Introduce Yourself!

Name:  Eric

Age:  48

Years Tri’ing:  23 if you go back to my first in 1988, recent history since Aug 2008.

Favorite Tri race:  Lakes Country Sprint in Baxter/Brainerd as we have a cabin up there.

Home:  Minnetonka

California native, but transplant here since 1985, so almost a local.  Lifelong runner who used to be fast, now it is my worst event in Triathlon.  Trying to run more frequently to avoid injury and get my times back down.  it seems to be slowly working...  Still, I am a better golfer than endurance athlete! 

Two teenagers, a dog and a busy wife compete for my free time.

Okay.  I'll Bite.

Name - Eric

Years doing Tris - 3

Favorite Race(s) - Local: Chaska Tri, Non-Local: IMWI

Home: New Hope - I love running the trails around Medicine Lake and biking 'Out West' in Medina, Independence, Long Lake and around Lake Minnetonka.

Other Interesting Facts:  My wife is doing the Irongirl this September.  So, that's kinda cool.  I swam in middle school, ran cross-country in high school and biked through college, but never put them all together until a few years ago. 

Favorite Food: Sausage McMuffin with Egg

Best. Breakfast. Ever.

Good post idea!

Name - Kyle

Years doing triathlon - 3

Favorite Tri Race - not sure, St Croix Valley or Lifetime

Home - South Minneapolis - Usual run route is around Lake Hiawatha then Nokomis

Other interesting Facts - I'm a roadie turned triathlete.  I also play competitive broomball in the winter/spring

Yeah, good idea.  This will be a popular thread.

Name - Scott

Years doing Triathlon - about 13 now.

Favorite Tri Race - Heart of the Lakes (long course)

Home - Golden Valley.  Been in MN for 14 years now.  Before that, a lot of other places.  I was a Navy brat and then served in the USCG.  Also was in the Army National Guard (part-time soldier) in TX and MN...now retired.

Other interesting facts - I work for Target in IT.  But while my friends and coworkers have advanced degrees in IT or Business, I went and got certified in Clock Repair.  Intricate, interesting, and fun stuff, and not the PFM of computer systems.

Fun thread! @Adrian, hold down the shift key and press Enter to single space paragraphs.

Name - Dan

Years doing triathlon - 5
Favorite Tri - Square Lake (local), IMCDA (national)
Home - Hugo, MN; I originally hail from southern California (wondering where you're from ejshowers), then to Texas for 7 years (@Adrian Austin's great, but A&M was a lot of fun too) and now MN. 
Stomping grounds - I love biking out in the Square Lake-Marine area doing hill repeats up Nason. 

Name - Anne

Years doing Tris - I had to look as well!  My first was in 2006 but I took the last 2 seasons off and am now starting over.  The swim is the achilles tendon for me - but I vow to work on that this year.

Favorite Race(s) - Brewhouse but really because it was my first and I had such a great time doing it! 

Home: Minnetonka, born and raised with a short 3 years in Chicagoland area in the 80's and then for 3 nights in 1992 (long story, short version is I moved there on a Sunday and moved back on a Wednesday - hated the job I took and missed MN).  I typically I run the lakes, or at least start at them and go from there. 

Other Interesting Facts:  I've done 2 marathons; Grandma's and San Francisco Nike Women's Full.  I have tried out for the t.v. show The Amazing Race 3 times (still haven't been called!).  I used to fake injuries in Phy Ed in High School to get out of running track.  I am a single mom of a 13 year old son - who is also into tri's.

I didn't even know collegiate bull riding existed

I grew up in Fresno, CA.  Growing up, I played golf and soccer and ran cross country and track starting in 7th grade, so have basically been running/endurance sports since I was 12.  I went to college in the Bay Area in CA and moved here right after graduating.  My wife, who I met in college, is from Hopkins, MN originally, so that and a job was the connection to MN.

Name - Jeff

This is my 6th season of tri's. 

Favorite Tri Race - My last one.  They all are pretty fun - with the exception of Moo '08.

Home - White Bear Lake.  I too like to ride the NE metro area including the square lake, Marine hills.

Other Facts:  I started out as a distance runner (10 marathons) in my 'early 40's and jumped into tri's in the fall of 2005 when some friends encouraged me to xtrain with them.  I'm an independent IT contractor and my main hobbies involve pyrotechnics and heading to Vegas to play craps.  Currently training for IM AZ in Nov.

Name: Karl

Years doing triathlon: - 2

Favorite Tri Race: Of the two that I've raced - liked Waseca the best.

Home: Apple Valley - Moved from Michigan to Minnesota in 2001.
(I'm from the Lower Pennisula of Michigan - Yes, I show people where I'm from by
pointing to the palm of my right hand.) 
Usually bike and run around A.V. during the week, but often do my longer Sat runs around the Mississippi on the river road.

