It’s been just over a week since I raced in Oceanside, and thought I would give a little update on the last block and the event.

After a couple of months in Tucson, I returned to Boulder with my sights set on buying a home. It’s been a big goal of mine for the last year or more, as moving on what feels like a tri-annual basis has become a bit maddening. Don’t get me wrong: I love the freedom to move about and be where I feel I need to be to pursue my triathlon ambitions, but living out of boxes gets old. So, deciding that Boulder holds the keys to my future in sport, I started the process of trying to find and then purchase a home in one of the crazier markets outside of New York City or California. High prices, extremely limited inventory, and scores of heavy-hitters ready to pull the trigger on anything that pops up! I got pretty lucky with my search, being turned onto a relatively “secret” listing through my agent, and then the dance began. After doing all my research, jumping through the hoops, and sacrificing my first born, I was under contract. And after fifteen or so trips to the lender’s office to sign this paper or bring this check stub, I was returning home on Monday after my race in Oceanside to close. BOOM! Homeowner status. Can’t wait to start the next chapter with a little more solid footing. That’s the good news…

And the race. Well, it was a shocker. I really pride myself on being super consistent, and that went out the window in Oceanside. Sure, things were different this year. I didn’t find myself staying in the consistent good weather of Tucson, or building with big miles for an early-season Ironman, but I had a good month of training in Boulder despite some winter weather. I knew the run and swim were solid, and that the bike would be the question mark, but not to that extent. After a strong swim where I came off the lead group just over half way, but still within a minute, I fumbled around in T1 like a drunken sailor, and then got dropped like a bad habit on the opening miles of the bike. I watched eventual contenders like Jesse Thomas and Ronnie Schildknecht roll on by and out of sight, and I simply did not have the top end power to bridge. Initially, I was riding okay, but not well enough, and felt like I only slowed over the course. Rolling into T2, I felt a bit like hanging my head in shame and hiding from the crowds, but I practiced what I preach, or at least what Kanye preaches: It’s harder to give up than to try. So I threw on the Zoot Kiawe’s and took to trying. It wasn’t easy to keep the head in the game with the splits I was hearing, but I still feel like I put together a solid run. I can see the improvements that I have focused energy on over the winter, and know that the year is long. It’s hard to be so far out of a race, but I have processed it and moved on.

So, a crazy month, but a good one. It feels like spring (finally!), and I am back into a solid week already, preparing for a return to New Orleans, and then the big dog in St. George. After that, it will be all systems go, as I target my 4th Ironman title at the beautiful and classic Ironman Coeur d’Alene in June. As much as they’d love to see me win every race, they still cheered me and showed great support helping me get to the line in Oceanside, and I have to say a tremendous thank you to all my sponsors: Zoot Sports, Specialized, Volkswagen, Clif Bar, Tender Belly, Zipp/SRAM, Sportpump, Infinite Monkey Theorem Wines, Fuelbelt, and Oakley. It was especially nice to have Specialized on hand, showing off the new Sitero saddle that I have helped develop and cheering for me despite a mediocre ride. Also, big shout out to Dan from SRAM for dialing in the bike, Greg with some new Oakley’s (what does everyone think of the new causal Garage Rock shades?), and Scott from Fuelbelt with some last minute race gear. It’s always fun to connect with everyone and get the new season underway. Here’s to 2013… It’s going to be a great year!

In celebration of making my first super mega big time cover breakthrough, I am offering up the opportunity to any interested party to have a signed copy! If you want me to give your magazine some custom love, just shoot one over to me with a prepaid return envelope, and I will send it back with my autograph. This is the last week to go and scoop one up in stores if you don’t already have one, so get it while the getting is good! Thanks for your support!

Please send magazine, self-addressed and prepaid return envelope to me at:

Ben Hoffman
4116 Lonetree Ct.
Boulder, CO 80301

Ben Hoffman Racing is pleased to announce his partnership with Tender Belly, curator and producer of the finest pork and cured meat products. Tender Belly, based in Denver, CO, is driven by their love of pure and clean food, demonstrated by their environmentally responsible and naturally raised premium pork products.

Ben is a lifetime bacon lover and has been blown away by Tender Belly’s products and commitment to their ecologically sensitive and humane production process. “It feels good to join forces with people who share my own philosophy with regard to quality food, have a similar passion and focused energy, and know how to have a good time! You can literally taste this difference with Tender Belly.”

