Successful Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras Run

Yesterday Team Zoomzer raced the little known Morgan Hill Mushroom 5K and 10K. Jason did the 10K and rocked it, while I did the 5K and hmmm, didn't rock it. For a small, local race it was surprisingly well run and an all around fun event. Check out our reviews of the event on Zoomzer.com.

Post race we dined at the always delicious breakfast dive Betsy's in Morgan Hill. Any place that operates out of a bowling alley has to be somewhat cool. I'll even give them a shout out and post Betsy's Yelp.com review. Now if Yelp would only give me some love... ha!

Former triathlete pro Steve Larsen passes away

Zoomzer was so sad to hear the heartbreaking news that 39-year old former professional mountain biker, triathlete, and cyclist Steve Larsen died on Tuesday May 19, 2009. Steve was well known for his amazing racing career and his devotion to his wife and five children.

According to news reports, Steve collapsed in the middle of a track workout in Bend, Oregon. His brother Mike told VeloNews that an autopsy yesterday ruled out a heart attack or blood clot and determined that the cause of his brother's death was likely viral or tied to allergies.

Another life cut tragically short. Such a shame. RIP Steve, you will be terribly missed.

A shout out for Penni and Finishline Productions

Zoomzer cannot go on with its day today without mentioning yet another great event this weekend in Northern California. Local athlete turned fantastic race director, Penni Bengtson, and her production company Finishline Productions are hosting the Third Annual Marine Discovery Run tomorrow, Sunday May 17, 2009, right here in Santa Cruz, California.

Choose from the 5K, 10K or 1K kids event - no, big kids, that last distance is not for you! It is a gorgeous run in West Santa Cruz that starts and ends at the Long Marine Lab. Racers are treated to fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean, a view that makes any run pass quickly! I believe there is still time to sign up. P/S it is nice and affordable and supports a great cause, the Marine Research and Conservation Program at UC Santa Cruz Institute of Marine Sciences. The race site says, "Your contributions will help support the expansion and construction of a state of the art facility totally dedicated to the study and support of the marine animals and their environment. This center will provide an invaluable resource for addressing larger conservation issues of wild marine animals by directly translating cutting edge research into the preservation of marine ecosystems. Working together as a community we can all aid in the conservation of our oceans and the unique marine animals the live below the waves. The entry fees you pay for this event goes directly to helping house and feed the animals already on site at the center, and to support future research."

So help a marine mammal in need, get a good workout, and support this great local race company. And as always, when you are done please post a review on Zoomzer.

Ohhhh UVAS!

I must admit, I am so jealous of all the athletes racing in the Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon tomorrow, May 17th. Zoomzer is attending the event but I know it is going to be really painful watching all the folks racing by on their shiny bikes and sprinting across the finish line. I want to do it! Why aren't you, you ask? Well, as all you athletes know, you have to draw the line somewhere when it comes to paying for races. $100 may not seem like much, but when you add that to the additional 5-10 races a year you are paying easily over a $1000 to run, bike, and swim around. Now, if I were a professional I could race for free... yeah, that's not gonna happen, although I will admit I was asked to try out for Team Alcis, but they never called me back. Haha, go back to the line that reads "that's not gonna happen."

Anyways... even though we aren't racing tomorrow we will be along the triathlon course. For a sprint it is a really excellent distance, not your usually 400m swim, 11 mile bike and 5km run. This is a legit race with a distance between a small sprint and a full Olympic distance. Even better will be the serious pro star wattage! According to the USA Productions website, such hotties, ahem, I mean athletes, as Chris McCormack, defending champ Brian Lavelle, Chris Lieto, and several other world and local pros, will be racing.

To make a great day even better, the weather is supposed to be superbly fantastic and hot this Sunday. Don't forget your sunscreen... and racers don't forget your SPF Body Glide - I love that stuff. And when you are done please review your performance on Zoomzer http://zoomzer.com/races/view/3834

Northern California centuries are here again!

