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303Endurance Podcast


Nov 12, 2022

This week's guest interview is with Polar adventurer, expedition guide, dog musher and educator, Eric Larsen. Eric has spent the past 15 years of his life traveling in some of the most remote and wild places left on earth including Antarctica, the North Pole, Everest and the biggest challenge of them all - cancer.

 

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In Today's Show

  • Feature Interview
    • Eric Larsen Adventurer, Guide and Educator
  • Endurance News
    • Bermuda World Triathlon Series Race Results
    • El Tour de Tucson, November 19
    • Ironman Arizona, November 20
  • What's new in the 303
    • Victoria Brumfield Now Chief Executive Officer of USA Triathlon
    • You Get What You Give, Ask Primal Why
  • Videos of the Week
    • 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Bermuda

 

Feature Interview: Eric Larsen

Polar adventurer, expedition guide, dog musher and educator, Eric Larsen has spent the past 15 years of his life traveling in some of the most remote and wild places left on earth.

 

In 2006, Eric and Lonnie Dupre completed the first ever summer expedition to the North Pole. During this journey, the duo pulled and paddled specially modified canoes across 550 miles of shifting sea ice and open ocean.

 

Eric successfully led his first expedition to the South Pole in 2008, covering nearly 600 miles in 41 days. Eric is now one of only a few Americans in to have skied to both the North and South Poles.

 

In November 2009, Eric returned to Antarctica for the first leg of his world record Save the Poles expedition. This time he completed a 750-mile ski traverse to the geographic South arriving on January 2, 2010.

 

Two short months later he was dropped off at northern Ellesmere Island for a winter-style North Pole Journey. The international team reached the North Pole 51 days later on Earth Day - April 22, 2010.

 

He completed the Save the Poles expedition by reaching the summit of Mt. Everest on October 15th, 2010 becoming the first person in history to reach the world's three 'poles' within a 365-day period.

 

In March 2014, Eric Larsen and Ryan Waters set out to traverse nearly 500 miles across the melting Arctic Ocean, unsupported, from Northern Ellesmere Island to the geographic North Pole. Despite being one of the most cold and hostile environments on the planet, the Arctic Ocean has seen a steady and significant reduction of sea ice over the past seven years due to climate change. Because of this, Larsen's and Waters' trip—dubbed the "Last North Expedition"—is expected to be the last human-powered trek to the North Pole, ever.

Eric Larsen (explorer) - Wikipedia

Eric Larsen Explore

 

Kindred spirits indeed

3 day Gunnison

Spring bar tent

Camp stove

Grew up in Wisconsin

Read books about explorations; fascinated by Alaska

Taught Environmental Education

In January 2021, Eric was initially diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer, but upon further biopsies was categorized as Stage 3b. After a year of intensive chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, he is currently still in treatment.

Cancer journey a lot like an explanation

 

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Endurance News:

2022 Bermuda World Triathlon Championship Series

  • Flora out of the water second
  • Raining on bike
  • On the 3rd loop of bike joined by maya kingma
  • Knibb was more than 40 back at the start of the bike but in 3rd place by t2 (45 seconds)

 

  • Vincent Luis led from swim to finish
  • The front 7 gave an impressive t2 performance all coming it as a pack and dismounting in unison
  • Blummenfelt and Yee were in a second pack

 

Results: Elite Women | 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Bermuda • World Triathlon

Pos

First Name

Last Name

YOB

Country

Start

Num

Time

Swim

1500m

T1

Bike

40km

T2

Run

10km

1

Flora

Duffy

1987

 BER

1

02:01:26

00:20:15

00:00:42

01:05:26

00:00:26

00:34:39

2

Taylor

Knibb

1998

 USA

7

02:03:04

00:20:46

00:00:47

01:05:32

00:00:32

00:35:28

3

Beth

Potter

1991

 GBR

2

02:03:17

00:20:47

00:00:42

01:06:45

00:00:24

00:34:41

4

Laura

Lindemann

1996

 GER

4

02:04:00

00:20:35

00:00:44

01:06:56

00:00:27

00:35:20

5

Taylor

Spivey

1991

 USA

3

02:04:05

00:20:42

00:00:44

01:06:47

00:00:26

00:35:27

 

