Active Warriors

WINTER TIME WHO CARES WE STILL PLAY!

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:59:49 GMT2010-02-08T19:59:49Z

WHEN YOU SEND IN YOUR REPORT MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR SIGNATURE LINE INCLUDED WITH YOUR TITLE AND WHICH OFFICE YOU WORK AT.  WE ALL WANT TO KNOW. Thanks, Mike  Here's a weekend warrior update from Switzerland.  BRIAN BERGEY (ActiveEvents EMEA), ERIC OLSON, (ActiveEvents) and ANTHONY MILLER (ActiveEvents EMEA) did some team building in Flumserberg, Switzerland Saturday, taking some time to enjoy the Alps and "shred some serious Swiss gnar." I WONDER IF THAT WAS A WORK TRIP? ADNAN ZAIDI, Tech Account Mgr Tennis played in the 58th Annual Challenge Cup Seniors tennis tournament in the Men’s 35s Singles division in Stockton, CA. I won my semi final match and am now in the finals this coming weekend.  I am currently 22 in the country in the Men’s 35s. If I win this next match (i.e. tournament) I should move into the top 15. Here is a link to the tournament.http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=83665  TODD PREECE reports a rainy weekend canceled most of the San Diego events this weekend so I went for a 10-mile trail run out of pure spite.  It was a cold, slippy, sloppy mud bath with intermittent downpours.  Felt more like an Amazon expedition than a trail run.  ALEX AFANDI had the pleasure to assist with the Pasadena ½ Marathon. My duties were mostly to organize the course and prepare the Aide Stations. The course was hilly and the vast majority of it was on dirt roads.  Walking on wet dirt while carrying equipment took some balance skills. The race was very successful and 1200 competitors finished the race. I also got to cheer as I directed racer. Only one medical aide was needed.  THANKS ALEX VOLUNTEERS ARE THE LIFEBLOOD OF ALL ENDURANCE EVENTS! KAT KEIVENS (Online Account Coordinator) competed in the Surf City Half Marathon this past weekend.  This is her second half marathon ever in just two weeks (first was Carlsbad)! EVAN WITTE had a leisurely relatively injury-free Surf City Half Marathon in Huntington Beach followed by an intense afternoon of chips, dip, and the Super Bowl. More Gran Fondo (http://www.active.com/triathlon/san-diego-ca/gran-fondo-colnago-san-diego-2010) training for MARC VILLANUEVA, JEREMY SPITZBERG and TAWNYA BORDALO (Media + Marketing) who rode from Fiesta Island up to Del Mar, via the hill at Torrey Pines, and back. MIKE REILLY, VP Major Event Sales along with his niece visiting from Columbus, Ohio did a 35 mile ride up and down the coast.  While all the SD people riding on a 60 degree blustery day with long pants and sleeves my niece thought she was in the tropics wearing shorts.  We are such wussies here! TOBY GUILLETTE, social media specialist in San Diego put in 2.5 hours on the stationary trainer on Saturday while it was raining outside to prepare for the Grand Fondo San Diego in March. Then on Sunday, despite the weather, ran 14 miles in the mountains in east San Diego County. The run was 7 miles of climbing and 7 miles of descending. During the climb, the rain turned to snow! SEE EVERYONE IT DOES SNOW IN SAN DIEGO, AT LEAST IN THE MOUNTAINS.[...]

Active Lifestyle Weekend

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:01:31 GMT2010-02-01T22:01:31Z

ActiveX made a good showing at the 2010 Endurance Sports Awards ride and expo this past Saturday. A number of Xers participated in the 200+ cyclists, 25 mile bike ride. Mike Reilly, Ricky Gray, Airey Baringer, Mark Warble, Marc Villaneueva, Tawnya Bardolo, Chris and Julie Barnwell, and Arch and Christy Fuston rode in the peloton with the likes of Craig Alexander (2009 Ironman Hawaii winner), Chris Lieto (2009 Ironman Hawaii runner-up), and Kristen Armstrong (world-champion trim trial). We got dropped.Rebecca Divita (ETeams), Jim Garfield (M&M) and Tina Novak (Active) journeyed to Aspen for the winter X-Games.  Thrills, chills and definite spills were had by all, including the three of us.  Truly death deifying and gravity resistant tricks were the rule of the weekend….oh and a live concert by 50cent….    Orlando, FL, some of the ActiveGolf team went to Orlando for the 2010 PGA Show.  The day prior to the show a group of us (Ben Cruise, Matt Kessler, Joe Pink and Don Cramer) were able to get in a round of golf at the new Waldorf Astoria Golf Club at Disney World (OpenCourse Client).  The golf was unfortunately, well above par.  However, it was a great time to catch up and enjoy the sport we are involved in.  Liz Harrell (Director, Product Management & Projects), Kat Keivens (Online Operations) and Jeremy Spitzberg (Development Manager, UI) rode the coast on a beautiful Sunday morning in Southern California.  26 miles from Solana Beach to Carlsbad and back.  Gearing up for the Gran Fondo in a month!  Deborah Linggi, Director, Employee Communications -- New Year's resolutions to get/stay fit are still going strong.  I taught packed spin classes on both Saturday and Sunday morning at 24 Hour Fitness.  On Saturday, Kat Keivens (Online Account Coordinator) ran in the Lake Hodges 5k Race along with some fellow Active Employees and finished with a time of 26:04.40.  On Sunday Kat enjoyed a scenic 26 mile bike ride and played a soccer game. Michele Crepeau Skied Vail sat, snow shoed at Beaver Creek Sunday, AMAZING:)  Toby Guillette, Social Media Specialist in San Diego, ran the Sun Strides Foundation Lake Hodges 5K on Saturday morning in 18:24 which was good for 8th place overall and 1st place in the 20-29 age group. It was great to celebrate at the finish line with fellow Active Weekend Warriors who also ran the 5K: Andrea Rishmawi, Giselle Domdom, Kat Kievens and Jason Johnson! [...]

