Hello Gators, Sorry for the brief "Gator News" hiatus! There seems to be a direct correlation between late week business travel and no newsletter... Thanks to the efforts of Allison Wesler and Melissa Moffa and the investments of our lead sponsor, Mike Connelly (Centre for the Healing Arts), we had an AMAZING end of year party a couple of weekends ago! It was a great way to (mostly) wrap-up 2015. We would also like to thank our sponsors Bikeworks (Ed Hall) and Chester County Running Store (Don Morrisson) for their donations of door prizes and bike mats (for our trainer workouts). And also thanks to Bikeworks for the special one-time Cyclops trainer discount (contact Bikeworks for more details). We used the opportunity to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of our seven first time Ironman, 15 (fifteen!) first time Half Ironman finishers, and, most importantly, our six Gators that completed their first triathlon in 2015, including Mark Donovan, Kristin Kozera, Michelle Leonard, Diane Lynch, Tiff Pfluger, and Patty Trainer. Fantastic accomplishments by all! We also awarded a couple of Piranha Sprint door prizes to Mark Donovan and Rob Fletcher… More of these to come as part of our annual member meeting (December 17), our current Gator Fitness Challenge (so earn some points to give yourself a chance to win!), and our next Gator Fitness Challenge starting in January. This week's news topics include...Thanks, Vets! Recognizing our Gator vets!!!Accomplishments… You want me to run a marathon with no training!?!?... Okay, why not. Also, Rocky Road and Fame and Ghoulory!!!Who’s Next?... Philadelphia Marathon Fever!!!About A Gator… After a couple of months off, About A Gator Returns, Texas-style!!!Gator Fitness Challenge… Plank you very much!!!Mark Your Calendars… “Introduction to Triathlon and the Tri Club” presentation and Annual Members Meeting!!! Welcome to the Club!: A warm welcome to Michelle Bradley who recently joined the Gators! Happy Birthday!: Best wishes to the following Gators celebrating birthdays last week and this week!Tuesday, November 10: Marcus BloodworthWednesday, November 11: Kerri BrannenSunday, November 15: Mike ConnellySunday, November 22: Mindy Matarazzo Thanks, Gator Veterans!: THANK YOU to all of our Gator veterans including (and let me know if anyone was missed)…Kelly BeauchampKen BeauchampDanny FriendDon SchlichtmannDoug SchmidtJon Wesler Accomplishments: A brand new Ironman and lots of running around…Sunday, November 1:New York Marathon (New York, NY): So Eric Afre was working in New York City the week of the New York Marathon and learned that there was an entry available for him to use that weekend. How would our newly christened Ironman respond? Despite no training for it, Eric took on the challenge and successfully completed the race and even turned in a more than respectable time. CSaturday, November 14:Rocky Balboa Run (Philadelphia):10K: Vince Bellino finished in the top 25% and Tim Pfluger finished #7 overall (out of close to 3,000 participants), which was also #1 in his age group… PODIUM!!! Great job, guys!5K: Jeff Spillane returned for his second go at one of the “big three” (see his “About A Gator” for explanation). Jeff was joined by Tree Foster and… Dave Marine! All three enjoyed a leisurely pace finishing together… Way to go Jeff and Tree and, especially good to see Dave back in action!Ghouls and Fools Run (Reading, PA): In this “in the dark” 5.7 mile trail run, Tim Pfluger pulled off a double by finishing his second event of the day! Tim and Tiff ran together crossing the finish line in the top 20% overall. And Tiff also finished #2 in her age group… PODIUM!!! Nice work, Tim and Tiff!Spartan Sprint – Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia): Jay Sherman rounded out his season with an event in Citizens Bank Park. Great season of Spartan races, Jay!! Who's Next?: Philadelphia Marathon weekend has arrived! Here's a list of the 10 Gators that will be participating/pre-burning the Thanksgiving calories this Sunday, November 22 in our final club event of the year (let me know if anyone was missed)...Full Marathon: Gregg Heimer, Brian Kozera, Don Mack, Heather Tracey, Patty TrainerHalf Marathon: Jason Brannen, Kerri Brannen, Steve Durante, Kristin Kozera, Tiff Pfluger About A Gator: Sadly we are about to lose one of our Gators to the great state of Texas due to a job relocation (be careful, Mike, I’ve heard they eat Gators in them there parts). Learn all about Mike Aliprantis in this edition! Gator Fitness Challenge: This week’s Gator Fitness Challenges:SBR Challenge: At least 20 minutes each swimming, biking, and running with a combined minimum total of at least 1 hr, 30 min.Plank Challenge: 2 minutes, 20 seconds And don’t forget to keep track of your overall totals as you get bonus points each time you complete 10,000 yards of swimming or 5 hours of cycling or 50 miles of running! Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming events include…Sunday, November 22: CLUB EVENT – Philadelphia Marathon and Half MarathonMonday, November 30, 7:00pm, Spring Valley YMCA, Corporate Conference Room: Introduction to Triathlon and the Tri Club presentation/Q&A session for potential new members… If you have any friends that might be interested in joining, this is their opportunity to learn what we’re all about!Thursday, December 17, 7:00pm-8:30pm, Spring Valley YMCA, Corporate Conference Room: Annual Member Meeting. This is your opportunity to get up to speed on the club’s 2015 accomplishments and learn what we have planned for 2016! It may be followed by an informal gathering at a local establishment. Go Gators! Don M