The following news items were reported via the race newsletter. To subscribe, send a blank email to: news-subscribe@musselmantri.com.

We're one week away from the fourth edition of the Fly by Night Duathlon, an Inside Triathlon "Editor's Pick" event held on the track at world famous Watkins Glen International. This will be the biggest Fly by Night in history - over 200 athletes are expected to compete, including former U.S. World's Team member, Travis Kuhl - and this year we'll be staging transition in Pit Row. You'll finish in front of the grandstands to the deafening cheers of adoring fans, and we'll dine post-race beneath the stars in the VIP Hospitality Area. Raceday registration is available on Saturday, May 31 - come out and join us!

 

Races of Musselman weekend are teetering precariously close to capacity. The mini-Mussel sprint triathlon has less than 50 spots remaining, and the Musselman half-iron has fewer than 140. Once they are full, they are full - I will not entertain plaintive and beseeching pleas for "special consideration," "my late beloved great-grandmother would have wanted this for me," or "I've already booked the private jet from St. Croix." Please, please, save yourself some agony and me the awkward unpleasantness of saying no and register now if you'd like to compete.

 

Since our very beginning in 2004, you have savored Red Jacket Orchards' fruit and juices on the Musselman course and at the post-race celebration. Put simply, it wouldn't be the Musselman without the fresh, local apples, cherries, watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. But few of you may know that this is the 50th anniversary of Red Jacket's family business, or that the whole fruit juices are now available in Whole Foods Markets from Georgia to New York. Confirming what our taste buds tell us, the ZAGAT 2008 guide commended the "best-on-the-planet" juices, ciders, and nectars. We could not be happier to have Red Jacket's continuing support - their healthy, unprocessed products and commitment to sustainable farming practices are a perfect fit with principles of the Musselman Triathlon. Get yourself ready for some deliciousness come July.

 

You've trained, rested, mentally engaged, and achieved your inner zen focus. For your final act of preparation, may I suggest a relaxing massage in the comfort of the Athlete Village the day before the Musselman. On Saturday, July 12, licensed massage therapists will be on hand for 30 ($40) and 60-minute ($65) massages in quiet, dark, private rooms on the campus of Hobart & William Smith Colleges. Advance reservations are required; contact Rose Borza (roseborza@yahoo.com) to schedule time.

 

Tom Reho, the Musselman's highly skilled and disarmingly handsome Site Manager, has created a new race in Canandaigua especially for children. If your wee one falls between the ages of 7 to 14, sign them up posthaste for the OuttaOnanda Yute Triathlon. Slated for July 26, OuttaOnanda will be Canandaigua's first competitive youth triathlon and will feature closed roads, times for all participants, and the ability for all children to become well-rounded thereby increasing their chances of acceptance to an Ivy League institution. This one comes highly recommended - find out more at outtaonandatri.com.

 

There's no feeling in the world quite like the satisfaction of helping others. That's why I would like to give that feeling to you by providing an opportunity to volunteer at the Musselman. I know many of you are coming with family and friends - feel free to volunteer them and they will be so happily surprised when you get here. Even if you're competing, you can get that joyous feeling for yourself - we have two days of races and currently only 47 of you are signed up for both. In all seriousness, folks, we need your help for a wide variety of exciting tasks. Please volunteer by filling out the form on this page with your preferences.

 

This past month I received exciting news regarding the Musselman in print. First up, it seems Rainmaker Publishing is producing a book entitled "50 Great U.S. Triathlons," and lo and behold the Musselman made the cut! To be in the book, an event had to do well in a nationwide athlete survey; I'm not sure who out there voted for the Musselman, but a nice crisp 20 is coming your way.

That little bit of good fortune was followed by news from Inside Triathlon magazine. The featured race in the June issue will be none other than... can you guess?... wait for it... the Musselman! Back in January, in the 2008 TriGuide, Inside Triathlon selected Fly by Night (#2) and Musselman (#4) as two of their eight Editor's Picks. Holy moly, our cup runneth over. Everyone on the organizing committee would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for making this race a special part of the Finger Lakes summer.

