Sep 3, 2022
IRONMAN Alaska was August 7th and appears to have been an epic location for in IRONMAN. We have the race director Dave Christen and a local athlete and coach Dave Sheanan who raced the event. We are excited to share both perspectives today.
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In Today's Show
Feature Interview: IM AK with Dave Christen and Dave Sheanin
Dave Sheanin is an assistant head coach for the CU Triathlon team and a coach with D3 Multisport. He also pulls physically challenged athletes. Dave Sheanin is originally from Woodland Hills, CA and lives in Erie, CO currently. He studied: Psychology at UC-Irvine (go anteaters!) and MBA at CU-Boulder.
Favorite Triathlon Discipline: Swim for sure. Love the water but it's a curse--no one wins a tri in the swim, but I'm willing to keep trying. Leadership | colorado-tri-copy (cutriathlon.com)
Dave Christen is a Regional Directory for IRONMAN Group. He has been in the endurance sport and event production world since 2008, was the Race Director for IRONMAN Boulder and is one of the driving forces behind IRONMAN AK.
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Endurance News:
Alaska’s first Ironman triathlon is held in Juneau
By Jeremy Hsieh, KTOO - Juneau -August 9, 2022
Sunday’s race in Juneau was the first Ironman triathlon in Alaska. More than 700 athletes finished the race.
The first across the finish line was Alex Whetman of Riverton, Utah. It took him 9 hours, 11 minutes, 17 seconds to swim 1.2 miles in Auke Lake, bike 112 miles on Glacier Highway and run a full 26-mile marathon through the Mendenhall Valley.
Liz Cullen of Gibson, British Columbia, was the top female finisher with a time of 10 hours, 23 minutes, 3 seconds.
The first person from Juneau to finish was Will Coleman, who was 14th overall. Beth Gollin was Juneau’s first female finisher and 13th female overall.
John Bursell was Juneau’s second finisher. He has completed several Ironman races in the past, and met his goal this time to qualify for the Ironman World Championship event in Hawaii in October.
“It was a great experience overall,” he said. “I think Ironman did a great job. I was super-impressed and proud of Juneau. You know, the way people turned out — the support was incredible, the volunteers were incredible. And we heard that over and over again from people who came from out of town to compete. This was basically the most supportive community they’ve ever raced in.”
Bursell said locals volunteered, loaned out their own personal bikes, opened up their homes to house athletes and even offered free car rides around town. According to a press release from Ironman, more than 1,400 people volunteered.
The event had a lot of challenges. Race officials cut the swim portion in half, due to the cold water temperatures in Auke Lake.
Before the race even began, logistics issues drove down turnout. In a press release, Ironman said “approximately 1,000” athletes came to Juneau for the event. An official list dated from April had identified more than 1,300 participants.
Juneau’s destination marketing organization, Travel Juneau, worked closely with race organizers. Executive Director Liz Perry said there will be a full debrief to work on making the second Ironman Alaska event go smoother. Perry said there’s a three-year contract, meaning Ironman Alaska will be back in Juneau in 2023 and 2024.
What's New in the 303:
XTERRA USA Championship returns to Colorado in August 2023
The 22nd annual XTERRA USA Championship off-road triathlon will return to Beaver Creek Resort in conjunction with a community festival in Avon, Colorado, on August 25-27, 2023.
XTERRA will host full-distance, sprint, relay, and beginner-friendly off-road triathlons along with trail runs, demo events, and a variety of activities for the family. This includes kid’s races, yard games, exhibitors, food trucks, beer gardens, and live music at the open air Harry A Nottingham Park and Performance Pavilion in the heart of Avon.
“It’s an amazing venue, for both its natural beauty and world-class facilities, and the support we receive from the community is incredible,” said Steve Andrus, XTERRA US Tour Manager.
“We’re looking forward to building on the partnerships we established last year, and excited about our new date in August which provides us with more opportunities to engage with local partners and deliver a truly exceptional experience for participants.”
The main event will award US$25,000 in prize money to professionals, plus XTERRA USA Championship crowns to age group division winners, along with 51 qualifying spots into the 2023 XTERRA World Championship to be held in Trentino, Italy.
While this will be XTERRA’s 14th year of racing at Beaver Creek Resort, it is just the second time XTERRA has hosted its national championship in the Colorado Rockies following 12 seasons at Snowbasin Resort in Utah (2009-2021) and eight years in Incline Village, Nevada (2001-2008).
The championship event starts with a one-mile swim in the cool waters of Nottingham Lake situated at 7,400-feet elevation. This is followed by ‘a fun, up-and-down, 16-mile mountain bike’ – finishing with a 6-mile trail run through the aspens and into the village square.
The weekend of events is supported by partners from the Town of Avon, Beaver Creek Resort, US Forest Service, The Cycle Effect, and Walking Mountains Science Center.
“We enjoyed collaborating with XTERRA and their use of Nottingham Lake and Park, and the Performance Pavilion really showcased Avon,” said Danita Dempsey, the Culture, Arts & Special Event Manager for the Town of Avon. “We are thrilled to have them back.”
Upcoming Multisport Events in Colorado (runningintheusa.com)
Upcoming Classic Runs in Colorado (runningintheusa.com)
Video of the week:
RACE DAY RECAP! *1st ever IRONMAN Alaska*
Closing:
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Stay tuned, train informed, and enjoy the endurance journey!