Happy training (or offseason) for the week of 12/3.

End of Year Party: This is the final reminder for Friday's End of Year Party.  We'll get started at 6:00 PM at the home of Shawn Hughes and Joanne Gilchrist, 1267 Orchard Way.  The club will provide a catered dinner, and agenda items will include sponsor recognitions, board elections, and awards for volunteers of the year.  We will also kick off the first order window for CTC gear from Green Layer and will have sample items embroidered with the CTC logo for review.  Please contact Susan (marshallsm at yahoo dot com) if you have not RSVP'd but would like to attend.

CIM Marathon: Mitch Harrell and Jason Berry persevered through horrendous conditions in Sunday's CIM Marathon.  Congratulations to you both for completing your first marathons.  Results are available here.

CTC Training Camp at Lake Almanor: For those gearing up for Ironman Lake Tahoe, or for those that simply would like a change of scenery, CTC is hosting its first training camp this summer at Lake Almanor.  Some very gracious people have offered the club use of their lakefront home for the week of August 4 through 11.  Training activities in all three sports will be planned throughout the week for athletes of all abilities.  More details will be provided as they become available.  For now, please contact me (president@chicotriathlonclub.com) if you think you may be interested in attending for all or part of the time.

2013 Launch Party:  While you have your calendar out, please note that CTC will hold its 4th Annual Launch Party on Thursday, February 28 at Fleet Feet.  More details to follow.

Race Report:  As mentioned in the last update, Justin Waller recently competed at Ironman Arizona.  For those that may have missed it, his race report can be found here.

Wednesday Night Bike Workout:  CTC members have once again been invited to participate in the Wednesday night training rides led by Mike Trowbridge.  The rides depart from North Rim at 6:00 PM, weather permitting.  The ride heads through the park to California Park, where different circuits are utilized for the various goals of the program.  Lights are required, and the ride regroups after all segments, so all levels are welcome.  Several CTC members are regulars on the ride, so get your lights and come on out.

Age Group Nationals Announced: USA Triathlon has finally announced that the 2013 and 2014 USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships will be held in Milwaukee Wisconsin.  The 2013 event is slated for Aug. 10-11.  More information is available here.

Happy training (or offseason) for the week of 11/19, and Happy Thanksgiving from CTC.

End of Year Party: Just a reminder that the final CTC gathering of the year will be Friday December 7th at 6:00 PM at the home of Shawn Hughes and Joanne Gilchrist, 1267 Orchard Way.  Evites with opportunity to RSVP have been sent to current club members.  The deadline to RSVP is Friday November 30th.  If you didn't receive an Evite, please contact membership@chicotriathlonclub.com to verify your membership status and email address.  And if you did receive one, Please RSVP.  The club will provide a catered dinner, and agenda items will include board elections, awards for volunteers of the year, sponsor recognitions, and opening of the first order window for CTC gear from Green Layer.  We will have sample items embroidered with the CTC logo for review.

CTC on the Radio:  Laura Van Dervoort and Josh Rowe appeared Monday on KKXX's program Chico Now. You can listen to Podcast of the show here (Laura and Josh are introduced at about the 5:15 mark).  Thanks to both of them for taking time out of their day to promote the club.

Justin Waller Represents at Ironman Arizona:  Congratulations to Justin for a great result in his latest Ironman event which took place in Tucson this past Sunday.  His result has been posted to the Results page of the website.

New CTC Hoodies at North Rim:  In addition to the inventory detailed in the last update, CTC hooded full zip sweatshirts are now available at North Rim for just $25 (just in time for Christmas).  Men's sizes M-XL are available in nine-ounce charcoal heather and Women's sizes S-L are available in black micro fleece.

2013 Club Races Announced:  The Races page of the website has been updated for 2013.  Races Highlighted in Red are designated club races, meaning the club is focusing on the event and encouraging membership to participate and/or volunteer.  Races Highlighted in Blue are not official club races, but are events where many CTC members will be competing.

CTC Joins Tri-Club Competition at Wildflower:  The Wildflower Triathlon Festival takes place May 3-5 2013 at Lake San Antonio.  Events include long course, olympic, and mountain bike triathlons.  CTC is now registered as an official club for the event.  Club members receive a $25 discount on the entry fee (contact president@chicotriathlonclub.com for the code).  If ten members register, the club will receive a $10 rebate for each member and will also be given a 10 x 10 space at the Expo for a club lounge and recovery area.  Wildflower is a unique, major, triathlon event known as the Woodstock of the sport.  It is a destination race for triathletes from all over the country, and most of the thousands of participants camp onsite for the weekend.  Details about a group CTC camping area will be provided as the event approaches.

