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Which begs the question, why did it go away in the first place??? The Black Diamond Half has hovered around 200 participants. While financially viable, we learned in our first few halfs that athlete experience & safety got messy toward the end of the day. And because we don't particularly want to produce messy events, we cancelled it. Here's why.... Consider the 2018 Ironman Coeur d'Alene with 1,432 athletes that finished under 8:30 (Ironman's official Cut-off). In the last hour of the race, there were 206 eventual official finishers still on the run course - all of them separated by seconds and certainly within sight of each other. At the 2016 Black Diamond Triathlon, we had only 22 eventual finishers on the course for the last hour, some separated by as much as 15 minutes and miles apart. Not only was it difficult for our run staff, volunteers and radio personnel to keep track of each athlete, each of those athletes at times couldn't even see each other. This eliminated a valuable safety net that Ironman has built in because of their high numbers - the significance of which I hadn't appreciated until after the race. Triathletes look out for each other. Even with a course that's well marked and volunteers in place - things happen. On occasion, well-intentioned athletes make some unexpected turns especially when alone. There were athletes who got lost and others who had a disappointing finish or no finish line experience.. So, discouraged from a messy execution, we cancelled the half for 2017.
We're looking at other potential Skip-Ahead points on the courses so check back if you think this might apply to you. Our goal is to get everyone over the finish line by 4:05pm.
Triathlon's "Cut-Offs" have always felt ugly to us considering the investment of time and money athletes and their families make in preparation for a race and the finish line. It's a tough call for Race Directors, though. We're torn between wanting every athlete to participate in the whole race no matter what, and the reality that leaving a course open indefinitely really impacts volunteers, race staff, the budget and most importantly - athlete safety & experience. At that Coeur d'Alene 70.3 we mentioned earlier, there were at least 100 athletes who started and didn't finish. Some were cut-off at the swim finish, others on the bike course and run courses. Their day ended - which I suppose is a necessity given the sheer number of athletes Ironman needs to keep track of. Being a smaller race gives us some freedom to create a different experience and that's rewarding for everyone. The natural inclination for a RD is to want great big numbers. More gratifying is producing a great event - no messiness - for everyone involved. That's what we're shooting for. Thanks for your interest in the Black Diamond Tri - and for reading this to the end! We'd love to honor your preparation in 2019 and serve you up a fantastic experience - including a finish line you'll remember for a long long time. Find RTB Events Here. Patty Swedberg 206 779 7727 patty@weraisethebar.com by Center for Diagnostic ImagingBreast Cancer Awareness Month in October is a good time for a reminder that an annual mammogram is recommended for women starting at age 40. Earlier if you are high-risk. If you are looking to change your annual mammogram routine from 2D to 3D, you may have some questions. Fortunately, if you’ve ever had a 2D mammogram, the 3D experience will come as no surprise. From your side of the exam, very little changes. You’ll notice the machine moving in an arc over you, but otherwise, the process is almost identical to a traditional 2D mammogram. The real difference with 3D (also called tomosynthesis) happens behind the scenes. The radiologist gets a much more detailed look at your breast tissue. To find out exactly what to expect from your 3D appointment, watch this:
Our Team Chirorpractor and sage, Phil Kriss, has done it again...written a fun article to read. Thanks Phil! Find Phil at his day job at Kriss Chiropractic in Maple Valley.  As a chiropractor, people often come to see us with a wide variety of ailments, many of which could be avoided if not decreased with some simple self care routines. Suggesting change often is met with a bit of resistance mostly due a shock to that person’s normal mindset. And, being one who runs around the block a few times, sometimes it gets noticed and conversations can lead to reasons (excuses) to not exercise. There are also comments many of us have heard from the non-educated in exercise group that make us chuckle, such as “how long was that marathon? Or “I ran a marathon!” “Really great! What was your time?” “About 30 minutes” So, below are some common myths about exercising and the truth as I see it.
John Colvard and Dave Morell will be racing at Kona on Saturday! Good luck you two! Their wave goes off at 7:05 (that's 10:05 for us mainlanders) You can download the Ironman Tracker to easily follow them or watch the live stream on the Ironman website throughout the day. I'm sure Super Sherpa Kathleen Colvard will be posting too! Here's what's up with them as they get ready for the big day!
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