Team Wattie Ink Pro Program athlete Amanda Wendorff Qualifies for 70.3 World Championships

(Blog post by Amanda Wendorff - Professional Triathlete)

In addition to being a professional triathlete, I’m also a multisport coach, and so much of my job(s) are about plans – writing training plans and race plans, making season plans, travel plans. So many plans!
But one thing I’ve learned over the years—sometimes things just don’t go according to plan.
Before I picked up this crazy triathlon hobby, I was a big firm litigator in downtown Chicago. Upon graduating from law school, I had a plan. I was going to work my way up in the firm, devote my life to my career, make partner, start a family, move to the suburbs, and live happily ever after with my piles of wealth.
It’s safe to say that things haven’t exactly gone according to plan. Triathlon took me off course. In 2010, I signed up for a local half Ironman and a training group, looking solely for a social outlet. Then life took a crazy turn as I fell in love with triathlon and showed a little early promise. Over the next five years or so, I got more and more serious as an athlete, eventually deciding to temporarily set aside that legal career to pursue a career that provided more fulfillment and (much) less money – that as a professional triathlete. I did end up in the suburbs, but not in order to buy a big McMansion as once planned. Instead, it was to live in a cheaper apartment closer to training locales. And those “piles of wealth”—yeah, let’s not talk about that.
Much like my career in general, this year has not gone according to “plan”. 2017 is my second year as a professional triathlete. Last year, my debut season, went way better than I could have dreamt. I made a little prize money, raced right alongside the women I’d idolized for years, and motivated by unexpected success, started making plans for future greatness.
The plan for 2017 was simple- go all-in. Move to Boulder. Leave the legal career totally behind. Train like crazy. Make significant performance breakthroughs. And most of all, qualify to Worlds 70.3 (qualification as a pro is a based on ranking, so I needed a few strong races to accumulate enough points).
Well, that plan didn’t necessarily pan out. I did go all-in, I did move to Boulder, I did stop practicing law entirely, and I did train like a madwoman—far too much so, in hindsight. But those performance breakthroughs I thought would automatically follow? Not so much.
Instead, I floundered and struggled through the early 2017 races, overwhelmed by the new pressures I had placed on myself. The plan was for the St. George 70.3 to be my breakthrough race, where I could show off my new devotion. I trained so perfectly for that race, simulating every aspect of it in my training, arriving on sight 10 days early. I was dialed in. And then, the gun went off, and things almost immediately unraveled. A panic attack in the swim (it happens even to those of us who have been swimming since childhood!), nutritional issues, mental meltdowns—quite simply, I completely choked and had the worst result of my time as a triathlete. That wasn’t the plan!
OK then--- new plan! I quickly booked a last minute trip to Mexico for the Monterrey 70.3, a short 8 days later. This would be my redemption- my chance to really show off all my great training, to prove St. George was just a blip on the radar.
Yeah, that plan didn’t work so well either. A pre-race bike crash combined with a tired body and mind and my result wasn’t much better than St. George. I returned home after two poor performances demoralized, defeated, and honestly, questioning at times my entire decision to give pro racing a go.
What did I do then? I changed the plan, again- this time fairly drastically. After many hours of soul searching, I realized that in my efforts to go “all-in” as a professional triathlete, I’d left one very important piece of the puzzle behind – the fun! I needed to step back a bit from the grind and re-embrace those things I loved most about the sport – the simple act of swimming, biking and running; travel; training with friends. My new plan became less about results and more about re-finding the joy. That 70.3 Worlds goal? I threw it completely out. Maybe next year, I told myself. Chattanooga just wasn’t meant to be.
From May on, I embraced my new plan. I’d already signed up for two races in Denmark in June, Challenge Denmark and the Elsinore 70.3, with high hopes of big performances. I backed off the expectations and approached the trip with an eye more for making memories. I booked a stop-over stay in Iceland, riding my bike all over the beautiful volcanic terrain, enjoying the midnight sun, and swimming in a few of the hundred of geothermal pools that dot the nation. Then, I treated my Denmark trip like a family race-cation—we explored the country, drank a fair bit of wine, took lots of pictures. I still did my training, but the volume was way down and my goals were fairly modest. I just wanted to have fun with racing.
And, I did. Danish races have so much character – 70.3 miles squeezed into the smallest geographical footprint imaginable. The two races I did included things like running, four times, through the interior of a library, circling around the castle in which Hamlet was set, swimming around an active shipping harbor in a confusing zig-zag fashion the likes of which I’d never experienced, and cruising through the rolling Danish countryside. I smiled through almost every minute of those two races, just thankful for the opportunity. And then what do you know? With my new laid-back attitude and letting satisfaction be derived just from the ability to compete in such unique events, I had two of the best races of my pro career.
Upon arrival back stateside, I stuck with the new “relax and enjoy” plan. I moved myself back to the Midwest-- Chicago and Madison—there’s no better place in the summer. I took a nice little break from structured training and spent time catching up with the many people who’d supported me in this triathlon venture from the beginning. I swam, biked, ran when the urge hit me and with anyone and everyone who wanted to join me, and I just enjoyed being home. I fell back in love with the sport.
And then, in the midst of my mid-season break, I got some shocking news—despite those early results that had disappointed me so much, I’d qualified for 70.3 Worlds. Qualifying to Chattanooga was the original goal I’d been so serious about; the one I pursued so hard that I overdid things and forgot how to enjoy the sport, the one I’d completely thrown out the window. It’s pretty funny how life works out.
So, here we go. New plan! Worlds is in a bit less than 8 weeks, and I couldn’t be more happy to have the opportunity. I’m training hard, but I’m training hard in a way that works for me – with flexibility, often with friends, and in the locations where I ‘grew up’ as an athlete. I’m counting down the days until I leave for Chattanooga, but I look at the race not with fear but with excitement—I get to toe the line with the very, very best in the World, I get to see and meet dozens of my Wattie Ink teammates, I’ll be
there with friends and family. Maybe things haven’t gone according to plan, and maybe they never will—but in a crazy way, they always work out.
I have to give a huge, huge shout out to Wattie Ink and all of our team sponsors- Cannondale, Knight Composites, Pioneer, Blue Seventy, Herbalife 24, HOKA One One, Eternal Water. I’ve had my ups and downs but the team has continued to show so much support. I can’t wait to make my supporters proud come September 9!

