“My times are now the fastest they’ve ever been,” Murray, who rejected the surgery and started seeing a physiotherapist, said. “I’m focused, fitter, stronger and faster than ever.”

He credits resilience and tenacity with getting his mobility and fitness back — qualities he says are essential to overcome bullying, “When it comes to adversity, overcoming bullying, overcoming teasing, rejection or any adversity in life you need resilience and tenacity.”

According to the motivational speaker, eliminating bullying is not so different to the challenge of an ironman race. “It’s the most gruelling, one-day, physical event for the human body and it takes a long-term disciplined effort to prepare and compete for it just like the long-term, disciplined effort it will take to eradicate bullying,” he said.

Like many of us, Murray has been no stranger to bullying during his formative years. “I have a lot of empathy with victims and I have a passion to see kids reach their potential and realise they have amazing worth and value — that’s for both victims and perpetrators,” he said. Whilst a noble goal, stopping bullying once and for all is not an easy task, nor is it one that will be solved in the short term. Murray believes the solution is to keep the bullying conversation alive and going. “It comes back to a long-term, concerted effort — educating kids and empowering entire communities, not just individuals, to disarm bullying,” Murray said.

“The more we talk about it as a community, the less front page news this will become.”

What we can all learn from Brett Murray is that one person with the belief and desire can make a significant difference. Making everlasting change however, requires the concerted efforts of everybody. Bullying is all around us and most of us have probably witnessed and faced it at least once in our lives. For us to truly eradicate bullying from schools we need to make sure there is constant open dialogue about this issue, and that we don’t turn a blind eye to anybody suffering.

Have you ever had to overcome bullying? What kinds of strategies did you find useful? Please let us know in comments below or even better, share your story with us in Crowie’s Your Zone.

This post was sourced from an article by the Hills News. The original article can be found here.

The post Local Man Brett Murray’s Aim to Defeat Bullying appeared first on Craig Alexander.

“I’ve always said, Ironman racing, particularly in Kona is as much a mental test, as it is a physical one, and you draw on those experiences, and a lot of the training you do on your own and those hard sessions, they go into the memory bank to be drawn on at a later date. I love being out there on my own just doing it, i like the mentality. You’ve still got to do the work, everyone goes through that sort of sacrifice, I think thats the unique thing about our sport. Whether you’re trying to win world titles, just win your age group, or even just finish – the people who win don’t just have the talent, they work the hardest.”

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The result leaves the Wellington athlete in seventh in the overall series standings, while Gwen Jorgensen from the United States took line honours and established herself as the new leading lady of the sport. Conditions played a huge part, with constant rain and cooler temperatures making for a treacherous race at times and creating a number of crashes on the bike.

But it was Jorgensen who reigned supreme in the Yokohama ITU World Triathlon, running down Australia’s Emma Moffatt before simply streaking off into the distance. McIlroy was prominent throughout the race, in particular on the bike, but had little in the tank once it came to the run. “Obviously the run was not great,” McIlroy said. “I just felt pretty flat today. It is not what I went into the race planning to do, but to still finish in the top 10 is pretty respectable and, considering how I felt … it is not a bad end result.”

With a group of 13 athletes together on the front of the bike field, McIlroy attempted to give the race a shake up but it was to prove fruitless. “It was halfway through the bike when the rain got heavy and the bike pace slowed down, everyone was cautious about the white lines on the road getting really slippery and it was a chance for the chase group to bridge the gap and we became one big pack,” she said.

“I talked to Emma Moffatt and she was keen to try and ride hard with me. Obviously it didn’t happen but we gave it a bit of a crack and managed to up the pace for a few laps but then the rain came down and it got shut down.

“It was just one of the days when nothing quite gels and you don’t feel great but you just have to get it done basically.”

This post was sourced from an article by the New Zealand Herald. The original article can be found here.

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Named the most influential person of 2012 by Inside Triathlon, Messick has grabbed headlines by barring Lance Armstrong from competing in Ironman tournaments due to the ongoing doping allegations against him. Since assuming the position of CEO in 2011, the former triathlete has been on a mission to turn Ironman into a global sport. On Friday, The WTC made an announcement about a new “SwimSmart” initiative that will drastically change the way some Ironman athletes compete in the 2.3 mile swim section of the event, and before long the idea of a mass start could be extinct all together.

