2011 Nautica Malibu Triathlon , Fit Nation Triathlon Challenge athletes have competed in the New York City Triathlon for the past two years. All of CNN's athletes crossed the finish line in 2011 without incident. In 2012, the newest group of athletes will compete in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon instead, because of the earlier scheduled date of the New York City Triathlon. Want to be a part of CNN's team? Submit your video here by December 19!
Organizers of the New York City Triathlon announced this week that they will add an open-water swimming waiver to their registration process for next year's race. The move comes after two athletes died during the swim portion of the 2011 triathlon.
"Swimming in the open water is different than swimming in a pool or taking a bath," said John Korff, the race's director. "Anybody who's jumping in the river has to have done this once or twice, so they're ready to jump in there."
The race will require applicants to sign a waiver stating that they've swum at least a half-mile in open water in the preceding 18 months, or will swim the distance before race day. They'll be asked to sign another waiver the day before the race, indicating that they've completed the requirement.
Kendrick Henley was one of six CNN viewers chosen to be a part of the 2011 Fit Nation Triathlon Challenge. He trained with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and raced the New York City Triathlon on August 7. Since then Henley has kept up his new healthy lifestyle and recently raced his second 5K since the triathlon. CNN is looking for viewers like Henley to join our 2012 Challenge. Click "Add Your Story" to apply.
The year 2011 might be coming to an end, but Kendrick’s journey and Team Henley’s celebrations continue...
When Kendrick, Coach Keith and I (Coach Mary Ann) became “Team Henley” in January 2011, none of us knew what to expect from the coming year. Kendrick had just been selected for the 2011 Fit Nation Challenge and Coach Keith and I were excited to have the opportunity to coach a new athlete from our hometown of Chicago.
That was pretty much all that we knew, and out of the three of us, Kendrick was taking the biggest risk. He was literally letting the world know that he wanted to change the way he was living, lose weight and take on a healthier lifestyle.Kendrick Henley was one of six CNN viewers chosen to be a part of the 2011 Fit Nation Triathlon Challenge. He trained with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and raced the New York City Triathlon on August 7. CNN is looking for viewers like Henley to join our 2012 Challenge. Click "Share Your Story" to apply.
It has been almost a year since I applied to be a part of CNN Six Pack. When I applied, I had been trying to get in shape for the past several years, but could not seem to follow through. So, I thought if I did the CNN challenge, it would motivate me to get fit or at the very least, hold me accountable. So I decided to submit a video. As I thought about what to say, I decided that I would just be honest and plainly spoke into my webcam and sent my video.
I remember getting the call on Christmas Eve from Dr. Sanjay Gupta indicating that I was chosen to be a member of the Six Pack. I was so excited, but said to myself, “I have to do this.” I must say that this was an incredibly hard challenge for me, but it was so rewarding.
I still remember when I first arrived at Well-Fit Triathlon Training Center for my first workout where I was constantly stopping and could not continuously exercise for more than 2 minutes. Then came the small breakthroughs: my old belt being too big, biking 20 miles, running a mile without stopping and finally crossing the finish line in New York. I cannot believe that I did it. I realized that this journey was going to be more than 6 months and that it would take additional time to reach my goals, but I am so glad that I took this first step. It has helped me begin to change my life.Dr. Scott Zahn was one of six CNN viewers chosen to be a part of the 2011 Fit Nation Triathlon Challenge. He trained with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and raced the New York City Triathlon on August 7. Since then Zahn has kept up his new healthy lifestyle and recently signed up to race a Half Ironman next year. CNN is looking for viewers like Zahn to join our 2012 Challenge. Click "Share Your Story" to apply.
Anniversary noun: A date that people remember because something important happened on that date in the past, as in a wedding anniversary.
Today I am celebrating a health and fitness anniversary. November 10, 2010 was the day that I entered the CNN Fit Nation Challenge and decided that I needed to make some changes in my life to lead a healthier and fit lifestyle.