70.3 Mont Tremblant

70.3 Mont Tremblant

6/25/17

Race Report: Lucas Pozzetta

The Story So Far:

Where do I even start? Really this journey began well before I ever did my first triathlon but that’s a story for another day. I made my first foray into this sport back in 2012 when a friend convinced me it was a good idea to sign up and race at the local YMCA sprint distance triathlon. At the time I was, what I would call, a “washed up” and “out of shape” collegiate athlete turned desk jockey. I had no idea what I was doing and with barely a month of training under my belt, I would say that first race went halfway decent. I don’t know exactly what it was about that first race but the aftermath of that day was pretty much instantaneous, I was absolutely hooked and it quickly evolved into much more than a fun way to stay in shape.

Fast forward 5 years and 30+ races later I find myself sitting here and writing about my latest foray into triathlon, racing as a professional. I still feel a little awkward saying that word, “professional”. Honestly, if you were to ask me, I am still just that same guy who fell in love with the thrill of competition and the unbreakable bonds of comradery this sport creates. I would like to say that every race I compete in brings me the same feelings as that very first one but the truth of the matter is that things are a little different when you toe the line as a professional triathlete. There are now things at stake like; money, sponsorships, and peoples lively hoods to say the least. The truth of the matter is that there is no room for error at this level of the sport and if you want to succeed and excel there can be no doubts or second guesses. You have to pour your heart into being the best that you can possibly be even when things do not always go to plan or how you had hoped. Ultimately after what I would call a lackluster 2016 professional season, this has been the biggest challenge facing me in 2017.

