WTS Cape Town

South Africa is one of those places you go and it takes your breath away,

So it was exciting that after Gold Coast we were there for a ten day stay!

Typical for Cape Town the water front is quite chilly,

I actually like the element the 12 degrees Celsius water adds…really!

So the day before the race I got in to test it out,

The initial freeze of the water making me want to shout.

But it wasn’t too surprising when on race day the swim got changed from two laps to one,

Not my preference, but at least it was better than none!

When we dove in and started swimming I quickly took the lead,

Never thinking about the sharks that may decide to feed.

Thanks Delly Carr for the sweet photo!

I led out of the water in my ROKA wetsuit,

But it wouldn’t be Cape Town if I didn’t end up on my boot.

I accidentally slipped when I was in transition,

But recovered well and got onto the bike in great position.

Whoopsies, chain of events caught by Liezel

We had a group of four and I truly thought we would stay away,

Until Nicola Spirig and crew put their strengths on the bike on display.

We were caught at the end of the second lap,

Consumed by pretty much every other athlete on the course map.

Our group of three captured by Jeff Ayliffe!

The course was technical with some bumps that made me a bit wary,

Going through with such a large group can sometimes be scary.

I continuously had to work to move up through the masses,

And then I found myself at the back as others made their passes.

Putting on my Brooks Racer STs. Thanks Chris Hitchcock!

But going into T2 I was in an alright position,

And excited to actually have a relatively good transition!

We ran with a group of about ten throughout much of the race,

And I was just waiting for someone to change the pace.

This photo brought to you by expert photographer and masseuse GeOh Photography!

Vicky Holland did this with about one lap to go,

And in a lapse of focus she put a gap on me…oh no.

I never did catch Vicky and finished the race in second,

But I did hold off the Olympic gold medalist which is pretty good I reckon.



I was happy with my race because it was different from the rest,

Coming off with a huge group really put my running to the test.

I came away from this race with the fastest swim and run,

And you know being the current World Triathlon Series leader is pretty fun.

Thanks Jeff Ayliffe for capturing this moment for me, as well the others posted above!

This race showed me I have all the elements that are going to get me to the top,

But for now I will go home and regroup until London, which is the next stop!

Auckland and Gold Coast Recap

Well since I last wrote both Auckland and Gold Coast have taken place,

And for different reasons I am quite happy with each race.

WTS AUCKLAND

WTS GOLD COAST

 I shall begin with Auckland since it came first,

Last year this race had been one of my worst.

This year I really knew what I was getting myself into,

And felt prepared for the steep hills we would do.

Race week it was nice our squad didn’t have a long way to go,

All we had to do was hop on a ferry with our bikes in tow.

Leading up to the race there was quite a bit of inclement weather,

But I don’t think our race conditions could have been better.

For the swim I had picked an end position to have clean water,

I got out with the front pack, keeping my legs in a constant flutter.

It was awesome knowing we’d found faster and made quite a gap,

Unfortunately, the chase pack still caught us the third lap.

Feeling really in control for the entire ride,

I felt this was a bike I raced smart and in that I took pride.

With my Brooks PureFlow I got out and onto the run with the front group,

To start doing 4 times the 2.5 kilometer run loop.

 I don’t really know when I knew I was going to be on the podium again,

I was just trying to keep the run easy for as long as I possibly can.

Knowing that girls were coming up behind me reeling in their bate,

It was awesome getting to high five Tommy as I came down the final straight!

And having my sister in law, Barbara was also really sweet,

Especially since it was her 30^th birthday, it made it extra neat.

We celebrated by going to the Sky Tower for dinner,

Followed by Giapo’s ice cream, always a winner!

 

NEXT STOP

TO GOLD COAST WE HOP

Then onward we went to Gold Coast to race,

Spoiler alert, I ended up in third place!

I was able to start all the way to the right,

Therefore I never had to be part of the fight.

Thank you Wybrand Du Toit for the awesome pictures!

 I got passed near the end of the first lap by a few,

So just got in position to stay on their feet during lap two.

I came out of the water with the leaders,

And together we began the 40 kilometers.

This bike was deceivingly hard and I didn’t feel great,

Sometimes finding myself in the dangling position I hate.

But throughout the ride I could #seehappy through my SPY glasses,

Holding on to put time on the athletes chasing in masses.

However I had a good spot coming into transition,

Unfortunately shoe application is not where I glistened.

I had a hard time putting on my shoes and came out of T2 a bit behind,

I tried to get into a groove but it was hard to find.

Wybrand Du Toit

This wasn’t a feel good race at all,

My goal was to hit the finish line before I hit the wall.

I tried to stay close to my teammate Sarah True,

So that I could finish on the podium too!

Thank you Korupt Vision for the photo!

Last year at London WTS Gwen and Sarah went 1-2,

And I knew if I had been healthy being on the podium was something I could also do.

