how to choose your next (or any) race
Every time you sign up for a race, it should be an intentional choice. You can choose a race for any reason – you could be looking for a personal best, to explore a new location, to bridge up to a longer distance, to tackle a particularly difficult swim environment, bike or run course, to travel to a race for the first time, or to race with your tri buddies. Just make sure that you have A reason, the Why for that race, and that the What, When, Where, and How align with your Why and with your life. Want more details on that? Reach Coach Alison’s article on Triathlete.com.
athlete win of the month:
Coach Shana: Justine Dobert
Justine’s long-term goal when she joined NYX was to do her first full Ironman distance race. After settling into the training rhythm this year and consistently building her fitness, she had two great races that showcased her strong progress. At an Olympic triathlon in May Justine got her first ever podium finish, taking 1st place for her age group in tough weather conditions! She followed that up with Ironman 70.3 Maine in July, where she crushed the swim, rode a faster bike split than expected, and ran across the finish line under her overall goal time. That’s all the hard work showing up and I love seeing those moments! No doubt Justine is on a solid path as she continues to build for 2025 Ironman Maryland.
what makes us better:
Coach Alison: We Can All Learn Something from Taylor Knibb
Taylor Knibb forges her own path in sport. She does exactly what she wants, no matter what people say or what others expect of her. As in: yes, she race the triathlon AND cycling time trial in the Olympics. She plays to her strengths and passes on things that don’t (looking at you WTCS / 2028 Olympics). And she doesn’t apologize for any of it. If you approached sport the way that Taylor does, what might change?
did you know?
Coach Julie: Could you fight off a cougar?
These 5 amazing women fought off a cougar attack while gravel biking, Keri Bergere and her friends, Annie Bilotta, Tisch Schmidt-Williams, Aune Tietz, and Erica Wolf, were quick thinking with heroic actions, including pinning down the cougar with a mountain bike, while the cougar had Bergere’s face in its mouth.
Despite the ferocity of the attack, Bergere displayed incredible resilience and courage, attempting to poke the cougar’s eyes and pry its mouth with her hand, while her friends’ instinctive actions ultimately subdued the animal until help arrived.
This is a show of primal instinct and fighting back in life-threatening situations. Takeaway here, is fight fight fight!
meet a teammate:
Teammate: Jim Murff, coached by Coach Julie, resides in Leucadia, CA with Kris and their fur children MissyMoo and QDeePi(pi). Jim says, “I am a software engineer pretending to be a chef and I have every tech toy imaginable especially sports-related.”
- Favorite race: IM 70.3 Santa Rosa (canceled now) so IM 70.3 Santa Cruz
- Walk-out song: Johnny Cash American Recordings – Hurt (NiN song) or When The Man Comes Around
- 3 Words that family/friends would use to describe you: Laid back, emotional, hopefully kind and goofy
- Worst style choice you’ve ever made: As a kid I had to wear a Lime Green Leisure Suit for easter and there is photo evidence
- If you could have an unlimited supply of 1 thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? Toss up – Mexican food or fried Chicken