High Cloud Foundation Blog

Thanks to all for High Cloud PeasantMan Tri!

Sat, 12 May 2012 20:36:00 GMT

Thank you everyone for a wonderful High Cloud PeasantMan Triathlon! We should all be SUPER PROUD! Take great pride in being part of this wonderful endeavor.

On behalf of Matt, Tuan and I we would like to thank everyone that make this event a huge success:

Becky: Her organization and attention to detail managed the volunteer force of more than 54 people. She was an essential part in the planning and implementation of this event. Becky lead the event from the early stages, worked countless of hours during the organization phase and diligently ensured that the aid stations and course were fully staffed with the best volunteers imaginable. Thanks so much for the wonderful coordination emails keeping everyone up-to-date on all of the thousand moving parts. You are a true blessing! Not even mentioning the extremely successful Happy Hour and Fundraiser that she managed at McFaddens!
Trevor: He worked in every stage of the operation, whether it was sponsorships, logistical support, transportation, timing equipment, etc. He graciously offered his house for the Planning Meetings and was very enthusiastic about every task. He performed countless other tasks over 5 months to support the Peasantman Festivities. Couldn’t have done it without you!
Brenda and Megan: They organized and staffed a flawless food operation. Not only did Brenda managed the Post Race Food Operation but she made the Pman Council feel right at home by spoiling us with tons of delicious food during the weekend. You made us feel like we were on a cruise ship :)
Simon: We are blessed to have such a man on our Team. The huge logistical effort required to support all of the events was made to look easy by Simon. We are simply amazed and extremely grateful. Long after everyone was home, Simon, Matt and I were still cleaning the house, taking the trash out, loading the truck, unloading the truck at multiple locations etc. He has an amazing endurance and a great positive energy! Today was an awesome operation as well! Not sure what energy drink you take but it is definitely contagious!
Glenn: Pure awesomeness...that is what comes up when we “Google” his name :) Not only did he drive almost 16 hours roundtrip to support the event but he helped us tremendously in every single part of this endeavor from learning the timing equipment during a last minute 30 second session to diving with an underwater camera during the swim, to setup/cleanup, etc. His unconditional support and willingness to help is just priceless.
Mark: He is the spirit of High Cloud. His energy is so contagious that the brand new NTPers were just dancing away at the start line of the swim while he was taking pictures :) Mark not only helped us with the setup/breaking down but he ran around for countless hours taking pictures of everyone at the event.
Jen: An extraordinary person! No words can describe how amazing her support was for the success of this event. She worked countless of hours behind the scenes to make sure the most important pieces were in place. We were talking daily in the wee hours to ensure a flawless operation.
Saguna: A wonderful High Clouder and an essential part of this Team! She made dreams come true by getting a sponsor to pay for the beautiful signage that you saw throughout the course! No one got loss because of you Saguna! Not to mention how she stood at the gate for hours in the rain directing the triathletes and collecting entrance fees!
Randy: You are an amazing High Clouder! It was only Glenn, Simon and Randy who had to spend all day Friday from early morning till the evening loading massive quantities of equipment from 4 different locations in VA, DC, and MD. We all need to thank them not only for their hard work, but also for their constant positive attitude and ever present smiles and willingness to help. Also big thanks to Randy for making the High Cloud Lake Anna HQ feel like home!
Carrie: Always willing to help and lend a hand. She and Brenda drove miles and miles away to get the food that we needed for the BBQs.
Gloria: She has a truly magical touch with marketing and sponsors! Thanks so much for everything! You are a true blessing!
Ed Moser: His unconditional support and positive attitude was contagious throughout the planning of this event. With Simon he led a great bike clinic and during the preparation of PMan he helped us tremendously market the event with his social media comments and pics :)
Ron and Courtney: Extraordinary High Clouders who managed the registration site and helped with the planning of the event from the very early stages. They were essential in every aspect of PMan and many other High Cloud events; you literally can count on them for every single event! They have so many great qualities! Ron even drove to Lake Anna just to deliver some items that we have forgotten :) By the way no other singer can replace Court’s beautiful voice!
Denis: We wouldn’t have been able to have done PMan without you! The swim course was structured perfectly and even though we had a number of very new triathletes, you gave them the confidence to try with your amazing army of Kayakers and Wave One SEALS :)
Dan, Suzanne Kinsky. and Amanda C: Incredible people who managed their crews flawlessly! You guys completely Rocked!
Rick and Suzanne (Mom): Thanks so much for all your help this weekend! Baby Kailee was very well taken care of and super happy throughout all of the festivities. What a blessing!

Thanks to the scores of volunteers who made this event operate. Whether you: handed out water, stood for hours as a course marshal, handed out bibs or timing tags, picked up garbage, loaded and unloaded supplies, stuffed goodie bags, passed out food; know that your service was a valuable contribution to the success of the event.

We are extremely proud to serve with you all. We could not have done it without YOU! Like High Cloud’s saying: It was definitely a “Dream Come True”

Cheers to All and Stay Tuned for Awesome Pictures!! More than 500 pics are on their way (Thanks Mark!!)

Adriana and Matt

3rd Annual High Cloud Kids Run 3K in South America

Fri, 11 May 2012 15:32:00 GMT

We wanted to share with you a great video of the third annual High Cloud 3K that we had with the kids in South America. The medals and running shoes were donated straight from athletes just like you!

This is a very small example of how much we can do when we combine our passions with helping others!

