Sony Pictures Completes the Nautica Malibu Triathlon

On the 13th September, the Sony Pictures Triathlon Team braved the dark hours of the early morning and took part in the Malibu Triathlon for the first time, swimming a 1/2 mile in the ocean followed by an 18 mile bike and a 4 mile run. Amazingly, we put forward 73 competitors, and for many it was their first ever triathlon.

All our members did outstanding with many top 10 finishes within their age groups. Two of our athletes managed to podium with Dan Sheerin placing 4th in his age group, placing 14th overall and Jamie Specht placing 3rd in his age group and finishing 25th overall. With nearly 2000 competitors these finishes exceeded both athlete expectations and will hopefully hint at more successes in the future.

To top this off, the team managed to raise a very impressive $31,699.86 for the Children's Hospital Los Angeles where it will help pediatric cancer research. As a first year team, this is over 50% higher than any other entertainment companies first year competing as a team. This is quite an accomplishment and highlights the AWESOME spirit that we at Sony Pictures have as a company.

Notable fundraisers were Felicity Bath, John Carlson, Steven Hafran, Courtney Schaberg and Greg Yip, who each raised over $1000.

One of our team members, Steven Hafran, had a particular connection to pediatric cancer. Steven’s son Nathaniel was diagnosed with stage 3 neuroblastoma in February this year, when he was only 15 months old. His lower half became paralyzed over the days leading up to his diagnosis and he required emergency surgery in order to prevent permanent paralysis. During this time he also started chemotherapy. This was a difficult time for Steven and his wife. Although Steven felt powerless, he found out that the Malibu Triathlon was again supporting the Children's Hospital Los Angeles and especially pediatric cancer research and that Sony Pictures were entering a team for the first time. Not only could he directly help Nathaniel but also the other kids that are fighting the disease. Steven has raised a staggering $5,268.01.

The good news is that Nathaniel is doing great and the remaining part of the tumor that had to be left has shrunk so that it is now undetectable and he is now running around again like a true toddler. The Sony Pictures Triathlon Team wishes Nathaniel a continued and speedy recover.

Thanks to all those that came out to support us, including our fantastic sponsors: SONY DADC, DTS, Digital Authoring Center, Rush Street, Tri-Labs, SportEve, The Athletic Club, XTERRA Wetsuits and Imageworks. We all had a great day and we hope to make the team bigger and better for next year and raise even more money for this great cause.

The Sony Pictures Triathlon Team

Bike Shopping Guide

So You Need a Bike?
Fancy, high-dollar equipment is intimidating. But relax. Bikes are fun and buying one isn't complicated. In fact its quite difficult to go wrong. Here's how to get a good one.
Target Bike:
A classic road bike. You don't need a triathlon-specific bike. The radical positioning and handlebars make it tricky to use around other riders or in the hills, and offers negligible aero benefit at the speeds at which mortals ride.
Budget:
Minimum $650 used, $900 if you go new. Also, plan on $100-200 on top of that for clothing and a helmet. You get way more for your money used, but seek advice before you buy.
What That Gets You:
A lightweight aluminum road bike from a regarded manufacturer with carbon-fiber forks and good quality parts, suitable for a range of riding and racing.
Shopping:
You will need to learn your bike size as it allows you proper position - the basis for comfort and strength while riding. Head to a shop near you, plan on 30 minutes if just browsing, an hour if you'd like to test ride anything. If you test ride, they will seat you on a few bikes and size you up. Road bikes are generally sized by centimeter, roughly the distance between the cranks and where the seatpost fits into the frame, i.e. correlated to your leg length.
Shopping Considerations:
Your local bike shop provides a place to look at bikes, talk to someone, get fitted, and test ride. These are of tangible value to you (and costs the shop, too). If they are friendly and helpful - and hold them to that - be reciprocal and make your purchase there rather than tracking down some better price on-line. The karma will work out in your favor when it comes to repairs, positioning, and other advice down the road.
Accessories:
You want cycling-specific shorts ($30-50), gloves ($20), shoes ($60-100), and helmet ($40-80). You touch your bike at three points - hands, feet, and butt. Trust me when I say that you want those points to be happy :-) Cycling shoes are not strictly required but are a very good idea for both power and comfort. Much nicer than running sneakers. Couple with "clip-in" pedals (think of a ski-binding) for power and control. Pedal/shoe combo deals run about $150.
Final Word:
Do not obsess over details of manufacturer, fancy parts, or weights that are measured in grams. Your training, strength, the wind, the hills determine your speed. Not the bike. Ride more, get faster. It's the beauty of the sport. Trust me on this. Enjoy your new bike... see you out soon with the SPE Team.

Sony Joins the Entertainment Industry Challenge!

Quoted from the MESP May Newsletter

The Entertainment Industry Challenge at the Nautica Malibu Triathlon began in 2002 with a purpose of helping companies build camaraderie within their organization, help employees meet their physical fitness goals and to raise money for a good cause. The first year of the challenge consisted solely of Team Disney, fast forward to 2009 and there are now 8 teams from some of the top studios in the industry! Disney, DreamWorks, Lionsgate Entertainment, NBC Universal, Paramount, Warner Bros. all make up the challenge along with the newest additions: Sony and Summit Entertainment.

