Message from the new President of all3sports

November 24, 2008 I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new President of all3sports, Inc. My family’s company, C. C. Clark, Inc. is purchasing all3sports, Inc. Our company began in 1903 when my great grandfather, Carsie C. Clark, opened a small soda water operation in the rear of a drug store in Martin, Tennessee. C. C. Clark, Inc. is now in its fourth generation of ownership and currently has company locations in Mississippi, Kentucky, Indiana and now Georgia. We also serve locations in Alabama. For more detailed information on C. C. Clark, Inc. please visit our website, www.ccclark.com. I have been working in our family business since July of 2000, after I graduated with a Business degree from Mississippi State University. Although my past working experiences have been involved around the beverage industry, I have a serious passion for the sport of triathlon, and I look forward to working with those of you who share this same passion. I am confident that with my vision and background, all3sports will continue to thrive well into the future. I want to thank Patrick Dowd for all he has done to make all3sports the company it is today. I only hope that I will be able to represent all3sports as well as he has. The entire Clark family is grateful for this opportunity to expand into a new venture. I personally am excited about working hands on with Patrick and all of the employees at all3sports as we continue to strive to help our customers “Dream Big. Dream Fast!” My very best wishes for the future go out to each and every one of you. See you at the races, Morgan Clark

Message from the Founder of all3sports

It is with mixed emotion that I announce the sale of all3sports. Over the past seven years I have poured all of my energy into taking all3sports from a business concept, based on my passion for the sport of triathlon, to a nationally recognized multisport brand. The process has been nothing short of extraordinary, filled with the stuff entrepreneurs’ dreams are made of. Along the way I have had the privilege of assembling and working with a talented and motivated team that truly defines the all3sports spirit, and the pleasure of making contact with thousands of unique, motivated individuals who make up the customer base of all3sports. However, those who know me understand the only thing constant in my life is change. I’m excited most by the challenges awaiting me over the next hill. I have taken all3sports as far as my talents and abilities allow; new vision and leadership is timely and requisite for the continued growth of the all3sports brand. The new owner of all3sports will be C.C. Clark, Inc. Morgan Clark will be serving as President of the all3sports division. To outsiders, this may seem like an unlikely acquisition; however, Morgan’s passion for the sport of triathlon and keen business sense are a great match for the company’s future needs. In addition, the leverage C.C. Clark Inc. affords is enormous and will give all3sports the ability to pursue numerous business avenues in the future. I will work with Morgan to ensure a seamless transition. I look forward to assisting her in her efforts and seeing all3sports flourish under her guidance. Thank you for your past and continued patronage. We hope to exceed your expectations moving forward. Kindest regards, Patrick Dowd

Mark MacLachlan and Dad to be on NBC?

Check the latest race report from Mark MacLachlan at 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater.

Congrats to Mark and his father (70 years young) in completing the race together.

Another strong performance from one of our team. Way to go.

Foster Grant Ironman 70.3 World Championship Race Report

Going into the race, I wasn’t real sure what to expect, from myself, or from the race.  I raced way too many times this season and all of my training since the South Carolina half had been a struggle.  I felt slow and getting slower!  I vowed that I would just enjoy the experience of competing in a “World Championship” event.

To add to the fun, NBC picked up on the fact that my 70 year old dad was also competing in the race and requested an interview with both of us.  On the day before the race, my dad and I had a brief chat with them (on camera) and they told us they hoped they would have time to catch up with us during the event.  I didn’t think much of it, other than my chance to get a picture with the Hoyts (for those of you who don’t know who they are, check out www.teamhoyt.com), which was awesome.

That said, you can imagine my surprise on race morning when, after being stamped (they stamped really cool looking numbers on us instead of just drawing with marker!) I entered the transition area and suddenly had a camera crew watching my every move!I did my best to “act normal” and got everything set up.

The start to this race is cool.  The swim course is alongside a pier on Clearwater Beach.  There is a huge video screen and the music in the background was well chosen to pump everyone up! I watched the pros start (my wave went off 45 min. after the pros) and finish and Andy Potts set a course record in the swim, so that added to the excitement.  I was ready to go and forgot all about feeling tired for the last few weeks!

