Dick Tomlin's Spirit of Triathlon - The Event

» Objectives of The Spirit of Triathlon

» About Dick Tomlin

Richard Daniel Tomlin 1946 - 2005

Richard Daniel Tomlin, successful entrepreneur, devoted husband and father and world class triathlete, died at University Medical Center in Las Vegas on June 4,2005. He was 58 and lived in Kingman. Dick was born Oct. 16, 1946, in Monmouth, III. to BA and lona Tomlin (he thought he should have lived 20 years earlier and been a World War II fighter pilot). At Roseville High School, in Roseville, III., he lettered in every varsity sport, prided himself on his championship hogs, and proudly displayed the "neatest bed award" which he won at the Illinois State Fair in 1962. He has said he was never happier than while he dug potatoes on the farm.

He earned a BA at the University of Illinois Champagne-Urbana in business and agriculture in 1968. He may have spent more of those four years partying with his Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity brothers than studying.

In 1969, during his graduate studies in journalism at the University of Iowa, he met Bonnie Jean Balsbaugh. He used the pick-up line "Hi, my name is Dick Tomlin and if you ever have any leftover food I'd be happy to eat it." Who could resist? They were married at Metcalfe Park in Kingman on March 1, 1975.

Prior to moving to Kingman in 1974, Dick taught journalism at Kishwaukee College in Malta, III. He also coached the baseball team. Upon moving to Kingman, he put his journalism education to good use as sports editor of the Kingman Daily Miner. A brief stint teaching journalism and coaching tennis at Northwest Community College in Powell, Wyo., reminded him that cold weather was no fun. Back to Kingman they came.

Dick became a real estate salesman, and through that process became interested in real estate appraisal. He worked hard to obtain the designations of Member Appraisal Institute and Senior Real Estate Appraiser. Dick founded Tomlin Appraisal Company, served on the city council, Lions Club, and many other professional organizations. He was a solid member of Grace Lutheran Church. In 1984, 1987 and 1988 the couple had children Cassandra Danielle, Nathaniel Elias and Zachary Abraham, all of whom consider their dad the smartest person they know. Somewhere in there he got "too old for ball sports" and took up the triathlon; he has since traveled to Australia, Spain, Switzerland and Hawaii to compete and was first place in his age group at the World Championship Duathlon in Guernica, Spain in 1997. He was also on the podium two times at the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, second place being his highest achievement. Dick was an excellent sportsman, insatiable reader, connoisseur of food and wine and an adventurous film and music lover. Dick loved Mexico fishing trips, reclining in his chair with a beer watching the Suns, the Diamondbacks, or his Fighting lIIini. He was wise, kind, compassionate, loved his friends, family and triathlon buddies. He leaves behind his wife Bonnie, his children Cassie, Nate and Zack, as well as an older brother Jim Tomlin of Peoria, III. Dick has six nephews. His parents BA and lona Tomlin of Roseville preceded him in death.
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» Praise from Competitors and Friends

Thanks for holding a great event here in Kingman. It was front-page news on Sunday morning! Speaking of Sunday morning, say around 9:00 AM at the corner of Andy Devine Ave and Hualapai Mountain Road, where the DamBar (DunBar) is situated, at least one rider showed up for the mountain climb. It was a great time of day, crisp with crystal clear skies, and even a gentle tail wind for the last few miles (helps on those final few 15% grades). I asked the Park Ranger if she had seen any bicyclists earlier in the morning, thinking the "young people" started at 7:00 AM, but she said I was the first cyclist to come up to the top (mile post 11.5). Please don't tell me no one was interested in this Alp Du'ez level climb - maybe it was too much free beer the night before!

I look forward to bettering my times, at least in the swim and the run, next year.
Kevin D.

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What a fantastic, uplifting, inspirational time we had with you on Sat.! I am still processing the event in my mind's eye. I still have so much sadness over this loss which needs to be addressed, but that is so difficult. Without your efforts, this task would be far more cumbersome and prolonged. And what a beautiful coming together of the people attending the dinner. From Gerald, to Van, to the Landis table, to putting the Turbo relay team together, to all my old friends there in Kingman, it was GREAT! And the course was so fun. I rode the 5k behind Tristan in the morning....cool run course, and the bike course rocked! It was heads up and demanding but it was what racing is all about! I only heard positive feedback on everything.

Nice job, you really touched many hearts with this event. All the best,
Doug Jonathon

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I just want to tell you what a fabulous time I had at Dick's triathlon. The course was so much fun. Hard for ten minutes on the bike, then easy, then hard then easy. I know Dick was laughing at us. DON'T CHANGE THE COURSE!!!! It was such a pleasure not to just put your head down and grind. This course made you watch all the way. The out and back on everything was superb. THE RACE IS AN ABSOLUTE WINNER. God willing I will be back next year.

Again, thanks to you and all those who helped put it on.
Ken

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I wanted to let you know what a wonderful race the Spirit of Triathlon was this past weekend. I have done several races over the past year and any faces I recognized were definitely there having fun. I have never cheered on as many people as I did that day. The race was very well organized, course was challenging (love those hills) and fun all at the same time. The dinner was fun too because often we all go our separate ways after the event so it was great to share our stories of the day and meet new people. Vegetarian fare to boot, you thought of everything. I can only imagine the work and sacrifices you put in over the last few months. I am so proud of you to take the time to create this event to honor and remember Dick. Honoring Van Vanarsdal was a wonderfully thing to do. Every triathlon I have ever done he has been there with a yellow shirt and a smile on his face. The man is by far the "best" triathlete I know. Many times I have pointed him out to my kids so they could cheer him on.

