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Athletic Mentors » Barry Roubaix – Women’s Race Report

Barry Roubaix – Women’s Race Report

March 23rd, 2014 by Cricket

Barry Roubaix has quickly become the largest gravel road race in America and it is held right here in West Michigan every March. Conditions over the past few years have ranged from 50 degrees and dry, to 19 degrees and icy. The 2014 race, held this past weekend, was somewhere in between at 33 degrees with some mud.

In 2012, Amy Stauffer and Marie Dershem won the Overall Women’s podium spots in the 62 Mile and 36 Mile races, respectively. In 2013, Marie returned to the podium for the 36 Mile overall and placed 1st in her age division. In 2014, Roxane Kippen secured 3rd place Overall Woman for the 24 Mile race and 1st place in her age division.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below is a photo from the start of the Women’s 24 Mile race with Roxane Kippen, 2014 OAM NOW/Athletic Mentors rider, and Amy Colby, Athletic Mentors coached athlete, (both in orange) leading out the mass start of 135 ladies.

BRX 2014 Start

As part of this year’s race, there was also a KOM (King of the Mountain) challenge. A specific climb on the course was designated in Strava as a segment where riders could record their ascent and try to be the fastest climber for that designated segment. Prizes were awarded for the top 3 men and women in each race distance. Roxane Kippen narrowly missed the top prize for the half mile climb by one second.

BRX KOM

Make Your Warm Up Count

November 24th, 2013 by Cricket
Training time is valuable and athletes want to get the most out of their workouts. This can often lead to skipped warm ups, which may be more detrimental than trading the additional 10 minutes of workout time for properly prepping the body for activity. Just 10 minutes before every workout can go a long way in helping prevent injury.
When many people think of warm up, they tend to envision a light jog or easy spin, but there are two other things that should happen before this “cardio” phase of a warm up. The first part of a warm up is designed to stimulate motor neurons, which send messages from the brain to the muscles. This is called neuromuscular activation (NMA). Several NMA exercises include balancing on one leg for several seconds in various positions, such as leg out to the front, activating the quads or leg lifted behind, engaging the glutes and hamstrings. Other examples are arm circles, calf raises and leg swings. These activities open up the brain to muscle communication that will be needed for the workout. An NMA routine does not need to be more than 5 minutes in duration.
The second part of a warm up is important for increasing blood flow and increasing range of motion. A dynamic warm up (DWU) is critical to injury prevention and should become a habit for every athlete before every training session. A DWU routine progresses from light impact exercises such as walking on heels and walking on toes, to higher intensity exercises like running high knees and power skips. The dynamic warm up should be between 5 and 10 minutes in length.
After the NMA and DWU, some athletes will still desire an additional cardio warm up. Generally, the time spent on cardio warm up can be reduced to 5 or 10 minutes following NMA and DMU, depending on the intensity of the training session to follow. Incorporating a good warm up into every workout session is an extremely valuable use of training time and should never be sacrificed due to a tight schedule. Make it a habit to complete a warm up routine before every training session.

Earn Cash for Volunteering at the MI Titanium Triathlon!!

July 25th, 2012 by Cricket

The directors of Michigan’s first ultra distance triathlon, the MI Titanium, are offering a $150 donation to any organization willing to provide 15-30 volunteers for an 8-hour shift on race day, August 26th. The race will host a half and full distance triathlon starting and finishing at Versluis Park in NE Grand Rapids. Athletic Mentors is a sponsor of the event knows that lots of volunteers are critical to the success of the race. So, if you know of a sports team, church group, or team of associates looking for a group outing to support healthy living, have them contact the MiTi Volunteer Coordinator, Melissa, at mollie601@gmail.com. Volunteer orientation and training will take place on August 23rd at 6:30 pm, so no experience necessary!

Grand Rapids Triathlon Nearing Registration Cap!

May 28th, 2012 by Cricket

The Grand Rapids Triathlon is only in its second year and is already approaching sold out status. This weekend, the registrations tipped over the 1,000 mark on its way to a cap of 1,200. The race is less than two weeks away (June 10), but it is not too late to join in the fun. Registration prices go up after midnight this Wednesday (May 31), so if you have been thinking about racing, and have not yet registered, now is the time! Don’t miss out on another spectacular event! Go to www.grandrapidstriathlon.com to register. Athletic Mentors has over a half dozen of its athletes competing in the sprint, olympic and half distances and is a proud sponsor of the race!

Calling All Volunteers for the Grand Rapids Triathlon!

May 21st, 2012 by Cricket

The Grand Rapids Triathlon is fast approaching, and the time remaining to register as a volunteer is running out. Athletic Mentors is a proud sponsor of the event on June 10th in Ada, Michigan, and would like to encourage anyone not participating in the race to sign up to volunteer. A race of this scale relies on hundreds of volunteers! Please consider helping out at one of Michigan’s leading triathlon events. All volunteers will be trained prior to the event so you will know exactly what to do, where to go, and what time to be there on race day. You can register to volunteer by going to www.grandrapidstri.com and clicking on the Volunteer link in green at the top of the home page. Thanks for your help!

We Have a Winner…

March 6th, 2012 by Cricket

Cody Cross won the drawing for a $50 Athletic Mentors gift certificate for completing a triathlon clinic survey. Thank you to the many participants who provided feedback on our free clinics. Please remember the next clinic is this Saturday at 9am at the David D Hunting YMCA, downtown Grand Rapids. Athletic Mentors and the Grand Rapids Triathlon are bringing you a Women’s Panel Discussion. Ladies, come on down and get some valuable advice from our panel of outstanding women triathletes!

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