aprilgellatly.com

I’ve been hesitant to write this blog because my fear is that it’ll come off as an angry rant and I want to avoid that.  Today, I read this article and it resonated with my thoughts and feelings on Kona.  AND my issues with the ever changing WTC policies – the changes that they make within the industry continue to raise the barriers to entry to the point of absurdity.  But I digress – let’s connect some dots for those of you that maybe newer to the industry.

WTC stands for World Triathlon Corporation.  WTC owns the Ironman trademark and Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.  WTC is currently owned by an equity firm that is pumping money into the sport so that it can sell for 10-fold in the next 5-7 year.  NA Sport (North America Sports), formally the owners of  the ‘classic’ Ironman races in the US were forced out of the industry by WTC (WTC payed large sums of money for the races.)  Within the past 5 years, WTC has streamlined operations.  WTC, also, owns Ironman 70.3 series, 5150, Irongirls, Ironkids and Lava magazine.

I could brush off the changes within the industry UNTIL this season.

I’ve struggled as a professional triathlete – operating at an economic loss, my own self-doubt in my athletic ability – all the while seeing progression in my racing, training, and efforts.  There has been a natural progression as I’ve taken steps within the industry.  I glamorized the industry while I was on the outside looking in – I had no idea the sacrifices I’d have to make to get to THIS point – second tier professional triathlete.

Over the past three years, WTC has changed the professional rules each season.  This year was an extra special slap in the face.  WTC created a ranking system, which will qualify 40 males and 25 females to race Kona in 2011.  The ranking system is based on points accumulated throughout the season at 70.3 and 140.6 events.  Frequency is key in this system.  The more a professional athlete races odds are in their favor that they will be higher up in the ranking.  Think of this from WTC’s standpoint, pros races more frequently means a better “show” for television coverage which will lead to better sponsorship, commercial spots, race coverage, etc.

Now, let’s jump on the other side of the table, and think about it from the perspective of the professional athlete.  The prize purse has not increased – nor does it go deeper, there is no travel assistance, no home-stay opportunities provided by the race organization, etc.  I don’t have sponsors throwing money at my feet for travel expenses – hotel, plane tickets, rental cars – time away from home means time away from work.  Most pros do not have sponsors throwing money at their feet.  Even if I thought I could realistically raise the $30,000 – $40,000 in sponsorship funds in order to afford travel/loss of work/the WTC program fee of $750, I would have a hard time justifying all that expense until I was actually operating at a profit within the industry.  In the 2 years I’ve been a professional in the sport, I’ve had 5 x top 10 Ironman finishes – 3 of which were payday’s, 1 of which I actually went home with more money than the cost of travel to event – Rev3 140.6 in Sandusky, OH.

SO I am grateful to have options.  I am excited to race the Rev3 series, support some of the local race directors – ga multisports, tri-ptc, tri4gold.org, etc.  This year, I am opting to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

My call for action – support GA multi-sport vs 5150, choose Peachtree International vs Irongirls, etc.  WTC is the walmart of triathlon charging Neiman Marcus prices and it WILL only GET WORSE before it gets better.

I’ll end with an excerpt from the article linked above – racing Kona as a professional is my goal.  ”The Good Fight is the one we Fight because our heart asks it of us.”  Kona has been my single-minded focus since my fathers passing.  It’s kept me moving forward, alive, and healthy.  I am forever grateful for the opportunity to chase my dream and to those that have helped in this journey.

“We must never stop dreaming. Dreams provide nourishment for the soul, just as a meal does for the body. Many times in our lives we see our dreams shattered and our desires frustrated, but we have to continue dreaming. If we don’t, our soul dies.”

also known as the lake lanier sprint.  thank you to Jim Rainey and the GA multi-sport staff for putting on such a great race!!!

I was out of shape, focused on a wedding, but I wanted to do lake lanier for a couple reasons -

1.  my niece had yet to see me race.  I thought if she understood part of my profession, MAYBE it would be easier to teach her swim, bike, and run.  she is a bit resistant to the unknown (much like her aunt).

