URBAN EPIC BOSTON 2009 ATHLETES TO WATCH
It takes something special to race in a triathlon. To get up at 5 a.m. to swim in a cold pool. To spend hours bent over the handlebars of a bike. To prepare to run as a final afterthought. There is nothing easy about mastering three disciplines, the art of the transitions, or the subtleties of an intricate event that seems almost illogical.
To take on the daunting task of swim, bike, run is to do something extraordinary. Something Epic.
We know that everyone who chooses to race has that something special inside. (That inner motivator that drives one to excel, to train, to be healthy, to believe in yourself, to have some serious fun, to prove you can do it—or do it better, to accomplish new goals.) We’ve created Urban Epic to be a celebration of just that: a showcase of what makes one Epic.
What better way to start the party than to meet some individuals who are about to become Epic athletes in Boston? Read on to find out why these racers want to be Epic. Be motivated to discover that something special in yourself. Then meet us all on the shores of South Boston on August 16th and be prepared to be amazed.
Follow our Featured Athletes’ progress on race day on our twitter: www.twitter/urban_epic.
Racing for Something Bigger
Ruben Azocar
40, Belmont, MA
When Ruben Azocar first moved to Boston in 1997 (he’s originally from Venezuela) he witnessed very low violent crime rates in the city. As an anesthesiologist and critical care specialist at Boston Medical Center (then and still now), he was familiar with violence – gun shot wounds, car accidents, and trauma victims have long been part of his daily work. Since 2000, however, he has seen more and more young people in the ICU – victims of rising violence in the streets. Most of the gun shot wound patients are kids between the ages of 15 and 25.
The senseless violence on the streets disturbs Ruben. He wants to see young people stay out of trouble and survive. In addition to offering medical care, Ruben also provides consolation to the countless families suffering over the severe injuries or death of loved ones. He is especially compassionate towards them because he has had his own personal experiences with gun violence – losing both his father, to a robbery in Venezuela, and his brother, to self-inflicted wounds.
That’s why he dedicates his races – the Urban Epic and two triathlons prior – to the effort to decrease violence in the city. Ruben would like to inspire young individuals to use physical activity and sports to stay busy. “Lingering can lead to trouble,” he says. “I race as a way to say by staying active, you can stay away from trouble.”
Ruben also races to get back into shape and for a release from the stress of his work and his daily routine. He used to run with his father and to keep the tradition in his family, he now runs with his 10- and 8-year-old kids. He’s very happy to be racing in the city of Boston and for the opportunity to try and inspire more young people. “I won’t be a fast participant,” he says, “but I will finish and have fun; and hopefully make a difference by dedicating my race to decreasing violence.”
Guisep Vitale
24, Cambridge, MA
Guisep Vitale’s father lost his battle with cancer before she was born. And since then, she’s heard endless stories of the people around her being affected by cancer. She also knows from the statistics that the stories continue to grow, that a shocking number of people will continue to be affected by cancer in the future. So when she was ready to move from road races to triathlon, she decided to support cancer research and sign up to race in the American Cancer Society (ACS) Charity Runner Program.
“Taking on the responsibility of raising awareness and funds for ACS granted me the chance to add one more layer of motivation to my training and racing efforts,” she says. Through the Charity Runner program, Guisep has been given training schedules, tools, and tips to get her ready for race day. (Plus lots of great support.) She completed her first and only triathlon in the process and has gotten her first-time jitters out of the way. With one race down, she says, she feels much more confident to race a little harder at Urban Epic and meet some new time goals.
Guisep’s bigger goal, however, has been to raise awareness for the important role the ACS plays in cancer research and to raise at least $1,250. She makes a point to share with friends and family what their donations contribute to – not just her racing efforts, but the numerous programs and achievements of the ACS that are helping to prevent more loses to cancer in the future. She is 40 percent of the way to her goal and still hopeful she’ll make it.
Guisep grew up in Venezuela and moved to the U.S. when she was 12. She moved to Boston to attend Babson College and stayed in the city after graduating. Beyond meeting her goals for supporting cancer research, Guisep is excited at the prospect of racing right in Boston, alongside many other Bostonians, with friends nearby in the audience. She believes the urban placement of the Urban Epic is the perfect setting to raise awareness and she’s looking forward to proudly wearing her ACS shirt as she races along the city streets.