First Timers Running in Carlsbad, CA

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:42:43 GMT2010-01-25T17:42:43Z

ANUSHEH CHAVEZ ran the Carlsbad 1/2 Marathon, finishing in 2:12.  This was 2 minutes faster than her half in Las Vegas in December.  Also pictured are JESSICA WEXLER (Sr. Business Analyst) and LIZ HARRELL (Director, Product Management & Projects) ran the Carlsbad Half Marathon together.  Jessica and Liz have been training buddies for the past few months.  Sunday all of their hard work paid off and they crossed the finish line together.  The weather was perfect, the course was amazing and lots of Active folks were out there cheering us on!  A truly epic day! MICHELLE NATION WENT ALL THE WAY! She ran the Full Marathon yesterday in a new Personal Record of 4:39:39. She said it was great seeing so many smiling faces from all her Active friends and family out on the course. TODD PREECE ran the Carlsbad 1/2 Marathon and had a fast day.  He completely crushed his previous PR, putting in a 1:37 and placing in the top 10% of his age group. JENNIFER ROMINE, Account Manager Endurance had a mini family reunion with both her sisters and Mom coming down to race the Carlsbad Half Marathon (this was the first half for the rest of the family and only Jen’s second).  A little friendly sibling rivalry helped Jennifer to PR with a time of 2:12:22, however she still was not able to beat her older sister J.   JAMIE WILLIAMS, Data Warehouse Architect ran the Carlsbad Half Marathon Sunday – his first Half, so he now has a PR – 2:02! J KEVIN BEATTY from the SD office completed the Carlsbad ½ Marathon while battling a head cold. He finished in 1:39, good job Kevin a lot of people would have stayed in bed! STACEY JOHNSON also ran the Carlsbad ½ Marathon in a tiem of 1:45. She said what a beautiful day to run, clear skies and sunny with a big surf to watch along the course. JASON GRIFFITH, Project Manager Foundations sending in his FIRST contribution after being here almost a year! He ran the Carlsbad Half Marathon (my first).  I finished w/ a time of 2:22.57.  Five Months ago I started doing trail runs w/ Michelle Nation & Kevin Burke and couldn’t run more than a mile.  So I’d like to thank them for the motivation and support as well as the training plan Arch put together.  Overall I’m very happy considering it was my first, I was able to run the whole race, no walking, and had no on course issues.  The weather was absolutely perfect for running I don’t think it could have been any better and I feel great today my legs are only a little sore.  WAY TO GO JASON GETTING TO THAT FINISH LINE!ROB POWELL ran the Carlsbad 1/2 Marathon along wth 60 other friends/family as par of Chloe’s Crew, an organization inspired by Chloe Nichols, an 8 year old girl whose spirit and determination inspires others to reach for and achieve their goals.  Chloe was a fiercely determined girl who never backed down from a challenge, and Chloe's Crew is determined to keep this spirit alive.  She passed away at age eight on August 25, 2009 from complications due to medical treatment, and yes, she fought the good fight all the way to the end...  MATT BECKMAN did yesterday’s Carlsbad Half was a perfectly sunny morning.  There were quite a few Active supporters out there, which is greatly appreciated, especially for the under-trained.  Attached is a pic I snapped as we approached Highway 101 at Mile 3.   [...]

The Wheels were Rolling

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:41:29 GMT2010-01-18T18:41:29Z