The new Ironman swim changes were conceived as a result of the fear that comes with the Ironman mass starts in the open-water swim. “The primary barrier for triathletes participating is the swim,” Messick said in a phone call on the day of the announcement. “We also know that among triathletes the largest stressor is the swim. It is the area that provokes the most discomfort; it’s the area that athletes worry the most about. It’s also where training is the most dissimilar from racing. The run portion of an Ironman or a triathlon isn’t particularly different from going out for a run. The cycling portion isn’t that different from going out for a ride. Yet the swimming portion is all together different from going to the YMCA and swimming 3,000 meters.”

One of the most controversial announced changes to Ironman in recent years will be the modification or removal of the mass start at certain North American Ironman events. Ironman Coeur d’Alene and Ironman Lake Placid will switch to a “rolling” start, where athletes will cross a timing mat as a continuous stream, similar to how running races begin. Ironman Mont-Tremblant will switch to a wave start based on age groups, which is how many triathlons start. Finally, Ironman Lake Tahoe and Ironman Florida will still feature a mass start, but with athletes self-seeding themselves into corrals before the race. Other Ironman events such as Texas, Louisville and Arizona will stick to their traditional starts for now.

The North American events will be test beds for various approaches in solving the issue of mass starts. “We want to put ourselves in a position where we’re trying different things,” Messick explained. “We haven’t decided what we think the right answer is, or if there is a single right answer. We have some races that are unchanged, we have some races that are very slightly modified mass starts and we’ve got a number of other races where we’ve changed the start point and that really is intentionally designed so that at the end of the year we’ve got the ability to sit down and look at the feedback from our athletes and talk to our operational team and decide what we think is best.”

One of the other controversial changes to Ironman events will be the addition of anchored resting rafts to allow swimmers to take breaks. In another example of going against the grain, Messick took aim at the traditional belief that taking a rest was wrong. “I think it is an important symbolic point that it’s perfectly OK for an athlete during the run to sit down on a curb and spend five minutes at an aid station drinking water,” he says. “It’s perfectly OK for athletes to get off the bike at special needs or at an aid station and rest and yet during the part of the race where there’s the most anxiety, culturally, there is a belief among age-group athletes that they can’t stop. That stopping, holding onto a kayak or holding onto a raft is grounds for a DQ. That is wrong, but it’s a widely held belief. Part of what we want to do is through education and strong symbolic showings is reinforce to our athletes that if you need to stop and rest, stop and rest. Get out of the flow of athletes so you don’t have athletes swimming over you. It’s perfectly acceptable on the bike and the run to do that, yet for reasons we don’t fully understand culturally it doesn’t seem to be on the swim and we don’t understand why that is. We don’t think it’s appropriate.”

A lot of reaction from Ironman athletes will be that the iconic races will be “softened”. Messick countered the sentiment, stating, “The swim is still 2.4 miles, the bike is still 112, the run is still 26.2, and so I don’t know how that softens it,” he remarked. The next few North American Ironman events will no doubt provide interesting viewing, with one eye on the racing itself, and the other on the future of Ironman.

How do you think this will affect future Ironman events? Will these changes see more athletes attempting and finishing their races? Let us know what you think of the latest changes to Ironman events in the comments below.

This post was sourced from an article by Triathlete Europe. The original article can be found here.

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Craig Alexander provides a delicious Top 10 list on how to eat to achieve victory.

10 Natural Yoghurt

Yogurt is nutritionally rich in protein, calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, which is great for the body, preventing things like high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and helps the digestive system as well as tasting great!

Natural Yoghurt

9 BSc Immufix Clinical Olive Leaf Extract

Olive lead extracts provides protection against all things nasty that keep you under the weather. From anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, this little bottle of goodness is pretty much “anti” anything that aims to bring you down.

Natural Immunfix Clinical Olive Leaf Extract

8Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are high in dietary fibre, making it great for digestion and healing digestion issues. It contains 20% Omega 3 ALA, making it a super food for the brain and heart. Chia contains eight times more Omega 3 than salmon and provides 20% protein which is a complete protein with all 8 essential amino acids.

Chia Seeds

7 Core Power Honey Protein Drink

Honey boosts athletic performance and endurance while reducing muscle fatigue. Ancient Olympic athletes would eat honey and dried figs to enhance their performance. This has now been verified with modern studies, showing that it is superior in maintaining glycogen levels and improving recovery time than other sweeteners.

Core Power Honey Protein Drink

6 BSc Fuel Series Recovery Protein

BSc’s Recovery Protein is a great way to maximise your recovery after training, providing a unique and cutting edge formula. Its designed to work synergistic-ally to provide the right mix of nutrients to the right place during the 20-minute Recovery Window post exercise, ensuring maximum recovery levels and delivers the optimal blend of Proteins, Carbohydrates, Specific Amino’s and Vitamins and Minerals with each serving to promote maximum recovery.

