Good Luck to LMS’s own Cliff Worden-Rogers who is racing today at the Ironman World Championships 70.3 in Clearwater, Florida! Good luck Cliff! Follow his and all other competitors with live results and video from Ironman.com
There were two separate culturally historic milestones this week. One of which is a huge moment in world history and slightly over-shadowed the other, but not here at LMS headquarters. This week, they both get the coveted LMS Award for over-coming boundaries, fighting prejudice, and breaking color lines…(and, of course, they are both living athletic lifestyles)…
After 2 Years, It’s Finally Over
During the original LMS Adventure , from January to April of this year, there was one thing that dominated the US media, news, and headlines. The weird thing is, as both of us are back in the US this week, 10 months later, that same thing is dominating the news! Guess it’s fitting that as we are back here to see this very long race finally come to an end.
In actuality, it has been more like a two-year quest for one Barack Obama to this point: to be the first black President of the United States of America. In two years, he has come from a relatively unknown US senator from Illinois, to the leader of the most powerful nation in the world. He’s travelled the country almost non-stop giving speeches, meeting voters, and getting to know the people. In the meantime, he won a very long, hard-fought battle with Hillary Clinton to win the Democratic nomination which dragged on from Janurary until almost June. And, know he has won a historic vote for US President in dominating fashion. Now, that is one heck of an endurace event! (go to the end of this post to watch Obama’a inspirational speech).
As millions of Americans, Canadians, and people world-wide watched this historic day of voting unfold it was hard not to feel a sense of importance. As the numbers began to come in on key battleground states, it was a very similar mix of excitment and nervousness that you get watching a sporting event involving your favorite team or athlete. Now matter what your beliefs or who were cheering for, you couldn’t help get that feeling that something very significant was happening.
So, why does he get our LMS Award this week? Well, he is not your typical politician. He is an athlete, a great basketball player, and keeps himself in great physical shape. His workouts have been a item of discussion and quite impressive. Take this example, where he goes to the gym three times during a day in which he also had a busy campaining schedule. Even though he was once a smoker, we’ll give him props for setting a good example and butting out (and ignore fact that he still has the “occasional” smoke).
An Amazing Last-Lap Pass
Needing to move up one position on the final lap, in the final race, of a globe-trotting marathon auto-racing series, against the best drivers in the world is what faced Lewis Hamilton this past Sunday. This daunting task was to secure victory in the overall Formula 1 championship and become the youngest champion ever. By finishing 5th in the Brazilian Grand Prix, the 23 year-old Briton became the youngest and more importantly, the first black F1 Champion! His margin of victory was a single point over Felipe Massa (ironically, the same margin he lost the championship by last year). More info fromTSN
But, you might ask yourself, “Why give the award to a car driver? All they do is sit there!”. Well, driving the most high-tech, fastest race cars in the world requires the drivers to be in top physical, and more importantly, mental shape where one tiny mistake can literally kill you! The F1 season is also a test of endurance as the season never really ends. The teams and drivers are constantly testing year-round in a effort to gain a split second over their opponents.
Oh ya, we should mention that Hamilton is also dating Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. Well done Lewis, well done.
We should say that this victory does not carry nealy the same significance as Barack’s big victory, but still is worth noting. I’m sure both guys will cherish their LMS Awards and we hope that Obama will put it up on the mantle in his new white home.
Hamilton’s Last 3 Laps.
Brack Obama’s Inspirational Acceptance Speech
Part I
This is the youngest member of the LMS team. At only 6 weeks, this little guy is still finding out how the world works.
For those that don’t know me, I’ve wanted a dog for the better part of 2 years. I was close to getting one last year but opted to volunteer at the SPCA to make sure I was ready. With the crazy schedule of racing, travelling and not having reliable roommates it just didn’t work out.
Now that I think I’m ready, enter “Figs”. An Australian Shepherd from a nerby farm.
He’s still finding his inner athlete at this point. Although his training schedule doesn’t start for a little while he shows great promise, as we walked a good 1K to a Tim Hortons this morning. He almost made the whole thing but I had to warm him up in my jacket. Even with all that fur he still gets cold!
The first night he slept a full 8 hours before waking us up to come play. The key to getting a full nights rest is play, play, play! Make the little guy as tired as possible. I’m hoping we can get him on our schedule as he is a great alarm clock!
One thing to remember, if your life is crazy and hectic, having a puppy reminds you to slowdown to enjoy the day a little more. He’ll be making the trip back with us when we come home in December if you’d like to meet him.
Here’s your chance to get your own LMS clothing, customized to whatever color combination you like! You are not limited to the colors shown in the photos, but almost any color combo is available. Just select your item, the colors (both the logo and the item), the size and email Chris at chris@chrisgairns.com. Get your order in before November 4th.
For size references, Jenn and Chris are average sizes (5′7, 125 lbs & 5′10, 165), so their sizes are in brackets beside the items).
