<b>Brady Nelson Memorial* Spirit of DC Tri</b> – Joyce Jones – she has been one of the most supportive members of this club in all that she does while keeping a beautiful smile on her face.
<b>Most Improved</b> Female: Jan Bauer – Jan put her head down and dug in this year to tackle her first Ironman. She is one of the most diligent and determined athletes I have ever met. There were long days, hard days, hot days, set backs and PRs along the way and Jan did a wonderful job of soaking in the entire experience and learning the entire time. Jan had PRs at most of her races this year including half IM and IM distance races. And she surprised even herself with her swim time at IM Santa Rosa – consistent steady progress pays off and Jan is a great example of that.
Male: Pat Ramos – Pat had some great results and got himself a slot to race at 70.3 Worlds in Chattanooga. It’s great to see him get rewarded for his consistent effort.
<b>Veteran Athlete of the Year</b> Female: Cindy Hutchings – Cindy is truly a role model. She had great performances this year at AG Nationals and AG Worlds. Cindy is consistently making steady progress and earning solid results that often get overlooked.
Male: Justin Bauer – Justin worked his tail off this year. His resume reflects that with PRs in pretty much every distance raced (Half marathon, Half Ironman, Ironman X2, Oly Tri) and multiple podiums throughout the season. Even through some minor setbacks in his IM build he kept his head up and still had a top 20 performance in the toughest AG at the race. He came back to improve upon that performance at Ironman #2 and crack the top 10 with an 8th place finish. I don’t think it’s long before we see him taking a step on the Ironman podium and battling for a Kona slot.