The kids really love these races!

http://animoto.com/play/R2Fwp5L9yVTeqXpOAJxPKA

High Cloud PeasantMan Registration Open

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:59:00 GMT

https://www.highcloudevents.org/index.php?id=28

Join us on Sunday, May 6th, 2012 at the High Cloud PeasantMan Triathlon at the beautiful Lake Anna State Park and Beach. As part of the PeasantMan experience, there will be an open water swim component in the waters of Lake Anna, which will then be followed by a bike ride that will go through the beautiful Park. The run will be along the trails overlooking the Lake. The bike ride willhave an optionof10.5 and 21 miles. The swim will have a 750 meter and 1,500 meter option. The run will have a 5k and 10k option and there will be a T-1/T-2 area. We will follow the event with an amazing BBQ celebration, a post race massage to help you unwind your PeasantMan accomplishment and dozens of Georgetown sweet and yummy cupcakes!. High Cloud's PeasantMan has finishers prizes, raffles, on-course support to keep you pumped up, sponsored food, beverages and much more! You will reach your High Cloud and get a whole VIP experience with your PeasantMan victory celebration! We have everything to make this a great event. It is more than a training day; it is global event embracing many communities, children and athletes at once! Proceeds from the event will go to provide educational and sports programs to the High Cloud and Achieve children!

PeasantMan is a triathlon that benefits the low income families that we support here in the US and around the world and the name "PeasantMan" was created in order to honor the people that High Cloud supports and that work so hard day and night in their farms toprovide for their families. In other words, the intent with the name was to render a homage to the arduous work of the farmers that High Cloud serves around the world. We feel extremely proud of what they do and that was our thought for the name, to cross the finish line of the High Cloud PeasantMantriathlon was a symbol of hard work and persistence to accomplish a particular goal. So please know that participating in the High Cloud Peasantman makes a huge impact in the lives of many people around the world.

If you want to show up only to swim, bike, or run .... that is also acceptable! This is a training day with a picnic in a social atmosphere as opposed to a competitive one. No one there will be tracking your time. You go and handle things at your own pace. Come out and have fun with folks who share your passions.

See some pics from last year at: http://highcloud.ning.com/

Find more photos like this on High Cloud Foundation

We would like you to join our Firstgiving High Cloud PeasantMan Challenge, where you would be eligible for some fabulous raffle prizes.To do so, please click the following link and sign up:http://www.firstgiving.com/highcloud

Make a Donation to High Cloud by clicking on the following link:http://www.highcloud.org/donateand click on the "Donate" button

For more information please contact the High Cloud PeasantMan Council at peasantman@highcloud.org

Find videos from High Cloud events on our Community page:http://highcloud.ning.com/

High Cloud in 2011

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:40:00 GMT

Team,

We hope all is well and that you enjoyed the opportunity during the Holidays to recharge and spend some quality time with your family, friends and loved ones. This is the perfect time to reflect on our accomplishments, our challenges, our careers, our race events, the lessons that we have learned and those wonderful activities that make our lives more fulfilled and enjoyable.

As the year kicks off, we wanted to send a note to say THANK YOU!!

We had a successful 2011 and saw first-hand how we are making a real impact with our schools, with our communities around the world and with each other as High Clouders. We feel very blessed to work with such an incredibly talented and passionate group! Because of you and many others, High Cloud was able to carry on its mission to serve more than 3000 children here in the US and around the world. In 2011 we were able to conduct 8 conflict analysis and resolution workshops that allowed us to reduce violence among the families and communities by 46%. Our sports and self-confidence programs improved self-defeating behaviors and our educational programs allowed students to make a positive transition to higher levels of education with more than 62% of the children (ages 6-17) achieving better grades in elementary and high school and improving school attendance by 72%. Similarly, High Cloud has provided much needed funding to: our schools in Peru to completely re-build the school and bathrooms, our orphanages in India are providing clothing, food and extracurricular activities to the High Cloud children, and our micro-finance projects in South America have expanded and single mothers who have lost their husbands are now completely managing their own businesses and supporting their families --this microfinance program grew to more than 30 families benefiting from the program. Also, in Washington DC and Northern Virginia, our at-risk youth have been supported with funding, food and clothes and we have served many homeless people most recently through the High Cloud Snapple Homeless Hat Run. If you get a chance, check the High Cloud Ning page to see pictures and videos from all of these amazing programs.

These are just a few examples of what we have done throughout the year and a small proof of our collective humanitarian efforts. We should all be proud of these great achievements! You have contributed to the success of High Cloud, our humanitarian efforts, educational / microfinance programs, local community projects and race management operations. This is truly amazing, we have a great Team! Below is a video of the most recent High Cloud humanitarian trip in South America. Thanks so much to High Clouders Jamie Van Vuren and Andre for making these dreams come true! Without Bee Line, Vending for Health and their support, we would not have been able to deliver so many toys, clothes, soccer balls and school supplies to our High Cloud children:

http://animoto.com/play/dypCAZ7OdBX7ggitGaSJNA

Warmly,

Adriana and Matt

High Cloud Foundation 2012 Dream Team Application

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:33:00 GMT

High Cloud is now accepting applications for its the High Cloud 2012 Dream Team. The team will be comprised of a successful group of male and female athletes (professional and amateurs alike) from all ages and all over the world: USA, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Africa, Austria, among others. The High Cloud Athletes will serve as Ambassadors for the High Cloud children and Brand Ambassadors for multiple High Cloud Sponsors at all endurance events where the High Clouders participate and compete in around the world.

To be considered for the Team, please fill out the below application by midnight February 10th 2012. If you cannot see the form below, you can access the application at:

https://docs.google.com/a/highcloud.org/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dGFDcF9DRFpZT09ZeTRpUmg2QjJuZWc6MA#gid=0

Activities & Blog from Hillary Biscay (IM Champ)!

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 22:57:00 GMT

Team,

When you are out there either running a Marathon, taking on a 50K or a Triathlon and you are digging deep into your spirit for that extra spark to get you through the last miles, remember that with every step you take you are having a huge impact in a child's life.

These past few months alone, High Cloud has provided much needed funding to: our schools in Peru to completely re-build the school and bathrooms (http://highcloud.ning.com/photo/albums/peru-2011), our orphanages in India are providing clothing, food and education to the High Cloud children, our micro-finance projects in South America have expanded and single mothers who have lost their husbands are now completely managing their own businesses and supporting their families (http://highcloud.ning.com/photo/albums/high-cloud-south-america). In addition, funding has been provided to pay for the High Cloud children’s school exams in Kenya as well as to sustain our women’s business workshops, family planning and healthcare projects. Similarly, we have provided funding to teach workshops and raise awareness on anti-explosives and identification of landmines so that we can increase our efforts to provide a safe environment to our High Cloud communities and children in Kenya. These projects will launch next month under AJs leadership and they will help to educate and alleviate the hardships endured by these children who are the principal victims of these misfortunes.

