Word from the Coaches….
A great weekend in Portarlington by 80 of our athletes – not a bad number for an ‘away’ race! Portarlington is a spectacular venue for a race and the weather was just as fantastic which made for an awesome weekend away. Special mention to our Long Course athletes. Traditional ‘Long Course’ races don’t tend to have as much profile as their counter part the Half Ironman Distance, but that does not take away from the hard training, dedication and determination during the race for our athletes that take on this distance. 
Read how our athletes went in our race reports.
Gatorade/Active Feet Race Report
Long Course Race Race Report
This week there is stacks happening including Pro Ironman athlete Joe Gambles joining us at training Thursday Night (TONIGHT!), Mooloolaba Olympic Distance on Sunday and the big one Ironman Melbourne also on Sunday. So make sure you settle in for a read as there is loads of info to digest.
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CHANGES TO TRAINING THIS WEEK
Due to a ‘small’ event this weekend, please note the following canges to training this week:
- Thursday PM optional normal combo session OR listening to Joe Gambles.
Click here for details and to RSVP - Saturday Training:
Saturday 6.30am – Intermediate & Advanced and long course athletes meeting at Elwood LSC for a long ride followed by run off the bike and optional open water swim. Distance will be provided at a briefing at 6.20am. Please be on time.
Saturday 9.30am – Beginner athletes and TRY-the-TRI’s bring all swim, bike and run gear. -  Sunday – no coached sessions. Come along and support your fellow Ironman athletes in the inaugural Ironman Melbourne! Details included below for those supporting the race.
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PRO IRONMAN ATHLETE JOE GAMBLES ‘ASCENDS’ ON TRI ALLIANCE!
Tri Alliance is excited to announce that ‘ASCEND‘ believer and Pro Ironman Athlete Joe Gambles will join Tri Alliance at TONIGHT’S training session THURDAY 22 MAY before his next major race – Ironman Melbourne on Sunday!
This is exciting not only for our own Ironman Melbourne athletes tackling this course, but for every one of our athletes. To have a pro triathlete of Joe’s calibre sharing his knowledge, experience and stories of triathlon and Ironman racing – and we are excited to have Joe join us at our training session on Thursday 22 March 2012.
There will also be ASCEND give-aways on the night, so you don’t want to miss out on this once in a life time opportunity to get up close and personal with Joe Gambles.
Your RSVP to attend this session is required (you are EITHER training at Thursday Combo OR listening to Joe chat – you won’t be able to do both. We highly recommend you attend this session, you may never get the chance again!)
CLICK HERE to RSVP….
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IRONMAN MELBOURNE THIS SUNDAY 25 MARCH 2012
The day is nearly here for the biggest triathlon (Ironman) race to hit Australia – Ironman Melbourne. The support our athletes have had leading into this race has been outstanding and race day will be phenominal. 
We have 17 individuals racing a 1 team – our biggest numbers to date for an Ironman race.
We have 70 athletes, friends and family who are volunteres on one of our two aid aid stations located at Mentone (22km mark) and Elwood (38km mark). What amazing support our athletes have! And a huge THANKYOU to Emma Nicholl who has co-ordinated this – not an easy effort, so huge cudo’s goes to you Emma!
Not to mention how many of our other athletes and friends who will be roaming the course on the day to support all our athletes. Sunday is going to be AMAZING for everyone involved!!
CLICK HERE to keep reading our Ironman Melbourne Athlete & Supporters info – includes everything you need to know including our athletes BIB Numbers so you can track online.
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GET YOUR IRONMAN SUPPORTERS GEAR!
FREE TRI ALLIANCE COW BELL WITH EVERY ORDER THIS WEEK!
Make sure you are supporting our Ironman Melbourne athletes and get your Tri Alliance Supporter gear including:
Tri Alliance Supporter Tee $…35 – all sizes available inc kids!
Tri Alliance Hoodie $59.50 – new shipment arrives today!
Tri Alliance Cow bell $5 or FREE with any Supporter order!
Purchase either online OR bring cash along to tonight’s combo session. If paying by cash, please email [email protected] with your order/size/qty so I can bring along.