Shannon Duffy, co-owner of Tender Belly, had this to say about the partnership: “Tender Belly uses the best pork in the world and the athletes we sponsor demand the best they can get to fuel their bodies.  That is why we are have chosen to partner with one of the best triathletes in the biz, Ben Hoffman!  Be assured he will be reaching new heights this year, powered by pork!”

Stay tuned for events and promotions from Ben Hoffman Racing and Tender Belly. As they say, “Bacon! It’s good for ya!”

Check out the fantastic products and how you can get some at Tender Belly.

Round two of the Ben Hoffman Triathlon Camp at The Cycling House in Tucson was a big success, due mostly to the efforts of the house staff, amazing clients, and support from some of my sponsors. After spending some nice winter days in Colorado, starting my training with Richie Cunningham in Boulder, and then skiing around Christmas with the family, it was time to head south and join the TCH crew. There’s nothing quite like that initial feeling of leaving winter behind and stepping into the desert sun, doing my best interpretation of photosynthesizing and soaking in some vitamin D. Couple that with almost 5 years now of memories in Tucson, and it’s always a special homecoming.

Owen does an amazing job of creating a comfortable environment with a family feel at the house, and this year was exceptional. Everyone seemed to click and find their rhythm. From the very first easy spin and dinner courtesy of Chef Drew (Savage Javelina), to the departure day, we all had some fantastic days at camp. With Specialized’s own Aaron Peet on hand to get people dialed on demo Shiv and Venge bikes,  there were plenty of attacks off the front of the group! Highlights of this season’s rendezvous included endless espresso, professional athlete Q and A with Linsey Corbin, Brendan Halpin, and myself, picnic lunch and primal trail run after riding Mt. Lemmon, and slacklining and circuit workouts in the backyard under the beautiful Catalinas. It’s always a surprise how quickly the week flies by, but I am already looking forward to the next year of riding and meeting new people. If you’ve ever wanted to try out a camp experience, this is the one!

This post is long overdue, but I had to finish a write-up for one of the most enjoyable race experiences I have had to date, and my final event of the 2012 season…

Imagine a triathlon in a place where the water is so clear you can see over 50 feet to the bottom of the ocean, where palm trees sway lazily in the tropical breeze, fresh seafood is part of the daily diet, and people aren’t in a hurry. Your first instinct might be to name the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawai’i, but the island paradise that I discovered was home to the UWC Triathlon in Nassau, Bahamas. Having no idea what the area and race held in store, I signed up for the event, enticed with the vision of the perfect vacation race to end my season, replete with deep-sea fishing, snorkeling, fine dining, visiting private islands with pristine beaches, and of course, racing a triathlon that centered its energy on the professional field and a worthy charity. This decision came after I achieved, and surpassed, my season goal of notching another Ironman win and being competitive in all events I entered. It also came at the expense of heading to Maui to race the Xterra World Championships, so my fingers were crossed that it would be a worthy adventure. When hurricane Sandy ravaged the Caribbean and eastern seaboard, the race was pushed back a week, and the challenge of rescheduling and changing plans made me slightly hesitant to carry on with the trip. Still, I pressed on, and I cannot describe how grateful I am for the experience I had.

The first thing that needs to be addressed is the generosity, kindness, and overall phenomenally positive energy of the race director, Barbara Ann Bernard. Nothing of this scale happens with considerable dedication and vision, so her efforts must be recognized and lauded.  So, after a bit of a random red-eye flight, I arrived in the Bahamas on Halloween day. The island had just been hit with the high winds of Sandy, so much of the foliage was burned from salt spray, but I was instantly blown away by the scenery.  Seemingly endless azure waters stretched out in every direction, white sand beaches, and great, sunny weather.  Of course our first experience would be to visit the very modern pool and workout facility at Albany, a new development on the island. After that, it was on to a wonderful Halloween celebration in Lyford Cay, and exceptional dinner at the Mahogany house. This is the life!

Over the next few days we would snorkel with sharks, travel to a private island for lunch and more snorkeling, eat many wonderful meals, visit the aquariums at Atlantis, attempt to catch a lobster, water-ski, go deep sea fishing, and generally just enjoy ourselves on an island paradise that has some of the most warm and inviting people I have met.

