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Tag: 2019

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I first realized my interest for long distance in high school. Even though I was involved in Track & Field and Cross Country, my passion for running came from the Students Run LA program that helped many middle school and high school students in the LAUSD district to train for the LA marathon. It was a great experience, so suffice it to say, I had a pretty good background in endurance running when I joined the Triathlon team my freshman fall.

I was never much of a swimmer (by much, meaning not at all), nor had ever really cycled apart from riding to and from the grocery store. The only actual experience I had before was running, but even in that, I was never the fastest.

I first reached out to Coach Jim about whether or not attempting the 70.3 miles was possible. When he said it was totally possible, I thought he must have not noticed how slow I was in practice. Despite my doubt, I trusted Jim’s opinion and decided if I was going to go through with training for such a big race, why not do it during my off term.

During winter break, I remember I would train twice a day – once in the morning and once in the afternoon. And I remember everyday trying to get my sister to come on a run with me or to the gym, but she was somehow always asleep when I was heading out – strange. Anyway, I did quickly realize the difficulty of training on your own. When you have no one beside you, encouraging you, talking to you, or even just sweating through the intensity, it becomes harder to motivate yourself. It was not until I got to campus, where I felt I was really improving.

Racing in Clermont reminded me of home: no snow in sight, heat pounding down on you, and best part of all, the resulting sunburn after having spent 6+ hours out in the sun.

The morning of race day, I was overwhelmed with nerves. My nerves never fully settled until the gun went off and we were off, dipping into the chocolate-colored water and trying to break free from the swarm of women all trying to avoid being hit by somebody’s elbow. As I started settling into a pace, I started to relax knowing I would reach land at some point.

As I transitioned to the second leg, biking, I felt alive. Alive and free, knowing I had survived the swim (the part my parents were fearful of me drowning), and was moving strongly. Overall, the biking went pretty smoothly, until the inevitable Sugarloaf Mountain (an excruciatingly painful incline). As I was making my way up the hill, attempting to keep a moderate pace, I started moving so slowly, I doubted whether or not I was actually moving. At that moment of doubt, I suddenly found myself tipping over. By the time I had walked my way up to the top of the hill, a fellow cyclist helped me back on (as I was still pretty new and inexperienced with clipping on), and I was off and away. I felt the last 10 miles go by so fast because now all that was on my mind was getting off my bike as soon as I can because, wow, sitting on your bike for more than three hours is not at all a pleasant feeling.

Two minutes into the run was when I started to feel the toll of the race. It was then when I started to see the finish line quickly fading away. I began thinking I was not going to be able to finish. As I hobbled onward with doubt clouding my mind, I came across some familiar tunes – “Atlantic City” by the Band. I looked up and saw Coach Jim holding up a speaker playing the song we heard endlessly five minutes before the end of a practice on the trainer at the “Pain Cave” (Jim’s basement). At that moment I knew, despite whatever pain or tiredness I was feeling, it was only temporary. I was not about to give in and let the past four months of training have been for nothing. So I pushed onward and before I knew it, I was rounding the corner with the finish line in sight and my teammates in the sideline cheering me on.

For me, my place or rank in a race does not matter. As I achingly lunged past the finish line, I teared up at the sight of my teammates. I realized then that the most surreal moment of this trip was the journey. The journey of having trained endless amount of hours with a team I love so much and with friends that lift my spirits each and every day. I gained something more valuable than a medal on this trip. I gained a family.

About the Author

Emily Martinez is a ‘21 from Los Angeles, California. She is interested in Engineering Sciences with a modified major in Environmental Science. Apart from triathlon, she loves playing soccer and eating as much of Coach Jim’s bread and cinnamon rolls as possible.

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I grew up doing triathlons. They weren’t exactly what you’re imagining, though. At a YMCA family camp in northern Minnesota, teams of four swim, run and canoe to victory. My extended family dove into this tradition our first time at du Nord, and we’ve been swimming, running, and paddling in pursuit of family pride for the last eighteen years. It hasn’t always been easy, though. We practically have to throw someone in the water to get a swimmer. They tag off the plethora of cousins that always want to run, who in turn shove off the uncle/grandpa duo who paddle with the occasional stray child tagging along in the canoe.

