Las Vegas Triathlon Club September News and Events

LVTC Happenings!

A monthly report of events and resources for our passionate, growing local multisport community.

Welcome to the September LVTC Newsletter!

Welcome to the September edition of the Las Vegas Triathlon Club Newsletter!

Our theme this month is “Finish What You Started.”

That sounds simple enough in triathlon ... sign up for a race, train, get to the starting line, and cross the finish line. But as several of the stories in this month's newsletter remind us, it isn't always that simple. Life happens. Work happens. Injuries happen. Motivation comes and goes. Sometimes the path we imagined when we started looks very different a few months later.

Finishing what you started doesn't always mean stubbornly sticking to the original plan. Sometimes it means adapting, learning, changing the goal, and continuing to move forward. As Bob points out in The New Triathlete, working through the inevitable roadblocks is part of developing our "triathlon intelligence." And Hilary reminds us that even when life forces us to pivot, the goal doesn't disappear...we can pick it back up and keep moving forward.

That's also a big part of #vegasgrit. It isn't about being the toughest person in the room. It's about persistence, adaptability, and continuing the journey in a way that works for you.

So whether you're approaching a fall finish line, rebuilding after an injury, rediscovering your motivation, or already thinking about a goal for 2027...keep moving forward.

Finish what you started...even if the finish looks a little different than you originally imagined.

Enjoy the newsletter!

#vegasgrit #strongertogether #fearless #lvtrifamily #enjoythejourney #thrive #thatsthevegasway

Congratulations to our 2026 LVTC Point Series Champions!

Four races. A season of swimming, biking, running, racing, and plenty of LVTC fun ... and we have our 2026 Points Series winners!

A huge congratulations to our champions:

Overall Male: Randall Lomax

Overall Female: Melissa Olivas

Male Rookie: Koskani Montoya

Female Rookie: Melissa Sheridan

Male Masters: Bill Greaves & Dennis Nelson

And congratulations to everyone who raced with us throughout the series. The Points Series is about more than the final standings ... it's about showing up, challenging yourself, supporting each other, and being part of the LVTC community.

Thank you to all of our athletes, volunteers, sponsors, and everyone who helped make the 2026 series such a success.

You can find out more about our points series on our website.

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.

Thank you to our 2026 sponsors:

Core Mental Health Services
Elevation Physical Therapy
Respect The Distance Coaching
UNLV SPEED Lab
UNLV Department of Kinesiology & Nutrition Sciences

Las Vegas Triathlon Club Events

That's a wrap on our 2026 LVTC Race Series!

We hosted four multisport events this year, including two Sprint Triathlons, an Aquabike, and our season-ending Super Sprint. Thank you to everyone who raced, volunteered, cheered, and helped make another LVTC season a success!

All 2026 race results are available on our Club Events page.

Our 2026 Points Series Champions have also been crowned! Congratulations to our winners and to everyone who participated throughout the season. You can see the results and learn more about the Points Series on our LVTC Race Series page.

And while the 2026 race series may be finished...we're already starting to plan for 2027! Stay tuned for next year's race dates and details.

In the meantime, LVTC activities continue throughout the year. Check our club calendar for upcoming workouts, social events, and other opportunities to connect with the LVTC community.

Continue to check our Facebook Group for other happenings in our endurance community.

Here are the results of our 2026 events:

4/12/26	Sprint Triathlon	RESULTS
5/10/26	Sprint Triathlon	RESULTS
6/6/26	Aquabike	RESULTS
8/22/26	Super Sprint Triathlon	RESULTS

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 2026 Club events:

4/12/26: Sprint Triathlon - RESULTS

5/10/26: Sprint Triathlon - RESULTS

6/6/26: Aquabike - RESULTS

8/22/26: Super Sprint Tri - RESULTS

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:

Your Dream Called. It's Time For You to Answer.

Somewhere out there, you have a goal you haven’t acted on yet.

Maybe it’s been living in the back of your mind for a while now, quietly showing up every time you see a race recap on social media, every time a friend crosses a finish line, every time you drive past a group of cyclists on a Sunday morning and feel that pull in your chest that you can’t quite explain. You know the one.

That pull? That’s your dream knocking. And it’s time to open the door.

