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

Hobart & William Smith College is conducting a comprehensive study to assess the economic impact of the Musselman on Geneva. We would sincerely appreciate your participation; it only takes a few minutes to complete (seriously - I did it today and was done before my microwave popcorn), and will ensure that future generations of athletes are able to enjoy the Musselman. Take the survey here.

I'd also like to ask for your feedback on this year's event. Send me a note and tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, and what you'd like to see in the future (besides more nudity). I read (and respond to) every email I receive, so please know that your voice is heard and have patience with me as I work through replies. Thank you for helping us improve the event from year to year.

 

Believe it or not, I have not made it outside Seneca Lake State Park in seven years of Musselman. I want to see what the races look like! We'd like to ask every competitor to send one photo of the event weekend - your favorite photo, any subject you wish. I will take each one and post it to a special page on the Musselman website, and the organizing committee will select their favorite. The winner will receive a complimentary entry to Musselman 2011. Send me your best! And get famous in the process.

 

One of the competitors in the MusselKids race on Sunday, 14-year-old Hannah Jacon, suffered a crash and broke her collarbone during the race. Hannah had trained all winter and spring and this would have been her first triathlon. Instead of attending swim camp next week, she'll be kicking in the pool and healing. I'd like Hannah to know we're thinking about her, and get her excited about triathlon again. If you have a moment, please send a quick note of encouragement to hannah@musselmantri.com. Thank you for making a difference in a new triathlete's life.

 

No, I am not trying to lure unsuspecting single ladies (or am I?). Musselman 2011 will take place over the weekend of July 15-17. Once again we'll offer a full slate of races: µMussel, mini-Mussel, Musselman, and MusselKids. Registration will open November 15, 2010. Join us!

 

Well, it awaits for those who signed up. We're now full to the brim with 1,800 athletes registered to compete. The mini-Mussel, Musselman, Aquabike, and DoubleMussel are sold out and no further entries will be taken. We do have a wait list, though, so if you're feeling lucky (and forlornly left out) please send me an email (and make sure to tell me which race you'd prefer, or you'll find yourself in with the DoubleMussel loonies).

 

Admit it, you come to Musselman for the piles of cherries and fresh, sweet fruit juice at the post-race feast. This year Red Jacket Orchards, growers of the cherries and makers of the divine nectars, will host a "fruit tent" at the race site. All their juices (cherry, apple, strawberry, it goes on and on) will be available to sample, and cases of juice and fruit can be purchased - at a steep discount - for participants to take home. You can even buy at the tent and pick up at the store in Geneva. Just remember your kid has to fit in the back seat, too.

 

Want to sharpen your A-game? Shave seconds off your finishing time? Too lazy to read my newsletters? Rochester-area coach (and Musselman's first champion) Mary Eggers will be presenting a special "webinar" focused exclusively on the Musselman Triathlon on Tuesday, July 6 from 8-9 pm EDT. Mary will walk you through the race week timeline and raceday nutrition, review course maps, highlight important rules, and much, much more (meaning: I don't know what else). I'll be there as well, so you can harass me about filling potholes pre-race. Find a comfy seat and sign up here.

 

I was just kidding about the "If you're not racing, shame on you" thing. If you're not racing, you can volunteer! Which is potentially even better than racing, because you get the t-shirt and ice cream without the sweaty prelude. In all seriousness, though, we'd like your help - the Musselman requires over 600 generous folks each year to guide, instruct, serve, paddle (in the kayaking sense), mark, and do the million other things that make this ship go. If you are coming with a friend or loved one (or child out of diapers), or can pitch in yourself when you're not racing, we will be eternally grateful (and we'll put in a good word for you with St. Peter). Please contact Amy Hibbard, our Volunteer Coordinator, at vc@musselmantri.com - or fill out the form on the website - if you can help.

 

MusselFest, the community-wide celebration accompanying the Musselman races, returns to Geneva in 2010 with a full lineup of events for your family to enjoy. The downtown mural deserves special attention - we don't want you to miss this. During the week leading up to MusselMania, world-famous cartoonist Jef Mallett (creator of the strip Frazz) will sketch a special Musselman design on a wall near Seneca Street in downtown Geneva. On Saturday, as you're milling about and perhaps before or after attending the mandatory pre-race briefing at The Smith Opera House, stop by the wall to help paint it. You - or your favorite child (in or out of diapers) - will select an area of the drawing to color with paint. Afterwards, the entire wall will be encased in an environmentally-friendly anti-graffiti coating so that future citizens and visitors can enjoy the artwork. Additionally, in the panel next to the mural you'll be able to add your name (in paint) to the "Wall of Mussel," a tribute to those competing each year, and a third panel will honor Team Mussel, the group preparing for MusselKids on Sunday. Learn more here.

