MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series

MSC Triathlon Series Newsletter - February 2011

We are excited!

Why is that? Registration is now open for what is shaping up to be our best season ever. We have new sponsors joining our series, and we are proud to be the largest Canadian owned series in Canada. To keep your triathlon and duathlon juices flowing until our season kicks off in June, check out this edition of the newsletter that will let you in on the latest Series news, training tips, special deals, and athlete profiles. As always, feel free to send any articles to mscnewsletter1@gmail.com.

Series News

No Paper-Based Series Guide in 2011

MultiSport Canada takes pride in the fact that we try to be as environmentally conscious as possible in everything we do. Examples are recycling and compost bins at our races. In 2010 we sponsored Prepare The Trail and their program of replanting trees and we used compostable plates in the food area and bags for our race kits. For the past three years we have asked athletes during the registration whether they want to receive a paper-based Series Guide. The response has been that 70% do not and will rely on the website for information. We have therefore decided to NOT print a Series Guide in 2011. Please tell your friends to visit the website or our Facebook Fan Page for regular series updates and information.

2011 Registration Is Now OPEN!!

Registration opened in the last week of January and we are already seeing a lot of people entering races for the 2011 season. We had several races sell-out over th epast few years so please register early and do not be disappointed. The races that sold-out were: Gravenhurst, Bala Falls, Toronto Island, Wasaga Beach and Lakeside.

We have been asked why we do not post an entry confirmation page so that you can see when a race is filling up. The reason we have been reluctant to post race lists is for privacy reasons. Some people do not want their name in the public domain. We routinely post updates to the Series home page as a race gets close to filling up. At this point we are continuing with our policy of posting updates of available space and when races are close to being sold-out to the Series Home Page and to the Series Facebook Fan Page. The races listed as sold out in previous years have done so for at least the past three and each year they seem to sell out faster. We hope that explains our rationale.

New Run Course for the Welland Half Iron Triathlon/Duathlon

We have listened to the feedback from last years race and redesigned the run course so that the entire run is on one side of the canal. Check out the new and improved changes here.

MultiSport Canada Now The Largest Canadian Owned Triathlon Series in Canada!

We are very proud to announce that going into season ten MultiSport Canada is now the largest "Canadian owned" series in Canada. We would like to thank all who have raced with us and supported the series.

Welcome To Our New 2011 Series Sponsors

We are happy to announce that the latst sponsor for the series is Clif Bar!

Clif Bar

CLIF® BAR, the original natural and organic energy bar is pleased to announce our partnership with the 2011 MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series. CLIF BAR will be supporting athletes participating in the 2011 MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series by providing CLIF® BARs in the race bags and on-course.

Hero Burgers

HERO Certified Burgers, the GTA's most popular spot for gourmet burgers, has signed on as the newest sponsor for MultiSport Canada. As part of the new agreement, it has been confirmed that HERO's 100% Angus Beef Burgers and Veggie Burgers will be served to event participants after eight of the scheduled race events during the 2011 season.

"Our partnership with MultiSport represents our commitment to both the triathlon sport, and the triathlete community" said John Lettieri, President & CEO, HERO Certified Burgers. "As a brand we're committed to bringing high quality and wholesome food to local families. It's a privilege to support an event that brings together both elite and aspiring athletes together in the spirit of good health and friendly competition. Partnering with MultiSport is a natural fit and we look forward to a long-term relationship with both the company and event participants."

HERO Certified Burgers was the first quick serve concept to recognize the need for a gourmet burger in the GTA. Their commitment to quality goes beyond premium toppings and unique feature burgers. Their 100% Angus Burgers contain no hormones, no antibiotics, no preservatives and no fillers. HERO purchases their meat exclusively from a small group of ranchers located in Western Canada whose cattle is range raised, grass fed and 100% traceable to ensure quality and integrity of product. All beef burgers are certified Halal, Gluten-Free and 100% Canadian.

HERO President, John Lettieri is both an event sponsor and participant. Working in conjunction with Absolute Endurance, a local training & therapy facility, John completed his first series of triathlons with MultiSport in 2010.

