President: Kristy Breslaw
My name is Kristy and I am one of the four founding members of BRT. I have my Psy.D in Forensic Psychology but I am lucky enough to be a stay at home mom to my 13 year old son. I have been competing in triathlons with my husband Ralph since 2003 and I was addicted from the 1st one! I progressed from my first sprint on a mountain bike to Olympic. Since then I have completed 20- 70.3’s and 4 full Ironman events including one in Germany and Canada. I love training and racing but the thing I like best about this sport is the people. I love sharing my passion for racing and training with others and to me is what makes this sport and this club so amazing. One of the best things about this club is going to races both local and out of Florida with other members and have people cheering, just because you are wearing BRT gear. We hope you will share our love for triathlons and the club. I think of BRT as family and hope that we can make you all feel the same. I am happy to answer any e-mails regarding the club, just contact me by clicking on my name.
Vice President: Sara Jo Unger
I am originally from Boston but moved to Coral Springs in 1978. Until my early 20’s I was inactive and weighed close to 200 pounds. In January 2008 I quit smoking and gained 15 pounds. In 2010 I had a friend that was a cancer survivor and she asked me to come watch her run the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. As soon as I got the race the energy of the people was amazing. I also noticed that there where all ages, shape and sizes. I caught the running bug and went on to run many ½ marathons. After being injured way to often a friend suggested I add biking into my routine. I then started doing duathlons for many years. My friend Jill talked me into getting into triathlons and suggested I join the first Women’s Tri Initiative that Boca Tri was offering. I learned so much from the coaches and mentors. I also met some incredible women who would not only become the best training buddies but my closest and best friends that I have.
Of course, the sport for me means being able to socialize. I am all about training but then my favorite part is grabbing breakfast and coffee with my friends and talking for hours… about nothing and everything. I love traveling to races and seeing the sights. I love getting people in the sport and supporting them as they go on their journey of duathlons/triathlons.
Secretary: Kimberly Cooper
Hi there! I am Kimberly Cooper. I am a Licensed Massage Therapist, wife, and mom to a son heading off to college soon. I was born in NY and moved here to Florida with my parents the beginning of my freshman year of High School and have been here ever since. I started running after my son was born wanting to complete a 5k race, little did I know it would lead to many running races of all distances even the marathon distance. My first triathlon was in 2013 after I watched my best friend complete a triathlon and she thought I should join her in this triathlon journey. I did my first sprint triathlon and well…it was hard! But…I loved the feeling of completing it and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Since then I have completed many sprint triathlons and then went straight to the 70.3 distance….well because why not! Along the way I have learned many things about myself, my comfort zones, pushing my body, this sport and becoming a healthy athlete to continue through the years. I have met some of my closest and best friends thanks to the sport of triathlon and our club. When I am not specifically training or racing I love to volunteer my time with the Women for Triathlon Initiative group and help to cheer, offer advice and support these new ladies in any way I can. After all we were all beginners once and it feels good to have people there cheering you on when you are doing something new! One of my favorite things about this club and sport is the community of people and how we are all at different levels, life moments, ages, races, backgrounds and we support and encourage one another in our journey of triathlon and all the many ways we find to push our comfort zones. In the end it is not the race that matters but the journey and people along the way that matter!