The reasons that I entered the challenge were many, but primarily I needed to do it for myself. I needed to take charge of my health. The journey started the following day with a trip to the gym to start the process.These two months since the NYC Tri have gone by as quickly as the six that preceded it, because life is well, just so different now.
First of all, I have never stopped moving. I did rest for a week following NYC, but soon I was back to swimming, biking and running nearly every day, because I felt so good I did not want to lose any of the fitness I had worked so hard to attain. Also, not only my body, but my APPETITE had become accustomed to that high level of activity, so stopping was never an option.I did it, I really did it! I completed the NYC Triathlon, to the very best of my ability, and my homecoming week has been spectacular! The memories and emotions of this life-changing event will generate more than one blog, but right now I want to re-live the technical and physical highlights, starting with the days leading up to the event.
Each of us in the 6-Pack had local trainers, coaches that became friends along the way. The plan that my coach John gave me was simple, practical, and worked perfectly into my lifestyle. Each Sunday he e-mailed me a schedule of swim/bike/run workouts to do for the week. The activities were staggered, and I had freedom to switch them up if needed, but the easiest thing for me was to just do what he prescribed. We trained together at times, and he led me on my first 5-mile run and my first 20-mile bike ride.
Early on, John explained the tapering process, and because he is a psychologist, he emphasized how stressful some athletes find this to be. Boy, was he right! I wound up getting bronchitis and going “cold turkey” off my workouts for five days before traveling to NYC. It drove me crazy, but John said this: “In this one week before your triathlon, no activity is going to increase your level of fitness, nor is there anything you can miss that will impair your performance EXCEPT if you fail to get adequate rest and healing." So I sat down, rested and almost crawled out of my skin for six days.
Come August 7 at 2:30 a.m., I knew he had been right. I felt good and knew I was strong enough to conquer the city! As we set up our transition at 4 a.m., in the rain, I felt nothing but excitement. For some reason, I was not anxious about the swim or any other aspect of the race; I was just excited to be there and ready to go. Even standing in line queuing up for the swim start, I was amazed that the jitters had not set in. John had coached me to visualize the race and the finish line; I had done this to the point that I almost felt like I had been there before. I heard my name called, looked up and saw my friends from work standing there in the rain, out at 6 a.m. just to cheer me on– how could I be anything but thrilled?
We six’ers had discussed the best way to jump into the water; in the end I just hopped straight in off the barge and actually went deeper than I had intended, so I popped up swimming hard. I really could feel the current sweeping me along, so I just mixed up my strokes and took in the view of the city to my left. I found out later that I was the second of the 6-pack out of the water, something for my swim coach to be proud of!
Transition was dicey because my rack spot was tight up against a chain link fence, mud was plentiful and space was scarce. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it: I just didn’t have the best transition times. Oh well-on to the bike. I was very surprised that the bike ride was both the easiest and the most enjoyable leg of the race for me, because mastering that road bike had been my biggest challenge in training. Despite a steady rain, I maintained good speed and confidence on the bike, and felt strong for the whole ride. At one point I worried that I might be biking too hard and tiring my legs before the run, but the truth is, I didn’t much care; I was having so much fun and it just felt right that I should press that hard. I remembered Sanjay’s words: “Don’t leave anything out there on the course!”
Then came the run. I was happy that my legs actually still had strength, although in the first mile, as always, it was a little tough getting up to speed. The crowds cheering for us were just amazing and I cannot begin to express the emotion I felt at seeing my children cheering for me, along with 11 other friends from home and all the family and friends of my fellow 6-pack’ers! Many people, some of whom I know I had never met, called me by name. Could it really be that they had been following us on CNN??? One pretty young girl passed me at mile 5 saying, “When I grow up, I want to be you!”
As the finish line approached and the reality of what I had done came over me, I passed my daughter Jessica standing alone there waiting and waving at me. Then I saw my son Jedd, and several more of my friends, and I nearly lost it. But I didn’t want to be crying in my finish line photos (vanity!), so I held it together until I found the assembly place for CNN, where there was a sea of green T-shirts: 13 of my friends and my kids ALL there waiting for me… OK I had earned the right to a few tears by then. They didn’t last; it was much too joyous of a day. All six of us succeeded as finishers of the New York City Triathlon, and we reveled in the company of friends old and new, in those last moments of memories that will last a lifetime.