The race wasn’t much to report on, other than to say it was well-run and enjoyable… until I crashed! After a fairly strong swim, I had just moved into third place when I hit a sizeable bump in the road and launched forward off my bike, sliding for a considerable distance on my back and side. It took me a minute to gather myself and make sure I hadn’t broken anything before I decided to continue and finish the race. Although I never want to go down in any event, it really couldn’t have happened at a better time, and I was lucky not to do long-term damage.

The take home message? Get to the Bahamas to race next year and have some fun! And don’t crash your bike.

This past weekend marked my third trip to Ironman Branson 70.3 in Missouri. Aside from having won the race in its first two editions, I am strangely drawn to the uniqueness of the area,  so I opted to return for the defense of my title two weeks after Ironman Wisconsin. This is not something I would normally do, and in fact, have never done, but I felt surprisingly good in a relatively short amount of time after my race in Madison. So, after unpacking my bike for only a few rides, it was back in the bike box with fingers crossed that TSA wouldn’t go searching for those deadly CO2′s and leave my bike and wheels a mangled mess of shattered carbon fiber.

The Shiv and Zipps arrived safely, and so did I, so I went about the business of resting. I had a decent week of training leading in, but I knew it would be a matter of feeling as fresh as possible, so I took it easy and ate a bunch of Glenn’s Velvet Creme popcorn. After a nice welcome dinner and concert (no Journey cover band this year, sadly) with the Silverback race crew and Chamber of Commerce, I rested some more. A light spin on the hills, easy splash and jog, and it was go time.

Fortunately weather was on our side this year after torrential downpours in 2011, but it was a little chilly setting up in transition. We all donned our wetsuits a little early to stay warm, and I tried to wrap my head around pushing myself to the limit again on one of the hardest courses I’ve raced. Seriously. This bike course is HARD.

The swim was about what I expected, maybe slightly slower than it should have been. I also swallowed about half of Table Rock Lake, which I fear will return to haunt me in a couple weeks. Andy Potts used his mastery of the water to put nearly 3 minutes into our chase group, and I got out of T1 thinking it would be possible to bridge at some point if I rode like I did in Wisconsin. Only problem was that I didn’t ride that way. Or rather, I rode almost the exact same power numbers over half the distance, which left me an additional 30 seconds adrift entering T2. Thumbs down.

But the upside was that I put good time into the rest of the field, and I resolved to not give up. Just because this guy got 5th in the world a couple weeks ago, didn’t mean he couldn’t have an epic implosion/explosion, right? And more importantly, my whole outlook returning to Branson was to fight even if I didn’t feel great. No excuses, just give it everything I had. And mile by mile I kept ticking over 5:40′s, not pulling any time back, but not losing any either. At mile 9 I realized that I was on pace to have my fastest run to date, so I kept pushing even though I had over 4 minutes to the next athlete behind me. When things finally started to slow with about 2 miles to go, I kept consulting the group runs I had done this summer, remembering how we pressed the pace all the way back to the cars on our long runs.

Of course it doesn’t feel as good to get 2nd as it does to win, but in some ways I was as happy with my effort in Branson as I was in Wiscsonsin. I tried all day long, as hard as I could. I didn’t feel great, but I kept pushing, and I improved my time slightly over last year. Could have been worse!

I have to say a big thanks for the support that makes my training and racing possible. To Ryan and his race crew, to my girlfriend who came along and supported again, the Chamber, and all the race volunteers and fans. Special thanks to Zoot for the quick run in my Kiawe’s, Specialized, Volkswagen, Clif, The Infinite Monkey Theorem Winery, SportPump,Zipp/SRAM, FuelBelt,  and Oakley.

Next up is a little trip to watch the race in Kona, and a final vacation race to cap off my 2012. Thanks for checking in!

The dust has settled, but the glow is still strong. I am writing with good news for those that didn’t know… I’m now a 3-time Ironman champion with a new course record after taking the title in Wisconsin!

To really start from the beginning would be a tough task for this one, since I began thinking about Madison after winning Ironman St. George in May. It has been my goal all year to take a step back from Kona, get more experience, confidence, and enjoyment from racing where and when I want, and this race had always piqued my interest. I can honestly say that in all my conversations with people who had participated in the event or spectated, there was not one who didn’t resoundingly approve of my choice. And with an eye on contesting Kona in 2013, it was important to get underway with accumulating points.

