Gear For Multisport

http://www.newssun.com/sports/WED-7-29-HeartTri

Kevin Grogan, of Minneola, is the first to head for the finish line, winning the Heartland Triathlon overall with a blistering time of 57-minutes, 22-seconds.

A Test of Endurance 

By BRAD DICKERSON

Highlands Today

Published: July 27, 2009

Updated:

SEBRING - Fifty-seven minutes and 23 seconds after the start of the Heartland Triathlon, Kevin Grogan was the first to cross the finish line.

“I’m feeling great,” said Grogan, 35, a Minneola Shores resident, just seconds after completing a quarter-mile swim, 14-mile bike ride and 3.1-mile run. “My fifth win in a row. I’m on a bit of a hot streak.”

Grogan came into Sebring just one week out from a victory in an Atlanta race. Savoring his latest win, he was not sure where a future competition may take place.

“I don’t like to sign up too far in advance,” Grogan said.

A beautiful day for racing

Results

Won my 4th race in 4 tries. On a bit of a hot streak. Came across 2nd after starting two minutes back of Atlanta, Ga’s Sandy Alexander.  I knew I had to close within 2 minutes of him & I was able to do that.  Felt bad for the kid but I have been in his shoes so many times; crossing first & finishing second cause of wave starts (Loggerhead, FAU, etc.)  

Here are the results..

http://results.active.com/pages/displayNonGru.jsp?pubID=3&rsID=81511 

 I guess this makes me the Carrollton Champion & I am sure Sandy is already looking forward to a rematch in 2010. 

Good times in Columbus with Dr. & Mrs. Leerssen..  The kids had a blast.

Up in Columbus, Georgia & decided to race the Carrollton Championships in two days 70 miles to the North of me. Pretty pumped for the race. Furthest race to date away from home this season; amazing! Look forward to another great Dave Johnson Enterprises event.

Good to be back in Georgia having a nice visit with Kimberly’s parents (Dr. & Mrs. Darcy Leerssen). Hung out on Lake Harding earlier and saw the kids Atlanta cousins for dinner.

https://www.spacecoastmultisport.com/newsblog.html
July 13, 2009

‘THONG BOY’ GIVES FIELD SECOND WEDGIE

Kevin ‘thong boy’ Grogan yanked the field again as he crossed the finish line of the second race of the CFT Sprint Triathlon Series in Clermont on July 11. The feisty fashionista blew through the quarter-mile swim, 8-mile bike and 5K run, taking the win in 43:23
The victory made it two out of two in the three race Series for Grogan, who, together with his wife Kimberly, own Gear for Multisport at the National Training Center in Clermont.
For those who don’t remember — or perhaps are trying to forget, the Minneola Madman was the one who gave the crowd at Pineapple Man a cheap thrill when he blew across the mat sporting a SEE ME Butt Crack String. (scroll down for May 30 race blog and ‘eye bleach’ photo.) Above Grogan runs with alien chrome dome.

Been able to put together a string of three solid races (Clermont #1, Orlando, Clermont #2) where I was able to come away with 3 overall triathlon sprint wins.  I can’t help but feel good about the outcome & feel like I am still getting smarter, stronger, & just improving in all three disciplines.  Many thanks goes out to my support crew of my wife Kimberly & my parents.  I sometimes think my wins mean more to my dad than they do to me..& I mean this in the most supportive way.

Gear for Multisport & I have signed on with Argon18 bikes for the rest of this season & hopefully many years to come.  It was a win-win situation & I hope to represent the Canadian based bike company well in my upcoming races this season.  Many thanks to Argon18’s Simon Leblanc that made it happen.

A look at whats to come in the next couple weeks…the e-114!

I will post some other pictures once I get the new ride built.

Results:

Place Name                   Age City/State            Time      Swim    Bike  Run

    1 KEVIN GROGAN            36 MINNEOLA FL             43:29    5:18   20:00    16:36  

    2 NICOLAS TAUTIVA         19 CLERMONT FL             44:29    2    4:29    20:17   17:59 

    3 BILL PICCIANO           43 JUPITER FL              45:35    6    5:07     20:00  24.0     18:39  

    4 ANDREA UGAZIO           44 KISSIMMEE FL        46:24    3    4:45   5:48       20:26  19:35  

    5 JOSHUA SERVI            23 LONGWOOD FL             46:59   13    5:37   41  1:44    7:20    1   19:48  24.2    5  

Recap from Orlando Sentinel.