“Above all,” Guisep says, “I am looking forwards to crossing the finishing line, tired and hopefully smiling, knowing that I gave my all on the race and not just to obtain that time I so badly wanted, but also to support the ACS.”
Overcoming Obstacles
Marisa Marraccini
26, Jamaica Plain, MA
About three years ago, Marisa Marraccini got it in her head that she wanted to do a triathlon. Not only that, she wanted to complete one in five years. At Urban Epic, she’ll be checking her goal off her list – two years ahead of schedule.
Completing a tri hasn’t been an easy goal for Marisa. She’s long been a runner but she hadn’t swum since she was 10. And she likes to say she’s “really good on her feet but bad on wheels.” When she was 12-years-old, about the time she was getting comfortable bike riding and excited about it, she had a serious accident. Out biking with a friend, she hit a pothole and flipped forward over her bike. The handles twisted into her ribs. A pedal cut a deep gash into her leg – opening up all the way down to her fat. The incident was severe enough to scare Marisa away from biking for a long time. “I had a lot of trepidation,” she says.
One year ago, Marisa decided she wanted to bike to work. Like a triathlon, it was on her list of things to do, and so despite the fact that she was terrified about it, she “ripped the band-aid off and went for it.” A friend helped her begin to bike again. “My big fears as an adult were simple, silly things, she says. “I didn’t know how to stop, or which foot you put down. I was afraid I wouldn’t look cool enough.” She used her dad’s old mountain bike and little by little became more comfortable. Soon Marisa was commuting to work.
She’s nervous about the bike portion of the Urban Epic but trying not to think about it. She has no idea of how to set a goal – what a good time for a bike or run would be – since it’s her first triathlon so she’s just looking to have a good run, finish, and enjoy herself. She’s hoping to prove she can do it and check her triathlon goal off the list.
Peter Justice
49, Gloucester, MA
Peter was unable to walk for six months in 1999 due to a severe back injury. After surgery, it took two years of rehabilitation to get enough strength in his legs to walk two miles. Racing isn’t easy, but he appreciates every day he can walk, run, and bike. (More on Peter’s story soon!)
Remarkable Relay Teams
Team Boston Collegiate Charter School – Maisie Veeder, Joelle Renstrom, and Vironica Dawson
Team Boston Collegiate Charter School – Maisie Veeder, Joelle Renstrom, and Vironica Dawson – wants to be Epic because they are urban educators and think that their mission is pretty epic, so they should be too.
The Boston Collegiate Charter School is a school in Dorchester that focuses on college admission and preparation. Beyond that, it is a structured and nurturing learning environment that demands social and civic appropriateness and involvement, Joelle says. Maisie was the founding high school English teacher back in 2000 is now back teaching 9th and 11th grade English part-time. Joelle teaches 12th grade English and Vironica is a special needs teacher.
They’ve never raced together before and Joelle has never raced at all but says that “Mrs. Maisie Veeder is VERY convincing.” Maisie has competed five individual triathlons prior and Vironica has competed in three triathlons (also having swam and played water polo at UC Berkley), but all three are new to the relay division.
They are excited to be racing in Boston – “the course is very close to our school and an area that I love to come on weekends,” Maisie says. And Vironica says “I love that Boston is finally having a triathlon – it’s a great opportunity for friends and family to come together and also a great way to get more involved in the community.”
While the team’s race goals are lighthearted (“To not embarrass ourselves,” Joelle; “To not fall down or cry,” Maisie; “To have fun and finish strong,” Vironica), their larger aspirations are to motivate students. “I want to connect with my students and help them reach their goals of becoming well-rounded, educated students,” Vironica says. And Maisie adds that they are hoping to show both themselves and their students that teachers aren’t old people, “we can run and bike even!”
Team Big Red Doublemint – Jana and Erin and Jen Sunderland
Brookline & Newton, MA
When Erin Sunderland found out about the Urban Epic she proceeded to mass email her friends constantly. She was looking to find relay team members to join her. Two of her friends put together their own relay teams and so Erin followed suit, enlisting her identical twin sister, Jen, and Jana, her roommate and Women’s Crew teammate from Northeastern University, to race as a relay.
