The spring newsletter is out. In this edition, a recap of IronBruin, Collegiate Nationals, and the WCCTC races and this year's WCCTC rankings (we kicked butt)! Also, Terence Lee's journey from multiple spinal fractures to UCLA triathlete. Check it out here.

USA Triathlon has posted the national rankings for 2008. The top athletes in each age group are awarded All-American or All-American honorable mention status. This year, Ashely Erickson finished in 26th place for an all-american title in the Female 20 - 24 age group. Brittany Day finished at 41st for an honorable mention in the same age group. Brady O'Bryan finished in 75th place, good for an honorable mention, in the competitive Male 20 - 24 group. David Qurios was a close runner up for an honorable mention at 104th place.

Recently, Brittany Day was interviewed by The Culinary Competitor, a food blog and recipe source for athletes. In the interview, she discusses her involvement in triathlon, the team and scholarship program, racing at nationals, and divulges some nutritional secrets (she's a physiological sciences major). Read the interview here.

Team members, parents, sponsors and community members are invited to join us for our 2009 awards banquet at the UCLA Tennis Center on Tuesday, June 2nd from 7 - 9PM. View the invitation here.

UCLA men Henry Szeto, David Qurios, and Josh Lamden took 1st, 2nd, and 4th overall with nine other UCLA men finishing in the top 20 at the 2009 CSULB Backwards Triathlon. First-year athlete Maria Tsikina finished third for the women in her first podium finish, followed by Nina Baldwin and Yael Lewin at 7th and 8th place. Stuart Sievers took 1st place in his age group.

Hai Phan reports:

CSULB Triathlon was the last triathlon of the season for me. Before race day, I went to packet pickup. That was when I got pumped. I was ready and I could feel a sense of excitement. Maybe because it was my last race of the year or because of the 6000 calories of sugar I ingested. I just wanted to go smash the race.

Race day came and race time was 8AM, so that meant sleeping in until 5:45. YES! I got to long beach plenty early and downed a bunch of Powerbar Performance. I set up my transition flawlessly and warmed up. When 7:50 came, the team assembled at the starting line followed by an epic 8-clap. We were loud and proud in our tights - status: SUPERHERO.

The race started and the run was great. After not running for a few weeks, I felt brilliant. On the stairs, I wished there were more to climb because I didn't want the moment to end. I was flying, not quite as high as David, Luis or Henry, but flying in my book. Then the transition: I was in and out in under 30 seconds.

The bike course was sweet, it was super flat and slightly downhill except for one short climb. I liked it. Here is the kicker, at the UC Irvine reverse triathlon Marc Philibert passed me on the very last hill of the very last lap. That crazy Frenchmen did it again at Long Beach! He is the true rival every competitor wishes they had. What an athlete! Overall, I ended up 17th in the collegiate division.

After finishing the race, I got to cheer on teammates wearing the blue and gold. That race day, I was the happiest guy in the world. It was the only race that I felt comfortable doing. I didn't care about the race, I was just happy I got to race it. I was happy to have the chance to represent a great school and a great group of people.

Our team was able to send seven top athletes to nationals: Brittany Day, Ashley Erickson, Kelsey Hammond, David Quiros, Brad Jacobs, Henry Szeto, and Ha Young Park. While we didn't have enough athletes to be recognized as a team, Brittany Day finished 5th overall and 4th among undergrads, for UCLA's first podium finish at the event. For the men, Brad Jacobs finished 36th and David Quiros finished 43rd. David Quiros reports:

The race went like this: Swim, transition running across sharp pavement, bike, transition running across same section of sharp pavement, and run. The details are boring, but I did learn two new things to watch out for:

First, make sure you know how quickly the water gets deep on the start of the swim. I definitely stopped running and started swimming too early, causing me to be blocked in by slower swimmers who continued to run.

Second, using a power meter during the race seems like a good idea. If you try to ask yourself "Am I going to hard" during a race, you will never get it right. If you go too hard, you will have nothing left for the run. Too easy, you will lose time. Why not use heart rate? You're up early, it's cold and you're stressed, so your heart rate is going to be off. A high heart rate means you slow down, a low heart rate means you take yourself out of the race.

The finish was really neat. The coral was decorated with red carpet, sponsor logos and lots of spectators were cheering. Lucky for me, the female leader finished 20-30m in front of me. She was not in my heat, but everybody was cheering extra loud and they put a ribbon across the line for her.

