The first weekend in June was a busy weekend for 3V Athletes; from coast to coast and in Hawaii they laid it on the line and had some impressive performances. Members took on the American Triple-T XT, Ironman Raleigh 70.3, Ironman Hawaii 70.3, and the Orange County Olympic Triathlon.
Beginning in Ohio, team member/doctor Matthew Briggs and his father James both took on the multi-race challenge that is the American Triple-T Extreme XT challenge. The challenge began with a super sprint (S: 250m, B: 6K, R: 1 Mi) on Friday evening. Race #2 at 0730 the next morning was a standard format Olympic Distance (S: 1500m, B: 24 Mi, R: 6.55). Race #3 was at 1500 that afternoon, switching the order and lengthening the bike by 3 miles (B: 27 Mi, S: 1500m, R: 6.55 Mi). A half-iron distance tri (S: 1.2 Mi, 56 Mi, 13.1 Mi) capped the weekend at 0730 Sunday morning, testing the competitors' endurance and recovery. All of the courses were very hilly and technical in a park, and began with a time trial start. Matt Briggs placed in the top 10 in all four races in the M35-39 age group, including a podium 3rd place in the capstone half-iron, to earn him a 4th place overall finish for the series. His father James finished 2nd overall for the same series in the M60-64 category.
Next up in Hawaii, Team Doc Jeff Krebs and Justin Kline took on the hot, windy, and hilly
Ironman Hawaii 70.3 on June 3rd. Stiff winds, mechanical issues, and old injuries were overcome by both athletes. Jeff finished 32nd in his age group (M55-59) with a time of 6:48:21, avoiding reinjury to a nagging hip injury to ensure he is ready for IM Mont-Tremblont 140.6 in August. Justin Kline worked through a front derailleur malfunction to turn in a 2:49 bike on only the small chain-ring, leading
to a 5:29:14 and 20th place age group finish (M30-34).
Brendon Terry and Zu Rivera road tripped from Leavenworth, KS to Raleigh, NC to take
on Ironman Raleigh 70.3. The course feature a 1 lap swim in Jordan Lake, a point-to-point up hill and rolling 56 mile bike, and a run in the heart of downtown Raleigh and the NC State University Campus.
This was the third year in a row for Brendon, and a return to long course triathlon and the first as a Triple Victor team member for Zu. Brendon set a new course PR by 22 minutes of 4:55:38, finishing 22nd in the M35-39 age group. Zu finished in 6:51:57 and 47th in the F40-44 AG.
Out west, Brandon Goodermont and his twin brother tackled the Orange County Olympic Triathlon in Fontana, California. Brandon finished 10th in his age group with a time of 2:41:42.
Overall it was a great weekend of racing for the team, with strong performances by all that will no doubt continue into the summer. Next up for the team on June 11th, Amanda Allen will best IMWI 70.3 in Madison while Darin Miller tackles IM Boulder in Colorado. At the end of the month, Brendon Terry and Dave Mudek will take on the heat in Lubbock, TX at IM Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3 on 25 June.