Posted by Member | Under Events
Thursday Jul 15, 2010
Grab your family! Bring your friends! Join in the fun for the Third Annual SCHEELS 5K scheduled for Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 8:00am. The certified course race will start and end in the SCHEELS parking lot with the course going through the Waite Park residential area! All ages are welcome and awards will be given to the top three places in each age division as well as door prizes. Intersections will be controlled by local law enforcement. Put together a Big Brother Big Sister Team and run/walk together!
Cost for the event is $20.00 until July 12th, and $25.00 there after including race day. Benefiting the Big Brothers, Big Sisters Program of Central Minnesota whose mission “is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with measurable impact.”
Online registration and registration forms are both available at www.scheels.com/stcloudevents and are also available in the running and shoe shops at the St. Cloud Scheels store.
CONTACT: Chris Theisen, eventssc@scheelssports.com, 320.252.9494
Mark your calendars now for next year’s Pine City Freedom Fest Triathlon! When? Um… Well I guess I don’t know when next year’s is, since this year’s was just this past Saturday. But mark your mental calendars for sometime late next June.
What’s that? Why are you marking your mental calendars? Sorry, I guess I should’ve led with that. Here goes (better late than never):
I just discovered the coolest little beginner triathlon. And if you’ve ever toyed with the idea of doing one, but have some lingering fears, I really think this would be a gentle one to help you over those humps.
If a multi-sport event could ever be described as “cute”, this one would.
It’s a 300-yard swim in a clear, small, warm, weedless “lake”. But, even better, that 300 yards is mostly just a suggestion. Out to the paddle boat and back is 300 yards. But if you don’t want to go that far, you can just go out to the swim raft and back. It’s okay.
(Did I mention that this race is untimed?)
The swim is short and simple. The bike is flat and along mostly decent roads. The run is short, and the third quarter of it is a nice, long, gentle downhill bringing you right back into town.
Oh, did I mention? It’s wicked cheap. Early-bird registration would have been $15. I missed that and had to pay $20. Including long-sleeve t-shirt.
Granted, there are some concerns with a race this small and informal. They need lots more volunteers and some law enforcement presence for traffic control on the bike and run course. (Although they were comfortingly well-staffed for the swim part. Lots of lifeguard-looking folks on the shore and in paddle boats and kayaks.)
All in all though, I think it makes a great event for a first triathlon. My mom ran it this weekend as her first and I wrote a big, long post about it with all kinds of race details here.
But when it came time to register for the second goal…I couldn’t pull the trigger. It’s not that I’m afraid of that distance or that I don’t think I’ve trained properly. (Those things are both TOTALLY true.) It was more the deep, abiding sense of cheapness that grips me at my core. With current circumstances being what they are (which I shan’t go into in this forum), I couldn’t bring myself to spring for $100 for the registration fee.
So what am I gonna do? Quit? Hell no. I still want to test myself at this distance this summer. I mean, think about it. Did that one Greek guy who ran the first marathon stop off for gyros and ouzo and blow off the rest of his run? Not a chance. Did Teddy Roosevelt get tired and puss out halfway up San Juan Hill? You bet your big stick he didn’t.
I’m doin’ this thing, dammit. Just the way our forefathers would have. I’m building my half-iron from scratch.
Who’s with me?
Here’s the way it’s going to go down. On Saturday, July 10, at 7 a.m., I’m going to start out at Gold’s Gym in Sartell. I’m going to jump in and do my 44 laps to make up 1.2 miles.
After that, I’m going to head out to the parking lot, climb aboard my trusty Stealth Bomber, ride out to St. Joe, pick up the Woebegon trail and ride until my computer says 56 miles.
At that point (somewhere just after Osakis) I’ll hop off my bike, switch shoes, put on my oh-so-techy iPod with its handy Nike Fit chip, and continue on down the trail until the little voice in my ear tells me I’ve run 13.1 miles.
That’s going to leave me somewhere on the outskirts of Alexandria; the city where my parents spend their summers. So I plan on meeting up with them to rehydrate with lots of water…and probably a couple of beers.