BSc Fuel Series Recovery Protein

5 Beetroot Smoothie

Not only is beetroot great for boosting stamina and making muscles work harder, it also contains potassium, magnesium and iron as well as vitamins A, B6 and C, and folic acid. Beets also contain carbohydrates, protein, powerful antioxidants and soluble fibre. What’s more, just three baby beetroot equal one of your recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. It also tastes great!

Beetroot Smoothie

4 Salt Stick Capsules

SaltStick Capsules are a unique scientific formulation providing a balanced supply of absorbable sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium along with Vitamin D to aid in calcium absorption. SaltStick Capsules have been formulated to provide electrolytes to help minimise heat stress and muscle cramping due to excessive perspiration. SaltStick Capsules are ideal for triathletes, adventure racers, marathon runners, cyclists, outdoor workers or in hot conditions.

Salt Stick Capsules

3 Mango Avocado Arugula Salad

Mango Avocado Argula Salad

2  Green Monster Smoothie

Green Monster Smoothie

1  Carrot Ginger Juice

Carrot Ginger Juice

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Compression clothing was originally purposed for medical patients to help with blood flow and circulation, but recently have become increasingly popular among athletes. However, there is debate surrounding the supposed benefits of using compression clothing, and whether its use as running gear improved performance for triathletes at all. Research and tests are currently inconclusive as to whether they improve your overall performance in general, but depending on the type of training and activity you perform, compression gear can help with the recovery of your muscles. It is suggested that wearing compression tights while running helps decrease muscle vibrations, a contributing factor to muscle fatigue. However, the full range of benefits of compression are mostly related to an improvement in blood flow. In well-trained athletes, this is not a huge difference and doesn’t really improve performance and endurance. However, if you train on back to back days, this improvement in blood flow is quite significant as it allows your body to recover more effectively after a hard slug from the consecutive sessions of training. The jury is still out about the merits of compression clothing until more research is done, so be aware of what you’re buying.

One important piece of triathlete sports wear that has a more obvious benefit are running shoes. The ideal triathlon shoe should have the three following features:

• Be lightweight,
• Feature an easy-to-use tightening system
• Wick moisture from the feet.

You’ll be running for long stretches of time so your shoes will need to be comfortable, flexible, and lightweight. Look for a shoe that weighs no more than 12 ounces (roughly 340 grams). The nature of triathlon compared to a marathon means you will be transitioning between three different types of activity. A running shoe made specifically for triathlon should come with an easy-to-use tightening system, instead of laces. Drawstrings are typically the norm as they are currently the easiest and fastest method to tighten the shoe. Simply having an easy and intuitive tightening system for your shoes could shave precious seconds during your transitions. Lastly, any triathlon shoe worth its weight should feature a run-off system that drains water from the swimming leg away from the foot. Having water inside your shoe is just plain uncomfortable and could lead to blisters.

In conclusion, people just getting into triathlon may find running shoes sufficient for their needs, but any serious triathlete should seriously consider shoes that are specifically made for triathlon. Of course, there is still inconclusive evidence about the effectiveness of compression clothing. So if you do decide to get yourself a pair or two prepare your expectations accordingly.

The post Truth or Myth: Running Gear Improved Performance for Triathletes appeared first on Craig Alexander.

This year’s Ironman Triathlon 70.3 St George was a difficult one indeed, with competitors facing brutal swim conditions and 40 mph wins. A record 29% of the official starters did not cross the finish line. 6% of the total official starters did not even make it past the water, bowing out before the bike split. McMahon also found it difficult in the water but rallied back in the bike split to remain with the pack. It was the run leg where the two-time Olympian made his mark, pulling away from the group and creating himself a nice gap of three minutes over second place American Kevin Collington. McMahon’s overall finish time was 3:51:10. With less than a minute separating the two, it was a tightly contested affair for second place between Collington and fellow compatriot, Andy Potts, who finished second and third overall respectively.

It’s a landmark victory for the Victoria-based triathlete, who recorded his first ever win at an Ironman 70.3 race, and no doubt proving to himself and his peers of his capabilities as a worthy competitor. McMahon has traditionally competed on the International Triathlon Union’s world circuit, which is Olympic distanced (1,500-metre swim, 40km bike, 10km run). Ironman 70.3 races are a 1.9km, 90km bike and 21.1km run, half the distances of the famous Ironman race, and take almost four hours to complete.