 

The curtain will rise on another torrid summer of multisport as Fly by Night returns to Watkins Glen International on May 31. The Fly by Night Duathlon, now in its fourth year, will take to the historic track for one of the most spine-tingling events on the calendar. What's unique about Fly by Night? Ride on the twisting, turning, rising and falling race car track. Run on the closed roads of the infield. Saturday evening start. Exclusive access to all areas of the track for the Porsche Clash (not open to the general public!) during the day. Individual and team categories. Post-race BBQ benefiting the Watkins/Montaur Lions Club. Awards cut by Vance Metal Fabricators specifically for the race.

Bring friends and family, and ensure the longevity of this early-summer tradition!

 

The Musselman is blessed with the world's most loyal sponsors, companies that have supported us from the beginning and remain true in 2008. For all of your banking needs, please visit Lyons National Bank; for heating and cooling, I simply must recommend Interstate Heating; Finger Lakes Medical Association is where to go when you get sick (or just to hang out with doctor-types); Massa Construction will build you a nice new office complex; and Jan Regan Photography will make you look GREAT on film. Need food? That'd be Wegmans grocery stores. A wine pairing? Anthony Road or Chateau LaFayette Reneau, just the stuff.

We also have some newcomers in our midst. If you've been to The Coffee House in Geneva, perhaps you've sampled their heavenly cookies - the very same cookies that will be waiting for you at the finish line, oh yes. Stony Brooke Cookie Company sources its ingredients locally and bakes the cookies right in Geneva, guaranteeing" holy cow" freshness. And not local but perhaps better for you than cookies, BumbleBar will be on the course with delicious, nutritious, ethically sourced, vegan-approved, gluten free, organic snack bars. Gustatory pleasure awaits!

 

Last year a number of unlucky folks missed the chance to compete after we reached capacity in June. This year registration is going even more quickly, with nearly 500 signed up for the half-iron, 300 in the sprint, and 40 certified lunatics subjecting themselves to the DoubleMussel. Make sure you get on the boat - please register now if you plan to join us in Geneva in July. (Additional motivation: entry fees go up May 1.)

 

This is going to be a different kind of Musselman newsletter. Don't worry, it'll still be nongrammatical and rambling, but it's more of a Chautauqua than our normal format.

There comes a time when every company has to decide its principles. Race production is no different, and over the past five years my raceday mindset has shifted from sheer panic to appreciation. When you have time to look around, and you get used to what you're doing, it's natural to think about how you can do better.

I sometimes take for granted the things that make the Musselman possible. We have a clean lake in which to swim; we have quiet country roads, fresh air, and a welcoming community. None of these were my doing, yet they make my work possible.

It is my responsibility to keep them the way I found them.

There is a triathlon just outside Las Vegas that holds its swim in Lake Mead, a source of drinking water for millions of people. Each year the triathlon is forced to relocate its transition area as the water level in the lake drops and the waterline recedes. The transition area from five years ago is now hundreds of yards from the water; in five years it will be hundreds more.

The race is forced to create new maps, a new race site, and new turnaround points every year. But a bigger problem remains - some experts predict that Lake Mead will dry up completely in 2021.

Sustainability is a buzzword, perhaps a fleeting trend, but my conscience says otherwise. I need to put practices in place now that will allow the Musselman to live forever. This year you are going to see some changes at the Musselman, all of them implemented with the intention of reducing our impact on the land, air, and water around us.

Some of them you have already seen. On New Year's Day a carbon offset component was added to the online registration process, allowing you to offset the greenhouse gas emissions produced by travel to the race. The offsets you purchase fund projects managed by The Climate Trust, projects like wind farms and reforestation which reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Many of you have chosen to offset, and I thank you.

