TriSports.com Blog

For the love of Saucony

There aren’t many products that I gush about, but I have found myself more than once in the past few months on the sales floor gushing to a customer about the Saucony Kinvara. I had been a long time Mizuno Wave Rider wearer, but after my last 70.3, the first thing I did was take off my shoes. My heels were once again blistered, my feet ached, my shoes were soaking wet and seemed 5 pounds heavier. It was time to find a new pair of running shoes.

The TriSports Shoe Wall

I headed to the TriSports shoe wall and consulted with one of our expert shoe fitters. I wanted a light weight shoe with good drainage, enough cushion to run an Ironman marathon, and a lower heel-to-toe drop (around 4-6mm). I tried on the Brooks T7, the K-Swiss Blade Light, and the Saucony Kinvara. Right away the Saucony’s were noticeably different. The shoe’s upper was soft and flexible, free of unnecessary decorations, and allowed for good ventilation. The heel cup was also very pliable and securely wrapped around my narrow heel. With 4 mm of drop between the heel and toe it was the perfect shoe for transitioning to a more minimalist style of shoe.

Saucony Kinvara

Fast forward 5 months and I still love my Kinvaras. I am well over the “300 mile limit” and the shoes still feel like they did when they came out of the box.  If you are in the market for a light weight trainer/racer with a low profile, try out the Saucony Kinvaras, and if you need a stability shoe, try the Fastwitch. Happy running!

Learn more about Saucony shoes at TriSports University!

A Visit from the Voice

If you have ever done an Ironman, or ever been to see one, there are two things that are most certainly consistent – the M-dot logo and the voice of Mike Reilly. Mike has announced over 100 Ironman races over the years and has said the words, “You are an Ironman,” tens of thousands of times. His voice is the welcome home committee for many of us that cross the line. I have been racing Ironman races for over 12 years and am about to do my 8^th race; in all but one of them Mike has been there to welcome me across the finish line. Mike and I are on the board of Triathlon America together and have gotten to know each other a bit better over the last year. On his way to Ironman Arizona I persuaded him to make a right hand turn off of I-8 onto I-10 (he lives in southern CA) to come and visit our operation.

Mike Reilly with some of the TriSports.com retail staff!

I have to say it was a pleasure to have him in the building, as I think almost everyone one had a life story that involved him. He is pretty much like Kevin Bacon, except in triathlon you are only 2 degrees or less away from him. If you haven’t met Mike Reilly, I will tell you that he is the real deal; he cares about this sport and more importantly cares about the people that are fortunate enough to have found this sport as part of their lives.

Seton Claggett, Mike Reilly, and Pam Kallio

2011 Ford Ironman Arizona

Do you remember the first time you watched an Ironman? Did you get goose bumps at the swim start, shed a tear as you watched athletes cross the line, and get up early the next day to sign yourself up for next year’s race? That is how most people end up doing an Ironman. I, on the other hand, signed up for my first Ironman on a whim one day at work, without ever witnessing one. With a long list of sponsored athletes, coworkers, and friends racing Ironman Arizona, I figured I should go see what this Ironman thing is really all about.

I arrived about 45 minutes prior to the swim start giving me enough time to park, swing by Starbucks, soak in the energy, and head to the bridge. The energy throughout Tempe was like Christmas morning, with everyone bubbling with the anticipation of the long day to come. Watching 2,500 people tread water below the bridge was incredible, and as the cannon went off and the athletes started their day, I tried to picture myself on the beach in Idaho.

The 2011 Ironman Arizona age group start.

After a quick breakfast and more caffeine, I found myself on a curb about ¼ of a mile from the bike course turn around. The day was perfect for racing, with temperatures in the mid 70’s, mild wind, and 0% chance of perception. Here I was able to get a good picture of how our athletes were doing. Torsten Abel looked calm and confident in the chase group (12^th place), which was quit a few minutes (about 8-10) down from the lead pack. I knew the day was still young and Torsten has a killer run, so I wasn’t worried. Leanda Cave came out of the water in 4^th but experienced a crash and some mechanical problems and looked pretty frazzled as she exited T1 in 8^th.  I was worried, but by the time she finished lap 1 of the bike she looked focused and back on her game. Woohoo! Seton was cruising right along, enjoying the cheers, and hamming it up as he rode in 3^rd place in the men’s 35-39 age group.

Seton got off the bike in 3rd in the M35-39 age group.

