Simage Network sent a DP into the world's largest triathlon and asked him to come back with 'something amazing'. We think you'll agree that Mike Kwielford knocked this one out of the park. If you're a triathlon fan, or just want to see through the eyes of these swimmers, bikers, and runners, then check this video out!

Triathlete Magazine is looking for Miss July and yo get to help pick your favorite!
They've nabbed fifteen women from the hundreds of submissions for this month's model search. They're looking for Triathlete.com's Miss July, a woman who represents the multi-sport lifestyle and can make a bikini melt.  Not sure how fast these women are, but they definitely do a bikini proud.

This is your chance to get in on the action and vote, click here to pick your favorite bikini clad multi-sport momma.  Or, if you think you have what it takes to end up in the pages of Triathlete, there is a different contest every month, send your pictures to me.  No! Wait, send your submissions to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

They will be narrowing it down to a single winner each month between now and January 31, 2011. Monthly winners will then face off for the Title of Miss Triathlete.com 2010. The winner will be featured in Triathlete's annual swimsuit photo shoot.

You can see this months finalists in the photo gallery by clicking here..

Miss July, will be announced at the end of August.

The roads are marked, the course is set, Steelhead is less than a week away!

If you are still looking for training tips for Steelhead, then you are in trouble.  With less than a week away for the big race on the "big lake," athletes are tapering and getting ready for their trip to St. Joe., Michigan.

We have put together a few tips that will help you with everything else you need to know about Steelhead and St. Joe, Michigan.

1. To avoid traffic, continue past Exit 27 (the usual exit for St. Joe/Benton harbor) and head towards Highway 96 (towards Grand Rapids) and then take Exit #4- Coloma Road.  This is the "backdoor" to St. Joe.  At the bottom of the exit take a right, Coloma Road dead ends into Blue Star Highway, take a left, 5 miles down is Jean Klock Park on the right.  This way you are avoiding several lights, plenty of traffic and you get to make a right into the park, instead of a left.

2.  Pie!  Maybe not before the race, but after, as you're heading out of town, stop at Bobs Barn 4858 Coloma Road.  Quite possibly the best pie I have ever had, Apple, Blueberry, Lemon Crumble, Cherry, Strawberry Rhubarb, they have it all, homemade and yummy. 
Ken and Lyn, have been running this little red barn for decades and greet every customer with a smile, story and a selection of pies that will amaze.  Make sure to call in your order and they will have it waiting hot and ready. It's a little slice of heaven that will be the perfect reward for a race completed.  

3. Martins Grocery Store- Think Western Michigan's version of Dominicks - 2121 Cleveland Street .  If you forgot something, and you will, they have everything you need.  Gatorade, Powerbars, fruit, sun block, and a great assortment of local wine, next to Papa Vino's (carb loading) Martin's is your local anchor for supplies.

4. Kilwins Ice Cream and Fudge- Yes, we have them locally, but nothing tastes better than walking along the quaint streets of St. Joe and eating ice cream.  If you have fans coming to support you, but them a "thank you cone," for putting up with you. If your fans stayed home, bring them back some home made fudge.  All will be forgiven.

5. Packet Pick Up- If you are in the City and want to get a jump on your packet pick up, you can go to Running Away Multisport at 1634 North Avenue on Wednesday between 10:00AM to 8:00 PM.

6. Brand new roads are ready to rock!   Construction crews were putting the final touches on Blue Star Highways new face.  The roads are like glass!  A wider shoulder, smooth, new and ready to be raced

7. Finally. The forecast as of today (Monday) is for a high of 78 degrees and partly cloudy, which is just about perfect.

We are smack dab in the middle of Summer. WGN Metorologist Tom Skilling says with the heat index, it's supposed to feel like 108 outside(Friday in Chicago)! The mix of heat and humidity can drain your energy, leaving you tired, dehydrated and in trouble.

When Ironman World Champion Craig Alexander was in town, he shared some of his personal tips on how to train in the heat and stay hydrated.