OR CLICK HERE to pre order order online
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MOOLOOLABA OLYMPIC DISTANCE RACE THIS SUNDAY 25 MARCH 2012
with the hype of Ironman Melbourne, one could be forgiven for forgetting about another big race on the Olympic Distance Calendar in Mooloolaba. This race is one of the qualifying races for the World Championships and attracts some of the best Olympic Distance races around the country. Tri Alliance has a number of athletes racing, with a couple of the guys ready to rack up more points for their qualifications.
Emma Donati – already secured her place in the Aussie team, but looking to finish off her season with another podium finish.
Geoff Taylor – has come back to his near top form and ready to defend his title from last year.
Lisa Dominguez – in great form and will be good to have a race against some quality competition
Lidia Ursini – has been managnig injuries but is set to give the race everything to finish off the season
Sandii Douglas – a regular at Mooloolaba and looking for a course PB
Anthony Churchwood – looking for another solid race backing up from Portarlington
Mark Skilton – after some battls with health he’s ready to have a good hit out
Jayne Gaukroger – now based and training in Sydney but still part of the ‘family’ 🙂
Good luck team – look forward to hearing of your results on Sunday!
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GOOD LUCK GOES TO….
Young Isabella ‘Bella’ Plush in her final attempt to qualify for the National 15yo age group in the 100m Free and 100m Butterfly which are being help in Brisbane in April.
To qualify Bella is in search for a 1:01.00 in the 100m free and 1:07.50 for the 100m Fly. She has been swimming brilliantly of late, with her recent best times being 1:01.46 for 100m free and 1:08.21 for 100m fly, so she is VERY close. Bella’s last chance to earn her qualifying times is this Sunday so we will her great races on Sunday and here’s to getting the times you are after Bella. Focus on the end goal and we know you can do it!
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IT’S NEVER BEEN BETTER TO BE PART TO TRI ALLIANCE!
During the racing season Tri Alliance has been working overtime to ensure our squad remains at the top of the game with exceptional offerings to our valued athletes and innovative new services – to continue to be the leaders in Triathlon Training and Triathlon Coaching. And we are excited to announce the signing of some exceptional new resources to our squad for the 2012/13 
season!
We have obtained a major sponsorship deal with a big name bike brand and will be relocating to a ground breaking new location!
Exciting times ahead – click here to read more…
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WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST ATHLETES
Over the past month we have had a number of new athletes join our ranks and are settling nicely into our core squad and sessions. We welcome each of you into the squad and look forward to seeing you enjoy yourselves and improve along the way! Remember if you see a new face at training, make yourself know and them welcome – we were all new once! 🙂
So welcome onboard:
Xavier Flynn, Annette Gaber, Kristine Hopkins, Lauren Sheldon, John Louis, Natalie Methven, Keira Sjogren, Mary Leahy, Sarah Deas, Caleche Watson, Nicole Kleid, Peter Tucker, Rhea Scheltus, Ana Garcia, Anne-Marie Cooke, Emma Oliver, Michael Peel, Nikki Chambers and Nicky Sheltus.
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ATHLETE RESULTS
Dirt Fest
Other than the Portarlington Race on the weekend, we had Daryl Clemson and Kristine Banks-Smith continue their off road adventures and raced in the Dirt Fest. Both did exceptionally well including:
Daryl – 1st Male 40+ in the off-road triathlon and 1st in the 8km trail run
KBS – 2nd Open female in the off-road triathlon anf 1st in the 8km trail run (by a mile!)
Top work guys, keep up the great work!
Sparke Helmore Triathlon – Newcastle
Lisa and Paddy made the loooong drive up the coast to Newcastle to race in an event with family members who were competing in their first triathlon.
Lisa said of the race “It was a very hard course – the swim was cruisey with the current but the ride was very hilly with a feral southerly head wind at EVERY hill – 6 x 6.5 km loops. After that ride there was nothing in the legs 4 the run. Suffice to say happy to have done the course, won’t be rushing back 4 a repeat.” Well done Lisa & paddy and your fellow family members, great experience to share with them! 🙂
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WINTER SEASON TRAINING CAMP – LORNE
The first (and biggest!) of our training camps for the year. Queens Birthday Weekend marks our first triathlon training camp for the 2012/2013 Triathlon Season. This Annual Training Camp held in Lorne is centred on kick starting your training for the 2012/2013 Triathlon Season, while having fun and learning from experienced coaches and other athletes.