I started off 2017 with high hopes heading into both 70.3 Puerto Rico and 70.3 Galveston TX but after two personally disappointing performances, I realized that something was not quite right. I felt my training was good and that I was more than prepared for both races but when race day came it wasn’t all there.  Thankfully I had a huge moral boost at the Team Wattie Ink San Diego training trip, where I was able to mentally reboot and pick the ears of doctors at Herbalife 24 and some of the best athletes racing for Wattie Ink. What I came away with from camp and from my conversations with the likes of HJ, Coach Flanny, and Doctor Dana was that; I am still young in my experience in this sport, it takes time to hone your skills racing long course and that on race day I may not be getting the proper nutrition on course.

Armed with new mental fortitude and some insights into nutrition I had a much better outlook as I headed into 70.3 St. George. Unexpectedly and to my dismay, I was sidelined from any sort of running due to patella tendonitis just two weeks prior. Thankfully I was still able to swim and bike in preparation, but as race day approached I certainly had doubts about if I would be able to run off the bike at all. Ultimately I was able to race despite a good amount of pain on the run course and for the very first time was able to execute a race that I was proud of. Certainly, it wasn’t a podium worthy finish and there were parts of that race where I know I could have done better but the one thing I did nail was my nutrition.  I finally had what I felt to be a piece of that race performance puzzle that had been missing before.

70.3 Mont Tremblant:

Headed into 70.3 MT I was thankfully able to execute an awesome block of training with my coach, I was finally healthy and was armed with the knowledge that I had the ability to provide myself with the proper nutrition out on race the course. After not racing for 8 weeks post St. George I was so ready to get after it again and so hungry to prove that I have what it takes to race as a professional. With everything lined up, this race really felt like a make or break moment for me.

Race Day:

The Pro field was a bit lacking in quantity this year but what it lacked in numbers it made up for in talent. Race morning I found myself toeing the line with some of the best athletes from Canada and around the World who comprise more than a few spots on IronMan’s top 50 rankings.

Swim (23:48):

This was by far my best 70.3 swim to date. Not only because of the time but also because of my position coming out of the water and my execution of race strategy.

The swim at Tremblant features a beach start that follows an easy well-marked course which heads straight out with two 90⁰ turns before heading back to shore. I much prefer the beach start format over in water starts because they tend to create greater separation between athletes and allow for cleaner faster starts which means less physical contact and stress for me.

When the cannon went off at 7:00 am on race morning it all unfolded exactly as I had hoped and after a short dash and a few dolphin dives I found myself in clear water, swimming shoulder to should with American Beau Garufi and just across from the Canada’s Antoine Jolicoeur Desroches. Having raced with both athletes before I knew Antoine would push the pace right out of the gate and sure enough, he began pulling away almost immediately. My strategy was simple, get on the feet of Antoine and hold on for dear life. It took some very hard few minutes of swimming but somehow I was able to get around Beau and onto the feet of Antoine. Unlike most races where there is constant jockeying for position, people swimming over you or attempting to pass the rest of this swim course was pretty uneventful and not once did I bump elbows or feel the touch of another swimmer. Confident that the swimmer in front of me could swim a straight line along the course, I was able to keep my head down and needed to only focus on the feet in front of me. 

T1 (3:02):

Coming out of the water, knowing I was in 2^nd position was a pretty good feeling but a quick glance behind told me that 3^rd- 5^th were only a few seconds back. Because of how long the swim to bike transition in Tremblant is, I opted to change out of my wetsuit prior to making a dash to my bike. The few extra seconds it took me to slip off my suit meant that I was now chasing the top 4 guys into an out of T1

Bike (2:12:59) @ 300watts

The course bike course at Tremblant features plenty of climbing straight out of transition along Montee Ryan Road which is followed by a series of long rolling hills out and back on along Route 117 before ending with a challenging 5 miles of climbing up the infamous Chemin Duplessis.