THE WHEELS WERE ROLLING FOR ACTIVE TEAM MEMBERS THIS WEEKEND.  CHRIS OCHS, Sales Manager Active Events-RegOnline, and ERIC OLSON, Sr. Director of Strategy Active Events, took advantage of balmy 42-degree F weather with a 50-mile bike ride around Boulder, CO. ELAINE BERGERON, Account Manager Active Sports and MIKE REILLY rode in the Stagecoach Century Bike ride on Saturday. The 100 mile ride starts 1 ½ hours east of San Diego in the Anza Borrego desert. The ride is an out and back 100 with 3 challenging hills and headwinds just to mix it up.  Elaine rode on a 4 women time trial relay team.  They got a late start and we met up at the half way point. I took off from there about 10 minutes before they did and in no time they past me like I was going backwards.  Elaine’s team time was 5:22 and they were the first Women’s team to compete in the team time trial. Elaine said it was fun and a special experience receiving encouragement from other riders and next year they are shooting for a sub 5 hours. She said the last 50 was much easier than the first 50 and I totally agree as I rode ½ faster coming back for a total time of 6:05.  ASHLEY ELLIS, Swimming Account Mgr this weekend attended the Grand Prix Swimming Invitational in Long Beach California.  This was the first in a series of high level swim meets.  Last night there were THREE meet records.  It was incredible to watch Michael Phelps, Katie Hoff and Rebecca Soni [all Olympians] in the pool.    JENNI MILLER, Endurance Sales SD ran the P.F. Changs Rock N Roll Half Marathon yesterday in Phoenix, AZ! The weather couldn't have been any better which made it for a really enjoyable race. I finished with a time of 2:22 which for my low legs is great! MICHELLE NATION, Product Manager SD Ran the Rock and Roll Arizona ½ marathon this weekend as a warm up for next weekend’s Carlsbad Marathon.  As usual, our friends at Competitor Group put on an amazing event!    ANDY GEORGE Victory & Victim!  Crazy man Andy took 1st in his group at a San Diego area mountain bike race this weekend but not without a hospital visit for some shoulder damage and a nice elbow scrape. Way to give it your all Andy!MEGAN HOLLSTEDT, Web Designer and some friends took on the 16km return snowshoe in Garibaldi Provincial Park to Taylor Meadows on Saturday. After a 5am start, one stuck and then un-stuck Honda civic, and a few cups of coffee, we trekked up the 915 metre  elevation change to find one of the prettiest lunch spots ever. Great views of Black Tusk surrounded our happy (and tired) group.LORRAINE RYGLEWICZ, Active Communities Gymnastics was in Puerto Vallarta last week and had the chance to go zip lining!  I am absolutely terrified of heights so this was way more about conquering a fear than anything else.  At the end of 14 zip lines across the tree tops I excitedly kissed the ground but am very proud to say I did it!       [...]

Running, Hiking, Riding & Sailing

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:02:37 GMT2010-01-11T22:02:37Z

TOBY GUILLETTE, Social Media Specialist in San Diego, ran the San Diego Resolution Run 5K on Saturday morning. I finished in 18:27 (5:57 pace), good for 9th overall and 5th in my age group. This is also a PR for me -- not a bad way to start 2010! Then on Sunday, I went on a 2hr40min mountain bike ride out at Mission Trails. What a beautiful weekend in San Diego!   ROBBIE RECH, JOEL WERDELL and CHRIS INOUYE (all from Bothell) went backpacking high up in the Cascades this weekend as part of winter guide training for Peak 7 Adventures (http://www.peak7.org/).  We hiked 4 miles in at Coal Creek learning some avalanche awareness techniques along the way.  At Kenall Peak Lakes, we attempted to build igloos to sleep in.  It was a good thing we brought tents as well.  Below are some of the odd things that happen during instructor training highlighted with these 4 photos.1. [P1030546.jpg] Ancient Inuit igloo foundation stomping technique (unfortunately, the igloo never completely closed)2. [P1030593.jpg] No really, I'm cleaning out a stove3. [P1030540.jpg] Hey, Robbie, eating snow will make you more dehydrated.4. [P1030562.jpg] Amazing sunsets  MICHAEL STRICKLAND, Senior Copy Writer on Foundations, bags the peak of Iron Mountain, a popular San Diego day hike. The approximate location of The Active Network’s San Diego office is indicated in the background.  This weekend LIZ HARRELL (Director, Product Management & Projects) and JESSICA WEXLER (Sr. Business Analyst) took full advantage of the amazing weather that San Diego has to offer.  A 26 mile bike ride along the coast on Saturday morning, followed by a 13 mile run Sunday morning.  This was our last LONG run before the Carlsbad Half on January 24th!  ANTHONY VALENTINO, Account Executive for the Communities group serving Higher Education, was part of the crew aboard the Beneteau 47.7 yacht El Sueno to WIN the Class 3 division in the Southwestern Yacht Club’s Cabrillo I "ROUND THE CORONADOS" 33.6 mile open ocean yacht race. The victory was extra sweet as the second place boat was skippered by none other than Dennis Conner (FOUR time America’s Cup Winner).  Despite a poor start and some major kelp grappling, the crew of El Sueno finished ahead by a margin of 2:51 (corrected).  It was a long day of racing that had us finishing in the dark after witnessing an amazing sunset over the vast Pacific.  As this is only the first in a four part series, the stage has been set for some solid, competitive racing. If any Active folks are interested in getting involved in racing El Sueno, contact Anthony for more info!   MATTHWE HENRY, Interaction Designer Bothell completed the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge this weekend.  Yes, that's 39.3 miles of running in two days.  Saturday's Half Marathon and Sunday's Marathon started off unusually cold for Orlando, both with sub-freezing temperatures.   Disney even managed to invite a special guest for 5 am on Saturday: snow.  Sunday was cold and windy, but it at least stayed dry.  Sunday was the first event I've attended that featured Powerade slushies and semi-frozen water.  Even warnings of "Beware of the ice on the road." The event was great, as usual, despite the weather.  I ran through Cinderella's castle twice, and saw almost every single Disney character you can think of out there cheering us on.  Best part is, I don't actually feel that sore!  [...]