Our team has morphed over the years. Some cousins got to old to come to family camp, others grew up enough to be drafted onto the team. Swimmers have graduated from completing a lap inside the buoys to racing just outside of them. Different canoe push-off methods have been experimented with, the presence of a coxswain in the boat is still debated, and stroke rates are all over the map.

My family will head up to camp for our 19th year this summer. We’ll inevitably field a triathlon team with a creative name, and it will (hopefully) complete the entire racecourse in under five minutes. I, however, don’t have to wait until July to take part in this important tradition. The Dartmouth Triathlon Team has, in the two short terms I’ve been here, introduced me to a new order of events, a strong community of athletes, and a sense of belonging here on campus.

In high school, I was a Nordic skier and rower. While I still ski every chance I get, I came to Dartmouth knowing I’d have to find a new athletic community for myself. I stumbled upon the Tri table at the activities fair and was intrigued by the team’s obvious commitment to not only swimming, biking, and running, but also to inclusivity and team bonding. I went to the info meeting and came out excited, more than anything else, to get to know people on the team. Since then, I’ve attended practices, dinners, socials, brunches, and a race with the team. I continue to be impressed with the genuineness and openness of my fellow triathletes. We all have such different backgrounds, athletically and otherwise, and yet everyone supports each other unconditionally.

Triathlon has fostered a sense of belonging for me here at Dartmouth, both at and in addition to team-related functions. When I’m not at practice, I see triathletes on the sidewalks, ski paths, classrooms, labs, and mountains. A “hello!” is always exchanged and never fails to brighten my day. Having this network of students from all different corners of campus has made my transition to college less daunting. As I’ve dealt with normal first-year challenges and bigger events at home, my friends from Tri have always been here to talk, offer support, and blast good music.

I might not be competing with my family when I’m at Dartmouth, but the triathlon community is the closest thing I’ve found to a family here on campus. We support each other, respect each others’ strengths and weaknesses, and train not only to win, but to grow. I’m incredibly glad that I found the Tri Team and that I have so many years ahead of me to develop both as a triathlete and as a member of this community.

About the Author

Abby is a '22 from Edina, Minnesota. She loves to ski, canoe, write, and generally be goofy! She doesn't know what she's studying here at Dartmouth yet, but it'll definitely be something that allows her to be outside all the time.

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With Buzzards Bay, the CHaD Hero, and a new crop of athletes, Fall is always a hectic time on the Triathlon Team. Lest we get too sucked in to making the most of the fall cycling season and fine-tuning swim technique, though, we like to take a step back each fall to remind ourselves of the big picture. At our annual Team Flair Breakfast, our members take some time to think about goals both for the upcoming triathlon season and academic year. Read below for some of our members' thoughts!

Athletic Goals

  • Complete a Half Ironman by the end of Sophomore Summer
  • Get stronger on my run
  • Learn how to use clips well
  • Get back into shape
  • Learn how to road bike kinda well
  • Run a half-marathon
  • Go to swim
  • Do more TT work on the bikes
  • Go to strength *(and do more crazy arms!)*
  • Improve my anaerobic sprints in the pool
  • Improve my swimming speed and technique
  • Complete a long course or Half Ironman race
  • Do my first 70.3
  • Do a longer (half ironman) tri!
  • Swim 500 m without stopping
  • Go to swim practice
  • Swim faster
  • Learn to bike
  • Improve my running speed
  • Swim an 800!
  • Improve my swimming
  • Finish another Olympic tri
  • Use clips!!
  • Go on more outdoor rides
  • Get stronger in *all* SBR
  • Learn how to flip turn
  • Injury-free training: Focus on more stretching and mobility!