Heading out on the bike I was perfectly positioned with 3 other riders including; Canadian’s Jackson Landry, Taylor Reid and American Sean Jefferson who began setting a fast pace as we rolled out of the village and hit the first few climbs of the course. Heading into the race, my strategy involved attempting to get out with that lead group of riders and to stay with them as long as the pace did not push me to far above my target power for the day. Again things seemed to be unfolding exactly as I had hoped they would and for the first 15 or so minutes the four of us traded positions a few times. But almost as soon as we turned out onto Route 117 north it became clear that both Landry and Reid were riding at a pace greater than what Jefferson and I wanted to ride this early in the race and they began pulling away. Over the next 15 or so kilometers Jefferson and I pushed a more reasonable pace and rode together, trading positions just once or twice. There was a motorbike keeping tabs on rider positions so every few minutes he would drive by with splits and we could see that Landry, Reid, and Desroches had merged into one group and that there were two riders behind who were closing the gap on us. Just before reaching the turnaround, Lionel Sanders made his pass, making Jefferson and I look like we were standing still.

Once we had passed through the first turnaround I noticed that Jefferson was slowing and my power numbers were dropping as I attempted to maintain a clean distance riding behind.  Within just a few minutes, I decided it was time to leave Jefferson behind and push out on my own and moved solidly into 5^th position. I was still getting time checks from the motorbike every few minutes and could see that one other rider was continuing to close the gap. By the time mile, 30 rolled around that small gap had dwindled to just a few seconds and just before taking the top of one of the largest hills on Route 117 I was passed by Cody Beals. It was near perfect timing for me, as we started the descent on the other side of the climb, I was able to quickly push the pace and get into a clean position behind. Over the next 25 miles, despite pushing a pace slightly higher than planned, I was able to keep my position behind Beals as we rolled through the second turn around and back through Montee Ryan. We were actually able to slightly close the gap on the leaders as the as we received one last time check passed transition and onto Chemin Duplessis.

Chemin Duplessis is my least favorite part of this course, it is not only a challenging climb that pitches to 13% in sections but it also never allows you to settle in for very long because of the way it winds along the river and quickly rolls up and down steep sections of road. For me, this is where the proverbial wheels fell off ever so slightly. I am not the lightest guy and on the first initial climbs up the road, it was clear I could not hang with Beals as he attacked the steep inclines and was soon out of sight. As I reached the top of the climb I was able to get a final time check on 1^st-5^th and despite Lionel Sanders being well out in front, the other four riders were only a handful of minutes ahead and I was hopeful that I may be able to catch at least one on the run. After making the turn around at the top of Chemin Duplessis I began making the fast descent back into Tremblant.

T2 (1:20):

Aside from making a rookie mistake and totally ending up ass over tea kettle and hitting the pavement as I made my dismount, T2 was pretty good. My run legs felt strong and I covered the short run from dismount to rack quickly where I threw on socks, shoes, my number belt, a hat and grabbed some nutrition before heading out on course. 

Run (1:21:11):

The run course in Tremblant is a very simple out and back that consists of roughly 5k through rolling terrain, 11k out/back along a relatively flat rail trail, and finally another 5k back over the same rolling terrain.

Getting off the bike I had never been in this position before,  I was in 6^th place, only a minute or two behind the leader and with the 7^th place athlete more than 2 minutes behind, things were looking good. With 13.1 miles of running still to cover I had to consciously remind myself to not get too excited and to stick to my race strategy. The plan was to take the first 3 miles 10 to 15 seconds slower than my target in order to get settled in before building up to speed for the remainder of the run and finally giving it my all over the last few miles. Those first 3 miles were spot on as my watch buzzed out each of those splits (6:04), (6:14), (6:04). I was still feeling good as I turned onto the rail trail and attempted to start opening things up. Keeping my leg cadence high and my stride short I sped up and started running at goal race pace. This time my watch started buzzing miles (5:55), (5:54) and (6:00) which were closer to my goals but still just a little bit slower.

