Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors, Author at Athletic Mentors

Bear Lake Triathlon

June 7th, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Todd Anthes, Team OAM Now Triathlete

The Bear Lake Triathlon in North Muskegon is the final exam for the Grand Haven High School triathlon class. Wow. I wish they had classes like that when I was in high school. Maybe then I would be a better swimmer. It’s great to see athletes get started on the tri in high school, and this is a great race. The past week of cold temps did not seem to affect Bear Lake very much. In fact, the conditions were perfect. A light breeze, some cloud cover and an air temp pretty close to the 67 degree water temp, greeted the athletes. The olympic swim start was uneventful. The water was perfect and I broke the seal on my first triathlon of the season with decent sighting and drafting when I could. My swim split was a little slow given a poor start, but successful open water swimming always takes some acclimation for me. I was happy with my performance. On the other end of the swim, T1 was horrible. I didn’t wear my race top during the swim because of the temperature; I didn’t want to start the bike with a wet top. As a result, I had a heck of a time getting my top on. I also opted for some thin wool socks as my feet tend to get cold (this was a good move), but probably cost me a minute or more. Bear Lake’s bike course is pretty simple. Besides the turn around, 2 right turns on the way out, and 2 right turns on the way in, there’s a nice stretch on Lake Michigan and a large hill about a third of the way in called “Block House” Hill. It is a granny gear hill out and back. I love it. It always breaks things up a little bit. I gained some ground on the field in the bike leg. It felt pretty good to be out there with the bike in full race dress and ripping along. The next transition, from bike to run, went much more smoothly. I have been doing hard bricks for the last few weeks, and it paid off.

I was passed immediately by a couple of younger guys, something that rarely happens on the run. I don’t know where they came from as I was all alone on the bike. I might have caught them in transition. They had a nice cadence and I could tell they knew what they were doing. I kept them in my sights, but never caught them again. I averaged 40 min on the run, but never went back and forth with anyone. I was pleased with this, particularly as an early season effort. I was 10th overall, and 2nd in my age group. Teammate Bob Schultz came in 3rd in his age group. While my first triathlon of the year was not the final exam the high school students were experiencing, Race Director, Ron Knoll, and Grand Haven High School triathlon teacher Derek Warner, sure do a great job of creating an exciting race environment. The post Bear Lake Triathlon appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

Sponsor Spotlight: Gauthier Family Home Care

June 6th, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

Gauthier Family Homecare

Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors is proud to represent this Grand Rapids area home care service, offering compassionate and professional in-home service for their clients, for its fourth consecutive year. Gauthier Family Home Care utilizes both CareProfiler and IC24 (Ideal Caregiver 24) to match their caregivers with their clients. This process ensures the best caregiver match possible for the client in need of care and the client’s family. This extraordinary level of care and focus on the whole team mirrors Team OAM Now’s focus on its team of athletes. In fact, co-owner Dan Gauthier is such a strong believer in the team that he’s a member (Team OAM Now Elite Club). With a core team of professionals, Gauthier and his wife and co-owner, Marion, understand, firsthand, how significant home care can be for the comfort of those we love. Not only does home care support both client and family in a familiar environment, but it also helps retain an individual’s independence, both significant factors in one’s quality of life.

Gauthier says “Physical health is such a key piece to one’s overall wellness and, as a cyclist myself, it seemed logical that we’d support a health conscious activity that’s good for the whole community as well. In the same way that we look for the ideal match between caregiver and client, our team at Gauthier supporting Team OAM Now also seemed natural.” Previous clients have trusted Gauthier Family Home Care in a time of need. They are professionals, hard working and communicative. The staff is noted for going above and beyond while consistently providing quality care and service. Because Team OAM Now and the team at Gauthier both work hard to deliver the best, the partnership is, as Gauthier notes, “natural.” Ed Note: The relationship between athlete and sponsor is often understated and oversimplified. Team OAM Now/AM does its best to make sure the relationship we build with our sponsors reflects its importance. We promote our sponsor’s brand, with professionalism, on social media including blogs and Facebook. We are active in the community and participate in over 75 community events every year to help our sponsors give back to community. We (the athletes) understand our sponsors’ services and brand, use their products and services, and refer business to them. In return, the sponsors help us develop young athletes, and create exposure and opportunities where those circumstances might not otherwise exist. For a sponsor, this kind of support is also an investment in someone’s dreams, a measure of faith in ability and determination, and a connection with the team’s values. For an athlete, the support given by a sponsor is invaluable. In fact, it’s more than support; it’s a vote of confidence; it’s an opportunity to achieve; it promises the joy of bringing along a “family” when there is triumph. For this reason, we’d like to take time to introduce you to our sponsors. We cannot thank them enough for their support of Team OAM/Now, its athletes, its goals and visions, and its values. The post Sponsor Spotlight: Gauthier Family Home Care appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