 

Lastly, I'd like to offer gratitude (and heaven tickets) to a few of the local companies that make the Musselman possible. On the website you'll see gorgeous printable maps of the race courses (and a new one for the run course) created by MRB Group in Rochester, NY. On race weekend you'll hear the spirited chime of 800 cowbells thanks to BonaDent, a Seneca Falls company that will also host an aid station. Finishers in the mini-Mussel will take home custom Nalgene bottles from Nalge-Nunc, also in Rochester. And every participant - yes, all 1,800 of you - will receive a reusable cloth goody bag emblazoned with the Musselman logo and brought to you by the Tobacco Action Coalition of the Finger Lakes, as well as a custom bib number from Recycled Racing that's the first in the country to be printed on recyclable (#5) plastic.

 

Team Mussel, the motivated if somewhat distractible group of 5th graders preparing for July's MusselKids race, is also busy raising funds for their swimming, biking, and running/cramping endeavors. On Saturday, April 24th, the inaugural "Hustle for Team Mussel" 5k run/walk will take place in Geneva, NY. The race, featuring a course similar to the previously-held Heron Road Race, is a joint effort between Team Mussel and the Geneva Family YMCA. For more information, a course map, and to register (don't delay! remember where that got you with your MISC-1099), please visit the Musselman website (musselmantri.com/hustle). "Y" Not Do The Hustle? (I know... sorry)

 

With typically only a 30% chance of snow, the traditional start to the New York multisport season begins on Saturday, May 29 with the sixth edition of the notorious Fly by Night Duathlon. For those of you unfamiliar, the run-bike-run-bike-run Formula I duathlon takes place on and around the famous Watkins Glen International race car track. We've got a surprise in store for you this year, but you're going to have to race to see what it is (you might want to bring a box punched with air holes... but I've said too much already). More heart-pounding details, adrenaline-boosting photos, and wallet-emptying registration can be found at flybynightdu.com.

 

In honor of the once-a-decade census currently infiltrating your neighborhood, we're tabulating large numbers on the Musselman sign-up rolls. As we speak, the Auto Tabulator Entry-O-Matic is indicating over 500 participants in the mini-Mussel and over 700 in the Musselman. Capacity is 700 for the sprint and 900 for the half-iron, so you can see that it's likely registration (for both races) will close by the end of April. I urge you to register now if you want to take part. Unlike the softies at the IRS, heavy-handed Musselman registration goons will not grant you an extension.

 

You may not realize, but your registration fees do not completely cover the cost of putting on the Musselman. Each year we depend on sponsors to subsidize our frivolity, and each year a select group of companies lend their loyalties for your benefit. I am proud and grateful to welcome the Tobacco Action Coalition of the Finger Lakes, Wegmans grocery stores, and Lyons National Bank as return sponsors. Each has been a major sponsor for every single edition of the event, dating way back to 2004. This year TACFL's mission to eliminate Big Tobacco continues with underwriting for a completely smoke-free Musselman, from Geneva's MusselFest to Team Mussel to the full slate of races at Lakefront Park and Seneca Lake State Park. Wegmans returns with generous support for food and provisions for both the triathlon and our Volunteer Appreciation Night. Lyons National Bank remains steadfast in its dedication to the local community of athletes, organizers, and merchants who make the Musselman possible. Please consider making these organizations a part of your life - they've graciously become a part of ours.

 

In 2006, syndicated cartoonist Jef Mallett journeyed from Michigan to compete in the Musselman half-iron race. He graciously inked that year's race shirt design, a tribute to triathlon by his beloved cartoon "Frazz," and he put Frazz (the title character) in a Musselman jersey in a strip that ran the week before the race. This year, we are honored to welcome Jef back to the Musselman, where he will demonstrate the loss of all his marbles by competing in the microMussel super-sprint (Friday), the mini-Mussel sprint (Saturday), and the Musselman half-iron (Sunday). Let's hope he enjoys his stay in the hospital (Monday).

While in Geneva, Jef will lend his talents to MusselFest by sketching the world's largest Frazz cartoon on the side of a downtown building. Come watch him work, then join the fun by coloring in a section according to your bib number. The world's largest paint-by-number!

 

In 2009, the Musselman was named the country's "Most Family-Friendly Race" by Triathlete magazine. I recently picked up a copy of this month's issue, and lo and behold we have been listed again - this time as one of the world's "5 Most Family-Friendly Races." That's right - friendliest in the *world*! While we don't presume to entertain (tolerate?) your kids any better than a race in, say, Azerbaijan, Croatia, or Western Samoa, we do take pride in offering much more than a swim, bike, and run through some of this country's most breathtaking lands. From MusselFest to MusselKids to tours of Red Jacket Orchards and kites in a cloudless sky, we'll do our very best to thrill Mom, Dad, Junior, Uncle Bob, and Cousin Huey. Don't leave little Olive behind.

 

MusselFest is our name for the community celebration that comes together around Musselman weekend. It's put on by diverse segments of Geneva and open to all, athletes and loved ones and citizens alike, because the musseldude will never exclude. This summer, MusselFest kicks off on Friday evening with live music and ice cream following the world's shortest triathlon: microMussel. On Saturday, the unique Arts Triathlon returns to The Smith Opera House downtown - twelve hours of artists composing, painting, and choreographing new works before your eyes. For the first time ever, we'll hold the half-iron pre-race briefings at The Smith, a restored turn-of-the-century landmark, so you can take in the Arts Triathlon before and after.

