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Las Vegas Triathlon Club Calendar

We are very excited about our upcoming March Madness events to welcome the 2024 season! March Madness events are open to both members and non-members:

• 3/2/24 (Saturday): Potluck (Mercer's)

• 3/9/24 (Saturday): Run to the LV Welcome sign, 9 am (Sandy Larsen)

• 3/23/24 (Saturday): Corn Creek Ride, 9 am (Bob Gamble)

• 3/30/24 (Saturday): Polar Plunge, 1 pm (Matt Olson)

• 4/6/24 (Saturday): Practice tri at Boulder City (Robert Picardo)

• 4/7/24 (Sunday): Practice tri at Boulder Beach (Bob Gamble)

Here are the tentative dates for our 2024 Club events (we are submitting permit requests for these dates):

• 4/14/24: Sunday - Triathlon
• Registration opens March 1st

• 6/1/24: Saturday - Triathlon
• Registration opens May 1st

• 7/7/24: Sunday - Aquabike
• Registration opens June 1st

• 8/10/24: Saturday - Triathlon
• Registration opens July 1st

Pencil these dates into your calendar! More information will be posted as we get closer to the date.

Club events are for members only! Membership is annual and runs next season from March 2024 to March 2025.

Continue to check our Facebook Group for any additional get-togethers that may be happening, and for locals who are training in town or down at Lake Mead. Post your workouts!

Thanks everyone!

Past President

Your Clarinet

Outside of triathlon, I play guitar. I get a lot of satisfaction out of it, but I could learn a lot more and, frankly, it would be more fun to play with other musicians. I enjoy playing the rhythm part of songs, which is not a solo gig. The person who plays the rhythm is designed to keep the others on the beat. Kind of seems silly to have a person who needs a team, playing alone. The problem is, I have terrible performance anxiety. In triathlon no one is good at everything. No two people perform the same, look the same, etc, but when you are playing an instrument, your notes better sound exactly the same as someone else’s. It is very noticeable when instruments don't match up. 

I, bravely, signed up for UNLV’s beginning band. Guitar is not a concert band instrument, so I did what no student does and went in not knowing any instrument. The conductor was really confused, but said clarinet and trumpet are the best instruments for beginners. I picked the clarinet.

Long story short, we had 6 weeks to prepare for the big community concert. Normally this is done in 14 weeks, but the concert hall was booked solid for the holiday season. I had to learn how to read music, put together the instrument, what notes were where, how to make it sound good, etc. I walked in on performance night to 1,832 seats staring at me. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to slip out the back and never speak about this again. But I didn’t. I looked fear in the face and decided to do it anyway. Whatever “your” clarinet is, the thing that terrifies you the most, take a deep breath and do it anyway.



~Shawna Glasser

The New Triathlete

Fail Gloriously!

This year’s theme for the Tri Club is “Fearless,” but triathletes – especially new ones -- shouldn’t take that concept the wrong way. Fear is a good thing in many ways – it has helped us survive since we crawled out of the primordial ooze eons ago. Fear cautions us to take small steps when trying new things and heightens our attention in dangerous situations. And fear is even a vital component of courage, for we can’t act courageously if there is nothing to fear.  

But there is one thing that triathletes, especially new triathletes, should never fear, and that is failure. Thomas Edison famously “failed” countless times before he came up with a light bulb that worked. The Wright brothers’ first flight, by today’s standards, was a resounding failure in that it only lasted 12 seconds and only got a few feet off the ground. The reason these men are some of the most successful inventors who ever lived is that they didn’t see their early attempts as failures – they saw them as learnings. Every time Edison burned up a new filament, he learned what didn’t work. In the 12 seconds that became the first manned flight, the Wright brothers gained invaluable information that helped them re-design their airplane and lay the groundwork for modern aviation.

