket and eat it as I need to."

Manning travels with two bikes; the second bike is to be used only in an emergency. "In the off-chance that I have a mechanical problem I cannot fix, I have the second bike here as a backup,” he said. “Oftentimes athletes have a lot of trouble with their bikes; and if they have serious mechanical problems, such as a chain breaking, they may need to wait

up to an hour or more for somebody to come help them – and that will really set them back in the race."

When it comes to food, Manning has a set regimen of what he likes and doesn't like. "I have learned from experience," he said, "there are some foods that you simply cannot buy in stores; you need to buy online."

Al Manning

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For Jerry Libecki III, completing the Quintuple was all about having a goal. It became an obsession.

“I followed Andy Weinburg, Frank Fumich and others who completed the Quintuple in previous years,” said Libecki “I decided to give it a try. “

Libecki is the epitome of many endurance athletes who’ve migrated to longer races.

“I’ve never signed up for a half or full marathon – I went straight to the 50k and 50-miler races,” he said.

After completing the swim, bike and four of the five marathons, Libecki had gone far enough.

“If I’d finished, it would have been great; but I am per-fectly satisfied with the DNF,” said Libecki in a post-race interview.

Libecki now has his eye on the Deca Triathlon in Swit-zerland, a 100-mile stand-up paddleboard race and 350-mile marathon in the Arctic Circle.

Jerome Libecki III

“IF I’D FINISHED, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT; BUT I AM PERFECTLY SATISFIED WITH THE DNF.”

24


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NEWS: ADVENTURE RACING, NY

The Search and Rescue Adventure Race hosted by The Lost Tribe Expeditions simulates a scene from a real disaster. As race directors, we strive to create an event that is realistic and uniquely challenging: athletes must scramble up mountains, cross deep waters, climb waterfalls, bushwalk and run endur-ance distances, all while self-supported. Three words capture the spirit of the event: “Adapt and Overcome.”

Many teams did not know what they had signed up for when they arrived onsite at the Mohonk Preserve early one Saturday morning for our third annual race. They knew that parts of the race would be orienteering; but they did not know how big the course was, where it would run or what obstacles lay ahead.

Fear of the unknown is what brought this race to another level for even our most seasoned obstacle and adven-ture racers. The race began with a physical fitness test, where local drill sergeant and boot camp instruc-tor Gary Gall lined up athletes and started them with intense drills. In the meantime, the captains of each team were hijacked and taken to another area from where they would need to be rescued by their teams. By the time the teams were released to save their captains from the disaster, thick smoke engulfed the area; a helicopter circled and hovered just feet above their heads, creating an intense rescue scene.

Captains were carried, pulled and dragged from the disaster to the

extraction point; each team that com-pleted the rescue challenge received points toward their total score. After the rescue extraction, teams were im-mediately rushed to buses and driven miles away to the opposite side of the course. (The course was approximately

25-30 miles long, by way of trails and carriage roads.) The participants were given punch cards and just minutes to orient themselves before the starting gun went off.

Athletes crossed deep rivers and climbed steep waterfalls to navigate from point to point. It didn’t matter how

hard we tried to challenge them – they kept smiling and pushing forward. The race turned a bit emotional toward the end – people were hugging each other, giving high-fives, recapping the race, and most of all just laughing and smiling; all sweaty and out of breath,

but still loudly proclaiming, “This was the craziest and most amazing thing I have ever done!” “I didn’t know I could run 30 miles and search for all these points!” The competitors were truly all win-ners – they are not your ordinary people. These are people with high

potential and a never-quit attitude. These are people companies should hire.

Every year we try to raise the bar from the previous year. Despite how hard it was last year, this year we stepped it up.


Third Annual Search and Rescue Adventure Race hosted by The Lost Tribe Expeditions

By Race Directors Eldar and Erin Spahic

EVERY YEAR WE TRY TO RAISE THE BAR FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR. DESPITE HOW HARD IT WAS LAST YEAR, THIS YEAR WE STEPPED IT UP

26




http://www.losttribeexpeditions.com


Continued from page 26

Last year the course was completed by the REV3 team, who collected all 30 checkpoints in under 5 hours. This year the course was undefeated, but some teams came very close to collecting all the points – which was very impres-sive.