Saturday afternoon you'll be able to contribute to the aforementioned world's largest (there's a theme here) Frazz cartoon, just a few steps from The Smith. And the conclusion of the mini-Mussel on Saturday morning will also offer elements of MusselFest, including live music, good food, and family kite-flying at Seneca Lake State Park. The three-day circus concludes on Sunday, with live music and celebration accompanying the half-iron race at the state park. Consider staying an extra day on Monday, as you'll need the recovery time - trust me.

 

In 2005, Musselman competitor and Geneva schoolteacher Dave Soule took it upon himself to organize a ragtag group of kids into a slightly-less-ragtag team of aspiring triathletes. On March 1, the next edition of Team Mussel takes to the streets (er, sidewalks) and pools of Geneva to begin preparing for the MusselKids race on July 11. Now teamed up with leaders Janelle Toner of the Parks Department and City Councilor Jacqueline Augustine, Dave and an unsuspecting cast of volunteers will offer activities every single day of the week - and some weekends, too. Involved kids are healthy kids, and healthy kids are happy kids - please give a shout-out to Team Mussel when you see them toe the line in July.

 

Perhaps you've found traditional triathlon a bit longish. Perhaps you've never experienced the elation of your heart about to explode through your chest cavity. And just perhaps, in the curious confines of your own mind, you've considered how fun it would be to ride around the neighborhood on your kid's tricycle.

We've been there (except for the tricycle part). And now, boy oh boy, do we have your answer. On Friday, July 9, the Musselman Triathlon Weekend kicks off with MicroMussel, a new and outlandish race certain to turn your triathlon world upside down, in a very literal sense. Get ready to go hypoxic: you'll swim 100 yards, bike six tenths of a mile, and run two tenths of a mile before collapsing in a babbling, incoherent, oxygen-starved state of delirium beyond the finish line in Geneva's Lakefront Park. In the first wave, we'll put up $500 for the male and female winners, and you'll start in time-trial fashion at 5-second intervals. In the second wave, a single mass start will send you flailing for the boat launch, where you'll board either a child's (unmodified) tricycle or Big Wheels for your trip around the bike circuit. The grand winner of the second wave will also take home $500. More ridiculous details (and a course map) can be found here.

 

In 2004, while attempting to figure out how in the world to organize a triathlon, I wrote a series of articles for Slowtwitch.com, an online triathlon publication. I chronicled the development of the race, and all of the fits and foibles along the way, in 13 installments. Starting later this month, I'll maunder through a new series on Slowtwitch that will look back on six years of Mussel, six years of food, folks, and fun (oh wait, that's McDonald's) in a sometimes serious, sometimes lighthearted attempt to make sense of it all. Do you remember the underwear guy? Jarrod Shoemaker? The woman who brought Tupperware to the post-race meal? I invite you to follow along and attempt to identify yourself when I change names to protect the guilty.

 

For an astounding seventh year in a row (that'd be all of 'em) we are delighted to welcome Red Jacket Orchards back as presenting sponsor of the Musselman Triathlon. If you've sipped their succulent strawberry juice at the finish line, or nibbled a nectarous nectarine at the post-race spread, you have an idea of what I'm talking about: heaven teasing your tongue. This coming year Red Jacket, located right here in Geneva (so your Musselman fruit and juice travels a whopping 6 miles from tree to tri), will construct a LEED-certified (meaning energy-efficient and designed with eco-friendly materials) juice building. If you're looking for nutritious, natural foods grown intelligently and locally, you simply can't do better than Red Jacket. Welcome back, our loyal friends.

 

Musselman 2010 (aka XX-X to you Romans) formally and officially kicks off November 15 with the traditional opening of registration. To mark the day, a week of extravagant and fantastical celebrations are planned in Geneva, with ribbon-cuttings and gay speeches and cowbells and candy and holiday for all schoolchildren. Make sure you're ready, because the Musselman (all races) sold out last year in record time. If you anticipate having trouble remembering the date, just keep in mind that on November 15, in 1969, The Jackson Five entered the Top 100 for the first time with "I Want You Back (in the Musselman)." Treats, tintinnabulations, and Tito... what more incentive do you need?

Additionally, a second set of salacious celebration starts but a fortnight later, down in Watkins Glen, in advance of the opening of registration for the annual Fly by Night Duathlon. Now in its sixth year, Fly by Night takes you (and your favorite bicycle) onto the historic race track of Watkins Glen International for run-bike-run-bike-run hysteria the likes of which you've not seen before (unless, of course, you participated in years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, or 2009). Get ready to click that mouse on December 15, in what could possibly be the very best Christmas present you've ever given yourself. If that sounds a little selfish, have a dependent click for you under your careful direction.