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Xtri Chats With Heather Gollnick About the Revolution 3 Triathlon
By Betsy Delcour
12/1/2008 |
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We recently announced a unique new race, The Revolution 3 Triathlon, scheduled for June 7, 2009. This race will feature a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run in Middlebury, CT on a course that promises to be challenging. One of the things that will set it apart though is its generous $100,000 prize purse as well as a star-studded pro field to match it. We had the chance to talk with Heather Gollnick, who is acting as the event's marketing director, about this new race and what we can look forward to...
1. Hi Heather! Before we get started, tell us how the ’08 season has gone for you…
I had another very consistent 2008 Season. I began by traveling to Pucon Chile in January for the 70.3. It is one of my favorite races, I have been runner-up there before so it felt great to win it this year. I also had three main Ironman Competitions on the schedule, went back to Arizona and finished third in a tough race but was happy with my day. Was named U.S. Long Course Champion for 2008 with my runner-up finish at Ironman CDA then went back to one of my favorite areas in Louisville and battled all day finishing another close second. In between were many top finishes at shorter events sprinkled throughout the year – thanks for asking.
2. Any time there’s a new long course race introduced, there’s lots of buzz. But this one seems special. Can you talk about the Revolution 3 Triathlon?
Our goal in the creation of Revolution3 was to create a new dynamic race experience for all involved. To that end we are recognizing the talents of our professional athletes by offering an industry leading prize purse of $100,000. We are also offering $20,000 in product prizes to our age-groupers. Also enhancing the race experience will be the first ever use of real-time athlete gps tracking, it is really some of the coolest technology I have seen and will be a tremendous value to spectators watching the day unfold and athletes who will be able to download their entire race day experience. Six to eight cameras will be capturing the action all day feeding live information to our internet broadcast. Spectators, Volunteers and family members will be able to enjoy the Amusement Park Venue for the day free of charge. They will also be able to watch the race unfold on our huge stadium screen back at Quassy. Simply put we really believe that we are going to provide an experience unmatched in Triathlon today.
3. How did you come up with the location? What makes Middlebury, CT a good destination for a triathlon?
Back when I was a member of the Timex Triathlon Team I met a wonderful Team Member who turned out to be a great friend, Joanne Frantzis. Joanne and her husband George own Quassy Amusement Park. We talked a lot about what a unique race venue this would be for athletes, and I can't say enough about the course itself. It is absolutely beautiful with some of the best roads I have ever seen. For individuals training for Lake Placid I can’t think of any better preparation, it is challenging but fair with rolling terrain and an absolutely beautiful countryside.
4. It’s not often that a pro triathlete has a hand in organizing an event like this. What personal touches have you and your husband, Todd, put on this event?
My husband and I have been involved with this sport for a long time and one of the things we hear and experience is the task of making Triathlon fun for the entire family and enhancing the experience of the athletes. This represents our motivation for creating Rev3 along with our partner in Virginia.
5. Compared to 20 years ago, there are many more professional triathletes racing today, so competition is up – but many prize purses have stagnated over the years. Do you think this negatively affects the sport?
I certainly think it is a challenge for our sport and an issue that needs to be addressed. We understand that Triathlon may not be a main stream sport but when you see the kind of money professional athletes outside Triathlon compete for something needs to be changed. I know what it takes to compete at a high level and the time invested on the professional level simply does not correlate to today’s standard prize purses. Recognizing the professional athlete and what they mean to our sport is certainly something we intend to address not only with this race but as our series is introduced in 2010.
6. Can you discuss the charitable organization that’s supported by the Revolution 3 Triathlon?
We chose the VFoundation for a number of reasons. We watched a young girl Payton Wright who lives in our subdivision struggle with a rare form of brain cancer for the better part of a year. Dick Vitale of ESPN who also lives by us raised money for Payton’s medical bills and ultimately a fund in her name which has reached a million dollars for pediatric cancer research. My husband’s step-mother was also lost to a year long battle with cancer this past Christmas. When it came to the selection of a charity we felt strongly about raising money for cancer research. So many individuals have dealt directly with this dreaded disease so anything we can do in the search for a cure, we wanted to be involved with. We reached out to Dick Vitale and he was happy to come aboard and assist our partnership with the VFoundation and Rev3. We hope it will be a win-win for all involved.
7. Considering your lineup of pros, it looks like this will be a very successful event! What can we expect in the future – will there be a full distance race? Will you have different events at different locations?
We are in the process of investigating venue options for our series in 2010. The series will consist of an Olympic, a half and a full. Each race will have an aggressive prize purse and points to be earned for those involved in all races. A series winner will then be named with an additional monetary award. We thought it would be fun to try and determine the best “all-around” triathlete taking into consideration varying race distances. In each instance the venue itself will be very unique in nature and offer the same family friendly environment as our race in Middlebury. We are very excited about the future of Rev3!!
8. For athletes who sign up for this race, do you have any suggestions for how they should train? Hill repeats on the bike and run, maybe?
This is a hilly course on the bike and the run. The best workout I would do for the Rev3 Triathlon is Hill Repeats. If you live in a flat area, do a killer treadmill workout – perhaps:
15 minute warmup
½ mile at 6% grade – 90%
¼ mile at 9% grade – 95%
¼ mile FAST 0% grade or even a negative % if your treadmill has one (simulating downhill)
¼ mile at 9% grade – 90%
¼ mile at 12% grade – 95%
¼ mile FAST 0% or below (simulating downhill)
REPEAT THIS 3-5x
9. Since you’re involved in putting the race on, will you be competing on race day?
I will not be competing in this event. I am handling all media related activities for the Event as well as on-course commentating for our live web feed.
10. What’s your goal for the inaugural Revolution 3 race? How will you measure its success?
Our goal is to put on a first class event which caters to athletes and families alike. I hope we can measure our success by the smile on everyone’s face come race day!!
Photos (A few of the stellar pros who are signed up to race the Rev 3 Tri!)
1. Cam Brown
2. Belinda Granger
3. Luke Bell
4. Joanna Zeiger |
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