Treasurer: Junko Kobayashi
My name is June Kobayashi, which by my name might be obvious that I am Japanese but actually I was born and raised in Canada. In my youth I had no fear, much to the distress of my parents. I skied like I had no bones to break, rode motorcycles like I was on a race track and drove whatever car I had at the time like it was a Formula One race car. I’m glad I’ve kept that part of me because it allowed me to run 26.2 miles at the age of 40 for the first time. Then after deciding to make it a “fun” activity I did my first marathon race in Hawaii a few weeks after that. I can’t believe I used fun and marathon in the same sentence since endurance was never my forte. Ballet for 18 years and short distance track during high school were not good preparation training for a 1-mile run. Living in Los Angeles for many years you would think I would have found Triathlon there, but it took a move to Manhattan and some crazy inspiration in the middle of winter, January 2012 to start training. I did my first Sprint race that May with my brand new bike, that I clipped in for the first time 2 weeks earlier, sporting the scar on my knee from the obvious, I came in 4th in my age group and I was hooked. As well, having worked with Stan Lee, the creator of Spider-Man for almost 18 years now, being around super-heroes dressed in their spandex, the familiarity of triathletes in spandex provided me comfort in times of pre-swim anxiety. My work as an “executive-for-hire” brought me to Florida where the weather was perfect for #sufferfest training. I’ve done a bunch more races since then; got a couple of place medals, 2nd in a sprint and 3rd in an Olympic. I even joined the BRT Circus for Ironman Canada 226km (140.6 miles for us here) in July 2015, which will forever live in the depths of my memory as the race sent up from the Underworld. Having met the exuberant Boca Tri family, I realized the sport brought more than just the racing. The community that is created by the mutual respect of all the people who take time in their busy lives to share their experiences with others was much different from any other community I’ve experienced. Triathletes want to spread their crazy but in an encouraging yet competitive way. We are not afraid to shout out our successes and we are not afraid to ask for help. We know that we will be acknowledged for our efforts and given tips and guidance from even people we’ve never actually met. I’ve been trying to get my son (12) and daughter (10), both of whom are superb athletes to even just dip their toes into the TRI waters but that is not to be. So instead, I took a couple of ladies under my wing to share in my crazy. Last year they both completed their first Sprint tri and we are now training for their first 70.3 in June at Raleigh. That inspiration encouraged me to go after the Ironman Women for Tri grant for which we were successful. The next part of my journey begins.
Committee Members:
Media Relations: Pablo D Blanco
A native to the sport of swimming and water polo. Pablo represented Guatemala’s National Team during 1995-1997. Over the past decade Pablo D Blanco has coached open water swimming, assisted Kristy Breslaw in organizing and overseeing, logistics, social events (members and sponsors), and on occasion strategically hides himself to capture stunning photographs of athletes racing across the world. His relationships with athletes, coaches, race directors and sponsors is instrumental to the growth of a multidisciplinary sport club and nourishing the culture and it’s potential is his priority. Pablo D Blanco is proud to help the community and every athlete who is willing to participate and push his/her/they/them boundaries to the next level. Pablo D Blanco packs a punch of wild and epic when let loose in the field of triathlon.
Race Results: Kathy Potts
Member Discounts: Tess Vaughan
Director of Member Services: Donna Silver
My name is Donna Silver and I work as a physical therapist, although I no longer treat patients. I grew up on Long Island in New York and moved to Evanston, Illinois to go to college. I have my B.A. from Northwestern University in biology, my physical therapy degree also from Northwestern, and my MBA in health care administration from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. I completed my DPT from Marymount University. After spending 18 long, cold winters in Chicago, I moved to Florida to enjoy the weather and raise my family. I have enjoyed triathlons since my first one in 2010, which I entered on a dare. Since then I have completed 47 triathlons including sprint, Olympic, International and 70.3 distances. I have always participated in some form of athletics, including tennis, softball, bicycling, badminton, volleyball, and most recently pickleball. I have made the most amazing friends in this sport and have never felt so supported in any other aspect of my life. Every time I say, “this will be my last race,” I cross the finish line and start looking for my next race. Or perhaps a friend will say, “I am thinking about this race” and before you know it, I am all signed up for another. I love competing in BRT gear because getting a shout out on the course always makes me smile and gives me a little shot of adrenaline. The club offers so much in terms of social events, training opportunities, discounts, and perks at the races, I would like to be able to give back to the club that has given me so much.
