|
LVTC Happenings!
A monthly report of events and resources for our passionate, growing local multisport community.
| | |
Welcome to the January Issue of the LVTC Newsletter!
Happy New Year, LVTC family…
There’s something powerful about turning the page on a new year. It’s a natural moment to reset, refocus, and reconnect with why we do this sport in the first place. As we step into 2026, we’re proud to introduce our new club theme … Vegas Grit.
Vegas Grit is about showing up with purpose … training smart, supporting each other, and pushing through challenges in a way that fits your journey. It is not about being the toughest person in the room. It’s about persistence, adaptability, and community. It’s about getting back up when training doesn’t go as planned, finding creative ways to stay consistent, and leaning on each other when motivation dips or life gets busy.
Whether you’re gearing up for your first sprint triathlon, chasing a 70.3 finish line, coming back from injury, or simply committing to moving your body more consistently this year … you belong here. This club exists to meet athletes where they are and help them take the next step forward, whatever that step looks like.
Inside this issue, you’ll find reminders about 2026 membership renewal, details on our upcoming club events, inspiring stories from fellow members, expert insights from our coaches and local pros, and more ways to stay connected through clinics, podcasts, and social gatherings.
Thank you for being part of what makes this community special. The way we show up for each other … on race day and on ordinary training days … is what truly defines LVTC.
Here’s to a year of showing up, staying consistent, and living Vegas Grit together.
#vegasgrit #strongertogether #fearless #lvtrifamily #enjoythejourney #thrive #thatsthevegasway
| |
2026 Membership
It is time to get your Las Vegas Triathlon Club membership!
Club memberships run from January 1st, 2026 to December 31st, 2026. All club events are free with membership!
Our multi-sports events are typically between 50 and 75 athletes. We are not ‘… just another triathlon.’ Instead, we have a great ‘grassroots’ feel to our events during which members can get to know members.
All levels of athletes are welcome at our events. We have athletes completing their first event and have even had professional triathletes in our events!
But we offer more than just our four multi-sport events. We have clinics, podcasts, non-tri get-togethers, and help members connect with each other through social media channels.
We have the following membership categories:
- Single membership: $75
- Family membership: $95 (Up to 4 immediate family members. Family members must reside in the same residence or shared residence.)
- Student membership: $40 (Full time students only)
| |
Volunteer Opportunity at Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas!
The Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon & 10K are coming up on Sunday, Feb. 22nd and we need your help!
Every year, the LVTC volunteers at the finish line as a team and just like the previous year, we will be handing out Mortal Hydration this year.
If you are not running, please fill out your information using this link and your password is: lvtri (You must use this link to register)
As you know, LVTC is a completely volunteer group and a grant from Rock 'n' Roll is a huge part of the club so we would like all the help we can get. Plus, it is really fun volunteering with your teammates!
If you are running, good luck and stop by our station!
| | |
Club Hashtags
Use these hashtags in your social media posts to help share the Las Vegas Triathlon Club themes and highlight our endurance community culture:
#vegasgrit – This theme is about showing up with purpose ... training smart, supporting each other, and pushing through challenges in a way that fits your journey. It’s not about being the toughest person in the room...it’s about persistence, adaptability, and community.
#strongertogether – This theme reflects the essence of our triathlon community: achieving more through unity, supporting one another, and celebrating the shared journey of multisport life.
#fearless – This represents the beauty of taking on challenges of multisport and enjoying the rewards!
#thatsthevegasway – We made this theme as a way to point out the things that members do (e.g., loaning bikes, helping others, ...) that promote our club culture.
#enjoythejourney – This theme was selected to emphasize the importance of enjoying training and the overall process of preparing for an event/race.
#lvtrifamily – This theme was to emphasize the importance of our endurance community and to recognize that, even though triathlon is an individual sport, we never do this alone!
#thrive – This was our 2023 theme that was selected to emphasize that triathlon should bring value to all aspects of our lives.
| |
|
Sponsors
The Las Vegas Triathlon Club is a 501c(3) organization that is 100% operated by volunteers. Our annual operating budget is about $10,000-$12,000. Sponsorships are incredibly helpful for us to meet cover our operating costs and keep membership prices reasonable. You can read more about sponsorships HERE:
We have started to get sponsors for 2026 ... thank you!
- Elevation Physical Therapy
- Respect The Distance Coaching
| | |
Las Vegas Triathlon Club Events
Each year, the Las Vegas Triathlon Club hosts four multisport events. You must be a LVTC member to participate in the events.
