Austin Fit named presenting sponsor of The Rookie Triathlon

Austin, Texas (February 18, 2011) – High Five Events and Jack & Adam’s Bicycles are proud to announce Austin Fit Magazine, Austin’s first and only health and fitness magazine, as a presenting sponsor of The Rookie Triathlon, to be held in Austin, Texas on April 17, 2011.

2011 will mark the 8^th edition of The Rookie Triathlon. This event, consisting of a 300m swim, 11-mile bike and 2-mile run, has become the annual rite of passage for central Texas triathletes to start their season. It’s also the ultimate event for first-timers, with a true Rookies division, super safe swim, and short distance.

2011 brings some big and exciting changes for the event. After seven great years at the Texas Ski Ranch in New Braunfels, the event is moving to Austin and will be held at Walter E. Long Park. The new venue will ease the congestion for the extremely popular event and allow for more participants. Also new in 2011 are the separate divisions for Rookies and Veterans. The Rookie division is restricted for true first- timers while the Veterans division is for the seasoned triathlete. Of course, there’s also the Open division in which many of the top professionals in the region will duke it out at the ultra sprint distance.

“The Rookie Triathlon has been looking for a partner who shares our goal of getting people into a healthy and fitness-based lifestyle. We are thrilled to be partnering with Austin Fit Magazine as their enthusiasm for health and fitness is a great influence in the community. Together we hope to expose even more people to the fantastic sport of triathlon and show them a path towards a healthy lifestyle,” says Dan Carroll of High Five Events.

“We’re extremely excited to be partnering with High Five Events and Jack & Adam’s Bicycles on The Rookie Triathlon this year, as it’s a unique opportunity to increase our presence in the Austin multi-sport community,” says Drex Earle, Ph.D. of Austin Fit Magazine. “This is among the most anticipated and well-executed events all season, and we feel very fortunate to be a part of it.”

The 2011 Rookie Triathlon will be held on April 17, 2011. Austin Fit Magazine joins Jack & Adam’s Bicycles as a presenting sponsor. Visit www.therookietri.com for more information.

About High Five Events

High Five Events is a multi-sport event production company and the official race director for Jack & Adam’s Bicycles events. High Five Events produces many of the largest triathlons in Texas and provides event management consulting and equipment leasing services to over 30 events per year. www.highfiveevents.com

About Jack and Adam’s Bicycles

Located in Austin, TX, Jack and Adam’s Bicycles is a complete triathlon and road cycling store. Founded in 2004, it has been voted Best Triathlon Store in Texas every year since its inception. The store is renowned for its friendly service, incredible product support, and community involvement. www.jackandadams.com

About Austin Fit Magazine

Founded in 1997, Austin Fit Magazine emerged as Austin's first and only health and fitness magazine, with bold ambition and a powerful mission — to improve the lives of its readers through entertaining and informative health and fitness content. Today, Austin Fit Magazine has grown into one of Austin’s premiere publications, as well as the exclusive resource for those looking to develop, achieve and maintain a healthy and fit lifestyle.

www.austinfitmagazine.com

Round Rock Express Ride Jerseys

There is no better way to spend your Sunday then on a fully supported bike ride followed by a Round Rock Express Game.

And there is no better way to ride . . . then to ride in style! New for 2011 and for a limited time only:

Jerseys are available for purchase with your event registration at www.myraceregistration.com OR at the Jack and Adam's Online Store.

There will be a limited amount available for pickup at packet pickup, but more will be ordered after the event. Jerseys will not be mailed out. They must be picked up at the event or at Jack & Adam's Bicycles.

ROOKIE BIKE JERSEYS

Have you signed up for the Rookie yet?

Be sure to check out the rad new jerseys for 2011!!

Available for a limited time only, purchase available when you register at www.myraceregistration.com.

Also available at the Jack and Adam's Online Store.

Orders placed with registration will be given first priority on inventory, and then a second order will be placed after the event. Jerseys will not be mailed out. They must be picked up at the event or at Jack & Adam's Bicycles.

What happened to the 10K?

Many of you who participating the Texas Round-Up events in the past may be curious as to why the 10K event has "disappeared" from the 2011 event schedule.