Local Triathletes Dominate Results in Central Florida Triathlon Series 

posted by Joe Williams on Jun 20, 2009 6:53:39 PM

Clermont’s Rose Stasiowski, a 36-year-old triathlete,won the women’s championship in Saturday’s Race No. 1 of the 24th annual Central Florida Triathlon Series and Minneola’s Kevin Grogan, also 36, won the men’s championship in the race.

The race, the first of three in the series, all at Clermont’s Waterfront Park, included a .25-mile swim, an 8-mile bicycle and a 3-mile run.

Stasiowski posted a time of 51 minutes, 36 seconds to take the women’s title. Grogan ran a time of 43:29 in the men’s race.

Second-place n the men’s race also went to a local with Nic Tautiva, 19, finishing exactly one minute behind Grogan in 44:29 and Bill Picciano, 43, of Jupiter finishing third in 45:35. Defending series champion, Andrea Ugazio, 43, of Kissimmee, finished fourth in 46:24.

Top three in the women’s race after Stasiowski were Christina Taylor, 22, of Parkland at 55:05 in second and Jackie Clifton, 48, of Palm Bay was third at 55:44.

The male relay team champions were the Ecolab team from Altamonte Springs in 56:44. The team consisted of Brad Goembel, Scott Nevil and Allyn Rosenbaum. The women’s relay race was won by Rock Bottom, a two-woman team from Nassau, Bahamas, which went 1 hour, 2 minutes, 50 seconds and consisted of Kerri Pinder and Patricia Cates. The winning coed team, the Barnacle Heads from Oviedo, finished in 1:16:37 and consisted of Joshua Cates, Hazelyn Cates and Kimberly Pinder.

A field of about 380 triathletes, including relay teams competed in the meet. Results from the race are posted elsewhere on the Fitness Center blog.

The next two races in the series, also at Clermont’s Waterfront Park, will be on July 11 and Aug. 15. For more information on the series, contact Sommer Sports at 352-394-1320 or check out the Sommer Sports website at triflorida.com.

Grogan had this to say following the race.

“I look forward to the Clermont [Fred] Sommer series every year. It’s our hometown series and it is fun to compete with many of our training partners. The conditions were a bit hot today but a solid field showed up and I am already looking forward to the July race.”

“You know we are in the middle of the triathlon season when you get a field like we had today. I think we had five past Sommer Sports overall champions on the men’s side [Grogan, Tautiva, Picciano, Andrea Ugazio, and Chris Huff]. So needless to say, I was happy to get the win. It was a solid elite field.”

“I am probably more proud of this win considering the company than just about any other overall win I have ever had.”

From the Florida Today newspaper..

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090531/BREAKINGNEWS/90531019/1086/Branigan++Reback+win+Pineapple+titles

Edward Stephen Branigan IV didn’t exactly get caught up in the mo­ment when his mother crossed the finish line to win the women’s portion of the 24th annual Pineapple Man Triathlon Sunday. He was still asleep in his stroller.

But that’s OK. Lotte Branigan will have plenty of time to tell her four-month old son that looking into his sweet little face was the best reward she could ask for after winning the event for the ninth time with a time of 1:11.33.

“One of the guys cheering for me said, ‘You should be home with your son,’” the 35-year-old from Vero Beach grinned. “I said, He’s waiting for me at the finish (line).
“That was my biggest motiva­tion. To get back to him.”

Sunday also marked a return for John Reback — to the winner’s cir­cle. The 39-year-old from Jupiter
was first across the finish line for the second consecutive year, winning with a time of 1:04.14. Sec­
ond-place Kevin Grogan of Min­neola was two seconds behind.

Reback, who was second out of the water following a .3-mile swim in the Indian River Lagoon, pushed hard on the 15-mile bike portion of the race on State Route A1A to try to open up a lead.

But it wasn’t until the closing moments of the 3.3-mile run through Melbourne Beach that Reback felt he would be able to hold off Grogan. But that still didn’t stop him from taking a quick look over his shoulder just
before crossing the line.

“Probably at the two-mile mark, I could hear Kevin breathing heavy, so I thought (I could) pull
away from him,” Reback said. “I didn’t get a lot, as you could see, but I got enough to stay ahead of
him at the finish. .¤.¤. I didn’t know how close he was and nobody would say anything. I thought I
had lost him, (but) he’s like a virus. I couldn’t get rid of him.”