As the pro’s took to the run course, I made my way to the best aid station at Ironman Arizona –  Aid station #7 under the Mill Ave. bridge, which is staffed by the employees and customers of TriSports.com and headed up by our Vice President, Debbie. My goal on the run was to make people smile and with the help of my trusty hot pink sign, I think I accomplished just that.

Who doesn't love a "That's what she said" joke?

The run consists of 4 loops; with each lap I watched Leanda’s lead increase and Torsten run his way up through the ranks. As they passed through the TriSports.com aid station for the last time I made my way over to the finish line just in time to see this happen…

Then came Thomas Gerlach. Thomas received his pro card about a month ago and this was his professional Ironman debut. 8:57, not too shabby!

Team TriSports' Thomas Gerlach

Not too long after Thomas crossed the line, Leanda passed under the Ford arch with the biggest smile I have ever seen from the mild mannered and reserved Brit. A few month ago Leanda was in the shop and said, “I want to win one of those,” referring to an Ironman. With numerous 70.3, ITU and coveted race wins (Alcatraz, Wildflower), it was only a matter of time until she won one. It was incredible to watch one of the most decorated athletes in our sport finally cross the line first at this distance.

Leanda Cave wins 2011 Ironman Arizona.

Just 18 minutes after Leanda, TriSports.com CEO, Seton Claggett, came running down the shoot to win the men’s 35-39 age group, finishing 50^th overall and 8^th amateur. Imagine what he could do if he didn’t have 2 small kids and a company to run?!

Seton win the M35-39 age group and his bet with Leanda Cave.

Charisa Wernick hung tough and rounded out the top 10 for the pro women after a Tour de Porta-Potty during the second half of the marathon.

Charisa Wernick rounded out the 10 ten at IMAZ.

For Billy Oliver, the day didn’t go quit as planned. After a 2 minute swim PR, Billy crashed on the 2^nd loop of the bike. He only suffered some minor road rash, so he dusted himself off and got back into the race, willing himself to the finish only 3 minutes slower then his IMAZ PR. Bad ass.

Billy Oliver pushes through the pain.

Could I have asked for a better first Ironman to watch? I don’t think so. Multiple podium finishes from friends, watching Team TriSports athletes dig deep and push through the pain, all while spending a lovely day in Tempe, Arizona. Congratulations to all those who competed yesterday; you are an Ironman!

Ironman Arizona – a group effort

This weekend is the 9th edition of Ironman Arizona and for all 9 of these, the TriSports.com staff, family, friends and loyal customers have been on the course volunteering and racing.  This year will be no different.  Our great customers from around Tucson, Phoenix and beyond come out in droves to support the TriSports.com aid station that is nestled under the 202 and Mill Ave bridges.  This aid station serves as a safe haven for volunteers, racers and spectators because of the built in “roof” above.  Along with volunteering, we have four great staff members, representing four different departments (customer service, accounting, buying and management) stepping up to the line representing the red, white and blue of TriSports.com.  All combined, over 40% of our staff will be involved with the event in some way, shape or form.

Retail manager, Erik Jacobson, volunteers at the 2010 Ironman Arizona.

I have to say that we are very fortunate to work in our facility because it really does feel like the entire TriSports.com staff is behind you.  They understand when you had a hard day on the bike, a great run or a meeting in the Pain Cave.  Most of the time when you see someone dragging in this building, it is because they just tortured themselves on some epic workout.  Why?   Because we live the endurance lifestyle, it is what we do, it is who we are.  See you up in Tempe!

2011 Ironman Arizona finisher, and Team TriSports athlete Matt Grabau.

Saturday Ride with BH Pro’s Angela Naeth, Eneko Llanos, and Nico Ward.

I look forward to my Saturday ride all week. Nothing is better then spending a couple of hours on my bike when my only worry is what I’m going to have for breakfast. The only thing that can make a Saturday better is getting to share those miles with some elite athletes. This Saturday, the Tucson community and I enjoyed a ride with the sponsored professional triathletes of BH bikes – Angela Naeth (Team TriSports), Eneko Llanos and Nico Ward. We headed out west to ride through the cactus forests of Saguaro West on a beloved route for Tucson riders. After a solid beat down, we returned to the shop for some bagels, coffee, raffle and conversation with the pros and the minds behind BH. A big thank you to the pros and BH crew who came down to ride with us, and for hosting the breakfast!  We look forward to having you back in January with the BH demo fleet!