HERO currently has 20 locations in the GTA with an additional 7-10 stores opening during 2011. For more information on HERO Certified Burgers please visit www.heroburgers.com, www.facebook.com/heroburgers, or email info@heroburgers.com

For franchising information contact our development team at franchise@heroburgers.com.

Hammer Nutrition

We are very pleased to announce that Hammer Nutrition will be back as the on-course Nutrition Sponsor in 2011. Hammer Nutrition had previously sponsored our series for six years and in 2011 you will see HEED Sports Drink on all of the run courses and Hammer Gel will be available at some of our longer race distances. Please visit the Hammer Nutrition website for information about HEED, Hammer Gel and the full line-up of products.

TYR

TYR is the new Wetsuit and Swim Course sponsor for the 2011 season and beyond. TYR will be at all of our races this year and we will be giving away at least one wetsuit at each race this coming season. To see the full line-up of TYR wetsuits, swimsuits and training products please visit the TYR website.

Team Racing Comes To MultiSport Canada

We had a tremendous suggestion from Mark Hummel and we have decided to add a new category and what we expect to be a whole lot of fun. Starting in 2011 we will be offering a Team Triathlon category. This is meant to be an opportunity for athletes to race as a team and claim bragging rights at specific races. It will be an additional award category and will not replace individual awards. In other words you can race as a team with a group of your friends, stand on the podium as a team and still be recognized for age group awards and series points. Each team will have to have a minimum of 4 participants, with at least one woman. The total team time for each race would be calculated and the fastest wins. We are going to be exploring some other ideas as to maximum team size, women's teams and other possible options.

2011 Triple Race Challenge

The Triple Race Challenge will return in 2011 and will be made up of the Welland Half Iron Distance, the new Bracebridge Olympic and the Wasaga Beach Olympic Distance races. Details are on the Triple Race Challenge webpage.

Accommodations For MultiSport Canada Athletes

Group Rates at Welland - Best Western Rose City Suites

If you are planning on racing in Welland we have arranged for a special rate for MultiSport Canada athletes. You must call and reserve by May 31, 2011 to receive the group rate of $119 per night for double occupancy. Calls after May 31, will only be booked at their regular publicly available rates, which are $147.99. Please call the Best Western Hotel at 1-800- 387-8186 and ask for the Triathlon group block before May 31 to get discounted rates. Our crew stayed at the Best Western the past few years and we highly recommend it. It is literally 5 minutes from the race site on the other side of the canal.

Group Rates at Residence Inn by Marriott Muskoka Wharf - Gravenhurst - Bala Falls - Bracebridge

If you are planning to race at any of these races the nicest hotel in the area is the Residence Inn by Marriott Muskoka Wharf. Please be sure and note that there is a two night minimum on each weekend and they cannot accept single night reservations. We have been able to arrange for blocks of rooms for each race at a reduced rate. Space is limited so we highly recommend if you are planning on staying at the Marriott, book now.

The process for booking a room at the Marriott is as follows:

The Residence Inn by Marriot has guaranteed MultiSport Canada 12 Studio, Non-Lakeview Suites available to our athletes at $199.00 per night with a two night minimum (sleeps up to 4 people per suite) for our three "Muskoka" events. Rate includes complimentary Hot Breakfast and High Speed Internet. Please note all room types feature either one king or queen sized bed and a double bed pull out sofa bed. Hotel room rates are subject to applicable federal, provincial, local taxes and fees (currently 13%) in effect at the time of check in. If interested, please contact Jan Thomas (email or phone 705 -835-3255) by the following dates to secure your suite:

Gravenhurst Triathlon Weekend - May 30th, 2011
Bala Falls Triathlon - June 8th, 2011
Bracebridge Triathlon Weekend - June 22nd, 2011

Sponsor Deals for MSC Racers

Buy the New Turkey Burger and Enter to Win!

Discount Club at Gears

Take advantage of the special prices available to MultiSport Canada customers. It is easy to get your discount. When you go to the store ask for Kevin Wallace or Ira Kargel and they will make sure you get the discount applicable with the product you are buying. Every Wednesday is The Gears/MSC discount day with 10% off most items in the store. Download the Discount Card or call the store (905-271-2400) and ask for Ira or Kevin for details. Discount Club details.

