Issue #4 - 05.19.26

Chattanooga, You Were A Lot...in a GREAT Way!

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Hey Reader!

Chattanooga is officially in the books.

And whew.

This race always has personality, but this year asked a little extra from everyone. The swim was slower than expected for a lot of athletes, the heat was turned up, the sun was not shy and there was not much wind offering a break.

If you crossed that finish line, you earned the medal.

Actually, let’s amend that.

You earned the medal and a badge of honor.

This week, we’re putting a bow on Chattanooga with a huge thank you to the athletes, volunteers and everyone who made race day what it was.

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One Big Thing

Volunteering changes how you see race day.

We spent part of race morning volunteering at swim exit, and it reminded us that volunteering is one of the most rewarding things we’ve done in this sport.

Caitlin helped pull hundreds of swimmers out of the water over the course of about three hours. She might have bruises on her legs and is in desperate need of a massage, but she's still glowing from the experience. Tif helped athletes up the stairs, repeated "Watch your step!" thousands of times and unzipped so many wetsuits she has rope burn on her fingers.

It was fast, physical, chaotic in the best way and honestly pretty special.

Athletes were excited to be done, finding their legs, trying to process the fact that they had just finished the first piece of a very long day and still somehow managing to say thank you.

Over and over again.

Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.

There's so much power in those two words...and to give back to a sport we've received so much from was worth every sore muscle we're still feeling in our bodies... even two days later.

Because when you race, you know volunteers matter. But when you volunteer, you feel it from the other side. You see how many small moments it takes to move thousands of athletes through a day safely and with support.

A hand out of the water.
A steady voice.
A cup of ice.
A bottle refill.
A direction yelled at exactly the right time.
Someone saying, “You’re doing great,” when the athlete might not fully believe it yet.

If you ever have the opportunity to volunteer at a race, we highly recommend it.

You will work. You will sweat. You may end up getting pulled in the river a couple of times and you might lose your voice.

But you will also get a front-row seat to people doing something hard, meaningful and brave.

That is a pretty good way to spend a morning.

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One Smart Thing

Hot race days are not solved by toughness alone.

Chattanooga was a reminder that conditions can be different every year, and that's why it's always smart to prepare for the curveballs before you face them.

For all the talk of the downstream swim, this year wasn't.

(At least it wasn't canceled, right?)

When the swim is slower than expected, the sun is beating down with not a cloud in the sky, the air is heavy and the course gives you very few free moments, the day becomes less about forcing your original plan and more about making smart decisions every chance you get.

That means drinking before you feel you really need it.
Taking ice before you feel cooked.
Using aid stations as your recharge zones.
Letting your pace respond to the day you are actually in, not the day you imagined when you signed up months ago.

A lot of athletes did that well.

And more than 2,000 volunteers made it possible.

The aid stations deserve a major shoutout. On a day like that, ice, water, sports drink and encouragement are not just nice extras. They are part of how people keep moving.

Endurance sports are about adapting and making decisions in the moment... and there are usually dozens of moments throughout the day.

Smart racing means paying attention. The athletes who honored the conditions and kept moving forward should be proud.

That is not weakness.

That is triathlon at its finest.

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One Real Thing

Sometimes the day is harder than the race description on the website.

We love Chattanooga.

We love the sunrise over the river. We love the big wide swim. We love the scenic rolling bike course. We love the communities that come outside and cheer for cyclists rolling through town. We love the run energy, the aid stations and that final red carpet after the final downhill.

We also know Chattanooga can make you work for it.

Hot.
Humid.
Hilly.
Bright.
Bumpy in places.
Mentally draining.

A race can be beautiful and hard at the same time.

Actually, most of the good ones are.

So if your race got messy, if your pace changed, if the day took more from you than expected, or if you had a few miles where you were simply negotiating with yourself to keep moving, you are not alone.

That was a day worthy of respect.

And if you made it to the finish line, YOU did that!

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One Useful Link

We’re working on something: Mighty Hydration.

This weekend was also a good reminder of something we’ve been thinking about for a while.

Hydration matters. But endurance hydration can feel more complicated, more expensive and more confusing than it needs to be.

So we’ve been working on our own version of a real endurance hydration solution: Mighty Hydration.

The goal is not to create a magic drink. That does not exist.

The goal is to create something practical, useful and affordable for athletes who are training, racing, sweating and trying to take care of themselves without needing a chemistry degree or a luxury budget.

And now we’d love a little help.

We’re looking for a small group of volunteer beta testers to try Mighty Hydration and give us honest feedback.

If you’d like to help, just reply to this email and let us know!

We’ll send a free bag to the first 10 people who respond (with a US address). All we ask in return is that you try it, tell us what you think and help us make it better.

You can learn more about what we’re building here:

Learn More About Mighty Hydration

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One Fun Thing

Spectator signs deserve their own medal.

Another favorite part of race day is seeing the creativity spectators bring to the course.

Yes, the athletes are out there doing the thing. But somewhere along the way, spectators are also putting in work. They’re making signs, wearing costumes, yelling encouragement, finding the exact right thing to say at the exact right time and, occasionally, making us wonder who approved that marker.

Chattanooga had plenty of gems.

There were inflatable sumo suits.

There were POWER UP signs that seemed to appear right when athletes needed the reminder.
There was “Fancy a Piggy Back?” which, honestly, was generous but probably not legal under race rules.
There was a random sticker on a light post that said, “I don’t want a valuable life lesson. I just want an ice cream.”

And somehow?

Perfect for the day. (Can we request sprinkles with that ice cream, please?).

There was “Prove the opps wrong,” because sometimes the best revenge really is continuing forward until the doubters get quiet.

There was “Chattanooga loves you,” which felt completely accurate. Everywhere we went all weekend, the locals were welcoming, kind and patient with the thousands of triathletes taking over their town with bikes, bags, spandex and very specific breakfast needs.

There was “The finish line has snacks!”

Which is both encouragement and a legally binding emotional contract.

And yes, there were a few signs we will not be quoting in a family-friendly newsletter, but please know we saw them, respected the creativity and laughed accordingly.

That’s one of the best parts of this sport. On paper, race day is swim, bike, run. In real life, it’s volunteers, spectators, cowbells, signs, costumes, high-fives, strangers yelling your name and entire communities helping athletes believe they can keep going.

So to everyone who made a sign, wore a costume, yelled encouragement, rang a bell, handed out energy or made someone laugh during a hard mile:

You were part of the race too.

And Chattanooga, as usual, understood the assignment.

One More Thing

Thank you, Chattanooga.

To every athlete who raced: we hope you’re proud.

To every volunteer who made the day work: thank you.

To everyone who said thank you at swim exit: we heard you, and it meant a lot.

And to Chattanooga: you were hot, bright, beautiful, hard and memorable. We can't wait to see you again.

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We came into the weekend excited to cheer, support and bring some orange energy to the course.

We left with sore everything, fulfilled hearts and a renewed appreciation for what it takes to make race day happen.

We GET to do this.

And this weekend was a very good reminder.

Thanks for reading. Race Mighty!

Caitlin + Tiffany
Team Saunders Tri

P.S. If you know someone who raced Chattanooga, volunteered, supported an athlete or is still trying to explain to a normal person why anyone would choose to do this on purpose, feel free to forward this their way.