Somersault News

Somersault Half Marathon for Kids Program – April 1 to May 4
We are happy to announce a spring running program for students in Grades 3-6, beginning April 1 and culminating in their participation in the Austin Wylie May Day 1Km Run on Sunday May 4^th at Place d’Orleans.

The Somersault Half Marathon for Kids is a home and/or school program that can be used to meet school Daily Physical Activity requirements, class Physical Education outcomes, or Track and Field meet preparation needs. Or it may just used provide kids and parents with a “kid focused” spring running experience. For more detailed information on the program and to access the participation tool kit and entry form, please visit : http://www.somersault.ca/kidshalfmarathonprogram.htm

Look for a similar program in the fall associated with the Ottawa Fall Colours Marathon, Half Marathon, 10Km, 5 Km, and Michael Ryan Turkey Trot on October 12^th.

Early Bird Swim Times
We have had inquires from a few Early Bird entrants about where they might obtain their swim times in preparation for the Early Bird swim start. We do not plan on organizing swim trials for this purpose ourselves, but we are willing to promote pool times and locations where Early bird entrants can do so. If your training group or club has time that these entrants can access for this purpose, we would be pleased to advertise them in our next Somersault Newsletter. Email terry@somersault.ca.

“New Balance Ottawa” and “Sports 4” have joined us!
We are very pleased to announce the return of New Balance Ottawa and Sports 4 to the Somersault Series, as a sponsor and partner. It is great to have Jim McFarlane and his staff members join us in providing prizing and promotional support to most of the events in the 2008 Somersault season. Jim and the gang are also bringing added value to 2008 event participants by offering you a $10 discount on purchases of $50 or more regularly priced merchandise in any of their stores. All you have to do is bring your Somersault JME Confirmation Number email with you to the store. Each JME Confirmation number is good for one $10 discount. Discounts are limited to one per purchase. Drop by one of their stores to obtain this discount:

Training and Preparation Tips – A Feature Column
We are pleased to be introducing a monthly race training and preparation column by Trish Massart, with the March 2008 issue of the Somersault Newsletter. Trish is a veteran personal trainer and triathlon enthusiast. She has studied under Ironman greats such as Dave Scott and Mark Allen to perfect her sport-specific strength training expertise for triathlon. Trish is principal trainer for Fit over 50, an at-home fitness consultancy for adults over 50. Click here for Trish’s March article, “Building Pre-Season Strength in 20 Minutes or Less”. Next month, look for an article from Trish, on leg strength and balance. You can contact Trish directly at tmassart@rogers.com

Ottawa & Kingston Voted Best Triathlon ‘Towns’ in Canada
Congratulations Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec multi-sport participants! “Get Out There Magazine” – http://www.getoutthere-digital.com recently completed a reader survey to determine the “best” tri town in Canada. Ottawa and Kingston tied for first place as the best places to be, if you are entering a triathlon or duathlon event.

“For Tri-ing out Loud … Just Du It” and
“Sorry … Gotta Run” T-Shirts
We were enthused with the response to the souvenir shirt offer we made to early season registrants. Several hundred shirts were claimed in the 2 week period of the offer. The good news for those who didn’t qualify for one of these unique shirts, is that they will be on sale at each 2008 Somersault event – the price $15.00. Those who are eligible for one of the early season shirts can pick it up at one of these locations on or by April 15, at which time the offer closes:

Participants or prospective participants who are looking for multi-sport or running coaching, training opportunities, or guidance may want to check out our Clubs, Coaches, and Trainers website at http://www.somersault.ca/clubsandcoaches.htm. If you are a coach, trainer, or club who is not listed with us, please email terry@soemrsault.ca to request that you be added to our list.

Retail Store Friends of Somersault
We encourage you to consider our retail friends when purchasing your training and competition equipment. A list of these retailers can be found at http://www.somersault.ca/retailstores.htm. We particularly encourage you to consider those stores who are partners or sponsors of the Somersault program. These currently include PECCO’s, New Balance Ottawa, Sports 4, Cranks Bicycle Shoppe, Sport X, and Bushtukah. If your store would like to become a sponsor of a Somersault event or program, please contact christine@soemrsault.ca.

As the new competition season approaches, we are looking for applicants for Somersault Race Crew positions. We have several returning crew members, but we need to add to the crew. There are openings for key Race Crew members in the Swim Course, Run Course, Cycle Course, T-Zone, and Site Set Up/Take down areas. You must be dependable, and be willing to work long days on the event weekends. It’s a lot of fun and its hard work. Interested applicants should contact terry@somersault.ca.