• Sip, sip, sip. Don't guzzle your hydration. Little bits often keeps you cooled off and hydrated. It helps your body digest easier and absorb into your system.
• Use common sense- If you are feeling worn down, take in more fluid. There is no special award for "being tough," in the heat, you have to listen to your body and take care of what it is saying.
• Think ahead-If you have a big workout in the morning and you know it's going to be hot, make sure to start hydrating the night before.
• Start Early- Craig starts to hydrate early in the week. I usually start, Thursday or Friday to make sure that I am stocking up, without over doing it."
• During a race- Don't panic. As hot as it was at Racine 70.3, Craig lost a water bottle in the first mile of the bike. "I knew I would be OK with what I had and relied on the aid stations to keep me going, you adjust, relax and move on."

Craig adds, "Staying calm is always vital to a successful, there is no such thing as a perfect race. Greg Welsh lost his transition bag in Kona, that would have thrown most people into a tail spin, instead that was the year he won!"

Fresh off his victory at the Racine 70.3 1/2 Ironman on Sunday, two time Ironman World Champion Craig Alexander spoke to sold out house in Arlington Heights, as a part of the Runners High n' Tri. Dynamic Duo series. Monday featured Alexander and Mirinda Carfrae, next Monday will host Chrissie Wellington.

Before the event I was able to sit down with Craig Alexander and ask him 16 random questions about his career, life and other fun stuff.

The Pace: How are you feeling after yesterday's victory in that heat, tired?

Craig Alexander: I feel great. It was a nice workout, good to get out there and train. I am used to the heat, so it didn't really effect me that much.

TP: I've never won a race. What does it feel like?

CA: You've never won, anything?

TP: Look at me. Back to the answer

CA: It's always satisfying and fulfilling in a lot of different ways. I used to dream about winning and fulfilling my potential and now I am doing it. Now I feel like it is more than just me, but re-paying all of the people who support and believe in me: my sponsors, training partners, old friends who never gave up on me and most importantly my family, they sacrifice a lot for me to be able to do this and by winning I am showing them that I care.

TP: That's really nice. Speaking of family, tell me about sex. Do you have it before a race, or do you follow the no sex 72 hours before a race rule?

CA: Whenever I can get it! I "tinker with the 72 hour rule." We have a busy schedule, two kids and travel a lot, I am a loving husband, so yes, sex and racing are no big deal. Everything in moderation and I am good.

TP: You mentioned that you are traveling as a family, how is that working out as the kids get older?

CA: I am so grateful for my wife, Neri, she takes care of just about everything: hotels, answering e-mails, calls, sponsor requests and the kids, she is amazing. Lucy is now school age, so she home schools her as well. I get to be fun dad, I come back from training and say "lets go to the park!" Like anything else when we made this decision, we checked with the doctors, made sure the kids could travel and they were safe and healthy and then started on this journey. Having them with me is amazing, it fuels my fire and keeps things as "normal" as possible.

TP: A little later in the evening 14 month old Austin dropped a special gift in his diaper, after Neri change him, I asked "does Craig change diapers?"

Neri Alexander: He does, all the time. He is a great dad, I have left him alone with both kids for an entire weekend and he is great with them

Last week, I got a call from the folks at Ironman, confirming a slot for me to race at the Steelhead 70.3 1/2 Ironman on July 31st.

I was excited for the opportunity to participate in this great event, I did the very first one and it has been several years since I have been back.  Only after I hung up it hit me, "Oh my God, I have two weeks to get ready for a 1/2 Ironman!  I am going to get the crap kicked out of me!"

I could feel that familiar big race anxiety creeping up my spine, my shoulders getting tight and my stomach begin to churn, "I'm a dead man."


My first instinct was to get in touch with 5 my coach Heather Gollnick.  Heather is a 5 time Ironman winner and has been working with me all year, getting me ready for my 500 miles of racing and her race the Rev3. Triathlon in Sandusky, Ohio.  Deep down, I wanted Heather to tell me that this was a bad idea and I should scratch, instead I heard "this is great!  There's no better way to train for a race than by racing, how do you feel about it?" Was Heather's response.

