I registered today at 12:23 PM. Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas will serve as one of the worldwide qualifying events for the 2011 Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, HI.

NEWSWIRE)–June 24, 2010

Today, World Triathlon Corporation announces the addition of Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas to its worldwide Ironman Series. Taking place in The Woodlands, located just north of downtown Houston, the event is scheduled for May 21, 2011. The inaugural race will enhance the current Ironman calendar, which consists of 25 events around the world in locations such as Australia, China, Brazil and Germany.

“Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas will be a phenomenal race,” said Steve Meckfessel, Ironman’s Chief Operations Officer. “The community’s spirit, unique amenities and accessibility make The Woodlands a perfect destination for our athletes and spectators. We’re truly excited about adding this event to the 2011 Ironman schedule.”

An Ironman triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and a 26.2-mile run, and athletes must complete the three disciplines in succession within a 17-hour time frame. Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas will offer 65 coveted slots to the 2011 Ford Ironman World Championship, taking place on Oct. 8 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Additionally, there will be a prize purse of $100,000 for distribution among the top professional male and female finishers.

“We are very pleased that World Triathlon Corporation has selected The Woodlands for its Ironman Texas event,” said Bruce Tough, Chairman of the Board of The Woodlands Township. “This world-class event garners major international exposure and is great for the recognition of The Woodlands.”

Nick Wolda, President of the Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau, added, “The Woodlands and South Montgomery County are quickly becoming household names in competitive sports events, from the world-class brand of Ironman to NCAA, college and high school championships. With people from all over the world living and visiting The Woodlands, Ironman Texas is a perfect match for our international community.”

Participants will begin with a swim in Lake Woodlands, entering the water at Northshore Park and finishing at Town Green Park, which will serve as the transition area. Athletes will then head out on the bike course that will take them west through The Woodlands before heading north to the scenic, rolling farmland of east Texas. The final portion of the race is a marathon course entirely within The Woodlands that concludes with a spectacular finish on Market Street.

“This event will showcase the huge variety of shopping, dining, entertainment and hospitality we have in The Woodlands, and will be very beneficial for the residents and businesses of The Woodlands,” said Nelda Luce Blair, Chairman of the Board, The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, the largest not-for-profit healthcare provider serving greater Houston, will serve as title sponsor of the event.

A longtime resident of The Woodlands, Steve Sanders, CEO of Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital, welcomed the announcement for multiple reasons.

“My pride that The Woodlands was selected for this race is matched only by my pride in Memorial Hermann’s outstanding sports medicine program. This is a win-win for our community and for Memorial Hermann.”

As a major player in the athletic arena, the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute was actively looking to diversify its programs and outreach through a meaningful partnership. Therefore, aligning with the World Triathlon Corporation was ideal in that both organizations’ core values revolve around improving the health of the communities they serve and working with athletes to achieve their highest potential.

“With one of the country’s top institutes dedicated to sports medicine and human performance in the Texas Medical Center, more than two dozen sports medicine and rehabilitation locations across our service area, and an outstanding team of physicians associated with our sports medicine programs, Memorial Hermann is the leader in sports related medical services,” said Walt Lowe, M.D., medical director, Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. “We share Ironman’s interest in helping athletes achieve their highest potential and look forward to working with them to do just that.”

Registration for the event opens on Friday, June 25, at noon CDT at www.ironmantexas.com. Additional course details will be finalized in the coming weeks and will be available on the Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas Web site. For athlete inquiries, please contact texas@ironman.com. Media related inquires should be directed to Blair LaHaye at Blair@ironman.com or Jessica Weidensall at Jessica@ironman.com. All parties may be reached at 813.868.5940.

