This is my first post on the Timex blog, as I’m one of the many newbies on the team in 2009. Being chosen to be part of the team is truly an honor and I can’t wait to meet the team in April! I thought it would be good to put up a quick intro so the blog regulars can know who I am before I start spamming the site with my mindless chatter.

Triathlon bits- This is my fourth season racing and first in the 29 + 1 age group. My favorite distance is the Half Ironman (did 4 last year), but I’d like to have another go at racing a full this year. So far in 2009 I have some old favorites on the schedule and will be racing Oceanside 70.3, Triple T Ohio, and the Kinetic Half, all for the second time. If my luck holds out and they offer 140.6 slots at Oceanside I may also take a second stab at CdA. I have been keeping a blog since my first season racing at http://joditris.blogspot.com

Finishing the hardest Oly EVER at Triple T Ohio

Non-triathlon bits- Away from training and racing I am just finishing up my medical degree at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. I’ve been here since 2001 as part of a dual MD / PhD program. This summer I’m off to start a residency in Emergency Medicine and hope to follow that up with a fellowship in Sports Medicine. I’m also a big fan of cooking, hiking and anything involving wine…

It's not often you get attacked by a Chef Alligator!

I want to thank the managers for giving me the opportunity to be on the team, and all the athletes for being so welcoming in the first couple months. Should be a very fun year!

I’ve got 2 sons – Brian, age 29, and Elliot, 25.  They grew up hearing this all the time: “good things happen to good boys.”  They would help us deliver “Meals on Wheels” several times a year to needy folks; we did lots of philanthropic stuff; we even spent a night sleeping in cardboard boxes in a Downtown park in Omaha, NE, in support of the homeless (it snowed that night!).  Both “boys” were instilled with values of goodness … and it shows.

My son, Elliot, the Chicken Wizard. He - and 16 others - recently built bikes from spare parts, rode them from Austin to Mexico, and donated them to a village there.

5430 Sports, my business, along with Jodee, my wonderful wife, is built on the principle of “doing the right thing.”  It is the premise that helped us start our environmental initiative in 2006, now called “Tri Sustainability.”  This program encompasses a full-scale recycling effort at our events – including composting; making the events carbon neutral; using solar power for all the electrical needs at the events; collecting used energy bar wrappers, bike tubes, running shoes, and athletic apparel … which we pass on to places that make things out of these items which normally hit a landfill; and, we educate our athletes and spectators  a lot.

We help raise money each year for an important charity – this year, Foundation Fighting Blindness.  In the past 4 years, we have helped raise over $60,000 for our charities.

For Christmas, instead of giving each other presents, we “adopted” an African Lion – Arthur, who was rescued by the nearby Wildlife Animal Sanctuary.  He was abandoned by some kind of crazy traveling zoo or something in nowhere, Nebraska.  Awful!  Our adoption will help feed him this year.

We all have choices every day.  Some people say “Perform random acts of kindness,” some say “do the right thing.”  Whatever.  The bottom line is do something – and make it right.  Help someone – help an animal – help the environment.  Triathlon can be quite the selfish sport.  We each have the ability – the opportunity – to make a difference each and every day for someone or something else.  Go for that opportunity.  You – and the world – will be better for it!

Getting kids into a healthy lifestyle is doing the right thing!

Up here in Frisco, CO there has been an event that has been going on for a number of years called Gold Rush days.  It’s a weekend long event where they have Nordic events including skate skiing, classic XC ski races and snowshoe races.  Nikki and I both wanted to race but didn’t have a babysitter, which happens from time to time.  Luckily, Nikki’s event, the 10K classic ski and my event, the 7K snowshoe were 2 hours apart so we switched off. The weather was beautiful and Nikki went off at 9AM while I babysat and hung out with a few other friends from Denver.  She hadn’t been on skis for awhile, but she had a great time as you can see from the picture below.   

Getting ready for the 10K

All bundled up

When she got back, I got ready for my race.  The thing about snowshoe races is that they require a good amount of strategy, luck, and good old fashioned hard work to do well.  It was a mass start that after the first 50 yards went into a single tack which requires you to sprint to get a good position on the trail.  I took the lead for the first few minutes then was passed by two other runners.  We were by ourselves up to the 5K mark when we came out of the woods and finished the last 2K on the XC ski trail.  It was that point where I pushed the pace and took the lead.  I ended up winning the race by 1 minute!  Below are a few pictures of the boys in their full winter gear.

Spencer all tuckered out after a long day of racing...

 Thanks for reading!

Tim