September is a funny month in the triathlon world. The racing season is winding down, the finish line banners are coming down, and most of us are somewhere between celebrating what we accomplished and quietly planning what comes next. Some of you have already raced more times than you can count this year. Some of you toed the line for the very first time. And some of you had a goal that didn’t quite come together in 2026 - life happened, work happened, health happened, and that dream got carefully folded up and moved to next year.

Wherever you are right now, this article is for you.

At races and events throughout this season I’ve had the same conversation more times than I can count. Someone walks up, finds out I’ve done ten IRONMANs, and their eyes go wide. And then comes the dream…spoken quietly, almost like a confession.

“I would love to do a 70.3 someday.”

“A full Ironman has always been on my bucket list.”

“I did my first sprint this year and I already want to do an Olympic.”

Every single time I hear this my answer is the same: so what’s stopping you?

Because here’s the truth about dreams in this sport, they don’t get easier to chase the longer you wait. The start line doesn’t get less intimidating with time. But the moment you commit, the moment you actually register and put your name on that entry list, something shifts. The dream stops being a fantasy and starts being a plan.

If you participated in any event this year, whether it was a Las Vegas Tri Club event, another local race, or one of the big marquee races, you already did the hardest thing. You started.

You showed up when it would have been easier to stay home. You trained through the Las Vegas weather (both cold and warm), the doubt, and the competing demands of a full life. You crossed a finish line - or you tried, and life redirected you, and either way you are further along in your journey than you were on January 1st.

That matters. Don’t minimize it.

But now it’s time for the next step. Because finishing what you started doesn’t just mean crossing the finish line of the race you did this year. It means continuing the journey. It means honoring the version of yourself that showed up this season by giving them something to look forward to next season.

If you did your first event this year and you’re already dreaming bigger, go ahead and trust that feeling. Sign up. Take the next step. The distance that intimidates you today is the distance you’ll be coaching someone else through in a few years.

If life forced you to pivot this year and your goal is carrying over to next season, it didn’t disappear. It’s just waiting. Pick it back up and move forward with it.

And if you’re still standing at the edge of the dream, not quite ready to commit, let this be your nudge. The sport of triathlon will meet you exactly where you are. It always does.

You started something this year. A goal, a dream, a journey that belongs entirely to you.

Now finish it.

~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:

Remember Your Why ... And Keep It Fun

One of the great things about registering for a race is the motivation that comes with it. You hit the registration button, put the race on the calendar, and suddenly there is a reason to get out the door and train. I know that works for me. There is something exciting about having an event out there waiting for you.

But then ... life happens.

Work gets busy. Family responsibilities take priority. Injuries happen. Sometimes you simply get tired of training. And as race day gets closer, you realize you are not quite where you thought you would be when you enthusiastically clicked that registration button months earlier.

Sometimes the right decision is to walk away from the race. That can be one of the hardest decisions we make as athletes. Remember, triathlon should add value to your life. If preparing for a race is interfering with your health, family, work, relationships, or other important parts of your life, or if you have an injury that could be made worse by racing, stepping away may be the best decision.

But there is another situation that is probably familiar to many of us this time of year.

We are finally coming out of another long Las Vegas summer. We’ve spent months training in the heat, getting up ridiculously early, riding indoors, and planning workouts around triple-digit temperatures. The excitement we had when we registered for that fall race may have faded a little. Suddenly, skipping today's workout sounds pretty good ... and tomorrow's workout isn't looking much better.

That doesn't necessarily mean it's time to walk away. Maybe it's time to remember why you registered for the race. Sometimes we don't need more motivation...we just need to recapture some of the motivation we already had.

And maybe the way to do that isn't another structured swim, bike, or run. Go hike Mt. Charleston. Try paddleboarding. Ride your mountain bike. Swim somewhere different. Meet some friends for an easy ride with absolutely no concern about watts or pace. Do something that reminds you that being active is supposed to be fun.

Yes, some workouts are hard. Some hurt. Some require discipline when we'd rather stay in bed. But underneath all of that, the fun should still be there. If training has stopped being fun for an extended period, change something. There is no rule saying every workout has to look like "triathlon training."

So as the temperatures finally start coming down and we head into the fall racing season...check in with yourself. If there is a good reason to walk away from a race, have the courage to do it.

But if you're simply tired, a little burned out, or have lost some of that excitement...

Remember your why. Do something fun. Find your rhythm again.

Then get back out there.

Have fun and train smart!