ABOUT IRONMAN

The Ironman Triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and a 26.2-mile run completed in succession within a 17-hour allotted timeframe. In 2006, World Triathlon Corporation, owners of the brands, launched the Ironman 70.3 Series which consists of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike and a 13.1-mile run in addition to a world championship event which is held each November. Each year, more than 120,000 athletes compete for slots in either the Ford Ironman World Championship, held every October in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii and the Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 held in Clearwater, Fla. Throughout Ironman’s nearly 32-year history, Ironman has transformed from an event into a lifestyle and sports brand that includes licensed products and television production. Ironman has global reach with more than 66 events worldwide and continues to inspire millions each year to establish goals and take on new personal challenges, demonstrating the Ironman mantra, “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE”. Millions may remember moments in Ironman history such as Julie Moss’ crawl to the finish line in 1982, which was showcased on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. The brands have been featured in a range of media outlets to include CNN Headline News, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, The TODAY Show, Entertainment Tonight and USA Today. For more information on Ironman or 70.3, visit www.ironman.com.

ABOUT MEMORIAL HERMANN

An integrated health system, Memorial Hermann is known for world-class clinical expertise, patient-centered care, leading edge technology, and innovation. The system, with its exceptional medical staff and 19,000 employees, serves southeast Texas and the greater Houston community. Memorial Hermann’s 11 hospitals include three hospitals in the Texas Medical Center, including a level 1 trauma center, a hospital for children and a rehabilitation hospital, as well as three heart & vascular institute locations and eight suburban hospitals. The system also operates an air ambulance, cancer, imaging and surgery centers, sports medicine and rehabilitation centers, outpatient laboratories, a Wellness Center, a chemical dependency treatment center, a home health agency, a retirement community and a nursing home.

The Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=7660.

CONTACT: Memorial Hermann

Ann Brimberry

713-562-8817

ann.brimberry@memorialhermann.org

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( http://www.EverymanTri.com ) Chrissie Wellington was genuinely overjoyed as she crossed the finish line at the 2010 Ironman 70.3 Kansas. Get up close and personal at the finish line with the Kona Ironman World Champion as she adds another impressive win to her resume. When Chrissie cross the finish line it’s not just another win but a full blown celebration that you have a front row ticket to watch.

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Here is an article I wrote for my local newspaper about two of my friends, Galen and Angela. I hope you enjoy it.

Not Galen and Not Angela!

Have you ever considered competing in a triathlon? Well for most people the answer is no and many people will come up with one or more of the following reasons for not doing it. I Can’t Swim; I Can’t Afford a Good Racing Bike; I Don’t Have Time to Train; A Triathlon Is Too Confusing; I Can’t Complete an Entire Triathlon .

None of those reason stopped Galen Critchfield or Angela Rupp. Both Galen and Angela competed in and finished the Kansas 70.3 Ironman in Lawrence, Kansas on Sunday, the 6th of June. They swam for 1.2 miles, rode their bikes for 56 miles and then ran a half marathon, 13.1 miles for a total of 70.3 miles and that’s without a break. Angela is one of the trainers at the YMCA and has been competing in triathlons for some time and is a very strong competitor in her age group.

Last year, Galen gave no thought of competing in a triathlon, until his son, Dallas, decided he was going to compete in a full ironman which is 140.6 miles of swimming, biking and running. On the 29th of August, 2009, Dallas did compete in the Ironman Louisville in Louisville, KY and finished in just under 12 hours.

Galen said, “That was an amazing effort by Dallas and he inspired me. I made the decision then to start planning and training for my own Ironman”.

Remember the first reason people gave for not competing in an Ironman, “I can’t swim”.

Can’t swim? No problem.

Galen simply signed up for swimming lessons with Jerri Hart at our YMCA last year and started his triathlon training in earnest. He signed up for the YMCA Master’s Swim Team which meets every Monday and Wednesday at 5:30 am to swim for an hour with Jerri Hart providing the training drills.

Galen is a strong runner and had competed in various races, including marathons, with his 3 sons over the years. He was comfortable with the idea of a 13.1 mile run, but the bike was a different matter. He did have a nice hybrid bicycle, but it was not suitable for a triathlon and riding it was not something Galen had been doing on a regular basis.

With the determination of an Ironman, Galen did his research and purchased a bike specifically designed for triathlons and started his bike training. On various weekends, Galen would go for long bike rides with two of his friends, Paul Bechtel and Duane Spears.