2.  I WANTED TO HAVE FUN AT A RACE!!!  this season in triathlon has been tough, intense focus for not quite as much return as I had hoped.  I made progress.  I grew in the sport in a different way than I expected.  it’s a long road to Kona as a pro – but I got a garmin this year and half the battle is navigation.  okay, that was a very bad joke – but point being – I am starting to figure it all out.  I’ll live to fight another year.

back to my love – this was for madi -

my precious darling.

pre-race group hug.

fun = all smiles, SO race goal = all smiles!

i can not remember the last time I waved in a race. miss america’s got nothing on me!!

i looked and looked for the family going into the run.  finally saw them and they got…a smile!!!

and in conclusion – this race was for my sunshine although she does not like the sunshine in her eyes.  xoxo madi.

I love, love, LOVE this photo!

my final race as a ‘Gellatly’ – so glad to have a photo with corn fields in the direct background.  In Bowling Green, OH (high school – BGHS – go bobcats!), the crops rotated were corn and soy beans.  we had corn in our back yards, literally.

excuses aside – I am happy with my race at rev3 – CP.  I loved the course, the mild temperatures (a welcomed break from our long summer!), and the amusement park (cedar point is americas roller coast.).

excuses front and center – I let my focus drift pre race and I didn’t listen to my coach.  I waffled back and forth about whether to do the race – up until the week of the race.  I went in WELL undertrained – which was all my own damn fault – and pulled off a respectable day (considering).

not many photos of race day because I drove up to Ohio alone – all 11 hours – the friday before the race.  good planning.

telling on myself a little here – but Saturday, the day before the race, I went into the park for an hour to ride as many coasters as I could fit in – only got 3 in, but they were quality.  I love america’s roller coast!!

during the race prep and build up, everything went pretty much according to plan.  there was a panera bread and a target – between the two all my needs our met.

skip to race day -

I had the swim of my life!  It was my first time racing in my quintana roo wetsuit – awesome!  awesome wetsuit + amazing dolphin diving skills = staying with a swimmer that is much more talented at the actual swim portion than you are.  I actually swam to the first swim buoy with Amy Marsh and Sam Warriner – you want proof?  I am pretty sure that Sam could have dropped Amy but hung around because she wanted someone to play with – I, however, could not hang.  As I got dropped, I hung with the next pair of feet that came a long – and the 4 x 200 meter dolphin dive sections were my time to shine!  all those years of jumping up and down off the bottom of the pool in warm down, FINALLY paying off.  see coach Gary, it pays to play

bike was going smooth – I was rolling in 4th – although I did not know I was in 4th.  until I got a stagger penalty and had to stand down for 4 minutes.  I stood calming about 1/2 the penalty – ate, drank.  until I got thinking about why I was standing down – the girl in front of me was ALMOST of sight.  I did not have the intent to draft, I had all but forgotten she was there – I received no benefit from the infraction I was standing down for SO for about 2 minute the official got to hear me rant on about intent and warning and how the term ‘ we will be reasonable’ was used in our meeting.  It’s been months now, I have a new last name, I’ll let it go.  It made no impact on my result, but my swim advantage which I so strategically plotted was gone.  I got passed by a couple girls while standing down, but for the sake of the race, I had to let it go.

i am so proud of this run – not because it was great – but because the run LITERALLY went to shit – about every 2 miles to be specific, but it was the first time in a race when it all unraveled, yet I ran it out.  I don’t know if I swallowed too much Lake Eerie or new sports drink but my stomach was NOT happy with the transition into the run.  At mile 14, I sat in the porta potty crying – talking myself into going back out again – double loop course – trying to figure out how the hell I was going to get through the other half of the course.  I started drinking coke and progressively mile by mile – it wasn’t so bad anymore.  I even passed someone on the run course.  running myself into 8th place!  I still don’t know my finish time, but I finished – and I finished strong!  despite my shitty prep and a shitty run.

huge thank yous to my homestay, Kathy (even though she didn’t let me have her daughter PINK bedroom  ), quintana roo – awesome swim and ride, all3sports, rev3 – great series, looking forward to racing more of them next season!, coach – matt russ, the husband, tom – the mechanic, tri-ptc, and splish.  without the support, this season would not have been possible.

finish up with some wedding photos that have been left out thus far -

the robot.

my precious darling flower girl LOVES to twirl!

post wedding photo follow up – there are so many others.  these were taken by Morgan Jones -http://morganjones.org/photos/main.php?g2_itemId=13711 – the extended version if interested.