An Active New Year

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:22:50 GMT2010-01-04T19:22:50Z

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE MAY ALL YOUR 2010 GOALS AND DREAMS COME TRUE! Mike PENNY CURRY ActiveNet consultant and RON GAETZ play Ice Hockey at the Cool Sports Icearium in their home town of Knoxville, TN (we are remote employees).  Our team, Randy’s Heroes played last night.  We lost 6-3 against the Blue Bombers (we are a newly formed team with a few newbies, like myself).  Attached are a few pics from a previous game we played against the Wolves.  Last night’s game was my 5th hockey game!  At 46 years of age, I decided I wanted to play.  It’s a hard sport to learn but its great fun and great exercise.  WOW ICE HOCKEY AT 46 PENNY WE ARE IMPRESSED!  ANDY GEORGE from the SD office had a minute of podium time taking 2nd in a San Diego mountain bike race. 3 days later, he and his daughters hit some fresh powder and sunshine at Snow Summit in southern California. Love the weather!  STANELY ULMER from the Vancouver office ran the 5 km Resolution Run along the Stanley Park seawall in Vancouver, BC on New Year’s Day. It was raining pretty hard but I had great fun splashing through the puddles. MICHELLE CREPEAU from the NY office ran the NY Road Runners club Ted Corbitt 15K in the frosty 27 degree temps in Central Park on Dec 19th followed by a week of amazing skiing with fresh powder at Squaw Valley near Lake Tahoe, CA. JESSICA WEXLER SD office (Foundations) traveled to New Zealand to hike, bike, and kayak. The best parts included going on a heli-hike on the Franz Josef Glacier and taking a small plane into the backcountry and then spending a few days backpacking in the middle of nowhere. WE ARE ALL JEALOUS JESSICA!ERIN LANG HR Assistant took a snowboarding trip to Utah for 5 days with my family between Christmas and New Years.  The weather was definitely a little chilly compared to what I am used to in San Diego, but all of the fresh powder was amazing!  Pictures attached of my Mom & I, as well as a shot of the view from the top of Snowbird. [...]

China Riding, Cascade & Vegas baby!

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:23:21 GMT2009-12-07T19:23:21Z

JENNI MILLER reports that she and JENNIFER ROMINE, TAMMI SCHMIDT & JENNA CHABOT all ran the Vegas Rock N Roll Half Marathon. The course was absolutely awesome, sending us up and down the strip (completely flat!!). They even had a wedding ceremony available to couples at mile 3, so there were a ton of brides and grooms on the course, fully decked out! And of course with Vegas there was no shortage of crazy sightings... Tammi saw a guy running the race dressed as a Chip N Dale's dancer and after the race we ran into Dan Evans from last season's Biggest Loser! The only tough part of the race was the temperature... at mile 8 a sign said it was 38 degrees out (eek!). One final thing I wanted to point out was that this was Jennifer Romine's first ever Half Marathon and she finished strong, coming in at just over 2:13. Jenna beat Jennifer by seconds and Tammi rocked it finishing at 2:30. I think we will all be doing this race again next year!!!! I can't tell what those cans are in your hands but we can guess!  LEIGH-ANNE FRANKLIN, a technical writer on the Foundations team, took advantage of the first sunny weekend in months—at least here in the Lower Mainland of B.C.-- and hiked up to Cascade Falls.  Active Chengdu, China office warriors CRUSOE XIA, JEX CHEN Foundations team went out for a one-day long ride. We joined a local team for Great Lion Lake which is not very far away from Chengdu. This travel has 63 miles level road and 16 miles mountain road.  This ride was not only requiring good endurance, but also guts and swimming skill.  MICHAEL STRICKLAND, Senior Copy Writer just went scuba diving to San Clemente Island (65+ miles offshore San Diego) last weekend, and wasn't sure if that would qualify (since it's non-competitive).... I'm attaching a photo that I shot out there.  Sure it does Michael. TOBY GUILLETTE, Social Media Specialist in San Diego, raced the North Face Endurance Challenge 50K National Championship in San Francisco on Saturday in 6:18 and immediately flew to Las Vegas to run the Vegas Marathon in 4:08 on Sunday morning. The back-to-back long distances made Sunday's race a difficult and rewarding way to end the 2009 season! TOBY WE LOVE YA BUT I DON’T KNOW IF YOUR ELEVATOR MAKES IT TO THE TOP FLOOR! [...]

Turkeys and Wild Pigs (Go figure)

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:58:31 GMT2009-11-30T17:58:31Z