 

Results: Elite Men | 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Bermuda • World Triathlon

Pos

First Name

Last Name

YOB

Country

Start

Num

Time

Swim

1500m

T1

Bike

40km

T2

Run

10km

1

Vincent

Luis

1989

 FRA

4

01:49:37

00:19:01

00:00:45

00:58:06

00:00:25

00:31:22

2

Antonio

Serrat Seoane

1995

 ESP

6

01:49:45

00:19:43

00:00:39

00:58:19

00:00:23

00:30:43

3

Roberto

Sanchez Mantecon

1996

 ESP

24

01:49:54

00:19:51

00:00:42

00:58:07

00:00:25

00:30:52

4

Jelle

Geens

1993

 BEL

1

01:49:59

00:19:49

00:00:41

00:58:05

00:00:21

00:31:06

5

Alex

Yee

1998

 GBR

2

01:50:04

00:19:40

00:00:38

00:58:21

00:00:26

00:31:01

6

Kristian

Blummenfelt

1994

 NOR

51

01:50:06

00:19:37

00:00:43

00:58:14

00:00:24

00:31:10

 

Tucson Bikes for Change to give out over 500 free bikes

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson Bikes for Change is giving out more than 500 bicycles for children in need, before the start of El Tour de Tucson.

 

These special children will receive a bicycle, a helmet, lock and t-shirt at certain locations, along with a free Tour de Tucson Kid's Fun Ride registration.

 

"This year, Serve Our City is excited to Partner with El Tour de Tucson and their Tucson Bikes for Change program by helping to provide volunteers at seven locations throughout the city to assemble 500 bikes provided by a host of great sponsors for children in need," said Outreach Pastor Robin Blumenthal.

 

“What a great way for so many partners to join forces and give Tucson kids the chance to experience the joy of riding a bike in our beautiful city," expressed Blumenthal.

 

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — As El Tour de Tucson draws closer, drivers in the Tucson and surrounding areas will want to take note and prepare for upcoming road closures the day of the race, Saturday Nov. 19.

 

An anticipated 7,000 cyclists will navigate the Old Pueblo and surrounding areas beginning at 8 a.m. Multiple variations of the El Tour route are planned:

 

The Century - 102-mile route; 7 a.m. start

The Metric Century - 62-mile route; 9 a.m. start

The Half Metric Century - 32-mile route; 10:15 a.m. start

The FUN Rides! - 10, 5, and 1-mile routes; 8:00 a.m. start

 

All routes start and end around the Tucson Community Center (TCC), with live music, food, beer garden and other exhibitors in the Eckbo Plaza, 260 S. Church Ave.

 

“It’s important we let the Tucson community and its surrounding areas to the south – Green Valley & Sahuarita – know what roads will be closed during El Tour on November 19," said El Tour Executive Director TJ Juskiewicz.

 

"We want to make sure everyone is prepared for our road closures as they plan their day. Our ride begins at 7 a.m. and goes to 4 p.m. with roads being closed at various times. Those times are listed on the list we’ve sent," added Juskiewicz.


Organizers suggest parking in one of the two garages at the TCC, or any number of the city, county or private surface lots in the area.

 

Bike valet services will be available at the finish line and is included as part of the registration for riders.

 

Mark Allen's brother Gary and his wife Michelle Allen

 

From Arizona to Bahrain – Five races still to look forward to in 2022

10 Nov 2022 by John Levison

We may be approaching the middle of November and the racing calendar is indeed winding down for 2022, but there are a still several notable events to look forward to. Some stellar start-lists, high-quality races – and a very significant World Championship title showdown – still remain.