The Texas Round-Up non-profit organization underwent significant change during the summer of 2010. The organization needed restructuring in order to remain financially stable and to be able to continue to work on its mission of promoting healthy living through physical activity. The Texas Round-Up running event is now separate from all the other Texas Round-Up programs. Those other programs have merged into other existing state programs with similar objectives. The sole purpose of the Texas Round-Up is to produce the running event in order to promote health and fitness and to raise funds to support health and fitness programs in Texas schools.

The 10K event has been part of the Texas Round-Up from the beginning and it is certainly an attractive distance to many participants. Plus, it has been declared the official 10K of Texas by Governor Rick Perry. However, a 10K course that goes through downtown Austin is an extremely expensive event to produce due to the extensive road closures. The board of directors of the Texas Round-Up felt it was necessary to eliminate the 10K course for 2011 to ensure that the event remained fiscally responsible and raised money towards its objective. It is the hope and intention of the board of directors to host the 10K event again in 2012.

The 5K will use the same start / finish line as years past, with the Texas State Capitol in the background. The course will tour through downtown Austin and the University of Texas campus.

As runners ourselves, the board members of the Texas Round-Up can understand the disappointment with the removal of the 10K. However, we are more motivated to see the Texas Round-Up continue and ensure that it makes a difference in the lives of young Texans. They hope this brings some clarity to the decision and keeps you motivated to participate in, and support the Texas Round-Up.

Sincerely,

The Texas Round-Up Board

Need a New Year's Resolution? Try the new Texas Tri Series

Looking to put some strong commitments behind your New Year's resolution to stay fit & healthy? The Texas Tri Series might be just what you are looking for. The original premise behind the creation of the series was to provide motivation for anyone to stay fit and active throughout the year. The idea was to tie together some of the regions best events into a series that would be fun and competitive, but achievable by anyone. We also wanted to put out a strong enough reward, the Texas Tri Series Finisher Party, so that it would help get you out of bed for that morning run or stop you from eating the 3rd slice of pie.

2011 looks to be the best Texas Tri Series yet. It's the 5th annual series, so the party will be sure to be good, plus there are some exciting changes and additions:

• The Rookie Triathlon -The signature kickoff to the triathlon season has been moved a few weeks earlier to April 17th, and to a new venue near Austin. The event was moved for 2 reasons. First, we wanted the Rookie to be the first event of the season for most everyone. Second, we needed a venue that could accommodate more people. The Rookie has become so popular that many first time triathletes were being shut out because all the triathlon "veterans" also wanted to do the event. The new venue allows us to host both a true "Rookies" event for first timers, and there is a "veterans" race for all the experienced triathletes.
• A sixth event has been added to the Texas Tri Series lineup, the Lake Pflugerville Triathlon on June 19th. We've had our eye on this event since it started, and we think it will make a great addition. The Pflugerville tri community puts on a well organized, safe, and fun event.
• Last, there will be a new anchor event to the series. It will now be the Kerrville Triathlon festival, on October 1-2. This new event will bring a new long course triathlon to Texas hill country on an outstanding course with a downtown finish. There's also a sprint event the day before. We'll have more info posted soon.

Don't forget that you must register for the Texas Tri Series before June 1, 2011. It's free! Second, you must register for each of the events individually. Some of the events are sure to sell out so register early. There are early bird registration discounts too. Why wait?

Announcing the Round Rock Express Ride

Jack & Adam's Bicycles, Please BE KIND to Cyclists, the Round Rock Express, and High Five Events are pleased to announce the inaugural Round Rock Express Ride cycling event. This one-of-a-kind cycling event has ride distances of 77 and 27 miles, and includes tickets to a minor league baseball game! The ride exists to promote health & fitness through cycling and to benefit the Please BE KIND to Cyclists non-profit organization.

Details on the event can be found at www.rrexpressride.com.

All New Rookie Triathlon

2011 will bring a re-vamped Rookie Triathlon, with a new date, new venue, new course, and improved format! The event will now be held at Walter E. Long Park, just minutes outside downtown Austin, and earlier in the year, on April 17th.

The triathlon will still be the same super sprint distance of 300 meter swim, 11.2 mile bike, and 2 mile run. Although, the bike course will have few more hills. The swim and run courses will be brand new for the venue.

The most significant improvement is the addition of a true "Rookies" division. This division will be open to only those participants who are doing their first or second triathlon. There will be separate swim waves and award categories.

Stay tuned for more info as we work out the finer details. It's sure to be a nice improvement to an already great event!