Having nothing left (while staying conscious) at the finish line was ultimately satisfying. Greater than any race I had done before. Where this came from I am not sure. It was not the race of my life, but that's how it should feel. It was an honor to represent our team and UCLA while competing against other dedicated athletes from across the nation. Seeing all the hard work of athletes on our team come together was very rewarding for me as well. Brad, Henry, Ha, Brittany, Kelsey, Ashley, and myself thank you for all your support.

Although there was a good amount silliness during the awards ceremony, I was amazed by the respect that the audience gave to the US military academies. The rowdy college athletes came to immediate silence followed by a standing ovation when they were recognized.

Last weekend, UCLA Triathlon won the collegiate race at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's March Triathlon series. The team finished first overall, first for the women and second after UC Berkeley for the men. Brittany Day and Ashley Erickson took first and second place and Brady O'Bryan and Brad Jacobs took second and third. A total of 5 men and 7 women finished in the top 20 spots in a field of 137 collegiate athletes. First year UCLA Tri member Josh Reyes reports:

My race prep started at about 11PM the night before. I lay in the hotel bed on the very edge trying to avoid Arthur, who was snoring something fierce, and it made me unable to fall asleep until about midnight. After envisioning an imaginary race for the next day, I was out cold.

Getting out of the car at Lake Lopez was one of the hardest parts of the day. I was couldn't stop shivering since it was so cold out, and the sun was barely creeping up over the mountains. I was skeptical that the lake wouldn't end up killing me through shock and/or hypothermia. Somehow I made it down to transition without dying of exposure, although my feet and hands were numb. I grabbed a great spot between Nina Baldwin and Kristine Miller. Luckily, I was able to go to the restroom early and began a reasonable run warmup.

After fumbling into my handy-dandy Zoot Synergy with numb fingers and heading down to Lake Lopez with the rest of the team, I walked into the lake to warm up. To my surprise, the water actually felt warmer than the beach. When the men's collegiate wave started, it was nothing short of panic and frenzy in the water. I was kicked and grabbed, and I saw nothing but white water and feet for 50M. I started to hyperventilate and couldn't get a good rhythm until about halfway to the first buoy. Eventually, I elongated my stroke and got a good rhythm going until I finished the swim, which ended up feeling awesome.

Getting to T1 was pretty interesting. Thank goodness that my feet were numb, so I didn't notice any of the rocks jabbing into my feet during the 200M dash to transition. Running to my bike I was able to catch up to Vinnie Casotti and gave him an encouraging slap on his glut before he ran off to mount. Hurrying to get my suit off and get out to bike, I completely forgot to put socks on, which was a habit I did not want to break (due to my fear of blisters). Wearing the Rudy Sportmask I borrowed from Eric Bryant, I went off to bike.

The bike course was beautiful. The intial climb right out of transition was a pain, but I was able to pass a fair number of other riders on my way up. A mile into the bike, the lovely Brittany Day was making her (first) pass by me, and to my surprise I was able to chase after her and eventually pass her back. I concentrated on keeping a high cadence, something Henry told me to do, which would help me with the run (my favorite leg of the race). Brittany and I would trade off in passing each other several more times, and we were both able to pass a good number of other racers while competing with each other. This made the bike leg quite a thrilling experience for me.

I ran out onto the run course with Brittany right behind me and Vinnie 100M out in front. With my new Zoot hat and Eric's Sportmask on, I felt invincible during the run. Rather than having the slow legs and wide stride that hallmarked my runs at USC and Santa Barbara, I kept thinking about the quick turnover David Quiros talked to me about last week. Feeling like I had better form than from last year, I was able to pass Vinnie, Oskar Kjoller-Hansen, and Sam Luckenbill. I saw Brady O'Bryan, Brad Jacobs, and Josh Lamden heading on their way back, so I shouted words of encouragement. The whole time during the run, I was paranoid that my fellow teammates were going to make a move to pass me, so I made sure to quicken my pace and widen the gap, which invariably led me to pass some guys from Standford and Cal Poly. Oddly enough, I realized that the only time I was able to climb ranks during the race was when I was preventing my own UCLA teammates from passing me.

After the turnaround, I started to feel the dreaded side stitch that haunted all my races and run workouts this year, but I was able to keep it down by focusing on chasing one last Cal Poly runner ahead of me. I wasn't able to reach him, and before I knew it, I rounded the corner and found that I was already within sprint distance of the Expo area. Doing my best to suddenly shift into a kick, I rounded the last set of cones, where Josh told me to sprint to the finish.