Sustainability is a continuum - there will always be more we can do. Musselman race shirts will again be made of bamboo, and the screenprinting will use water-based inks instead of harsh chemicals. We'll continue to recycle extensively, encourage carpooling through the online participant map, and support local charities and service organizations, including the Boys & Girls Club of Geneva. We strive to be stewards of our community as well as the environment.

I am also the race director for the City of Portland Triathlon, in Oregon. Held for the first time this past September, the race tried to be as "green" as possible from the very beginning, taking advantage of Portland's resources and the accumulated knowledge given to me by Musselman and Fly by Night. Because of that race, an idea was hatched to attempt to shift the athletic marketplace to a more responsible event production model. In early October, the Council for Responsible Sport (CRS) was born.

We determined that one way to drive sustainability on a broader basis is to create a certification for sustainable athletic events, much like the LEED standards for green building and the USDA Organic seal for produce. CRS, through the certification being developed, will recognize responsible events and enable participants to choose them, if they so desire.

So I'm working my way through forming a non-profit, funding it, and all of the related fun that entails. The Musselman will be pursuing certification this year, and no, that's not a conflict of interest (back off, lawyers!) - a third-party team of certifiers will do the certifying.

The times they are a-changin'. The entire Musselman committee is looking forward to bringing you an even better Musselman, a Musselman that will coexist happily with its host community and natural environment. We welcome you to be part of it.

 

On Sep. 16, history was made when Jarrod Shoemaker of Maynard, Mass. became the first qualifier for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. On that same day, Jarrod's place in history was cemented through an unfortunate but well-timed photo here.

This is the essence of guts (literally), the epitome of giving your all in pursuit of a dream very few of us will ever be in position to grab. Jarrod was not the favorite on that day, but he left with a plane ticket to Beijing.

In 2008, Mr. Shoemaker will compete at Musselman, a month before he takes the start line for the Olympic Games in Beijing. The ITU Pan American Cup will be your chance to see one of the finest triathletes in the world today, a man who took a world-class run at Dartmouth and painstakingly forged out of it a world-class swim and bike. He's the man every woman wants to meet: intelligence, humility, athleticism, and, aside from a rare moment of throwing up all over himself, disarming good looks.

Be there July 12 to see Jarrod take on the Mussel. Then watch him take on the world.

 

I am overwhelmed each year with the loyalty of athletes and sponsors alike for the Musselman experience. In putting together this one weekend each year, our only measure of success is the willingness for those involved to return. I smile each time I see a familiar face on the registration list.

We have likewise been blessed with steadfast, generous sponsors. The sponsors we work with are indeed relationships; I perpetually prefer local businesses with a little to share than major corporations spreading cash to the wind in the hopes you'll buy their insurance plans. In that spirit, I present to you returning sponsors for Musselman 2008: Chateau LaFayette Reneau, Tri Running & Walking, and Nalgene.

Each year Chateau LaFayette Reneau creates special Musselman labels for the wine given as the half-iron awards. The owner, Dick Reno, presents some of his finest chardonnays to the winners - reminders of the treasures the Finger Lakes region possesses. In 2008, that wine will again be waiting to reward you.

Tri Running & Walking has been a Musselman sponsor since the very first year - incidentally, also the very first year the shop was open in Victor. Russ and his wife, Debbie, have both competed in past years and are always ready to spend time with you in the shop, whether it be selecting the perfect wetsuit or analyzing your gait for more comfortable sneakers.

Nalgene is known far and wide, but is actually a local Rochester company. They take pride in supporting local events, and we'll see them again next summer at the Musselman. In this world of plastic water bottle excess, you can reduce your environmental footprint by combining a reusable Nalgene bottle with a water purification system at home. Voila - bottled water without the bottle.