I wanted to say, "I want my security blanket and a tub of Starbucks Java Chip ice cream." However, I broke it down for her. " My swim is pretty good, I have been working with local coach Mary Bradbury and we have it dialed in.  The bike, I will be OK, I have been riding a lot and though I am not going to break any records, I will survive.  The run is going to snap my legs off, I am going to fall to pieces, it's going to suck."

Again, I was expecting Heather to give me an out clause, but what I got was "You're right, you are going to suck at the run if that's how you think." Wha?  What is she talking about, was my first reaction, then Heather continued," You are the most self deprecating guy I know, you spend all day helping guys like Dan (Cubicle Dad) focus on the positive, but then you beat yourself up.  If you think negative, you will be negative, if you focus on all of the positive things you have accomplished, you are going to be great, you may even surprise yourself."

I tried to remind Heather that I am 42, have had 5 knee surgeries, and up until 7 months ago, I w

as recovering from a broken foot.  " That's great, I am also 42, I am smarter, wiser and know more than I did when I was younger.  You know your body and how to make it work,instead of thinking about all your injuries and how they have slowed you down, you need to think about the face that you are able to be out here at all, that you have come back time and time again, and you will finish this race and many more to come."

Heather's 42?  Man she's hot, was my first thought, then I got back to the original message, and she was right, 100% right.  My first 1/2 IM, I finished in 5:24, I was a part time single dad, with an easy job and lots of time on my hands.  Training and napping were a part of my routine.  Now I am married, with a full time job, 2 kids and a very hectic schedule, I have to schedule in workouts and recovery time is a thing of the past.  I am lucky to be out there doing this, slow or fast, it has been a long road to get me back to this spot- Positive.

I am signed up to race in the Rev 3 Triathlon, Cedar Point in September.  Race director and 5 time Ironman winner Heather Gollnick has been coaching me, so naturally you would expect me to say good things about the upcoming race, as well as the past two races in Knoxville and Quassy, Connecticut.

However, check out a few of the many comments on the Rev.3 Facebook page as well as excerpts from the article below, and you will see that Rev.3 is living up to the expectations it set for itself and changing the way the triathlon game is played.

There are still slots available for Rev.3 Cedar Point, click here to find out more and to register.  See you there.

Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak forces cancellation of event.

Ironman Japan, slated to take place on June 13, 2010 in Goto-Fukue, Nagasaki, is cancelled. As of yesterday - May 31 - action by the Goto government was implemented due to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the southern islands of Japan.

World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) licenses the Ironman Japan event to Universal Sports Marketing, a Japanese company. As the licensor, WTC was not directly involved in the conversations and communications between Goto Island authorities and the race organizers. WTC must accept the conclusion reached by the local authorities that the conduct of the race would threaten the community’s vital agricultural industry and abide by the decision to cancel the race.

WTC is currently working on a variety of options to provide assistance to those athletes registered for Ironman Japan. More details will be forthcoming via email updates and information will also be posted to www.ironman.com.Advertisement

Official statements from the Goto government can be viewed at http://www.ironmanjapan.com/en/?p=156.

For more information on the 2010 Ironman Japan event or for additional inquiries, please visit IronmanJapan.com or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Lance Armstrong is not, Craig Alexander is not, Floyd Landis would say he is, but that too would be a lie. You can be, if you have what it takes.  

Bicycle God is the brain child of Rob Layton, the race director for Bicycle Illinois. For those who are tough enough to endure this ultimate endurance test, this may be the challenge you have been looking for and a pretty cool title to hold- Bicycle God!

How do you earn such high praise?  Easy, 7 centuries in 7 days!  That's right 7 hundred miles of biking in 7 days or 100 miles of riding a day for 7 days.  The centuries are a part of two different rides, organized by Bicycle Illinois.

Say it ain't so Floyd.

CNN is reporting that American Tour de France Champion Floyd Landis has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs for most of his career, after disputing for years a positive doping test result that led to his suspension from the sport, two news organizations reported Thursday.