MICHELLE ULRICH in the SD office was out of town last Monday to be able to report my Philadelphia Marathon (November 22) results: It was a perfect day to run the marathon.  The race could not have gone better for me and ran a PR of 3:09!  Finished 34th female overall and had my parents along the course (3 different times) cheering me on. DAN JOSEPH, DENNIS KING AND HEATHER HAWKES all ran the Father Joe’s Turkey Trot race at Balboa Park in San Diego.  The race benefits Fr. Joe’s homeless village in downtown San Diego. ROB KLINGENSMITH VP Media and Mkt in the SD office following a button-popping Thanksgiving dinner headed north to Santa Barbara and logged 15,000’ of climbing in the Santa Ynez Mountains.  This is my new favorite place for California cycling.  BTW ROB HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK OLD MAN! Active had 1 more IRONMAN finisher this past weekend plus a former team member.  Ironman Cozumel in Mexico was an inaugural event held on the beautiful island.  Our very own STEPHANIE SNAMAN completed her first Ironman with a 2.4 mile Swim of 1:18:14 a 112 mile Bike of 7:33:23 and the 26.2 mile Run of 5:36:08 for a Total time of 14:43:06.  MICHAEL DOBRANSKY also had a great first time Ironman finishing in a time of 12:33:47.  STEPHANIE AND MICHAEL saw each other on the run course and stopped to hug and wish each other well. Great job guys “YOU ARE AN IRONMAN”! JUSTIN TUMOLO ran the Mile High Denver United Way Turkey Trot in Washington Park. ActiveNet Development Manager STEVE HOOVER and his wife Shelly participated in the 1st annual Roseville CA Turkey Trot 5k.  Steve completed the run in 29:07. Michelle Nation in the SD office and her big sister ran the Fleet Feet Turkey Trot in American Fork, Utah.  It was 20 degrees Fahrenheit outside during the event, but we still had a blast.  Hats off to all the Active folks who jog through the winter in snowy climates … don’t know how you guys do it!  ASHLEY ELLIS Account Exec Swimming in SD competed in her first Golf Tournament.  It was the 7th annual Turkey Classic.  This was my first time ever playing the sport and I ended up winning.  Oh but that means I actually was the worst player!!!  With an amazing 121 score on a par 3 executive course you can say that I at least I have a lot to learn and plenty of room for improvement.  The event was on Saturday - raining, windy with even a rainbow.  It was priceless! YES IT DOES RAIN IN SAN DIEGO! WILLIAM BASSLER and his 8 year old son did the Turkey Trot in Oceanside, CA. DAVE ALBERGA reports since Active powers the sale of hunting and fishing permitting across the country, I figured it was time to walk the talk.  Wild pigs are hard to find, fast, and delicious.  These wild pigs were taken in Central California where their overpopulation has become a real issue for farmers, ranchers, and the native animal species.  The Three Little Pigs all weighed in between 120 and 135 lbs, and are currently being transformed into Hams, Canadian Bacon, Ribs, Chops, and Sausage.  Way to be Active Dave!  KAREN HARDY & EMILY CHAN-NORRIS in the SD office ran the Father Joe’s Thanksgiving Day 5K in Balboa Park on Thursday. It was a gorgeous sunny day and a great way to kick off the long weekend. STEPHEN MATSUBA (Foundations, Burnaby) passed his nidan (2nd level black belt) kendo exam last Saturday.  Originally from Seattle Kendo Kai, he now practices with the Vancouver Kendo Club. Kendo means “the way of the sword,” and many people who have seen it think that it is about hitting people with bamboo sticks. But kendo is a martial art. It is a complex mix of physical activity, philosophy and spirituality. And every practiionner of kendo [...]

Ironman Arizona & More

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:10:41 GMT2009-11-24T16:10:41Z

REBECCA DIVITA & NOLAN HANSEN from the San Diego office accomplished the ultimate endurance test this weekend at Ironman Arizona.  They both had tremendous races.  Nolan blazed thru the finish line in a very fast 9 hours and 41 minutes looking like the 2.4 mile swim 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile swim was a walk in the park for him.  Rebecca had the time of her life evident from the smile on her face which was painted on the entire day.  She came thru the finish in 12 hours and 52 minutes.  I was very proud to call 2 Active team members an Ironman, it made the day!  MIKE REILLY showed his true colors at IM Arizona.  Showing off his Movember MOstash raising awareness to help fight Men’s cancers such as Prostate and Testicular cancers. You can still donate to his cause at http://us.movember.com/mospace/your-donation-page    PLUS showing off his San Diego Charger jersey from the announcing tower after we beat up on Denver.MEAGAN JOHNSON (Senior Recruiter) & ERIN LANG (HR Representative)participate in the San Diego Mud Run on Sunday finishing the 5k obstacle course in less then 40 minutes! We play dirty!! Check out their before and after pictures.Bret Harris (account manager), Toby Guillette (community specialist), & Fran Benedict (account coordinator) all embarked on a weekend warrior expedition to the infamous Joshua Tree National Park.  Toby and Fran kicked the weekend off with a brisk 16 mile “warm-up” run on Saturday morning…and in typical Toby fashion, rather than simply running on paved roads or through well-defined trails, they opted to run the entire course through sand pits and boulder fields!  Meanwhile, Bret was getting his first taste of outdoor climbing while top roping with a few friends.  It was an incredible weekend with good friends and great adventures…Joshua Tree definitely lived up to all the hype!HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!    [...]

Aussie's and U.S. Krispy Kreme's

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:05:14 GMT2009-11-16T18:05:14Z