In triathlon, the only failure is to not try. When you go out too hard on the bike and bonk on the run, you learn how to pace yourself. When you go off course in the swim, you learn to sight better or more often. When you DNF, you learn how to train better. When you train too hard and get sick or injured, you learn the importance of rest. To race triathlon is to never stop learning. 

So, in keeping with this year’s theme, I encourage you to embrace failure, not fear it. When you do fail, fail gloriously, smile at your smarter self, and come back stronger. When you do that, you never really fail at all. 



~ Bob Gamble

Prez Corner:

Fearless

Free from fear; brave.

Sure … easy to define. But how can a triathlete embrace the ‘fearless’ mindset? How can we have ‘less fear’? What does it even mean to be ‘Fearless’ in the context of triathlon?

Let’s take a step back. Fear is to be afraid … and it is easy to be afraid on race day. Maybe it is your first race and you are worried about the swim start. Maybe you are starting an irondistance event and you are worried about making cutoff times. Maybe your fear is that you are worried you won’t hit your best time or you won’t make the podium.

Triathlon is full of the unknown … plenty things to be ‘afraid of’ since we don’t know how the race is going to go until that start gun fires.

Fear can be paralyzing. Who wants to fail?!

Fearless to me means not being afraid to fail. Lots of times, maybe we hold back a bit on effort because there is a fear of failing ... sometimes maybe we even self-sabotage ourselves so there is an excuse for not succeeding.

Fearless to me also means accepting the results of an event with no excuses ... accepting that I gave what I could give on that day ... regardless of the situation.

Fearless to me means I'm free of worry of people judging my results and I am free of judging others by their results.

Having the fearless mindset can set you free from worry … free to allow yourself to try your best … and allows you to enjoy the moment.

I hope as you approach 2024, you take on the ‘fearless mindset’ and have a great season!

#thatsthevegasway

#enjoythejourney

#thrive

#timetothrive

#LVtrifamily

#fearless 

~John Mercer

Coach's Corner:

Be a Superhero

On the exhilarating day of the race, an array of nerves and negative thoughts may surge through your athletic frame, instigating a subtle fear as the countdown to the cannon intensifies. The question echoes: Are you genuinely prepared for this defining moment?

Let’s embark on a nostalgic journey, reminiscing about our childhoods when superheroes were our idols. We’d dawn capes, masks, or unique accessories, instantly transforming into fearless champions when confronted with fear.

Reflect on your chosen superhero – was it Superman’s iconic cape, Batman’s mysterious mask, or Wonder Woman’s golden bracelets? Reconnect with that source of empowerment. As a triathlon coach, my go-to is a trusty BondiBand boldly emblazoned with “Beast Mode.” When I secure it in place, an indomitable readiness envelops me, and fear takes a back seat.

Now, ponder your race-day attire. What turns you into a superhero, impervious to trepidation? Be it a lucky charm, a motivational mantra, or a symbolic accessory – weave it into your training fabric. Let this personalized arsenal become the cornerstone, charging up your superpower for the ultimate showdown on race day. Embrace the journey of rediscovery, empowering yourself to fearlessly embrace and dominate each race ahead.

~Hilary Mauch

Have you met these Coaches?

Triathlon race season is here. Do you have a coach? Are you looking for one? Well, the Las Vegas Triathlon Club is going to try to help make some connections.

Earlier this year, we sent out a google form to try to capture our local coaching expertise. We had a number of coaches (all are members of Las Vegas Triathlon Club) respond and we have featured them on this webpage:

Las Vegas Triathlon Club Coaches

We are going to continue to highlight coaches on our web page – if you would like to be part of that, please fill out this form.

LVTC Member Spotlight

Get to know our club members as our President sits down with the following members to talk about tris and life.

• More episodes in 2024!

The Evidence-Based Triathlete

• Justin Riele 2024

• Performance tips: Part 2

• Performance Tips

• Training plan: Big picture

• Bonus: Deep water running and Shallow water plyometrics

Where in the World Has Our TRI Club Raced?

Check out the map below to see where our athletes have raced!