I wanted to be a part of an all-American podium sweep,

The fact I got to be a part of it at this race makes me want to leap!

Such a cool experience to listen to our national anthem play,

With all three of us proud to be a part of the U.S.A.

My Off the Front Multisport and Team Psycho teammates also did quite well,

The women’s U.S. is on fire if you can’t tell.

And in other news my Coeur girls are dominating all over the place,

Now I am off to Cape Town, South Africa for the next race!

KZ Team 2015

Introducing the Katie Zaferes team 2015,

All those people behind helping my season run like a well oiled machine.

Some are new relationships for me this year,

But most have been with me as I’ve reached each new tier.

Team Psycho and Off the Front Multisport supported me since I started tri,

The first triathlon teams I was a part of and how lucky was I?

They both believed in me before I even knew the sport,

And I can’t describe how wonderful these people are as a cohort.

I met Coeur two years ago at the Las Vegas Super Sprint,

Thinking they probably weren’t going to be interested during my injured stint.

Super excited when they contacted me out of the blue,

I couldn’t be more blessed to meet such an amazing crew,

Not only is Coeur women’s tri apparel the best in the realm,

They’re also not afraid to take issues in triathlon at the helm.

ROKA sports creates apparel that allows you to swim super fast,

With wetsuits that are not only speedy but are made to last.

The crew here also is quite close to my heart,

As they took care of Tommy when in Dallas he fell apart.

I can’t tell you how important it is to see a company the truly cares,

And is there for their athletes whenever they need them to be there.

Brooks was the first pair of running shoes that I ever wore to train and race,

A love for the Run Happy motto from which all my theories are based.

I train in the Ghosts and race in the PureFlow,

The perfect shoes for a gal always on the go.

I couldn't be more pumped to wear SPY optics on my face,

And be looking through happy lenses during each race.

This fun awesome company has athletes who do the extreme,

I feel very fortunate to get to be a part of the team.

#seehappy, heart and courage, run happy, find faster;

All things in my life that I want to always remember and master.

What better people to have behind you every day,

Than the ones that work to make you better in each every way.

Abu Dhabi Podium!

For me the first race of the season,

Always brings more jitters than there’s reason.

I don’t know why but I feel like I could forget how to tri,

With each week of the off season that goes by.

However, it doesn’t take much for me to get my butt in gear,

Only the sound of the gun going off in my ear.

And then it’s like “hey! I remember this feeling”

Now I better get moving because Carol Routier’s arms are reeling.

And so it was like this in Abu Dhabi too,

As soon as the race started I knew what to do. 

The swim for me was a little bit of an unknown,

There was a time during training were my swimming had slown.

However, during this race it all fell into place,

And seeing my teammate Sarah True, I tried to keep pace.

Coming out of the water I knew transition would need to be fast,

If there was any chance of creating a break in the bike that would last.

I put in some strong efforts whenever there was a break,

All the time feeling like it was definitely a chance I was willing to take.

We had a strong group of five going into the final lap,

But going through a technical section I fell off the back.

When I didn’t latch back on I used my heart and Coeurage to keep powering alone,

An all too familiar memory of when that happened to me in Stockholm.

But I kept pushing and made it to transition before getting caught,

Knowing that the next group was going to be coming in hot.

Pretty quick into the run I was happy to be feeling well,

My BrooksPureFlow had me gaining on the individuals ahead I could tell.

As I ran I just kept my eye on the girls up ahead,

Never looking back at what was behind me instead.

Ultimately I crossed the finish line in second place,

My best performance ever at a WTS race!

It was so awesome for me to achieve a goal I had set,

And standing on the podium for the first time is something I won’t forget.

Not to mention USA Gwen Jorgensen did an awesome job taking the win,

And Flora Duffy for getting 3^rd after just getting back into ITU again!

I can’t thank all the people who have supported me in this endeavor,

To name each and everyone would take me forever.

Thank you to all the people who have been there for me through and through,

Always believing in me and what I do.

Of course thank you to my sponsors who are always there for me,

And have supported me with each dream I hope to achieve.

Thank you to ROKA, Brooks, Off the Front Multisport, TeamPsycho and Coeur,

You help me achieve all I dream and much more.

Thank you to my teammates and coach Joel Filliol who make race prep fun,

And all go out there and race hard, getting it done.

Now I’m heading to the Kiwi land,

Auckland is next up on my plan!

The Name Changer

With a new year, new name and a new squad; a new blog was in store,

It just didn't seem fitting to have Giving It a Tri as a title anymore.

I've tried it and I quite like it a lot,

Now it's time to go after a Rio 2016 spot.

This year sure started off with a lot of excitement,

And being with JFT squad brought a lot of enlightenment.

In December Tommy and I joined the crew in Portugal for a bit,

It didn't take long for me to realize I'd found the perfect fit.

It's fun training with some of the best,

Each day feeling like the group makes me better, to that I can attest.