Organizers of the New York City Triathlon announced this week that they will add an open-water swimming waiver to their registration process for next year's race. The move comes after two athletes died during the swim portion of the 2011 triathlon.
"Swimming in the open water is different than swimming in a pool or taking a bath," said John Korff, the race's director. "Anybody who's jumping in the river has to have done this once or twice, so they're ready to jump in there."
The race will require applicants to sign a waiver stating that they've swum at least a half-mile in open water in the preceding 18 months, or will swim the distance before race day. They'll be asked to sign another waiver the day before the race, indicating that they've completed the requirement.
Kendrick Henley was one of six CNN viewers chosen to be a part of the 2011 Fit Nation Triathlon Challenge. He trained with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and raced the New York City Triathlon on August 7. Since then Henley has kept up his new healthy lifestyle and recently raced his second 5K since the triathlon. CNN is looking for viewers like Henley to join our 2012 Challenge. Click "Add Your Story" to apply.
The year 2011 might be coming to an end, but Kendrick’s journey and Team Henley’s celebrations continue...
When Kendrick, Coach Keith and I (Coach Mary Ann) became “Team Henley” in January 2011, none of us knew what to expect from the coming year. Kendrick had just been selected for the 2011 Fit Nation Challenge and Coach Keith and I were excited to have the opportunity to coach a new athlete from our hometown of Chicago.
That was pretty much all that we knew, and out of the three of us, Kendrick was taking the biggest risk. He was literally letting the world know that he wanted to change the way he was living, lose weight and take on a healthier lifestyle.Kendrick Henley was one of six CNN viewers chosen to be a part of the 2011 Fit Nation Triathlon Challenge. He trained with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and raced the New York City Triathlon on August 7. CNN is looking for viewers like Henley to join our 2012 Challenge. Click "Share Your Story" to apply.
It has been almost a year since I applied to be a part of CNN Six Pack. When I applied, I had been trying to get in shape for the past several years, but could not seem to follow through. So, I thought if I did the CNN challenge, it would motivate me to get fit or at the very least, hold me accountable. So I decided to submit a video. As I thought about what to say, I decided that I would just be honest and plainly spoke into my webcam and sent my video.
I remember getting the call on Christmas Eve from Dr. Sanjay Gupta indicating that I was chosen to be a member of the Six Pack. I was so excited, but said to myself, “I have to do this.” I must say that this was an incredibly hard challenge for me, but it was so rewarding.
I still remember when I first arrived at Well-Fit Triathlon Training Center for my first workout where I was constantly stopping and could not continuously exercise for more than 2 minutes. Then came the small breakthroughs: my old belt being too big, biking 20 miles, running a mile without stopping and finally crossing the finish line in New York. I cannot believe that I did it. I realized that this journey was going to be more than 6 months and that it would take additional time to reach my goals, but I am so glad that I took this first step. It has helped me begin to change my life.Dr. Scott Zahn was one of six CNN viewers chosen to be a part of the 2011 Fit Nation Triathlon Challenge. He trained with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and raced the New York City Triathlon on August 7. Since then Zahn has kept up his new healthy lifestyle and recently signed up to race a Half Ironman next year. CNN is looking for viewers like Zahn to join our 2012 Challenge. Click "Share Your Story" to apply.
Anniversary noun: A date that people remember because something important happened on that date in the past, as in a wedding anniversary.
Today I am celebrating a health and fitness anniversary. November 10, 2010 was the day that I entered the CNN Fit Nation Challenge and decided that I needed to make some changes in my life to lead a healthier and fit lifestyle.
The reasons that I entered the challenge were many, but primarily I needed to do it for myself. I needed to take charge of my health. The journey started the following day with a trip to the gym to start the process.These two months since the NYC Tri have gone by as quickly as the six that preceded it, because life is well, just so different now.