“As coaches, I want to give credit to Angela, Jerri, Michelle and Dallas for their training and their advice on open water swimming, hydrating, nutrition and conditioning” Galen said. Angela, Jerri and Michelle are all trainers at the Miami County Family YMCA.

As a test run, Galen, Linda Wood and Duane Spears formed a team and competed in a sprint triathlon at Fort Leavenworth this past May. Linda did the swim, Duane the bike ride and Galen completed the run. The triathlon bug had already bitten Linda, a few days before the Fort Leavenworth triathlon; Linda had flown to Florida and competed in her first sprint triathlon in Clearwater. This inspired Duane to start swimming lessons and now he is planning on doing a sprint triathlon with Galen and Linda at the Midwest Meltdown at Miola Lake in Paola on the 29th of August, 2010. They will all compete as individuals and not as a team. A sprint triathlon is a much shorter version of the full triathlon.

It seems the triathlon bug has bitten several more of our local athletes; Dr. Brian Cook, Dr. Jeff Dorsett, Rob White, Paul Bechtel, Russell Claar all have competed in or are planning on competing in a triathlon this year.

Galen said, “Anyone who has thought about swimming, biking, running or all three, in order to get into or stay physically fit, joining the YMCA is a great way to do it. The Y provides a variety of fitness classes taught by very knowledgeable trainers geared toward all levels of fitness.”

It seems Galen is not done with triathlons any time soon.

“I am personally looking forward to improving my performance at next year’s Ironman 70.3 Kansas and having a few more of my friends join me in competing,” Galen further stated.

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

• 5:30 A.M. Athlete Body Marking & Chip Pick-up begins.
• 6:30 A.M. Swim Course open.
• 7:00 A.M. Full closure of the entrance in and out of park. Traffic will not be allowed in or out of the venue after this time until the races are completed. All spectators will need to arrive at the proposed time due the road being closed for the event and safety reasons.
• 7:15 A.M. Swim Course will close. Athlete Body Marking & Chip Pick-up ends.
• 7:30 A.M. Long Course Triathlon and Duathlon Starts.
• 8:30 A.M. Short Course Triathlon Starts.

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A video of Art Williams giving his “Do It” speech in 1987. This is a must watch video, you will be glad you did.

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Our immune systems are constantly being challenged by the lifestyle choices we make. The environmental and physical stresses of modern day living as well as the fast paced and busy lifestyles we lead all add to the load on our systems. This load can eventually lead to serious and life threatening diseases. This exceptional training will give you tools and strategies for minimizing the threats to your system and maximizing your defenses! Applying these invaluable strategies to your life is the best insurance policy you can ever invest in.

The sport has a long Olympic history: Men’s speed skating has been part of the Olympics since the first Winter Games were held in Chamonix in 1924. Women’s speed skating became a full medal event in 1960. Short track was added in 1992. And team pursuit was just introduced as an Olympic event at the Torino 2006 Winter Games.

Team US Speedskating has long dominated all distances of the sport. They have won a total of 75 Olympic medals since 1924, and they won the most total medals (10) for the United States in Torino. In fact, speedskating has been the “winningest” sport for the US in Olympic history. This year, the team is poised for a repeat performance. In recent Olympic-qualifying events, many American records have been shattered in both men’s and women’s events at all distances. The competition promises to be fierce in February!

The US Speedskating Olympic team is packed with many superstars of speed skating, including Shani Davis, Katherine Reutter, and Chad Hedrick. The 2010 Olympic hopeful (and 2007 Dancing With The Stars winner) Apolo Anton Ohno is sure to be one to watch. One of the most well-known Olympians today, he has won an Olympic medal at every distance, and one more medal would make him the most decorated male Winter Olympian in American history!

USANA is proud to sponsor US Speedskating by providing them with nutritional supplements they can trust. Speed skating gets underway on February 13 and events are scheduled throughout the duration of the Olympics. Check the official 2010 Winter Olympics Web site for a full schedule.

Short Track

Long Track