Bowers & Mitera Complete FL IM 70.3

Tony Bowers and Bob Mitera completed the Florida Ironman 70.3 on May 20. Tony finished in 5:38:39 and Bob completed the race with a final time of 5:14:31. You can read Bob's complete race report on his blog - http://bobmiterateampolar.blogspot.com/

Polar Volunteers at Kid's Triathlon

On Sunday, May 27, Bob and I volunteered at the Multisport Madness Kids' Triathlon in Geneva. Wow! What an experience. These kids were amazing. They just didn't have great bikes (many with Litespeeds and Zipps - can you believe it?), but these kids were great athletes. There were five separate age groups ranging in ages from 7 to 16, plus an elite category. The swim began at the pool at Delnor Health and Wellness Center with varying distances based on the atheletes' age group. Then it was off to ride the challenging bike course followed by a run around the hospital campus. Congratulations to all the participants on a great job! Also, its interesting to note that the Multisport Madness Kids Triathlon Team won the overall team competition at the USA Triathlon National Championships for two consecutive years (2005 and 2006) in both the Youth and the Junior Championship divisions. If you have kids who are interested in triathlon, this is a great group to consider.

Galena Triathlon - Lee and Glowney Place

The Galena Triathlon was named one of the "top 10" sprint triathlons in the U.S. by the USAT. The organizers and the Galena community have always put on a great race, and this year was no exception. Race morning began a little on the chilly-side with the water temperature hovering around 63 degrees. Most of the competitors wore wetsuits, but there were a few brave (or crazy) enough to go without. The challenging 16.8 mile Galena bike course wound its way through the hilly landscape of Jo Daviess County, culminating with a 4.3 mile run. The race was well-supported, and it always astonishes me how welcoming the community is of all the athletes. If you weren't able to race the Galena Triathlon this year, you should definitely put it on your 2008 calendar. Once again, Team Polar placed high in the standings. Elisa ran an excellent race placing third overall with a time of 1:37:29 and Jason completed the course in a blistering 1:26, taking first in his age group. Congratulations Elisa and Jason on a spectacular race.

Mother's Day 2007 by Laura Perez

There is no better way to begin Mother's Day than celebrating life with 30,000 people! Every year our family drives into the city at the crack of dawn, bundles up for the windy 5K walk, park blocks away and experience an amazing May morning doing the Y-ME run/walk (held in about 12 cities simultaneously across the country on Mother's Day). This year I couldn't drag them with me but got their blessing to go, alone, and finally do the 5k run. I ran as fast as I could (finishing with a Polar measured heart rate of 181) and looped back to join the masses of families and friends participating in the walk - remembering and celebrating loved ones. My place? It was self-timed and therefore no places were given - will Polar count it as one of my 6 races? :) We train and race because we can...

Zubroski Runs for Lance Armstrong Foundation

Fellow Polar team member Kathleen Zubroski will be running the ING New York City Marathon on November 4, 2007, to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. According to the Marathon website, "The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) believes that in the battle with cancer, unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything. Founded by cancer survivor and champion cyclist, Lance Armstrong, the LAF provides the practical information and tools people living with cancer need to live life on their own terms." Kathleen has committed to raise $3,500 for this worthy cause. You can make a donation at her LAF homepage - http://xrl.us/ZubroskiLAF. Any donation, regardless of the amount, would be greatly appreciated. Please help Kathleen raise funds for the fight against cancer.

Club Clinic at Great Western Half Marathon

On Sunday, Kimber, John and I held a club clinic at the Fox River Trail Runners' Great Western Half Marathon. Although it was windy and a little on the cold side, this was a well-organized and well-attended race. A number of athletes used the RS200 during the race and others plan to take us up on our offer to test them next weekend at Naperville Running Company. In addition, we spoke to at least 25 athletes about the benefits of heart rate training and Polar heart rate monitors. John also ran the race, completing the 13.1 miles in 1:32:40 and finishing 8th in his age group. Congratulations John.