New Member Ambassador: Karen Beech
Women For Tri Initiative Coordinator: Junko Kobayashi
Charity Events Coordinator: Kimberly Peterson
Grand Pooba #1/Master Training Coordinator: Todd Kough
I am a Florida native that grew up in South Florida playing soccer, basketball, and baseball. In 2009, after completing my MBA I decided I needed to dedicate my new spare time to something other than drinking beer and eating chicken wings. At 36 years old and weighing 260 lbs., it was time for a change. What started out as getting back to the gym and then doing a little running to lose some weight and beable to complete a local 5K quickly became much more than that. A few months into to this new routinea co-worker told me I should him and another friend of ours at Tradewinds Park for a training day – it was not pretty. A few months later I bought a used road bike on Craig’s List and signed up for the FAU sprint triathlon. One unremarkable race later and I was hooked. After a year of training and racing with just a few friends, I finally joined BRT and the rest has been one crazy ride. Having completed over 100 races in the last 6 years ranging from Sprint to Ironman Triathlons and 5Ks to Full Marathons and 7 team relay races, the endurance training and racing has truly become a lifestyle. If you are looking for me you can usually find me on the road either running or riding well before the sun comes up, but don’t look for me in the pool (I usually only make it there a few times per year). If you are looking for a consistent early morning run workouts contact me through Facebook and I will add you to “The Bridge” group so you will know when we will be out running – usually starting at 5am on Monday’s and Thursday’s starting at LA Fitness in Deerfield Beach. Another good spot to find me is at the finish line of a race, if I’m there I usually have a cooler of post race adult refreshment’s nearby. If you are on this site and still looking around trying to decide whether to join the club or not, all I can say is stop wasting time, sign up and it will be the best $40 you have ever spent on triathlon related expenses. The value you receive from the goody bags, the race discounts, the friendships, the happy hours, and everything related to the circus in priceless.
Women for Tri Committee:
Zoe Da Silva, Owner of Go! Athletics Florida
Although originally from the UK, I have spent the last 12 years in Dubai before moving to South Florida in November 2015. I have always competed in sport events which included ultra marathons, triathlons and various other crazy team events. Having completed a few 70.3, I hope one day to finish a full Ironman.
I have always worked in the fitness industry yet in the last 5 years I have focused more on swimming and running. Recently I decided to consolidate these disciplines and qualified as a Triathlon coach. Having initiated and managed a Run Club in Dubai, my true passion is working with beginners. I find there is no better reward than getting a “new” athlete across a finish line for the first time. Being a mother of 2 young children, I love to teach and motivate others how to make time for themselves and follow their passion.
Nicole Boger: Owner of Team Soul Sports, BS in Exercise Physiology, MS in Sport Management
Hi everyone! My name is Nicole Boger…and I wear many hats. Mom, Spouse, Coach, Athlete (but not always in that order). I have a bunch of professional credentials behind my name and have raced everything from a 5ks to Ultra runs and Sprints to Iron Tri’s. But seriously…none of that is important. What I love most is to COACH. Taking this moment to write about myself is tough…but taking a moment to write about my Team is easy.
Let’s first talk about my team: Team Soul Sports, LLC is a team of athletes who have Heart and Soul for training and racing. They have drive, determination, and passion. They push each other and they support each other. Although I am the owner of the team, none of it would be possible without my assistant Coaches or our amazing athletes. This is OUR team. Built for every athlete who shows Heart and Soul for the sport and the people in the sport. My Tri story: I first got started in Triathlon when a friend asked my husband if he wanted to do an Ironman. My husband said “no”, but I said “yes.” Ignore the fact that I had 2 young kids at home and as Helicopter Pilot for the US Coast Guard, my husband was either standing duty, night flying, or deployed for most of the year. In hindsight, I was determined to be an IRONMAN but truly had no idea what that meant. Come race day, my athletic background helped out, and I found the day to be fun and pretty low key. I crossed the line, took a picture, then (in our tradition) I handed the finishers metal to my kids. And then in typical fashion, I went back to the finish line to cheer for the other athletes. You see…what I can do is cool. But what YOU can do is awesome. I find joy in helping other athletes, in seeing their joy and their happy tears as they cross a finish line. The adrenaline and the energy in the air is intoxicating. The COMRADERIE and the friendship that a race brings can last a lifetime. I love that. I live for that. I still actively race, but I do it with zero pressure. Do I want to win? Of course! Am I competitive? Heck yes! But whether I come in first, or come in last truly has no bearing on how I feel. If I give it 100% and do the BEST that I can possibly do, I’m happy. This lifestyle is about so much more than a results board. Heart. Soul. Friendship. Family…but again, not always in that order. The short story: Mom, Wife, Coach, Athlete, BS in Exercise Physiology, MS in Sport Management, USA Triathlon Certified Coach, USA Triathlon Certified Youth and Junior Coach, American College of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer, Endurance Coach for the United State Military Endurance Team, a whole bunch of other certifications and what nots, triathlete, runner, wake surfer, basketball player, yogi, adrenaline junkie, lover of life and all things that make my heart beat just a little bit faster.