I went home super excited for the next camp coming our way,

But first Tommy and I got to celebrate a very special day.

Picture brought to you by Tera Tochio Productions

January 17th I said "I do" to being Tommy Zaferes' wife,

And with family and friends we celebrated the best day of our life.

We stopped off in Maryland to continue wedding fun,

Then headed to Mallorca where hard training had already begun.

For three awesome weeks we've been here now,

With a venue that continuously has you saying "wow".

 We've ridden to the snow and ran on the beach,

And I've achieved things I would have thought out of reach.

It's nice being with my husband each and everyday,

A good place to get prepped for Abu Dhabi that's two weeks away!

California to Cozumel to Kona

So much has happened in a short time,

For instance it won’t be long until wedding bells chime.

 Tommy proposed to me and as you can guess…

Yep, my answer was definitely a “yes!”

So now we’re planning a wedding quite soon,

And the fact I get to be Mrs. Zaferes sends me over the moon.

I also did my last world cup in Cozumel,

Unfortunately that race went downhill when I ran slow as hell.

So I finished the race practically last,

Not going to lie it was not a blast.

My legs had nothing to give and didn’t feel right,

But it happens and I tried to leave it behind as I got on my flight.

Tommy and I were in Phoenix for a total of 5 hours,

Before getting on a plane to head to the land of hibiscus flowers.

“We” are spoiled to be sponsored by Coeur,

The best and cutest endurance apparel that I’ve ever wore.

We were there to watch the Ironman and represent,

I sure hope you all stopped by our booth if you went.

Being in Kona for Ironman was really neat,

I loved getting to cheer for our girls on the street.

And all of our Coeur athletes who raced did amazingly well,

With quite a few on the podium and Katie got an award for getting up after she fell.

These Ironman athletes are incredibly tough,

I rode the Queen K for only 90 minutes and had enough.

Besides the grueling distance making Kona hard,

It’s windy, humid, hill and so hot the ground is charred.

So in my opinion just finishing is an incredible feat,

I hope afterwards they treated themselves to lots of ice cream to eat.

I also want to shout out to QuintanaRoo,

When my derailleur hangar snapped they really came through.

After leaving Kona I decided I was going to do one final race for fun,

So I stayed in Carlsbad up until Lifetime Oceanside before calling my season done.

That write up will be coming soon,

Who knows maybe I’ll even get it posted by this afternoon.

Las Vegas Super Sprint!

After Edmonton my brain was a little bit toast, 

I could only fathom doing aerobic workouts at the most. 

I took some down time as I know I needed it,

But as a result I think my race at Vegas took a hit. 

I went into the race thinking it was good practice with a chance of money, 

But let me tell you, you can't go into a competitive race with that mindset honey. 

In a super sprint you swim bike run and then right away do it again, 

It's short, fast, furious and brutal to the very end. 

You must be ready to compete with the best of the best,

When you're off in a super sprint there's no place to hide- to that I can attest. 

And hiding I could not when it came to the second run,

I was the first one out of the A finals when all was said and done. 

Trying to get prepped for the B final was a hard thing to do, 

But thankfully I pulled it together by the time warms up we're through. 

 The super sprint finals was two times through a 300 swim, 5k bike and 2k run,

So after the first run you transition back into the water and do it all again before you're done. 

In the swim I came out a bit behind McClarty, Stupp and Cook, 

Worked hard on the bike and by the run everyone but McClarty I overtook. 

Out on the run I realized something I had forgotten to do. 

Turns out my room key was still on my racing shoe. 

Besides feeling silly it had no effect, 

And back in the water to once again get wet. 

I had a small lead going into the swim,

But by the time I got out I was with McClarty and Cook again. 

McClarty and I rode hard from the start, 

And until we got to the final 2k run we did not part. 

Off on the run I put it in cruise, 

This was a race I didn't want to lose.

I finished the B final in first place,

After the morning, happy to have a more solid race. 

The excitement continued as the finals went off,

With 5 Olympians in the women's field including Sarah Groff.

It was pretty awesome as all 10 girls went out on the final run in a pack,

It came down to a sprint finish where Chelsea Burns made a final attack! 

So proud of my training partner and friend,

That she was able to come out on top in the end!

And then the men's race was up with Tommy in position two, 

So excited to watch him and see what he could do!

What made it even more fun is that Coeur came to watch, 

And cheer on my boy as he competed with athletes who are top notch. 

So exciting to see him, Royle and Kanute work together the entire race,

Dropping the rest of the group as they did the whole thing at a hot pace. 

Watching how fast they did corners and transitions was absurd, 

And by the end of the race Tommy rounded out the podium in third! 

The Las Vegas Super Sprint was an awesome event, 

And it's crazy how fast that trip/day came and went. 

With a quick turn around tomorrow I'll be racing Pacific Grove, 

A coastal venue being something I certainly can't loathe :)