So, after months of consistent training in Boulder this summer, a few half-ironman podiums, and a double-header wedding weekend, it was time to pack the VW for Madison. Yes, pack the car. My awesome girlfriend let me fly out while she drove everything I could possibly need for race day: bike, three wetsuits and a speedskin, two sets of race wheels, tools, nutrition, my espresso machine, and anything else that seemed even remotely useful. When you invest this much time and energy in one big day, it’s not time to take risks in the final week! Also, applicable: Luck favors the prepared.

So just an easy flight out to Madison and it was time to build my bunker in room 512 of the Monona Terrace Hilton. Couldn’t have been in a better spot for the race, with transition areas just below, check-in, expo, finish line, and swim start all condensed in one convenient location. I got out on the bike course on Thursday, and it was an eye-opener! Relentlessly hilly and tons of turns, but scenic and entertaining.  I knew that much would be decided on its challenging circuit, whether it was a breakaway,  cause for total implosion on the marathon, or both.

More relaxing, spending time with my parents, and showing off my kick-ass driving suit at the pro panel, and it was game time! There is always some nervousness before a big race and season goal like this one, but I felt in control of my day, focused, and prepared to battle myself when the going got tough. I handed my bag to Kelsey, slipped into the water with the other athletes, and ducked my head underwater for silence, envisioning my plan one last time.

As the cannon fired, I got out clean and stayed in control, getting on the feet of an athlete after about 100 meters. Shortly after I saw Andres coming from the left, and I angled across to his feet, but quickly lost contact, and in my attempt to change trains, lost my original feet too. So, alone in third is where I would stay, doing my best to not overheat or lose too much time to the two leaders. It was a smart move by organizers to make the swim one loop, but my 52 and change swim was average at best. Still, I was less than 3 minutes down, and I charged through T2 with a singular focus: get to the front and dictate the day.

After about 12 miles of riding, I caught 2^nd place, but the leader, Castillo LaTorre was holding strong. I recalled an athlete in the back of the pro meeting asking about the value of the Timex bike prime, and other questions about lead vehicles, etc., and the picture suddenly became clear: this guy was all in for the swim and first half of the bike. So I backed off slightly to stay a little closer to my power goals, and made sure to stay on top of calories. Things weren’t feeling amazing, but they weren’t feeling terrible either, and that’s right where I wanted to be.  Somewhere after mile 30 I began to pull back significant time, and by mile 42 on one of the hills packed with crazy fans, I made the decisive move to take the lead. I rode over tempo for about 10 minutes to eliminate any ideas he might have about holding on, then settled in to my rhythm again. One thing I haven’t mentioned yet is that the winds were steady all day, so the thought of a fast bike or bike course record never even crossed my mind, but I felt solid all the way in, and knew I had come close to even-splitting the loops. This ride was dedicated to my good family friend and cyclist, Tom Melzer, who recently passed, and whose family asked I ride with him in mind.

I have worked really hard on my running and strength this year, and it was my goal to run close to 2:52. I figured that I could hold off anyone if I ran close to that with a strong bike. In hindsight, I probably sabotaged my chances with that bike, but I am still learning the perfect balance, and I did ride 5 minutes into the previous course record. Looking back, I wouldn’t change how I raced, as I think the decision made for the fastest overall time for the day, and you know what they say…. If you want to win, just get to the finish faster than everyone else!

The run was challenging, but manageable, with very few moments of isolation (see: Camp Randall). With the exception of a little scare at mile 10 with the legs feeling a bit like lead, and the standard unraveling that takes place around mile 22, I was steady most of the way through, and fed off the crowd’s energy to stay upbeat as the muscle fibers in my body were being run through a cheese grater. There really isn’t another finish like the one in Madison, with crowds lining State Street, all around the Capitol building, and into the chute. I finally let it sink in a little as I rounded the final corner, slapping hands and giving a giant uppercut fist pump at the line. Not only had I won my third Ironman title, but I did it by smashing bike and overall course records, and by executing my most balanced race to date.  It’s now roughly 5 days post-race and the body is healing quickly on my diet of cheese and beer, so I should be good for a couple more races to cap off the season.

I want to take a moment to thank everyone who invested time in my success at this event, especially my family, Kelsey, Coach Elliot, numerous friends and training partners in Boulder, Marcos, Peotr, all of the race crew and organizers, the city of Madison, race volunteers, and crowds.  As a professional who dedicates most of my days to this sport, this lifestyle would not be sustainable without support from amazing sponsors, including Zoot, Specialized, Volkswagen, Clif, Zipp/SRAM, Fuelbelt, The Inifinite Monkey Theorem Winery, and SportPump. Thank you all for being part of the journey! Hoff, over and out.