 

We’ve done a little forward planning and picked out five of our highlights to look forward to in the Pro triathlon world between now and the end of 2022.

 

IRONMAN Arizona: 20 November

With live coverage of the event from Tempe, IRONMAN Arizona offers a $100,000 prize purse, four Kona qualifying slots (2MPRO / 2WPRO) and a pretty impressive start list, should the majority of these athletes all show.

 

For the men those names include Joe Skipper (fifth in Kona), the full-distance debut of Ben Kanute (second at the 70.3 World Champ), Mr Yo Yo Yo, Sam Long, IRONMAN Des Moines winner Matt Hanson, Chris Leiferman (fourth at the IRONMAN World Champs, St George), Kristian Hogenhaug (2021 World Triathlon LD Champion) and INEOS rider, Cameron Wurf. Lots of fast athletes on a historically fast course. What’s not to like?

 

joe-skipper-kona-2022-bike

Joe Skipper – Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images for IRONMAN

The women are headed by Skye Moench (fourth in St George), Sarah True and Great Britain’s IRONMAN Lanzarote champion, Lydia Dant.

 

 

What's New in the 303:

Victoria Brumfield Now Chief Executive Officer of USA Triathlon

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Victoria Brumfield today was announced by USA Triathlon Board of Directors Chair Joel Rosinbum as the Chief Executive Officer for the National Governing Body.

 

Brumfield, who has served as USA Triathlon’s interim CEO since early September, becomes the organization’s first female CEO in its 40-plus-year history.

 

Brumfield has been a highly impactful executive within the organization for more than four years, serving as an innovative and results-driven leader for the sport and organization. Her vision and leadership led the development and implementation of USA Triathlon’s most recent strategic plan – Elevate 2028 – that sets the path for the organization through the LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

 

“I’m honored to lead USA Triathlon during such an important time, and I want to thank Joel, the USA Triathlon Board of Directors and members of the hiring committee for the opportunity,” Brumfield said. “Multisport is transformative, unifying and empowering, and I am proud and ready to wake up every morning and bring this sport and community to more people. I look forward to working closely with our constituents and team to continue to spread the virtues of our sport far and wide, serve our community in a way that enables everyone to prosper, build on the development programs for youth and junior athletes, and celebrate our sport and community every day.”

 

A trailblazer and advocate throughout her career, Brumfield was hired as the first female member of the USA Triathlon’s Executive Leadership Team. Brumfield’s leadership has elevated and empowered female leaders within the organization at every level of the organization. Additionally, Brumfield has been a staunch proponent of diversity, equality, inclusion and access (DEIA) during her time at USA Triathlon and worked to make DEIA a focal point of the organization’s long-term strategic plan, annual priorities and hiring processes, among other areas.

 

Brumfield has helped transform USA Triathlon’s approach to service and the constituents it serves, most notably race directors, clubs, coaches, officials and age-group athletes. She has instilled a focus on building meaningful relationships with community members across the United States and emphasized the need for both resource development and initiatives and programs that drive value at the grassroots level.

 

Prior to her appointment as interim CEO Brumfield most recently served as USA Triathlon’s Chief of Staff and Chief Business Development Officer. She led the turnaround of USA Triathlon from a transactional entity to an organization celebrated for its service leadership by fostering a culture of collaboration both internally and externally. With a people-first approach, Brumfield helped USA Triathlon earn best-place-to-work recognition by Front Office Sports, Outside Magazine, and Colorado Springs Gazette.

 

In 2020 Brumfield was named the Chief Business Development Officer, in addition to her Chief of Staff role, and led business development and partnerships. Under her leadership,U USA Triathlon led unprecedented commercial growth and strategic partnerships, even while navigating the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

In her role as Chief of Staff, Brumfield was responsible for directing strategic planning, managing and streamlining the organization’s operational plan, and overseeing cross-functional projects with large-scale organizational impact. She also directly oversaw business administration including human resources, finance, and information technology (IT), for three years.