#vegasgrit #strongertogether #thatsthevegasway #fearless #enjoythejourney #lvtrifamily

~John Mercer

The New Triathlete

Finish What You Started

Intelligence isn’t a measure of how much you know, it’s a measure of your ability to learn. In practical terms, it’s a measure of how well you think and how well you apply knowledge to solve problems. You may know a lot, but can you apply that knowledge to achieve your goals? Can you learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others? We know that Triathlon requires strength, endurance, and speed, but it also requires intelligence.

We all have our problems. How you deal with these problems and learn from them defines you and your character. These problems manifest as injuries, illnesses, adverse work schedules, relationship stress, financial restraints, and even growing old. Solving these problems – and developing the ability to do so – is as important as building strength, endurance, and physical skill. It is a measure of your Triathlon intelligence.

As a new triathlete, you will be blind-sided by some of these problems. Solving them will take resourcefulness and intelligence, and represents a significant challenge. But here’s a secret – solving these problems is as much a victory as crossing a finish line, and builds character.

So remember this: You will hit some speedbumps and roadblocks in your Triathlon journey, and the journey can get tough. When you work through the problems that arise, and when you treat your failings as learnings, you not only raise your Triathlon IQ, you grow as a person in ways that improve your life. And your Triathlon victories will be all the sweeter because you will have used your intelligence and you will have finished what you started.

~Bob Gamble

Where in the World Has Our TRI Club Raced?

Check out the map below to see where our athletes have raced!

The Evidence-Based Triathlete

Summer Break!

Check out our previous episodes:

Vegas Grit Member Spotlight - Leland Childres

In this new feature in our newsletter, we highlight a member that exemplifies our club theme: Vegas Grit. Leland Childres is our Vegas Grit Spotlight for this month!

If you had asked me two years ago where I would be today, I probably would have told you recovering from a night out of binge eating and drinking. I never would have imagined toeing the start line of events at 6 a.m., completely drug- and alcohol-free.

But a doctor’s visit changed everything. I was short of breath and couldn’t keep up with my daughter running up the stairs. I was overweight and didn’t even have any good cholesterol. I knew I needed to change something, and I needed to change it fast.

With a background in wrestling and downhill skateboard racing, I knew I wanted to find something individual where I could push myself and go fast. After watching an Ironman race, I think I knew what I wanted to do.

One of my toughest challenges in this sport is consistency with my diet and finding the time to get all my training in. Being a husband, father, and executive sous chef makes staying focused on my diet and juggling my time very difficult. But I think I’ve finally found my rhythm.

There are a couple of things I’m really proud of. I’ve completed four sprint-distance triathlons and three half marathons, with a PR of 1:47. I’ve also lost a total of 70 pounds since I began this journey. But the thing I’m most proud of is setting a great example for my family—showing up for myself and showing them that you can do hard things.

For the newcomers, first and foremost, HAVE FUN. Every race and event is a great learning experience, and your biggest competition is yourself. You don’t need all the top-notch equipment. Budget-friendly gear can get you to the finish line just as well. But a nice saddle will save your butt—literally.

I have a few goals in mind right now. I’m planning to do my first Olympic-distance race next month. Then, on my birthday next year, I’ll be doing my very first Ironman 70.3 in Oregon. Somewhere down the line, I’d also like to take on a 100-mile ultra.

“Vegas grit” to me means pushing through the hard times and remembering that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Pain is temporary, and it’s okay to fail. Just fail forward and learn from your mistakes.

I’m just glad to be part of a community that is always willing to teach, support, and help people grow. Everyone I meet at races and events is incredibly welcoming and always curious about your story. Every athlete seems genuinely concerned about your safety and what they can do to help.

Two years ago, I couldn’t have imagined this life. Now I’m showing up at 6 a.m., drug- and alcohol-free, chasing goals I never thought were possible—and hopefully showing my family that no matter where you start, you can always move forward.

New LVTC Board Member: Secretary Christine Ruemmler-Gamble

Welcome Christine Ruemmler-Gamble as the LVTC Secretary! She joins the board with some great knowledge of the club as well as a new triathlete!

She’s completed our club Aquabike and Super Sprint events! She’s also supported many of our events in a variety of ways (eg, swim support, event logistics, …).

Welcome Christine!

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:

This scholarship continues thanks to a generous donation by an anonymous donor.

Las Vegas Triathlon Club http://www.lvtriclub.com

Editor: Quyen Luu