In Rio de Janeiro Brazil, our school in Rocinha is launching a great environmental, health promotion and disease prevention project. Thanks to Alana and Lais for lending their creativity, intellectual talent and energy to this worthy project. (http://highcloud.ning.com/photo/albums/high-cloud-brazil)

Last but not least, in Washington DC, our at-risk youth have been supported such as with the Achieve youth triathlon training camp aligning perfectly with our Cloud of Sports program which helps build children's characters by motivating them to stay away from bad influences. Throughout the year, High Cloud has provided more than $4000 towards this endeavor.

See the below shout out High Cloud received from a great friend and an extraordinary person, 5 time Ironman Champion Hillary Biscay for High Cloud's support to Nate, an inner city at-risk youth in California who was living in a terrible situation with only a couple options in life and both included gangs and basic survival. But now with support from High Clouders just like yourself, Nate not only graduated from High School with honors but he is attending College! This is a huge accomplishment and will not only have a positive impact on Nate but also his entire family!

Team, when you are out there racing, remember the extraordinary impact that you are having in so many lives around the world! We are carrying our mission to promote national and international development, sports, education and human values. Let's rock it!!

All the best

Adriana and Matt

See our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/highcloudfoundation

"Those who are following our Exceeding Expectations Scholarship fundraiser might have noticed that our little progress bar took a big jump this past week . . . Yes, my friends, we are truly ALMOST THERE NOW!! As of today, we have raised $14,225 towards our goal of $15,000—which will be matched to make our total $30,000, or two years of Nate’s tuition and expenses for UCSD.

Last week’s massive progress came both from our smashfest tees–which are still available in most sizes—and thanks for the most part to an extremely generous donation from an amazing organization called High Cloud. High Cloud is a foundation run and supported by triathletes that works to alleviate poverty in places all over the globe, with a specific focus on mothers and children. Most of High Cloud’s work has been abroad, so I feel so very fortunate that I was able to connect with its founders, Adriana and Matt Anderson, through Ironman Louisville and bring their attention to Exceeding Expectations; they realized that our program was doing work right here at home which in line with High Cloud’s mission!

I must say that this connection was eye-opening for me too, as it made me realize that all was far from lost in my “bad” race in Louisville; I learned that sometimes there are far more important reasons for my being out there than simply a good race result.

Thanks so much High Cloud and all of you who have supported this fundraising effort! We are truly almost there, and it is your generosity that has made this happen! THANK YOU!!

Hillary Biscay"

Short and Sweet

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:08:00 GMT

Written by Francesca Di Silvio

My 2011 triathlon season ended a long 7 months after it began with the Waterman’s Sprint on October 9. This my first time racing in the inaugural Maryland Triathlon Series, but I expected going things having raced a lot in the Virginia Triathlon Series and the race did not disappoint. As a DC-based triathlete, the best part of the race for me was its location, an easy hour drive from the city. I also want to compliment the many race volunteers and the excellent bike course made up of wide, smoothly paved, and essentially traffic-free roads!

For those who have never raced at General Smallwood State Park and Mattawoman Bay, the most important bit of course info is that the water is full of an aquatic weed called hydrilla. I knew this from having raced the same course in 2009, and I think the plant life was out in even greater effect this year. I was mentally prepared when I hit the first patch of weeds early in the swim and since it was right in the middle of the course I figured there was no better option than to just plow through. At one point, I definitely had green tentacles across my face and wrapped around my arm and figured I might come into T1 as a green monster, but fortunately the plants detached themselves naturally as the swim progressed. I hit the first turn buoy just behind another woman and was following her feet when I realized that she had turned too far and was actually heading back towards the swim start. I believe I only lost a bit of time and distance going off course here, but this is the most confused I have ever been during a swim course. It was a combination of sun, limited buoys, and following others, so my lesson learned is to trust my own judgment of the course and take the time to really stop and sight if needed. I made it back into the main line of swimmers quickly and though I had no idea where I stood, I ended up being the first woman out of the water.

The run from the marina up to T1 was long and uphill so I decided to stop and remove my wetsuit at the first opportunity. I think my transition time proves this was a good decision, even though it was a big awkward to run carrying a wetsuit. With a semi-flying mount, I was first on the bike and determined to ride hard as I could so that no one could catch me. It turned out that I did not see a lot of other competitors during the bike leg, including men passing me or that I passed, so in spots I got nervous that I could miss a turn. The course was extremely well-marked, however, so I was reassured at every intersection that I was in the right place. Heading back into the park, I had not seen any other women and was fairly certain I was in first place, but didn’t know by how much so was again determined to hustle to not be caught and to give at least the appearance of a good lead.

I was able to see two other women heading into transition on the bike as I came onto the run course, but with the layout was not really sure how far back they might be. I told myself it was less than a minute and that now was the time to sprint and give it everything I had for the next 20 minutes or so. The run course starts with a nice uphill but I pushed through as best I could and saw at the turnaround that I had a pretty good cushion. I was feeling good though and wanted to continue to push the pace through the final section through the park on a nice shaded trail. The run passed right by a campsite and the campers there cheering loudly gave me a nice boost near the finish. Feeling happy that I had stayed strong to keep my lead, I hardly felt the last uphill (the dreaded same hill from T1) and sprinted through the line. The result of my final triathlon was a great confidence boost for me—first overall woman by a good margin, first in the swim and combined transitions, and near the top on the bike and run as well. Now I am enjoying a nice break from bike training, but will soon enough start planning to come back even stronger in 2012.

Ragnar Relay Race Run…Drive…Sleep..Repeat

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:38:00 GMT

By Saguna Hitapot

I woke up from my slumber and looked at my watch – it said 12am. Tossing my throw blanket aside that I was using as an impromptu sleeping bag, I sat up and stared down the dimly lit high school hallway. Amidst the sea of runners still passed out on the floor, I recognized the two sleeping bodies next to me as my High Cloud teammates Tom and Edgar. We were in the middle of Ragnar after all….