The gun went off for the swim start and I just hoped I could find someone’s feet to hang on.  Turns out it wasn’t all that hard and I got in on a pack of 3 or 4 guys.  The swim flew by as all I did is concentrate on the feet in front of me.  I had a nice rhythm going and I felt like I could hold the pace forever! A few times I thought about putting in a surge and trying to swim up to a faster group, but I (wisely) decided that staying put was probably best.  I just hoped we had a good pace going.  I finished the swim in just over 29 min!  A PR for me!   I was pumped as I ran though T-1.

After a quick change, I was ready to jump on my Cervelo P2C from all3sports.  I was just about out of T-1 when the NBC camera crew caught me again!  They pointed out my dad, who was still in transition (he started swimming 30 min. ahead of me) so I yelled good luck to him as I headed out onto the bike.

Before the race, my coach Bruce Erskine (if you have been thinking about hiring a coach, he’ll get you to the next level.  He’s taken me to Hawaii and now to this!  Email him at bruerskine@aol.com) and I discussed the bike.  This race has a notorious reputation for “pack riding” that leads to super fast times and takes the advantage away from anyone who can ride a bike.  His council was that I would have to choose whether I wanted to get mad and try to ride away from the pack and pay for it on the run, or just accept it, try my best to stay “legal” and take it for what it was.  I had decided I would do the latter.

For the first 10 miles of the bike, I was feeling good.  I kept riding by people and nobody tried to jump on my wheel.  I actually let myself believe that the rumors were not true and that the addition of extra waves to the start had actually worked like the race directors hoped.  I was feeling pretty good and moving along at right around 25 mph.  About 30 min into the ride I passed by a group of about 4 or 5 people who were kind of close together, but hey, I was moving a lot faster, so why should I be worried.  I was forced to eat my words about 5 min later when I checked over my shoulder before passing someone and saw the “train” behind me.  Right then, I should have decided to let it go and just ride my own race, just like I planned.  Testosterone is not always a friend however, and I decided I would much rather try to ride them off me.  I just turned around and kept riding.  I figured they wouldn’t stay for long, given the speed differential when I caught up.  Instead, the next time I was ready to pass, I actually had to let all of them by me because they were so close that I couldn’t pull out to the left without causing a pile up!

I tried 3 times to pull away, even taking a “solo” flyer off the left side of the road at a water station.  I rode as hard as I could for about 10 miles, and felt like I was going to puke.  I made a turn that headed me back into the wind, and not less than 5 min later they were back.  After that, I finally resigned myself to the situation and rode a legal distance behind everyone.  Of course when there is a pack taking up the entire lane (in other words, 3 or 4 people wide) sitting the legal 10 meters back still requires no work.  The only regret that I have is that I didn’t stay on the front and keep driving the pace because things slowed down just a little and my bike split ended up at 2:13 (25.2mph).  If I was going to sell out and throw everything down on the bike, the least I could have done is try to go under 2:10!  I was on pace for that when I went through mile 40!

The camera crew was with me in T-2.  I was frustrated and this was the conversation:

Me: There was a lot of questionable riding out there

Camera man:  Isn’t it really more about the fun of doing it?

Me: Yes, that’s a great point.  I’m not getting paid to do this!

That put me in a better mood to start a nice 13.1 mile run on what had become a warm day!

I decided to try out the new compression sock thing so my transition was at least a minute slow, but I figured that since I wouldn’t be winning this race, I might as well try it.

