My dad and I arrived in Knoxville yesterday afternoon, and it’s been quite the whirlwind since! We headed straight to Jim and Evy’s and relaxed with a bit of front porch sitting. Just like old times…

I got to meet (quite a few) of my teammies last night at dinner at Calhoun’s on the River. It was great to chat, put (real) faces to names, and meet new people. The Three-Gluten-Free sat next to each other (Katie, me, and Savannah) and we fared well, even with southern barbecue. Turns out, southern hospitality is a real thing, and our waiter was outstanding.We even had surprise guests at our dinner table, as the Lovatos and Richie Cunningham stopped by. EXCITE! I mean, no big deal. hmph… !!!

This morning, although I was feeling like a Rev3 trailer hit me, I met the rest of the Trakkers squad that came to race this weekend in Knoxville. We had a team photo shoot, a quick run, and some major bonding time at the Trakkers tent. Sonja’s dad, Eric Willis, was the master of photography for sure, and he took some amazing shots. If you can’t find me in this photo, just look for the gal with the whitest legs. Something about the Great White North rings true.

Photo credit: Eric Willis

And I even got to spend some q-time with the pros. Rev3 is seriously the Hollywood of triathletes. Check it out: and yep, that’s me in the background… of Michael Lovato and Dede Griesbauer! No big deal. Umm… EXCITE! These pros are so awesome, approachable, and friendly. Pro triathletes could quite possibly be the nicest people in the world.

Photo credit: Eric Willis

This type of team together-ness would never be possible without our happy-go-lucky Mama Bear, Carole Sharpless. I would say she was running around like a chicken with no head, but hers was on straight. Actually, her head was down and she was just charging straight ahead, givin’er like she is going to do this season in racing. She even put her head down for an hour or two on her trainer next to the Trakkers tent so she could get some training in without being MIA. Ridiculous(ly awesome).

There were lots of great things at the expo, too. The swag is sweet, and includes a tee and Headsweats visor. Trakkers had a few cases of First Endurance goodies to give away, and the A.R.T. was free! Talk about amazing. I felt like a new person after having the treatment (and I could actually breathe afterward). The volunteers for these events are absolutely, hands-down, the best I’ve ever seen. Everyone is so helpful, so excited to be a part of this event, and so plentiful. And that’s just at the EXPO! I can’t imagine what race day will be like. The course is beautiful, winding, and technical, and the roads are narrow and hilly. In fact, the last few miles of the bike are going to spent in the pain cave. Perfect!! And its even supposed to be cooler tomorrow, with a high of 65. Team Trakkers is ready to race. See our excitement?

Some of the Trakkers athletes are going to be packin’ heat- or rather, packin’ TrakkersGPS. Although you can’t follow me (major bummer, I know), you can Trak Kati, Savannah, and Laura in the half-Rev, and Anthony, Kathleen, Janet, Meredith, Rachelle, Michelle, and Sonja in the Olympic. Check it out here or head over to http://live.trakkersgps.com/events.aspx. I don’t think my dad has the nack for twittering on my phone, but I’ll try to update as quickly as possible post-race here. You can track the Rev3 Knoxville feeds by searching with the #rev3TN hash too!

Categories: Triathlons