The Ragnar Relay is a running event where a 12-person team runs 200(ish) miles, day and night, relay-style, from Cumberland, MD, to National Harbor. During the relay, each team member runs three legs, each leg ranging between 3-9 miles and varying in difficulty. Only one runner goes at a time. The rest of the teammates are in support duty inside one of the team’s two vans. It’s a relay so as each runner begins, the rest of the crew in the vehicle drives ahead, cheers their runner on, and meets them at the next exchange point to pick them up while dropping off the next runner. After the first six legs, Van #2 takes over with the next six runners. After these six runners go, it’s time for Van #1 to pick up again…and so on…and so on…until 198 miles later, everyone ends up at the finish line. There were 250 teams participating in DC’s Ragnar Relay Race this year.

At the high school, the six of us in High Cloud’s Van #2 were resting up after Leg 1. We stretched and groggily made our way back to the van. It was a moving locker -- stocked with bagels, peanut butter, cookies, Powerade, water, lots of baby wipes, clean clothes, wet stinky clothes, and some slightly muddy sneakers.

Wakey, wakey, you still have two legs left….

We strategized for our next leg as we drove to catch up with Van #1 at the next major exchange. They were currently “on” and the first half of the High Cloud team was putting in miles. I was runner #7 (the first runner in our van) and our second leg was in the pitch dark of the night. Safety first – we were required to wear headlamps, tail lights, and a reflective vest. Running in the dark gave me a lot of incentive to run faster. For fear of the boogieman, I found myself chasing the blinking red tail light of another runner. We were out in the ‘burbs running through neighborhoods that were sane enough to be in bed at this crazy hour. We were the insane ones – running at 2am. The only vehicles to pass me were the other crazy team vans decorated with painted windows and inflatable cartoon characters strapped to their rooftops racing to the next exchange.

Lien, Runner #8, who was just one day beyond her 60th birthday, reviewed her next leg course and asked what a “very hard leg” referred to. She wasn’t a fan of running in the dark, but I explained that it meant it was going to be really hilly. She exclaimed back, “Oh, I love hills! Give me hills.” Later on, she smiled as she ran up a mountain with an elevation gain of 1020 ft.

Edgar, Runner #9, kept staring at me and wondered how much he was drinking when I convinced him to sign up for the race a month ago. Tonight, not only was he a good sport about running despite having a lacrosse injury, he also stood like a Christmas Tree as the women on the team decorated him with glow in the dark necklaces, bracelets, and an earring clip.

Kathleen, Runner #10, went Lady Gaga and had costume changes for each of her legs. Fans of our van were stopping to pose for pictures with her.

Jake, Runner #11, was still a little bitter. His first leg was relatively flat. While he got our longest legs in the van with a total distance of 19 miles, he really wanted HILLS! Jake got his wish when he was assigned to run Sugarloaf Mountain. I drove through the gravelly roads praying that the van would be able to climb up the mountain without ending up in a ditch. On the other hand, Jake was running the trails with little resistance grinning from ear to ear. Seriously, who are these people?!!

We met up with Van #1 again at the next major exchange. This time, Rhyne, our team captain, appeared looking like a shorter version of Rupaul with sneakers. He was wearing a fluorescent green wig and knee high school girl stockings. A clown, a devil, a cowboy, a jester, and a ballerina proceeded to pop out of Van #1.

There were no more team hugs at this hour. We were starting to smell funky after having been trapped in a van for two legs of a run and 22 hours.

Tom, Runner #12, was all smiles as he ran over to hand the team baton, a slap bracelet, to Rhyne who was also Runner #1 on the High Cloud Team.

Those of us in Van #2 wished Van #1 “Good luck and have fun!” and strategized for some real food during our break. You know it’s rough when your idea of gourmet is the International House of Pancakes…and you are actually sober.

Inside the restaurant, there was another party of six seated at the table. One of their runners was passed out with his head on the table. Over breakfast, I stared across at Jake and noticed that if his mouth was not chewing then his eyes were shut for a quick nap. We were all starting to dwindle.

Fuel up, you’ve got one more leg to go….

With one leg left, I stood in the exchange waiting for Jessica, the ballerina and Runner #6 from Van 1, to run towards me with the team slap bracelet. I sprinted through the bustling city of Bethesda with a huge pair of fairy wings on my back and a race bib on the front of my shirt. As I stopped in the crosswalk waiting for the pedestrian sign, drivers would smile and wave.

In a few minutes, I was running back into a parking lot full of white cargo vans and heard my teammates cheering my name. I took the bracelet off and slapped it on Lien’s tiny wrist. After high-fiving the rest of my team, we jumped back into the van to go to the next exchange so that Edgar could have his last turn as well. At this point, my body was begging for Starbucks.

We dropped off Tom for the last leg and sprinted the van to the finish line to meet up with the rest of our team at the National Harbor. All of the exhaustion left our bodies as we were now on elated to almost be done. We greeted each other with smiles and momentarily forgave each other for how bad we each smelled, giving congratulatory hugs once again.

At last, Tom was spotted running down the boardwalk. As a team we picked up our banner and ran towards the big orange Ragnar archways together. The announcer yelled across the microphone, “And now crossing the finish line is Team High Cloud!”

The Ragnar Relay...not just an opportunity to race...it's a moment to convince 11 other friends to take a break from the mundane and laugh through some insanity.

198 miles + 30 hours + 12 runners + 2 vans = ONE CRAZY TIME

June Recap: From A Sprint to 200 Miles

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:54:00 GMT

By Emily Long

June was a busy month for my training and racing! First, I participated in a little sprint known as the DC Tri. I wanted to do this race because it was where this whole crazy triathlon thing began for me just one year ago. Because I'm in the midst of IM training, which is so totally different in every way from a sprint, my only goal was to have a blast. And I definitely did that.Everything else was just icing on the cake.