I could tell I was fading ever so slightly as I made the turnaround. The sun began to peek out of the clouds that had kept things overcast throughout the morning and began heating things up. I was having a hard time getting any chews or gels down at this point and running through aid stations that were stationed nearly every mile I was taking on as much Gatorade as I could. Despite my best effort my splits began fading as my watch buzzed out more times (6:28), (6:30) and (6:28) were the next few. Eventually, the 6^th place finisher Jordan Monnick passed me and I slid back into 7^th before I was finally passed by Sean Jefferson just before hitting the 11-mile mark, pushing me back into 8th. I was on the home stretch now, only two more miles to go, but looking back I could clearly see the figure of Mikael Staer Nathan closing in on the little lead I had remaining. The next split hurt me to see, 6:49 came across my watch and I knew if I couldn’t push just a little harder I wasn’t going to finish in 8^th. It took everything I had to cover that last mile, up the two remaining hills and onto the cobblestone finishing chute through the village of Tremblant. I was nearly sprinting by the time I could see the finish line, not letting up once until I was able to raise my arms and cross the line for 8th place in 4:02:20 (nearly 21 minutes faster than my time from the previous year)!

Post Race Thoughts:

With my mindset of make it or break it, this race was the confirmation that I have been looking for throughout my races this season. Although 8^th place is not quite the top of the podium, I was able to hang with the leaders throughout all 3 disciplines and put together a race the showcased my strengths and diminished the time losses caused by my weaknesses. There is still work to be done on the bike and especially on my run but I know now that when executed properly I can compete at the professional levels of triathlon. 70.3 Mont Tremblant is a pretty special race and I entirely intend to come back for even more redemption next year. Who knows maybe I could crack the top 5 on the next time around

I could go on and on about how beautiful this event is but there is only so much time in the day. The one thing I will say is that if you have never raced in Tremblant, you need to add it to your race schedule right now. The organizers, the fans, the supporters and really just the entire village of Tremblant make this race so special and so much fun. I have to say thank you my amazing sponsors; Wattie Ink, Knight Composites, Herbalife24, ISM Seat, Speedfil, Pioneer Power Meters, Cannondale, Hoka One One, Eternal Water, and Zealios Skin Care  who continue to make the 2nd year pro feel like he’s at the top of the sport. I also have to say thank you to my amazing Canadian host family, Christine Lupien and Tamara Cousineau for housing me for the 2^nd year in a row and providing me with the best race experience I have had thus far.

Happy or Fast?

Happy or Fast?

by Sarah Barber

I turned forty last fall, and now that I’ve aged like a fine wine, I’ve had to shift my focus to match that same kind of quality. Quality in my training routine, yes, but also quality of life, and that’s where this question of “happy or fast” arises. The concept has been brewing for years, as it has been a frequent topic of discussion between one of my best friends and me. She’s an accomplished endurance athlete herself--a pro mountain biker and an Ironman finisher, she’s also a PhD and thus, a critical thinker. But over the past six months, several factors have conspired to bring this debate to the forefront of my consciousness even apart from texting back and forth with my buddy.

For starters, I seem to be surrounded by athletes experiencing the frailty of the human body; temporarily sidelined, they are neither happy nor fast. A herniated disc here. A separated shoulder there. Don’t even start on cardiac dysrhythmias. It’s enough to make me want to smother myself in KT Tape and bubble-wrap while I cling to the illusion of invincibility that is youth. Clearly, sport is a frigid and murky sea of risks that might not yield the reward of happiness.

