Official Website of Sara McLarty
Posted: May 14, 2009 by Sara McLarty at Inside Triathlon
Learning how to breathe bilaterally can be beneficial in chaotic situations.
Photo by Kurt Hoy.
Professional triathlete and super-swimmer Sara McLarty explains why you should to breathe bilaterally, and it's not just because all the cool kids are doing it.
Which of the following scenarios have you ever found yourself in during a triathlon?
• Waking up on race morning and checking the weather by peering out the hotel window. Howling and gusting winds greet you with the rising sun. The open water that you splashed around in the day before is now a frothy mess of white water.
• Standing on the beach before a race, you notice that the water isn't exactly flat like the pool. Instead, there are beautiful sets of four- to five-foot breakers crashing into shore. The race course is about to take you 100 meters out, then along the shore line before leading you back through... Read Story at Triathlon Competitor
www.active.com
The title of this article probably caught your attention for one of two reasons. Either you recognize my name and you hope there is a super-special swimming secret in this article, or you have no idea who I am and you started reading to figure out why you should care.
Most likely you fall into the second category and therefore I should officially introduce myself. My name is Sara McLarty (duh) and I am a professional triathlete. In the world of triathlon, I am considered a fast swimmer. I claim the title "first out of the water" at every race. My biggest lead was 90 seconds at the... Read Story at active.com
May 4, 2009 -- The 1500m two lap swim was led out by American super-swimmer Sara McLarty with Emma Moffatt stuck to her heels. The American cruised through the water and kept her unbeaten record in the swim at ITU events with a rapid 19:13 clocking. Britain's Jodie Swallow and Canada's Kirsten Sweetland headed the rest of the field with Emma Snowsill in close contention. The then two established an early lead on the 40km cycle but were caught by the charging chase packs led by Switzerland 's Daniela Ryf and Samantha Warriner from New Zealand.
March 15, 2009 --In the women's field many of the highly anticipated competitors ended up not starting the race, leaving six women to battle for the top spot. Sarah McLarty built a minute lead over the next best competitors on the swim, heading into T1 at 17:03. Onto the bike, McLarty carried her lead throughout and headed into the last transition in first position. Jasmine Oeinck was the fastest biker and headed into the run close behind McLarty.
posted by Steve Ruiz on Feb 10, 2009 4:06:28 PM
Even in the midst of a cold, Sara McLarty can be inspiring She was a state-championship swimmer at DeLand High School, a 15-time All-American at the University of Florida and is in her fifth year as a professional triathlete.
Sara, who will turn 26 on Feb. 25, has a long-term goal of reaching the Olympics. In the meantime, beating her brother, Dustin, in a match race in April at the St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Petersburg will have to do.
"I think it will be pretty close,'' said Sara, who is set to defend her title at the Florida's Great Escape triathlon Sunday at Lake Louisa State Park in Clermont. "I might have a slight advantage, though, because I am a professional triathlete who does this all the time and he has to study.''
Dustin is studying engineering at graduate school at the University of California-Irvine. They come from a family of triathletes that includes parents Brent and Karen. When Mom and Dad trained, Sara and Dustin often would tag along. The family would plan trips around triathlons that turned into hiking/camping adventures.
Still, there was competition, albeit friendly. "I can remember the first time I beat my mom in a race,'' Sara said. "I was 13. When I was 15, that was the first time my brother beat me.''
Now that triathlon is a full-time job for Sara -- she also serves as a triathlon coach, master's swimming coach and camp organizer at the National Training Center in Clermont -- much of her week is devoted to training. She said she trains 30 hours per week (13 on the bike, 10 in the pool, seven running) and also does 2-3 hours of weight training per week. Two hours of massage weekly helps work out the kinks.
"The road has been well-traveled,'' said Sara, who has competed in more than 150 triathlons. "Not to say it doesn't get monotonous, but every day is different. Today, I feel terrible, but Sunday, I felt like a rock star.''
Sara has this advance for fitness enthusiasts considering their first triathlon: "Go with one goal: Have fun and don't worry about anything else. Finish with a smile on your face. If you have fun, then you will be more likely to come back for a second triathlon.''
Stay tuned at www.triathlon.org...
Did You Know?
Sara McLarty has competed in world championships in five sports: pool swimming, open-water swimming, triathlon, aquathlon and lifesaving
Articles by Sara are published periodically in Triathlete Magazine, and 4x a year in a USA Triathlon publication that is mailed free to members -- click here to become a member.
Sample Sara's flair for writing and coaching...
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