Finishing the race, I felt awesome, like I could have done it all over again (yeah, right). I congratulated Brady, who was sitting and bleeding his legs off, and Brad, who was chatting with Rakestraw from Cal. Turning around to watch the others finish, I was proud to see a pack of blue and gold (Oskar, Sam/Vinnie, Brit) fighting with each other to the finish.

—Josh Reyes

The WCCTC Championship race was at UC Santa Barbara this year. While most of our races are sprint distance, the championship race is an olympic-distance race and counts double in the conference rankings. Brittany Day placed second for the women and David Quiros placed 8th for the men. Sam Luckenbill describes his first olympic distance race in over two years:

Mercifully, the race started at 8AM, a full hour after most of our race starts. This gave us enough time to get up, eat breakfast and warm up properly. Most importantly, there was daylight for setting up transition. The weather was cool but comfortable.

After nearly having a panic attack at last year's Cal Poly race when my face hit the freezing water, I made sure to warm up (or cool down) in the ocean before the swim start. This mostly consisted of letting my aching feet go numb and forcing my face into the water until it didn't hurt anymore. Sometimes I wonder why I do triathlons. I actually had a good time with the swim. Getting out past the waves was easy, though the ocean never seemed to flatten out, making it hard to spot the buoys. Luckily, I could see several swimmers around me and collectively we navigated a pretty straight line through the 1.5K swim. A lot of people on the team had trouble swimming through the multiple kelp beds, but I found that by grabbing onto the kelp I could launch myself forward, which was fun. Towards the end of the swim, I found some power and passed several people, which was encouraging. By far the hardest part of the swim was getting out of the water. You couldn't see it from the land, but there were smooth slippery rocks under water on the beach. I think almost everyone immediately fell over when they tried to run out of the water creating a bit of a melee.

T1 involved climbing a wooden staircase and about 25m of running on dirt. Numb feet paid off here. I did a pretty good job getting out of my suit. TriSwim, one of our sponsors, had provided the team with a couple cans of TriSlide, a silicone wetsuit lubricant. I was very happy with it. No chafing on my neck and way easier than normal getting the suit over my heels.

The bike was a lot hillier than I had expected and I ended up using my smallest gears, which rarely see use in our races. I felt strong for the first 30K, repeatedly passing and getting passed by a few guys. Then at about 50 minutes into the ride I ran out of steam, perhaps because most of our races are sprints and that's really what we train for. I knew Vinnie was about 2 minutes behind me from riding the loops on the course and was hoping to hold him off until the run, but he caught up and passed me in the last few minutes on the bike.

The run was also not what I expected. First, there were stairs... then we had to run up a slippery dirt bluff. But the course was also beautiful, overlooking the ocean and wrapping around a lagoon. I managed to hold my pace and pass at least one guy from USC. I especially appreciated the words of encouragement from David's dad and Coach Gareth who were hanging out right around the finish and all of the cheering volunteers on the course.

In the end, our team did not place among the top three teams overall, but it was many people's first olympic distance race so there's a lot of room for improvement this year and next.

—Sam

You know the saying "if it doesn't kill you, it will make you stronger"?

Those words rang loud and true to those of us facing the elements at the Cal race yesterday!

We arrived at the (dark, cold) race site with plenty of time to warm up but we couldn't muster the courage to leave our warm vehicle until 20 minutes later. When we finally did emerge, we immediately began warming up. We organized our things in the T1 area, jogged around, got our bikes in the correct gear and put on our wetsuits.

The guys started 20 minutes before us gals, so Annee and I were able to cheer for David and Nick as they finished the swim and headed out on their bikes. David reassured us that the water "wasn't that bad" as he rode away on his bike.

Annee and I got down to the water and started with the female collegiate wave. The water really wasn't that bad; it was warmer than the air! The lake was actually pretty nice to swim in—fresh water! no salt! The first lap I just warmed my body up, then I passed the two girls in front of me during the second lap. I finished the swim and winced my way over freezing pavement to T1. I was so cold at this point, it took me 10 minutes to get my wetsuit off and put my cycling helmet, glasses, shoes, arm warmers, gloves, and jacket on. I hopped on my bike and I was off.

The bike course was beautiful but scary at times. The road was in decent condition, but incredibly hilly with sharp, technical turns. I saw a girl wipe out on a corner, but I managed to swerve around her and avoid falling myself. I nearly got hit by a spectator driving his car, but managed to survive that one too! Once I got past the descent and technical turns, the next road which was wide open. I still had no feeling in my feet, could barely operate my fingers, and, like an ectotherm, had trouble getting my body really moving because of the cold. In addition to the cold, I was having problems with my rear derailleur—I couldn't engage the gears I wanted. My bike just felt incredibly sluggish (later found that my back tire was flat but I couldn't see it during the race). I climbed and climbed, hoping that I could just get warm. There were no mile markers so I had no idea how close I was to T2.