 Despite these risks, I decided to shed the comfortable insulation of my metaphorical wetsuit and plunge headfirst into the question “happy or fast.” Could I keep swimming until I found my answer? Would I rather be happy, or would I rather be fast? My quick answer: “Both!”  But can the two co-exist? And more alarming, are the two mutually exclusive?

Fast feels awesome. Fast might win races. Fast might invite sponsorship and admiration from peers, but if fast results in happiness, it’s usually fleeting. The SnapChat of emotions, happiness as a consequence of being fast lasts about as long as the sprint that produced it.

Sometimes being fast isn’t even possible. Mental fortitude withers under pressure. The body defies the will by offering muscle cramps or GI distress instead of a new PR. A double-flat or a dropped chain costs a victory. And then there’s that annoying fast-enough-to-win-a-race, but still slower-than-goal-pace. Only slightly more annoying is faster-than-hoped-for-pace, but somebody-else-crosses-the-finish-line-first. In these circumstances, being fast isn’t fast enough, and being fast doesn’t correlate to being happy.

So when there is a choice—and there always is—I choose happy.

If being fast is about a goal, then being happy is about a process. While most competitive athletes are goal-oriented almost to a fault, most of us also really enjoy the process of training and preparing for our events.  Consider the process of training, day after day, all in the interest of a mere handful of days each season when there is a race—a goal. On those days, we convince ourselves that being fast really matters. It doesn’t. What matters more is that we are happy with our process—that  we enjoy paddling through sometimes frigid water, or turning ourselves inside out to stay on the wheel of the scooter in front of us, or gasping through 800-meter repeats on the track.

There are days when a workout feels more like a burden, but I promise you that the minute the strain of the process outweighs the joy of it, I will abandon this sport so abruptly and so violently that my Garmin won’t know what hit it. Also, there will be a flash sale on eBay for those of you who are still out there killing it. Let’s face it: we’ve spent enough on gear to equal the gross domestic product of a small nation.

But happiness can’t be bought. It can’t be trained. It can only be lived. It is magnetic, it draws people in, and it makes people want whatever it is that’s making you smile (hint: it’s not being fast). Being happy is winning every time—the other way around doesn’t work. Are you winning? I am. Every day!

Welcome to the Team - a Pro's Perspective

Welcome to Wattie Ink

            As a short course, draft-legal triathlete, I didn’t know what to expect when I joined Team Wattie Ink’s New Professional program, aimed at helping new pros to continue their progression within the sport. Comprised of a top-level group of long course professional and amateur triathletes, Wattie Ink’s loud and in-your-face brand image is only surpassed by the personalities of the athletes who represent the W. Honestly, I was a bit timid at first. Many of the athletes have ostentatious tattoos and convey themselves in an almost obnoxious manner on social media. I’ve always been a rule follower and have tried to represent myself in a clean-cut manner; something I thought at first may have been an issue within the dynamic of the team. This group’s culture and reputation seem to mirror that of my alma mater, Georgetown University, where the phrase “work hard, play hard” is the underlying theme of life on the hilltop. It wasn’t until the Wattie Ink California Training Camp when I was made aware of just how special this eclectic array of people truly are. I had nothing for which to be timid or afraid, as I learned that the reason there are so many intense personalities is because Wattie Ink accepts. It doesn’t matter who or what you are, they accept each athlete as a unique person; even my clean-cut Midwestern personality. I’m certainly no angel, and my bank of four-letter words grew significantly after spending two years coached by an Australian, but it was refreshing to know that Wattie Ink wanted me to be me, not anyone else.

            I learned about Team Wattie Ink from Robert Flanigan, who reached out to me as I was exiting USA Triathlon’s Olympic Development Team program (Collegiate Recruitment Program). I was looking for my next step as I continue to pursue the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games in the sport, and it was impossible to turn down the impressive array of benefits that Team Wattie Ink was offering. I could write a book about how much support I’ve received from the team’s sponsors, from a custom BlueSeventy wet suit, to a gorgeous new Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hi-Mod, to a Pioneer Cycles power meter, to Hoka One One training and racing shoes, to nutrition from Herbalife24, to top notch custom-made Wattie Ink products, but it’s the people of Wattie Ink that have made the biggest impact on my young career. Everyone on this team believes in one another and hopes to see the others succeed, which has led to an impenetrable culture of positivity.

