2010 Season

• Stacey G. requalifies for Boston in the Boston Marathon itself.
• Jenny G. rocks the Talladega 21000, running on the track in a farewell to Birmingham, AL.
• On her weekly long run, Tara A. leads the 9:00 pace group for the Tar Heel 10 Miler to a 1:28 finish.
• Meredith P. owns the Tobacco Road half marathon, showing that one can drink a Dixie cup of beer midrace and still PR!

2009 Season

The summer triathlon season in NC is heating up. Stacey G. has posted two top-three Masters Open finishes in the NCTS. Meredith P. dropped more than a minute from her sprint-triathlon 5K PR! Tara A. rocked the Mission Man bike course on her new ride, and Suzanne D. destroyed the competition in her category on a day when she was busy tending to her own coached athletes.

Dave D., building to his first 100 mile race, had top-ten finishes at the 40-mile Mount Mitchell Challenge and the Bel Monte 50 Miler. But the real testament to his hard work was his great day at the Massanutten 100: sixteenth overall. We are all so impressed by him.

Late April saw the winter’s hard work pay off as longtime Sage Endurance athlete Katy B. grabbed her first overall podium finish as second-place female at the Riverwood Triathlon, despite taking a wrong turn on the bike course, and Jenny G. and Ruffin P. made it through an unseasonably hot day in Nashville to run strong at the Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon, respectively. Meanwhile, Julee W. makes Team USA for Short-Course Duathlon Worlds for the second year in a row!

Stacey G., after handily winning the Off N’ Running Winter Duathlon Series and tearing up the masters division in western NC road races en route to a three-minute half marathon PR, really peaked in Boston, where she ran a five-minute PR of 3:17. She nailed pacing, nutrition, and mental strategy. Way to go!

Coming off a solid run at the Disney Princess Half Marathon, Tara A. finished as top female in the Wild West 8K. She then went on to place fifth overall and win her age group in her first triathlon, the Statesville Rotary Triathlon.

2008 Season

Julee W. finishes the season as an Honorable Mention All-American in duathlon! She ranked no. 11 in her age group, 45–49.

Six Sage Endurance athletes competed at the Beach2Battleship half-iron-distance race on November 1. There's a short report here. Marne H. was the anchor of the third-place mixed relay. Dave D. finished second in his age group, while Julee W. won hers in the last mile! Derek G., Robyn F., and Katy B. all finished happy and were able to enjoy themselves—and a glass or two of wine raised in celebration!—at the beach later that evening, in the company of Natalie G., Rachel D., and Claire C., all current or former athletes of mine.

Two Sage Endurance athletes represented the USA at duathlon world championships: Julee W. in short-course (Italy, September) and Travis T. in long-course (Belgium, August). Julee took second-place for women in the Finish Strong Winter Duathlon Series and was fifth in her age group at Duathlon Nationals; she won the Ramblin' Rose triathlon in Chapel Hill after running two hours the day before. Travis, second in his age group at the St. Croix 70.3, competed in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in November. His early season included age-group wins at the Miami International Triathlon and the Carrboro Classic Long-Course Duathlon (seventh overall).

Other age-group winners include Dave D. (fifth overall, Bel Monte 50K; second place, TSTDS, men 25–29), Robyn F. (first place, TSTDS, women 30–34), Juliet A. (Carrboro Classic Short-Course Duathlon), and Katy B. (Kidney Kare 5K, a PR!). Natalie G., rehabbing a bum hip, was third in the Kerr Lake aquabike division. Claire C. and Ruffin P. have improved their speed and endurance, with Claire seeing a big drop in her pace times; Tom C. nailed his Pinehurst goal; and Holly S. got in shape for her Naval Academy commission (she passed her PRE and is flourishing!).

2007 Season

Each of my clients had a great year. Juliet A. and Julee W. both placed third in their age groups in the NCTS, shining at the Olympic distance and in duathlon. Katy B. blew her records from last season out of the water, winning her category in the ETS and coming in third against formidable opponents at the Setup Championship. Ruffin P. reached new heights in triathlon, duathlon, and running despite a move to the chilly Northeast.

Sisters Robyn F. and Rachel D.'s Tri to End Homelessness initiative raised around $7,000 for Genesis Home. Along the way, they conquered their first Olympic-distance triathlon and drew some good life lessons from their training.

2006 Season

Many of my clients and students were first-time triathletes in 2006—Cindy and Gregg P. worked together as Two-Pacc to zoom through the Endurance Challenge in their hometown, Hillsborough. Melanie H. finished the Wilmington YMCA race, totally free of shark encounters, after a long summer of training.

Katy B. shone at the Endurance Challenge, putting on a great first race in front of her family, then extended her season to win her category at Angels Race in Winston-Salem, passing a certain Wes R. on the run course!

Lisa F. was 19th overall and second in her age group at her first triathlon, the Ramblin' Rose Women's Triathlon, where competition included a passel of happy if waterlogged ladies from the Wellness Center clinic, plus Rachel "Big Kick" D. and her sister Robyn F., along with Ruffin P., whose joy shone through on a rainy day. Sheri B. and Leslie M. proved it's all about the run, but enduring weeks of cruise intervals in cycling class pays off, too.

Julee W. had an especially strong year, fearlessly attacking courses from the mountains to the ocean, consistently ranking in the top 3 masters and top 10 overall females. Watch out, NCTS!