Torres and Braginton Bring in First Place Wins at Seahorse Challenge

June 4th, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Kathy Braginton, Team OAM Now Triathlete

Triathlon season officially began with the 35th annual Seahorse Challenge, the first triathlon in the Kalamazoo area. With the race held on Memorial Day weekend, and the cold winters we have experienced the last few years, racers never know what the weather is going to bring or what the water temps will be, thus creating the “challenge”. This year brought cool early morning air temps, a water temperature of 64 degrees, and no worries whether it would be a wet suit legal swim.

Seahorse features both Sprint and Olympic distance races. Each race follows the same course with the Olympic distance doing 2 laps in each discipline. Team OAM Now’s Kathy Braginton took on the Sprint distance, while Raquel Torres took on the Olympic distance. The Olympic distance started first with the sprint distance starting about 25 minutes later.

Raquel had a great swim leg and was exiting the water as Kathy’s race began. Raquel was the first woman out of the water with a 4 minute lead and kept that lead throughout the entire race. Kathy was the 4th woman out of the water after the swim and had a smooth T1 moving her into 2rd place. The first half of the bike leg features fast, smooth, and mostly downhill roads. Riders need to go hard the first 6 miles (miles 1-6 and 12-18 for OLY) and take advantage of the good roads because the second half gradually works its way back up those hills and has about a ½ mile stretch of rough roads where riders must use extreme caution.

Kathy went out hard the first half of the bike leg and caught the lead biker by mile 3. Building on that, she gained a 5 minute lead to be the first biker into T2 and the first runner onto the run leg of the course. The run leg features paved roads for the 1st mile (1st and 4th mile for OLY) and trail/grass for the remainder of the run. This unique run course features a foot bridge, a flight of stairs, and even 3 angry mother geese. Due to the many twists and turns of the course, it was hard to determine how far back the next racer might have been. Because of this limited visibility, Kathy tried to push the pace to maintain any distance between her and the next female. As a result, Kathy finished 7th overall and earned first place in the women’s sprint distance finishing more than 9 minutes ahead of the next female. Raquel was 4th overall, and the Olympic female winner, finishing more than 11 minutes ahead of the next female racer.

Overall, it was a great way to start the season with dual wins for Team OAM Now!

The post Torres and Braginton Bring in First Place Wins at Seahorse Challenge appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

Fight, Survive, Finish…. Cone Azalia

June 3rd, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Peter Ehmann, Team OAM Now Cyclist “Fight, Survive, Finish.” Those three words summed up the goals, at least my goals, of the 2015 Cone-Azalia Dirt Road Race. Sometimes the course profile makes the race; sometimes that distinction goes to the field or team tactics; this race, the main player was the conditions. “Brutal, Horrendous, Miserable, Epic, Silly…” All words, many not worth repeating here, floated around describing what all the brave souls who toed the line experienced on this epic slug fest. This day, just finishing had to be earned.

The conditions at the start were horrendous to say the least. Rainfalls overnight topped 2 inches on a 6.7 mile circuit that comprised 90% dirt roads. Dirt road is an overly kind description of the surface we were riding. The week or two before, the road commission laid down fresh gravel aggregate in the form of wheel and tire destroying golf ball+ sized gravel. In other places, standing water covered all but a tire width of the road. To top that, winds were blowing from the N/NE at 15+mph driving a steady rain that was constant. Head or cross-winds everywhere! Brutal! Oh yeah, it was also 48F on the last day of May! The P12 field was greatly undersized as expected due to the weather and surface conditions. Team OAM Now was well represented with Dan Yankus, Cory Stange, Collin Snyder, and me toeing the line. Almost the entire field was riding CX bikes, with Cory on a MTB, and one rider in the field on a road bike. The field unanimously agreed to shorten the race from 12 laps to 10. Thank you all!!! The whistle blew and after a brief 300m or so of neutral roll-out, game on! We hit the dirt and mud was flying and spraying everywhere! At this point, the act of breathing was inviting the fine “agriculturally fortified” Monroe County grit onto your mouth. Pleasant!! On top of that, simply seeing was a challenge – glasses very shortly became useless. The first split in the race came very early, within the first half of lap 1. The pointy end of the race was down to only 7 of us. Next, Dan took a huge flyer and was off the front for the next two laps. The group eventually reeled him in, probably to his relief with all the wind out on the course.

