Wassner Twins at Israman

Yesterday, I saw this tweet from Rebecca Wassner, who is half of the pro triathlete duo known as the "Wassner Twins:"

These 2 images accompanied the tweet:

Yeah, she ran my 1-mile pace for an opening mile of a marathon. AFTER A 2.4 MILE SWIM and 112 MILE BIKE RIDE.

I replied to that tweet, tweeting Rebecca and Laurel back asking if those were Israman splits. If you've been a LONG time reader, you'll remember I went to Israel in January of 2014 to race the "Israman Eilat" triathlon (half iron 70.3 or full iron 140.6 distance).

My 70.3 relay team for 2014: me swimming, Rany biking, and Sharon running.

Well, T2 of that race is high in the mountains above the Red Sea, and then the first 15K (or so) is downhill. That sounds great, but everyone who does it says it's KILLER on the legs, especially running the final 15-20 miles of the race after that (flat, along the Red Sea).

I had heard the Wassner Twins finished 1st and 2nd in the full iron race! Laurel finished in 11:13 with a 3:24 run, and Rebecca went 11:37. (Those times were good for 7th and 13th OVERALL!) Nice work!

The hills out there are fierce. Here's a paragraph from my 2014 Israman race report:

The bike ride out there is epic. This race was label by Triathlete Magazine as one of the "top 10 triathlons in the world." And the scenery and course don't disappoint. I was talking with a fast biker post-race (it was either Ben in our group or someone else - I forget). This person said that in half iron races, they usually hit 40K in an hour. (Yep, that's pretty fast.) But in this race where there's OVER 2,000 feet of climbing in the first 15K, his first 40K took TWO hours.

Waves of swimmers heading off into the Red Sea last week (found in a Facebook album)


Laurel posted this photo pre-race saying "Start of the marathon at Israman.
Run all the way down to the Red Sea. Fast first 10ks but... Ouch!!"


The winning sisters! (Image retweeted by Laurel.)


70.3 winner Ben Collins, 140.6 winner Laural Wassner, and 70.3 winner Jenny Fletcher!
(Found on the race's Facebook page.)

Laurel told me yesterday via twitter that she still couldn't squat down. The race was last Friday; this was 4 days later. Well, rest those legs, and nice job sisters!

If you want to look back on some fun Israel/Israman photos from 2014, here's my 2014 Israman race report, here's a collection of other people's Instagram photos from Israman 2014, here are my Instagram photos throughout my 9-day Israel trip (some AMAZING memories in there!), and here's a Facebook album of race photos from 2014. If you really want to look through a lot of Israel photos/posts, here's everything tagged with "Israel Trip."

p.s. Here's a post from almost 5 years ago where I met the Wassner twins.

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Instagram Photos from the Israman

This will probably be my last post about Israel and the Israman Triathlon. (HERE was my race report, and HERE'S a giveaway I'm currently doing with some sweet "no flat" stuff from an Israeli company.)

Shortly after the race, I searched Instagram for anything tagged with "Israman" to see images from other people. Here are about 15 photos from strangers from Instagram:

We were greeted at the Eliat airport with lots of race banners.


A view from one of the hotels in Eliat. That's Jordan in the distance,
and the Red Sea is on the other side of the hotel off frame to the right.


An evening swim a few days before the race.




Transition bags ready for race day!


A test swim in the Red Sea the day before the race.


People getting their stuff set up in transition the night before.


RACE DAY!! That was part of the sunrise coming up over the hills of Jordan
that I noted enjoying during my swim in my race report.


Out of the water!




Riding the hills. We all got a pair of those
sweet arm warmers - look for me to bust mine out this spring.




Unlike Ironman-sanctioned races, you can (and were encouraged) to finish with family!


Party at the finish late into the night!


At the awards party the next morning.


Sweet awards!


