Racing Local: Why It Matters (plus NC multisport racing companies) Ep 102

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Mm-hmm.

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I'll see you there.

Hey y'all, and welcome back to the Find Your Edge podcast. I am excited that you are here and listening because we are gonna be talking about one of my favorite topics. I mean, what topic is not my favorite, honestly, but why racing local matters and where to do it, especially if you are in the North Carolina area. So I wanted to highlight some of the other racing organizations, including ours, as we have a race coming up on August 3rd, 2025. It is called the Humans of Steel Racing Company. It is owned by our organization, the Endurance Edge. I wanted to talk a little bit about not only that event, but some of the other local race production events and why racing local matters. Why don't we start there? So this is all about supporting your community. So racing local keeps your dollars in the local endurance and business community, supporting small race directors, vendors, and volunteers. So for example, our organization, the Humans of Steel Racing company. We support the Endurance Edge and the staff members there. We have amazing volunteers and vendors with whom we support in this area. And the money that we raise goes directly to Girls on the Run of the Triangle area, because if I were not involved in sports as a young child, then I certainly wouldn't be doing what I'm doing now. And so I wanted to support Girls on the Run of the Triangle because what better way to have our women-owned company support other women in activity as they're growing up and they learn to run. So another key thing that's wonderful about racing local is easier logistics, no flights, no shipping your bike, no taking things apart or packing it or whatever. Generally no hotel stays. Although, you know, certainly if you go somewhere, you might want to have a hotel, something like the Outer Banks Tri. That's a really great one if you don't live near there, but Generally speaking, it's pretty easy to just pack your stuff up. Maybe you leave race morning. That was my very first race. I remember my alarm going off at like 4 o'clock in the morning and my husband poking me, being like, please stop hitting snooze and just go. So anyway, at least I didn't have a flight in that particular instance. Another cool part about racing local is building your people. Right? You'll start to see familiar faces. And that's what we love about the Endurance Edge community and our club is that you'll start to see people in the same racing kit, or maybe they're not even part of your club, but you start to see them more often and get introduced to them, meet other athletes in your area, connect with potential training partners, or even encourage people to join the club that you're in. So that's really part of our overall company mission is to bring together the community in a healthy and fun environment. And this is the way to do it, y'all. I mean, it keeps you in the sport, it keeps you active, keeps you having fun. And that's what really matters, especially from a longevity perspective, because that's what I've got my eye on. So another thing that makes racing local fun is that practice makes progress. So local races are such a great opportunity for getting experience, for testing out nutrition, for testing out your pacing strategies, for maybe some bigger, more national races, for getting experience with transitions, for building confidence for some of those bigger events that you may have planned for, like a challenge event or an Ironman event. Doesn't mean that you have to do those, but these local races are great opportunities for preparing you for some of the bigger events. And of course, one of my favorite things is that racing local is all about less pressure and more fun. So local races often have a more relaxed vibe, making it easier to not only enjoy the process and to park and to get into and out of transition and go through packet pickup and all that kind of stuff. So way less pressure, way easier to navigate, way more fun. And, you know, sometimes there's some good food, good people, good energy. So definitely encourage you to race local wherever you happen to be located. But I'd like to highlight some of the racing companies in the North Carolina area. So first up is Setup Events. They have been one of the longest standing triathlon companies in the Southeast. They're very well organized. They are beginner friendly and they are consistent. In fact, my very first race was a Setup Event. It was the White Lake Triathlon. And I just remember having such an amazing time. Again, super well organized. They know what they're doing. They've been doing this forever. So definitely check them out. Another company that you may want to check out is Jones Racing Company. I find that they mostly are kind of in the western part of the state, but really all over. So they're definitely known for their attention to detail, some fun post-race vibes. Venues typically are always scenic and athlete-friendly. Some friends of mine own the She Tries event. So this one is female-focused and and empowering, was volunteering at their event that was in Chapel Hill last year. And so freaking fun, y'all. I tell you what, it is a great entry point for women who are new to triathlon or just wanting to race in a super supportive environment. I mean, it is so fun, so chill. You, if you are a female looking to get into triathlon, this is the way to go. Plus they're all pool tries. So there's no intimidation factor of being in open water or in a lake or an ocean. And it's, you know, you jump in, you go one at a time as you start off. Generally, the bike courses are pretty short, same with the runs. So definitely get in touch with those guys. And they've got some races in South Carolina too. And then we have FS Series. I remember when these guys started, it's probably been a while, but they came into our metabolic testing facility back when I was working at Meredith College at their exercise phys lab. And they were all excited about getting started and they do a fantastic job. So they have tons of options. Not only do they have triathlon, but they also do like some running events and things like that from sprint to longer distance. Great community energy, super fun. Uh, they're well known for their Rex series where they have this like blow up dinosaur that you can take a picture with.