ROHAN LAWTON from our Australia office reports that we have a new endurance athlete in our midst! Our Aussie Account Exec, FIONA MACMILLAN completed her second ever marathon this weekend before last and finished SECOND. The event was the Marysville Marathon held just out of Melbourne. Marysville was the town completely wiped out by the devastating Black Saturday fires in February. TOBY GUILLETTE, Social Media Specialist, San Diego joined a group from the Allied Climbers of San Diego non-profit for a weekend of camping, climbing and turkey eating out in the Valley of the Moon. This was my first time to this remote area which is only accessible via 4-wheel drive vehicle. We cooked 5 turkeys on Saturday and I managed to fit in couple hours of trail running and a few hours of climbing before the tryptophan kicked in It was a great pre-Thanksgiving weekend! Here's a shot of our campsite and the surrounding area.  ANUSHEH CHAVEZ & MARK WARBLE participated in the Silver Strands ½ Marathon.  Mark finished at an amazing time of 1:40 and Anusheh finished at 2:20.  Mark writes: The course was very flat with one rolling hill around mile 10 and weather was perfect.  Fortunately, I felt great the entire race.  I kept a better pace than expected and finished in 1 hour 40 minutes- very happy with my time.  I also had the privilege to share a celebratory beer with fellow Active employee, Anusheh Chavez:  JIM GARFIELD (AMM) ran the First Annual Malibu Marathon and Half Marathon. The race was unique in that it was a point to point all along a closed PCH.  It was a bright sunny day and a real joy to run down PCH without any traffic!!! GREG WONG held his donuts at an informal “Krispy Kreme Challenge” with a bunch of ultra-marathon runner freaks held Saturday morning at Hospitality Point, San Diego.   The events consisted of: 2 mile run + 1 dozen donuts + 2 mile run.Time: 53 min 11 sec.  See splits below. To recover from the donut overdose, I ran 20+ more miles, surfed, and napped over the rest of the weekend…  Wow, what a morning and where to begin…The discussion of the Krispy Kreme Challenge surfaced during a run several weeks ago and as often happens, smack talking ensued. Within a half mile, it was agreed that there should be a KKC on the west coast. A few e-mails later, much to my surprise, registrations started trickling in and then I started receiving applications from people I had yet to have the pleasure of meeting… We had an event!It was suggested and also agreed that the KKC should be wrapped around a toy drive, so as part of the registration process everyone was asked to bring an unwrapped toy. There were 23 starters and combined a few other generous folks that wanted to kick in some toys, we have a SUV STUFFED with gifts that will be donated to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation www.toysfortots.org . THANK YOU ALL!! As for the competition, if was fierce! There were 23 starters and 13 that recorded an “official” finish by consuming the entire dozen donuts. The format for the event was to run two miles, stop and enjoy one dozen original Krispy Kreme donuts, and finish with another two miles. Here are the results. PlaceLastFirstDivisionTime InEatingTime OutFinishNotes1M****TracyM0:12:290:07:050:19:340:31:40Overall winner2C******ScottM0:12:310:07:170:19:480:33:39 3S********JeremyM0:14:390:06:430:21:220:35:39Eating winner4K****StephenM0:13:260:12:190:25:450:39:50 5E*****PaulM0:15:110:12:340:27:450:42:26 6D****MattM0:14:340:13:240:27:580:43:17 7D*****RobertM0:16:520:09:320:26:240:44:25 8F****ChrisM0:15:410:14:350:30:160:47:14 9WongGregM0:16:340:18:510:35:250:53:11 10S******JoeM0:16:320:31:230:47:551:11:23 11W*[...]

A Noteworthy November

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:30:47 GMT2009-11-09T21:30:47Z

Jim Garfield (AMG) and Active alum Chris Wheeler, did the Big Rock Triathlon this past Saturday.  It was great to hear the fans cheer "Go Active".  Wish the cheers could have loosened my tight calf's.....but fun all the same!!  Last Saturday, Oct 31, David Detar (National Account Manager - ActiveOutdoors) and his son Matt (10 yrs old) participated in a local Jack-o-lantern Jog.  It was a 5K race.The course was tough - a 3/4 mile hill less than a mile from the start and then rolling hills throughout.  We also were forced to run through heavy rain and wind.  We still enjoyed our time together and finished respectably in 27:30 and 27:31.  Pacing with Matt, I my time actually put in in 7th in my age group while Matt finished 4th in the under 11 age bracket.  Next up for both of us is a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day! Michelle Nation, Product Manager - I travelled to Las Vegas this weekend to take on the Desert Beach Big Dirt Triathlon.  The weather and the 1.5 k lake swim were perfect, but the 30 k bike and 10k run were brutal!   As the only female to finish the long course, I brought home the first place trophy which helps me feel a lot better about all the cuts, bruises and sore muscles from crashing on the bike course.   It was my first off-road tri and I will definitely be back for more. Jim Hine, GM for Consumer Access, rode with a group of eight riders on a 24-mile loop along the South Fork of the Boise River on Saturday.  The stock trails in the Danskin Mountains aren’t maintained so you get pretty worked on the side hills and washouts. You can only ride this area in the fall/winter due to the heavy rattlesnake population in the spring.  I hooked a pedal and got a close-up look at a rock, but the trails were a blast.  Mark Lister (Documentation – Burnaby) competed in the Haney 2 Harrison 100 km road relay this past weekend. Running with “Oconnor’s Washed up All Stars” (comprised of current and former Richmond Kajaks track runners), the team finished second overall in a time of 5:43.48. Mark was 3rd on his leg of the race, running the 13.1 km stage in 46:26, despite the cold, persistent heavy rain. Stage 6 results: http://www.raceheadquarters.com/results/2009/run/H2H2009Stage6.html Marea Blue (Implementation Analyst) and I (Kirstin Hartos, Technical Account Management Team Lead) traveled to San Francisco over the weekend with our rugby team to play for the Division 1 National Championship.  We faced the Atlanta Harlequins in Friday’s semi-final match, and although they scored first we managed to come from behind in the second half to win 21-10 and advance to the final against Northern Virginia.  We had Saturday to rest and refocus, and came out firing on Sunday – scoring within the first minute of the game to go up 7-0.  We got penalized several times for repeated offenses, and one of our players was sin-binned (like a penalty box in hockey) so we played a man down for 10 minutes in the middle of the first half.  Although we didn’t score again until well into the second half, we managed to hold NOVA scoreless throughout the game.  The final score was 14-0, marking our team’s first ever National Championship.  Marea was also named MVP (well deserved).  Thanks to everyone here for your support throughout the season!  Chris Ochs,  Sales Manager - The Boulder Team participated in Habitat for Humanity.  L-R:  Chris Ochs, Jen Napoli, Dan Partain, Aaron Romero, Eric Johnson, Holly Hale, Nick Stevens. A fun time was had by all! Here is the Weekend Warrior from China.  Phoenix Zhong, Jex Chen and Crusoe Xia (From left [...]