The seven of us (including Dan, Collin, and myself) remained gentlemanly for the next half lap. Then, the niceties abruptly halted as we transitioned from cross to tail-ish wind and the decisive splits of the race came along with the destruction of the rest of the field. The front three riders, including Dan, got the gap and went up the “road.” I was in the first chase with one other until that became a solo chase for me. A lap later, Collin bridged solo up to me and we rolled around the remainder of the race together. We worked together for the remainder of the race holding our 4th and 5th place spots. As the miles ticked off, Collin started taking up the lion’s share of the workload as I was falling into suffer mode (“Survive!”). I was on empty and not in a happy place. I can’t thank Collin enough for towing me to the finish at the end. That’s the great thing about great friends and teammates!

In the end, after nearly 70 miles and close to 4 hours in the saddle, Team OAM Now earned 4 out of the top 6 spots! Dan took 2nd place, Collin 4th, me 5th, and Cory soldiered on strong on his MTB for a solid 6th. Congrats to all those who participated and all those who finished! Now, for some much needed rest and hope for much better conditions next year! The post Fight, Survive, Finish…. Cone Azalia appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

Patterson Takes First at Arcadian Grit and Gravel

June 2nd, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Kaitlyn Patterson, Team OAM Now Multi-Sport

The elite men and women racers started together three minutes before the rest of the field. I was able to make a crucial break with part of the elite men’s field on the first climb and separate myself from the other female racers. I maintained this lead throughout the race and finished with a solo victory. I’ve been able to spend more time working on my bike handling skills this year and it has been fun to see it pay off in recent races.Four years since the inaugural event, this unique race on the coast of Lake Michigan has quickly become a staple in spring mountain bike racing. Arcadian Grit and Gravel is held in early May, just as the leaves are turning a brilliant green and the trillium are in full bloom. The course is a combination of gravel roads, two-tracks, a bit of pavement, and nine miles of single-track through the Arcadia Dunes Nature Preserve. The race starts in the tiny town of Arcadia, on two miles of pavement before hitting the dirt. There are two significant climbs in the first 10 miles of the longer race to help spread out the fields before the narrow single track sections.

Arcadia was a short trip for my family to come and enjoy the race and a beautiful day. My grandma was especially excited to be on the support crew!

Check out some of the race pics here.

The post Patterson Takes First at Arcadian Grit and Gravel appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

Sponsor Spotlight: Agility PT

May 26th, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

Agility PT

This Kalamazoo County orthopedic and sports physical therapy clinic offers comprehensive care for the athlete with services ranging from physical therapy to training and performance programs. Agility PT has been a Team OAM Now/Athletic Mentors sponsor for 5 years. With the only Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Sports Physical Therapy in the Southwest Michigan Area and two Board Certified Clinical Specialists in Orthopedics on their staff, Agility PT delivers the same kind of excellence the Team OAM Now athletes hope to achieve. This type of drive and dedication to sport is well understood by 2009 Ironman Finisher and clinic Co-owner and Director of Clinical Operations, Scott Miller. Scott currently races multi-sport with Team OAM Now as a member of the Elite Club.

