What: An Evening With Dean Karnazes
When: 06/01/05
Where: Proud Bird Restaurant
Guests: Dean Karnazes; Nike presentation of Nike Free 5.0

His recently published book "Ultramarathon Man - Confessions of an All-Night Runner," combined with some excellent PR, has put Dean Karnazes in the print media spotlight (Esquire, GQ, Time, Sports Illustrated, etc.). You may have caught him on the cover of Runner's World a few months ago, or you may have seen him featured on 60-minutes or Letterman. You can view the Letterman spot on his website (www.Ultramarathonman.com).

In a few weeks Dean will reach the pinnacle of his publicity tour when he comes to speak to the LA Tri Club!! We'll have a chance to ask the questions that endurance athletes really want to know, the kind of stuff that isn't likely to be reported in Time or People.

In case you've missed the barrage of Dean publicity...Dean is an ultramarathon runner. If you're unfamiliar with the ultramarathon concept, know that ultramarthoners are the people that triathletes often look at and think "now THOSE guys are crazy!"

Ultramarathon runners compete in extended distance runs, anywhere from 50k (31 miles) on up to 100 miles and beyond. The LA Tri Club has a few accomplished ultra runners that I know of, including Chris Stephenson who recently placed 3rd overall at the grueling Catalina 50-miler, and Bill Lockton who competed in and finished near the top of the pack in the 2003 Badwater. These ultramarathon people are an entirely different breed...

Last year Dean competed in, and won, the famed Badwater Ultramarathon which starts in Death Valley and finishes over 8,000 feet up Mt. Whitney. That's 135 miles in 27h 22m!!

I was admittedly skeptical that a 277-page book about running could hold my interest. To my surprise, once I started, I found it hard to put down. His book chronicles his experiences competing as an ultramarathoner, and provides a lot of insight into what drives him. Triathletes will easily relate to the motivations that Dean writes about, for example:

"Running has taught me that the pursuit of a passion matters more than the passion itself. Immerse yourself in something deeply and with heartfelt intensity - continually improve, never give up - this is fulfillment, this is success."

Does that hit home?! If you're interested in the psychological aspects of endurance sport, and would like to read about it from the perspective of THE Ultramarathon Man, then this book is for you!


If you would like to meet Dean, then this is a meeting you will not want to miss!

What: Inside Triathlon
When: 04/04/05
Where: Proud Bird Restaurant
Guests: Panel: Pro Triathlete Cam Widoff, elite coach Joe Friel, physiologist Allen Lim, elite swim coach Steve Tarpinian, and renowned nutritionist Monique Ryan, Melanie Mcquaid,

Cameron Widoff-Professional Triathlete

• 1st American, 6th 2004 Hawaii Ironman World Triathlon Championship, Kaulia-Kona, HI
• 9th 2003 Xterra World Championship Triathlon, Maui, Hawaii, "Double Championship"
• 1st American, 8th 2003 Hawaii Ironman World Triathlon Championship, Kaulia-Kona, HI
• 9th 2002 Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon - Kauila- Kona, HI
• 2001 "Double" Champion, Hawaii Ironman World Championship/ Nissan Xterra World Championship
• 1st 2000 Isuzu Ironman USA - Lake Placid, NY
• Wildflower Long Course Triathlon course record holder. (4 time winner -'95,'97,'98,'99)
• 1997 United States Professional Triathlon Champion
• 1st American finisher 1997 Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon - Kauila- Kona, HI
• Inside Triathlon Magazine's United States 1997 Triathlete of the Year
• United States Olympic Committee's 1997 Triathlete of the Year
• 1989 Member 1st Team USA Triathlon, Avignon, France

Melanie McQuaid

The strongest cyclist on the Xterra tour, Melanie has not finished lower than second for two years running on the US Professional Tour, and was the World Champion in 2003. In addition to numerous mountain bike podium finishes on the NORBA circuit, Melanie also took second overall on the Xterra tour for three years running, is the reigning Canadian Champion and finished a solid 2004 season with a second place at the World Championships and the US Championships. www.MelanieMcQuaid.com

Joe Friel

Joe Friel has trained highly successfully endurance athletes since 1980. His clients range from amateur and professional road cyclists to mountain bikers, triathletes, duathletes, swimmers, and runners from all corners of the globe. Friel holds a Master's Degree in Exercise Science, and he is a USA Triathlon and USA Cycling certified coach. He is the author of Cycling Past 50;Prescription Heart Training (co-author); The Cyclist's Training Bible; The Triathlete's Training Bible; The Mountain Biker's Training Bible; and Going Long: Training for Ironman-Distance Triathlons (co-author).

Monique Ryan

Monique Ryan, MS, RD, LDN: Monique is a nationally recognized nutritionist and speaker and founder of Personal Nutrition Designs, a nutritional consulting company that provides programs for athletes in the Chicago area and across North America. She has over 20 years of nutrition counseling experience with top-age groupers, world champion pros, and Olympic Medallists. She has consulted with the Saturn Cycling Team (1994-2000), was a member of the Performance Enhancement Teams for USA Triathlon and for USA Cycling (Women's Road Team) for the 2004 Athens Olympics. Monique is the author of Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, Performance Nutrition for Team Sports, and the upcoming Performance Nutrition for Winter Sports. She writes for Inside Triathlon, VeloNews and Outside Magazine. Her nutrition programs are described at www.moniqueryan.com

Allen Lim

At the University of Colorado at Boulder, Dr. Lim in conjunction with his peers in the Applied Exercise Science Laboratory completed much of the groundbreaking research in the use of power and heart rate monitoring in optimizing cycling performance, with a specific focus on the relationship between physiological determinants of power output and aerodynamic drag on cycling velocity.

In addition to his academic training and research, Dr. Lim has an extensive coaching background. He helped guide the UC Davis Cycling Team to its first national championship, served as the coach for the resident national cycling team at the US Olympic Training Center, and has coached numerous amateur, professional, and Olympic athletes. Dr. Lim also founded and acted as the full-time director the Celestial Seasonings Professional Cycling Team and served as a guest director of the 7Up Professional Cycling Team.

Steve Tarpinian

Steve's Swim Power video, writing and swim clinic successes come from a combination of understanding the physics of swimming and an ability to explain this in simple terms with straight forward technique drills to help swimmers improve. His enthusiasm for swimming and sport has been described as "infectious" and his staff of assistant coaches shares this enthusiasm. Similarly, the Cycle Power training program for indoor cycling has certified many coaches and takes the participant to new heights in their fitness.