madi loves wait staff.  she thinks they are nice because they talk to everyone in the room.  she is telling the waiter that she is 3.

walking down the aisle with my brother.

just married!

i love this series of photos.

very special that i made this face!

family photo organization = family disFUNction

gellatlys + burkeys

ken’s best friends family made us a song – mrs. burkey.  awesome.  it was really cool.  video clip to come…

trying to get him on board with the not throwing cake in each others face tradition.

alright, last pure wedding blog/post – i am trying to force myself out of the honeymoon bubble and get in gear.  it’s been tough – relaxing – my major focus on enjoying time with Ken.  it’s been 4 weeks since the wedding and i think i have done 4 days of work.  good news there is only a loose timeline within the profession and things will happen when i am ready.  welcoming myself back to reality as mrs. burkey!

ughh!  my 2 week ‘break’ flew by!!

not only was i busy with triathlon consults, i love helping new triathletes ease into the sport, but hosted a clinic, announced a race, hosted 2 open water swims.  I haven’t had a weekend or full day ‘off’ since mid-july!

in addition, I spent time moving into ken’s house.  it isn’t a home until the floors are clean and we have a couple pink rugs.

final task of the last couple weeks, welcoming my brother, his girlfriend, and his two daughters to georgia!  i am an aunt!

I love having the family together and being able to spend time with the girls.  madison will turn 3 in october and ellie, the baby, is 5 months old.

BUT the time is upon us, after 2 weeks of un-focused, training peaks free training, it is time to get back in the pool, on the bike, and running strong.  Rev3 cedar point is right around the corner.  I am excited to race at a place I have called home.  I graduated high school just 45 minutes south of Sandusky in Bowling Green, OH.  go bobcats!

Team Luna Chix and April Gellatly partnering to get YOU race ready August 1!

Date – August 1, 2010

Time – 7:30am – 10:30am

Location – Dallas Landing, 5120 Allatoona Dr., Acworth, GA 30101

(same location as the PT  Solutions Acworth Women’s sprint triathlon on August 8 )

Cost – $50 per person (with % of proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Fund)

Reserve your space (clinic limited to 50) please RSVP – contact April Gellatly at algellatly@gmail.com

Clinic Timeline:

Registration and meet the PRO, April Gellatly (www.aprilgellatly.com), 7:30am -8:00am

Race ready clinic: 8:00am-10:00am

• small groups based on experience
• low coach to athlete ratio
• open water entry and exit
• efficient buoy turning, sighting
• OWS tips
• transition contests and instruction
• run drills

Questions for coaches and LUNA refreshments: 10:00am-10:30am

in the ironman double digits, lake placid was number 10. wahoo.

(add 10 minutes to time – 10:28.50.  10:18 was AG clock.)

it was a great trip to placid this year and i am happy enough with my race… always want more, but i am still making forward progress and stuck true to pre-race plan.  biggest success of the weekend – ken and i have finally struck a balance in my triathlon race prep, his triathlon training, and travel.  we had a great trip and more than any ironman prior, we enjoyed really enjoyed ourselves.

not much to report of race week, i was a shut in.  quit answering my phone and emails a couple days out, and my most frequently trip was from the bed to the bathroom – very well hydrated!  i quit cheating on my diet race week and i have vowed to come home and continue that behavior.  i felt so much better eating right.

i knew swim would be 55 minutes to an hour.  no wetsuit this year so swim time was a little slower.  i did a great job hanging on to a group that was WAY too fast for me the first lap and came out of the water in 28 minutes on the first loop.  lost them on the second, but settled into my own rhythm, knowing i would be a couple minutes slower, 1:01.  didn’t win me the race, but came out in 5th.

my main focus on the bike was staying inside myself so that i wouldn’t give it all away on the run.  in the future, i think the bike will be one of my biggest areas of opportunity.  it was on odd flip to feel more confident in my run.  it was pearl’s first ironman (new CD 0.1 QR), felt super aero and the bike did her job!  maybe even a little too aero down some of the descents… huge thanks to quintana roo for such a fast ride.

first time racing with an aero helmet – finishing up the bike course

i ran a steady marathon.  until the last 10k, when the wheels started to come off a bit.  those hills eat my quads up!  3:40 is the fastest ironman marathon to date, and i anxiously anticipate my first sub-330 ironman marathon so that i can crush my stand alone marathon PR!