First of all, I have never stopped moving. I did rest for a week following NYC, but soon I was back to swimming, biking and running nearly every day, because I felt so good I did not want to lose any of the fitness I had worked so hard to attain. Also, not only my body, but my APPETITE had become accustomed to that high level of activity, so stopping was never an option.I did it, I really did it! I completed the NYC Triathlon, to the very best of my ability, and my homecoming week has been spectacular! The memories and emotions of this life-changing event will generate more than one blog, but right now I want to re-live the technical and physical highlights, starting with the days leading up to the event.
Each of us in the 6-Pack had local trainers, coaches that became friends along the way. The plan that my coach John gave me was simple, practical, and worked perfectly into my lifestyle. Each Sunday he e-mailed me a schedule of swim/bike/run workouts to do for the week. The activities were staggered, and I had freedom to switch them up if needed, but the easiest thing for me was to just do what he prescribed. We trained together at times, and he led me on my first 5-mile run and my first 20-mile bike ride.
Early on, John explained the tapering process, and because he is a psychologist, he emphasized how stressful some athletes find this to be. Boy, was he right! I wound up getting bronchitis and going “cold turkey” off my workouts for five days before traveling to NYC. It drove me crazy, but John said this: “In this one week before your triathlon, no activity is going to increase your level of fitness, nor is there anything you can miss that will impair your performance EXCEPT if you fail to get adequate rest and healing." So I sat down, rested and almost crawled out of my skin for six days.
Come August 7 at 2:30 a.m., I knew he had been right. I felt good and knew I was strong enough to conquer the city! As we set up our transition at 4 a.m., in the rain, I felt nothing but excitement. For some reason, I was not anxious about the swim or any other aspect of the race; I was just excited to be there and ready to go. Even standing in line queuing up for the swim start, I was amazed that the jitters had not set in. John had coached me to visualize the race and the finish line; I had done this to the point that I almost felt like I had been there before. I heard my name called, looked up and saw my friends from work standing there in the rain, out at 6 a.m. just to cheer me on– how could I be anything but thrilled?
We six’ers had discussed the best way to jump into the water; in the end I just hopped straight in off the barge and actually went deeper than I had intended, so I popped up swimming hard. I really could feel the current sweeping me along, so I just mixed up my strokes and took in the view of the city to my left. I found out later that I was the second of the 6-pack out of the water, something for my swim coach to be proud of!
Transition was dicey because my rack spot was tight up against a chain link fence, mud was plentiful and space was scarce. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it: I just didn’t have the best transition times. Oh well-on to the bike. I was very surprised that the bike ride was both the easiest and the most enjoyable leg of the race for me, because mastering that road bike had been my biggest challenge in training. Despite a steady rain, I maintained good speed and confidence on the bike, and felt strong for the whole ride. At one point I worried that I might be biking too hard and tiring my legs before the run, but the truth is, I didn’t much care; I was having so much fun and it just felt right that I should press that hard. I remembered Sanjay’s words: “Don’t leave anything out there on the course!”
Then came the run. I was happy that my legs actually still had strength, although in the first mile, as always, it was a little tough getting up to speed. The crowds cheering for us were just amazing and I cannot begin to express the emotion I felt at seeing my children cheering for me, along with 11 other friends from home and all the family and friends of my fellow 6-pack’ers! Many people, some of whom I know I had never met, called me by name. Could it really be that they had been following us on CNN??? One pretty young girl passed me at mile 5 saying, “When I grow up, I want to be you!”
As the finish line approached and the reality of what I had done came over me, I passed my daughter Jessica standing alone there waiting and waving at me. Then I saw my son Jedd, and several more of my friends, and I nearly lost it. But I didn’t want to be crying in my finish line photos (vanity!), so I held it together until I found the assembly place for CNN, where there was a sea of green T-shirts: 13 of my friends and my kids ALL there waiting for me… OK I had earned the right to a few tears by then. They didn’t last; it was much too joyous of a day. All six of us succeeded as finishers of the New York City Triathlon, and we reveled in the company of friends old and new, in those last moments of memories that will last a lifetime.
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