Well it’s been a long time since I jumped on the blog here to keep everyone abreast of my training, racing, and living, but I plan to condense it all into a readable post. Let’s jump back to my trip to Muncie, approaching a month ago now, when I traveled to the legendary race to defend my title. I entered the race at the last minute in 2011, but it was one of the better races I had all season, notching a PR for the distance. This year I knew I wasn’t quite as fit, still struggling a little to bounce back from Ironman and a blazing hot and dry summer in Boulder, but I went all in when the cannon fired. Having a good number of my extended family attending, including my grandmother who had never seen me race, was good motivation too. Unfortunately, sweltering heat in the midwest forced organizers to shorten the event to a modified Olympic distance, with a 1 mile swim, 31 mile ride, and 10k run. Heat index was 110ish on race day, so as much as I felt ready to tackle the challenge, I think it was the right call in the name of safety. I got out with the leaders in the swim, happy to be out of the 88 degree water, and watched Bennett immediately take off with Kemp in chase of Amberger. I ended up working the bike with Bretscher, but we towed along a group of athletes that were unwilling to aid in the chase. Despite some hard efforts near the end of the bike, we came in a little over a minute back, and the footrace was on. I got out quickly, and ran away from Bretscher after a hard battle, caught Kemp, but lost one spot to finish fourth. Overall, I was happy with the speed I produced in an event that was not my specialty, but the goal is always to win. Afterwards, I spent a couple days in Ohio with family, and then returned to Colorado…

So, back to Boulder, a little recovery, a little training, and then off to the races again! This time in Beaver Creek for the Xterra Mountain Championships. I’ve talked a lot about racing more Xterra but haven’t made it happen. Until now. I figured there was no better way to get a solid test than to jump in arguably the most arduous race on the circuit. Situated at between 7,500-9,000 ft., and stacked with all the favorites, the race was a great test of where I stood on the offroad scene. Specialized had the big rig there for support, and I had Spidermonkey work his magic on the S-Works Epic 29er. There is nothing like having a full support crew in place at these events. Just drop off the bike, relax, and get ready to race without any last minute running around.

I knew that this would be a different kind of pain, but after doing a short course event the weekend before, I was prepared to redline it. With a clean start out wide in the swim, I led the group to the first turn buoy. At which point I remembered that we were swimming at 8,000ft., and I handed over the reins to Craig Evans, Conrad, and Branden Rakita. Sitting on the rest of the swim, we all exited with a good gap on the chasers. I didn’t know much about the course, aside from hearing that it was basically straight up and then straight down, so I settled into a hard tempo, watching Conrad slowly pull away, but dropping Rakita, and riding on with Josiah when he came by. On the downhills I lost a couple minutes, which I expected, but I was holding solid 3rd. Onto the run, which was more like a hike and then downhill sprint, I was able to control my pace enough to finish in front of a hard-charging Henestrosa. It was indeed a different kind of pain, but I was happy with my effort, and made the podium against some of the toughest Xterra athletes. Makes me think a good race at Maui is a real possibility with a little more mtb practice…

Back to Boulder again, and this time the real training started again. For the first time since my big blocks in Tucson, things began to tick over naturally, consistently. I settled into zombie mode: eat, train, sleep, occasional massage, eat, repeat. And suddenly it was time to race again! This time in my own back yard, toeing the line at the Boulder 70.3. I hadn’t raced this since it was 5430 back in 2007, but I know the course well, and it’s a fast one. With a very strong field, and a minimal taper for me, I was looking to just lay it on the line and see if I could get in the mix. I’ve had pretty good luck not resting a lot for the half distance, so I wasn’t too worried, and the fitness just seemed to be climbing on a daily basis. I linked up with Joe Gambles (defending champ) race morning and spun out to the Res. After the usual pre-race routine, I was in the water waiting for the cannon. I felt under control the whole swim, but the group was weaving like a drunk driver, and eventually the swimmers in front of me lost contact near the halfway point. I never had any clue that we were off the back until we got out, but it did feel slightly too easy…

The bike begins with a couple rollers and a power grade, so I took off in hot pursuit with Santiago Ascenco and a few others, eventually making contact with the “peleton” as we turned onto St. Vrain. This was a pretty sad example of guys trying to keep 10 meters of spacing, so after watching the group for a few minutes, I pushed through the long chain and went off trying to catch Joe who had already taken off. I pulled out a few guys, and ended up forming a smaller, but much more legally spaced group of four that included Santiago, Josh Rix, and Leon Griffin.  We pushed hard, but could never pull time back on Joe. He was on another level.

