Sony Pictures Raises $51,712.00 for the Childrens Hospital LA and finish 3rd in the Entertainment Industry Challenge

As part of the entertainment industry challenge at the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, Sony Pictures raised a staggering $51,712.00 for the Childrens Hospital LA. We set our target this year to be an ambitious $40,000 and to our surprise we sailed past this figure with ease.

Out of the 17 teams, Sony was the 5th biggest fundraiser and as this was only our second year competing as a team, we were more than happy with this result.

Every member on the team did a tremendous job with 13 members raising over $1000 each, 4 of which raising $2000 or more.

Our top 3 fundraisers for 2010 were as follows:

1. Mickey Corcoran $2960.00
2. Jessica Midstokke $2502.00
3. Matt Dames $2415.00

For the second part of the challenge, we again put in a strong performance and finished a strong 3rd place, just 1 minute behind the might of Disney. Congratulation to Warner Bros. for an outstanding performance taking the win by a clear margin.

We will try to take a pot at them next year although most of our focus as a team will be on introducing newcomers to this wonderful sport of triathlon.

Just to finish, Sony had a great result in the M30-34 division with three of our team taking the podium together. Dan Sheerin (2nd), Josh Wills (3rd) and Jamie Specht (5th). A special moment for the three of us.

Dan, Jamie and Josh

Prepare to race

I thought I would share some advice to get you all performing at your best.

The week of the race

First off, All your intense training should be done by now and you should be allowing your body to rest and recover. This can either mean backing off all together, or as I am doing, do some light activity with maybe a couple of short (60 second) bursts at race speed. This should not stress the system but should act as a way to get the body fired up and ready for race day. It teaches your body to remember what it should feel like to be running at the desired pace. If you do this, remember this feeling and try to replicate when you are feeling tired in the race.

Secondly, you should be hydrating yourself well. Use between now and the race to make sure you are topped up with fluids. I can't stress enough how much performance you lose through being dehydrated. It's hard to hydrate fully in just one day so make sure you are sipping on water regularly. I actually like sipping an electrolyte drink in the days leading up to the race.

Food. There is no need to stuff your face on pasta to carb load but try to eat healthy food that will contribute to supplying your body with the required fuel for the up coming race. There are lots of food and drink products out there that are full of "empty" calories. Avoid overly processed food and you should be good. This may go against what I have just said a little, but I also like to eat Chicken Noodle Soup as it is high in sodium and will aid in the hydration process.

Sleep. As the nerves build, you will find it harder to sleep. Also, we have to get up pretty early on race day morning to get to the event and park, so it is important to be getting the required sleep early in the week. It is already Thursday so try to make an effort to go to bed early tonight and get earlier on Friday and Saturday nights. Saturday night is normally a right off so don't worry if you don't get a good nights sleep before the race, this is normal. Try to sleep well on Friday night and you will be good to go.

Preparation. All of your training should be done now, so as far as preparation goes, checking your equipment and packing your bags is the priority.
Pack your tri bag tonight. Lay everything out on the floor in stages of the race and make sure you are not missing anything. You will add your packet contents when you have them. This is what I will have:

Prerace Nutrition:

• Energy Gels
• Energy Drink

Swim:

• Wetsuit
• Goggles + a spare set
• Timing Chip (Given to you at packet pickup)
• Race Swim Cap (Given to you at packet pickup)
  
• Spare swim cap (Optional) to wear under my race cap if the water is very cold.
• Bodyglide lubricant to stop chafing from my wetsuit. I put this around my neck and armpits with a little on my ankles and wrists to help the wetsuit come off

Bike:

• Bike with number (number is given to you at packet pickup)
• Helmet and number (number is given to you at packet pickup)
• Bike Shoes as I have clipless peddles
• Sunglasses
• Gloves are (optional) but I do not put these on to save time
• Water Bottle with Energy Drink or Water and Energy Gel.
• Bike Computer (optional)
• Socks (optional) I do not race wearing socks to save time in transition.
• Spare inner tube, tire levers, CO2 or mini pump + tools. (if you want to be able to recover from a flat).

Run:

• Race belt (optional but highly recommended) for holding my race bib. This can be put on on the move to save time.
  
• Running Shoes with elasticated laces to save time putting them on.

Extra Transition Equipment:

• Small Thin Towel to put things on in transition.
• Small hand towel if my feet are overly sandy
• Spare water bottle to spray my feet if they are overly sandy
• Camera (optional but highly recommending to capture you and your friends doing something amazing).
• Bring a flashlight or head light if it's a really early start. (Malibu)

I may have missed something out but this is a good starting point.

Other advice:

• Dress up really warm on race morning with your kit underneath so that you get your core temperature up before the race.
• Keep your area compact and tidy so that we can all fit on the designated racks. (See image below).

A tidy transition area that doesn't take up too much room.

• Keep it simple. If you don't need it, don't bring it
• Make sure your tires are pumped up to the maximum pressure stated on the tires on race morning. Bring the pump in the car and leave it there after pumping up the tires. You will not need it in transition as it will just take up room.
• When setting up on transition, please alternate bikes on opposite sides of the rack. (see image below). This allows each athlete to have the most amount of space between bikes and will allow us to fit on the rack. You will approach your spot from the side of your bike.

Helmet on handlebars and bikes racked on opposite sides

• Get in the water 15 minutes before the start of your wave, (given to you at packet pickup), and get used to the water temperature. Do some short race effort bursts to warm up.

Some good advice can be read here:

Team Sony breaks the $40,000 mark for the Childrens Hospital LA

As team Sony approaches the race at Malibu, it's team members have already broken the $40,000 it set as a fund raising target with nearly 3 weeks left to go.
At this time last year we were still below $30,000 so this is a huge step up for the team that now contains over 100 participants.

We are also set to fully qualify for the Entertainment Industry Challenge that puts Sony up against the likes of Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros. Dreamworks and other. For the challenge, 9 top times are combined and compared against that of the other teams. The top 3 male and female individuals as well as our top male, female and mixed relays will make up this combined time.

Although we are shooting for a good team score, the important thing on the day is to go out there and have fun. We have lots of members doing their first triathlon so it is really exciting to watch them enjoy the occasion.

Good luck to the team and see you out there.

Dan

Sony Pictures is gearing up to compete in the 2010 Malibu Triathlon

On September 12th, Sony Pictures will be competing in the Malibu Triathlon for the second year in a row. As one of the largest and atmospheric races in the area, we feel it is a great one to introduce new athletes to the sport of triathlon. This year we estimate that nearly half our team are first timers to triathlon. I'm sure they'll love it.

Sony has over 100 athletes taking part in this years race which is a massive increase over the previous year and as of the time of printing, we have raised over $31,000 for the Childrens Hospital LA, exceeding last years total with over 3 weeks to go before the fundraising deadline.

Good luck to all of our athletes and have fun in the race.

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.”