Ask the Coach

Our coaching panel of Nigel Gray (NRG Performance Training), Richard Pady (Healthy Results Training), and Chris Pickering (Transition Myself Training) will eagerly answer your questions each month.

Please keep sending your questions to mscnewsletter1@gmail.com.

Chris Pickering's Transition Myself Training

Since doing his first ever triathlon with Multisport Canada back in 2005, Chris has gone on to compete in over 45 races all over the world. Some recent achievements include winning the 2010 M25-29 category with MSC, winning the Long Course Asian Championships in South Korea, winning his age group in Ironman Korea with an 11th place overall finish and most recently finishing 13th overall in Uruguay's IronPunta this past December. He has a strong passion for this active and healthy lifestyle and continues to grow each year with the sport.

In 2011 Chris started his Multi-Sport coaching business Transition Myself Training. A coaching business that is geared towards both novice and intermediate athletes. "You don't need to be hardcore or super fast to justify having a coach...in fact I believe in the opposite. Athletes tackling a new goal such as doing their first triathlon, half iron or full iron are the ones with the most to gain from a coach. I offer a wide variety of excellent services and I have set my prices low enough to accommodate everyone's budget."

Whether you are looking to participate in your first ever race, run a marathon, or are training for an Ironman, Chris will work with you to make your goals a reality.

Chris is currently taking on new clients for the 2011 season. But hurry, with his introductory prices, he is filling up quickly!

Contact Coach Pickering here.

This month Coach Pickering talks about Riding Indoors.

Training Articles

Time to "Hammer?"

It is mid winter and it seems that more than ever before folks are resolving to get fit and get fast for their 2011 season! At Absolute Endurance we have a number of power-based cycling classes done on computrainers. We see many athletes of all abilities come into our Computrainer Studio and begin the process of riding their own bike to get a head start on the season. Most of the athletes are intent on improving their performance from previous seasons, which is terrific! Most of them have families, jobs and other hobbies and as such have carved out a finite amount of time to train. One of the favorite expressions we hear from people riding the Computrainers is “today I am going to HAMMER”. (“Hammer” - is loosely defined as riding as hard as possible). What is prevalent and obvious to us here is that folks feel the need to "hammer" away on their bikes because of the previously mentioned finite amount of time. UGH!

In the winter season it is especially important to develop proper base fitness, muscular strength and efficiency, and ultimately create the building blocks to prepare the rider to do harder efforts closer to their racing season when those types of efforts will pay off, with big dividends!

Structuring a properly periodized and safe training plan for athletes is like preparing a big recipe. At Absolute Endurance we regularly do a number of diagnostic tests to determine the proper ingredients for success for each individual athlete. These tests include lactate threshold testing; fitness assessments; functional assessments for biomechanics and injury screening, as well as nutritional consultations. Once the testing is done, and each athlete’s base fitness, strength and weaknesses are laid out, our team of Nationally Certified Coaches can then create the recipe. Fortunately, over the past four years we have had the privilege and pleasure to work and help many athletes of all abilities improve in a safe, healthy and timely manner. That is our passion!

So for a New Years Resolution try this, “I am going to HAMMER away on my bike, BUT, not until its time. For now I am going to create safe and healthy building blocks in a structured manner to allow me to HAMMER away later!” Have fun!

Alan Chud is the general manager and a MULTISPORT COACH at Absolute Endurance Training and Therapy in Toronto. He has coached athletes to success at many levels in Running and Triathlon Events. He can be reached by email at alan@absoluteendurance.com

What Gets You To The Finish Line?

Power. Intensity. Endurance. Aerobic capacity. Speed.

All the above attributes of the body and training are the tools that get you to the finish line, whether first or last.

As we head into the coming season, most of us have been getting back into our early season routine. Many believe that at this stage of the training season, it is made up of low intensity, long base building exercises and sessions. The theory is that the low intensity training now increases the endurance and aerobic capacity to allow us to build intensity and speed as we get closer to race season.

If you look at what gets us to the finish line, this type of training ignores the power and intensity that is so vital to racing. While I agree that the base building is a key component, I believe that many triathletes do not include sufficient power and intensity training early enough in the training season. Base building without any intensity can quickly lead to plateauing, and not leave enough training time for increase in power.