The dates for our 2026 events are:
| | | Sunday, 4/12/26 | Sprint Triathlon | Swim 750m, Bike 20K,
Run 5K | | Sunday, 5/10/26 | Sprint Triathlon | Swim 750m, Bike 20K,
Run 5K | | Saturday, 6/6/26 | Aquabike | Swim 750m, Bike 20K
| | Saturday, 8/22/26 | Super Sprint Triathlon | Swim 300m, Bike 4 miles, Run 1.5 miles | | | |
You can check the results from previous events at our website.
We also have a variety of events throughout the year. You can check upcoming events at our Las Vegas Triathlon Club Calendar.
Continue to check our Facebook Group for other happenings in our endurance community.
Here are the results of our 2025 events:
| |
Socials/Training Events/Education
| |
Check out and subscribe to our calendar feature (a continuing work-in-progress):
Las Vegas Triathlon Club Calendar
These were the dates for our 2025 Club events:
- 4/12/26: Sunday - Sprint Triathlon
- 5/10/26: Sunday - Sprint Triathlon
- 6/6/26: Saturday - Aquabike
- 8/22/26: Saturday - Super Sprint Tri
Sprint Triathlon:
Swim 750m; Bike 20km; Run 5km.
Aquabike:
Swim 750m; Bike 20km.
Super Sprint Triathlon:
Swim ~300m, Bike 4 miles, Run 1.5 miles.
Continue to check our Facebook Group for any additional get-togethers that may be happening, and for locals who are training in town or down at Lake Mead. Post your workouts!
Thanks everyone!
| |
Coach's Corner:
Battle Born
There’s something about training in Las Vegas that changes you.
Maybe it’s because nothing here is predictable. The weather turns on a dime. The heat shows up early and overstays its welcome. Winters can bite harder than people expect. Wind has a way of humbling you. And sometimes, a calm morning turns into a monsoon before you’ve even finished your warm-up.
You don’t train here expecting comfort. You train here expecting to adjust.
As a coach, I see it all the time. Athletes learn quickly that waiting for the “perfect” day doesn’t work in this city. So, they show up anyway. They show up knowing the workout might not go exactly as planned but they also know that every session moves them one step closer to that finish line they’re chasing.
That mindset matters.
Las Vegas isn’t just desert - it’s a valley surrounded by hills that never seem to give you a true break. Flat routes are rare, and even when you find one, there’s usually a climb waiting around the corner. You learn how to manage effort without panicking. You learn how to be patient when your heart rate climbs before you expect it to. Over time, those hills stop feeling like obstacles and start feeling like teachers.
And that’s where grit is built, not in forcing perfection, but in learning how to respond when things get uncomfortable.
Training here also teaches restraint. Knowing when to push and when to hold back. Building layer upon layer before asking your body for more. Athletes who last in this sport are the ones who respect the process early on, instead of chasing numbers that don’t match where they are yet. Because burnout and injury don’t just interrupt training, they take people out of the sport entirely.
There’s also something else that makes training here special: community.
Triathlon may be an individual sport on paper, but no one survives it alone. Community is what gets you out the door on the days motivation is low. It’s the text that says, “Let’s go together.” It’s the run group that makes the miles feel shorter. It’s having people who understand why a good swim matters or why a tough ride sticks with you long after it’s over.
And it’s the quiet responsibility we have to each other, to share what we’ve learned, to help the beginner who’s just finding their footing, to make sure no one feels like they have to walk away because it’s too hard to figure out alone.
Grit doesn’t look the same on everyone. It shows up differently for beginners, for age-groupers, for elite athletes. But there’s a shared thread among those who train here. If you started in Las Vegas - or grew as an athlete here - you were shaped by it.
Battle Born.
Between unpredictable weather, challenging terrain, and a community that wants to see everyone succeed, we train with a kind of quiet confidence. So, when race day throws something unexpected our way, there is a familiar feeling that settles in.
Almost like saying, hold my Gatorade.
Because training in Las Vegas teaches you this:
You don’t need perfect conditions to be ready.
You just need to keep showing up.
~Hilary Mauch
| |
Have you met these Coaches?
Triathlon race season is here. Do you have a coach? Are you looking for one? Well, the Las Vegas Triathlon Club is going to try to help make some connections.
