Sunday June 19, 2016 – Louisville, KY “Tri Louisville Sprint”

Tri Louiville took place in downtown Louisville, KY on Fathers day. The event was done extremely well. Not only was the course extremely flat and fast it was also very scenic. The swim took place in the Ohio river and for the sprint was a “reverse” direction through a channel that they start Ironman Louisville in every year. Upon exiting the water, you took a short run and entered a fully closed bike leg that was 4 lanes wide (2 out and 2 back). This course was extremely flat and allowed you to really push in the bike. The course traveled through the downtown core past the river front, museum row (with a special pass along the front of the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory) and then back into transition. For the sprint 2 laps were completed and then on to the run. The run was scenic following along the river front; however, at times the course was a bit difficult to follow so you had to rely pretty heavily on course workers that were very friendly and helpful. Also, as an added bonus there were 3 spots where you had to ascend and descend stairs so this really helped to get the legs nice and warmed up. The post race was really nice – there were beverages and snacks aplenty and they also had free snow cones and face painting for kids (it was fathers day) plus a specialty coffee and breakfast food truck that spectators could purchase from – I helped myself to a coffee post race and must say it was excellent!

I had a lot of fun, especially with my wife and boys on course and finished 32nd of 175 overall and 6th of 15 in my age group (35-39). I would reccomend this race to anyone looking for a new venue and will likely return to race the Sprint or Olympic in the future.

Sunday June 26, 2016 – Champ Racing “Munroe Falls Tri”

This was my 3rd race weekend in a row (after GWRT and Tri Louisville) and although I improved my finish time slightly from last year I was struggling to find any reserves in the tank to really hammer down. My age group had some impressive finish times this year which was great to see but that resulted in me struggling to finish in the top 3 (my original goal for this race after a 4th place finish by 4 seconds last year).

Came in 6th of 15 in my age group (35-39)…. Hey – this is the same as the race last weekend? What are the chance of that!!!

2016 Great Island Adventure Triathlon

Lock Haven, PA

3.1 mile kayak, 14 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run

Placed 13th overall and 5th in my age group. Finish time 1:50:29

Race Review.

This was my third year competing in this race and my best result. I knocked 9 minutes off of my previous best time. Every leg of the race including my transition times were all faster than previous years. The race starts with an out and back kayak on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. Kayaks head up river first and loop around the island before returning to the bike transition area. The bike course was changed this year to a new 7 mile loop. The first 3 miles include some grade 4 and 5 hill climbs. The rest of the course is mostly flat and downhill with a few rollers. Bikers are required to complete 2 laps of the course before returning to transition for the run. The run course is scenic and mostly flat. Runners make there way across the bridge over the river and then follow the paved trail on the top side of the damn. Runners enjoy great views of the river below as they make there way to the turn around point. This year around 100 total participants competed in the adventure triathlon. The race did offer a standard swimming division with another 30 participants and a kids mini adventure triathlon that was held the night before the main race. Numbers were a little low but competition was not as PA has some of the best kayakers and adventure triathletes in the country. I counted no less then 5 2015 USCA National Kayak Champions in the race field. This race is always well organized and very well supported by the community and sponsors.

Monroe Falls Sprint Tri 6-26-2016
Team ER Cleans Up!

The weather was perfect- 65 degrees at race start- water temp was 70+ degree’s, and with a short 400-meter swim, 10 mile bike and 2.5 mile run it would be an all out sprint

They sent off racers in waves- I was in wave 3, with anyone over 55 years old, about 20 men. I came out of the water in 4th place, with top 3 right in front of me-Since the transition included a 500 yard plus run to get to bikes- even with changing out of wet suit- I left transition in the lead.

Jumping on my bike- I felt great, but could not get my shoes clipped in- I finally pulled over- looked down and like a lightning bolt it hit me. I had my Mountain bike shoes which are not compatible with my road bike!! I have never done that – mainly because even though both sets of shoes are the same- the mountain bike shoes are always dirty!! One of my early mountain bike races was a total mud race- so I actually scrubbed and shined up my shoes.
I did my best without clipping in, and just spun like crazy.

I had another super-fast transition- and hit the run like a man possessed. I continuing passing people, and ended up with a 18-minute run-averaging under a 6:30 pace

Ended up 13th overall (out of 130) 1st in my age group by over 10 minutes, and laughing about my shoe screw up! Team ER had a great showing – with Roy Miller finishing 10th overall , winning his age group, Carlo Buzzetta placing 2nd in his age group and Daniel Deckler making the top 10 in His age group

Karen was great to get up at 5 am and drop me off at race so I could leave right after the race and ride home – I ended up with a solid 35-mile training ride feeling great.