I did a long ride on Saturday before going to pick up my packet and rack my bike in transition by the Lincoln memorial -- IM means I don't get to skip out my long weekend workouts for any reason -- and then headed to bed for my early morning wakeup call.

The beauty of living so close to the start is that I didn’t have to get up until 4:30am — even though transition opened at 4. Because the sprint started at 7am, an hour after the olympic, I didn’t have to stress about setting up, getting my chip and getting body marked in a short period of time. So I had my pre-race PB&banana toast, drove over to Foggy Bottom and walked the few blocks down to the Lincoln and transition. After I set everything up, I wandered down to the river to watch the Olympic athletes take off on their swim.

Swim — 11:51

The swim this year was a time-trial start, which means eight or so athletes went off the dock at once, followed by the next group at 10 second intervals. We still were seeded into waves, but there was just a continuous stream of people into the water rather than a 3-minute or so gap. My wave (18-24) was the smallest, as usual, and we went off behind all several groups of older men and women. I spent a lot of time swimming over people in the waves ahead of me, but in general I liked the time-trial start because I think it resulted in less crowding overall.

Bike — 36:10

This is quickly becoming my strongest — and favorite — leg. The course was fun but somewhat slow because there were a lot of hairpin turns — talk about dangerous and a massive pileup waiting to happen. There was one at the end of Constitution, another at the top of Whitehurst Freeway (which involved going over a manmade ramp in the median) and one on Rock Creek Parkway. There also were a number of sharp turns and tons of potholes. So, in summary, the course itself was a mess and required a lot of slowing down and watching out for the people around you. In general, though, it's a really fun course to ride.

Run — 31:44

So the run generally has been my strength, and in a sprint I don’t have to really worry so much about pacing. I can just go. I felt pretty strong off the bike and knew I could hold a really good pace for the 4.5-ish miles of the course. The run course, like the bike, had a lot of mean out-and-backs with 180 degree turnarounds. These ankle-twisting, momentum-killing legs were really hard, especially since it was a lot of running in a straight line and then turning around and running the same thing back. The good part about this kind of course is you can see everyone around you, gauge where you are and wave to the people you know. I knew about all these little legs except for the last one — a quarter mile from the finish — where someone was yelling “Right turn ahead!” and all I could think was “What right turn? The finish is right there!” Sigh. I did get a lot of cheers for HC, including our awesome water stop crew, and saw a lot of people I knew, which was fun.

Finish: 1:23:09 (1st AG/3rd women/21st overall)

At the finish, I saw Francesca, took advantage of the massage tent and then returned to transition to gather my bike and gear before heading back over for the awards ceremony. Anna got third for her AG in the Olympic race, which qualified her for 5150 nationals in Des Moines later this year. And in the sprint — Mike was on the podium for the men, while Francesca got second and I came in third. High Cloud, represent! It was a fun day for racing in DC.

A week later, I did the total opposite of a sprint tri -- I rode 200 miles on my bike. In one day. High Cloud also came out strong for Total 200, a double century ride from DC to the southern tip of Maryland and back. The ride is split into eight legs of more or less 25 miles with rest stops and lunch at the halfway point. The 200K option, which a lot of people chose to do instead, splits off about 55 miles or so in and cuts the over to the back half of the route.

I've broken this ride down section by section on my personal blog, but I'll say here that I felt really great for a little more than 2/3 of the day. I was feeling strong, riding pretty fast and executing my nutrition plan like I wanted. When we reached the halfway point for lunch at 107 miles, I absolutely could have gotten off the bike to run, no problem. Mile 140 was where I started to hurt, and the next 62 miles were just about mental toughness and physical survival. The course was more challenging on the way back -- more hills, and of course getting darker -- and I was beyond thrilled to return to the start/finish in Anacostia park. 202.4 miles in 10:57 makes for a very long but successful day.

I signed up for this double century back in March thinking it would be great training for IM. Sure, it’s almost double the 112 miles I’ll be riding on Sept. 11, but once I complete 200, anything less will be easy, right? At the end of the day, I could honestly say that this was a huge victory in mental toughness. I don’t think there is anything that could prepare me better for IM. Being out there alone in the hardest parts of the day, hurting, wanting to quit and having to work through it on my own got me ready for the darkest moments I know I’ll have in September. You can’t race for 12 hours without at some point wondering why the hell you’re still putting your body through all this pain. If I didn’t get anything else out of Total 200, it wouldn’t matter. This was the ultimate reward.

All in all, I’m glad I did this. I’m not sure I’d do it again, but it was just what I needed. A huge shoutout to the volunteers, who were absolutely fabulous for the entire day. The finishers’ medal was great — a piece of a bike cassette — the support was fantastic and the overall organization well-executed. Thanks, all!

Making Progress Rebuilding Schools in Peru

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 00:42:00 GMT

By Molly, Gabe and Michael

Over 100 community members of Catorce de Febrero showed up to help us mix concrete, carry stones and haul buckets of sand up to the construction site of the school. Very cool!

Construction is still going well. We had a big feina two days ago to work on the retaining wall and it was a blast. Mixing concrete by hand is probably the most unfun thing ever, just saying.

We are now working with a great group of dentists that are dedicated to providing dental care to our community. They are coming on the 13th of August to do a preliminary check up on the students and then we'll go from there.

Check out some pics from the High Cloud Team in Peru:

Find more photos like this on High Cloud Foundation

Rebuilding the Schools in Peru

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:47:00 GMT

By Molly, Gabe and Michael

Hello friends and family!

We have now been in San Juan de Lurigancho for nearly two weeks, but it feels like it has been a lot longer than that. We enjoy living here, have a humble, yet comfortable, apartment, and love being part of the Catorce de Febrero community (where we work with the school).