The run is 2 laps and quite scenic.  I settled into a pace I felt I could hold for the distance and tried to enjoy the scenery.  The race goes up and over the causeway bridge and provides a sweet view.  On the way back toward the turn around on the 1^st lap, I passed a woman without thinking about it, and then heard a spectator yelling “come on Nina! You can catch her”.  It turns out that I had just passed pro Nina Craft on her last lap, and just up ahead was the current 5^th place pro female.  Figuring I needed something to fire me up, and having another 7 miles to run, I turned around and started yelling encouragement at Nina…who promptly sped up, passed me, and ran her way into 5 place in the pro field.  I just wished I could have matched her acceleration…and held it for the next 7 miles…but I’m not that fast yet!  I had (what for me is) a reasonable pace going until mile 10, when I started to slow up a bit.  I tried to push through so I could finish strong, and I had some sense of satisfaction when I passed by some of the people who were part of my “group ride”.   I will say that there are some REALLY FAST runners at this level.  I’m not sure if it is because everyone rested during the bike ride, or if it is because I’m really not that fast a runner, but I was impressed at some of the age group athletes out there!

I was a bit slow on my run with a 1:31, but my overall time, even with the long transition and a sub par run, was 4:19, which is a PR, and since the only thing that happened when I was not out front on the bike was that the pace slowed down (and I sold out and went hard for most of the ride), I’m going to count it!  It was a cool experience and Ironman does things right, so if you have the chance, take a slot to this event.

The coolest part of the race was waiting at the finish line for my dad.  I hadn’t seen him on the course all day, and I had to go off word from others on how he was looking.  He finished strong and under 7 hours, including a 2:35 half marathon!  Not too shabby for a guy who is 70!   I’ll never forget being able to share the finish with him, and thanks to the NBC crew, hopefully I will have a video of it to last forever!

I want to say thanks to all the people who support this crazy lifestyle I have.  My girlfriend Tory and my Mom and Dad are always encouraging.  Coach Erskine is always ready with great advice, even when he has to repeat himself because I’m thick headed and don’t always listen (which I can’t understand, because I have found that he is somehow always right), and All 3 Sports is fantastic.  Bill, Greg, Jason and Alex are always supportive and ready to help.  They have superior knowledge of their products and provide world-class service!

Thanks for reading!

2008 Ironman Florida Race Report

Ironman Florida Race Report
November 1^st, 2008
Jeff Caplan

This was my 9^th Ironman, and was my total focal point for the season.  I broke 13 hours for the first time in 2006 and had spent the last 2 years trying to go under 12 hours.  While I had days where I had decent swim/bike or bike/run combos, I hadn’t hit on the right level of effort and nutrition management to get there.  I was truly determined to have a different result on the day and spent quite a bit of training time focusing on performance management.  Rather than blowing up after the bike, my swim and bike efforts would be aimed at ensuring a decent run and a solid overall result.

Going into the race, I was feeling the full effects of the taper – kind of sluggish when not working out, but pretty much on during the workout.  The only exception was on what was supposed to be a 2 hour ride on the last Saturday during the race.  Due to some logistics issues, I had to do it on my trainer.  I just wasn’t into riding indoors, and pulled the plug after 70 minutes or so.  I knew I had what I needed training-wise and decided to simply enjoy the day and relax.

With the race on Saturday, I arrived in Panama City on Wednesday.  The days leading up to the race offered unusually good weather.  While the temps were seasonable to slightly cool, the big news is that the winds were calm.  Practice swims in the Gulf were more like lake swims rather than the usual ‘Gulf Chop.’  While there is always a strong breeze, there were no signs of the gusty winds that could turn the bike ride into a slog.

I woke up at 3:00 am on race morning and ate 4 scrambled eggs along with 3 servings of oatmeal sprinkled with dried berries and honey.  From then until the bike, I only took in water with a few sips of Gatorade.  Getting into transition when it opened at 5:00 gave me ample time to check my bike, organize my bags, and find a nice corner in which to doze for a bit.  As we walked down to the swim it was clear that the calm waters from the preceding days were present again on race morning.  One of the things I do for this race is to wear a pair of old socks onto the beach.  The sands can be pretty chilly, and the longer you stay warm the better.  Seeing friends at the start also helped take the edge off things.

When the cannon went off and we hit the water, the temps were pretty cool for the first 50 meters or so.  Because the sand is so cold on the beach, the water that washes over the sand tends to be very cool.  Once we got out, however, the water temp was perfect.  I use a Blue Seventy Helix full suit, and it felt great.  The contact wasn’t too bad during the swim, and I got out of the water in 1:14 and change.  This was around 2 minutes faster than last year, and a good start to the day.