The run was something I was actually looking forward to, and went out hard as we all pushed the pace down around 5:30/mile. I knew this was just a bit too quick for such an exposed run at elevation, so I backed off slightly and let Griffo forge ahead. Eventually Santiago and I passed him, and came through halfway running literally side by side. I was feeling pretty fluid, so I decided to go all-in on a two mile effort from about 7-9. I pulled away slowly at first, then a big gap opened, and I was clear in 2nd. This was what I assumed to be the decisive move for the runner-up spot, but shortly after mile 11, Jordan Jones came out of nowhere and ran straight past. I had nothing left to go with his pace, but I soldiered in with one of the faster runs for the day, and a time around 3:48, which ranks amongst my fastest. Overall, I was happy with the effort, especially in the middle of my Ironman build, but would have liked to hold onto 2nd.

Another podium.

And the rest? Just day after day after day of training hard with an eye on winning Ironman Wisconsin. I’m anxiously awaiting another go at the distance, and have heard nothing but good things about the race. Almost game time!

This past weekend I traveled to the Ironman event in Lawrence Kansas to compete for the first time since racing St. George. I usually give myself six weeks after doing a full-distance event before I jump into another one, but this year the span between the two was only five weeks. Still, after spending the last four years going to Boise, I was eager to get out and try a new course and test myself again before the bigger goal of defending in Muncie.  Turns out I made the right choice, as Boise was hit with some cold weather that forced a change to the bike leg, and even saw some pros wear their wetsuits on the bike!

Even though Kansas is the next state over, it’s still 600 miles of driving. This was not a fairy tale story, and I could not just click my heels to get straight there. Not to complain though, because armed with my radar detector and wide-open roads, I made good time in the VW. Really good time.  Arriving at the reservoir in the evening, I shook the legs out with some of the race crew on the awesome trails that run all around the Clinton Lake State Park. I really dropped the ball by not bringing my mountain bike, but won’t make the same mistake next year. After some great barbecue and beers with the carnies, I called it a night.

Friday and Saturday were some course recon, a visit to a local school (4 and 5 year olds) to talk about triathlon and lifestyle, and more hanging with the race crew and family at the park. In hindsight, I definitely spent a little too much time on my feet and in the sun leading up to the race, but I was there with the primary objective of enjoying myself (and revealing the new kit!), which I did.

Well, I enjoyed myself before and after the race! During it was a little different story. Race morning found us staring out at a very choppy lake, with high winds hitting from the southeast. This wasn’t exactly a flashback to St. George, but with a non-wetsuit swim, it was certainly challenging. I got off to a decent start, and swam right where I should have. Clayton, Joe, and Gavin were gone, but Paul and I took turns and came out about a minute down. After I gumbied around in T1, Paul was gone, and I took off chasing alone.  The bike course in Kansas is an honest one, and was made more so by the strong winds. I pushed and pushed, but the power and extra snap simply weren’t there. The Shiv was the perfect bike for the crosswinds, but the engine was not primed for the task, and I found myself down about 4-5 minutes starting the run.

At this point I was a little demoralized and physically just didn’t feel that good, but I had been working hard to put myself in contention for the podium, so I fed off the crowd, and the support of my mom and Kelsey to keep on the gas. There was a short time near the end when I felt 2^nd was a real possibility, but I came up short, finishing 3^rd about a minute back of second and about 4 minutes off the winner from start to finish, Clayton.

Even though I would have rather won the race, I am happy with my effort on the day, and making a podium with one of the fastest runs was encouraging. With more energy focused on Muncie in 3 weeks, I hope to defend the title and feel a little more spry.  A huge thanks goes out to the whole Silverback/Carnie crew for some memorable times in Lawrence, the Robinson family for taking great care of me, all the volunteers,  my parents (who celebrated their 34 year anniversary at the race), girlfriend, and all my sponsors who give me the support and equipment to compete race after race. I’ll be back next year with an eye on the top step…