(home stretch – really thought i was smiling…)

great trip, great city, course PR, all good things.  Placid was my ’shot’ to qualify for Kona, and i missed it by much more than a mile…maybe more like 4 miles… i set a real ambitious goal, and i failed.  okay.  i will still keep plucking away @ my consistent bike power, my run speed, and eventually may even put some focus into my swimming.  i am so grateful to have this opportunity in my life to really chase these dreams.  huge thanks to ken, sponsors (TRI – PTC, ais computers, www.all3sports.com, QR, splish), athletes, friends, and family.

i wanted to share because i can’t be the only one that struggles with a less than excited morning stomach.  i rarely want to eat early in the morning.  however, as i head out on long training runs or rides, i need something in my stomach for fuel.  my solution…

it is an all natural product that i feel good about putting in my body first thing in the morning.  200 cal, 15g protein, solid START to the day.  my stomach approves (most important aspect of my nutrition)!

for more information on the product, please visit – mix1.

i am a once a month blogger.  grrrr.  i don’t mean for that to be the case, but it’s always crazy, and been trying, trying to put free time into updating the site in general.  i finally wrote 1/2 a bio, the latter 1/2 still to come…

still yet to race more than a 5k for the season, i have been itching to race as i read all the race reviews and reports.  knowing full well that it is not yet my time and that my fitness is not there yet.  i think i’ve had coach wondering why i was a professional triathlete for the past 2 months.  after a series of slow runs, very unimpressive ride results on the road bike, we had some break through workouts last week in both departments.

loving my new QR CD 0.1!  here she is in all her glory -

all smiles on the new ride.  big thanks to Morgan and all3sports.com for helping me get on PEARL (she has been named).

to save 15% @ all3sports.com, use discount code – aprilref.

may has been a month of marriage.  2 weddings and Ken and i have set a date for our own wedding!!  we’re going to get married in Kona in October whether i qualify or not.  I think it’ll be a great way to share an important island with him.

off on manic monday.  happy training all!

it’s been a good month.  it’s been a crazy month, but crazy is good.  crazy means i have work.  while i may complain that i am too busy, i will never complain about having too much work!  keep it coming ya’ll!  (i have a wedding to pay for…)

i picked up some new triathlon consulting work with CNN fit nation.  (http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/category/2010-fit-nation-challenge/)

everyone in the family is born in april (besides myself…ironic, eh?).  so we celebrated ange’s birthday the 15th (little sister turned 24.), momma’s 50th the 19th, and my little brothers birthday the 25th.  pat turned old this year  ;)

we flew my brother in from AZ to surprise my momma on her birthday.  i figured what better way to celebrate than to have the whole family together!

the video surprise was beautiful, but i am not sure i can upload video onto website yet…  (JOE?!?  w/  http://www.aissolutionsgroup.com/)  everyone @ the table was crying.  momma was shocked.  it took her 5 seconds to realize her son was standing in front of her.  beautiful.

i hired a triathlon coach, matt russ with the (http://www.thesportfactory.com/site/index.shtml) the sports factory.   so now i just listen to the boss and do as i am told.  the boss changed the race schedule slightly.  check it out under tab marked 2010.

all3sports.com has stepped up as a sponsor and i will be riding a NEW QR CD 0.1 for 2010.

save 15% @ www.all3sports.com.  use the discount code - aprilref.  in advance, appreciate your support and support of the sponsors that aid my efforts within the sport.

ken and i have yet to set a date for the wedding.  (i wish people would quit asking, but i guess that is the natural progression.)  we are enjoying the present, our time together, and trying to take steps to merge our lives together.  tough under the circumstances, my silly pursuit of a triathlon career, our current residence an 1.5 hour apparent WITHOUT traffic, NO MONEY, no family support on my end, not really ideal wedding planning conditions…

in conclusion, the end of april finds me busy, happy, working within an industry i enjoy and believe strongly in…  i feel like i have taken myself outside of the little box i kept myself trapped in for so long.  i am creating different kind of opportunities for myself, and i can reach my definition of success even without a ‘normal’ job.