Earlier this year, we sent out a google form to try to capture our local coaching expertise. We had a number of coaches (all are members of Las Vegas Triathlon Club) respond and we have featured them on this webpage:
Las Vegas Triathlon Club Coaches
We are going to continue to highlight coaches on our web page – if you would like to be part of that, please fill out this form.
| | |
Prez Corner:
Vegas Grit
As we step into a new season, I want to lean into our 2026 theme … Vegas Grit.
To me, Vegas Grit isn’t about being the toughest person in the room or posting the hardest workout on social media. It’s about something quieter and more meaningful … showing up with purpose, training smart, supporting each other, and staying in the game even when things don’t go perfectly.
When I look back on some of my most memorable races over the years, very few of them were about PRs or podium spots. The ones that stay with me are the races where something went sideways … a rough patch on the run, brutal heat, a mechanical issue, a crash, a lingering injury, or a day when something just wasn’t going right. Those were the races that required me to adapt, stay patient, and keep moving forward when it would have been easier to back off. In hindsight, those moments of problem-solving and persistence are far more meaningful than any perfect execution day.
That’s what grit really looks like in our sport.
Grit shows up long before race day. It shows up on the dark mornings when the alarm goes off and your first thought is, “Not today.” It shows up when the weather isn’t cooperating, when work runs late, when motivation is low, or when progress feels painfully slow. Grit is getting up anyway. It’s doing the session you can do, not the one you wish you could do. It’s stacking small, imperfect days into something powerful over time.
Training consistently is not glamorous. It’s not exciting. It doesn’t always feel heroic. But it’s the foundation of everything we do in this sport. That steady commitment … week after week, month after month … is where real breakthroughs come from.
What makes Vegas Grit special is that we don’t do it alone. Our community is full of people who loan bikes, wait at the finish line, send the “you got this” text, and celebrate every win … big or small. That’s the Vegas way. That’s who we are.
As we kick off 2026, my hope is that each of you defines Vegas Grit in your own way. Maybe it’s signing up for your first race. Maybe it’s coming back from injury. Maybe it’s chasing a big goal or simply committing to consistency for the first time in a long time. Wherever you are in your journey … you belong here.
Here’s to another year of showing up, adapting, supporting each other, and doing the work when it counts.
That’s Vegas Grit.
See you out there…
#vegasgrit #strongertogether #thatsthevegasway #fearless #enjoythejourney #lvtrifamily
~John Mercer
| |
The New Triathlete
We All Have Our Problems
Regardless of our genetics, our physiology, our natural metabolism, or our astrological sign, each and every one of us has our own cross to bear – we all have unique issues and challenges. Not one of us is perfect.
What sets Triathletes apart from others, however, is our determination to deal with and overcome whatever weakness, issue or handicap we face. Some of us are light, some are heavy, some are strong, some have bad knees or shoulders, but the one thing we have in common is the fact that we deal with it. We solve problems. We take whatever cards we are dealt and we play them as best we can. If we’re not as strong as others, we not only work on our strength, we compensate with good technique. If we’re not as fast on the bike, we improve our aerodynamics. If our endurance is lacking, we fine-tune our nutrition. If we can’t figure out a problem, we seek the insight of those who have.
Call it grit, call it resourcefulness, call it determination, call it persistence, but whatever you call it, know that Triathlon builds it. For the first 65 years of my life, I bemoaned the fact that I wasn’t a natural athlete. Triathlon has helped me to realize that there is more to being an athlete than winning the genetics lottery. New Triathletes, realize the blessing that Triathlon bestows upon you. It requires you to be resourceful, persistent, and to adapt and overcome obstacles – skills and attitudes that go far beyond the racecourse.
~Bob Gamble
| |
Where in the World Has Our TRI Club Raced?
Check out the map below to see where our athletes have raced!
| |
Las Vegas Triathlon Club Member Spotlight
| |
The Evidence-Based Triathlete
Check out our previous episodes:
| | |
Vegas Grit Member Spotlight - Deanna Snyder
In this new feature in our newsletter, we highlight a member that exemplifies our club theme: Vegas Grit. This month, Deanna Snyder is our Vegas Grit Spotlight!
I was 23 years old, fresh off a break-up and feeling sad, lacking purpose and low in self-esteem. While sitting in my pitty-pot and stewing on my future, I remembered a substitute teacher in the 6th grade. She had amazing stories of cross training and competing in Biathlons. I decided my audacious goal would be to complete a triathlon, so I started to learn how to swim, bike and run.
