Puma Deviate Nitro 3
Texas Hill Country
I was saddened last week by the ongoing news from the flooding in the Texas Hill Country. I have a short yet deep relationship with that part of Texas. I was young and trying to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. My roommate and I decided to try this last chance qualifier called The Texas Hill Country Triathlon. The description of the course seemed suited to our talents. 1 mile lake swim, 48 mile bike with 96 hills, hilly 10 mile run. We were in that part of Texas for about 4 total days. Everyone involved in the event was so friendly and welcoming. Even though this was an Ironman qualifier it was very low key. Volunteers along the course were plentiful and enthusiastic. It was simply a great experience. We both qualified for Kona that year. We would both qualify many more times but that first time is the one I remember the most. The Texas Hill Country is a special place. Right now it is hurting well beyond anything I can imagine. My heart goes out to everyone there!
Running Shoes
Every running event I attend I try to talk to the runners racing the event. For the major marathons it's fairly easy to find runners in the days leading up. For 5/10K races or generally smaller marathons I usually catch them in the airport after the event. Flying from Atlanta to Houston after the Peachtree Road Race I caught up with a father and son who had run the race. I generally start the conversation asking them how the race went. They will ask me how mine went and this is when I get to talking running shoes. I am surprised to see Puma catching on so fast. The father said "I have yet to try their race day shoe but I guess I better since the Puma rep is a friend or ours" I mentioned running in the Deviate Nitro 3 pictured above. My quick take on the shoe: It's quite similar to the Saucony Endorphin Speed 1,2 and 3. I loved those shoes and so far I'm really enjoying the Puma. Both father and son raced in the Nike Vapor Fly Next %.
Quincey Wilson
Last year at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals I got the chance to watch Quincy run and I had a brief chat with him after the event. He's your standard high school student/athlete. But then he qualified for the Olympics walking away with a gold medal in the 4 x 400 relay. This past weekend he broke his own under 18 world record running 44:10 for 1 lap around the track. I've been lucky to see others. Athing Mu and Katelyn Tuohy at the same New Balance meet. You can see it in their eyes. They are in high school but there is an intention in their eyes that general high school athletes don't have. I'm confident you could see the same thing in Kobe Bryant when he was 16. Here's to kids running fast!
Tour de France
Finally, if you are like us here at the Group you are diehard followers of the Tour de France. This year is going to plan. The best rider in the world is controlling things, and the best team in the world is trying to find an answer to the best rider in the world. All the other teams are scrambling to make their Tour de France a success. If you ever wondered what a tour rider eats, the NY Times has a great article about the subject.
The short answer, 6,252 calories!
