Hey Crew,
We had a massive weekend. It's been full tilt for 7 days with a lot going on both at home and on the race courses. Team TTL showed up at Ironman Lake Placid and Oregon 70.3 in force, we crushed some donuts, Paula put on a masterclass and more!
Paula wins Lake Placid
Paula won her first full Ironman at Lake Placid! She crossed the line in 8:47:43. During the race she also set a new bike course record with a 4:50:26 split on a pretty gnarly rolling course. After pulling away early on the run we all waited anxiously if her first marathon (and longest run ever by 13 km) was going to end in success. Any concerns vanished as we saw mile after mile of calm, collected focus and determination out there on the course! In the end she crossed the line four minutes ahead of Marta Sanchez and secured her spot at the World Championships in October! (Not a bad way to do your first marathon)
Behind the scenes with "The Long Game"
We document the whole process of course.. highs and lows.. and this project has surprisingly had a lot more highs and discovery than we could have anticipated. On YouTube, the latest Long Game episode shows Paula preparing for the full distance. You can watch her volume training, focus and process. The episode covers the mental shifts and her approach towards a new challenge after being in the game a long time at every other distance. WATCH NOW HERE
Podcast Drop
Quick note ...that you should take a step back and listen to last week’s podcast if you got a long ride or a long drive in your future. On the podcast, Eric's sister Elise Lagerstrom joins us. She recently won a rather ridiculous event called the "Gobi March" outright. Elise is the first woman in 20 years to beat all the men across the 250km race in Mongolia. We talk about her electrolyte emergency at mile 12 and her 80km single day march. We also discuss the tactics of survival racing. Then Paula joins the show to share her pre race feelings and talk about wetsuit chafe solutions? Tune in HERE
Lake Placid Donut Run
Our Friday Donut Run in Lake Placid was quite the scene! Honestly a week before we saw more than 100 RSVPs and Jordan felt those pre race jitters for the first time since he retired from racing. We called Be Murray (who helped us with our film premiere previously). She brought her experience and held down the fort with Nick and Eric. Together they hosted over 150 people after a fun jog. TTL served donuts brought in from the local Laundromat (seriously. Look up the washboard donut shoppe!)
Team TTL members also stepped up to help us this weekend. We thank Renee Towne, Kailyn Hawkins, Samuel Thomas, Scott Seibel, and Mark Burnhauser for taking the time to come give us their time.
Samantha Skold heads to Kona
Devo Team athlete Samantha Skold put together an incredible race at Lake Placid. She finished 9th overall in the pro women field and ran a 2:55:31 marathon. That was the fastest run of the day! She finished strong and qualified for Kona as a pro in her first year! What??? Awesome!
Team TTL climbs the ranks
You really showed up on the race courses this weekend crew. The Ironman TriClub Program ranks affiliated clubs globally based on race finishes. It is a fun way to see how our community stacks up against other teams around the world. Team TTL took 4th overall at Lake Placid (We did not even know they gave out physical awards for this. It was a great surprise to bring home some hardware).
We had 9 athletes racing at Oregon 70.3 and 17 racing at Lake Placid. Because of your hard work, Team TTL moved from 30th to 7th in the global rankings in just one weekend. We love seeing this community grow and succeed together!
Xterra anyone? Come hang out in Portland
Eric and Jordan head to Oregon next for XTERRA Portland at Hagg Lake on August 1st! Eric plans to join in on the fun (but may not be finishing the run of course post-surgery).
We want you to come hang out with us! The goal is to spend time together and camp and chat and chill. Eric and Jordan will fire up a grill as we get the crew together for barbecue and morning THUMP coffee.
BBQ and Coffee time details COMING (very) SOON.
Check out the event HERE
Merch update
A quick note about the Limited Edition Lake Placid Shirt. If you ordered one online, it is heading your way asap! Thank you for your patience while we get these packed and ready. Shipping starts Wednesday. All orders leave the warehouse by the 26th. Watch your inbox for tracking details.