There are several ways to include intensity at this stage. One way is to dedicate time on the bike, in the pool, or running that is focused on higher intensity.

For example, for many seasons I have be been part of a masters swim team. For the most part, masters swim clubs focus much of the training at this time of year to higher intensity workouts. This higher intensity training in the pool has a great overall affect on my body and is a great base for building power. In contrast, I find that going from shorter intervals to longer swims as a I get closer to the race season actually makes me faster in the water, and I can hold the speed longer leading to faster swim splits at races.

On the bike during our cycling classes, we are focusing on building power through lower cadence work, with higher gears/resistance. Longer simulated climbs, without a lot of higher cadence work at this time. This is great for the shorter distances (sprints and Olympics). If your goal is longer distances, then you are focused on longer rides on the trainer right now. For building power, try to include some time trial work in once a week: short distances, with higher cadences and easier gears. The goal is to drive your heart rate up and hold it there for increased time periods.

Another way to build power and get intensity is cross training. A recent article in Triathlete magazine discussed the merits of high intensity cross training vs traditional triathlon training. (Feb issue, "Crossfit Endurance"). The people interviewed in the article report being stronger and more importantly, faster during their races.

Before reading the above article, I had already started incorporating cross training into my schedule. Our Friday morning cycling class is now a cross training class for the "base build" phase of training this year. Here is what we are doing Friday mornings: 10 minute warm up on bike. Jump off bike, and then the following, each for 30 seconds with no break in between: jumping jacks, push ups, split squat jumps, crunches, side box jumps, medicine ball slam on ground, tricep dips, skipping, and then ab work using a exercise ball. We then jump back on the bike for a 5 minute active recovery. We repeat this for a total of 4 circuits, with a 5 minute cool down on the bike. The goal is to drive up the intensity and heart rate to max by the end of each circuit. However, unlike many "boot camp" type of sessions I have attended, by body quickly recovers and I am not left incapacitated for days. Finally, here is an interesting website that discusses cross training. Hope you enjoyed the article. Please give us your feedback at markhummel@rogers.com

The Wolf Den Radical Cycling and Training is now offering Triathlon Coaching! To learn more, please call us at the number below, and press 1 for Antonio.

Mark Hummel

Wolf Den Radical Cycling

647-476-3499

Sleep - Make it an integral part of training

A profile of any typical multisport athlete is characterized as a hard charging, university-educated, triple “A” personality who works 50-60 hrs per week tending to career. In addition, they apply about the same amount of hours attending to home, spousal support, child rearing and other personal activities. Add to that another 20 to 25 hrs per week which is dedicated to their training in multisport. If you count yourself as one of the many athletes whose weekly schedule is not dissimilar from the one described above, my question to you, from a rhetorical perspective, is: When do you ever have time to sleep? Seems that life really does get in it the way of sleep, doesn’t it?

Insufficient Sleep

Generally in adults, 8-8.5 hours of sleep per day is considered fully restorative, although, based on lifestyle choices, this may vary from individual to individual. Either way, if a person does not get enough sleep, a “sleep debt” begins to accumulate. This sleep indebtedness will continue to increase until enough sleep is obtained in order to offset the sleep debt. (Note: In some medical circles, the consensus is that even with adequate sleep restoration, the general feeling is that sleep indebtedness can never be fully repaid). Notwithstanding this particular circumstance, sleep debt will perpetuate problem sleepiness, which will ultimately promote negative effects to your health and ultimately, your performance expectations.

Problem Sleepiness

Some of the common symptoms associated with minor sleep deprivation are:

Falling asleep while driving
Nodding off during periods of relative inactivity e.g. watching TV
Minimized attention span or inability to concentrate or focus;
Experiences performance problems whether at school, work or sport;
Often told by others that you look sleepy or tired;
Reactive responses are somewhat diminished as in slow reflexive actions when operating an automobile, heavy machinery or computer-generated gaming.
Emotional outbursts
Poor memory recall

If you have experienced one, all or a combination of any of these, you can consider yourself a victim of sleep deprivation.

