The Real Tri Squad April Newsletter

This past weekend, the Real Tri Squad had Greg and Lisa leading the respective men’s and women’s IRONMAN Pro Series Races - we’ll dive into that. We also have another chat coming up and a St. George 70.3 meetup in the works! By the time the next newsletter comes out, there will be another six big races completed by the RTS.

In this issue:

• Nick’s savage race at IM South Africa

• Lisa, Liz, Colin, Andy, and Greg’s Races at IM 70.3 Oceanside

• An RTS exclusive chat with Greg Harper

• Races you can find us / St George Meetup

• Pro Tip

• (New!) RTS Media of the Month

• Get to Know the Pro, Jackson Laundry edition

• RTS Podcast Highlights

Savage IM South Africa

“Over half the pro field did not finish.”

Nick Chase battled huge waves and currents that would’ve cancelled any race in North America at IRONMAN South Africa on March 30. Still, the chaotic swim conditions left him feeling “very sub-strength on the bike,” but he never had any bonks on the run, which was a “massive win”. A 17th place finish reflects the consistently amazing effort he gave.

“I planned the safari to try to lift the spirits of Matt and Cody since they didn’t have the race experience or finish they invested in…my highlight was seeing the mighty dung beetle and the most kind eyes I have ever seen, which belongs to the elephant.”

Watch more about Nick’s buildup in this video and more buildup in this video!

No Coasting at Oceanside

Ouch!!, epic, dynamic, hard, and demanding: are we describing Hyrox or the 2025 IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside? LOL it’s definitely the latter.

Lisa, Liz, Colin, Andy and Greg may have been riding along the Pacific Ocean, but there was no coasting happening while they ripped through the naval base at Camp Pendleton on Saturday, April 5th. Sherpa’d by Marc Dubrick and Adam Meredith, the quintet placed 7th (Lisa) and 28th (Liz) in the Women’s race and 11th (Colin), 31st (Andy), and 32nd (Greg) in the men’s race.

Greg Harper had more screen time on Saturday than the average teenager, leading most of the swim and coming out of the water first in 22:48! Lisa Becharas took the lead at mile 46ish of the bike and led the race for the first 2+ miles of the run. The two cheered for each other, or rather Lisa attempted to cheer back but “only had some finger points" in her.

Colin Szuch sought redemption after a DNF at IM New Zealand. With an 11th place finish, he did just that and cheered for Andy and Greg along the way. He was fired up to have Adam and Marc cheering on course.

Andy Krueger had a “super fun” time racing with RTS teammates and is going to squeeze in some changes to his bike fit and top end speed before Ironman 70.3 Lima on April 27. With her RTS debut, not only did Liz Licea start out her day great by meeting Lisa before the swim start, but she found a bathroom 20-30 minutes before the start, which is always a good sign!

You’ll find all of these athletes (except Andy, who’ll be in Peru) racing again at IRONMAN 70.3 St George!

An RTS Exclusive Chat

Our Very Own Greg Harper on Wetsuits, Workouts, and Open Water Swimming

You may know him as the guy who dominated the first half hour of the broadcasts of the 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 Worlds and Oceanside 70.3 last week when he lead the race out of the water, but we know him as our swim sweetheart. We are bringing our very own Greg Harper on Thursday, April 17th at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT to talk about:

• Why your 100m free time matters in the open water

• The top three drills all triathletes should be doing

• That time he raced Michael Phelps

Zoom Details: Meeting ID: 914 1829 1479 Passcode: 372328

Where You Can Find Us

At least 10 pros are signed up for IRONMAN 70.3 St. George, so we will have a meetup the day or two before. We will send out details in our newsletter and on socials as the date gets closer.

Triathlon Trivia Time!

Pro Tip (Essay) of the Month

From Marc Dubrick:

Sometimes there’s no chance for a swim warmup. When that happens, your wetsuit needs to fit perfectly—no mid-swim adjustments, no tight shoulders, just smooth strokes from the gun.

Here’s how I get it right every time.

1. Know Your Wetsuit - Before Race Day

Swim in your wetsuit 1–2x a month. Open water is ideal, but a pool works too. Get used to how it fits when everything’s firing.

Sometimes the suit is the problem. Sometimes it’s just fatigue. But you won’t know until you’ve tested it outside of race day.

2. Use Landmarks

After a good wetsuit swim, note where the suit hits:

• Ankles: Just above the ankle bone

• Wrists: Watch bump or ulna bone

• Shoulders: Any logos or seams you can consistently line up

For me, my Blue70 Helix sits at the bottom of my calf, and the silver “H” hits right at my deltoid when it’s dialed.

3. Step-by-Step

Legs first:
Pull the legs up to mid-calf. Use socks if needed. Put your timing chip under the suit.

Work it up slowly:
Smooth out wrinkles. No air pockets in the crotch.

Arms next:
Sleeves should sit just behind your wrist bone. Smooth around elbows and shoulders.

Shoulders are key:
Have someone pull the suit up and together behind you before zipping. This makes a huge difference in how your shoulders feel.

4. Final Check

Zip up, do a few arm swings, streamline overhead, and twist your torso. If something feels off—adjust it now. It’s worth the extra minute on land.

In Short: Get familiar with your wetsuit, learn your landmarks, and follow a consistent routine. When you nail the fit, you can skip the warmup and still feel ready to fly.

RTS Team Store

The RTS Store is always open!! Give Lisa some excitement by ordering hats, socks, tees, and bottles!

RTS Media of the Month

Not only did Greg’s leading out of the swim earn him lots of camera time in T1, but Lisa getting some love in T1 was an omen of great things to come!

Get to Know the Pro

Jackson Laundry shares his childhood celebrity crush, his unlikely choice for who would play him in a movie, and what he originally thought he wanted to be when he grew up.

What's your favorite food during a long ride? Granola bars

Who would play you in a movie? Danny Devito

What weird rabbit hole have you gone down on YouTube/Instagram? Dudes catching huge fish in rivers

What's your triathlon super power? Forgetting about the run while I’m on the bike (also a weakness)

What did you want to be when you grew up? Pro hockey player

If you could switch bodies with one person on RTS for a day, who would it be? Any of the women just to gain some perspective (don’t make it weird)

What's your favorite race course? Swim - Oceanside, Bike - St. George, Run - Mont Tremblant

With whom on RTS would you want to stranded on a deserted island? Anyone, RTS has only gems

What's your go-to mantra? Embrace the pain

What's your favorite thing to do after a hard workout? Eat a lot of food and lie on the couch

What was your first job? Hockey Referee

Who on RTS would you appoint to be your personal shopper? Depends if it’s my money being spent or theirs; Nick Chase if it’s not my money; Marc Dubrick if it is.

What's your favorite piece of sponsor equipment that you would pay real dollars for? My Ventum Tempus (Bisaddle a close second)

Who was your childhood celebrity crush? Vanessa Carlton (Editor note: probably because Jackson covers A Thousand Miles weekly!)

The Real Triathlon Podcast

Recent episodes of the Real Triathlon Podcast:

• March 28: When to Train HARD vs Chill Out - IM South Africa Predictions on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube

• April 3: Pro Talk: Bread & Butter Workouts on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube

• April 10: Lisa’s IRONMAN Oceanside 70.3 Dominance & Nick chats IRONMAN South Africa on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube

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