I finally arrived at T2, found my running shoes, and took off down the run course, still wearing my bike gloves so I could keep my hands warm. I still couldn't feel my feet. At mile one, just past the cow grate, the trail turned to mud. I almost lost my shoes into the mud, and I was slipping all over the place. I found some grass to run on - next to the trail, that was much better. I made my way through the course, nearly getting blown over by the wind. I arrived at the turn around and took off energetically, thrilled that I had finally regained feeling in my feet, and made my way to the finish!

In conclusion, these are the obstacles that were faced (and overcome):

1. Cold
2. reezing fingers, feet
3. Car accidents
4. Mechanical problems
5. Flat tire
6. Muddy shoes becoming heavy and nearly falling off
7. Hills
8. Nearly being blown off the bike and then run course

BUT it didn't kill me, and now I am definitely stronger!

—De "BRING IT ON SB" Anna

On March 8, 2009, 435 triathletes converged in Westwood to compete in the fifth annual IronBruin Triathlon. This year, the event featured a unique time-trial start. "Triathlon is first and foremost a test of personal achievement and an opportunity to set personal records," said David Quiros, the UCLA Triathlon Team President, who took third place among collegiate men. "There’s no better way to test yourself than with a time trial." A time trial race, which is common in road bike racing, is almost unheard of in triathlon where group starts are standard. Results are available here and free event photos are available here.

The race began in the UCLA's 50-meter pool with a snake-style swim totaling 400 meters. Competitors then completed four technical, hilly, urban bike loops around the UCLA campus totaling 13.5 miles, followed by a 5k run loop around the campus. "It is always inspiring to watch such incredibly talented collegiate athletes race no matter what the format. But the introduction of the time trial set up is brilliant; I hope it catches on," said age group triathlete Jaime Balboa, who finished second among men ages 40-44.

"We had a hugely competitive field with outstanding athletes from over a dozen colleges and universities," said race director Maria Dziembowska. But in the end, UCLA won with Brady O’Bryan and Brittany Day taking first in the the men’s and women’s collegiate divisions. Brittany also won the overall women’s title, and Christopher Burnham of Oceanside won the men’s overall top honors. OneTri won the inaugural sponsor’s challenge.

A portion of the event proceeds went to Cheerful Helpers Child and Family Study Center, an organization that offers services to families with young children, ages 2 to 6, who are having difficulties with language development, motor-planning, self-regulation and socialization, in family oriented intervention programs.

The UCLA Triathlon Team extends its gratitude to all the participants, event staff, and volunteers who contributed to the success of the 5th Annual IronBruin Triathlon. "We’re deeply grateful to all the event sponsors who donated to the event and especially to those who volunteered their time at the post-race expo. We cannot express enough our appreciation and enjoyment in working with them," said Quiros.

A 2010 event date has not been finalized, but will likely occur late winter or early spring. Check www.ironbruin.com for event updates; registration will open no later than January 1, 2010.

UCLA Triathlon is funded predominately through sponsorship and through its support program. Monetary donations are greatly appreciated, fund our scholarship program, and are fully tax deductible. Please consider making a donation here.

This year was USC's first triathlon at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, CA. While we have a strong rivalry with USC, our teams are friendly and mutually supportive. Our team showed up in large numbers both in support of the new race and to try our best to win it. Brady O'Bryan finished second in the mens' division (by 1 second!), and Henry Szeto, Brad Jacobs and Josh Lamden finished in the top 11. For the women, Ashley Erickson finished third followed by Annee Deering at 11th. Ashley's race reports follows:

For those of you who missed the race this morning, you may be the only ones alive next week after the rest of us die from swimming in the "Do NOT Swim - high bacteria levels" water. Despite the water quality in San Pedro, UCLA made a strong showing at the first USC Fight On! Triathlon. To begin with, everyone looked amazing in their new uniforms. Christine might also point out the the women who bought elite suits look extra good with a pair of pants over their new uniforms...

The swim at 1000 meters was long for a sprint. The bike course was nice because it was completely closed off to cars and had a few hills, which I enjoyed. The run course began with an 85 degree cliff, which required some of our racers to pull out their mountain climbing gear, but we all survived. I was inspired on the bike and run course by teammates' cheers as we biked/ran past each other. Josh Lamden was especially motivating when he ran past. I immediately tried to pick-up my pace a little, remembering that in addition to racing for myself, I was racing for the team.