Here’s where you come in:
I’m not implying that you might be crazy enough to want to join me for the whole thing (though that would be awesome – I’d love the company). But maybe you’re interested in joining me for an event or two. Know what I mean?
Do you like swimming? (What the f is wrong with you?) Let’s make plans to meet at 7 and crank out a whole bunch of laps.
Looking for a nice, flat bike ride? Let’s hit it! In fact, if your summertime stretch goal was to do a century ride, I’ll bet if you met me at the St. Joe trailhead as I rolled by, my transition point would just about be your turnaround point. Just a thought.
If you’re a runner (with an apparent lack of anything better to do on a Saturday afternoon), get in touch with me and we’ll arrange to meet just past Osakis. We’ll go for a nice, long run and then get something to eat and have a beer. Heck, I could probably even arrange to drop you off at your car in Osakis on my drive home!
I don’t know. I don’t have all the logistics worked out. I’m making this thing up as I go. I’m working on talking my fantastic wife (and potentially a couple of kids) into taking a long, scenic drive up to Alexandria that day, making frequent stops to find the trail and catch me with water bottles as I roll by. If you’re helpful like that, let me know. I’ve got a feeling that’s an area where we could use some helpers.
In the end, don’t feel guilty if you decide this isn’t something you want to do. I was planning on doing this all by myself when I came up with the idea. But it was suggested that I post about this and see if I can get any takers.
So what do you say? You crazy enough to come along and supplement my half-iron experience?
Posted by Member | Under Events
Tuesday Jun 8, 2010
Pre race meeting at 5:15 at City Hall in Sartell – Wear your fitclub shirt.
Should be a good local race with a concert and food to follow – pizza of course!
Thanks for the help. Contact Brandon(at)houseofpizzamn.com
Posted by Member | Under Events
Friday May 14, 2010
Fit Club Crew,
May 22nd GearWest hosts a Duathlon in the cities. I would like to offer one complimentary entry for anyone or any relay team that is interested in competing in this event. This would be a great way to get some training for the Apple following the next weekend after. Please contact me directly if you are interested. First call – First get!
For something like 10 years now Charlie and Jeni Schad have opened their home up for the Apple Post Race party.
If there is one thing you should do to start the 2010 summer, it’s go to this Post Race party.
It’s not overly crazy and it’s not a wild drunken affair. It’s good times talking to people with similar interests from the Hop-Fit club and the St Cloud area Cycling/Tri/Running community.
It’s a great place to make friends and start matching faces with names. Charlie is always crazy good on the grill and there is always plenty of fun to be had.
I know my team-mate Jodi and I have been training extra hard just to get ready for the party.
Here is the breakdown and info.
Charlie and Jeni Schads house
507 Greenview Court, Sartell
We will provide a keg of beer and burgers and Brats.
If people wanna bring some fruit or salad type thing to share that would be great.
HOPFIT tech shirts are still available and you can pick up an extra at Fitzharris for only $11.
Can new members still get signed up? If you know of someone that may be interested in joining the club send them down to Fitzharris to get signed up. Club jerseys are no longer available for new members but $30 gets them a tech shirt and the club discount card.
Club dri-fit Nike hats – These are sweet looking hats, they come in black or white and if you ordered one you will be very happy. Swoosh and all. We will have these available for pick up when the jerseys arrive. If you can’t wait that long you can try and track me down to get you one – They are $12 each.
Jerseys?? Can you say volcanic ash? Is it still possible to use this as an excuse? Honestly, we are sorry to say they have taken a bit longer to arrive this year and we are doing everything possible to get them here asap. Watch the blog for any updates and estimated arrival time. We have been guaranteed before Apple but keep your fingers crossed.
Posted by Joel | Under Events
Thursday Apr 29, 2010
We know you’re out there. If you haven’t registered for the Apple yet, please do so. If you don’t want to do the full thing, find a partner. Come on HOP Fit Club, we have to represent!
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