The Real Tri Squad March Newsletter

Beware the Ides of March - RTS has officially begun racing! The new RTS “Embrace the journey" kit has debuted and we have a rundown of how Colin got run…down. 😉 We also have another chat coming up and a St. George 70.3 meetup in the works!

In this issue:

• Colin Szuch’s Race at IM New Zealand

• An RTS exclusive chat with Greg Harper

• Races you can find us / St George Meetup

• Pro Tip

• RTS Post of the Month

• (New!) Get to Know the Pro, Lisa Becharas edition

• RTS Podcast Highlights

Colin’s Race at IM New Zealand

“To be honest, blowing up at Ironman New Zealand stung.”

RTS freshman Colin Szuch was the first to tri this year, and why not ball out with a full ironman in New Zealand?

“The prep was spot on—I hit just about every session perfectly and felt ready to go. I was super excited to race with some incredible new kit: the Blue70 Helix, Zoot P1 race suit, and an upgraded bike position with the FastTT 2.0 bars.”

Colin is no stranger to racing, having done 3 full IMs and 9(!) 70.3s in 2024. His full ironman debut was at this same race in 2024.

“The race started strong—relaxed in the swim, controlled power on the bike, and really going for it through 20K of the run—but the blowup at 30K made it clear I made some mistakes. Now it’s about fine-tuning my run durability, perfecting my hydration strategy with Precision Fuel & Hydration, and making sure I’m ready to close strong. Super motivated to get back on the start line with these lessons learned.”

Because he has the attitude of a goldfish, Colin will be joining Lisa, Marc, Greg, and a few others in Oceanside 70.3 in 2 weeks!

An RTS Exclusive Chat

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

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

Where You Can Find Us

Speaking of upcoming races, the final edition (for now?) of the IRONMAN 70.3 St. George is coming up on May 10, and we have the vast majority of RTS pros racing it!

Pro Tip of the Month

From Amanda Macuiba

If your training volume is increasing, don’t panic if you’re feeling fatigued and some of your workouts feel lackluster. That’s part of the build. You won’t feel “on” for every ride or “bouncy” for every tempo run. This is okay. Listen to your body if you need rest of course, but don’t worry if you feel tired - after a step back week or a taper, you’ll surprise yourself!

RTS Team Store

The RTS Store is always open!! Get some snail mail from Lisa by ordering hats, socks, tees, and bottles!

RTS Post of the Month

Nicholas Chase tells us about his “ladies.”

race_chase

11K followers

View more on Instagram

Get to Know the Pro

We sat down with (ok, texted) Lisa Becharas to get to know her better. Like the great sport that she is, she answered all 15 questions and told us about her first job, her cycling prowess, and her one big life curiosity.

1. What's your favorite food to grill?

   Bananas cut open with chocolate chips and marshmallows (in foil)

2. Who would play you in a movie?

   Cindy Lou Who

3. How do you pronounce your last name?

   Bah-care-issss

4. What's your triathlon super power?

   ⁠Coming off the bike in first and running my way into 8th!

5. What was your first job?

   ⁠Lifeguard at a country club

6. What did you want to be when you grew up?

   ⁠Olympic soccer player or a dolphin trainer

7. What's your favorite race course?

   ⁠Swim - Oregon 70.3, Bike - St. Anthony’s, Run - Santa Cruz 70.3

8. With whom on RTS would you want to stranded on a deserted island?

   Nick - I think he probably has the most survival skills and our island would be so clean bc it would stress him out too much if it got messy.

9. What's your go-to mantra?

   ⁠I can do anything for xx minutes! (Most applicable at the end of a race/interval

10. What's your favorite thing to do after a hard workout?

    ⁠Cuddle my dog and question my life choices

11. Who on RTS would you appoint to plan your wedding?

    ⁠Nicole, hands down. She’s the most organized and most creative gift giver so obviously she would come up with some amazing wedding ideas!

12. Who was your childhood celebrity crush?

    ⁠Aaron Carter (RIP)

13. What simple thing blows your mind?

    ⁠Wind - I don’t understand how it can blow so many different directions at once!

14. What's your favorite piece of sponsor equipment that you would pay real dollars for?

    ⁠My Orbea Oiz mountain bike! It’s SO MUCH FUN!

15. If you could switch bodies with one person on RTS for a day, who would it be?

    ⁠Greg Harper, so I can know what it’s like to swim so fast!

The Real Triathlon Podcast

Recent episodes of the Real Triathlon Podcast:

• Feb 20: Why Most Triathlon Coaches Are Training Their Athletes Wrong on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube

• Mar 2: Rythm Health & Doping in Triathlon on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube

• Mar 7: IRONMAN Rules and Penalties Updated, Jackson Breaks His Foot on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube

• Mar 13: Drafting Drama, Tri Couples, Prize Money, and Injury Hacks on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube

• Mar 20: An Update on the State of Triathlon with Tempo News’s Matt Sharpe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube

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