 

Brumfield currently serves on the World Triathlon Audit Committee and was a member of the SportsBusiness Journal “Game Changers: Women in Sports Business” 2020 Class.

 

Prior to USA Triathlon, Brumfield worked in the endurance sports industry for nearly 20 years across a number of roles that gave her both a broad understanding of the business of the sport and the opportunity to grow and inspire triathlon communities at the local level. Most recently, she was a founding member of the Virgin Sport start-up in Sir Richard Branson’s global Virgin Group. Before Virgin, Victoria’s roots were deeply embedded in triathlon as the former Event Director for the New York City Triathlon, IRONMAN US Championship, 2003 ITU World Cup in New York City, 2005 ITU Age Group World Championships in Hawaii, and 2004 USA Olympic trials for Triathlon, among others.

 

Brumfield is a passionate amateur short and long-distance triathlete and endurance athlete. She studied finance and earned a Master of Business Administration from the NYU Stern School Of Business. She currently resides in Colorado Springs, Colo.

 

You Get What You Give, Ask Primal Why

By Bill Plock

Nov 6, 2022–Denver  In 1998, The New Radicals released the song, “You Get What You Give” and it seems to have resonated strongly as a business mantra with premier cycling apparel manufacturer Primal of Denver.

 

As I looked around the room at the Four Seasons conference room during the PrimalBike 2022 gathering a couple of weeks ago, it dawned on me that between all of the rides represented here, well over $150 million is raised each and every year for a variety of causes; cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, college scholarships, community causes and so much more.

 

Between the rides, tens of thousands of riders explore roads in every corner of America. The reason they were all in Denver? Primal, a thirty-year-old company supplies cycling clothing for all of these rides and the cyclists who spend hours raising money and a lifetime rolling on roads.

 

Thirty years ago, Dave Edwards made some cool cycling t-shirts and sold them out of the back of his car in Moab. They were a hit and one thing has led to another and thousands upon thousands of designs later Primal has evolved into one of cycling’s top brands of cycling wear.

 

Each year, Primal invites some of their top customers to meet and discuss the “state of the union” in cycling events and ponder the future, and share ideas on how to improve events and the sport of cycling. This year’s attendee’s included leaders from MS, RAGBRAI, Bike New York, Pan-Mass Challenge, Outside, and many others. All of the organizations attending, some for-profit and most non-profits, raise enormous money, but so does Primal.

 

Since its inception, Primal has given away over 12 million dollars. Says founder, President/CEO Dave Edwards about the gathering, “the most meaningful part is making connections and sharing knowledge and experiences. We’re privileged to work with incredible partners, and we wanted to provide an opportunity for them to get together in a setting that inspires learning, conversations, and relationship building that makes their events even better while getting more people on bikes.”

 

The Pan-Mass Challenge, in particular, raising $63million in one ride for cancer research leads the peloton of charity. Said President, Jarrett Collins, “Primal is a great partner for the Pan-Mass Challenge because they support many of our teams with high-quality kits, AND they give back to the fundraising efforts of those teams, all in the service of defeating cancer!”

 

The group had break-out sessions focused on discussing a variety of topics ranging from sustainability to trends such as gravel, or as Jarrett Collins termed, “unpaved”. Steve Schulz from Cycle Oregon gave us a peek behind the curtains of their Community of Giving (COG) program and the impact their ride has on its communities and how it helps build everything from community centers to improving community relationships.

 

The group took to the streets and rode bikes to further build camaraderie and consider ideas aimed at getting more people on bikes and raising more money.