I didn't have the best race that I've ever had, but I can honestly say that I raced the best that I could have that day. I ended up placing third among the collegiate women. There were two heats of collegiate men. Many other racers on our team had amazing performances. Congratulations to everyone who raced, especially those of you who completed your first race or your first open water swim.

—Ashley

UCLA Tri women took first and second place and our men took first and third place in the collegiate division of the 2009 UCSD Tritonman on Fiesta Island in San Diego. This is one of the nicest races in the WCCTC and our team looks forward to it every year. The location is special as it was the site of the very first modern triathlon in 1974. First-time collegiate racer and first-year member Sasan Ahoraian describes his experience:

Waking up at 4:15AM wasn't that bad. The bad part was getting lost around Rosecrans, Camino Del Rio, and the Pacific Hwy until an elderly man in a tollbooth steered us in right direction. Great start to a great race, right? Regardless, once we arrived on the island, I was super excited to see all my teammates as they set up. It was awesome to be able to warm up and chill with everyone proudly sporting the blue and gold. I put on my new wetsuit and set up my transition area as best I could. The best part, I think, was doing the 8-clap and having everyone else try to copy us with amateur 5th grade "I don't know but I've been told" chants.

Race-wise, I realized how new I am to this sport. Although I was in the front pack for the swim, I had put on my wetsuit poorly. My stroke felt awkward because I didn't pull my sleeves up far enough. When I got out of the freezing cold water, I couldn't feel my feet. I saw so many of my teammates during the bike part of the race...boys and girls alike. They were either passing or lapping me because of my awesome cycling skills. The run went fairly well, aside from the fact that I still couldn't feel my feet. In the end, I was content with being the second to last male to finish (Rob came in shortly after even though he started 8 minutes after us...hah).

This is the weird part though...I didn't care that I had done so poorly compared to my teammates. I've been swimming competitively since I was 9, and I've always wanted to be the best at every race. I hated it when anyone would beat me, especially my teammates. But on the UCLA Triathlon team, I made sure to shout at every person I saw on my team to congratulate or encourage them on and off the course. That's the beauty of our team...when one of us succeeds, all of us succeed. I was so proud to represent the blue and gold, no matter what place I finished. Everyone has such a great attitude and that makes competing fun. The members of the UCLA Triathlon team have such a healthy relationship its ridiculous. My first collegiate race is one to remember and I am proud to continue to grow as an athlete within this organization of wonderful individuals.

—Sasan

The 2009 UC Irvine Zot Trot was our first race of the year. This was many team members' first race. Hai Phan describes his race:

UCI Zot Trot started 3 weeks ago for me. I have been mentally preparing each and everyday that led up to the race. There was nothing to do but to visualize. I would imagining myself running, biking, and swimming. Youtube would become my transition coach.

Race day was approaching. The night before, I mentally prepared myself. I had a good meal, watched a good movie, and tried to get a good night sleep. That didn't happen. I tossed and turned for 3 hrs. Finally, I made myself a turkey sandwich and a glass of milk. After all that, I slept at 3 and got up at 4:45.

Upon waking up, I was not a hint tired. I was pumped and running on adrenaline. Made my way to UCI. Running into Kelsey and Marc, I shared with them my sense of excitement. Then, I went and signed in, set up my transition, and warmed up. Now, I was ready.

Getting to the starting line, I started doing strides and loosen up. This was it. I would embark on my first "Try-athlon." It begins. I burst out trying to run fast, trying to keep the target on Josh's back within sight. He was gone within the 1st mile. So, I had to run on my own. I would follow Marcus and his pacing. I finished the run and would enter the transition zone. This was the best part because I could hear the thunderous cheers from the Bruin ladies and friends and family. I was super excited to hear the cheers, that got me hauling.

Then the bike ride—so much fun. It had all the climbing and descending that I love so much. I killed the first 2 laps. Gunning it all the way through. This was my favorite part, I would take out a handful of Trojans and others. All of that turned my legs into jelly and caused some mad calf cramping. Remembering what coach Gareth said, I forced myself to down my drink mix. On the last lap of the bike, my French nemesis, Marc Philibert overtook me. With encouragement, he yelled, "Go HAI," and I went.

