Iron Fit Endurance Race Report
June 2014
The triathlon season has officially kicked off and I couldn't be more excited as we have had fantastic results so far! Let’s begin with Rev3 Quassy on the weekend of May 31st and June 1st:
Deepak Chopra (pictured below) and Frank Fiorello both competed in the Olympic distance race to start 
off the weekend with a bang:
It was Deepak’s first race in two years and he finished with a very strong swim, bike and run! Deepak was most anxious about the swim, but he finished strong as I expected! He had a great bike and run as well, getting the first race done before heading up to compete in Syracuse 70.3 in a few weeks! That will be Deepak’s first Half Ironman and the performance here will definitely help to build confidence going into the Half!
Frank (Pictured here) also had a strong race, besting both his bike split and run split from the previous year! Frank has been at it for a long time and is one of the hardest workers out there. I am really excited to see what he can do this season! I believe that Frank has untapped potential and I am excited that he has asked for my help this season! This is just the beginning and I see great things to come from him. Can't wait to be a part of it!
I was thrilled with the performances from these two hard working guys and was looking forward to the half the next day! I had Jose Hernandez, Susan Roman and Peter Morandi racing the half on June 1st. This is a VERY hard course, maybe the hardest out there, though all three had fantastic races despite the challenging terrain!
Jose (pictured right) finished in a blazing 5:32! He raced smart and strong the entire day and it paid off! This will be a huge boost for him going into Ironman Lake Placid! Jose is a very strong cyclist, but he proved that he is also a very strong runner as well! I’ve been able to do some training runs with Jose and have been impressed with his ability to run. I was excited to see what he could do in the Half and as usual, he didn’t disappoint! Jose’s swim has improved leaps and bounds as well. The hard work and endless hours working on technique in on his swim has paid off!
Susan Roman (pictured above) blew away all race expectations with a fast swim, reaching her time goal; a strong bike, finishing just where she and I had predicted; and an amazing run that bested her goal by over 20 minutes!!! Susan is also racing Ironman Lake Placid and will no doubt have an incredible performance there! She is an extremely hard worker and dedicated athlete and it certainly has shown this season in her races. It’s been exciting to be a part of her training and I can't wait to see what she can do up in Lake Placid!
Peter Morandi (pictured above and below) finished Quassy, his first Half Ironman, in amazing fashion! Peter had an injury over the winter that caused him to take off from running for over 2 months! Our longest run for Peter going into this race was only 8 miles as we didn’t have the time to properly build. I was nervous about the distance and the severity of the course, but Peter sailed through this race without a problem! He had a solid swim and very strong bike and finished the run way ahead of my own goals for him! He is a natural with the long distance events, as he proved at Quassy. I was thrilled! Peter will see what he can do in shorter events and then go for a P.R. at the Lake George Half Ironman!
Closing out the weekend was Noah and Irene Lam. The husband and wife team both competed in the Smith point Triathlon on June 1st to start off their triathlon season. Both had great races! They will be competing next in Riverhead Rocks, while Noah focuses on the long-term goal of ironman Arizona and Irene competing in the NYC marathon as well as other triathlons!
This past weekend was Mighty Montauk triathlon and Eagleman 70.3. Two “friends of Iron Fit Endurance” competed in these races. Jeanette Hampel won her age group and finished 8th overall female in the Mighty Montauk despite some race day glitches, such as a dropped chain! Jeanette had a strong run, which she credits to her weekly track workouts with Iron Fit Endurance! She is strong in all three events and will be competing in the Toughman Half Ironman in September.
Jim Nostrom had a super finish at Eagleman 70.3 to close out the weekend. Jim is another friend of Iron Fit Endurance who has made many of the group bike and swim workouts. He had a very strong race down in Maryland!
Congrats to Jim and Jeanette!
As a coach, I am so thrilled and proud to report that every athlete who has raced so far this season has had a result they can be proud of. That is all I can ask for and I can honestly say that I get just as excited watching their results as I have been for my own results in the past! To be able to coach these athletes, helping them to juggle huge work commitments, families and busy lives, and then see them show up at the races and perform as they have is so thrilling! I want to thank everyone for their commitment and for their enthusiasm. This is just the beginning and I can’t wait for the rest of the season!
Happy Training!
Dee
*I also wanted to send a HUGE thank you to John Landino and Death Row Velo (https://www.facebook.com/DeathRowVelo) for the beautiful uniforms!