TTEndurance Coaches Outpace Competition through Autumn

The turning of leaves often signals a shift in agendas of endurance athletes, dormancy fostered from long summer basework gives way to ideal racing conditions as temperatures cool.  The coaches of TTEndurance were no exemption to this rule as 2013 waned into winter.

Cycling coach, Scott Beauregard trained as a runner and broke ten minutes per mile as he cruised to a 4:14 finish in the Philadelphia Marathon.

The head of triathlon training, Dominic Gillen, experienced a renaissance season in returning to his cycle-cross roots on the Connecticut circuit.  Cycle-cross, a combination of both on-road and offroad skills, originated in Europe and remains most popular and competitive in the New England region of the United States.  In his two tune-up races at the Quad Cross and the Westwood Velo, Dom finished 4^th and 2^nd respectively.  What followed next was a 2^nd place finish at the Cycle-Cross State Championship at Mansfield Hollow.  As runner-up for the Connecticut State Title in cycle-cross, Dom was poised to make a big splash at a larger regional race for UCI points in Northampton, Massachusetts.  However he crashed during the warm-up and broke his hand.  As a result, Mr. Gillen began run training and promptly won the Litchfield Jingle Bell Run in December.  A Half Iron may be on the table for Dom in 2014.

The Director of Strength Programming at TTEndurance, Torr Benetta, often must codify his love of offroad motorcycle racing as an endurance sport to curious TT members.  “Spend 3 hours gripping and wrenching a bucking 300lb metal machine over twisted, rutted trails and one will observe the world-class fitness necessary to succeed in this dangerous and difficult competition,” is his oft repeated response.  Torr began 2013 fall season with the Shotgun Hare Scramble, a 2 hour endurance race to cover the most ground, and finished 8^th in his age-group.  From there he recorded 3^rd and 1^st place age-group finishes at the Evansville and Saharah Sands Hare Scrambles, both 2 hour competitions.  The former nordic skiing Olympic hopeful punctuated his season with a 3^rd place age-group podium at the Ironman Hare Scramble, a grueling 3 hour race.

       Head running coach Timothy Milenkevich continued a prolific 2013 through the autumnal months with eight 5K races.  His times were consistent, if not regionally impressive:  16:01, 15:36, 15:40, 15:43, 16:05, 16:02, 16:00 & 15:51.  He won 5 of 8 and was 2^nd in the other 3, including the Hartford 5K and New Haven’s Christopher Martin’s Run in December, both of which accommodated 2,000+ entrants.  Look for Timothy to incorporate his honed speed into longer endurance races as he moves towards April’s Boston Marathon.

Last but not least, after winning the Connecticut Road Race Championship in the summer, and adding two 2^nd place finishes, (by inches,) in both the Connecticut State Time Trial Championship and State Championship Criterium Race, Eneas Freyre took his skills to Vermont’s Green Mountain Stage Race.  There he outperformed all Connecticut riders and finished 3^rd Overall, as well as claiming the King of the Mountains Jersey.  Having taken on an expanded role at TTEndurance, Mr. Freyre excused himself from autumnal competitions, though still ardently training.  Look for an outstanding 2014 campaign from Eneas, New England’s greatest duathlete and Connecticut’s #1 pure cyclist.