This race isn’t only about physical fit-ness, but also intelligence. It requires strategy, critical thinking, strong teamdynamics, leadership and effective communication to strongly complete the race. If communication is ineffec-tive or breaks down, teams can lose team members; in which case, the race turns into a real-life search and rescue. (Thankfully, all have been safely reunited.) This greatly affects the team dynamics and adds to the time lost on the course, thus causing pressure among the team members.

Some teams who struggled last year and came back this year and did extremely well; they learned from the previous experience and were able to apply it in this race – and that is exactly what this race is all about. This year’s course was more spread-out, and the points were kept in clusters; this was to push the athletes more mentally. It is easier to compete when one knows what lies ahead and is being cheered on; not so easy when one must travel to a totally different area to collect points.

This year’s race was a huge success; the participants doubled this year, and we are anticipating even more next year. It’s great to see how this race has exploded overnight, and has left a “wow” effect on those who have participated. Despite its growth, the quality of this race will never dimin-ish; every year we will create a more challenging and exciting adventure.

We worked extremely hard to make sure all the points were placed at the right spots; I ran the course seven times myself. Not many race directors would be crazy enough to do that – but I truly enjoyed the course, and wish I could have competed!

The goal of this event is to create one huge, solid network of powerful people; The Lost Tribe has surpassed that. This race took true teamwork; teams were even helping other teams through the hard times. “Let’s work together, not against each other” is the motto of this race. Here, people give each other real high-fives, not electronic “likes”; here people give true hugs and remain real-world friends.

These athletes are inspiring people and serve as a role models and true leaders. It is not about the destination; it is about the journey. For those who would like to find

out what they are truly made out of and try to dig deep down and find their Lost Tribe, come and join us on one of our next expeditions. Our doors are always open to anyone who has a never-quit attitude.

This race would not be possible without the volunteers who tirelessly worked on making the event spectacular. We would like to thank Honest Tea, Zico Coconut Water, Coca-Cola, Wine World Wide, Inc., Valued Naturals, Lisa Glick, Emir Hadziabdic, Lenny Erlanger, Karen Tavarro, America’s Best Value Inn at New Paltz, N.Y., Peet Dryer, Jenkins – Lueken Orchard, and Tiger Balm. The race ben-efited the Mohonk Preserve and Min-newaska State Park. We look forward to next year’s event.

NEWS: ADVENTURE RACING, NY

28

THIS YEAR’S RACE WAS A HUGE SUCCESS;THE PARTICI-PANTS DOUBLED THIS YEAR, AND WE ARE ANTICIPATING EVEN MORE NEXT YEAR.



Remember: “Adapt and Overcome.”


http://www.tjceventsolutions.com


Dr. Rodriguez, who plans to cross the Andes mountains in Argentina and Chile in 2017, told his story to Endur-ance Sports & Fitness.

ES&F: How did you crash on Day 5?

Rodriguez: I crashed on the train bridge at the same level where the trucks can pass. A truck was coming and the bridge was wet; my wheels hit the water and went out of control.

ES&F: How badly were you hurt? Did you require stitches?

Rodriguez: I was in a lot of immediate pain because of chest trauma, but I didn´t get sutures in my legs.

ES&F: Was Henning Olsrud in the same crash, or a different one? What hap-pened with his crash? How serious were his injuries?

Rodriguez: Henning was injured two kilometers behind me at approximately the same time, but I got help from race support.

Everybody told me about Henning’s accident, so I went to inquire about him.

His injuries were serious because he had head and maxillofacial trauma. His helmet was broken. His lips were de-stroyed, and there was mucus inside his mouth, around his teeth and tongue.

We were taken to the hospital in the same time.

ES&F: Did you need to go to the emer-gency room for treatment yourself, or did you go only to accompany Olsrud?

Rodriguez: When I first arrived at the hospital to take care of my chest trauma and my leg injuries, I saw that Henning’s face was in bad shape. I immediately forgot that I needed assistance and went to his aid.

ES&F: Were there no other surgeons at the hospital, or did you step in because of a long wait?

