ALL STAR VOLUNTEERS - Judy Melchor

We would like to spotlight Judy Melchor this month. Thank you Judy for all of your time and amazing energy! You add so much to each and every High Five Event!

How long have you been involved in triathlon as a volunteer and as an athlete?
Started racing triathlons and volunteering at races since '99.

Why do you volunteer?
When I am racing, volunteers make my race day so much better. In either rain or shine they cheer, provide water/gator and everyone can feed of their energy to get through the race. What a better way to give back to the sport! By volunteering I can pay it forward and help make someone else race a success.

What is your favorite High Five Volunteer Perk?
Besides volunteering with amazing friends who I have raced with a time or two. The volunteer party!! It is so much fun to see everyone and just laugh and have a good time

What is the most memorable volunteer moment you've experienced at an event?
It was very late in the day and only the family of the last athlete left and I were at the finish line. We saw her coming around the corner walking in and we just busted out cheering her in, encouraging her to finish strong and run in the last few yards. The huge smile on her face as she saw us and started to run to the finish. She crossed the finish line with the biggest smile on her face and thanking us all for getting her there and for staying around to see her finish. Seeing how her family celebrated with her was well worth the wait. As I was cleaning up she returned, still with a big grin on her face, and thanked me for staying around to make sure she finished and for volunteering. That alone made my day!

Of all things you've seen as a volunteer, what is one suggestion you would make to athletes to help their day?
Enjoy the day and smile through out the race! You have worked so hard in training why not enjoy your success in achieving your goal. Enjoy the moment!!

Which is your favorite High Five Event and why?
Love Couples Tri! It is a lot of fun and it is always great to see the groups that race! Not to mention the team names, you just have to love the creativity!!

What do you like to do when you're not volunteering/racing?
Spending time with family and friends. May it be a BBQ, camping, day at the park or catching up with drinks and a movie.

Which is your favorite High Five Volunteer Shirt?
I can't remember what race this was from but has been my favorite so far. All it said in the front was "Volunteer".

What is your favorite Volunteer Assignment and why?
Definitely finish line! Love to see athletes cross the finish line with big smiles knowing they achieved their goal.

Do you listen to music when you train? If so, what are some of your favorite tunes?
To many to list! Anything from Salsa to Top Hits! If its music you can dance to and has a great beat then it is on my play list to train with. What a better way to motivate you when you train than some very upbeat music!

Tracking updated with AVIA Austin Triathlon results

Tracking for the Texas Tri Series is updated to include results and volunteers from The AVIA Austin Triathlon.  Only participants in the Olympic distance event were eligible for time tracking.  All others have been given credit towards finishing the series.

Please check your results closely and email corrections to dan@highfiveevents.com.

Austin Tri Results

By Brom Hoban American Statesman Correspondant

Not even a flat tire on his bike could stop Great Britain's Philip Graves from winning the fourth edition of the Austin Triathlon on Monday.

Despite the tire mishap, which came with more than two miles to go in the 24.8-mile bike leg of the Olympic-distance race, Graves still finished first overall, 1 minute and 21 seconds ahead of Australia's Ritchie Cunningham.

The two men, who now live and train in Austin, scrambled out of Lady Bird Lake in a dead heat after completing the 1,500-meter swim in 17:56. The 21-year-old Graves pushed hard on the bike, leaving Cunningham behind as he completed the first two loops of the downtown course.

As he rode on Cesar Chavez Street, though, Graves blew out his rear tire. Realizing he had no time to perform an on-the-fly repair, Graves covered the last couple of miles on the bike's wheel rim.

" I put my bike in the biggest gear and put all my weight on the front wheel, trying to limit the damage," said the 21-year-old Graves, who last year became the youngest male winner of a major Ironman event with his victory at the Ironman UK in Bolton, England. "I just wanted to get to the run start safely and in one piece."

Not only did he arrive safely to the start of the 10-kilometer run, but Graves' time of 56:08 in the bike leg put him two minutes ahead of Cunningham.

Still, Cunningham is known as one of better runners competing in triathlons, and Graves took nothing for granted.

"He is a much stronger runner than I am so I usually try to get off the bike ahead," Graves said.

Sure enough, Cunningham cover the 10K course in 33:41, but he couldn't make up enough time to catch Graves, whose overall time was 1 hour, 52 minutes and 11 seconds..

"The way Philip hit the bike course — that was pretty impressive. I couldn't respond to that," said Cunningham, whose finishing time was 1:53:32.

A former Austinite, Michael Lavato of Boulder, Colo., placed third in 1:54:43.

In the women's Olympic-distance race, Austinites Kelly Williamson and Desiree Ficker entered the closing run neck and neck. Williamson, who was coming off a victory at the Steelhead 70.3 — a half-Ironman event — in Benton, Mich., on July 31, pulled away in the run to finish first in 2 hours and 25 seconds. Ficker, the defending women's champion, was second, 2 minutes and 9 seconds behind.

Williamson and Ficker both trailed Canada's Tenille Hoogland coming out of the water, but they passed Hoogland during the bike leg.

"Desiree caught me right at the same time we both passed Tenille," said Williamson, "but my biking has been really strong lately so I think that helped me start the run with less fatigue."

Williamson, who will be competing at the 2010 Ironman World Championship in Hawaii in October, cruised through the 10K run in 34:55, steadily moving away from Ficker, who clocked a 37:06. She earned $1,200 for her victory, as did Graves.

"I felt a little rough today," said Ficker, who recently returned from a month of racing in Europe, where she won the TriStar111 Triathlon on Aug. 7 in Estonia. "I tried to hang with her as long as possible, but I could tell about a mile into the run that she was the stronger runner today."

Hoogland hung on for third place in 2:05:56 .

Mike Montoya, a middle school teacher in Las Cruces, N.M., won the sprint-distance race designed for aspiring triathletes, finishing in 1 hour, 14 minutes and 53 seconds.

Jessica Waninger, a cross country runner for the University of Texas at Tyler , was first woman to finish the sprint-distance event, posting a time of 1:23:37.

For Full Results, click here.