RACEQUEST TRAVEL IRONMAN FLORIDA

2014 ATHLETE GUIDE

WELCOME TO IRONMAN FLORIDA

“The best part about RaceQuest Travel … was the Staff. They really cared, genuinely, about my success and happiness during my stay. Pretty amazing experience and you are doing something very special. A part of me selfishly hopes no one finds out about RaceQuest so I can keep it all to myself.” – Dustin Hinton, RaceQuest Travel client at IRONMAN® Florida 2013

Krista Baker-Scheyer CEO, Co-Founder

Kelli Eldridge Director of Marketing, Co-Founder

Scott Coey Athlete Ambassador, Co-Founder

O n behalf of everyone at RaceQuest Travel, our professional athletes and support staff, we want to welcome you to one of the most popular races in the world, IRONMAN® Florida! Our program to support your race week has been in the works for many months, because we want you to enjoy every aspect of your time here. This guide includes helpful

information to acquaint you with our schedule of events, our staff, partners, and what you can expect when traveling with RaceQuest.

As RaceQuest founders, we are endurance athletes ourselves, taking on “halfs” and “fulls” (and more!) around the world—from Chal-lenge Family races, IRONMAN®, and even Norseman. We speak your language, and we understand the unique challenges and demands placed on you as a traveling athlete. Our mission is to provide you with services that will help set the stage for your best race day ever! So get those feet up, relax, and if there’s something you need help with during your stay, just ask.

With every best wish from RaceQuest Travel,

© 2014 RaceQuest Travel—All content and images; All rights reserved. Photography: J. Andres Vargas for RaceQuest Travel

HOST PROPERTY GRAND PANAMA

Our race week headquarters is Grand Panama Resort, chosen for it’s relaxed and

convenient location as well as the amenities of Gulf of Mexico views, beautiful low-

key atmosphere, multiple pools, and comfort. Our RaceQuest hospitality desk will

be staffed daily to assist with any on-site needs. Please refer to the enclosed sched-

ule for our hospitality hours in the Grand Panama Resort Conference Room, located

near the check-in lobby.

IMPORTANT: Condo check-out time is 11:00 a.m. Please be prepared to check out on

time on your date of departure.

Grand Panama Beach Resort

11807 Front Beach Rd.

Panama City Beach, FL 32407

“Now bid me run, and I will strive with things impossible…”

-Shakespeare

2-Time IRONMAN® Florida Champion, Jessica Jacobs, is your RaceQuest Pro Guide for this event.

After a few years of training and racing triathlons, Jessica qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Kona,

Hawaii in 2005. She completed the race in 11:51, a mere ten weeks after giving birth to daughter Kasey. In 2007, with

some outstanding race results in-hand and with the support of her family and Army-officer husband, Jessica retired

from the military and became a professional triathlete.

Jessica is a 3-time Ironman Champion, having claimed victories at Ironman Wisconsin (2011), and Ironman Florida

(2010 and 2011). She has three professional wins at Ironman 70.3 events including Racine, Steelhead and Florida. Jes-

sica is also a 2-time winner of the Mercedes Marathon (2009 and 2010) and has numerous duathlon and triathlon vic-

tories at other race distances.

Jessica is also an Ambassador for Team RWB (Red, White & Blue), a non-profit organization which seeks to re-

integrate our wounded warriors back into society through training and racing. She also volunteers her time to My

Team Triumph, Wisconsin Chapter, a group which enables the physically challenged to participate in triathlons and

road races. She loves coaching and is always popular with our RaceQuest athletes.

To learn more, visit jessicajacobsironman.com

MEET YOUR GUIDE JESSICA JACOBS

Jessica Jacobs completed her first Ironman triathlon in Switzerland in 2003 as

an age-group amateur athlete, and while serving as a Transportation Logistics

Officer in the U.S. Army.

Despite a 140.6 mile race day that included 4 flat tires and a torrential down-

pour, Capt. Jacobs finished and was officially “hooked” on triathlon. She had

completed the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and full 26.2-mile marathon

in 13 hours, 21 minutes.