Rodriguez: Some doctors came to the ER, but they were unable to do the

reconstruction of Henning’s lips and chin. So, I talked with them and told them I was an M.D. and could do it if they let me.

They resisted at first; I think they called some authorities to get permission, because I don’t have a Mexican medical license. But once I got permission, I was able to perform the procedure.

ES&F: So on top of being tired from racing for five days, now you were in a different country in a hospital with dif-ferent equipment and procedures. Did this cause any difficulty for you?

Rodriguez: Yes, it was a little bit un-comfortable because of the different instruments; the tools were bigger than what I use for those types of injuries. But I got it done.

ES&F: By Day 5 of an endurance event, people are impaired. They are exhaust-ed and can’t think clearly. Yet, in the picture of you suturing Henning, you had absolute focus. How do you explain this?

JORGE ARIEL RODRIGUEZ CRASHES HIS BICYCLE, PERFORMS SURGERY, THEN FINISHES THE QUINTUPLE IRONMAN

On the fifth day of a quintuple Ironman race (one Ironman-distance a day for five days), Dr. Jorge Ariel Rodriguez crashed his bicycle on a wet bridge. At about the same time, Norwegian athlete Henning Olsrud crashed his bicycle trying to avoid a child who had run out in front of him. The two competitors went to the hospital in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico together.Rodriguez’s injuries, while painful, were not life-threatening. Olsrud’s injuries were more severe; he desperately needed a maxillofacial surgeon – which the hospital did not have. In his native Argentina, 46-year-old Dr. Rodriguez is a surgeon with eight years’ residence at General Surgery. His specialty is head trauma, and he’s trained in maxillofacial reconstruction. Still in his triathlon clothes, Rodriguez donned a surgical mask and gloves, stepped into the ER and did the necessary surgery himself.Then they both went back to the course and finished the race.

By Cathy Tibbetts

NEWS: ADVENTURE RACING, MEXICO

By Cathy Tibbetts for Endurance Sports & Fitness Magazine



Rodriguez: In the fifth day of competition, I was exhausted; but when I started the proce-dure, I was not tired. Maybe was the adrenaline inside me, but I performed the procedures on Henning without thought. I was so focused; I just wanted to get him into recovery as fast as possible. He was so scared. I spent almost three hours work-ing on his face.

ES&F: At what point did you decide to go on to finish the race?

Rodriguez: I almost quit the race...I was so exhausted and I said, “It is over. I just I want to take a shower and get to bed.”

Then Henning asked me, ”What are we going to do?”

His neurological exams had confirmed his brain was all right; at that moment, he just needed me to tell him if he could continue or not.

I thought about it and told him, “We are going to finish the race; nobody is going to stop us. You just have to complete the marathon; I must finish almost 60 kilometers on bike, plus the marathon,” I said. “But you CAN RUN THE MARATHON.” He smiled; he was happy. I rec-ommended, however, that he walk, not run. And just like that, we went back to the race.

“We are going to finish the race; nobody is going to stop us.”


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ADVENTURE RACING

SKYDIVE ULTRABy Eric Friedman

How many Pokémon do you think you can catch while running 200 miles? Perhaps all of them? This alone could pro-vide you with enough incentive to enjoy the sugarcane landscape in Clewiston during the beautifully temperate South Florida winter.

You say, “I need a little more.”

Okay, how about we start from two miles above the sugarcane so that you can get the best-ever view of the course as you skydive to the start-finish line? Got your attention now? Outside of the latest game craze, there is something new for Skydive Ultra 2017.

Skydive Ultra—already the world’s first and only footrace to begin at 13,000 feet—is now Florida’s first non-stage-based 200-mile ultra-marathon event. The 200-mile event will have a timed cutoff anticipated to be 72 hours; but in Skydive Ultra tradition, there will be plenty of other distance options from the speedsters 10km to last year’s test-of-grit 150-miler. There are a variety of choices for skydivers and runners, giving every-one a chance to participate.

What if you don’t want to run or skydive? Join the bustling “infield” of spectators and supporters helping to keep runners

fueled and motivated. There is music and the soothing voice of your faithful race di-rector belting out encouragement across the sugarcane landscape.

