Go one more…taco
In this issue:
Cozumel Camp
Get to Know the Pro
RTS Racing
Where You Can Find Us
RTS Podcast Highlights
But first! A Limited Run of the Oversized RTS Hoodie!
Oversized and pigment-dyed, this super cozy RTS hoodie is perfect for travel and available for pre-order for a very limited run - don’t wait, jump on this!
Cozumel Camp: Second Winds and Sunsweats
The third year of the RTS camp in Cozumel, Mexico brought 24 campers (plus 4 significant others and 2 children!), 10 of which were camp first-timers, to make lasting memories, matching tanlines, and endless references to “threshold farming.” 😝
Hundreds of tacos fueled a dozen training sessions across 7 days and 6 nights on the island last month. Six epic group dinners preceded 4 insightful presentations with an equal amount of fully sagged rides.
If camp had one defining smell, as Annie Fuller put it, it was tacos. But if it had a defining feeling, it was the motivation of a shared effort, the kind that builds over miles, speedbumps, and random rain showers until you realize you’re part of something bigger than your own training plan.
We love a poolside (coffee) drink!
For Mike Olson, that momentum started in the pool. “Practicing kick sets is something I typically skip,” he admitted. But after learning how to kick properly, he hasn’t skipped one since returning home. Camp, he said, “is an experience that jump starts your season on the best note possible. It energizes your body and prepares you mentally for the work ahead. Camp shows you where you can improve with all aspects of triathlon.” What began as a new focus in the water became a shift in approach.
On the bike, the standard was just as high. Caleb Judd remarked “I came to camp thinking I’d only be able to sit in the group, but I left thinking I was a lot stronger than I thought and I could push at the front.” Michelle Lanouette reflected, “I’ve done a lot of group rides, but not with the caliber of athletes that I rode with at camp.”
Will they return dry and parched or wet and…also parched?
Will Denis, attending his third camp (the most of any non-pro; someone get this man a punch card!), expected to hear ideas familiar to years past in Nicole’s talk. One idea reframed everything: mental fatigue doesn’t come from hard work; it comes from too many low-value decisions. “You don’t need better time management, you need fewer decisions.” It was advice for training, sure, but also for work, family, and the quiet mental clutter that drains performance long before intervals begin.
But campers enjoyed more than the shop talk about watts, splits, and mental frameworks. They soaked in the in-between moments along with the mocktails and PF&H (and tequila!)
Three hours into a four-hour ride, Dominika Jamnicky and her group stopped at the beach for coconuts. They laughed, sang, and somehow found extra energy for the miles ahead. “It felt light and almost silly at the time,” she said, “but it captured what camp was about for me: shared effort, new friendships, and making the hard work feel fun together.”
A couple of nut jobs taking a break 🤣
While Nick's party playlist ran and the sun was setting, Lisa and Annie warmed up the dance floor. Many followed, sunburnt, tired, and fully alive. At the time, it felt like just another joyful moment for Shyanne McGregor. Looking back, she realized it marked something deeper: the visible proof of friendships formed through shared suffering. “What makes this team special is the people in it.”
Carter Wehrer noticed it not while belting Taylor Swift and Nelly lyrics with others on the boat, but in conversations between sessions. Different stories, same themes: injuries, setbacks, doubt, and over-ambition. The realization that we often think we’re alone in navigating obstacles, when in reality, we’re mostly battling the same obstacles. “It’s rare that you can take 30 people from all across North America, put them in the same place, and it feels like they’ve been lifelong friends.”
Boat hair, don't care, we're used to swim caps, helmets, and hats anyway
And that’s why Scott Parkinson summed it up best. He arrived hoping it would be as great as the year before. He left calling it his favorite vacation of the year…again!
But more than anything, it was a week that reminded everyone that through training, conversation, and shared effort and ceviche platters, that progress is lighter, and far more powerful, when you don’t do it alone.
Get to Know the Pro: Marc Dubrick
Question | Marc’s Answer |
|---|---|
What reality show would you go on? | Survivor |
What’s the most random thing in your search history? | How to build my own swim paddles with a 3D printer |
What’s your favorite food during a long ride? | PF&H gummy cubes or a nice cold Fanta |
Who would play you in a movie? | Jack Ryan?? 😂 |
What weird rabbit hole have you gone down on YouTube/Instagram? | Saltwater aquariums. I could spend hours watching them. |
What’s your triathlon super power? | The first 200 meters of the swim |
What did you want to be when you grew up? | Steve Irwin or Jeff Corwin on Animal Planet |
If you could switch bodies with one person on RTS for a day, who would it be? | Nobody, but if I had to….Jackson, just to see what it’s like to be that aero |
What’s your favorite race course? | For the atmosphere: WTS Hamburg |
With whom on RTS would you want to be stranded on a deserted island? | Garrick. He has to have the best survival skills. |
What’s your go-to mantra? | “It’s good practice.” |
What was your first job? | Lawn mower |
What’s your favorite piece of sponsor equipment that you would pay real dollars for? | ENVE wheels |
Who was your childhood celebrity crush? | Jennifer Aniston |
What song always gets you out on the dance floor? | For me, it’s all about having the right people. |
RTS Racing is Live
Join RTS Racing and thrive with the team all year long - it’s where you can find the discount and webinar info too!
Just $100/year = nonstop perks:
HUGE giveaways (frames, wheels, shoes & more)
Members-only webinars + Q&A
Insider partner discounts
Access to exclusive WhatsApp group
Shout-outs on the pod
RTS merch discounts & random swag drops
*We are NOT exclusive, so please feel free to join even if you are part of other clubs or teams!
Where You Can Find Us
March 15 | March 28 | April 18 |
|---|---|---|
Dallas Little Elm 70.3: Marc Dubrick, Minttu Hukka, Liz Licea, Emma Skaug | Oceanside 70.3: Nick Chase, Jackson Laundry, Marc Dubrick, Annie Fuller, Minttu Hukka, Tom Robey, David Reynolds | IRONMAN Texas: Nick Chase, Kate Curran, Luke Jones, Margarita Ryan, David Reynolds |
The Real Triathlon Podcast
Recent episodes of the Real Triathlon Podcast:
February 5: 20 Meter Draft Zone, Hip Surgeries & Parasites | Bike Fitting Episode 3: Shorter Cranks, Custom Bikes, Bike Fit As We Age on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube
February 12: Riding The TT Bike Again is Hard….WHYYY??? on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube
February 26: How to Lock in On Your Training for Spring Races on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube
Partner Discounts & Webinars
Join RTS Racing for all-access to the discount codes and monthly webinars!
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