A Wisconsin native and current Green Bay resident, she ran track and cross

country at Green Bay’s Preble High School and ran collegiately for the Universi-

ty of Wisconsin LaCrosse, earning her degree in Exercise and Sports Science

through an ROTC Scholarship.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29 Athlete and Guest Arrivals 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. RaceQuest Hospitality Desk Open (Lobby—Grand Panama Beach Resort) 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. Ironman Expo Open; Athlete Check-in available (Boardwalk Beach Resort) 2:00 p.m. Ironman Athlete Briefing available (Ironman Expo Stage) 6:00 p.m.—7:30 p.m. Informal Welcome Reception and “Q&A” Session with 2x IMFL Champion Jessica Jacobs & RQ Staff (Snacks and Drinks provided; Location: Grand Panama Beach Resort Conference Room)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30

6:45 a.m. Shuttle from Grand Panama Beach Resort departs for swim session 7:00 a.m.—8:00 a.m. Swim session on the beach at the race swim start with Coach Jessica (T1 and T2 orientation; bring your gear bag with run clothes and shoes) 8:00 a.m.—9:00 a.m. Light run session with Coach Jessica (20 minutes EASY); return trip to Grand Panama 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. RaceQuest Hospitality Desk Open 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. Bike Mechanic Geoff Leonard available at Hospitality to assist with bike needs 9:00 a.m—5:00 p.m. Ironman Expo open; Athlete Check-in available (Boardwalk Beach Resort) 9:00 a.m.—Bagels/Drinks/Snacks available pre-bike ride 10:00 a.m.—11:30 a.m. Bike session / easy ride on the course 2:00 p.m.—3:00 p.m. Ironman Athlete Briefing available (Ironman Expo Stage); Attending one of these sessions is mandatory 5:30 p.m.—7:15 p.m. Ironman Banquet (Boardwalk Beach Resort Main Ballroom)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31 6:45 a.m. Shuttle from Grand Panama Beach Resort departs for morning session 7:00 a.m.—8:00 a.m. Mental imagery, light stretching and easy swim session with Coach Jessica at the beach (This is one of our most popular sessions as we dial in our mental race start preparation.)

9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. RaceQuest Hospitality Desk Open

9:00 a.m—5:00 p.m. Ironman Expo open; Athlete Check-in available (Boardwalk Beach Resort)

9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. Bike Mechanic Geoff Leonard available at Hospitality to assist with bike needs

10:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m. Mandatory Bike Check-in

11:00 a.m. Ironman Athlete Race Briefing Available (you must attend at least one of these sessions)

RACE WEEK SCHEDULE AND KEY EVENTS

IMPORTANT: Turn in your “Golden Ticket” Bike Retrieval pass to any RaceQuest Staff Member; write your name on the back of the ticket; (Grand Panama and Boardwalk Guests) Without a copy of your ticket, we will not be permitted to retrieve any items. We will retrieve bikes and bags with the excep-tion of your morning clothes bag. Available for pickup at Grand Panama.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1—RACE DAY! Athletes: Shuttles begin from Grand Panama for athletes to the race start (drop off) at approximately 4:15 a.m. Note that spectators are always welcome on our shuttles for all events, but on race day athletes will receive priority seating on earliest shuttles. 4:30 a.m.—6:30 a.m. Body Marking and Transition Area Open 4:30 a.m.—6:30 a.m. Drop off your bike and run special needs bags 6:50 a.m. Pro Race Start 7:00 a.m. Age Group Race Start 7:00 a.m.—7:00 p.m. Ironman Store Open 6:30 p.m. Transition Opens for Bike and Gear Recovery Finish Line: RaceQuest staff members will be tracking you all day and will be available post-race to assist you; we will run continuous shuttles from the race finish line to the Grand Panama Beach Resort beginning at 4:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2 7:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m. Ironman Store Open 9:30 a.m. Awards Ceremony (Boardwalk Beach Resort Main Ballroom) 11:00 a.m. Ironman World Championship 2015—Rolldown and Slot Allocation Announcement 8:00 p.m. Athlete Party at Spinnaker’s Beach Club

EMERGENCY CONTACTS: All of us at RaceQuest Travel want you and your guests to enjoy an exceptional race week. If there is anything you need, especially after your race, please know that we are just a phone call or text away!

Krista Baker-Scheyer: (703) 623-5494 Kelli Eldridge: (205) 613-6550

RACE WEEK SCHEDULE AND KEY EVENTS

OFFICIAL RACE GUIDE

ATTENTION ATHLETES

Please take a moment to review the IRONMAN®

Florida Official Athlete Guide, contained within this

link. There are many important race details that are

important to your success on race day!