The Sleep Cycle

Of a more critical nature, chronic problem-sleepiness can lead to serious health risks. Halting or fragmented sleep can prevent individuals from getting enough of that deep comatose-like sleep that is associated with the highest degree of restfulness, recovery and regeneration. To fully comprehend this phenomenon, one must first understand how a person sleeps. First, sleep occurs cyclically. In a typical night’s sleep, an individual might complete 5 cycles of sleep. Normally, a typical cycle of sleep lasts approximately 100 minutes. In each cycle, there are two modes. – the Rapid Eye Movement mode known as REM sleep and the Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep mode known as NREM sleep. NREM sleep is that mode of light transitional sleep that exists just between the waking and sleeping states. The REM mode of sleep is that deep comatose-type of sleep which provide an environment where the effectiveness of the body’s auto-immune response system is maximized. In other words, when REM sleep occurs, a unique class of proteins are secreted that helps fight bacterial and viral infections, eliminates free-radical activities which, left unattended, can inhibit cell repair, kill healthy cells, slow the re-generating process while mutating others thus severely limiting the effective recovery and recuperating capabilities of the human body. Armed with this information then, the intent should always be to get as much REM sleep as one can in any given night of sleep.

The next question then is: Just how can this be achieved? Here’s how.

REM sleep is essential. In each successive cycle of sleep, the portion of REM-sleep as compared to NREM- sleep increases significantly. Assuming that the average individual will complete 5 100-minute cycles of sleep continuously throughout a given period of sleep, depending on the individual, they may get as little as 10 minutes of REM-sleep in the first cycle of sleep and as much as 60-65 minutes of REM-sleep in the last or 5^th cycle of sleep. A review of the 5 cycles of sleep of an average individual getting at least 8 hours of continuous sleep during a normal sleep period might look like the following as indicated in the table below.

Sleep Cycle*(Table 1)	NREM Sleep	REM Sleep	TOTALS
Cycle #1	90 mins	10 mins (10%)	100 mins
Cycle #2	75 mins	25 mins (25%)	100 mins
Cycle #3	55 mins	45 mins (45%)	100 mins
Cycle #4	45 mins	55 mins (55%)	100 mins
Cycle #5	35 mins	65 mins (65%)	100 mins
TOTALS	300 mins.	200 Mins.	500 mins ( 8 Hrs. 20 mins.)
*Based on 5 - 100-minute sleep cycles

From the table above, based on five 100-minute sleep cycles when slept continuously, an individual will have achieved 200 minutes of essential REM sleep, give or take a few. That accounts for about 40% of REM-sleep. Note however that the operative word here is “continuous”. On the other hand however, if an individual is indeed in bed for 8 hours, but that particular period of sleep is interrupted constantly throughout the night by troubled and agitated sleep intervals, then the amount of REM-sleep will be significantly reduced, grossly compromising the healing, recovery and recuperative qualities of the essential benefits of this particular mode of sleep. See an illustration of the effects of interrupted sleep as indicated by Table 2 shown below. As can be seen in Table 2, the individual does indeed sleep in excess of 8 hours. But because that particular sleep period was interrupted on 3 separate occasions, breaking the continuity of the sleep and forcing the sleep period to essentially start over from the beginning with cycle #1, then by the ending of the 8-hr sleep period, only 13% of REM-sleep will have been achieved. Contrast the benefits of 40% Vs. 13% of REM sleep in the two examples and be the judge of which example that should be followed.

Sleep Cycle*(Table 2)	NREM Sleep	REM Sleep	TOTALS
Cycle #1	90 mins	10 mins (10%)	100 mins
Cycle #2	75 mins	25 mins (25%)	100 mins
Sleep Interruption #1
Repeat - Cycle #1	90 mins	10 mins (10%)	100 mins
Sleep Interruption #2
Repeat - Cycle #1	90 mins	10 mins (10%)	100 mins
Sleep Interruption #3
Repeat – Cycle #1	90 mins	10 mins (10%)	100 mins
TOTALS	435 mins.	65 Mins.	500 mins ( 8 Hrs. 20 mins.)
*Based on 5 - 100-minute sleep cycles

Minimizing Sleep Debt

In our hustle and bustle world, most people seldom get enough sleep. Throw in a lifestyle such as the one described above and the problem becomes that much more acute. Serious athletes with high performance expectations may want to examine their current schedule in order to assess just how much sleep they are obtaining or rather, missing. If it is determined that they are getting less than the recommended 8 hours of sleep, then steps should be taken to minimize sleep-loss and to repay the sleep debt.

