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LVTC Happenings!
A monthly report of events and resources for our passionate, growing local multisport community.
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Fall into Stronger Fitness
As we move into the fall season, our theme Fall into Stronger Fitness reminds us that strength comes in many forms – from training and racing to supporting, encouraging, and celebrating one another. This month’s newsletter highlights the many ways our LVTC community continues to grow stronger together.
One of the most inspiring stories you’ll find is our celebration of Quyen Luu, this year’s recipient of the Glasser Award. Quyen’s dedication to volunteering, her leadership with our Newsletter, and her courage while facing personal challenges embody the very spirit of this honor. We are so proud to recognize her contributions to the LVTC family.
You’ll also find:
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A thoughtful Coach’s Corner on the many layers of support in triathlon.
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Guidance for newer athletes in The New Triathlete column on balancing performance and expectations.
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Our Stronger Together Spotlight, featuring members who remind us why this community is so special.
- And, as always, resources, updates, and stories to keep you connected and inspired.
Each piece in this issue ties back to the heart of triathlon – that we are stronger when we train, race, and support each other as a community.
Here’s to an inspiring fall season… let’s continue to fall into stronger fitness together!
#strongertogether #fearless #lvtrifamily #enjoythejourney #thrive #thatsthevegasway
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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:
#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.
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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:
A huge thank you to each of our 2025 Sprint Level Sponsors!
- CORE Mental Health Services
- Elevate Sports Performance & Healthcare
- Elevation Physical Therapy
- Respect The Distance Coaching
- UNLV Kinesiology & Nutrition Sciences
- UNLV SPEED Lab
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Las Vegas Triathlon Club Events
The Las Vegas Triathlon Club Events for the 2025 season have concluded! Thank you to everyone who participated and to all of the volunteers who make our events possible. You inspire us all with your hard work and your tri spirit. Your dedication is what makes our LVTC community so strong! The results of our 2025 events are below:
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You can also check the results from each event at our website.
We also have a variety of events throughout the year. You can view the calendar of events at this link:
Las Vegas Triathlon Club Calendar
Continue to check our Facebook Group for other happenings in our endurance community.
Here are the results of our 2024 events:
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The 2025 Las Vegas Triathlon Club Glasser Award | |
The Las Vegas Triathlon Club is a 501c(3) organization that is 100% operated by volunteers. We have so many great volunteers - and each year we like to recognize a volunteer that goes above the call through the ‘Glasser Award.’ This award is named for Past President Shawna Glasser for her leadership and dedication to the club. More information about the award is at this link.
The Las Vegas Triathlon Club is proud to recognize Quyen Luu with the Glasser Award, which honors members who embody the true spirit of giving back and strengthening our triathlon community.
Quyen has been an essential part of our club’s success. At every event, she steps up to help with athlete check-in, results management, and is the communications hub – as well as other countless behind-the-scenes details that ensure things run smoothly. Beyond race-day support, she also creates our monthly LVTC Newsletter – and what an outstanding job she has done! From layout and design, to pictures and copy-editing, Quyen has elevated the Newsletter into a professional-quality publication that keeps our community informed and connected.
What makes her contributions even more remarkable is that she continues to give her time and energy while courageously undergoing cancer treatment. Her perseverance and commitment are an inspiration to all of us.
We are so excited for the day when we can see Quyen back training and racing after she completes her treatment. Her strength, dedication, and positivity truly reflect the heart of the LVTC community. Please join us in celebrating her well-deserved recognition with the Glasser Award!
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Las Vegas Triathlon Club Potluck - Friday, October 10, 6:00 PM
Join Us for the Las Vegas Tri Club Potluck!
We’re excited to invite everyone to a club potluck on Friday, October 10th at 6:00 PM! Bring your favorite dish, your training tales, and your enthusiasm—we can't wait to see you all there!
RSVP
Here's What You Need to Know:
- Bring something: Whether you're a gourmet chef or a master of the microwave, we encourage you to bring a dish or snack to share. Please let us know what you're bringing by Wednesday 10/8, so we can ensure a variety of options for everyone.
- RSVP in the Google Doc (link above): Please confirm your attendance by Wednesday, 10/8. Don't forget to mention if you're bringing guests along.
- The location is in Centennial Hills/Providence area and will be emailed to everyone who RSVPs on the Google Doc.
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Socials/Training Events/Education
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Check out and subscribe to our calendar feature (a continuing work-in-progress):
Las Vegas Triathlon Club Calendar
Las Vegas Triathlon Club Potluck
10/10/25: Friday at 6:00PM
RSVP
These were the dates for our 2025 Club events:
- 4/26/25: Saturday - Sprint Triathlon
- RESULTS
- 6/15/25: Sunday - Sprint Triathlon
- RESULTS
- 7/12/25: Saturday - Aquabike
- RESULTS
- 8/10/25: Sunday - 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!
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Coach's Corner:
The Many Layers of Support in Triathlon
When we talk about triathlon, we often think about the training hours, the gear, the nutrition, and the mental toughness it takes to get to the finish line. But underneath it all lies something less tangible and arguably more important: support.
Support doesn’t always come wrapped in the same package. It starts in the quiet places, often at home, with family members who rearrange schedules, juggle responsibilities, or patiently listen to us talk about bike gears and brick workouts. They may not always understand the thrill of a negative split, but they understand us.
Then there are our friends and co-workers. The ones who might not be out on the road or in the pool with us, but who show up in different ways. Maybe it’s a good luck text before a race, or someone who sits through hours of tracking updates just so they can cheer when our name flashes on the screen.
But perhaps the most unique layer of support comes from fellow athletes. These are the training partners who meet us at sunrise for long rides, or the ones who suffer through track intervals by our side. They get it. They know the grind, the soreness, the early alarms, and the stubborn drive that keeps us moving forward.