Maher Salah of the TriSports Tri Club (upper left), Sylain Lebreton (upper right) also of the TriSports Tri Club enjoy an autograph session with Angela Naeth, Eneko Llanos and Nico Ward of BH Bicycles at the TriSports.com Ride with the BH Pros on Saturday November 12, 2011 at TriSports.com in Tucson, Arizona.

Antonio Soto of TriSports.com’s retail staff showed exceptional form as he applied pressure over the rolling terrain of the McCain Loop on the west side of the Tucson Mountains near TriSports.com. Top BH pro Eneko Llanos (black jersey) sits second wheel.

Basque triathlete Eneko Llanos of BH Bicycles competed in the first ever Olympic triathlon in 2000 and returned to the 2004 Summer Olympics. Llanos is most remembered for his dramatic dual- and handshake- with Chris McCormack in Kona at the Ford Ironman World Triathlon Championships in 2008. Llanos is also the winner of the first ever Abu Dhabi Triathlon at the famous Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi.

TriSports.com Cycling Club members joined triathletes for the ride that crossed Gates pass for some of the riders and completed a circuit of the rolling McCain Loop on the west side of Tucson. These riders show the effort of a spritely pace among the lead group.

A select group of eight riders negotiates the winding McCain Loop outside Tucson, Arizona on the TriSports.com Ride with the BH Pros on Saturday November 12, 2011. The ride covered approximately 40 miles on some of the best roads in the desert Southwest in Tucson’s “Winter Trainnig Capitol”. BH pro Eneko Llanos sits at the head of the group in this photo.

The TriSports.com Ride with the BH Pros on Saturday November 12, 2011 gave TriSports.com customers a chance to see the latest BH models including this new G5 road bike with ultra-short chainstays and unique rear end geometry for optimal climbing and handling.

Photos by Tom Demerly.

Halloween at TriSports.com

Treats await the tricksters at the TriSports.com Halloween Luncheon with Mrs. Green, Gina Murphy-Darling. TriSports.com was awarded “Arizona's Greenest Workplace” by Mrs. Green’s World for 2011.

There really is no place like home as Dorothy enjoys the Whole Foods Luncheon at TriSports.com in celebration of winning the “Arizona's Greenest Workplace” award at our annual Halloween Costume Contest here in Tucson, Arizona.

Apparently the lack of devil’s food sandwiches upset Adam McCreight, retail associate, during the Halloween Luncheon with Mrs. Green as TriSports.com celebrated the “Arizona's Greenest Workplace” award for 2011.

Some of the TriSports.com family dogs got into the act including this one with a fairly convincing Guernsey costume at the TriSports.com Halloween Luncheon with Mrs. Green.

An impressive turnout of ghouls, goblins and get-ups for the 2011 TriSports.com Halloween Costume Contest during the Halloween Luncheon brought to us by Whole Foods, with guest Mrs. Green (AKA Gina Murphy-Darling), CEO of Mrs. Green’s World, on hand to help judge. TriSports.com won the Mrs. Green’s “Arizona's Greenest Workplace” award for 2011.

CAF San Diego Triathlon Challenge

Street Level

By Tom Demerly

He hollered through a broken smile that looked like his brown teeth had chomped down on rock.

“Hey- how much was ‘saht bike? I seen ‘em bikes ‘sat cost eight hunder dollars and weigh three pounds. You kin pick ‘em up with yer pinky finger…”

Every morning on the commute in, and again on the way home, I see the men at the corner. They live under the bridge and sell papers to people stopped at the traffic light. Most people sitting behind safety glass in temperature controlled distance ignore them. Some buy papers, mostly tan men in pick-up trucks with ladders and tool buckets.

On a bike you are connected to the world, the environment. You sit on a bike, not in it. There is a greater level of interaction, intimacy even- with your surroundings. The interaction is both beautiful and sobering.

So it was that one morning I decided to ask one of the paper men; “How did you start selling papers on the corner and living under the bridge?”

This would seem an inappropriate question. It’s none of our business. We turn up the radio, crank the air and look away. Mind our own business. How much are tinted windows? And the Nietzsche quote, “If you stare into the Abyss long enough, the Abyss stares back” came to mind just a second after I asked him the question.