You can make up sleep debt using all or any of the following:

Going to bed earlier each night.
If your schedule permits, a daily 30 – 60 minutes nap.
Sleeping longer on weekends or days off.

Suggestions for a good night's sleep

1. Schedule sleep into your daily activity list. Make sleep a "priority."

2. Unwind early in the evening. Try to deal with worries and distractions several hours before bedtime. Such things cause anxiety, which keeps the heartrate high. High heartrates are not conducive to sleeping.

3. Develop a sleep ritual. Doing the same things each night just before bed-time signals your body to settle down for the night.

4. Keep regular hours. Maintain the rhythm of your biological clock by going to bed around the same time each night and waking up close to the same time each morning – even on weekends.

5. Create a restful place to sleep. Sleep in a cool, dark room that is free from noises.

6. Sleep on a comfortable, supportive mattress and foundation.

7. Regular exercise can help relieve daily tension and stress but exercising too close to bedtime keeps the heartrate high and inhibits sleep. Curtail workouts before bed-time so as to give the body enough time to wind down.

8. Cut down on stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and some medications that treat high blood pressure, asthma and the heart.

Aubrey Bryce is a NCCP certified coach, an Olympian, in the sport of track cycling, and is still actively successful as a Master’s racing cyclist in Canada and the USA. He is president of Enduro Training Systems Inc. and a partner in The Fitness Factory, an indoor training facility for cyclists and multisport athletes in Scarborough. Over the past 16 years, Aubrey has provided coaching and consultation for athletic and general fitness activities, including track and field, football, cycling and multisport athletics. Most recently, he has been primarily involved in training of athletes in the endurance sport of cycling, triathlons, duathlons, paddling and general fitness. You may contact Aubrey at info@endurotraining.com or visit www.endurotraining.com.

Training Camp Packing List

We are almost mid way through winter and some of the lucky among us are getting ready to go on a late winter or early spring training camp. There are lots of things to remember to bring to a camp, some of it will depend if you are driving to camp or flying on what you can bring.

I won’t list all the obvious things like your bike, shoes, shorts, riding clothes etc, but here is a list of some of the things you should consider taking on a camp.

Raincape - Even if you are going to a Sunny location rain is always possible. You don’t want to miss riding days, so a good raincape will help make any wet rides more comfortable.

Energy Bars and energy drinks - There is a good chance the local shops or grocery stores won’t carry what you want to use. Bring along your supply for the week.

Tools – This can be basic tools to put your bike together if you are flying like allan keys and a pedal wrench, or if you are driving you can take a more complete set of tools.

Maps - Have Maps of your routes printed out ahead of time.

Bike Receipt - Important to bring a receipt to prove you purchased your bike in Canada and not while you were on your trip.

Receipts for Accommodations - The friendly border officer is going to want to know you have a place to stay while you are down south.

Pump - It is nice to have your own pump at Camp. Even if you are flying you can usually fit it in the bike box.

Chamois Cream- You will be riding longer than normal in heat and possibly rain, so bring some Chamois Cream.

Sunscreen - Make sure you have enough packed for the trip.

Flashing Light - You may have overcast or rainy days. A clip on flashing light makes things safer

Thermometer - Nice to have a thermometer to tell you the temperature in the morning.

Two copies of Travel Insurance - You should have two copies of your travel insurance, one to carry on you whenever you are riding or running.

IT Roller - A foam roller is very good to pack incase the IT bands get tight during camp.

Heat Bag - Doing more volume than normal injuries can flair up. A heat bag can help with problems.

Vitamins and ibuprofen - Bring your usual daily vitamins and make sure you have some ibuprofen with you.

Voltaren - A topical anti-inflammatory available at drugstores. Very effective for any inflammation that may come on.

So there you have it. A list of things to bring to training camp. Obviously you want to have a good winter of training to build up for the bigger hours of camp, but bringing some of these items will make your camp more enjoyable.

Chris Helwig is a Full Time Endurance Coach based out of London Ontario. Information on Chris’ experience and Coaching Packages can be found on his website www.coachchris.ca

Athlete Profiles and Stories

2 More Of Our Athletes Going to Challenge Roth

In this edition we will profile the husband and wife team of Bill and Shannon Kemp.