The trio is really looking forward to racing in the city and competing together. Their relay strength lies in how well they know one another and the city of Boston. “Our close relationships have helped us support each other during our training,” Erin says. “Jana is very competitive and will use tough love (a.k.a lots of yelling) to encourage us to beat our competitors – it comes from her days as a rowing coxswain.”
Erin is a member of the Dreamfar triathlon team and has done multiple relay races, completing her first solo triathlon in May. “Triathlon is the perfect sport for athletes with fitness-ADD since it allows you to do three different types of activity all at once so boredom is not allowed,” she says. Jana has never participated in a tri individually, but she enjoys the relays because she gets to do the running leg, which she loves. This will be Jen’s first foray into triathlon and she’s a little nervous about swimming in the Harbor but excited to be racing in the city.
As for the team’s goals, there has been a growing friendly competition between their team and their friends’ – Ginger Martini and 3 Eagle Chicks. “We hope to all do well,” Erin says. “But we’re also aiming to beat the others and then we want to party like rock stars.”
Hometown Heroes
Dominic Coryell
24, Boston, MA
Dominic Coryell is very new to the world of triathlons but not new to what it takes to be successful in it. He believes that running triathlons is a lot like running a company and his experience as CEO of Garment Valet - a high-tech laundry and dry cleaning service – has prepared him for both. When he signed up to race in the Austin 70.3 half-Ironman, he had no idea he was changing his life. He’s racing in the Urban Epic as part of his training and learning much, about both multisport and business. Here is what the 2008 Global Student Entrepreneur Award winner has learned:
1. There is a defined finish line, but the race goes on. Even when an objective is complete it is a time to recoup, reorganize and prepare for the next battle with the lessons learned.
2. Endurance and pace are equally correlated. In leading a company the right speed is necessary - same for a race. If you go to fast -you'll crash, if you go to slow -you'll get passed. The real challenge is setting up a momentum that will sustain and last.
3. Gears and gadgets do matter, but can get in the way. Transitioning seems to be really important and I am not good at it. One of the reasons is because there is this new gear I am getting used to using. I see some people who are slower then me because they have all these contraptions they are putting on themselves. It is kind of like a decision gate in a corporation. The more people in a bureaucracy, the slower moves get made.
4. Competition. Your friends can beat you. Even though you may have "friends" in business, they still want to cross the line first. Watch out for them in the last stretch.
Karabeth Vanick
25, Braintree, MA
“We could practically all do the course with our eyes closed.” That’s how familiar coach Karabeth Vanick and the members of her Quincy South Shore YMCA triathlon team are with the Urban Epic course. “We do a lot of our open water swims at Castle Island, we bike the course – we are just so thrilled to get to compete in our backyard!” she says.
Karabeth came to the sport of triathlon like many athletes – from a running background. She’d been a runner for as long as she could remember, running at all distances, but when she developed a stress fracture it was time to try out the sport her friend kept trying to get her into. The Quincy YMCA had a brand new triathlon class, so she signed up. That was three years ago, and in the time since, Karabeth has become the instructor of the triathlon class and the “coach” of all her members.
She teaches four triathlon courses a year – one every season – on Sunday mornings to a range of abilities and ages. At 25, she’s the youngest. “There is an amazing camaraderie among the class,” she says. “Everyone’s at all different points but everybody knows everybody and they are addicted – they keep coming back for more!” After taking their training sessions from the pool to open water, and from the spin bikes to the open road, Karabeth encouraged her classes to sign up for races together.
Recently, the team competed as Team Sunday Morning in the Trek for Kids fundraising event for Quincy. They will race together again at the Urban Epic and this time they will have an advantage. “We’re so excited,” Karabeth says, “the course is already like our home away from home.”
And watch for our athletes who traveled the farthest – John Williams and Louise Anderson – from Hawke Bay, New Zealand. They are here racing while on vacation!
Click here for Featured Athletes from the 2009 Zone Urban Epic Portland Triathlon! |
