We Beat SPIDIE Last Night!

For all you Entourage fans you know exactly what this means. AQUAMAN took down the record holder Spiderman 2 last night. You couldn't have asked for better weather. The skies were menacing right up until 5:45 when warm-ups start, which was great to keep the boats and jet skiers away. Only problem was it kept a lot of the pre-registered athletes at home as well. Overall though we had 30+ same day sign-ups, bringing the total registered for the night to 130! The water was nice and calm, CWW had great attendance, and the vendors Bear Naked, Clif, XOOD, MIX 1, and Jimmy Johns were cleaned out of product by our athletes. By far the best part of the whole day was when I went to pick up our rental fishing boat. Nothing fancy mind you. We're talking about a flat bottom dingy with a lawnmower size engine. Trouble was it wasn't anywhere to be found at the Marina. Not to panic! The head manager had an easy solution that worked out for everyone. PARTY BOAT, Spring Break style with bench seats, 2 large pontoons, and nice canopy to keep the rain showers away! It's going to be a hard one to beat, but with one more week to go I know we can pull off something better for our last one Aug 4th!

Wind, Waves, and the skin of my teeth

I use to laugh when people would say it's harder to put on an event than actually race in one. We'll having been on both sides of the spectrum I still say it's a toss up. However last night the edge goes to race directing being harder. My brother had to work late so volunteers were used in more needed areas, leaving me solo on the fishing boat. I had to save 2 people which is no big situation, but post race is when things got interesting. A storm started to roll in around 7:30 and with it the waves. You're probably thinking, it's Cherry Creek, how bad could the waves and wind get? We'll, trying to cut loose the buoys from the fixed mooring line was one tricky feat! Try getting close, cutting the motor since it doesn't idle, and hanging off the bow to cut the buoy loose all while drifting away. Several failed attempts and it was time for plan 2. I came back out in the kayak, which made the removal process smooth. That is until I the wind started carrying the kayak and buoys to shore, all of course with me along for the ride. Plan 3, it was time to improvise! 20min later I finally kayaked to shore with the buoy line between my teeth, I giant knife between my legs, water filling fast in the kayak, and did I mention my kayak skills are lacking! All part of a great night!

True Marketing

Without Limits Productions has had some very good fortune come it's way in the last few weeks. Personally, I've always felt that print ads are way over rated, over priced, and simply breezed over by the intended audience. So when Competitor magazine came to us asking the cost of expo space at the Harvest Moon my reply was simple, FREE. However, free with the catch that they do a July issue story on the company. When they heard my ideas and focus of the story it turned into a win win for everyone involved. Sponsors loved the extra exposure and sign ups continue to build momentum. Some additional press came after AQUAMAN #3 from http://www.10kswimmer.com/2009/07/aqualung-open-water-series-launches-in.html When you run a company, essentially out of a garage (apt closet) with less than a shoe string budget you have to get very creative. It's that kind of creativity they don't teach in business school and that same unconventional approach that has set us apart from the competition. Tomorrow I'll be the only athlete pre-riding the Xterra Indian Peaks course with Race Director Paul Karlsson. Paul, founder of the Boulder Peak Triathlon, is a great guy and I couldn't be happier than to help him make a course preview video in exchange for some Fat Tire shout outs. If you're looking for an off-road adventure on Aug 1st, be sure to check out the Xterra Indian Peaks at Eldora Ski Resort.

AQUAMAN #2 and Season Changes

Last night was a great night. This was our 8th AQUAMAN Event and each one keeps getting better. Our cap this year is 100 athletes per week and we hit that for the 2nd week in a row. Last week the water was rugged, but post 4th of July the boat/jet ski traffic seems to have died down. As a race director I sit on the boat and between flagging boats away and looking for struggling swimmers I'm constantly thinking of ways to improve week-to-week. Last week we decided to add an extra kayaker, food patroller to pass out the Jimmy John's, Mix1, Breeze bars, and Clif Bloks, along with 40 additional cones and an aid station on the run. When I say a race is perfect is the day I'll retire as there's always improvement to be made. Next week the NEW 60inch (these are big mofo's) race buoys should be in from Germany and I'm ordering up some 12ft race flags for the swim exit. On a side-note the finisher awards I found for the Harvest Moon are awesome. It's our motto that all awards have to be functional, no trinkets or medals that get tossed in the shoe box. Finish the Harvest Moon this year and you can celebrate with your own 2.5oz 10th Anniversary Shot Glass!