Storytime with Karl: I've Spectated/cheered for friends at many events, and some 5 Marathons for my Wife. Was never a runner, but joined her running group last year and now find myself training full force!   *Zip-Pow*
Currently doing the BT "16 week Sprint Tri Training" program and spending some much needed time in the pool. Also added the Hal Higdon running program to prep for Twin Cities Marathon!
(My 1st)

Other interesting Facts:
I'm a giant.. (so it's harder to find gear, play "hide-'n-seek", or use public transit),
National Snowboard Champion, Day job as Artist/3D Animator, oh and I can whistle!

Name : Pete

started doing tri's last year at lifetime.  was not in shape and had to walk a lot of the run (Oly)  Got very mad at my performance so have been obsessed ever since.  SO technically coming up on a year, now.

I swam at a div I school in college, but that was a very long time ago. 

Favorite race is St Croix river valley OLY. (hudson Wi) 

I have lived all over the midwest. Moved to Mpls in '98.  Live in south minneapolis, so run around any of the lakes.  shorter rides and intervals on cedar lake trail. Long rides I head out to Marine on st Croix. 

I am doing the full TNT season in and attempt to get my bike speed up.

And i drive a truck for Coca-Cola, for a living.

Name: Mary

Years doing triathlon: - 0 ... well I just did my very first - My First Tri in Hudson last weekend!

Favorite Tri Race: well, i guess since I've only done one, I'll say My First Tri! I'm also signed up for the YWCA Women's Tri at Nokomis in August.

Home: I live in Saint Paul - macGroveland neighbor, and have a cabin in Western Wisconsin (about 30 min north of Menomonie).

Other interesting Facts:I'm also originally from California (funny - it used to be the joke that all the californians were transplanted Minnesotans, but now it looks like a lot of MN triathletes are transplanted californians - go figure!. I grew up in Costa Mesa - in case anyone knows where that is and graduated from UC Irvine. Spent 4 years in Wyoming (Grand Teton National Park) and then came here. It was that awful hot summer '86 I think?

I have 2 dogs - wire haired pointing griffons, no kids. A husband that cooks like a dream *(he is even publishing a cookbook this September on local and wild foods), and writes like a poet. He's very talented and super supportive.

I love this website - for a complete newbie that came to this sport with excessive trepidation or more precisely terror - it's been so fantastic. I decided to do a triathlon as a midlife crisis (I turned 50 last December).

Costa Mesa is a beautiful city.  I love that whole area. 

I hail from Torrance, but moved to Riverside in my late teens. Went to Cal State San Bernardino and then to Texas A&M for grad school.

Name - Monique
Years doing triathlon - 3
Favorite Tri Race -  Lakefront Days Sprint
Home - Shoreview. I spend a lot of time riding in Lino Lakes and Hugo. I do like to head toward the Chain of Lakes for mid-distance runs on the weekends. My favorite is to do point to point runs for anything over 10 miles.
Other interesting Facts -  I learned to play hockey as an adult thus there are two season in Minnesota tri season and hockey season.

Name - Pattie 
Years doing triathlon - 6 (carp, I should be faster by now)
Favorite Tri Race - Waseca 1/3 Iron distance
Home - West Concord. What, never heard of it? We're about 30 min NW of Rochester. Moved here from MD/DE back in 2006.
Other interesting Facts - I live on a 28 acre hobby farm with my three retired horses. I'm also a HS English teacher (9th grade) and love my job.

Here's a pic.

Name - Wyn
Years doing triathlon - 0 - did the YWCA Indoor Tri in April, am doing the women's tri in August...
Favorite Tri Race - Any one I finish, at this point!

Home - Minneapolis, Near Lake Nokomis. I'm a transplant, also from the palm of the mitten... (MI) but have been here 15 years.

Other interesting Facts - Decided to start doing this because I got an email in January challenging me to do something that scared me. Since the only thing I could think of was training for a race, as I'm a very big girl, here I am. My loving chef-boyfriend shakes his head and says "Go, Honey... as long as I don't have to do it with you..." :-)

Sarah, really great idea!

Name - Mark
Years doing triathlon - 3
Favorite Tri Race - Liberty Half
Home - Bloomington.  I did grow up in west central Wisconsin. (I do like the Vikes though!)
Family - I have two young daughters, and have been married 18 years.  Triathlon is my mid-life crisis as I could not afford a sports car

Oh, you should have realized by now you will NEVER be a local. :p

Bryan, are you the dude that I often run into (not literally) at local races (like HOL)?  And at IMMoo last year?