Habitat Home Run 5k:  CTC is once again supporting the Habitat Home Run 5k race which takes place on Saturday February 16th 2013 in Lower Bidwell Park.  This year, CTC is covering the entry fee for any current member that wants to participate.  Registration for club members will be via hardcopy registration form, not online through their website.  Details will be provided as the event approaches.

CTC Survey:  The CTC survey has now closed.  Thank you to the many current and prospective members that participated.  We got some great feedback and suggestions on how to improve.  And congratulations go out to Becky Hutchison whose survey was randomly selected as the winner of the North Rim gift certificate.

Happy training (or offseason) for the week of 11/12.

Jersey Ride:  We had a good turnout for the 2012 Jersey Ride last Saturday.  It was great weather for a casual ride along a route that visited all of our 2012 sponsors followed by a post-ride brunch at Moms.  Pictures from the ride have been posted to the Gallery page of the website.

Almond Bowl:  CTC also had a good turnout for the Almond bowl runs last Sunday, CTC's final club race of the year.  Shawn H., Lynn S., and Laura V. volunteered while, Eric A., Kristi A., Jessalyn A., Stefan A.,  Nancy B., Mitch H., Jennifer M., Christina P., Jay P., Greg W., Tammie W., and Isa W. all raced (hope I didn't miss anyone).  Race results are available here and pictures from the event have been posted the Gallery page of the website.

CTC Survey:  The CTC board wants to hear from you.  We are proud of the club that CTC has become, but we want to make it even better.  Please take a few minutes to respond to our brief survey.  Current, past, or prospective members are all invited to participate.  The online survey can be found here.

CTC Gear:  The club is developing two options for members to obtain some cool CTC gear, both of which allow items to be purchased at cost.  We will continue to have shirts, hats, visors, and other gear available for purchase at North Rim.  In addition, we will be offering a few order periods a year for nicer, custom items from Green Layer.  Samples and the first order period for Green Layer gear will be presented at the End of Year party on 12/7.  In the meantime, we still have some nice inventory at North Rim (in case you want to get a jump on your Christmas shopping).  We currently have long sleeve black tech shirts in M, L, and XL; short sleeve gray tech shirts in XS, S, M, and XL; short sleeve red tech shirts in XS and S, a women's gray jacket in M; and men's 1/4 zip jackets in gray (L, XL) and black (XL, XXL).

100 Mile Endurance Challenge:  CTC Member Blake Anderson recently achieved an amazing accomplishment, completing (and winning) a 100 mile running race October 20th in Corona, California.  Results from the event are available here.  Congratulations Blake!

Ironman Arizona:  In what will probably be the last triathlon of the season for any CTC member, Justin Waller will take on Ironman Arizona on Sunday 11/18 in Tempe.  Live coverage of the event should be available here.  Good luck Justin!

2013 Race Planning: The Races page of the website has been updated for 2013.  Club races have not yet been identified, but will be in the next few weeks.  If you have any suggestions for club races for next year, please send your input to president@chicotriathlonclub.com.

TBF Races on Sale:  Many CTC members race a lot of TBF events, and during the month of November, you can save $10 to $25 on all 2013 TBF Racing Events.

End of Year Party: The final CTC gathering of the year will be on Friday December 7th at 6:00 PM at the home of Shawn Hughes and Joanne Gilchrist, 1267 Orchard Way.  Evites with opportunity to RSVP have been sent to current club members.  If you didn't receive an Evite, please check your spam folder, and if it's not there, contact membership@chicotriathlonclub.com to verify your membership status and email address.  The club will provide a catered dinner, and agenda items will include board elections, awards for volunteers of the year, sponsor recognitions, and opening of the first order window for CTC gear from Green Layer.

Board Elections:  As announced previously on the Yahoo Group, Eric's position on the CTC board is expiring and he has decided not to seek another term.  He is however handling nominations and elections for the empty seat.  Nominations should be sent to eric@ayars.org before December 5th.  Any current CTC member is eligible to be nominated, and members may self-nominate.  Nominees will be posted to the Yahoo Group on December 5th.  The election will be conducted during the end of year party on 12/7.  For those that cannot make the party, absentee voting can be done via email to eric@ayars.org between 12/5 and 4:00 PM on 12/7.  As a matter of record, the other eight board positions will expire and will be filled by election in December 2013.

Greg Watkins

President, Chico Triathlon Club