Both are regulars to our series and Shannon took the overall win at the 2010 Bracebridge Half Iron Triathlon.

If Shannon puts together a great race, she will easily contend for an age group podium position. And when you read Bill's profile below, you'll know that he will enjoy every second of Roth and maybe sample a German beer or two.

Shannon Kemp

Age - 34

Hometown - Aurora

Family info – Hubby & 2 dogs

Years racing - This will be my 9th race season.

# of Irondistance races - Roth will be #10

Best iron distance performance/pb - 2009 Ironman Florida (10:01)

Goal for Roth - Would love to do 10 – 10:15 in Roth

Why race Roth? - I’ve heard so much about the course & the spectators. It’s a race that I’ve wanted to do for a long time and it gives us a good excuse to go to Germany.

Sporting background - Soccer, skiing & running. It was running that got me into triathlon.

First race experience - My first race was the tri a tri in Orillia. I raced on a borrowed bike that was too big for me and flat tires.

First Iron distance experience - Ironman Florida 2003. It was my first race & my Kona qualifier. It remains one of my favourite races!

Tips for newcomers thinking about doing Irondistance or half iron distance racing - Be confident in yourself and race smart.

Favourite gear - My Orbea Ordu.

Fave MSC race(s) - Bracebridge ½ Iron Distance, I love the bike course!

Bill Kemp

Age - 43

Years of racing experience - 24 years

# of Irondistance races - 14

# of half iron distance races – 20+

Best iron distance performance/pb - 12:10 - I am now 240 lbs and tend to get my money’s worth at IM distance races.

Goal for Roth - 14 hrs and drink that super stein of beer at the end.

Why race Roth? - I have wanted to do Roth for the last 10 years- awesome venue and support, similar atmosphere to Multisport races - ‘family’.

Sporting background - Hockey, skiing & drinking beer.

Dream race performance? They are all dream races, if I can get the start line uninjured and have no mechanicals on the day, every thing just works out.

First race experience - Stouffville triathlon when I was 18. When I finished I swore I would never do another one.

First Iron distance experience - Great Floridian when I was 20. That race broke me in 2, I remember going out on the bike with 2 water bottles and a power bar as food. When I finished the bike I still had one bottle left and the power bar was still taped to my top tube. MEGA BONK.

Tips for newcomers thinking about doing Irondistance or half iron distance racing - Minimize the expectation you have on yourself. Plan a smart race in terms of nutrition, energy output and weather conditions. There are no bad results.

Favourite gear - My AWESOME Ridley Dean. The best bike I have ever owned….and I have owned a few.

Fave MSC race(s)- Bracebridge ½ - I like the river swim as it is different and the bike course is awesome. I just wish it would not thunderstorm every year. Wasaga Sprint - Great season ending race.

MSC Radio - Athlete Interviews

Check out our latest interview with RJ Ross, the 2010 Triple Race Challenge Overall Champion.

Find out more about this great athlete here at MSC Radio.

Stay tuned for more podcasts with Simon Whitfield, Mike Cheliak, and other special guests.

Camps, Clinics & Other Events

Swim Faster Now - Improve your head position

It is hard to believe that the month of January has come and gone! Everyone is starting to think and focus more on the upcoming season. We just finished our monthly clinic the other day and the swimmers which ranged from beginner to the intermediate level made fantastic progress in just 3 short hours of in the water teaching. The focus of the clinic as with all of our clinics is to be able to teach everyone how to swim faster with less effort.

As each of the swimmers went through our clinic I began to see less (almost no splash) from their arm movements and better body position and body balance. I was asked by one participant how long it takes to make a change in their stroke. Usually you can make 4-6 changes in your stroke in a period of approximately 6 weeks. A change could range from improved head position to proper hip rotation to improved balance as done through the 6 step system to faster frontcrawl.