In keeping with their desire to serve the whole athlete, Agility PT sees its role as much wider than providing after care, or even performance analysis. Agility’s self-described mission is to have a positive impact on individuals across the lifespan, from beginner to elite athlete. In fact, they regularly sponsor a significant number of Michigan events ranging from local events like Kalamazoo’s Kal-Haven Ultra Marathon and Portage’s Winter Blast Half/5k to the Race for Wishes Road Race Championships and the largest cross county meet in the Midwest, the Portage Invite. Similarly, they also support local triathlons including the Gull Lake Tri and Shermanator. Partnering with regional and national organizations, as well as local businesses, allows them to expand their service knowledge and their ability to individualize treatment by providing contacts for complimentary services. Miller says “Agility and Team OAM Now/Athletic Mentors have a common goal, which is to push individuals to their peak performance with class, superior knowledge, and a comprehensive approach. We are of like mind in that we lead by example. We are athletes working with athletes.” This level of dedication to athletics and support for their community meshes seamlessly with Team OAM Now values and goals resulting in a perfect partnership. Ed Note: The relationship between athlete and sponsor is often understated and oversimplified. Team OAM Now/AM does its best to make sure the relationship we build with our sponsors reflects its importance. We promote our sponsor’s brand, with professionalism, on social media including blogs and Facebook. We are active in the community and participate in over 75 community events every year to help our sponsors give back to community. We (the athletes) understand our sponsors’ services and brand, use their products and services, and refer business to them. In return, the sponsors help us develop young athletes, and create exposure and opportunities where those circumstances might not otherwise exist. For a sponsor, this kind of support is also an investment in someone’s dreams, a measure of faith in ability and determination, and a connection with the team’s values. For an athlete, the support given by a sponsor is invaluable. In fact, it’s more than support; it’s a vote of confidence; it’s an opportunity to achieve; it promises the joy of bringing along a “family” when there is triumph. For this reason, we’d like to take time to introduce you to our sponsors. We cannot thank them enough for their support of Team OAM/Now, its athletes, its goals and visions, and its values. The post Sponsor Spotlight: Agility PT appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

First Timer at Fifth Third River Bank Run

May 13th, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Brian Reynolds, Team OAM Now Multi-sport Athlete One race that has been on my bucket list for the past 5 years is the Grand Rapids Fifth Third River Bank Run. In previous years, both my training level and other races, such as the Kalamazoo Marathon, have interfered with the River Bank Run and I didn’t want to race unless I knew I could put in a good effort. I finally made my bucket list item a reality this past week. River Bank was an “A” race for me, so I tapered my training leading up to it. To make things more interesting, much like everyone else right now, my allergies were bad during training; I had a sore throat and achy body for a few days. Luckily, I felt better by race day.

On the day of the event, I arrived at Grand Rapids 1.5 hours before the race. With the thousands of runners and spectators, I was quite lucky to find a parking spot near the start. It rained the entire morning, but that did not stop thousands of runners from competing. I walked to the starting area, about 45 minutes before the race, and was soaked by the time I arrived. The temperatures stayed cool, around 63, so there were no worries about overheating. After warming up for about 30 minutes, I made my way to the start line. I talked briefly with a few runners who I knew and appreciated the start line atmosphere, which felt relaxed; everyone was smiling and chatting with one another. I lined up behind the elite runners, who started 30 yards ahead of the racing field. When the gun went off, the field spread apart quickly. I felt good and relaxed over the first mile. My goal for the race was to enjoy the experience and finish strong. To finish strong, I needed my starting pace to be conservative. For the first 5 miles, I was just under a 6 minute pace which is conservative for me. The effort felt easy, but it took awhile to find my rhythm. For miles 3 – 5, I had a interesting conversation with a 51-year-old gentleman named Eric who finished 3rd at River Bank in 1986 with a 1:33:28 (6:01 pace). After mile 5, the race chatting was over and it was time for me to get to business. It wasn’t until mile 7 that I settled into my real race pace. I crossed the halfway point at 46:03ish and my 2nd half was a 44:15 which is a significant negative split considering the 2nd half of the race is hillier. I got too aggressive on mile 11, when I ran a 5:33 mile which, unfortunately, tired me out for the next mile. In total, I passed 8 runners in the 2nd half of the race, and no other runner passed me. At mile 12.5, I had to cross a 4-inch deep water puddle that soaked my feet, resulting in blisters on the back of my ankle. I ended up in 40th place with a finishing time of 1:30:18; it’s a pretty solid time for me, given my training leading up to the race. Overall, besides the rain, the race was a great experience and I enjoyed the course. This is definitely an event I want do again, but in the future I’ll be in better running form. The post First Timer at Fifth Third River Bank Run appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.