I tried to stay very close to him with the hope of catching him in the pool. Quickly putting my bike away, I ran out of transition and over to the pool. My legs were sore, calves were aching, and feet burning. I jumped into the pool and dropped all the way to the bottom. Sprinting in the pool, I hauled ass and blew by 5-8 people. The last 2 laps, I swam by someone doing backstroke and a USC guy. Finally, I swam towards the finish, I saw something very special and unforgettable. Marc finished with both arms outstretched to the sky. He was happy and so was I. Right behind me was Marcus Perry, the guy that convinced me to join the team. I finished and I'm glad it was right beside my fellow Bruins.

For my first triathlon, I could not have asked for anything more. From the anticipation to the finish line, I was glad it all went well. Pure excitement and pure joy.

Team president David Quiros adds:

The guys started a little after 7am. Uphill on a bike path to the inner ring of the campus. UC Irvine's buildings are arranged in a circle with a big park in the middle. If UCLA did this, we'd have parking garages and football fields instead of a park. The run ended with stairs to the big grass field behind their recreation center, which was a great way to get you tired heading into T1.

The bike course for the guys was more crowded than I remember from last year. There were some people who fell on the bike going around the corners, but nobody on our team as I recall. It seemed like many of us had "almosts" including myself, but we all know God favors bruins over banana slugs, trees, trojans, etc. Seth was the leading collegiate male on the bike the entire way, and held it through the swim. It seemed like a good race for most of the guys on the team. I'll let the awesome results speak for themselves when they're posted.

The gals made a strong showing with Brittany finishing first overall. Our women lead the run from the start, and Brittany was in the pool before the 2nd place girl was in transition. It was neat to be able to cheer for your team, especially on the spectator friendly bike course! Too bad not many of our races are like this.

The Winter 2009 edition of Triathlon Life magazine, the publication of USA Triathlon, features a section on our scholarship program and a photo of our team:

UCLA Triathlon has released a newsletter for former members, alumni, and interested community members. In this edition, we discuss base training, our scholarship program, and this seasons races. Check it out here.

The UCLA Triathlon Team is proud to announce the fifth-annual UCLA IronBruin Triathlon, benefiting the Cheerful Helpers. The event is set for Sunday March 8, 2009 at the UCLA campus in Westwood and will include a 400m swim, 13.5mi bike and 5K run. The event features an open division for all competitors, an intercollegiate competition for collegiate triathlon teams, and a relay division for those who wish to do the race with their friends.

Competitors will encounter a unique urban course with features such as Drake Stadium, the Bruin Bear, and Royce Hall. Competitors start the swim staggered at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center in the 50m pool. The bike course is a four-loop circuit that includes a high-speed decent down Charles E. Young Drive North and a tour of various campus buildings and roads. The run course parallels much of the bike course, but in the opposite direction to amenable to encouragement during competition. The race finishes at the IM field, where a post-race award ceremony and expo will occur.

This year the UCLA IronBruin Triathlon will partner with the Cheerful Helpers Child and Family Study Center, a landmark program that has been in the forefront of early intervention in Los Angeles for fifty years. There will be a short presentation of the organization following the event. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to Cheerful Helpers.

The UCLA IronBruin Triathlon is also an official stop for collegiate teams that are part of the West Coast Collegiate Triathlon Conference (WCCTC). The WCCTC, founded in 2006, was the first student-organized collegiate triathlon conference in the United States and features a points-based series of races. "The WCCTC was established to provide collegiate triathletes with an official intercollegiate season and legitimize the collegiate triathlon programs that exist across the state," says Marcus George, founder of UCLA Triathlon and one of the WCCTC organizers. George continues, "the conference also ranks individuals and teams based on performances over the course of the season, providing an incentive for teams to travel long distances to participate in conference races. The WCCTC continues to spark interest and participation in the growing sport of triathlon among collegiate athletes across the state."

Entry fees for the UCLA IronBruin Triathlon are $35 for college students, $55 for UCLA Staff/Faculty/Alumni, and $60 for all other participants. Relay teams are $99 for UCLA students/staff/faculty and $129 for all others. This year’s event will sell out, so register early to secure a spot. Event information is available online at www.IronBruin.com.

Companies or individuals interested in sponsoring the UCLA IronBruin Triathlon or participating in the post-race expo should contact DeAnna Steiger at sponsorship@ironbruin.com. Inquiries about UCLA Triathlon’s involvement with the Cheerful Helpers Child and Family Study Center should be directed to Maria Dziembowska at director@ironbruin.com.