Did you know that when you swim you should focus on the black line and point your nose straight down to the bottom of the pool with the water line at the back of the head? Make sure no one else is in your lane when you try this. Did you also know that as you swim each length of the pool that when you pass the half way mark of the pool that you gradually make a slight shift in head position to begin to look for the wall? When your head position changes and you begin to look slightly forward, more pressure is placed upon the hips causing them to sink slightly in the water and making your swimming much more challenging to do. Right now you are probably asking how to correct this from happening or are saying it doesn’t happen to you. Well it happens to almost everyone I have seen swim. The reason for this is that whether you are aware of it or not, you have been trained to look for the "T" on the wall or the square on the wall at the end of each length. The next time you are in the pool try and look for the "T" on the bottom of the pool, knowing that once you see it, you are a few feet from the wall. Once you are in this position, try looking forward without tilting your head. This can be done by looking out of the top of your eyes. By taking time and practicing short 1 length swims for a portion of some of your workouts, you can make this the focal point of the set and master it in just a few short weeks. Once you have it mastered, you will swim with a higher hip position and are now ready to tackle some other critical balance position drills as taught by Swim Faster Now.

At Swim Faster Now, we work with triathletes and swimmers from the beginner level to international level. Whether you are just getting started, or are becoming a seasoned competitor, we can help you gain that competitive advantage you have been looking for. We offer monthly clinics and private one on one classes.

Our next clinic is on March 6th 2011 from 9am to 12pm. At this clinic we will be addressing the six steps to faster and smoother frontcrawl. Over the course of the clinic, you will learn proper balance, body position and the timing of proper arm movements for frontcrawl. Each participant will receive a DVD of them swimming each of the drills with the corrections required. Our next clinic after this will take place on April 16th from 9am - 12pm. The pool is located at our facility in Oakville. Please call 1-888-380-7946 to enroll for our clinic or private classes. Space in the clinics is limited to a maximum of 10 participants.

Remember…Make the changes today that will make you better tomorrow!!

If you have a question about your swimming, send me an email thru our website at www.swimfasternow.com

Absolute Endurance's Tucson Training Camp

Join Absolute Endurance Training and Therapy in Tucson, Arizona! Get out in the sun and log some early miles swimming, biking and running to get a head start on your competitors; enjoy some of the best cycling in North America.

Your coaches will be Alan Chud, Cindy Lewis and Tara Norton.

Workouts will be catered to all levels of fitness and all levels of racing, and include coached workouts and group rides as well as information sessions on swimming, cycling, run technique and race transitions.

Click here to download the full Camp flier as a PDF file.

Nacho Average Triathlon Team

Become a Nacho today! We are an active triathlon club with chapters in Parry Sound, Muskoka, Sudbury and Toronto. We love to race but we make sure that we have fun doing it. Check us out on the web: www.nachoaverage.ca Our first event is our club triathlon on May 15^th, 2011 in McKellar, Ontario.

Tri Burlington Fit Fair - April 2nd

The Tri Burlington Fit Fair is set to take place at the Tansley Woods Community Centre from 1 to 6 pm on Saturday April 2. The $50 registration fee includes entrance to the Fit Fair, keynote speaker and four workshops. View the workshop schedule here. Proceeds go to YMCA Strong Kids Campaign. Check out more and register at: www.triburlington.ca

Please Support our Sponsors

We extend our thanks to each and every sponsor. Race entry fees never cover the complete cost of a particular race or series of races and without the sponsors there is no race or race series that would survive without their support. We hope that you all take a moment to check out our Series Sponsors below or visit the sponsors page and see what they do and look at the products they sell. Please thank them for supporting the sports of Triathlon and Duathlon by trying and using their products. If you do visit them please take a moment to thank them for supporting Triathlon, Duathlon and Kids races in Ontario.

Thanks To All Of Our Sponsors

We extend our thanks to each and every sponsor and the local bike, running and triathlon shops in the communities where you race. Race entry fees never cover the complete cost of a particular race or series of races and without the sponsors there is no race or race series that would survive without their support. We hope that you all take a moment to check out our Series Sponsors below or visit the sponsors page and see what they do and look at the products they sell. Please thank them for supporting the sports of Triathlon and Duathlon by trying and using their products. If you do visit them please take a moment to thank them for supporting Triathlon, Duathlon and Kids races in Ontario.

MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series

We are extremely grateful to have the support of our sponsors. Please support all of our sponsors. You can visit their website by clicking on their logo.