Ken

Sunday I competed in the Boots On The Ground 5K and 5 Mile race in Canal Fulton, Ohio

I finished 6th overall in the 5K and 1st in my age group with a time of 22:34.

My review is below.

Boots On The Ground 5K/5 Mile Race Canal Fulton, Ohio

Military service appreciation was in full display at the Boots On The Ground 5K and 5 Mile run. This event in its second year is a charity event put on by the good people at www.runcanton.com to benefit Team RWB. Team RWB’s mission statement is to enrich the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity. Both the 5K course and the 5 mile course are mostly flat and fast with a few rolling hills. The 5K course has 3 rolling hills in the first mile and then flattens out for a fast remaining 2 mile run to the finish. The course makes its way around the beautiful and historic downtown Canal Fulton and Ohio Canal utilizing roads and scenic trails alongside the canal. Many runners paid tribute to veterans by wearing their favorite camouflage or patriotic attire. Team RWB proudly displayed there team shits on the course as well. Runners were greeted at the finish line by the National Guard that awarded finisher medals. www.runcanton.com provided each runner with great swag that included a camouflage tech shirt and finisher medal. Runner awards included custom dog tags and certificates for future races. This was a great event to support a great cause. www.runcanton.com even offered a virtual run option in the registration for people that wanted to support Team RWB but could not run on the day of the event.

Our team did really well at the Great Western Reserve Triathlon. I think everyone placed in one way or another.

Carlo, and Steve Z completed the Sprint and Stacy completed the Olympic on Saturday. Ashley completed the half on Sunday.

Carlo…2nd age group, Steve….2nd age group, Stacy….3rd age group, Ashley….1st age group

Ashley helped on Saturday at the water station.

Stacy helped Sunday.

I provided kayak water support Saturday. There were 4 lifeguards in kayaks, 2 powered sheriff boats and myself. The strong winds created high chop and poor swimming conditions. We plucked 4 swimmers from the water and transferred them to the power boats to return to shore. We helped several other swimmers in need of temporary assistance. I assisted one sprint distance swimmer for the entire second half of the swim leg. He grabbed my kayak about every 20 yards. I stayed with him the rest of the course. It took him a while but in the end he was able to finish the swim leg safely and complete the race.

S

Twinsburg Du 6-5-2016

The Twinsburg Du is a great local race for me. Close to home- early start, and spring is perfect time to add more intensity into my routine – so the 2 mile run/ 10-mile bike- 2 mile run fits the bill.
A little rain the night before left roads wet- but looking at forecast showed 0 percent chance of rain and 66-degree race temp
Turnout was down from previous years. Even with relay teams- less than 100 people. The weather app was way off- as the race was ready to start a slow rain started.

First run I did in 13 & ½ minutes- was 8th overall and as we went to transition 1 to get bikes I passed 2 people there starting the bike 6th overall. I was alone the entire bike – but pushed as hard as I could with the rain and averaged 19.4 – which was down from last year where I averaged 20.7. Maybe it was small course change because of construction, maybe I was too cautious on wet corners- or maybe its old age. One guy caught me just as we entered transition, but had another fast transition and never saw him again. Second run was a minute slower than first run- and ended up 1st in my age group- 6th overall. My time was 2 minutes off my 2015 time

I took off right away and headed out for a 2-hour ride- so sorry I did not get to congratulate my Team Mates- Scott Orlando had a solid second place finish, and our newest team member Daniel Deckler nailed down 3rd in his age group

Ken Frankenbery

Twinsburg Duathlon Results

Megan Mier first overall female Time 57:22

Ken Frankenbery 6th overall and 1st in his age group. Time 1:01:25

Scott Orlando 20th overall and 2nd in age group. Time 1:07:17

Dan Deckler 55th overall and 3rd in age group. Time 1:30:25

Stacy Rhea volunteered to run the aid station on the run course.

Mickey Rzymek of North Coast Multisports once again proved why he is known as the Godfather of Triathlons by organizing another great race. The Twinsburg Duathlon consists of a 2 mile run, 10 mile bike and 2 mile run. The first mile of the run course is fast and flat with several downhill sections. The second mile starts with a steady uphill climb that challenges runners. The last section of the run course is flat and fast. The same run course is used for both run legs of the race. The 10 mile bike course had some new sections this year due to construction. Bikers were put to the test fighting rain, headwinds, and rolling hills. The first 3 miles of the bike course were a grind up hill into the strong winds and rain. Once past the initial climb bikers were able to settle into the saddle and find cadence and speed. This race like all North Coast Multisports races was well organized and a lot of fun!