            In early April, I traveled to Carlsbad, California (just north of San Diego) for a week of training with the new team. Hardly any of the athletes in attendance that week had met one another before, but I instantly connected with all of them during our first session of the week at the gorgeous Alga Norte pool. From that first session through to the rest of the week, all of us bonded over our passion for swimming, biking, running, and enjoying the process of making ourselves better every day. We spent many hours riding along the coast of the Pacific Ocean and scaling the inland mountains, fueling ourselves with Herbalife24 and Eternal Water. We traversed miles of dirt trails on land in our Hoka One One training shoes and several kilometers in the water in our BlueSeventy caps and goggles.

            I entered triathlon in late 2014 with the goal of qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Coming from a relatively accomplished running background but with no prior swimming or cycling experience, life was difficult at first. My biggest challenge has been the swim, as that’s what I need to improve upon the most if I want to have a chance at making the Olympic Team. The first two years of triathlon saw me race in a wide array of ITU races around the world in an effort to grow my experience quickly, and this year I am focusing almost entirely on swimming. Team Wattie Ink supports my goal and knows that though it means I may not be racing as much this season, it has a massive upside as I’m doing my best to put myself in the best position as I move toward late summer of 2020. The Olympic Qualification window opens in May of 2018, one year from now, and I intend to be where I need to be with my swimming by that point in time, so that I can start performing well on the world stage. This summer will see me tackle a few swim meets and open water swimming races in addition to a couple of non-drafting and draft-legal triathlon events. If there is one thing I’ve learned with my few months as a representative of the brand that Heather Jackson and Sean Watkins created, it’s that I am confident I’m in the best environment to reach my goals within the sport. For that I am deeply thankful and hopeful for the rest of this challenging journey.

Cheers!

DS (Dylan Sorensen)

Team Wattie Ink launches Elite Program

Team Wattie Ink is proud to announce the first class of it's new Elite Program.

2017 marks the launch of our new Elite Program who's mission is to give first and second year professional triathletes a solid launching pad for their young career by providing support and allowing them to focus on whats most important.....training and racing hard.

We would like to thank Wattle Ink, Herbalife, Cannondale, Hoka One One, Pioneer Cycle Sports, Blueseventy, Knight Composites, Speedfil, ISM, Rudy Project, Eternal Water, and Marc Pro for all of there support and making this happen. We couldn't have done this without you.

Welcome to our new Team Wattie Ink Elite Program athletes Dylan Sorensen, Amanda Wendorff, and Lucas Pozzetta.

Dylan Sorensen 

Fresh off of the USAT Collegiate Recruitment program, Dylan is a draft legal ITU focused athlete entering his 2nd year of professional racing. He entered the 2016 season unranked in the ITU and in his rookie season rose to a 252nd world ranking. With multiple top 5's in the Continental Cup and a starting spot in the ITU Edmonton race he was able to earn some much needed experience and is now prepared to continue climbing the world rankings while Rocking the W for the first time.

Amanda Wendorff

Based out of Boulder, Amanda is entering her 2nd season of professional racing. In 2016 during her first year of racing pro, Wendorff had 8 Top 10 finishes including 5th place finishes at Ironman Mont Tremblant and the Austin 70.3. Prior to taking her pro license, she was an age group champion at the 70.3 distance and had a 3rd at Kona. Amanda will be long course focused in 2017 with a heavy schedule of North American WTS events. We are very excited to have an athlete as tough and focused as Amanda Rocking the W this season.