Me and my Israman shirt at the gym! My Gear West Duathlon
relay partner Pete bumped in to me and complimented me on it. :)

It's the final 2 days to enter my "Joe's No-Flats" giveaway! (Some great guys we met in Israel.) Check it out!

p.s. I never posted about it here, but on my Photo Blog, I posted some Holga photos from my Israel trip. (A Holga is a cheap medium format camera that leaks light and vignettes the edges.) Click that link to check them out. And since I'm talking about photo stuff, stop by the Soeffker Gallery at Hamline University to see some of my work in a show that's opening TONIGHT.

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9 Days in Israel via Instagram

My Instagram shows an abbreviated version of my trip to Israel over 30 photos. I didn't post much on day 2 because I was wandering around Jerusalem getting lost with Nick. (Here are some photos from that day.)

These Instagram photos show how much we saw and did in just a week. Anything in italics is the text from the original Instagram post:

- - - DAY 1 - - -


My day. Sixteen hours in the air.


Today's forecast: cloudy. #NoFilter  (This was from above the winter clouds in the midwest.)


- - - DAY 2 - - -


View of Jerusalem's old city from my hotel room.


- - - DAY 3 - - -


Wednesday morning sunrise over Jerusalem. #nofilter


The wall around Jerusalem.


THEE BEST hummus I've ever had! Jerusalem is fantastic. Thanks @KinetisTeam for the tour!
(This was upstairs in a tiny Jerusalem restaurant above the market. It was awesome.)


Made it to Tel Aviv just in time for the sunset over the Mediterranean. #LifeIsGood


- - - DAY 4 - - -


4th flight in 4 days: Tel Aviv to Eilat for #Israman 70.3 tomorrow!


Boarding our plane pointed straight at the Mediterranean Sea. #Israman #VibeIsrael


Flying over the Negev Desert.


English-speaking pre-race meeting. #Israman


Just finished a swim in the Red Sea. AMAZING. Video in a few hours. #Israman
(Update: the video can be seen here)


Red and white wine on tap. Repeat: RED AND WHITE WINE ON TAP.
(This was the Israman buffet the night before the race.)


- - - DAY 5 - - -


I've got my race tattoos and speedo on! Time to swim! #Israman


Running out of the Red Sea after my relay 70.3 swim at the #Israman triathlon!


Not as fast as I would have liked, but hey, I JUST RACED IN THE RED SEA!!! #Israman
(Update: Here's my full "race report.")


Israelis know how to f*ckin party. This place is awesome. #Israman
(Great energy at the finish - one of the closest things I've seen to an official Ironman vibe.)


- - - DAY 6 - - -


Goodbye King Solomon Hotel in Eilat. See you again in my dreams.


Spring-fed lake in the middle of the desert in Timna Israeli National Park.


All the food here has been FANTASTIC. It makes me moist just thinking about it.


Back to Tel Aviv.


Another amazing meal in Tel Aviv: eggplant ratatouille, seafood paella,
spinach/ricotta gnocchi (THE BEST!), mushroom pasta, sea bass, and spare ribs.


- - - DAY 7 - - -


This is a valid parking job in Tel Aviv. This car has been here all morning.


Lounging by the Mediterranean Sea. Thanks for getting me here @KinetisTeam!


Thanks, walls of #TelAviv. I nearly forgot.


So sue me. I had to try it.
(My burger was pretty dry, but then I was reminded that it was probably kosher.)


- - - DAY 8 - - -


Brunch on the sea.


Breakfast at Manta Ray on the Tel Aviv beachfront: shakshuka (eggs poached in
tomatoes), parmesan eggplant omelet, "Mr. Crunchy" ham and cheese sandwich,
and a veggie Greek salad. I miss Henry, but I don't wanna go home.


- - - DAY 9 - - -


First sights of the US. (New Jersey- yuck.) Can't wait to see my family!


Sunrise somewhere between Newark and Chicago.


Back to real life. Playing with Henry and his massive Lego tower.

And here's a bonus photo from later that day:

You know the shit's REALLY about to hit the fan when....

Here are some related links:

• More about Kinetis and why they sent me to Israel
• Video swimming in the Red Sea
• Israman relay race report
• Some great photos from SlowTwitch from the Israman Triathlon
• Mountain biking in Timna Valley, an Israeli National Park

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