Super fun.

All right, next up, Brick Endurance. So this is run by Chad Duffy, a solid race production team, well-marked courses, great growing presence, and they're actually on a weekday. How cool is that? You can have a super fun time racing on Wednesdays in the North Raleigh area. So super fun one, you know, pretty affordable. Get out there, have some fun. That's a great one. Some that I've done: Whitewater Center Triathlons. Generally, these are going to be a unique mix of trail or multi-sport events. Like, they've got one that's called the Dry Tri. So if you're like, heck no, am I going to swim in open water or lake or whatever, they've got one that paddling or kayaking, and then off-road bike and trail running. So this is one of my favorite races that they do, is the Whitewater Off-Road Triathlon. Super fun. Oh my gosh, the trails out there are amazing at the Whitewater Center just outside of Charlotte. And they've got other events like cycling only and running only. So really fun stuff. Super affordable too, really affordable since all of their stuff is all in-house. All right, another one to mention is OBX Triathlon. I mean, come on, race at the beach, you know. So this is in the fall every year. It's a great excuse to head out to the beach and skip the, like, insane crowds that you're going to see in the summertime and just a really fun event. Great medals. Might see some winds, but really fun to jump in the water and have an ocean swim and have a whole slew of different distances that you can choose from. So from short course to long course. Another great racing company that's local to North Carolina is Trivium Racing, and they are out located out of Greensboro, kind of like, so the mid part of the state. They have high quality races across the state, super cool swag, well thought out courses. I've done their off-road race called that Greens Off-Road Triathlon. And they do it as a combination race. They do the on-road course in the morning and the off-road course in the afternoon. So you can actually race both. If you are so inclined, or you can just do one. And that is always such an interesting experience to race in the middle of the afternoon. Usually I'm so used to, you know, as I'm sure all of you are used to getting up at the crack of dawn and stressing out about what you're going to eat for breakfast and whether you're going to hit the porta-johns at the right time. This is like sleep in a little bit, take your time. I drove out there, listened to my music and, you know, was on the course and headed back in time for dinner. So super, super fun. Events that they have there. Plus they have some really great like club events where you can compete against other clubs. Now, if you want to race with us, we would love to have you not only for racing, but also maybe for volunteering. So our race, our racing company actually is called Humans of Steel Racing for the Humans of Steel Triathlon. That's on August 3rd, 2025. So we try to hit that sort of early August timeframe, which a lot of racing is not necessarily going on at this time of the year in North Carolina because is it's fricking hot. I mean, in all honesty, but this is a fun one where you can actually do a reverse race. So we intentionally designed it that way. So you would get the run out of the way first because it's hot and then get off the bike and then jump into the water. So it's either a sprint or an Olympic distance race in a reverse format. And another reason why we did this is because for those of you out there, who don't wanna run or can't run for whatever reason and can still participate in multi-sport, which is specifically called Aquabike. So you swim and then bike. Generally speaking, I always found that to be so disappointing that you like finish by just entering transition area. That is so anticlimactic and just terrible. So, so I wanted to have a race that finished with the swim so everyone actually gets a real finish line. So you finish getting out of the water, which is super fun. So whether it's your first race, because we do have a big sign that you get to take a picture with, and it's so incredible to see how stoked these people were. And to be quite honest, I would have never done this as my first race. So kudos for all the people who come out and do this as their first race. It is so empowering and so exciting, and I'm so proud of y'all. So whether it's your first race or your 50th, this one is sure to be exciting, especially in that reverse format. So you can join us at humansofsteelracing.com. That's again humansofsteelracing.com. Come out, support Girls on the Run, come see the kids' fun run. Oh my gosh, they are so stinking cute, y'all. So I hope you can get there. Plus there is a playground, so if you have kids, it's a nice one where you can still have some entertainment for them. They're not super bored. It's outside. So I would love for you to celebrate community, whether you're racing with us or whether you're racing with another one of the companies that I've mentioned and really celebrating community, celebrating your fitness, and celebrating the power of local racing. So again, if you want to check out our race, it's humansofsteelracing.com. And all of the other companies that I mentioned, I'm going to have those linked below in the show notes. They are fantastic. Please go check them out as well. And thank you again for listening to the Find Your Edge podcast, and I will catch you next time.

Thanks for listening to the Find Your Edge podcast. If you like what you heard, don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. And if you're interested in learning more about our endurance coaching, sports and wellness nutrition, metabolic and sweat testing, triathlon training team, or our triathlon training library, be sure to check us out at theenduranceedge.com. And don't forget to follow us on social media at The Endurance Edge. Thanks again, and we'll catch you next time.