Four months later I crossed the sprint triathlon finish line crying. I had effectively faced down all the negative voices in my head and achieved something for myself. In those hours of solo training, I realized what was important to me…. what made me tick. In that moment I knew I needed to stop living to make others happy.
And for the next thirty years in the triathlete petri dish I surrounded myself around Type-A athletes 10+ hours a week and started to address my emotional and mental weaknesses. We all freely shared our lives, advice and learnings. The training mileage allowed me the time to iterate not only my race plans, but also my life plan.
Probably the best triathlon chapter of my life was here in Vegas between 2009-2016. Yes, we did lots of full and half Ironman races which was gratifying. But the memories I pull up now as I train for Redding 70.3 aren’t of all the medals, injuries or setbacks. It’s really all the fun times we had carpooling, cheering each other along, and admiring each other’s accomplishments. The common goals we shared and the tenacious pursuit of them was epic.
At 56, I have no idea how my two new knees will do over the course of the next 8 months of training. What I do know is that I do not fear finding out. This sport and the athletes we surround ourselves with have taught me to respect the challenge, be satisfied with the journey and live to fight another day. And for that I am blessed.
| | |
Vegas Experts: Navin Rongratana
We have some fantastic local triathlon expertise. In this regular feature, one of our local experts provides some advice for triathletes. Our expert this month is Navin Rongratana!
If you’re thinking about our 2026 theme, Vegas Grit, here’s what it means to me: it’s not about being the toughest person in the room. It’s about persistence, adaptability, and community.
Quick intro: I’m Navin Rongratana, Vegas raised, and I earned multiple degrees at UNLV, including postgraduate work. I’m also a USAT Level I coach, a US Masters Swimming coach, and an endurance athlete (7x Ironman, 13x 70.3, California Triple Crown winner in 2024 and 2025). The “secret” behind those finishes isn’t superhuman motivation. It’s building systems that make showing up easier.
Here are a few tips to help you live Vegas Grit this season:
1) Match your people to your schedule.
Find teammates with a similar work and life rhythm, and the same training locations (pool, run route, group ride). Consistency skyrockets when “I should train” becomes “we’re meeting at 5:30am” And yes, I get it, I’m an introvert too, so starting that connection can feel awkward. My go to icebreaker is simple: “Hey, I like your bike.” Let me tell you, anyone who compliments my bike is instantly on my “you’re definitely alright” list.
2) Make accountability simple.
A quick “good morning” text, sharing a workout screenshot, or even agreeing on the same shirt color turns a cold, dark start into a small connection. Those daily wins add up.
3) Keep the plan flexible, not fragile.
Work and life happens, and family always comes first. If a session gets missed, don’t spiral. Adjust. Shorten it, swap days, or shift intensity. The goal is protecting the week, not chasing perfection.
4) Bring the positivity.
In my experience, the energy you bring to training and your community is usually what you get back. Be open minded, encourage others, and celebrate small progress, your own and your teammates’.
5) Share a race calendar.
If you can get teammates on the same schedule, it’s even better. Do you know how much fun it is to turn a race into an epic teammate weekend? Road trip (or plane trip), carb load dinner, shakeout swim, ride, or run, and a post race celebration. Maybe even karaoke… though let’s be honest, that’s after a 70.3, not after a 140.6.
If racing is a short term priority, you can do it one and done. But if you weave training into your routine, family, work, and all, it becomes part of your life, like breathing. That’s Vegas Grit.
| | |
The Las Vegas Triathlon Club Legacy Scholarship
On 12/10/20, five Las Vegas athletes were killed when an impaired driver ran into a group of cyclists. The athletes were Tom Trauger, Erin Ray, Aksoy Ahmet, Michael Murray, and Gerrard Nieva. These five athletes are endearingly referred to as TEAMG (Tom, Erin, Aksoy, Michael, and Gerrard).
Following their deaths, there has been an upswell of community support for the families and survivors directly affected. There has also been a renewed call for action to create a safer environment for our athletes to train here in the Greater Las Vegas Valley.
The purpose of the Las Vegas Triathlon Club Legacy Scholarship is to honor the legacy of TEAMG as well as any local triathletes who have been killed or injured as result of distracted driving. The Legacy Scholarship is designed to encourage involvement in triathlon by new athletes, youth athletes, and/or continuing athletes in special need.
More information about the scholarship can be found at this page.
The list of our Scholarship Awardees can be found at these pages:
2025 Winners
2024 Winners
2023 Winners
2022 Winners
This scholarship continues thanks to a generous donation by an anonymous donor.
| | | | |