Reback couldn’t take credit for the virus joke. That went to third-pllace finisher Eddie Branigan,
Lotte’s husband, who finished in 1:06.10. Sunday’s race, which fin­ished at Ryckman Park in Mel­
bourne Beach, drew a record 562 entrants competing in different age groups and even as relay
teams.

Melbourne’s Pamela Maxwell finished second overall in the women’s race (1:15.19) followed by 18-year-old Ashley Shiver of Satellite Beach in 1:15.54.

Jackie Clifton, 48, of Palm Bay won the women’s Master’s Division­
in 1:20.00, while 43-year-old Joel Kinnunen of Melbourne won
the men’s Master’s Division in 1:07.51.

It was also a big day for Brevard County’s youth as 13-year-olds Ja­son Howick of Cocoa (1:39.19)
and Sara Tennant of Melbourne Beach (2:09.57) each took first in the Male and Female 10-14 age
category.

While it may be a while before Edward Branigan IV is old enough to start running in events like this
one, it didn’t take his mom long to get back to her training after giv­
ing birth.

Lotte Branigan said she began using an elliptical trainer two weeks after she had her son and
ran a 10K race four weeks later. She may be no stranger to winning the event, but this one felt extra
special.

“It does,” she said. “It’s a privi­lege to go and work out. It’s a privi­
ege to race. You race with enjoy­ment, not because that’s what you
used to do.” Reback, who won the event for the third time, felt he
might have been in a little trouble at the start of the race when he dis­
covered competitors were able to wear wet suits into the water —
and he didn’t bring one. Grogan did. Coming out of the water sec­
ond, though, and heading for his bike, Reback decided he needed to
push it.

“I figured if I could come off the bike with the leaders, I could prob­
ably win the race — and I did,” Re­back said. “It was a hard bike,
though. I pushed the bike harder than I normally do.

“When I got on the bike, I looked back and thought I had a little bit
of a lead, so I figured rather than wait for everyone, I’ll try and ham­
mer the bike and get rid of some of the guys so I’ll have fewer guys to
run with. It paid off on the run.”

Grogan, who has not only spent time training with Reback but calls
him his unofficial coach, felt the wet suit helped him get through
the swimming portion in good shape and contributed mightily to
putting him in a position to finish second.

But once he knew Reback was ahead of him, he knew getting past
him would be quite a chore.

“I know John very well and I know what he’s capable of,” Gro­
gan said. “Let’s put it this way — He’s faster than the guy right be­
hind him. You know no matter what you do, he’s going to stay one
step ahead of you.”

Melbourne’s Pamela Maxwell finished second overall in the
women’s race (1:15.19) followed by 18-year-old Ashley Shiver of
Satellite Beach in 1:15.54.

Jackie Clifton, 48, of Palm Bay won the women’s Master’s Divi­
sion in 1:20.00, while 43-year-old Joel Kinnunen of Melbourne won
the men’s Master’s Division in 1:07.51.

It was also a big day for Brevard County’s youth as 13-year-olds Ja­
son Howick of Cocoa (1:39.19) and Sara Tennant of Melbourne
Beach (2:09.57) each took first in the Male and Female 10-14 age
category.

While it may be a while before Edward Branigan IV is old enough
to start running in events like this one, it didn’t take his mom long to
get back to her training after giv­ing birth.

Lotte Branigan said she began using an elliptical trainer two
weeks after she had her son and ran a 10K race four weeks later.
She may be no stranger to winning the event, but this one felt extra
special.

“It does,” she said. “It’s a privi­lege to go and work out. It’s a privi­
lege to race. You race with enjoy­ment, not because that’s what you
used to do.” Reback, who won the event for the third time, felt he
might have been in a little trouble at the start of the race when he dis­
covered competitors were able to wear wet suits into the water —
and he didn’t bring one. Grogan did. Coming out of the water sec­
ond, though, and heading for his bike, Reback decided he needed to
push it.

“I figured if I could come off the bike with the leaders, I could prob­
ably win the race — and I did,” Re­back said. “It was a hard bike,
though. I pushed the bike harder than I normally do.

“When I got on the bike, I looked back and thought I had a little bit
of a lead, so I figured rather than wait for everyone, I’ll try and ham­
mer the bike and get rid of some of the guys so I’ll have fewer guys to
run with. It paid off on the run.”

Grogan, who has not only spent time training with Reback but calls
him his unofficial coach, felt the wet suit helped him get through
the swimming portion in good shape and contributed mightily to
putting him in a position to finish second.

