Director Matt Booth, DPT, OCS doing the Ironman!

I just found out that Matt Booth, DPT, OCS (you may remember him from my previous post on PT of the Year Awards), the Director of our Boise Parkcenter clinic in Idaho is doing the Ironman competition in Couer d’Alene this coming weekend!  A seasoned triathlete, Matt will join more than 2,200 athletes from around the world to compete in a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run. 

Matt works with triathletes all year round – both as a therapist and a team leader.  He started a TAI Boise Tri Team and 4 of them will be competing in this Ironman.  Another 6 competitors from our half-Ironman group will be watching and cheering on after their own big event last weekend – the Boise Ironman 70.3 (TAI was the official medical sponsor of this event).  To follow Matt and his fellow TAI Boise Tri Team members and their progress during the race, go to www.ironmanlive.com.   The race starts at 7:00am Pacific time and they have until midnight to finish.  Here are their names and race numbers:

Matt Booth:  832
Norb DeKerchove:  1825
John Kormanik:  1547
Darren Russinger: 1209

This is an incredible international competition and TAI is proud to have Matt and his team represent us (they’re even wearing custom TAI trisuits!!).  GOOD LUCK!!!

Spokane Hoopfest

Did you know that Spokane, WA is host to the largest 3 on 3 basketball tournament on the planet?  Hoopfest is a two-day, outdoor festival that draws hundreds of thousands of people from around the nation.  Hoopfest organizers say that this year’s tournament is expected to include 3,000 volunteers, 6,429 teams, 25,000 players (youth to adult, amateur and elite), 200,000 fans, 13,000 games, 410 courts, and 40 city blocks.  For a moderately-sized city, this is a HUGE event!

In their own words, Hoopfest ”is a place for players of all ages and abilities from all over the country to come together in pursuit of the ultimate goal: to become a Hoopfest Champion. It’s where friends and families gather and cheer at the top of their lungs for their favorite team. It’s the chance to see a college superstar, or your dad, hustle like he’s in the final game of the NBA finals. It’s a place for your seven-year-old to score her first basket.” 

TAI’s Spokane-area clinics have been involved in Hoopfest for several years.  We provide dozens of volunteers for the event and our therapists manage and work at taping tents for athletes in need.  It’s always a busy but rewarding weekend.  If you happen to be in the area, swing by one of our tents and say hi or just come to witness this incredible (and fun!!) event.

North Olympic Discovery Marathon This Weekend!!

The North Olympic Discovery Marathon (NODM) is an annual run (full and half marathons for walkers and runners, relay marathon, and even a kids marathon) from sunny Sequim to charming Port Angeles, WA.  Therapeutic Associates has been the corporate sponsor of the run for 5 years and counting and is looking forward to a great event this weekend.

Called one of the best boutique marathons in North America, the NODM website describes the run as “…a  a unique point-to-point course that incorporates the Olympic Discovery Trail – with stunning views of the Olympic Mountains and a five mile finishing stretch along the shores of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The race is a USATF sanctioned event that is a Boston Marathon qualifier.”  It attracts runners of all levels and ages and provides a reasonably challenging and gorgeous raceway. 

I did this run myself as part of a corporate relay team last year and had a blast.  It was amazingly well organized, the volunteers were outstanding, the course was beautiful, and I felt like the whole community was supporting the event and - more importantly - the runners.  It was my first competitive run and a great way to enter the circuit.  I am still inspired by the range of participants – from the winner who did the marathon in an incredible 2 hours and 48 minutes, to the woman who walked the marathon as the culmination of a year-long weight loss and wellness pledge to herself, to the near 90-year old man who completed the event even after falling in the second half of the run. 

If you are going to be in the north Olympic Peninsula this weekend, I encourage you to stop by and cheer on the runners.  And if you are a runner yourself and have never done this run, definitely consider it.  TAI is proud to be a part of such an incredible event, especially in a community where we already have strong presence with our TAI-Sequim and TAI-Port Angeles clinics.

Good luck runners, and to all involved – have fun!  See you there