Three great additions were made to our home this week. First of all, our lovely landlady Ana, who we often pay to cook us dinner, offered us the password to her Wi-Fi so we have Internet in our own apartment. We have to be sitting right next to the door to pick up the signal, but it is still a great convenience. Secondly, we now permanently have hot water. The first four or five days here we were forced to endure frigidly cold showers, although looking back on the situation it was quite comical. Ana told us she would get us hot water the day after we got here. However, during Gabe’s first shower the shower head, due to a rusted pipe, literally fell out of the wall in the middle of the shower. Gabe walked out of the bathroom holding half a pipe in his hand while Michael and I laughed hysterically. Gabe started off by saying the shower “just fell” but as Michael and I laughed more he admitted “while maybe I slipped a little and hit the shower head with my hand.” Either way, the pipe needed to be replaced. Within 24 hours the pipe was repaired, and a man came in to fix the hot water heater. Again, Gabe tried out the new shower to find that the water that came out was not only still cold but also zapped you with the occasional shock. Not good. The same repair man came back to adjust the circuit switch. After that repair we got about two hot showers in before the system failed again. However, the very next morning the same repair man, now we should consider him a friend, replaced the entire circuit switch and now the shower works beautifully. Lastly, today Katlin, a student at West Point joined us. She will be staying for two weeks and helping with the school. It is nice to have her around.

Being able to come home to a hot shower makes spending a day walking to school on dusty roads even better. On Sunday, we went to a sporting day with the Catorce de Febrero community. Gabe and Michael took on two Peruvians in two on two soccer and lost by only one point. (I got to be the timekeeper.) That meant we, as the losers, had to buy a bottle of Inca Kola for everyone to share.

Tuesday morning we had a successful meeting at school with families from the community. About 25 mothers came to the meeting in which we announced our plan to build a new classroom, a bathroom, and repair the roof and everyone was very excited. This Sunday we are meeting with contractors to get the plan finalized, and we hope to start construction next week. We are pleased that things are moving along quickly.

Three days a week we help out with morning classes for kids. One of us assists with the three year old classroom and the other two stay in the four and five year old class. We try to help out with the class structure but really love just getting to know the kids. Brothers Willie and Emerson are very helpful and teach us how to play games like “mata gente” (essentially like dodgeball) and “escondidas” (hide and seek). Lizeth is just adorable inside and out. Identical twins Kevin and Steven are little trouble makers in the three year old classroom. And some, like Angelo, seem to be pouting half the time but are still cute. Yesterday Angelo kindly offered me a slice of his orange during snack time. Another girl, Gabriela, also offered me a slice of orange but it felt like she had put it in her mouth already so I just slipped that into the garbage.

We have also started teaching English to some of the mothers in the evenings. By teaching English we learn how difficult pronunciation is for a non-native speaker. The first time our students try to say a word like “uncle” it comes out more like “oonclish.” The women catch on very quickly, though, and are great students.

Although we are becoming more of a fixture in the community we still hear occasional shouts of “hola gringo!” in the streets. Last week we went to Mass at a neighborhood church and the priest called us up at the end to introduce us the congregation. He was very nice and it was good to be part of the community. When we left church Gabe added, “Man, how did he know we were visitors…?”

The longer we stay the less we feel like visitors, but as comfortable as we are here we still think of all of our friends and family who are not with us every day. We hope all is well with you and keep filling us in on the news back home!

Molly, Michael, and Gabe

High Clouders in Peru

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 05:45:00 GMT

By Molly, Gabe, and Michael

Hello friends and family!

As some of you may know I, Molly Boyle, am spending the summer in Lima, Peru with my friends Gabriel Rysdahl and Michael Connor. We would like to stay in contact with as many friends and family as possible, as we like to share stories about what we are doing as well as hear from all of you!

This summer we are working in a High Cloud school, helping with the education, predominantly of mothers, in the community and using some money we have received to repair the roof of an existing school as well as build a bathroom and an additional classroom. Our goal is to make the school a safe and easy place to learn as well as help with the education of the mothers.

The school is only about a twenty minute walk from the apartment we rented for the summer, but the neighborhood it is in is entirely different. We live above a small ´ferreteria´on a fairly busy street. We can catch a bus right outside our house and go anywhere we need to go. To get to the school, we walk down the street about 10 minutes and then turn onto some unpaved roads and walk uphill for another 10 minutes. The school is up in the sandy hills on the edge of Lima admdst many modest homes. It is a humble community and everyone is very nice. The school we work in is for kids 5 and under, and any time we walk into the classroom we are literally clobbered by kids. Most of them want to be held or thrown in the air, but it seems we only have the stamina to do this for about 2 minutes. It takes the kids a while to realize we cannot hold them the whole time we are there. Some never seem to stop asking. The kids are all so cute and we love playing with them.

We enjoy being able to speak Spanish every day and try to study it at the end of the day when we go back to our apartment. We have some great DVDs we got on the street for about 50 cents that we can watch in Spanish. Gabe and I also bought The Silver Chair in Spanish and are reading that. Michael doesn´t speak Spanish, but came here with the intent to learn. He is doing pretty well. Gabe, who has always liked to joke, has taken to telling the Peruvians that Michael doesn´t talk because he is ´especial´. Michael usually just sits back and smiles as this is going on. He knows Gabe is just joking.

Not much other news since we have only been here for four days. We´ll keep you posted and, again, would LOVE to hear from all of you.

Love,

Molly, Gabe, and Michael

Michael Conner Fundraising for Peru

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 22:04:00 GMT

By Michael Conner

Please click HERE or the following link:

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/michael-connor/michaelconnnor

This summer I will be traveling to South America with a small group of students to help provide humanitarian assistance and support for the communities of San Juan de Lurigancho(SJL), one of the poorest and most populated districts in Lima Peru.

These communities are extremely impoverished and underrepresented, and have been experiencing heavy seclusion from development and infrastructure for the past twenty years. Healthcare, dental care and nutrition are non-existent and education is seen as unimportant. This disinterest in education is destroying the possibility for the young families of SJL to better their lives. An average family living in one of these communities makes between $50 to $100 a month. With that being said, the communities of SJL have minimal funding and are in desperate need of basic supplies and necessities for the advancement of education.