Prices are as follows:
Hoodie: $42 (J: S, C: L)
Zip-up Hoodie: $42 (C: M)
Baseball T: $30 (C: M)
T-Shirt: $20 (C: M)
Tank Top (W): $20 (J: M)
Cap: $15 Shipping costs are extra (approx. $8-$10), local pickup/delivery in Fredericton area is free, or we can work something out, just ask.
Here at LMS quarters, we couldn’t single out one deserving recipient of this week’s LMS Award, so we decided to give it to a group of people: the UNB Cross-Country Team! This award is not so much based on performance than it is for the resurgence of the squad as a whole. As mentioned before on LMS (here and here), the team was cut by the university this spring and even the existence of the team was in doubt. But, with the arrivals of some very talented Law and Graduate students, the team has re-emerged much stronger and a force on the AUS scene. The women’s and men’s teams both raced this past Saturday on a very tough course on the University of Moncton campus.
The men raced 10 very hard kilometres in the “Atlantic University Schools (AUS) Cross Country Championship.” This team had the potential to finish 2nd overall which would be the school’s best results since a 2nd place finish in 2003. The boys lived up to their potential against a strong field and nabbed the silver medal. The guys were led by outstanding performances by Matt Pieterson (#97) finishing 3rd, Adam Campbell in 8th (#93), and Shawn Miller in 14th (#96). The team was rounded out by Derek Ferguson in 21st and Peter Gaudet in 28th. Full results: here.
The women chose to race as a team in the “Open Atlantic Cross Country Championships”, rather than field a partial team in the AUS Championship because the entire team didn’t to meet the tough qualifying standard. Heather Bray (#797), Jill Seymour (#802), and Gillian Lockhart (#800) were the top three UNB girls who worked together (photos, from Trackie.ca) the whole 5K to top-10 finishes. While Amber Allen, Fonya Irvine, Sally Both, and Kari Pettinger rounded out the UNB roster which finished 2nd overall in the team event. This group is very new to XC, has come a long way this season, and has the potential to contend with the best in AUS in years to come! Great job ladies, thank you for rescuing a women’s team that had been struggling for members the last few seasons. We are very excited to watch you grow as runners over the next 12 months. Full results: here.
LMS was there with the video camera, so be sure to tune in later this week to check out the movie! Great jobs all, you made us alumni proud!
Jens Voight signs with LiveMultiSport! No, just joking, but he should. Great movie show casing his talents. Part 1 is above, Part 2 is below. At least watch about mid way through the first, a crucial stage in 2004 could have been changed had it not be for the Big German Diesel Engine, Jens!
I know I get made fun of for riding my road bike a lot (crushing my nether regions) but at least everything is still intact! And working great thank you very much.
Press Release: The International Triathlon Union today announced that it has awarded four MultiSport World Championships in 2009 and 2010 to four different cities. They include:
Concord, NC, USA - 2009 ITU Duathlon World Championships
Perth, Australia - 2009 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships
Edinburgh, Scotland - 2010 ITU Duathlon World Championships
Immenstadt, Germany - 2010 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships
“All the selected sites have excellent Organizing Committees that are committed to hosting world class events and raising the profile of MultiSports around the globe,” said Gergely Markus, ITU MultiSport Director. “For the benefit of our athletes, coaches and National Federations, ITU is planning ahead as much as possible with our MultiSport World Championships.”
The 2009 ITU Duathlon World Championships returns to North Carolina ten years after Huntersville successfully staged the 1999 World Championships. The 20th edition of the championships are slated for September 2009. Concord next year will mark just the fifth time the ITU Duathlon World Championships will visit an American city since 1990. Previous American sites include Cathedral City, California (1990, 1991), Dallas, Texas (1993), Huntersville, North Carolina (1999) and Alpharetta, Georgia (2002). Duathlon consists of a 10-kilometer run, 40-kilometer bike and finishes with a 5-kilometer run.
The perennial triathlon powerhouse of Australia has been awarded the 2009 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships. Long Distance Triathlon is double the Olympic distance and contested with a 3-kilometer swim, 80-kilometer bike and 20-kilometer run. Perth is no stranger to hosting major triathlons, including the 1997 and 2000 ITU Triathlon World Championships. Perth will become just the second Australian city to host the Long Distance Triathlon World Championships after the 2006 event was held in Canberra.
In 2010, the world’s best duathletes will travel to beautiful Edinburgh, Scotland. It will be the first time in history that a British city will host the ITU Duathlon World Championships. Last year Edinburgh staged the ETU Duathlon European Championships, which was won by local favorite Catriona Morrison. Over 850 athletes from 33 countries were in Gyor, Hungary for the 2007 ITU Duathlon World Championships.
Germany, host country of the wildly successful 2007 BG Triathlon World Championships, will again welcome the world in 2010. The ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships have been awarded to Immenstadt, nestled amongst the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany. Last year’s ITU Long Distance World Championships were held in Lorient, France.
Exact dates, schedules and course information will confirmed soon and available on www.triathlon.org.
Previously announced, Gold Coast, Australia will be home to the 2009 ITU Triathlon World Championships on September 13 while Budapest, Hungary will host the Championships in the fall of 2010.