In the women’s race, Sweden’s Svenja Bazlen and American Meredith Kessler duked it out throughout the swim, with the Kessler gaining the slight lead out onto the bike split. Bazlen came back at the American to take the lead on the bike with a blistering time of 02:21:39. The Swede also began amassing a massive five minute lead early on in the run but Kessler fought back in spectacular fashion to take out Ironman 70.3 Utah with an overall time of 4:17:11. Bazlen finished less than a minute behind with a finish time of 4:18:46. Heather Wurtelle of Canada rounded out the podium with her time of 4:20:26.

This post was sourced from an article by Victoria News. The original article can be found here.

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http://fundly.com/f-ck-cancer-ironman-texas-style

Lindy’s husband Mike is in Washington DC today for National Brain Tumor Society Day and met BethAnn Telford who you helped train and recommended I reach out to you! I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before…. but here we go…. AND WE ARE 11 DAYS AWAY TIL IRONMAN TEXAS!!!

It is not fair that my friends are gone. They were both way too young and both had a whole hell of lot more livin’ they needed to do.

One of my personal favorite parts of livin’ is getting outside and pushing my body to its limits which is why I do these crazy triathlons! In case you didn’t know, finishing an Ironman is wonderful but doing an Ironman really sucks (!!!) and I need all of the motivation I can get to help me make it through 140.6 miles of racing in the Texas heat – so I’m definitely doing this for selfish reasons also!

In all seriousness, I’m hopeful that my efforts will raise a little bit of extra money and awareness which might in turn help out other folks facing similar hardships that cancer dealt Nick and Lindy.

I’m splitting funds equally between their respective charities: Health Alliance For Austin Musicians (HAAM) and The Dallas Brain Tumor Walk.

Check out photo below of beautiful Lindy and video of the legendary Nick!!!

PLEASE HELP ME GIVE A STIFF MIDDLE FINGER TO CANCER AND HONOR THE LIVES OF NICK AND LINDY! THANKS! -WARD

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At this years Ironman Triathlon 70.3 St Croix, Australian Richie Cunningham finished with an total time of 4 hours, 10 minutes and 29 seconds to take the men’s and overall title in the triathlon. Several minutes later, Great Britain’s Catriona Morrison finished in 4:38:56 to finish 15th overall and take the overall women’s title. Cunningham’s time included finishing the 1.2-mile swim portion in 24 minutes and 26 seconds, finishing the 56-mile bike race in 2:24:37, and finishing the 13.1-mile run in 1:21:26. Morrison’s times were 29:44 in the swim, 2:39:16 in the bike, and 1:29:56 in the run.

New Zealand’s Clark Ellice excelled in the water and was first to emerge, with a team of 24:15. Trailing him was eventual winner Cunningham, Puerto Rican Edgardo Velez, and Great Britain’s Will Clarke. Cunningham however, managed to recover by pulling off second fastest times in both the bike and run splits to take the victory.

Clarke finished second overall in 4:13:27, followed by Ellice in 4:13:32, Michael Lovato of the U.S. in fourth, and Oscar Galindez of Brazil in fifth. Velez was sixth in 4:26:41, followed by Poland’s Mikolaj Luft in 4:27:32, the Netherlands’ Felix Schumann in 4:27:28, and the Panamanian duo of Pedro Cordovez (4:28:50) and Ronan Pavoni (4:35:15). Joanna Lawn of New Zealand was the second women’s finisher in 4:44:00, followed by Maria Czesnik of Poland in 4:45:48.

In the Sprint Triathlon, Joao Otavio Fernandes finished the 750-meter swim, 8-mile bike and 4-mile run in 1 hour, 6 minutes and 11 seconds to take the title. He was followed by top women’s finisher Mignon Vatlach in 1:09:33, Gilles Janssen in 1:11:21, Agustin Quinones Jr. in 1:11:38, and Dedrick Laikens in 1:15:57. St. Croix’s Theresa Harper was second among women and 10th overall in 1:22:37.

This post was sourced from an article by Virgin Islands Daily News. The original article can be found here.

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Diagnosed with a rare cell disorder called Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, Carter has been put on a low dose of chemotherapy for a year to fight the disease. “Last year was my first triathlon, and I felt so good after the race I was like, ‘I’m so doing this next year!’ And just because I’m on chemo, it isn’t going to stop me from doing that”, he told First Coast News.

Carter’s mum, Mary Jo,said Carter bounced right back from the diagnosis, and won’t let it slow him down. “He’s a strong kid. He’s determined. He’s been amazing through the whole thing, just handling it like a trooper,” she said. So how does he do it? “Probably the love and care of my family and friends,” he said. Training with a group at the YMCA, he hasn’t missed a practice, and wants to help other kids through the race. “Stay strong and don’t give up,” he said.

This post was sourced from an article by First Coast News. The original article can be found here.

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