FCA-E Winter Training Retreat

Did you know that the off-season may be one of the best times of the year to reach your endurance athlete friends for Christ? Have you ever wondered how you could be even more effective at sharing your faith through your passion for endurance sports? If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you! FCA Endurance cordially invites you to gain practical knowledge and training in how to use your athletic passion to introduce your friends to Jesus Christ. This evangelism training retreat is hosted by athletes and tailored specifically for athletes, so you and your family will not only learn valuable skills, but also have plenty of time to work out and play! The Gold Medal Rate has been extended until 1 January 2009, so sign up now! Click HERE for more information and to register. You can also register on-line at active.com.

Greenville Triathlon

From storms to sunshine, praise God for another great race and opportunity to serve the Endurance community!

I’m almost afraid to attempt “Special thanks” because there are so many folks who contributed immensely! Thanks to Chris for helping with a very busy packet pick-up, to Jennifer for being willing to cover the event with pre-race prayer, to all those who arrived like shadows in the pre-dawn rain to serve in various capacities and to Evan, Andy and Larry who braved the sweat-caked ankles of over 600 athletes to recover their chips at the finish line. I know far more was done by FCA-E teammates and volunteers and surely the God who sees what is done in secret will reward you when you see Him face to face!

Congrats to:
Nick – 1st AG
Chris Anderson (FCA-E’s beloved national director) – 2nd to Nick
Donna – 1st AG
Ashley – 3rd AG
Randall – 3rd AG
Carolyn - 3rd Masters

A goal for your next race? We’d love to share this thrill with you, so please consider showing up early to the next Tri you do. Wander around the transition area and help out the Novices as they set up their transition areas. What a great opportunity to actually connect with folks for more than a few quick words!

Hope to see you at Hartsville or some future race!

In His grip –
The Douglasses

Here's a note from Chris Anderson about his experience visiting SC and racing in the Greenville Triathlon:

SC Team,

What can I say... this weekend was an amazing blessing! I am truly thankful to God for each of you and the ministry that Lord has blessed you with, both individually and collectively. As I saw the Team in action on Saturday and Sunday, I was humbled and impressed by your willingness to serve and sacrifice in Christ's name. While it is not about numbers, there was no denying our presence at the event... I loved seeing all of the yellow out there! I'm just sorry the trip was so short, and we didn't get more time together. I realize that for many of you, there was little more than a brief hello. God willing, there will be more opportunities in the near future to connect again.

In looking ahead, I just want to encourage you all. You've got some amazing and committed local leaders and fantastic opportunities! All you need to do is commit, show up, and let the Spirit move through you.

Lastly, a special thanks to the Douglasses and Clay for your special hospitality during my time there! And to Nick... congrats, there is no one I would rather come in second to. That said, prepare for the rematch :-)

For His Glory!

Hot Summer Night 5K

Columbia, SC

August 2, 2008

One of the more popular Columbia neighborhood races, The Hot Summer Night 5K, was run this past Saturday evening in the Shandon neighborhood. This is a flat course beginning and ending at Hand Middle School. The race lived up to it's name as temperatures (and humidity) were very high and because there were some hot times. The first male finisher was Eric Ashton in 15:24 and the first female finisher was Kathryn Cavanaugh who finished in 18:57 (24th overall).

Th FCA-Endurance team was represented by Monica Wright who finished second in her age group with a time of 25:33.

Tour de Kershaw Metric Century - August 9th

I'm hosting a metric century (actually just a tad over 100k) ride leaving from my house in Lugoff at 8:00 on Saturday, August 9th. We'll ride through the rolling countryside of the Lugoff-Elgin area, make a slight foray into Richland County, return to Kershaw County before heading up to Longtown (in Fairfield County), and ride by Colonel's Creek at Lake Wateree before returning to my house. Final distance will be around 64-65 miles. The pace will be a fairly relaxed 17-18 mph, with plenty of hills to allow for some good hill-work (everything from mile-long hills to short, 10% grade blasts). For those fast folks, they'll be opportunities to hammer up to various stop signs and landmarks before the gruppetto arrives, as this is a no-drop ride. On the ride there will be 2 stops at filling stations/convenience stores: one at about the 20 mile mark and another close to the 45 mile mark (distances approximate). Road surfaces from fair to great, traffic from lots to minimal. So far myself, my brother-in-law Robert, fellow FCA-E'er Nick, and Brad (a triathlete from down around Orangeburg) have shown interest. Feel free to come out and invite others interested in riding or FCA-E. For more info, call me at area code eight o' three, 413-6187, or email to hthomasmorganjr -at- gmail -dot- com. Hope to see y'all next Saturday!

CSTS 3

July 27,2008

The third race of the Charleston Sprint Triathlon Series saw relatively mild weather (for late July) , a capacity crowd, and some good racing. There were four FCA-E athletes racing among the 323 finishers including Matt Flemming and Bob Wright from Columbia and Michael and Maggye Diaz from Louisville, KY.

The sprint distance race was .3 mile swim, 12.5 mile bike, and 5k run. The first female finisher was Jenny McDonagh in a time of 1:02:37 which was good for eleventh overall. The first male was Ashley Ackerman who finished in 56:48 including a 17:32 5k run split.

The FCA-E team didn't have any podium finishers but everyone agreed it was a great day, a great race, and a whole lot of fun!!!

Bob, Matt, Michael, and Maggye

I never said this was easy

Matt cruising to the finish

Open Water Swim this Sunday July 13th

Randy and Janice, a certified life guard and swim coach, will be hosting an open water swim this Sunday afternoon on the Lexington side of the Lake Murray dam starting around 12:30 PM. We encourage you to bring your family and lunch for a picnic in the park after the swim. There is a roped swimming area and sandy beach where kids (and adults) can play.

Here's a map to the park here: http://lakemurrayfun.com/swimming.html

We hope to see you there and look forward to working on our open water swimming skills together!

CSTS #2

I am racing the second Charleston Sprint Triathlon this weekend (I signed up for all four races). If anyone is going to be there, please let me know b1wright@yahoo.com .
Bob Wright