Life goals

  • Embrace spending time slowing down
  • Eat healthier
  • Survive a tough winter term
  • Finish my thesis and Engineering 89/90
  • Keep in touch with my high school best friends
  • Be more organized
  • Find a job and be less stressed
  • Get more sleep!
  • Get more sleep
  • Sleep!
  • Use less DBA *(I'm at $-20 already....)*
  • Learn to enjoy my upper-level engineering classes!
  • Make new friends and build my community
  • Improve my GPA
  • Take leadership positions that matter to me
  • Keep my room cleaner
  • Manage my time better
  • Get more flair?!?!?
  • Continue making new friends
  • Write down 3+ good things that happened every day
  • Meet as many new people as possible
  • Learn as much as possible while I'm here at Dartmouth
  • Take more deep breaths
  • Stay organized, and don't get as easily distracted
  • Get to know the 23's!
  • Be more positive
  • Take better care of my mental health
  • Make the most of opportunities in Hanover
  • Be more patient with myself.

Hanover Winter is rapidly approaching and racing season may be drawing to a close. Still, we look forward to getting into a training rhythm before spring competitions, bonding as a team, and hosting Indoor Tri scrimmages until the ponds melt. We truly value our new members for their dedication to this sport and broad diversity of goals.

SBR,

The 19F Triathlon Team

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Sorry to miss competing in the Florida Intimidator Triathlon with the team over spring break, I decided to enter a race with a still sillier name: the Tuckerman Inferno Pentathlon. “I’m a triathlete,” I thought. “I’d be great at any multisport race.” Right?

Samesies, but different. The Inferno is a medley of mostly uphill endurance events around New Hampshire’s White Mountains: an 8.3 mile run (with 800 feet of elevation gain), a 5.5-mile class II whitewater kayak down the Saco River, a 16-mile ride (with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain up to Pinkham Notch), a steep hike up Mount Washington (with another 2,500 feet of elevation), and finally, a 2.5-mile ski through a slalom course in the famous Tuckerman Ravine bowl and down the Sherburne Ski Trail to the finish line.

Let’s just say that swimming is actually not at all transferable to whitewater kayaking, and that I couldn’t walk down stairs for the next three days.

All the same, I felt on top of the world after the race. The endorphins and caffeinated race gels might have contributed to my elation, but so did an immense feeling of gratitude for the teammates and coaches that made it possible for me to compete. Training for this event alone would have been miserable; I can’t be more thankful for the teammates who volunteered to go on extra runs with me after spin practice this winter, and who commiserated during a 3-hour trainer session in the infamous “Pain Cave.”

Coach Jim was also a massive help. I train for Olympic-distance triathlons, so this 5-hour endeavor was by far my longest race effort. A couple weeks before the big day, Coach Jim talked me through a fueling plan. I’d never eaten during a race before, but any excuse to shovel down more nut-butter-filled Clif bars is a win in my book! While I avoided “bonking” during the race, a severe calorie deficit definitely enhanced my post-race fueling experience. I remember pronouncing an egg sandwich “absolutely godly.”

Finally, when my friends ask me about the race, I tell them that the best part of the weekend was all the quality time with former Tri Team captain Sonia Rowley. It takes a true friend to suffer through a 4:45am race-day wakeup in a cabin in the woods, post-hole through a mile of snow to the kayak put-in, spend 30 minutes figuring out how to fasten said kayak to the roof of my Subaru, and cheer me on at each and every transition. Sonia’s company was just what I needed on that last hiking leg, and seeing the wonder in her face when we made it to the snowy bowl reminded me why I love these sports. Competition is exciting, but it’s really about the journey, the scenery, and the friendships. Many of my most blissed-out moments at Dartmouth have involved shenanigans with Sonia and other members of the triathlon team, and I couldn’t be more grateful for a community with a sense of adventure.

About the Author

Catherine Rocchi is a tri team ’19 studying Environmental Studies and Anthropology. She’s passionate about climate justice, fossil fuel divestment, and Lou’s sweet potato hash.

Photo Credit: Friends of Tuckerman Ravine