 

Ken Podziba, President of Bike New York holds the largest one-day ride in the United States, the Five Boro Bike Tour with over 32,000 riders (303 articles about the ride HERE) and said of the conference, “the conference, which was interesting, engaging, informative, and entertaining, provided an opportunity to learn from and collaborate with some of our country’s top bike event organizers.  I left Denver with a much greater knowledge of Primal’s creative and managerial processes, learning things we can apply to our events, and making some awesome new friends – now that’s a successful conference!”

 

If you measure yourself by the peers you attract, Primal has attracted many of the best of the best when it comes to top cycling events and raising money for good causes. You Get What You Give seemed more than obvious at PrimalBike 2022.

 

Aspen unicyclist left his mark on famed Iron Horse Bicycle Classic

It’s only fitting that Aspen’s Mike “Pinto” Tierney is going out “No. 1” in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic.

 

Not “No. 1” as in the fastest in the famed race and recreational ride between Durango and Silverton. Nor did he log the most years riding in the event, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year on Memorial Day Weekend.

 

Instead, he is the guy who has turned heads for tackling the grueling 47-mile ride over two mountain passes exceeding 10,000 feet on one wheel.

 

In Aspen, Tierney is famed for working 40 years on the exalted Aspen Highlands Ski Patrol and for ­regularly riding his unicycle up Independence Pass and Maroon and Castle Creek roads — and even on a ­variety of mountain bike trails in the Roaring Fork Valley.

 

In Durango and Silverton, he’s known as the crazy dude who rides a one-wheeled cycle with no brakes up and down some of the most challenging passes in Colorado.

 

“A 63-year-old unicycling 50 miles from Durango to Silverton sounds a little crazy. I don’t mind being called crazy,” Tierney said.

 

This year’s event was his eighth and final Iron Horse. “I was the only unicyclist to do it, ever,” he said. Others started, none finished. He heard of a unicyclist from Cortez who rode the route, just not during the Iron Horse.

 

Unicycles weren’t allowed in the event prior to 2005. Rules changed and Tierney jumped at the opportunity — and promptly got humbled. Six unis started. The other riders dropped out along the route. Tierney started with the two-wheeled riders and was quickly left in the dust.

One restaurant hung a sign on the door saying, “Free food to Lance Armstrong and any unicyclist that finishes.”

By the time Tierney finished, the restaurant was closed for the day because all riders had long since finished.

 

He changed strategy the next time he rode it in 2015. He started an hour early and got the flats north of Durango out of the way. In that and subsequent years, he got used to the racers sweeping by him on lower Coal Bank Pass, then the recreational riders catching him higher up the major ascent. He completes the ride between 6 and 6.5 hours.

 

It’s not about finishing fast. It’s about finishing on one wheel. Other cyclists marvel at how he can tackle the steep ascents and hair-raising downhills on a cycle with one speed and no brake. He rides a 36-inch wheel. He grinds up with 170mm crank arms and swaps them out to 140mm for the downhills.

 

Over the 45 years since he started riding a unicycle, he’s learned to seek the slow cadence of pedal strokes on the downhill. If he cannot maintain it and gets going too quickly, he’s got to jump off. He’s never had to do it in his eight Iron Horses. While bicycle riders get to coast on the downhills, Tierney still has to work.

 

For Tierney, it was particularly humbling to get accolades in a couple of notable celebrations of the Iron Horse’s 50th anniversary. There is a section about him in a book marking the anniversary, “Fiftieth Anniversary, Looking Back Racing Forward” by John Peel. His accomplishments also are included in a special exhibit at Fort Lewis College’s Center of Southwest Studies. The exhibit, “Looking Back, Racing Ahead: 50 Years of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic and Durango Cycling Culture,” is on display until spring 2023.

 

 

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Video of the week:

2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Bermuda: Elite Women's Highlights

 

2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Bermuda: Elite Men's Highlights

 

Closing:

Thanks again for listening in this week.  Please be sure to follow us @303endurance and of course go to iTunes and give us a rating and a comment.  We'd really appreciate it!

Stay tuned, train informed, and enjoy the endurance journey!