UCLA Triathlon is an official club sport of the UCLA Department of Cultural and Recreational Affairs. In addition to a tiered coaching structure for students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members, UCLA Triathlon also provides a team atmosphere. UCLA Triathlon also puts on a variety of triathlon clinics that are open to the public and lead by UCLA Triathlon head coach Gareth Thomas, who has coached some of the world's top triathletes. For more information about UCLA Triathlon, click here.

Established in 1958, the Cheerful Helpers Child and Family Study Center offers services to families with young children, ages 2-6, who are having difficulties with language development, motor-planning, self-regulation and socialization, in family oriented intervention programs. In a safe and warm setting, the Cheerful Helpers provides hope to parents and their young children experiencing significant developmental, social and emotional challenges. The unique, leading-edge, collaborative, educational and therapeutic approach empowers the entire family to achieve their potential for life-long growth. UCLA team members have a personal connection with Cheerful Helpers, and strive to make a meaningful difference in local organizations.

Yesterday morning David Quiros, Steve Oakley and Marc Philibert did the Piru TT, a simple out and back 20K bike TT with rolling slopes (320 feet of ascent over the 12.2 miles).

David writes:

The conditions were excellent—cool air, smooth road, almost no cars, and no wind. There were about 50 riders, each spaced 30 seconds apart. The race was very well organized in terms of timing and check-in. We all raced in Cat 5 and were happy with our performances. I finished in 30:31, Marc in 36:05, and Steven shortly after in 37:12.

Putting my new Blackwell Research wheels on the road for the first time was fun—those things sure feel fast but tough handling as the tires are only 20C.

Marc adds:

As David mentioned, yesterday morning three hardy bruin triathletes braved the California's highway 5 to compete at the Piru TT. When we got there, we found a small but very professional looking crowd. Everybody had nice bikes and people warming up on trainers. After a warm-up on the race course I was soooooo ready to start the race. I was the third person off, which was as close to a podium as I would be the rest of the way. The start of the race was mostly downhill, which gave me the comforting feeling of knowing I would have to climb back up after 16km at top speed. There were about fifty people leaving behind me and it took about two minutes for the first person to catch me.

I had asked David for any kind of racing advice and he told me to go all out. I tried that Napoleonic tactic, and like my french counterpart got lost at the russian frontier. The race was fun, nice scenery and I got to cheer on the people passing me by. I also got chased by a dog for about 2km.

After the race, we heard from a couple people that they liked seeing UCLA at the race, and had we been from USC they would have pushed David from off his trainer. Finally, both David and myself won a yellow water bottle during the post-game raffle. GO BRUINS!

The weather has been so nice it seemed a shame to not try and squeeze in one last race for the year, so Danielle Thomas (Coach Gareth's wife) and I decided to race the San Diego at the Subaru US Women's Triathlon in Mission Bay. This is a series of women's only races that raise funds for the Ovarian Cancer Society (not to be confused with Danskin which is a women's only race that raises funds for the Breast Cancer Research Society).

This was a sprint race (750m open-water swim, 20k bike, 5k run) located in Mission Bay around Fiesta Island. We drove down on Saturday to register and check out the course, which was not looking too appetizing with all the jet skis in the water right where we were going to be swimming. Thank goodness for rubbing alcohol!

Sunday morning we got to transition at 6am, which with a 7am start time we figured would have been plenty of time. After we located our racks, and moved aside some space hogs, we realized it was getting late and they were getting ready to close transition. At 6:45, transition closed and we headed down to the boat launch to get ready for the first wave. I was pleasantly surprised that the first wave went off on time. With over 1000 racers, that is no small feat.

The swim start was a floating start and I managed to get myself seeded in the second row from the front of the pack. When the whistle blew, I was thankful for all the water polo type swimming Coach G. has us practice. I was able to keep my head up for the first 25 yards or so until the pack thinned out. By the time we got around the first buoy, the swimmers were starting to string out and and there was quite a bit of open water to swim in. As I pulled around the last buoy I realized that there were a lot of green caps around me - which was encouraging as that was the color of the wave ahead of me.

T1 was a long run up the boat ramp and into transition. Luckily, someone in my rack had tied a cat balloon to the end of the rack so it was very easy to find. Quick rinse with some sun tea endurance to get the salt taste out of my mouth and run out with the bike.

The 2-loop ride around Fiesta Island was a fun course—relatively flat, long straight stretches, and not too much wind on the back of the island. There was very little traffic on the first loop, but by the second there were a lot more riders out on the course. After the second loop, it was a quick off the island and back to Mission Bay. The dismount line was around a corner, so there was a lot of bunching up and quick stopping. Once you got dismounted, it was a short run back to rack the bike, throw on your running shoes, turn your race number to the front, and out for a quick 5k run.