But once he knew Reback was ahead of him, he knew getting past
him would be quite a chore.

“I know John very well and I know what he’s capable of,” Gro­
gan said. “Let’s put it this way — He’s faster than the guy right be­
hind him. You know no matter what you do, he’s going to stay one
step ahead of you.”

 The Florida summer is upon us and as athletes its time to face the facts about training and racing in the scorching heat.  There is plenty you can do to prepare your body for the conditions we deal with each summer. While the process needs to be gradual in nature, it is important to our success as Floridians that we acclimate our bodies for these same conditions that we will expect our bodies to perform in.  Follow Zilla’s (that’s me by the way) H.A.R.D. facts to performing well in the Florida heat. 

Hydrate
The most obvious way to deal with exercising in the heat is to hydrate. When you have a big day of training ahead of you, start the night before by taking a couple Thermolyte electrolyte pills before you hit the sack.  The next morning, about an hour or so before you head out to workout, I recommend drinking a full serving of a sports drink, like Cytomax or E-Load Endurance.  You don’t want to drink too much sports drink as that might throw your system all out of wack; one bottle.  Also take two more Thermolyte tabs.  After eating an average breakfast (3-400 cal), I also recommend you weigh yourself (more on that later). I also don’t recommend too much water either because your body has a way peeing out excess salt in your body.  It can’t help you if its flushed down the commode.   It’s always better to stay topped off than too much with your hydration and salt levels.  During the workout you should have no less than 24 oz of fluid, 600 mg of sodium and 250-350 cal per each hour. You should practice the same nutrition each time you go out and tweak as needed. 

Acclimate
Now that summer is here, we need to actually get out there and feel the heat/humidity if we expect to perform well on race day.  Do a couple of short moderate efforts in the heat but save the intense stuff for the cool early morning or nighttime.  The key here is to acclimate the body to the heat, not to overdue it.  Slowly build up duration but not intensity based on the distance for which you are training.  Staying at a comfortable effort level does the body more good than going too hard during this acclimatization process. 

Recovery
After you complete your workout is a good time to re-weigh yourself.  You will need to compare this figure to see how much fluid you have lost.  Pay close attention to the outdoor temperature & humidity and log it somewhere to reflect on it prior to race day.  Obviously if it’s hotter on race day, drink more and take in more electrolytes. After the weigh-in, within 30 min of the end of the workout start drinking and re-hydrate your body with at least one full bottle of sports drink and some protein.  Everyone is going to be a bit different (re: body weight and size) so obviously keep that in mind.       

Dress
I taught elementary physical education for 7 years in South Florida.  I use to preach to my kids to try to remember which days they were going to have my P.E. class.  That way they could dress appropriately.  The obvious issue for them would be wearing tennis shoes, but I think even more importantly was the color of the kid’s outfits.  I would tell them the whiter clothes you can wear, the better.  Sometimes we would even make it a contest in class to see who would be named “whiteboy” (or girl) for the day. A perfect example of this is Torbjorn Sindballe’s dress in Ironman Kona every year.  All white.  Keep that in mind when you choose which outfit your going to wear out there in the oven. 

Good luck this summer and race hard. 

If you want to learn more about what you should be doing for nutrition come to the Nutrition Clinic Saturday, July 18th at 10 AM. Please RSVP to multisportgear@aol.com to reserve your seat.

Kevin

Lots has happened in the last few weeks.  I had a solid race at Disney half ironman earning another Ironman World Championship 70.3 slot.  My time was right on schedule (4:33) with years past & I felt like I had a nice run.  It was good to spend time with my good friend Brian Keno & his family who stayed at the fam’s condo out here in Clermont that weekend.  Gavin enjoyed having a pal here in Brians daughter Ashleigh; poor girl is probably still sick of Thomas trains.

In prep for St. Ants/Disney, I gave up my nightly beer habit & the weight has just shed off in the summer heat.  I am also eating a whole lot smarter with apples & bananas as my main food of choice.  Kimmie gives me a hard time about getting skinny again but its good for my run I feel.  With Pineappleman on the horizon, at the very least, I am prepared & fit.  Whether I crack the top 4 might be another story though (i.e. Reback, Branigan, Blow, Donner).

Also this last weekend, I am happy to say I landed a gig as the WXW Professional Wrestling Announcer.  I started off a bit nervous but got the hang of it throughout the night I felt.  I appreciate Pops Anoai & the whole WXW family for taking a chance on me for something I have a passion for.

Till next time,

KJG