This camp caters for all abilities and fitness levels – so if you want to give your winter training a boost and want to challenge your mind and body then this camp is for you! This year we will again have a jam packed camp full of training, guest speakers, workshops, giveaways and another fantastic Athlete Pack.
CLICK HERE to read more…
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POST RACE 7 CELEBRATIONS – SUNDAY 1 APRIL
Join us for an afternoon of fun at Hotel Nest on Sunday April 1st. This is a great opportunity to let your hair down, sit back and reflect on the season that was!!
Meet us at 3.30pm and enjoy live music from 5pm drinks and food available, $5 tequilla shots and $6 Coronas are sure to please. Water on tap for those training through 😉
Stay for the long haul or drop in for a quick drink, we hope to see you all there!
CLICK HERE to RSVP
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CONGRATULTIONS GOES TO……
Coach Darren and his wife Kylie on the safe arrival of their first baby Emma Ruby Schonewille. Born 16 March 2012 8pounds1. The family is now home and settling in well, but we’ll get the real story when we see Dazz back coaches looking a little weary eyed! 😉
Athlete Chris Ormston for popping the question to his beautiful girlfiend Genevieve Allen last week. Chris missed out on our Goal Setting Session over the long weekend, prefering to take G to Byron Bay and surprise her with a proposal instead. 🙂 Congratulations guys!!
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APRIL – RECOVERY & TRANSITION PHASE
For the majority of our athletes, April is the month to recover and have some time off from triathlon. As with previous years, we have again put together a fantastic line up of activities for the month of April which are aimed at allowing you to have a break from ‘normal’ triathlon training and have some FUN while still maintaining fitness. Sessions will be fun based and all with a social element. For those who are still in training for events, a number of sessions will cater for you – however you will be required to bring your program with you and be aware of your own training schedule. So keep reading to find out what we have in store for you!!
Stand Up Paddle Boarding | 1000 Steps | Mountain Biking | Boot Camps | Bike Skills | Fun Runs | Tour de Latte plus more!
Yep – that’s what you will be looking forward to in APRIL during our April Recovery & Transition Phase!! Still racing in April/May? Details also included.
CLICK HERE to find out more and to RSVP!
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ARE YOU RACING IN APRIL / MAY / JUNE ?? IF SO, WE NEED TO KNOW
Are you racing outside of the ‘Melbourne Triathlon Racing Calendar’? This includes any race after the last race of the Gatorade/Active Feet Fun Tri Series such as Sydney, Busselton Half, Port Mac + more. IF SO – WE NEED TO KNOW! This will ensure you are provided with a program over the April/May period leading into your specific races.
Below is a list of athletes / races we have – if you are not on this list please let us know: (or if you are on the list and no longer racing, we also need to know.)
SYDNEY – 15 APRIL
Margaret Mielczarek, Brad Campbell, Brinn Tavener, Rachel Stonestreet, Brett Parker, Morris Caleca, Mark Skilton, Stan Assimopoulos, Pam Tunas, Anthony Churchward, Lisa Dominguez, Shane Buntman, Geoff Taylor, Daniel Steadman, Michelle Grocock, Damien Phelan, Alex Angelini, Jonathan Carberry, John-Paul Collins, Xavier Flynn, Hendrick Zimmet, Chris Ormston.
Port Macquarie – 6 MAY
Peter Hinrichsen, Mark Jenkins, Jonathan Cahill
Busselton Half – 6 MAY
Lucas Riley, John Grant
Hawaii 70.3 – 2 JUNE
Stan Assimopoulos, Jono Tucker
Challenge Cairns – 3 JUNE
Michelle Grocock – Half
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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Sat 24 March – Great Ocean & Otway Classic Ride
Sun 25 March – Ironman Melbourne! & Mooloolaba Olympic Distance
Sun 1 April – Race 7 Gatorade/Actve Feet Series, StKilda followed by post race celebrations
Sun 15 April – Sydney Olympic Distance
Sat 5 Mar – Port MacQuarie Ironman
Sun 6 May – Busselton Half Ironman & Puffing Billy Fun Run
Sat 12 May – Tri Alliance End of Season Presentation Night
Sun 20 May – Great Ocean Road Half/Full Marathon
7-11 June – Lorne Training Camp
Sun 15 July – Run Melbourne
*New calendar coming soon with all the dates you need to know for the 2012/2013 season – stay tuned!
Happy Training & Racing!
Team Tri Alliance