The run was also 2 loops along the bay and ran along part of the bike course. Its interesting how seeing people still out on a bike course while you are running gives you a psychological boost and your turnover gets a little faster. And then your turnover gets even faster on the 2nd loop since you know the finish line is closer and how much further you need to go. The last 100 yards you start kicking a little harder to try and pass one more person... then one more...

All in all, it was a great race to end the season on. Great traveling companions, a great bike tech checking things over on Sunday morning, and a great cause.

Happy training!

On October 5th, 2008, UCLA Triathlon scholarship athlete Brady O'Bryan took first place overall at the inaugural Playa Del Rey Triathlon. Located at Dockweiler State Beach in Playa Del Rey, the race featured a 600-meter ocean swim, a 20K bike, and 5K run on one of the flattest and fastest courses in Southern California.

Brady O'Bryan writes:

"I began with a warm-up that concluded with an ocean swim, which was a first for me. In the water, a wave crashed over me and stole my goggles. Fortunately, I brought an extra pair. As a result, I started the swim leg pretty intimidated and almost turned back before I got to the first buoy. But, I stuck it out and somehow managed to come out of the water in 11th or 12th place.

The bike went much smoother. I was able to catch everyone before the turnaround and put in about a minute on the second place guy before the start of the run. I had swallowed a bit of seawater in the swim so my stomach started cramping up pretty bad during the run, but I was encouraged when I got to the turnaround and saw that I had a comfortable lead. I tried to finish the run as strong as possible, and as I slapped hands with all the club volunteers, I felt pretty good about winning my first triathlon in California, with, hopefully, more to come."

The UCLA and USC Triathlon teams came out to staff the event, which benefited collegiate triathlon. "Collegiate triathlon is currently experiencing an unprecedented period of growth," says Marcus George, owner of VBC Multisport LLC and a founder of the UCLA Triathlon Team. "Collegiate teams are introducing a wave of new athletes to the sport, but these students often find the costs overwhelming. The purpose of the Playa Del Rey Triathlon is to raise awareness in the community about how they can support their local collegiate programs as well as provide some needed monetary assistance."

2009 scholarship recipients Brittany Day and Brady O'Bryan

UCLA Triathlon is proud to announce the launch of the first ever scholarship program for Triathlon in the USA. This program provides support, resources and expertise to talented Triathletes who wish to develop their athletic ability to its maximum while completing a first-class education.

Current UCLA students Brittany Day and Brady O’Bryan are the recipients of the two scholarships available for the 2009 season. For both, it will be just their second season as Triathletes. Brittany was a member of the UCLA swim team before switching to Triathlon with immediate success. Brady is a teen Triathlon sensation from Texas whose goal is to become the youngest ever winner of the Hawaii Ironman World Championships.

The athletes will be targeting success in the WCCTC (West Coast Collegiate Triathlon Conference) and US national championships. Furthermore, they will be attending many of the local SoCal events including the Los Angeles Triathlon, Malibu Triathlon and new City of Angels/ Playa Del Rey Triathlon, which is a benefit race for the UCLA and USC teams.

The scholarship provides each athlete with a personal coaching program from team head coach, Gareth Thomas, which includes regular lactate testing and video analysis. Furthermore, they will be supported with regular physical therapy treatment from Pro Physical Therapy, receive pro bike fits from Nate Loyal and a full package of equipment including nutrition products from PowerBar, Xterra wetsuits, eyewear and helmets from Rudy Project and Powertap power meters. They will also receive a generous race expense budget.

Coach Gareth explains, "This program has been five years in the making. Over that time we have grown the team from just a handful of members to a group of 60+ athletes who regularly train together. Each week we have between six and nine hours of coached workouts and each athlete does more training on their own. We now have a performance development program and the administrative support to rival any program out there and the aim is to attract the funding to allow us to offer six more scholarships with even deeper support for 2010."

Team President David Quiros adds, "The launch of the program firmly establishes UCLA as the number-one school to attend for the aspiring Triathlete. Furthermore, our future plans include building a Triathlon-specific training center here on campus and continuing to acquire a vast range of equipment so that everyone who joins our team can train and race like a professional"

UCLA Triathlon is an official UCLA Recreation club sport. In addition to a structured coached program for students, UCLA Triathlon also provides coaching and a team atmosphere for staff, faculty, alumni, and community members. UCLA Triathlon is committed to helping all members, from elite to beginner, reach their athletic goals.