Before we tell you about the new lower prices at RTB swim, we have a story for you...

In 2018, Joseph Cordell joined RTB. Joseph is 32 years old and among other things, is a triathlete and Martial Arts instructor. When he joined RTB, he was new to lap swimming with a long way to go.  He made his way to the pool once a week, worked very hard, and made some progress swimming through those next few years.

When we made the switch from swimming at the Covington pool to the outdoor pool at KSTC in October 2021, Joseph was willing (along with a few other brave souls) to show up at the pool at 5:00AM in any weather,  remove the pool covers, do water tests, open and close, stay late to cover the pool, chase down prowlers, and whatever else came up. (He's also become a very valuable member of the RTB Events staff).
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As a result, Joseph has been swimming 3 days a week for a year and now he swims in Lane 2 at about a 1:30/100 yd pace! That's a. huge improvement over his once-a-week abilities. We've seen this investment pay-off with many other swimmers who come more frequently.  You get a little faster swimming hard, once or twice a week. But you sure get faster, much faster, swimming 2-3 times a week.

Session pricing will be prorated every Monday to reflect the number of swims remaining. RTB members receive a 25% discount.   

Welcome to RTB, Lori Bradshaw!    Lori joined the team for FREE and has a free RTB event entry on the books because she bought and sold a house with Rhett Elton Real Estate which is pretty great!

Here's a bit about Lori...

What are the basics of your life? Family, work, hobbies, etc.
I just moved to Maple Valley with my husband, two daughters (9 and 13), and dog. I work for Alaska Airlines, and in general, love traveling and being outdoors (running, hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing, etc.). 

What got you into the sport?  
I started running around 10 years ago as part of my weight-loss journey. I'm pretty slow, but really enjoy the running friends I've made along the way and find it's a great excuse for sporty weekends away! I'm always up for a good challenge, and after some pressure from Nikki and George Wright, and likely after a couple beverages, it seemed like a good idea to sign up for a half Iron Man. So now I'm trying to learn how to swim and ride a bike. I may have bitten off more than I can chew, but as long as it doesn't kill me, I figure it'll be an interesting adventure and will result in a good story!

Do you have any event plans for 2023?
I've signed up for the Iron Man 70.3 in Oregon. I'll likely add some half marathons to the list, and maybe a shorter tri to prep for the half Iron Man. I'd also like to add a destination Ragnar race to the mix... we'll see what else strikes my fancy as I get deeper into 2023 planning!

If you've got a housing transaction in your future, reach out to Rhett.  He's a fun person to work with and very good at what he does.  Bill and I have used Rhett for the sale of a home, and our son Benny purchased a home with him.  He's great!  And because of his sponsorship, you'll either get a free new RTB membership or your dues renewed! Win! - Patty

Last week I raced in St George, UT competing in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. My journey to this spot began way back in 2019 when I committed to do Ironman 70.3 Washington in Sept. 2020. After being out of the sport for a few years, I decided that having a race right in my own backyard was too tempting not to get back into racing. So,  I set off to preparing for the race not knowing that it would be delayed because of our friend, Covid. That was a bummer, but I believe it was the right thing to do for everyone. I continued training through 2020 and into 2021 feeling pretty good about my improving fitness. I put together a race plan for 2021 which included a combination of either Ironman 70.3 Victoria, Ironman 70.3 Coeur d'Alene and/or Ironman 70.3 Oregon ( and maybe Ironman 70.3 Washington) along with a couple local races interspersed in between. ​

In the last week of March, during a track workout, I injured my right hamstring. At the time I got injured, I did not think it was going to be a big deal. Unfortunately, it was. I was not able to run at all for about 10 weeks. I did make the mistake by waiting too long to see my Doctor to get a referral for some PT or maybe I would have recovered faster. I also added massage therapy which I should have incorporated into my training routine years ago. The good thing was I was still able to ride and swim. Neither of these activities were bothered much by my injury. The injury was a big set back from my racing plans as I was not able to doing any racing until late July. I started out with doing the Aqua Bike at the Black Diamond Tri, still not wanting to test my hamstring in a race just, yet. I had a decent race and next did a 5K, then a 10K and lastly the Ironhorse ½ Marathon. All went well with no setbacks with my hamstring. I contemplated doing Ironman 70.3 Washington, but opted to be safe and just train up to the World Championships. ​

I was fortunate to able to head down to St. George in early October and train down on the course for a few weeks before the race. It turned out to be a great plan as the air quality here at home was horrible and would have made it difficult to train at home. My training metrics went up to a level they had never been at since I began seriously training in 2019. I was very encouraged going into race day.  The day comes and the temperature is a bit cold (43), but the forecast for the rest of the day was for calm winds with very comfortable temps around 70. My swim began with a comfortable start. The water temp was 62 which was fine being we were all in wetsuits. I got out to the first turn with no issues except my goggles fogging up. I tried to just deal and keep moving. But after a few minutes of not knowing where I was going, I decided to stop and solve the problem. Now that I could see where I was going, I was able to see the next turn buoy and make the push back to the swim finish. I was a little disappointed with my swim time, but was not going to worry too much about it. ​

Out on the bike now. I had ridden the whole course a couple of times, so I knew what to expect. The ride went as expected and I was very pleased with my time considering my advanced age and the difficulty of this course with about 3400 feet of climbing. Into transition and out on the run with a good T2 time. ​

​I have been fortunate to have qualified, raced and finished at IM World Championship in Kona years ago. The coolest thing about this race was to have all the members of my family there with me. The road to any goal you set for yourself is long and hard. If you are willing to give yourself a chance, you can be successful and reach any goal you set for yourself!

If you made it through this long-winded report, I commend you. Thanks to all the people who supported me and gave me positive vibes throughout this process! 

Scott Serpa