Come #CatchEmAll, leap from the sky, and test your mettle at Skydive Ultra 2017 this January. Follow us on Twit-ter, Instagram, find us on Facebook and Google+ to keep up with the latest and to join in the conversation We can’t wait to meet you!

There’s more than one way to endure.

Try endurance riding!

Andre Ruggeri and Oso Psyche at the Wind Wolves 50-mile ride in California.

Photo © Lynne Glazer, www.lynnesite.com.

Find out more about the

“to fi nish is to win” sport!

Free information packet by mail:

call 866-271-2372 oraerc.org/InfoRequest

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There’s more than one way to endure.

Try endurance riding!

Andre Ruggeri and Oso Psyche at the Wind Wolves 50-mile ride in California.

Photo © Lynne Glazer, www.lynnesite.com.

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BOOK REVIEW

34

Running ManA book review by Alix J. Shutello

Running Man is not a story about run-ning; it is the story of Charlie Engle’s addiction, and his road to redemption. Engle is a well-known endurance runner; and unlike other books about ultra-runners, his book is more about how his running career was shaped by events in his life.

Engle obtained the name “Running Man” by inmates, not running mates. After get-ting hooked on drugs and alcohol after college, his life became a roller coaster of ups and downs on the very long path to recovery. Engle, who married and fathered two sons during the height of his addiction, took enormous risks just to get high. His vivid recount of his mental struggles to stay clean are just as harrow-ing as his failures to keep away from his fix; his addiction drove him to extremes. Engle hopped into cars in shady neigh-borhoods, had guns put in his face, and even ended up in strange hotel rooms, gone for days without going to work or calling his family...and a near-death expe-rience didn’t stop him, either.

It wasn’t until one of the many times he was back in rehab that Engle met with the right drug treatment counselor, who asked him the right questions and gave him the idea that running could be his salvation. Engle took the counselor’s ad-vice – and slowly the drug addiction was replaced with a healthier one.

The first steps were difficult; but as Engle conquered the miles, he sweat the

cocaine, crack and alcohol from his body. Soon, he was putting his efforts into running and not into drugs. Being clean meant reevaluating his life – including his marriage, which ended amicably. Engle then poured himself into his business of buying, flipping and selling homes, and continued running with a vengeance.

Engle decided to run across the Sahara Desert as partof his healing process. But soon, trouble began following Engle once again. His public run-ning exploits across the country caught the interest of the IRS, who wondered how Engle could fund his trips without a full-time job. They looked into Engle’s business and found serious issues with loans he received – which would eventually land him in jail for 18 months. Engle was convicted of lying on mortgage forms to get funding to purchase homes. But he continued to run in prison...earning him the nickname, “Running Man.”

This well-written book is the journey of a loving father from struggling addict to accomplished endurance athlete. Read-ers will come away with a new perspec-tive on addiction, perseverance, and forgiveness.

This well-written book is the journey of a loving father from struggling addict to accomplished endurance athlete. Readers will come away with a new perspective on addiction, perseverance, and forgiveness.


http://charlieengle.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQiAsrnCBRCTs7nqwrm6pcYBEiQAcQSznLOzTyYG-w-KYmAZXvIcA66DBmObl85aL0zMQEUlBIQaAkzS8P8HAQ

“Every athlete has his or her specific goals and reasons for racing in whatever event he or she chooses; but overall most would agree that the journey to the finish line is what resonates in most athletes’ minds.”

SPIRIT MOTIVATION DRIVETo push one’s body and soul to the outer limits of our capabilities

PHO

TO C

RED

IT: R

ON

JON

ES

“Every athlete has his or her specific goals and reasons for racing in whatever event he or she chooses; but overall most would agree that the journey to the finish line is what resonates in most athletes’ minds.”

SPIRIT MOTIVATION DRIVETo push one’s body and soul to the outer limits of our capabilities

PHO

TO C

RED

IT: R

ON

JON

ES



http://www.endurancesportsAF.com

happy holidays!...2016/12/06 · 2. place the tongue to the roof of your mouth. 3. keep your lips...

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