Throughout the duration of the summer, I will be assisting in the organization and construction of three new schools, as well as helping teach literacy programs in the poor communities of Quince de Febrero, Catorce de Febrero and La Primer Sector. We plan to arrive in San Juan de Lurigancho on June 3, 2011 and finish the construction and implementation of literacy programs in each school by September 3, 2011. These literacy programs have been specifically designed to educate children and mothers in basic math, science, nutrition, cleanliness, health, and reading comprehension, as well as many other things important for young students and adults. In addition to providing a place for the children to learn, the newly constructed schools will also serve as a community center for meetings, get-togethers, festivals, etc.

All funding received will support the following projects:

   • The construction of a new school in each of the three communities we will be serving in.
   ~ Purchase of raw materials and supplies
   ~ Contracting fee’s for specialty labor
   • Development of a small library that will cater to the needs of students and community members.
   • Construction of a public bathroom facility.
   • The organization of a “Health check up day” for students and community members.
   • Provide workshops on environment, nutrition and physical education.
   • A field trip for children to visit museums in the city of Lima.
   • Purchases for:
   ~ Chairs and tables for the students to use
   ~ Basic school supplies
   ~ Reading and learning materials

We are committed to helping establish and provide the families of San Juan de Lurigancho with a sense of belonging, self esteem, empowerment and opportunity. With schools and literacy programs in place, the mothers and children of SJL can acquire the tools they need to improve their lives and will also serve as a proud symbol of teamwork and pride for the community for years to come.

I'd like to kindly ask for your support in this endeavor. All donations will go to High Cloud Foundation to help finish the projects listed above.

Donating through the following website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts:

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/michael-connor/michaelconnnor

Even donating one dollar will help our cause and provide assistance to those in need in San Juan de Lurigancho!!

Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!

Sincerely,

~ Michael Connor

"Passion is in all great searches, and is necessary to all creative endeavors."

Xterra King of the Hill

Tue, 31 May 2011 04:27:00 GMT

By Mark Zaragoza

Well time has come around again to drive up to New Jersey for my 2nd Xterra of the Season. This trip was fun, because Angie and Kailyn joined me for the road trip. This is what I believe to be the 10th year of this race. So I was really wondering what has kept this race around so long, because from the pictures, it looked pretty flat. So not only could I wait to see this race, but I also got to rock out my new Vector Pro X2 Wetsuit from our Sponsor Xterra.

Pre Race
Well my bike did have it's normal comfortable transport, as we decided to take Angie's car, just in case I needed help driving home after the race. And since it was round 2, thought I would signify it.

Got there Friday night, and went to the park when it opened, to get in my pre-ride and get a scope of the swim. I rode about 4 miles of what I thought was an out and back course. The course turned out to be really hilly with tons of rock gardens on the descends. At this point I knew I was in for a really tough course. After my ride, I got back to the hotel, showered and went to New York for a wedding.
Race Morning
Well the morning started out wet, with small and light showers, which made me start realizing that the tough course I rode the day before, had just got tougher. After getting to the race site, I went and got my race number..... I drew lucky 13. Not believing in omens, or unlucky numbers, I still had a little tingling in the back of my neck. I brushed it off, and decided to go and get ready. As I was going to get my bike and stuff, I saw the 5th Ambulance pull up, and said to my sefl,"Hmmmm which one is mine?" Ran into several people I met at Jersey Devil, another reason I like Xterra, small community, and we all remember each other. Also ran into Kevin Adams, who I ride with at Wakfield. Kevin is a 55 year old guy, who kicks my butt on the bike, and an all around great guy. We talked about the course, and I told him about what I saw the day before my ride. After chit chatting for about 30 min, I went about setting up my transition. Setting up my transition has become so robotic, I think I can do it in my sleep, so it only took me 10 min to set up. Since it's a first come, first serve in transition, I was joined up with Noel who is a really great racer. At 9:30am our race director called us all together for the pre-race meeting.

Joe Patanella was totally stoked, gave us directions and pointers about this race course he has designed, and then got us all fired up to race, after which he played the National Anthem, and turned us loose to warm-up for the swim.
Race Start
Joe Patanella was meticulous about how he runs his race. He told everyone to get to the starting line, and then he immediately had us all form up into 8-9 lines and had one of his volunteers take a head count for the swim. Then he released us to get on the starting line, which by the way was about just shy of a 1/4 mile from the swim entrance. Yes we had to make a run to start the swim. The gun went off, and all the racers took off running for the swim start.

If you look at the bottom center, there I am running to the water. Mixed in with the Tri Group was the Duathlon. This was fun, as it quickly got you warm in your suit, and it got your heart racing.
Swim
Swim consisted of a mass running start, and 2 laps, each being 400 meter.

You had to knock out the 400 meters, get out of the water, run abound the bouy, and back into the water. This is in true Xterra fashion, which also makes it hard, because you have to pump your legs to get in the water, pump your legs to get out of the water, pump your legs to get back in, and pump your legs to get out to the transition. As you can see from the picture, I was very well in the middle/front of the pack, which meant I was going o get beat up again. Except this time I was ready for it, and took the most outside track. This option left me nobody to draft off of, but it also allowed me to get in a better rhythm. I was amazed how much better I was able to glide with my new wetsuit, it was heaven sent, and this is coming form a guy who doesn't like sleeved wetsuit. After hitting the 200 meter mark, I was forced into the crowd and thus started my battling. Since it's a short swim, a lot of people go out super hard, hoping to gut out the final 400, so you end up getting a lot of people that don't sight and just follow. Unfortunately they seem to group up well also, which I ran into on my second lap. I ran into 4 guys swimming in a cluster, not sure what they were doing, but I needed to get around them. I peered my head up, and I guess 2 of the collided and swan away from each other giving enough room for me to get through. With this opportunity presenting itself, I quickly opted for an interval style burst and punched right through. One guy decided he wanted to latch on, but guess he faded as I held on to my burst for a bit. I got to the end of my swim, and ran in to the transistion.
T1
I quickly got in and the first thing I did was strip my suit. As I was stepping on the legs, to get them lower, I found it opportunistic to put on my camelback that was hanging on my handlebars. After which I popped my wetsuit off my feet, put my new Smith Optic Pivlock V90, helmet, socks and shoes. Normally I leave my shoes on the bike, but the race director had us working immediately upon exiting T1. I grabbed my bike and ran for the bike out.
Bike
Right as we exit T1, we mount our bikes and have a split second to get clipped in, because we had to go down some stairs.

