Branden Rakita
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About MeName: Branden Tyler Rakita |
Triathlon Tidbits
Years in Triathlon: 5 Youth (87-92), 5 Amature (00-04), 5 Pro (05-?)
First Race: Durango Ironkids Triathlon 1987ish?
Youth Highlights: 3rd at Ironkids Albuquerque,
Amature Highlights: 1st at St. George Triathlon (beat Ned Overend), 4xWorld Qualifier, Inside Tri All-American 2004, USAT U23 Series Champion 2004
Professional Highlights: 5th Xterra USA Champs 2008, 3rd Boulder Peak 2005, Inaugural ITU Cross Tri USA Team Member 2011
Fun Facts
During the spring of 2000 his dad qualified for the USAT World Championship Team and went to Perth, Australia and that perked Branden’s interest and decided to jump back into triathlon. In 2001 he competed at the USAT World Qualifier in Lake Placid qualified for the USAT Worlds Team. He continued and qualified for the 2002-2004 Worlds Teams as well. His best performance was in 2004 in Madeira, Portugal placing 30th Overall and 4th in his age group.
From 2004 on the focus has been on triathlon. He was accepted to the Next Step to Gold National Triathlon Development Team and moved to Clermont, Florida. At the end of the year training with the team he qualified to be a professional and his first pro race was the 2004 Elite National Championship I placing 33rd. At the end of the year Branden moved back to Colorado and has had steady progress toward the top of the sport. Always one to follow what he loves he switched his focus from Olympic road triathlons to Xterra off-road triathlons. Branden has been competing internationally since 2005 as a professional and is working towards being on the top step at the World Championships.
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Lisa Ribes
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About MeName: Lisa Ribes |
Triathlon Tidbits
Years in Triathlon: 7 Amateur (02-09), 2 Pro (09-?)
First Race: Tinfoilman Sprint Triathlon in Tucson. I forgot to put my number on going into the run and when I crossed the finish line they made me run back to my transition area, put it on, and run back through the finish! Needless to say, I have never forgotten my number again… 
Amateur Highlights:
1st Silverman (Half Iron), Las Vegas, NV 5:03* New Course Record
2nd HalfMax Long Course National Championship (Half Iron)
1st UltraMax Kansas 50 Long Course Tri
Tucson Triathlon Series Champion
Multiple Arizona State Championships in Road Racing and Individual Time Trials
Professional Highlights:
3rd SuperFrog (Half Iron)
9th 2010 Long Course World Championships (Germany)
12th 2011 Abu Dhabi International Triathlon
Fun Facts: I have been known to pull off some pretty wild pre-race travelling and racing. For instance, for the UltraMax race I listed above in Kansas in 2009, I signed up last minute, drove 17 hours one way to get there, pulled into the race campsite the night before the race (luckily found a spot to camp), slept in the back of my car cuddled next to my bike, woke up next morning, won the race, grabbed my trophy, walked to my car and drove straight home. Darn near killed me, for sure!
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Payam Saljoughian
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About MeName: Payam Saljoughian |
Running Ramblings
Pump Up Song: The Bloody Beetroots – Dimmakmmunication
Race Day Breakfast: Banana with Honey and Cinnamon (eaten with a fork)
Race Day Superstitions: Always shave my face the morning of the race
Favorite Race: Santa Cruz Half Marathon. The entire course is right along the beach. It is also really fun to run a race on the same route that you have run dozens of times in training
Favorite Thing About Running: The “easy speed” feeling you get for the first few miles of a race after a good taper
Athletic Background: I spent the first 21 years of my life in or near the water. Was a swimmer, waterpolo player, swim coach, lifeguard, triathlete, open water swimmer… if it involved water, I was probably doing it. Swam 4 years at UC Santa Cruz and was the captain of the swim team my senior year. After graduating from college, I shifted my focus to running. My first race of any distance was a marathon! After my first marathon, I was hooked, and I began to take a more serious approach to my running. In 2010, I shifted my focus to trail running and ultramarathons. I ran my first 50 miler in October of 2010. This year, I plan on focusing more on road running again, as well as getting back into triathlons.
Running Background:
Years Running: 3
First Race: 2008 San Francisco Marathon
Road Running Highlights: 3rd Overall at 2010 Santa Cruz Half Marathon, 8th Overall at 2011 Oakland Marathon
Ultramarathon Running Highlights: 1st Overall at Cindarella 50K, 1st Overall at Woodside 50K, 10th Overall at Dick Collins Firetrails 50 Miler, Dick Collins Award Winner for 1st Overall Rookie
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Tony Rich
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About MeName: Tony Rich |
Triathlon and Running Tidbits
Years in Triathlon: 8 Years
Years in Marathon: 9 Years
Athletic Background: I ran the Boston Marathon in 2003, got hooked, and have since run the Boston Marathon 9 consecutive time. I’m a Boston Marathon qualifier and I’ve run in total nearly 25 marathons. I’m a 2x Ironman finisher, completed several half-Ironman and countless other endurance events. I’m currently setting my sights on having a breakout year and qualifying for the Ironman World Championship in Kona Hawaii.
First Triathlon: Early in 2003 I decided that I wanted to be an Ironman triathlete. My first triathlon ever was the 2004 Oceanside California half-Ironman. I enjoy challenges, and so I thought that choosing and completing a half Ironman as my very first triathlon would be a significant challenge and accomplishment. On top of this, Oceanside has arguably the hardest half Ironman bike course in the country. I finished respectably. From then on I was hooked on triathlon and set my sights on Ironman.
Amateur Highlights: Marathon PR 3:14:46 (Breakers, RI); Ironman PR 12:43:56 (Lake Placid)
Coaching: I wanted to channel my love for triathlon and experience into methods to help people achieve their personal and fitness goals, so I decided to become a volunteer coach. I’m an ITCA Certified Triathlon Coach and pursing USAT Certification in July 2011. I’m a Level 3 USA Cycling Coach, a Certified American Red Cross Lifeguard and Certified in CPR/AED for Professional Rescuer, Waterfront Safety, and Standard First Aid.
Fun Facts
When I decided that I would set my sights on the Ironman in 2003, I didn’t know how to swim. I signed up for an intermediate stroke course at the local YMCA. The course prerequisite was you had to “already” know how to swim and be able to swim a few hundred yards. The instructor expressed derision when I first, told her that I signed up for the course despite not knowing how to swim, then even more derision when I told her my reason for signing up. “You don’t know how to swim and you’re signing up for an Ironman!?” she said. I made it through the course, and I’m not sure where she is now but I often wonder what she would say if she knew what I’ve done since then. As irony would have it, I’m currently in the process of training for an indoor Ironman for the YMCA’s charity, at the same YMCA this summer.
Pump up Song: Till I Collapse, Eminem
Race Day Breakfast: Toasted English Muffin with Peanut Butter, extra large Dunkin Donuts Coffee and a Powerbar
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