BEST WISHES FOR A SAFE AND SUCCESSFUL EVENT... ... to all Gators who will be hearing those magic words or otherwise getting things done this weekend! May the Fork be with you! By 6:30am this morning I already had a spectacular day! I'm in Lake Placid, one of the most beautiful places on earth, especially on IRONMAN weekend, and I'm fortunate to have accommodations right on the IRONMAN run course about 1/2 mile from IRONMAN Village. Following a wonderful swim last night, I went for a run (well, actually the walk/jog thing I do these days 🙂) this morning on a beautiful 59 degree sunny day. After viewing the ski jumps on my right I turned left and made it far enough down River Road to hear the frogs croaking and see the sun rising over the mountains. Then on the way back I ran through the IM Village, which is at the Lake Placid Horse Show grounds, which also happen to have been the site for the opening ceremonies of the 1980 Olympics (and where the Olympic cauldron is located), the same Olympics where Eric Heiden won 5 speed skating medals on the same Oval where IMLP finishes, which happens to be adjacent to where the USA beat Russia in the Miracle on Ice hockey game! Gators not in Lake Placid... As far as we know, the only athletes racing this weekend include our youth Gators in this afternoon's IMLP IRONKIDS events and our 9 Gators (and 2 Gators alumni) competing on Sunday... So get your race trackers set and send all of your good Gator vibes north! And, if you do have an event that's not listed, pleeeaase post a note about it so that we can send those Gator vibes your way, too! Gators in Lake Placid... If you are here to volunteer and/or support... Thank you! We will appreciate your support in all ways on Sunday, especially as we round the Oval, see the Olympic flame, and hopefully glimpse one of you wielding the legendary Gator Fork! If you are here to race... It's time to make your own miracles! You've been working a long time to get ready for this! Let's Gator Done! Weekend Workouts: We have our usual Sunday late morning indoor (i.e. avoid the heat!) swim option... • CANCELED: Saturday 7/23: Blue Marsh OWS... Due to the current algae bloom, Sarah Barkley has canceled the planned swim. • Sunday 7/24, 11:15am-12:15pm, Spring Valley YMCA indoor lap pool: Uncoached group swim workout • Do you want to lead a group bike ride or run? Many of us are training for events of all distances. We highly encourage you to share on our Facebook group any rides or runs (of any length) that you are doing where you'd like some company! Weekend Events: Our youth Gators kick things off and then the adventure begins... Friday, July 22: • SIGNATURE CLUB EVENT: IRONKIDS Lake Placid (Lake Placid, NY): Youth Gators Hailey Raab and Belle Stone will be participating in the Dip-N-Dash and Lily Stone will be participating in the Fun Run. JT Wesler will also be a Dip-N-Dash competitor! Go Hailey, Belle, Lily, and JT! Sunday, July 24: • SIGNATURE CLUB EVENT: IRONMAN Lake Placid (Lake Placid, NY): Our athletes include Jill Basile, Jon Crosby, Sonny Dayrit, Keith Ho, Don Mack, Doug Raab, David Stone, Chris Townsley, and Jon Wesler (plus Gator alumni Rudy Daas and Chris Phillips! Our volunteers and support crew include Brittany Acosta, Chris Acosta, Ginny Angus (volunteer), Jaci Crosby, Katie Ho, Lily Ho, Brian Kozera (volunteer), Paul Kratzinger, Ethan Raab (volunteer), Hailey Raab (volunteer), Jennifer Raab (volunteer), Shane Raab (volunteer), Belle Stone, Lily Stone, Megan Stone, and Allison Wesler! Go Jill, Jon C, Sonny, Keith, Don, Doug, David, Chris, and Jon W! May the Fork be with you! Have an amazing weekend training and racing, and don't forget to check out the exciting conclusion of the Tour de France! 🐊