The temperature is rising, the days are nice and long, and cyclists are racking up the miles. What better way to celebrate Spring and the coming start of Summer than with a lovely 100 miler or metric century in Northern California? Bay Area cyclists have two great rides to choose from this Sunday May 17th, the 4th Annual Foothill Century in Sunnyvale and Strawberry Fields Forever in Watsonville. Here's some background about both rides.

The Foothill Century (100K, 50K, and 10K distances), sponsored by the South Peninsula Hebrew Day School is rather unique in that it is "The Only Kosher Ride in the West!" They will be serving all kosher food at the rest stops - how cool! If you don't know what Kosher means then you either aren't Jewish or you haven't been paying attention to anything your whole life. Per Wikipedia -Kosher foods are those that conform to the rules of Jewish religion. Reasons for food being non-kosher include the presence of ingredients derived from non-kosher animals or from kosher animals that were not properly slaughtered, a mixture of meat and milk, wine or grape juice produced by only Rabbi, the use of produce from Israel that has not been tithed, or even the use of cooking utensils and machinery which had previously been used for non-kosher food. Now you know! So if you want to get a great workout this Sunday, want support a good group of kids, and eat some tasty Kosher treats, I think you've found your event. Go sign up, there are still open spots. When you're done please let Zoomzer know what you thought of the event. http://zoomzer.com/races/view/4671

The other ride this Sunday is one of my favorites, Strawberry Field's Forever. Why do I love this race so much? I love it for numerous reasons, namely the start is less than 10 miles from Zoomzer headquarters, they serve insane amounts of delicious food along the course, and the views are beautiful. (Granted, I am sure the afore mentioend Foothill Century is just as grand, but I've never had the opportunity to attend!) The Strawberry Field ride also holds a dear spot in my heart because it was part of the inspiration for starting Zoomzer. At the half way lunch stop the race director was passing around a yellow legal pad asking for the rider's feedback. Zoomzer knew there had to be a better way, not only to gather racer feedback but also to share that feedback with other riders. Inspiration... thank you Strawberry Fields! If you'd like to see some past reviews on this race or want to leave your own, check out the Zoomzer race page at http://zoomzer.com/races/view/115

Have a great ride and wear those helmets!

-Zoomzer

Now

Recapping The Relay and Wildflower

This past weekend Zoomzer was a busy bee, buzzing up and down the Central California Coast cheering on friends at both Wildflower triathlon and The Relay - a run from Calistoga to Santa Cruz. Contrary to what the weatherman said, it did not rain at Wildflower. Instead, it was extremely hot and Team Zoomzer had to spring for a new pair of running shorts because wearing the one pair of jeans we brought was unbearable. As usual, Wildflower was packed and there were the typical post-race cheers and jeers about how Tri California runs, or as some would say, doesn't run, its races. There were some not so happy reviewers this year!

Sunday Zoomzer left the sun of Lake Nacimiento and headed north to the cold, rainy Relay finish line in Davenport, just a few miles outside of Santa Cruz. At 5pm there were still dozens of groups crossing the finish line. The race concept is rather simple, get a team of 12 people - co-ed or not - start in Calistoga and take turns running anywhere from four to ten mile legs, three times each until you get to Santa Cruz. Most teams start on Saturday around 10 in the morning and finish in the afternoon on Sunday. All the teams looked really tired, except Team Google, which allegedly gets the royal corporate treatment, unlike all the other poor racers who have to fend for themselves. One thing we were really surprised to hear is that you pay a registration fee but you get absolutely nothing for it. There are aid stations but you have to pay for your own food, there are no course marshals, and no support - other than what you supply yourselves. Interesting.

If you raced either Wildflower or The Relay, please go to Zoomzer and leave a review.
Wildflower - http://zoomzer.com/search?search=&location=Lake+Nacimiento%2C+CA&month=&x=0&y=0
The Relay http://zoomzer.com/races/view/4656

This weekend Team Zoomzer will be in San Francisco and Marin promoting the site, so keep an eye out for the signs... we'll be looking for all of you.