“Awww…” He started. “I’s ridin’ the buses. You ‘kin stay on ‘em all night. But they threw me off. I had a bed up in Phoenix- they let ya keep it fer a month. You get all yer own stuff, a locker too…”

The light changed. I got up on the curb with him. “But ya gotta find a job, and I ain’t had a job in eight years.” Cars were turning left now, passing inches from us. No one looked at us. It was as if he and I didn’t exist.

“Where you goin?” He asked me. I told him, “work”, pointing up the street to about where TriSports.com is. “You make bombs?”

“No, no, we sell triathlon stuff- bikes and shoes- mail order.”

“Ahhh. Bikes. They make bombs over there for the Air Force Base.”

He didn’t answer my question. What I wanted to know was, “How did you wind up here? What led to this? Do you ever dream of getting out- getting a job, getting an apartment?” and perhaps most importantly, “Are you happy this way- have you made this ‘work’?”

The light turned green and I had to get to work. I told him, “Listen Man, have a good one…”

“OK Man,” he said through the broken tooth smile. “I’ll see you later buddy…”

It was unrealistic to believe I could gain an understanding of why people are homeless in one conversation between stoplights. Like most issues in society it’s more complex than a four minute, two traffic light conversation. But it is a start. And that start is reflective of how riding a bike can connect us to our surroundings.

It’s not about Charity

Partnering with local organizations whose sole purpose is to help individuals seek employment that might otherwise be overlooked is just one of the many things that sets TriSports.com apart.   Sustainability is one of seven Core Values defined by Trisports.com.  Our definition of Sustainability states that “We make a conscious decision to be good stewards of the environment, develop and foster vendor and community relationships, provide a positive work environment for our staff and deliver an exceptional customer experience.”

Recently I had the pleasure of being introduced to San Miguel High School.  San Miguel High School is located on the South side of Tucson.  The High School opened in 2004, in order to create a learning community where students from families with limited financial means can have the opportunity to develop their full potential.  To cover the tuition costs for the students, San Miguel forms partnerships with local businesses and the students work there as interns.  In addition to covering tuition costs, the internships give students real-world work experience.   A job sharing team consists of four students working one day a week and rotating on Fridays to fill one full-time entry level position.

With our growth over the past few years, answering incoming calls on the 2^nd or 3^rd ring was becoming a challenge.  It has always been our belief that when you call TriSports.com you should get a live person.   To address the issue, TriSports.com created a position called “Director of 1^st Impressions” and hired a team of four students from San Miguel.  Most likely the next time you call TriSports.com, one of the exceptional San Miguel students will answer your call and ask you “how can I direct your call?”  In addition to answering all of the incoming calls they can also be found helping out in our accounting department with the many mounds of filing.

The students bring to work each day a great smile and an eagerness to learn.   Having the opportunity to give back to our community by hiring the San Miguel students is one of the more rewarding experiences I have had as an HR Manager.

Mountain Bike Clinic with Grasky Endurance Coaching

“You are not too old to learn to “bunny hop”” or so Brian kept telling me at last Sunday’s mountain bike clinic that was put on by Grasky Endurance Coaching at Sweetwater Preserve.  Instructors Brian and Jill Grasky and Bryce Phinney did a top job in coaching a mixed skills groups of mountain bikers through a set of skills drills and then took us off to ride.  This was a great opportunity to practice and hone your mountain biking skills with some Pros – or in my case try to actually acquire some basic skills and increased confidence.  Although I have raced twice in the Tour of the White Mountains and the Kona 24 hour race, my actual mountain biking skills are abysmal.  It’s hard to take years of triathlon and road cycling in straight lines and convert that into the wild down hills, boulders and cactus of Arizona mountain biking!  When this clinic opportunity came up I knew it was a must for me!

View of Tucson from Sweetwater Preserve

They offered a workable combination of individual skills drills and actual riding, and with three instructors we were divided up into beginner, intermediate and advanced skill levels, so everyone’s needs were adequately met.

I never mastered the “bunny hop” and even fell in the parking lot trying – but I came away from the clinic with better confidence after the ride and some real instruction on  weight distribution for cornering at low and high speeds, climbing and, of course, the downhill.

Speed is your friend when mountain biking – the brakes are not, especially the front ones!  Everyone participating enjoyed the clinic and left asking for more of these!

This was a lot of fun and a good opportunity to meet other Mountain bikers and get some Pro insight into how it should be done!

Coach Bryce tearing it up at the Deuces Wild Triathlon XTERRA