And then-there are the strangers. The ones who appear on race day. Sometimes it’s a volunteer who hands you water at just the right moment, a fellow competitor who shouts encouragement as you pass each other, or a spectator who sees the look on your face and tells you to keep going. That small gesture, those words from someone you may never see again can land heavier than any finish line medal. Because in that moment, it feels like they’ve known you forever.
Triathlon is often called an individual sport, but the truth is we’re never really alone. Our community, from the people closest to us to the strangers who cheer us on for just a fleeting second, is what carries us through the miles.
The next time you step up to the start line, remember this: your journey is fueled not just by your training, but by the network of support that surrounds you. Cherish it. Give it back when you can. Because one day, you may be that stranger on the course, the one who unknowingly helps someone else find their finish line.
~Hilary Mauch
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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.
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Las Vegas Triathlon Club Member Spotlight
Stay tuned for future episodes! Check out last month's Member Spotlights:
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The Evidence-Based Triathlete
Check out our previous episodes:
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Prez Corner:
Fall into Stronger Fitness
As the long summer days start to shorten and the desert mornings get a little cooler, we have a great opportunity to “fall” into stronger fitness. Surviving the Vegas summer heat is no small accomplishment … and for many of us, just getting in consistent training during those triple-digit days is a victory in itself. Now, with cooler weather ahead, we can build on that hard-earned summer fitness and take the next step forward.
For some, fall means preparing for late-season races – maybe your first triathlon will be one of our local fall races! For others, it is about recovery, rebuilding, and laying the foundation for the next season. Wherever you are on your triathlon journey, this is the perfect season to focus on strength – not just physical strength, but also mental and community strength.
- Physical strength: Carry that summer endurance into the fall by adding strength training, mobility work, and focused sessions. Even a few minutes a day can go a long way toward injury prevention and improved performance.
- Mental strength: Training through the Vegas summer builds grit. Use that same persistence and resilience to stay steady and positive as you push toward your fall goals. Remember, triathlon should be adding value to your life … keep things positive!
- Community strength: Our LVTC community is built on encouragement and support. I’ve been reminded time and again how powerful this is… whether it’s someone offering me a word of encouragement or when I get a chance to encourage others … giving and receiving support is deeply inspiring. It reminds me that we’re not in this alone – we are part of a community that lifts each other up.
So as the season shifts, let’s celebrate what we’ve endured this summer, and take advantage of the cooler weather to recommit to our health, our training, and our triathlon dreams. Let’s finish the year strong … and fall into stronger fitness together!
See you out there!
#strongertogether #thatsthevegasway #fearless #enjoythejourney #lvtrifamily
~John Mercer
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The New Triathlete
Fall: A Time for Careful Assessment and Caution
Fall is a complicated and complex time of year, especially for triathletes. Complicated in that there are many aspects of triathlon racing and training that need to be coordinated, timed and brought together to have successful races – races that are plentiful this time of year. Complex in that many of these aspects affect and interact with each other, for both positive and potentially negative outcomes.
Your endurance, strength and skill may be peaking, but so will your expectations. This time of year can be complicated, and it calls for you to not only assess your strengths and weaknesses, but also to balance these against your expectations of performance. The quickest way for a new triathlete to have a disappointing performance or a DNF is to set lofty expectations and push yourself to meet them. To avoid this, I implore you to set goals based on planning and swimming, biking, running, and transitioning with great form, and deliberately following your plan rather than setting goals of particular times for each. Focus on your form and technique, not on your watch.
More importantly, your fitness and performance this time of year is complex, and I don’t only mean physically. You’ve been training hard all year and preparing for the Fall racing season. You may or may not be where you want to be. You may have experienced injuries or other setbacks. Realize that your physical fitness is only one aspect of your being. Pay attention to your mental and emotional fitness as well. Hard training, as well as disappointments and failed expectations can affect these parts of you as well. How do you feel? How is your motivation? Are you burned out? Do you need a break? Do you need to back off? We’ve talked about your support network before – don’t be afraid to reach out. Pushing yourself when you are down can have the same effect as training hard while injured. Be careful.
~Bob Gamble
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Where in the World Has Our TRI Club Raced?
Check out the map below to see where our athletes have raced!
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Stronger Together Member Spotlight - Sean Butterfield
In this new feature in our newsletter, we highlight a member that exemplifies our club theme: Stronger Together. This month, Sean Butterfield is our Stronger Together Spotlight!
I have always enjoyed pushing myself to see what I am capable of, mostly through individual sports. I enjoyed the competition but each of those sports were cut throat and not friendly.
In 2019 I was injured in a car crash and did not think I could ever compete in sports again. In the Marine Corps I learned about overcoming adversity, so I became focused on getting healthy and competitive again. I have been interested in Triathlons since the 2000’s, but it was never the right time until now.
Last year I bought a bike, determined to compete in a triathlon. I started working alone and then found this club. Stronger Together is so important to me. We compete, but everyone is there to help each other get better and to meet our goals. Training together provides knowledge and motivation. I can see the difference between working alone and working to be Stronger Together. The events I have participated in have been amazing and memorable, enjoying friends and seeing the fruits of everyone’s hard work. My most recent event and most memorable moment was in Flagstaff, the Olympic distance triathlon. That showed me the power of being a part of this endurance community, with the shared knowledge, motivation and support of friends at the finish line, it was awesome!
My advice if you are new to the sport is consistent training, nutrition and asking question.
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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 - Congratulations Mattie Williams and Joshua Lira!
2024 Winners
2023 Winners
2022 Winners
This scholarship continues thanks to a generous donation by an anonymous donor.
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