NYC Marathon & Mud Run

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:56:11 GMT2009-11-02T22:56:11Z

Marine Corps Marathon, Challenged Athletes Triathlon and a Mountain!

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:37:29 GMT2009-10-26T18:37:29Z

I hope you all enjoy the Weekend Warriors report now being sent directly to you.  Mike MICHELE CREPEAU did the Marine Corps Marathon 10k in Washington, DC yesterday, 56:09.  Best moment…last mile, slapping hands and thanking each of the 25+ Marines in uniform with their hands out, Natalie Merchant's Kind and Generous playing on ipod, wow I had a lump in my throat & wave of emotion that almost stopped me on my race. Thank you to all the marines and military for your service and for the inspiration. Special kudos to all the charities for raising over 7 million!!!!! JIM GARFIELD, AMG joined Active Europe’s LAURENT GAUTHIER and ACTIVE co-founder MITCH THROWER in participating in this year Challenged Athlete’s Triathlon in La Jolla Cove.  This annual year event has raised over $21 M since 1994. As always the race was challenging and exciting. The CAF athletes are always inspiring!!!   ARCH FUSTON spent all day Sunday at the Challenged Athletes Foundation event in LaJolla. We accompanied a special guest of CAF and their "Operation Rebound" program for injured soldiers, a long-time family friend Lt.Col. Tim Karcher. Tim lost both legs above the knee in June in an attack in Iraq. In just 4 months, after 126 liters of blood, and countless surgeries, Tim and his family of 4 made it out to San Diego to "see what's possible". What they found is a world of opportunity. As CAF's special guest, Tim was presented with a brand new hand cycle to get him going on his road to recovery. I fully expect that this time next year, Tim will be a participant in the race. When you hear someone say "attitude is everything", Tim epitomizes that. Something we call can learn from. I received a message from DAVID PAN in the China office saying that they had a football match (assuming soccer) that lasted 4 weeks and they failed to win.  WOW 4 weeks that must have been one heck of a shootout!The Sports and Endurance teams in the San Diego office had another kickball game to determine bragging rights. Sports overtook Endurance by a score of 9 to 5 in a hard fought contest. Each have now won a game with the rubber match to be determined. DAVE ALBERGA also played but had to leave the game with a calf injury in the 2nd inning, we play tough!  MIKE REILLY was the referee and received no respect because of his controversial calls.  Fun was had by all (except Dave)! KRISTIN HARTOS AND MAREA BLUE traveled to Boston over the weekend with our rugby team (the San Diego Surfers) for the USA Rugby Division 1 play-offs. As the #2 seed going into the 12-team play-off, we earned a bye on Saturday (lucky for us, since it was rainy and cold). We played the Valkyries out of Austin, Texas in the quarterfinal match on Sunday -- who had narrowly beaten our league rival Belmont Shore (Long Beach) 7 to 5 the day before to advance. The weather was much better on Sunday with plenty of sun and a strong breeze -- and we were ready to play. We scored our first try just four minutes into the match to go up 5-0, and never looked back. We dominated in the rucks and were able to retain possession and get clear ball out to the back line to run in the open field. We won the match by a final score of 39-0. We will travel to San Francisco to play for the National Championship on November 6th-8th. The semifinal match on Friday pits us against the Atlanta Harlequins. The Seattle Breakers and Northern Virginia (NoVa) face off in the other semifinal. For more information about our team and the upcoming games, please visit our website at: http://sdsurfersrugby.com.  BRET HARRIS in the SD office this weekend attempted his second summit of Mt. Whitney 14,505 feet (4,421 m) in California with[...]

Ironman, Mud Run, Kickball and More!