 

In addition to the usual copious array of accommodations on hand at Hobart & William Smith Colleges in Geneva, the Musselman has added a titillating new option for 2008: The Village at O'Dell's. With a name like that, you know it's either quality or the latest in assisted senior living - let me assure you it is the former.

The Village at O'Dell's is a quaint, cozy collection of 4 and 5-bedroom townhouses on the campus of Hobart & William Smith Colleges. Just a few steps from packet pickup, the Saturday Expo, and the pre-race dinner, the convenience is at once breathtaking and spellbinding. Each townhouse includes a kitchen, family room, two bathrooms, and lovely, sweeping views of the campus. The 13.1-mile Musselman run passes within steps of the townhouses, so you have a chance to grab a cold one right around mile 8. Resist, my friend, resist.

 

Registration for 2008 is going three times faster than 2007, a little FYI for you. I think it says a little about our crazy Canadian neighbors that six of them (of 12 registered) have already signed up for DoubleMussel 88.7 - both the sprint and the half-iron, hospital overnight not included. Ay?

If you need a gift idea for those hard-to-please on your list, remember the gift certificate option - useful for Musselman, Cayuga Lake, Keuka Lake, and Fly by Night. Speaking of which, on January 1 we'll open registration for the Fly by Night Duathlon, to be held on May 31 on the historic racetrack of Watkins Glen International. Fly by Night has received rave reviews from those attending in years past, and this race report tells the story better than I could.

 

This past July, 77 of the world's finest triathletes came to Geneva for one of the nation's five Pan American Cups. The streets of Geneva closed down and Seneca Lake was churned to a mighty froth as Olympian Victor Plata and Cooperstown-born Sarah Groff raced to victory, in pursuit of cash dollar and world ranking points. Next July, we're doing it again.

A month before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, we'll host the fastest of the fast in a draft-legal, multi-loop, closed-course dynamo through downtown Geneva. As the only Pan American Cup east of the Mississippi, the Musselman will be an important test event for the U.S. Olympians priming for the Olympics. And as we did last year, we'll stage the mini-Mussel sprint race Saturday morning and the Pan American Cup in the afternoon, giving all Musselman participants the chance to be roadside as the blur of bicycles stands your hair on end.

Remember, if you miss the Musselman ITU race, you'll have to journey to Des Moines, San Francisco, Portland, or Oklahoma City to see one.

 

Are you ready to take your A Game to the next level? In 2008 the mini-Mussel sprint triathlon will be your ticket to an innovative championship series bringing together the best male and female amateur triathletes from each of the 50 states. The highest-finishing athletes residing in New York State will qualify for the championships, to be held in October of 2008. Only 258 training days left!

 

In the depths of winter, way back in 2004, Brian Nicholson of Red Jacket Orchards placed his family's good name and his company's reputation behind the newly christened Musselman Triathlon. Five years later, the Nicholson family has added a few children (twins during Musselman weekend '06; a third the week after Musselman '07) and Red Jacket Orchards remains steadfast in its support of the race. We are proud to welcome Red Jacket back as Presenting Sponsor of Musselman 2008.

You'll swear their fruit is grown in heaven, sowed by the angels and nurtured by St. Peter himself. Their commitment to growing a sustainable farm, family, and community shows in every part of their business, across every acre of cherries, apples, apricots, and strawberries lining the country roads around Geneva. Over the years you've tasted their sweet nectars at the finish line and on the course, and you can find their products at Wegmans and throughout the northeast. It simply wouldn't be the Musselman - it wouldn't be summer - without Red Jacket Orchards.

 

When you're done throwing pumpkins at the neighborhood kids, I mean passing out carrot sticks, get close to your computer and keep some candy corn on hand. As is tradition, we'll be opening registration for all Musselman races - except the ITU Pan American Cup - on Thursday, November 1. We'll have the Musselman Half-Iron, the mini-Mussel sprint, Aquabike, and DoubleMussel 88.7 available for sampling. Be forewarned: last year we sold out and we don't want you to miss the fun.