During our “Q&A” Session with Jessica Jacobs, we

want to address your race questions. If there’s

something specifically that you’d like to see covered

at this event, please let us know by writing to us at:

racequesttravel@gmail.com

DETAILED PODCASTS FROM JESSICA JACOBS

Last year your guide for Ironman Florida, Jessica Jacobs, sat down with

pro triathlete and popular podcaster, Jim Lubinski for a very special 2-

part episode of “Jim and the Other Guy” that gives newcomers to this

race a candid, insightful and often humorous look at the course and

what you can expect racing in Panama City Beach. Enjoy!

Part 1: Swim and Bike

Part 2: Run and Nutrition

COURSE MAPS: SWIM

COURSE MAPS:

BIKE

COURSE MAPS: RUN

UPCOMINGRACEQUEST EVENTS

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with RaceQuest Travel and I’m impressed with the knowledge, level of detail and service they provide for their athletes and guests. They love to exceed your expectations! They’ve tak-en great care of me during race week, and they’ve set the bar quite high.” – Chris “Big Sexy” McDonald, 7-Time IRONMAN® Champion and RaceQuest Travel Client Join “Big Sexy” at our Feb. 2015 Costa Rica “Training-cation.” Register at race-quest.com.

UPCOMINGRACEQUEST EVENTS

“We train, we travel, we race, and

we support athletes at every level

who do the same.

We stay strong, healthy and full

of energy with Vector 450!”

UPCOMINGRACEQUEST EVENTS

RACE-QUEST.COM

COSTA RICA—MARCH 2015

REGISTRATION IS OPEN:

RACE-QUEST.COM

RACEQUEST TRAVEL CALENDAR

IRONMAN® Florida with Jessica Jacobs

IRONMAN® Arizona with Meredith Kessler Costa Rica Training-cation (Feb. 2015) The Coastal Challenge Endurance Run

XTERRA® Costa Rica (March 2015) Challenge Atlantic City

Challenge Roth (Germany) Max Out Long-Course Training Weekend

Challenge Penticton Bhutan Adventure Run

Cambodia Adventure Run IRONMAN® World Championships Kona

XTERRA® World Championships Maui Custom Travel for Groups and Tri Clubs

MORE events are being added soon!

Give us your “bucket list” and travel with RQ!

FAVORITE THINGS

Through our years of travel, training, and racing, we’ve collected a few “favorite things” that make our own

RaceQuest Travel experiences even better! Read more about our favorite products and watch our website soon

for the new online store, where these products will also be available to you.

RACE-QUEST.COM

At last we have found a road-tough and travel-

tested bike and wheel case that flies for FREE. Just

say “no” to those added bike fees from the airlines

as our favorite Ruster Sports “Armored Hen House”

package lets you travel confidently and with extra

money in your pocket from avoiding those fees.

Want one of your own? Just let us know and we’ll

give you our EXCLUSIVE RaceQuest Travel discount

that gets you the whole setup for just $525. These

normally retail for $625-$700, so what are you

waiting for?

Learn more at www.rustersports.com

After a tough training session or post-

race, we can’t get enough of the

OOFOS recovery footwear and wanted

each of our athletes to also put them

on and experience the OOO!

Be sure to give us your feedback and

let us know your favorite colors and

styles. Look for OOFOS footwear soon

on our RaceQuest online shop, so that

your friends and family can also enjoy

sporting their OOFOS!

Learn more at www.oofos.com.

RACEQUEST TRAVEL IS PROUD TO BE THE EXCLUSIVE EASTERN

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FOR ALII LIFESTYLE BRAND APPAREL.

See what 8x World Champion and triathlon legend, Paula Newby-Fraser, had to say recently about

this exciting new performance brand for women. Watch Now. For more information, contact us at:

racequesttravel@gmail.com.

TRAIN AND RACE WITH THE PROS

RACEQUEST TRAVEL

EMAIL: RACEQUESTTRAVEL@GMAIL.COM

PHONE: (703) 623-5494

46674 ABIGAIL TERRACE

POTOMAC FALLS, VIRGINIA 20165

RACE-QUEST.COM

@RaceQuestTravel