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:34:32 GMT2009-10-19T20:34:32Z

On October 10th the 31st running of the Ford Ironman World Championships were held in Kailua-Kona Hawaii.  The Active Network was well represented from Endurance, AMG, International and Management.  A group pic is included along with a crazy nut at the finish line pumping up the crowd.  MICHELE ULRICH in SD with Four friends and I did the Camp Pendleton Mud Run on Saturday morning.  It was a blast and my team finished third in the mixed division. MICHELE CREPEAU in NY is working her way running events training for the  NYC Marathon. Ran Tunnel to Towers Run, Sept 27th, Grete’s Gallup ½ marathon on Oct 3, 20 miles of the Chicago Marathon on Oct 11th BERT REPINE in SD was also in Kona, HI rooting on Mom in the Ironman World Championships as she took home 1st place in the 60-64 year old age group. The race marked her 10th Kona Ironman and 5th age group win.  (Great job announcing by the way, heard you from the wee hours of the morning all the way into the night. Don’t know how you do it?) This past weekend I tried my hand at the Camp Pendleton 10K Mud Run --- though I’m certainly no Ironman --- I managed to finish in 51:08, good for 17th overall and 4th in my age group. This is certainly one of San Diego’s funnest races if anyone out there has ever thought about trying it.  Two weeks ago, CHRIS OCHS Sales Manager, Active Events-Boulder flew to San Diego and competed in the Mission Bay Triathlon.  Battling a fierce headwind, Chris finished with a 1:06, good for Top 10% overall. Yesterday I tried my hand at steer wrestling here in Colorado….I will NOT be joining the rodeo circuit anytime soon!  STACEY JOHNSON ran the Chicago Marathon last weekend (the 11th).  It was SO COLD (never got out of the low 30s that day), but I took 10 minutes off my previous best and finished in 3:49.   Very fun race! KRISTI DUBIEL Implementation Analyst with Thriva (Scottsdale, AZ).  My kickball team in Arizona, We Kick Your Balls (WYKB) traveled to Las Vegas last weekend to compete in the 2009 WAKA Founders Cup - World Kickball Championships.  We were seeded #5 out of 72 teams going into the tournament.  Although we did not finish as well as we did last year we still had a blast playing.  The level of competition increased significantly over the past year so losing in the Sweet 16 was definitely bittersweet.  We really wished we could have played more games, but we lost to a really great team.  Below is a photo of my team after our loss. After we got eliminated from the tournament, we started up an unofficial game of Sloshball with the 2008 National Champions (Frosty Balls out of VA) and the #1 seed ASO out of Maine.  It was a great time of shoeless kickball, great friends and alcoholic beverages.  WILLIAM BASSLER in the SD office did the mud run Saturday and said it was fun! JESSICA WEXLER (Foundations) October 4th participated in the Mission Bay Sprint Triathlon. It was a fun course and great to see so many beginners out there enjoying the sport for the first time!  JIM GARFIELD reports also from Kona 2 weeks ago.  Active’s Tina Novak, Burt Repine and Jim Garfield tried a new sport…paddleboard! The water and sun was so great..guess it did not matter if we were good or not!  In reporting on the race for Huffington Post and Active.com Jim also had the opportunity to observe one of his hero’s in action…Active’s own Mike Reilly once again hit it out of the park with his hall-of-fame announcing!  This past weekend Jim Garfield tried another new sport…beach Volleybal[...]

Will Ferrell works at Active (not really)

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:49:02 GMT2009-09-21T20:49:02Z

THIS IS THE BIGGEST NAME DROPPING YET FOR WEEKEND WARRIORS!   AMG’s MATT BECKMAN, LATANE MEAD AND JIM GARFIELD were with actor Will Ferrell in a golf outing to raise money for “Cancer for College” an organization that funds scholarships for college students fighting cancer. Although we’ll never make it to the tour…we had a blast.  Sure our game could have been fixed with “more cowbell”!   VANESSA ALLEN did a weekend hike in SD on Iron Mountain in Rancho Bernardo. JAMIE WILLIAMS competed in a practice Sprint Triathlon with the San Diego VAVi Sports & Social club in Coronado on Saturday. The practice Tri was 500m swim; 11+ mi bike; and 3.1 mi run. . . . He’s preparing for the Mission Bay Sprint Tri on 10/4!!  MICHELE CREPEAU in NY did Fall kickoff health and wellness weekend, ran 9 miles, weights classes, spa, healthy snacks, herbal teas and went hiking yesterday in New Paltz at Mohonk.    TIM VALANTI said he is fairly new to Active and was wondering what the Weekend Warrior report was all about.  I’ve raced almost every weekend over the summer and my Cyclocross race season is coming up.  On Sunday I competed in the final Playa del Run series race in Malibu.  1000m Swim and a 5k Run.  Fun race to end the Aquathon season with.  WELCOME to you Tim and now you know what the Weekend Warriors report is. Mike http://www.playadelrun.com/results/2009/points/playa2009_agegroup_points_aquathlon.pdf  This weekend was the Boulder/Denver Charity Challenge Event, and we participated in the Boulder Marathon & Half Marathon.  TINA NOVACKf and Robert Ham (from our charity, Urban Peak) ran the Half Marathon, and we had 3 Relay Teams participate as well.Justine Tumolo, Mike Schultz, Staci Rieder and Stacey Edlund of Team Speedy Turtles ran a great race!Michael and Leslie Cimperman, Ryan Bell and Gina Puzo of Team Knee Pain cruised in with anchor Gina running a 56:35!Team SFWDY consisting of Sue Fonda, Brian O’Neill, Brett Burch and Akira Shirai had speedster Brian keeping them in the race!  It was a beautiful course, on dirt roads along the foothills with incredible views of the flat irons. Got to be a little windy and toasty towards the end, but everyone had a great time! Tina Novak, Michael Cimperman, Sue Fonda, and Justine Tumolo pictured[...]

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