One of our new additions this year is Sony who has thrown down their gauntlet and joined the studio smack-down with the goal of claiming the ultimate prize: the Entertainment Industry Challenge Tri Cup! Sony Tri team captain James Specht participated in the Classic distance race in 2008 and thought that the Challenge would be a great way to introduce the sport of triathlon to others within the company. “I didn’t think twice about helping build a team Sony,” Specht explained. “Once we started, our Athletic Club and other triathletes (in the company) came together quickly to organize and promote an interest meeting. Our goal was simple; get employees into the meeting any way possible, shower them with inspiration about the event and the benefits to CHLA from the fundraising.”

Specht and the Sony team had a modest goal for participants this first year. “We hoped to get 25 entries to Malibu,” he stated. The team members began grassroots campaigns within the company to encourage their co-workers to sign up. Their campaigning paid off, “We had standing room only at our interest meeting, the turnout was awesome!” Sony has more than 90 athletes on their roster this first year alone, with the long-term goal of expanding their team into a year-round organization, give beginner triathletes confidence builders and to enter additional races.

The Sony team has begun their training and is looking forward to the upcoming race. “Our team workouts are underway and will only grow from here,” he said. “We are also planning a bi-monthly informal lunch gatherings on the lot to help the team meet each other. These will also include short training lectures to support our beginners. As the cohesion (on the team) grows we'd like to combine social events with fundraising so we can have fun and raise money together.”

Should I wear a wetsuit for the triathlon swim and can I use the same one I use for Surfing?

The first thing to find out is whether wetsuits are permitted in the race you are entering. Some events do not allow the use of a wetsuit. Others actually force you to wear a wetsuit. In general, there will normally be advice for each event on whether they encourage the use of a wetsuit or not.
Malibu Triathlon encourages the use of a wetsuit in it's event but it is not enforced.

So would I encourage the use of a wetsuit? My answer is always Yes. Unless a race is in a pool or the distance is short, I would always encourage the use of a wetsuit.

The reason for this is the time advantage that it gives you. Okay, so the waters off Malibu for the last couple of years have been at 61°F so having a wetsuit for the warmth factor alone is a good enough reason, but a wetsuit gives you buoyancy. Buoyancy during a swim is your friend. It allows your body to lay flat in the water and reduces drag. During a 20 minute race, you will probably save about 3-4 minutes due to wearing a wetsuit. You will need to take this suit off before getting on your bike but this time is nothing compared to the time you have already made up during the swim.

So can I use my wetsuit I use for surfing? My answer to that is No. Technically you could, but wetsuits designed for swimming are specifically designed to have thick rubber where warmth is needed but the rubber thins considerable where articulation is needed such as the under arm areas. This means that you are not restricted during the swim but still get the benefits of a full wetsuit.

I would also encourage the use of body lubrication such as Body Glide. This can be applied in the areas of most articulation such as the under arms, neck and importantly the lower legs, as the last one will help you remove the wetsuit easier.

If you need to get a wetsuit you can either rent one for the race if you don't want to commit right now or XTERRA is the official sponsor for this years race and will be offering a 50% discount on their Vortex3 wetsuit. Use the following code to get our team discount: C-SONY

As always, it is not recommended to try something new on race day so make sure you get access to your wetsuit before hand and practice swimming in the ocean in it as well as getting out of it when it is wet. You don't want to be getting this wrong in the race.

What is Triathlon ?

A triathlon is an endurance sports event consisting of running, biking, and swimming over various distances. As a result, proficiency in swimming, cycling, or running alone is not sufficient to guarantee a triathlon athlete a competitive time. Trained triathletes have learned to race each stage in a way that preserves their energy and endurance for subsequent stages. In most modern triathlons, these events are placed back-to-back in immediate sequence and a competitor's official time includes the time required to "transition" between the individual legs of the race, including any time necessary for changing clothes and shoes.
Our Race : Malibu Classic distance , is a sprint triathlon . The event distances consist of 800 meters swim followed by 18 mile bike ride and finishes with a 4 mile run .

Triathlon Training

Training will start shortly and slowly with one session of each sport per week. This will establish a base to build on towards completing the race in September.

Team group training will be as follows:

• Swim will be on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 pm at the Culver City Plunge Pool in Culver City. Lap swim Cost is $4 , 15 visit passes are available . Pool is located in Veterans Park on SW corner of Overland and Culver , plenty of parking available or short walk south from the SPE Overland gate.
  
• Run will be Thursday evenings at 6:30 pm in Culver City. Meet at Veterans Park on SW corner of Overland and Culver near the playground , plenty of parking available or walk south from the SPE Overland gate.
  
• Bike POSTPONED - look instead for brick (multi-sport) workouts at Zuma beach
  

As we get organized these workouts will be expanded, especially if groups cannot make these times.

SPE Triathlon Team

Home of the SPE Triathlon Team

Race day is September 13th 2009

at Zuma Beach in Malibu

First wave starts at 7 am