All contributors to TRAVLETE are amateur athletes that share the belief everyone can see, experience and witness more of the world through participation in endurance sports. We share the common view that the journey to and through an event is just as valuable as the time it took to complete it.
Adrian Bijanada - Chief Enthusiast
If it can be raced, count Adrian in. Currently residing in New York City, Adrian completed his first triathlon in 2008 and quickly realized all the world of endurance racing had to offer. Motivated by its countless challenges and a lifetime of learning, Adrian competes in various races in the Northeast and abroad. From mud-runs to Ironman distance triathlons, anything and everything is fair game.
Mary Arnold - Chief Running Officer
Ten years ago, Mary stepped into her first road race, a 10k. She had no idea how far a “k” actually was, but she figured it out. Ever since, she has been obsessed with how far she can push herself. A serial racer with a penchant for long distance, Mary’s running resume includes 33 marathons and ultra marathons plus 8 triathlons, including the National Long Course championships in 2009. She’e even gone really long at the Leadville 100 Trail Run.
@MaryAArnold | http://runmaryrun.tumblr.com
Susan
Currently on the QT2 Systems Advanced Team and a member of NYC’s Asphalt Green Tri Club, Susan dabbled in endurance sports back in 2005, with the completion of her first marathon, but it wasn’t until 2009 that she found her love of multisport. Her 2010 Season highlights include becoming a Boston marathoner and not only completing her first 70.3, but claiming a slot to the 2010 Ironman World Championships 70.3. She is empowered by the personal challenges, the commitment, the support of the multisport community, and the excitement of seeing how far she can push herself.
Julie - Director of All Things Important
Bored with running and motivated by her dad’s mantra to “find a sport you love, and make time for it every day, for the rest of your life”, Julie entered the world of multisport in 2009. Previously, the only 3 things she did consecutively on a Sunday were brunch/mani/pedi. But training with a team (NYC-based TriLife) and meeting fellow wackos who think 80+ mile rides are awesome — whether they’re sweltering, freezing or soaking — changed her life. Now with a slew of road races and a dozen triathlons under her race belt, this IronMaiden is taking another shot at IM Lake Placid 2012.
Mike
A middle of the pack runner motivated to bring his personal best to the starting line of every race. In 2006, after completing his first race, the Rock & Roll Marathon through TNT, was asked by his wife at the finish line if he’d ever do another marathon to which he emphatically answered “No!” A couple bottles of water and a banana or two later he remarked, “I think I’ll do even better on the next one!” He finally caught the bug for 5k to marathon distance races in 2009, however he maintains that the distance he’s willing to travel to the starting line is proportionate to the distance to the finish line.
Lauren
Lauren is a recovering gym-goer, who turned to triathlon in desperation after getting so bored in a spin class, she nearly fell asleep. She completed the Jersey State Triathlon (sprint distance) in July of 2008, and was officially hooked on the sport. Since then, she’s completed four half iron distance triathlons and several olympics, sprints and half marathons. Despite the fact that she has never crossed a finish line without thinking, “Thank goodness I can stop now; why would I ever want to do an ironman?” she has signed up to – you guessed it – yet another Ironman.
Tracy
Looking for something to fill the void left by graduating from a Division 1 athletic program, Tracy ran her first marathon with Team in Training in 2004… and never looked back. 6 marathons (including a couple Boston’s), countless half-marathons, a few Olympic distance triathlons, 5 half-iron distances and finally conquering the the Iron distance at IMLP in 2011, Tracy does it all. In the summer of 2011, she picked up and left her tri-family in NYC for better climates. Relocating to San Diego, where the training weather is perfect all year round and the craft beers and California wine flows like water, Tracy is our resident West Coast contributor.
Stacey
Three years ago, Stacey made a New Year’s Resolution to complete a triathlon. More than 20 sprint triathlons and a bunch of half marathons later, Stacey is still on the lookout for the next challenge. A truly recreational racer, she resides in Connecticut and when not racing, Stacey can be found on the slopes in Vermont.
Todd
Todd grew up in Colorado with a lot of mountaineering and winter sports. He has been a runner since junior high school and was later a survival instructor in the Army. Now living in NYC, he’s always on the lookout for new challenges that get him out of the city environment and having fun outdoors.
Andrea Basche
Andrea often quotes her favorite foodie Mark Bittman in helping explain her own inspiration for running: Bittman regularly cites that he “races to train” and that couldn’t be more true for her. She finds that hitting the pavement with a long running goal in mind help keep everything else in life in check. She is also convinced that training contributes to her constant hunger, obsession with cooking and current pursuits toward saving the food system at Iowa State University. A Jersey girl now happily displaced in Central Iowa, Andrea will be covering the Midwest, including her 11th half marathon this summer and 4th marathon in the twin cities this October.
Eric Keaton
This guy loves to think he’s in the running for a podium spot every time he enters an event. In 2003, he entered his first sprint triathlon in Clermont, FL and after it was over Eric slept for half the day. By 2007 he had completed three half-ironman events and was a sponsored age-grouper by a couple of Active.com companies. After Eric was bored with three sports he focused on running and ran a finally did end up reaching the podium on a number of local events. Residing in Tampa Bay, Florida since 1992 Eric has witnessed how much the “Sunshine State” has to offer to the endurance sports world. Eric lives near Honeymoon Island State Park and the Pinellas Trail where pelotons and marathon training is common place. Look for Eric to recap events from one of the hottest (literally) places to train and compete on the road and in the mud.
Vinny Cappadora
After a 10 year hiatus from running , in 2009 Vinny signed up for San Diego’s Rock-n-Roll Marathon and quickly rekindled his relationship the ‘runner’s high’. After a few more marathons, he realized 26.2 just wasn’t enough and has since taken on a few ultras including numerous 50k’s, 50 milers, and 100k’s. Now on a mission to redeem himself after a DNF at the Virgil Crest 100, Vinny shows more spirit and devotion to running than anyone could imagine. In his words… Run.
@VinnyRuns | http://vinnycapp.blogspot.com
Josh - Athlete Mechanic
An athlete his whole life, Josh left the finance world in 2006 to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy from Columbia University. Already a mutli-marathoner and half marathoner, and after years of recommending cross-training to patients, he’s taken the plunge (literally) into multisport so he can truly say “do as I do, not just as I say.”