After you then headed out to a course that will kick your butt.

The course was 80% single track, with fireroads, and about 1 mile of pavement. The race director could not have chosen a better course name. The first 6 miles consisted of enough climbing that it would have made Kyle Yost proud, and drops with tons of rock gardens, which made you stay on your game at all times. The first 3 miles, had strong climbs and switchback descents that allowed you to maintain top speed without even pedaling. The second 3 miles were open single track climbs and drops with the rock gardens. Finally a course that required stamina, and mountain biking skills. Got to see some wrecks, due to the rock gardens, but all and all I was up with the guys that knew what they were doing. After the first 6 miles of single track, we hit the fire roads, which gave us all the opportunity to open up and loosen up from the technical course we came off. Although no sooner as we were getting comfortable, we were dumped right back into the single track , which lead us back to the trails in which we came out on. So back to the climbing and rock gardens, until the last 3 miles, which was a grueling switchback climb that we came down in the begining. It took, and whole new meaning technical ascent, as the big tree roots, and rocks had you out of the saddle almost all the time. Unfortunately I didn't have the skills to make the whole climb on some sections of the course, so I had to dismount and walk, including the final switchback climb which I could only make halfway. Good thing s I wasn't alone, and had company in my misery, as we all cursed the day we signed up, and promised to see each other again next year. As we all got out of the switchback section we all mounted our bikes an pushed through, we saw the pearly gates of T2. Once again, in Mark fashion, I got my feet out of my shoes, and rode to the T2 line on 1 pedal(I Really gotta take a picture of it, cause it looks cool)
T2
Upon getting in I thought I had a pretty bad bike time, but when I looked around the T2 as I was heading to rack my bike, I noticed there was not to many bikes in there, so I must have been doing good. I quickly racked my bikes, threw off my gear, slipped my shoes on, and grabbed my hat with me number and gu in it. As I was running out T2, I put my hat, and number on, and hit my gu.
Run
Run broke out on pavement almost immediately, then leading us to the trails. The run felt pretty easy, until you made the morale crushing turn to see the longest hill, that just kept going up. It was time to face Toboggan Hill!!! Thought I would have the wheels to hit this hill, but only made it up 1/3 of the way before I had to join the masses on the slow trudge up the hill. About 1/2 way the hill takes an even greater pitch, making you really push on your slow walk up. After cresting the hill, I instantly got back to running since it was a slow grade down. As I was reaching the bottom, I saw my buddy coming back. Now realizing he had to be less than a minute in front of me, I came to the conclusion that the race director was so nice to let us get to the bottom of the hill, before he turned us around, just to run up the hill again. The good part was that the back side didn't pitch as hard as the front side, so I was able to run the whole thing. As for going down the front, you spent more time trying to control your descent than utilizing the hill for free speed. After getting to the bottom, it was a short trail run to the pavement where we ran for pretty much the rest of the course, until we hit the beach. We spent the last 1/4 mile + running in the sand, so I quickly got myself as close to the water, as the snad was firmer there. The last 100 yeards I had to abandon my plan, as the director had the chute in the center of the beach, so you had to take on some of the soft sand.

And then onto finishline glory, and my 2nd Xterra is done.

After the race, I got to talk to friends about the race and the awesome mountain biking section. I then packed up, went to the hotel, showered and finished my trip with my support crew(Who couldn't join me at the race, due to rain, but were there in spirit)

Good Trip... Good Race!!

Michael Sheehy's lucky day

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:37:00 GMT

Sheehy enjoys solid performance at St. Patrick's Day 8K
By Michael Sheehy
High Cloud Dream Team

Congratulations to Michael Sheehy on his strong showing at the St. Patrick's Day 8K in DC! Here he recounts his experience:

On Sunday, March 13, I joined over 5,500 runners in racing the annual St. Patrick’s Day 8K in downtown Washington, DC. Mid-March in the mid-Atlantic can be a bit of a crapshoot when it comes to weather, but on this day, the sun shone and a perfect race temperature prevailed. So, rather than tights and a long-sleeved top, I comfortably toed the line in an Under Armour tank and shorts.

Minor digression: I love Under Armour gear. My dresser drawers are filled with it. Teaching and coaching at St. John’s College High School (where UA founder Kevin Plank graduated) has certainly facilitated my ~~addiction~~ collection. I wear it often. Case in point: a few summers ago in an ultimate frisbee league game, I was beating the heat fully decked out in UA cleats, socks, shorts, and a shirt, when the guy guarding me asked tongue-in-cheek if I was sponsored by Under Armour. Given High Cloud’s partnership with UA, perhaps I can answer differently now?

Still, not even the wicking wonders of Under Armour could help me stay with a lead pack (led by Ethiopian native Demesse Tefera) running sub-five minute miles. The flatness and inspiration of running down Pennsylvania Avenue, however, may partly explain my overly exuberant start. As I told the five members of my cross-country team who also ran, sometimes coaches do not follow their own advice. Running too hard early on is a tough way to race. Early oxygen debt is one problem. Getting passed rather than passing others is also a tough mental challenge to bridge. It comes as no surprise that most world records have been set off an even pace or with negative splits.

I hung in as best I could, though, and finished in 28:37, 34th overall among the men, and 3rd in my age group. Not as fast as last year, but a satisfying hard effort, nonetheless. So after grabbing a bottle of water and a banana at the finish, I jogged back to the course to cheer on my runners and the friends with whom I would be joining for a delicious post-race brunch. Speaking of which, my contribution consisted of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins made using the recipe of pro triathlete Andy Potts. Pretty darn good. Maybe not amazing, but like my race, a solid outcome...and all part of a fun day representing High Cloud!