T1 was very crowded, and I went with my plan to get my bike gear on outside of the tent.  I swim in a tri suit under my wetsuit, so I just put on my shoes, socks, Giro aero helmet, Giro shades, and a pair of cotton gloves.  From previous experience, I knew that although the first hour or so on the bike would be a bit cool that the sun in Florida is still pretty strong this time of year. 

I got out on the bike and carefully monitored my Powertap.  I was moving at a decent pace, and decided that even though I was showing lower watts than what I would have forecast going into the race that there was no reason to push it.  Again, the focus was on having a solid run.  One thing I did want to do on the bike was to lift my efforts in the second half.  Doing so not only allows you to better manage your efforts, but also take in plenty of nutrition – when your HR is lower, you are better able to absorb nutrients.  I took in about 3 ½ bottles of Infinit during the bike for around 350 calories an hour.  This was washed down with lots of water and some Gatorade.  I really drank a ton of fluids out there. 

The weather was continuing to cooperate and there was nothing more than a strong breeze in spots.  While there were some large groups of riders out there, I’d just take it easy and let them go by while I drifted back and kept out of the bunch.  In the past, my bike efforts have really fallen off in the last hour in part because I would have tried to have jumped to the front of the group.  Coming into this race, I benefited from a lot of long rides where I would increase my watts every two hours.  The numbers for the bike wound up as follows:

* 1^st Half: 163 AP, 169 NP, 115 HR, 1.03 VI, ~2:46
* 2^nd Half: 165 AP, 171 NP, 124 HR, 1.03 VI, 2:36

. . . For a net bike time of 5:23 – nearly a 15 minute PR!

Despite losing a minute or so due to a misplaced bag in transition, I got on the run pretty quickly.  I really felt super as I started.  I was on the run course in less than 6:50 into the race and was feeling strong.  The All3Sports cheering tent (led by Marc Thompson and Sarah Hackler) was just rocking each time I went by, and helped to keep the pace.  I also saw Nicki Canavan and Paul Bennett quite a bit on the looped run course, and seeing the team was definitely motivating.  To make sure I didn’t over do it, I took about a minute or so of time to walk through the aid stations to help keep my heart rate low.  My efforts stayed in my ‘steady’ range (an HR of 130-140), and I felt good for the first half.  The only real issue I ran into was around mile 16 where I got a pretty bad stitch.  I did a walk-jog for a couple of miles and suddenly realized that if I didn’t get on my horse that I might wind up over 12 hours.  At that last turnaround at St. Andrews Park I found that the combination of cola and warm chicken broth seemed to help a great deal and that I was able to keep a forward pace.  The last 10K went by very quickly, and before I knew it I was crossing the line in 11:40:38 – a 62 minute PR!  There were over 800 people who had faster races than me in Florida, and my time was light years away from any sort of award or recognition.  However I can tell you that with this result as my focus for the last 24 months, there are not a lot of things in my life for which I’ve ever worked harder – it really feels good to hit a goal like that!

I had a bit more overall fitness for this race than I had been for others, but I think a change in strategy made the biggest difference.  When I have been fit in the past, I tried to use that fitness up to the max on each leg.  When I would guess wrong (which was often), I would wind up with nothing left at the end.  The approach this time was to truly see how much energy I could carry over into the next leg of the race.  The investment in fitness paid off by allowing me to get through with less energy rather than absolute increases in speed.  Rather than viewing things like power or HR levels as absolute targets, I did a better job of combining them with my perceived effort to ensure that I could maintain pace for the long haul.  I used the targets as “not to exceed” numbers as opposed to “must sustain for every second” numbers.  I was also much more patient than in previous races.  I kept in mind the lessons from training, that radically amping up efforts early on typically had an exponential impact on performance later in the day.  Collectively, it gave me a great way to end the season and a solid platform to build from in 2009.