Athlete Race Recap: WTPS Montreal, A Tri in the Buff, Henderson Harbor Triathlon, IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman, & Boilermaker Road Race

TEN Full Circle athletes raced this past weekend!

• World Triathlon Para Series Montreal - Montreal, Québec, Canada
• A Tri in the Buff - Irving, New York
• Henderson Harbor Sprint Triathlon - Henderson Harbor, New York
• IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman - Geneva, New York
• Boilermaker Road Race - Utica, New York

World Triathlon Para Series Montreal - Montreal, Québec, Canada

Deb Chucoski and her guide Ericka Hachmeister raced in their first World Triathlon Para Series (WTPS) race at WTPS Montreal in Montreal, Québec, Canada on Friday, July 8, 2022!

While Deb did make her international racing debut back in March, this was her first fully international race since athletes from countries all over the world were participating in WTPS Montreal (only athletes from the Americas raced in Sarasota in March).  This provided Deb with a chance to go up against the best athletes in her classification in the world.  (Literally the best in the world; she raced against the Gold Medalist from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games!)

Deb and Ericka had a solid swim, strong bike, and capped off the race with a strong run to finish things off.  Deb did face some challenges with cramping on the run, so they had to modify things, but they were able to manage that adversity and land on the podium in third place!

This performance earned Deb points toward her world ranking; she moved up NINE positions as a result of this race to fourteenth place IN THE WORLD!

Congratulations to Deb and Ericka on such a great debut at WTPS!

A Tri in the Buff - Irving, New York

Daria Bakina raced her first triathlon of the season at A Tri in the Buff in Irving, New York on Saturday, July 9, 2022!

Daria raced in the Intermediate race and was using it as an opportunity to “dust the cobwebs off” before her other triathlon races that she has planned for later this season.  Daria had a GREAT race and came in as the first place overall female!

Congratulations, Daria!

Henderson Harbor Sprint Triathlon - Henderson Harbor, New York

Christina Barker also kicked off her triathlon season by racing at the Henderson Harbor Sprint Triathlon in Henderson Harbor, New York on Saturday, July 9, 2022!

Christina executed a solid, steady race while smiling along the way!  This was a great opening triathlon for her and bodes well for the rest of what she has planned this season.

Way to go, Christina!

IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman - Geneva, New York

SEVEN Full Circle Endurance athletes participated in IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman in Geneva, New York on Sunday, July 10, 2022:

• Christina Barker
• Jacquie Craggett
• Rebecca Dottolo
• Paul Elm
• Natalie Metz
• Amy Otero
• Tami Stone

IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman is definitely a local favorite for those of us who hail from Central New York.  Kenny Hammond, the Race Director, has been directing races in our region for over a decade now.  He and his team never fail to put together an excellent race for the athletes and spectators alike.

Geneva, New York is in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State and sits on the northern end of Seneca Lake.  This region of New York is B-E-A-U-TIFUL, which makes for a wonderful backdrop for a triathlon race.

Christina Barker was participating in IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman as part of a relay team; she was the swimmer.  She had a SOLID swim and started off her team on the right foot, especially considering that she raced a triathlon the day before!

I managed to talk Jacquie Craggett into coming all the way from Dallas, Texas to New York to do IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman.  Since Jacquie does live in Dallas, I don’t see her often; in fact, before this weekend, I’d only seen her in-person one time in the four years that I’ve been coaching her!  This was Jacquie’s second-ever 70.3-distance triathlon, and she absolutely rocked it!  She knocked 20 minutes off her time, which not only was a PR, but also earned her a spot to the 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland!  (For those keeping track, Jacquie is now two-for-two in Worlds Qualifications, as she qualified for the 2022 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship at her first IRONMAN 70.3.)

Rebecca Dottolo also had a fantastic race, nearly earning a Personal Record (PR) for this distance.  She looked strong through all three disciplines and crossed the finish line with a smile on her face.

Paul Elm rocked his first-ever IRONMAN 70.3.  After a last-minute hiccup in his training, Paul managed the final week of preparations well and executed a truly marvelous race, especially considering that this was his first attempt at this distance!  Paul comes from a lacrosse background, so shorter, harder efforts are more in his wheelhouse.  Long-course endurance like this is a new challenge for him, but he’s risen to it!  

Natalie Metz was attempting IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman as her first 70.3-distance triathlon.  Her training didn’t quite go the way it needed to go in order for her to have a high probability of success at finishing this race.  We talked about this several weeks out from race day, and Natalie made the decision to start the race anyway, despite knowing that the odds of a Did Not Finish (DNF) were greater than a finish for her.  I cannot understate how difficult of a choice or how brave of a decision this is.  Most people would not start something if they knew they might not successfully complete it.  However, Natalie used IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman as a learning experience.  She did end up DNFing the race, but this was NOT a failure.  Rather, it is a marvelous example of bravery and of a learning spirit.  I am so, so proud of Natalie.  It’s important to remember that not all victories look alike, my friends.  Natalie had an important and strong day that we will use to inform our training decisions moving forward and I have no doubt that she will be even stronger because of this!

Amy Otero has been targeting IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman for what feels like forever.  Amy originally hired me in January 2020 and was targeting IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman that year.  As we all now know, the race didn’t happen that year.  This year, Amy re-hired me to help her as she finally tackled this race - one she registered for back in 2019!  When we started working together in January 2022, Amy was essentially “starting over”, as she hadn’t been doing triathlon-specific training for about 18 months.  In just six months, Amy has made SO MANY gains.  On Sunday, Amy had a rough day even before the swim started.  She battled throughout the day, but ultimately DNFed the race on the run course.  Just like Natalie, this is NOT a failure, but rather a celebration of her tenacity, spirit, and strength.  (Remember: You are more than what a finish line clock says.)  I’m very, very proud of Amy and how far she’s come.  She will only continue to get stronger and progress from here!

Tami Stone spectated and cheered at IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman last year, but came to race this year.  She had a STRONG race…to say the least.  She not only reached her A-Goal of setting a PR at this distance (by over 25 minutes, I might add), but she also broke seven hours!  What a cherry on top of this race Sunday! :)

Congratulations to EVERYONE - Christina, Jacquie, Rebecca, Paul, Natalie, Amy, and Tami - for such a great day at IRONMAN 70.3 Musselman!

Boilermaker Road Race - Utica, New York

Beth Tucker ran the Boilermaker Road Race in Utica, New York on Sunday, July 10, 2022!

The Boilermaker has been running for 45 years and is a bit of a legendary 15K here in Central New York.  Its point-to-point course features a nice mix of hills and flats and finishes at a brewery for a fun post-race party!

It was a hot day (there is more than one reason why this is called the “Boiler”maker!) and Beth had to modify her race plan along the way.  She finished with strength and met new friends along the way.  Overall, a good day!

Well done, Beth!