| OctoberFAST Duathlon:
A Fall Foliage Tour of a Different Color
Shannon Kring Biró It's autumn in Elkhart Lake, Wis., when sumacs and aspens burst into reds and golds among the green pines, muted oaks, and day–glo tricots. Yes, like the more common autumnal hues, the day–glo colors of tricot running apparel have come to signify fall in western Sheboygan County
since the duathlete joined the white–tailed deer and great blue heron in claiming this impressive glacial terrain as his own. Jeff Grady of Palatine, Ill., first thought of introducing the multisport athlete to this habitat while standing on the balcony of his Elkhart Lake condo one  chilly morning in the
winter of 1998. The pristine waters, gently rolling hills, and lush meadows of this turn–of–the–century resort village are perfectly suited to multisport events, he thought, and quickly began plans for the Elkhart Lake International Triathlon. The Elkhart Lake International Triathlon was met with overwhelming success. It drew over 400 participants in its inaugural year, and by 2000,
its second year, the race drew more than 750 participants and had become the Midwest Region Clydesdale Championship. In 2001, the race reached dual championship status, having been selected to host both the Midwest Region Clydesdale Championship and USA Triathlon's Midwest Regional International Distance Championship. Grady next set his sights on creating a duathlon using much of the same
course as his triathlon. He applied to USA Triathlon for sanctioning, documenting the course and safety procedure in detail, as required. He signed sponsors including Lakeside Pepsi, Budweiser, Larry's Distributing, the Osthoff Resort, and the Elkhart Lake Tourism Commission. He worked with the highway department, local police and county sheriff's departments, race coordinators, first responders, village officials, and USA Triathlon to ensure the safest course. By October 2000, Grady was set
and the first Elkhart Lake OctoberFAST Duathlon took place.
Drawing over 140 duathletes to this 1.5K downtown run, 30K looped out and back bike course, and 8K looped run endurance event, the race was proclaimed a success.
Grady, who swam in high school, ran in college, completed 13 marathons and numerous triathlons as an adult, and has placed in Ironman distance events and the Lake Geneva International several times over the last six
years, believes in putting the athlete first. It is his goal that his races be the most customer–focused events around.
Top multisport athletes seem to think he is succeeding. Grady has drawn elites including Lauren Jensen, Terry Labinski, Dave Polin, Derek Hager, Scott Pearson, Heather Gollnick and Candice Moore.
Says professional triathlete Lauren Jensen, "It's fantastic to have such a high–caliber race in Wisconsin. I usually travel all over the U.S. and to
other countries to seek high–caliber races with great competition like this one."
Accolades such as this are hard earned. A cast of dedicated neighbors, volunteers and family members, including Grady's wife, Marianne, and two daughters, Colleen, age 12, and Kendall, age 16, assist with the mailing, Web site updating, transport, rack assembly and associated responsibilities of hosting a world–class sporting event.
Multisport athletes are consistently impressed with Grady's efforts to answer each e–mail and to personally pick up each telephone call, even at 9 p.m. on a Sunday evening.
"As an elite athlete," says Heather Gollnick, the No. 1 ranked Triathlete and Duathlete in 1999 and 2000 and Duathlete of the Year 2000, "I highly respect Jeff Grady and what he does as a race director. He is efficient, on time, and you can tell that he puts the athlete first."
Gollnick was also the first American finisher at the 2001 ITU Triathlon World Championship in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and has been nominated for Triathlete of the Year 2001.
"At this year's Elkhart Lake International Triathlon," she continues, "it was really cold and wet and Jeff gathered the first waves and asked for our input about the weather. It was so respectful."
Grady later deemed the course unsafe and cancelled the bike wave. Gollnick finished first.
Grady's gracious Midwestern hospitality extends beyond race participants to the spectators and to the community at large. At last year's duathlon, just moments before the start, a few participants mentioned that there were several spectators in the port–a–potties. Says Grady, "I jokingly asked if we should wait and everyone said 'sure,' so we held off the start a couple of minutes until they were ready."
Grady is equally dedicated to gaining the support of the community. Before
his first race, he and his family personally went door–to–door to local residences, hand–delivering more than 500 fliers explaining the event. He regularly conducts meetings in which race participants, spectators, volunteers, village officials, and residents are invited to offer feedback. Driving two–plus hours after working at his day job as a consultant for Accenture, Grady also makes it a point to attend village meetings.
Locals from children to seniors have embraced the Gradys and happily volunteer for pre–event and race–day activities. With Grady's assurance that amateurs are as welcome in his race as elites, several have signed up for their first races with him, and many families enter as relay teams. Grady hopes that one of his favorite family teams, the "Slow Sofins," return this year. Though the family finished last in 2000, they crossed the finish line
with the same pride that Grady himself feels for the race.
The entire community of Elkhart Lake has reason to be proud of the Elkhart Lake OctoberFAST Duathlon. Its acclaim has led to Grady's plans to create a race series. "More sponsorship would be needed to start a race series, but overall, I want to keep its simple format and charm." Tricot–clad duathletes seeking the ultimate fall foliage tour will be grateful.
Online registration for the Oct. 13 OctoberFAST Duathlon is open until Thursday, Oct. 11, with on–site registration continuing on Friday, Oct. 12. Register by calling 877/262–8148 or by entering online at www.elkhartlakemultisports.com or www.active.com. The $35 entry fee includes a long–sleeved T–shirt, USAT sanctioned event, and as Grady promises, "a lot of fun."
Information about Elkhart Lake lodging and attractions can be obtained by calling 1–877–ELKHART.
Shannon Kring Biró is president of Biró International Marketing
Consultants and can be reached by calling 920/451–6940 or by clicking www.birointernationale.com.
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