Lucas Pozzetta

Based out of New Hampshire, Pozzetta is entering his 2nd year of professional racing after earning his pro license with and overall podium at Age Group Nationals in 2015. Focused primarily on non draft International Distance and 70.3 racing, Lucas is building on a successful rookie season where he saw a handful of impressive results and podiums. Now with Team Wattie Ink behind him, we expect 2017 to be a breakthrough season for this up and coming pro.

Please welcome our new athletes and follow their 2017 journey....and don't forget to Rock the W.

www.wattieink.com

Team Wattie Ink. Announces The “Speak Up” Sweepstakes

Team Wattie Ink. Announces The “Speak Up” Sweepstakes to benefit the Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation for Teenage Anxiety and Depression

Team Wattie Ink. and its amazing Sponsors have partnered with the Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation for Teenage Anxiety and Depression and are excited to announce The “Speak Up” Sweepstakes.  The Sweepstakes is for a wonderful cause: to help the Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation with their mission of cultivating awareness, education and help for those battling teenage depression and anxiety.  The Sweepstakes prize package is valued at over $12,000 with all proceeds from the contest entries going to the Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation.

About The Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation:
On March 16, 2014 at the Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, sixteen-year-old Cameron K. Gallagher passed away as she crossed the finish line from an undiagnosed heart condition. On that day Cameron struggled to finish a race that she had set as a personal goal for herself—and was victorious. But that was not the only hard fight that Cameron fought. Cameron suffered from severe depression and anxiety for several years. The ever-smiling teen was growing tired of keeping her struggle a private battle. She knew that like her, many teens were in great pain behind closed doors. As she trained for the half marathon, she took it upon herself to address the misplaced stigma held by so many about teenage depression. Her dream was to create a 5k race in her community to help raise awareness of teenage depression. She had titled that race the SpeakUp5k in order to draw attention to the issue of teen depression and to let other teens like herself know that it was okay to “Speak Up” about their personal battles. She had titled that race the SpeakUp5k. Cameron’s dream is now a legacy far greater then she ever could have imagined.
Her parents have picked up where Cameron left off and are marching forward while building a foundation set on placing programs in public and private schools (at no cost to the institutions) to facilitate group and individual dialogue concerning teenage depression and anxiety.
Today, Friday February 26th, 2016, marks the official kickoff of The “Speak Up” Sweepstakes!  “I am so excited to roll out this team initiative we have been working on for awhile,” said Robert Flanigan (Team Wattie Ink. Director). “ I think it’s a cause that the triathlon community can really rally behind and when they see the prize package, I have no doubt that we will make a real impact on the foundation.” The sweepstakes prize package is valued at over $12,000 and will go to one lucky winner. Tickets are only $10 and individuals are not limited to how many tickets they buy. The window for purchasing the sweepstakes tickets will remain open until midnight on July 17th, 2016. The name of the sweepstakes winner will be announced on July 18th by Cameron’s parents (David and Grace) from Germany where they will have just finished Challenge Roth in Cameron’s memory.

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The "Speak Up" Sweepstakes Prize Package Includes:

• 2016 Cannondale Slice Frame
• Set of Knight Composites 95 Race Wheels
• BlueSeventy Package (Helix Wetsuit, Transition Bag, Goggles) 
• Herbalife 24 Nutrition Package 
• MarcPro Plus Muscle Recovery System 
• Pioneer Cycle Sports Power Meter 
• Wattie Ink. Kit 
• Speedfil Package 
• Rudy Project Helmet and Sunglasses 
• ISM Attack Saddle 
• Rev3 Race Entry to any 2016 or 2017 race
• Zealios Skin Care Package 
• Kiva Bison Jerky Package

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“Our hopes are that we can draw a great deal of attention to the issues of mental health and the “Speak Up” cause with this exciting sweepstakes while raising much needed funds for the foundation so that they are able to make Cameron’s dream a reality for teens in need,” said Flanigan.
The sweepstakes is open to US residents or those with a US mailing address. The prize package will not be shipped internationally.