Everyone I talked to commented on how great it was on some many levels. You should sit back relax and soak up the glory of what a wonderful thing you did and be very proud of yourself.

Congratulations!!!
Kerry

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Great course. Great race. Thanks for letting us all celebrate Dick's life.

Cheers,
Wade

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As the president of the Landis Tri club and a participant in the Sprit of Triathlon I want to thanks you, Tim, for such a wonderful job and fun event. I have not had so much fun at a race in a long time. I loved the out and back course as you saw so many people. It was wonderful to see Dick's family out there racing and having fun.

I know that a lot of others were involved in the race preparation and running I hope I can list all of them if not please pass on this note to them as I want to thank everyone that work so hard on the race for Dick Tomlin:

Landis Cyclery
Dave Kulhman
Brent
Landis Triathlon racing team
Tucson Racing
Jonathon Grinder
Tomlin family
Kingman Police department
Rhodes homes
Local medical center

The dinner on Saturday night was very well done and every one seemed to have great time. The award of the sprit of Triathlon to Van was very emotional and gratifying to see someone with so many obstacles in their life and they still do triathlons. The sprit of Dick will live on in many of us as we all complete to be the best we can.

As our Triathlon family grows it is so nice to see how the experienced athletes share with others. No mater if you are place in your age group, overall winner or, dead last you have finished a triathlon. As Van stated "getting to the starting line is difficult, after the gun goes off just go out there and have fun"

Thank you to all.
Anthony R. Romania

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Great event Tim! We had a wonderful time Saturday. I wish we could have stayed later for the real fun! How long did you all party?

Thank you for all your hard work on this event. I wish we could have spoken longer.
Dan

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I just wanted to let you know what an awesome job you did this weekend! You put together a wonderful race and what a tribute to Dick! It was great to see Bonnie out there smiling and enjoying herself! You rock!

Kim

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My dear, what can I say.

You pulled off the impossible and I really do feel that it was a magical day. Just wish I would have captured a little more of it on film or digital. Now I know what I was doing at the triathlons - taking the pictures! I have a few, but didn't get any of my guys competing. Next time I will assign that to a volunteer.

Tim, I can't thank you enough. Hope you will hear a little personal message from Dick, if you haven't already.

By the way, the Landis crew was incredible. I just can't say enough about everyone's attitudes. It was a once in a lifetime event - really.

Love to you and Janell and Cole and Chloe!
Bonnie

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Ken and all,

I can't tell you what a special day it was. To see the great ones put aside their own race concerns to help, encourage and cheer those of us who just wanted to survive was something special. The entire race and the day truly embodied Dick's attitude toward the sport. I am so pleased with all the really neat people - no wonder Dick never wanted to come home after the races.

I know that Dick is humbled that people regarded him with such respect and love.

My thanks are not enough, but that's about all I can offer right now. Thanks to every one of you.
Bonnie Tomlin

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OK, last email for the night. You are such a special guy. Don't know where you get the energy, but I certainly appreciate it.

You heard Dick correctly, he had little time for complainers, but usually did not engage in useless banter with them.

Anyway, Peggy had so many nice things to say about you, the race and the spirit. You are right - this was a one-of-a-kind thing. Many, many of us realize that and are thrilled that we could be a part of it. It was so special to me - and to my kids. I could see it on their faces - it was tough on them, but how neat to see the love and respect for their dad. That is perhaps the biggest gift of all - and you really are the vision and legs that made it happen. Pretty cool! Just receive the credit and smile.

I found myself driving around downtown and wondering about tweaking things a bit. Maybe we could have the party at the Powerhouse if we do it again. it is larger! But darn it, do I really have to do those hills again? I couldn't help but drive the course today and marvel at the fact that I actually made it through. Must have been the picture of Dick's butt that I had on the bike in front of me!

Enjoy your beautiful family. Relax a little. Smile a lot. Rest the foot - I want to see you in action one of these days.

I'll get the bike back to Dave. He will be ecstatic. I think he is hooked. Wants your expertise on what he should buy. He's a nice guy and Dick's death has had a positive affect on his attitude. I like that.

Good night, friend.
Bonnie

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This is a great race and well done. Tim and Jonathon did a great job. Yes, it is a sprint but not easy. It's just like Tim's spin class - fun and hard work. This is the fourth year I have done this race and enjoy it more each time.

Anthony R. Romania

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Thanks to Tim Bolen for putting on anohter awesome race in Kingman. If you have not done this race before mark in on your calendar for next year you will not be disappointed! !! The Bolen's give so much to all of us and this is one way to show them your support, remember a fallen triathle and have a blast.

Kerry Camberg
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» Letter from Bonnie Tomlin

» Letter from Race Host

Dearest my good friends,

First of all, for those of you who have already signed up for this event, thank you! For those of you who are considering the event, come on, be like Nike, Just Do It!!

Hosting this event has been such an amazing experience for me. I now know why Dick lived in Kingman. The entire Kingman community has embraced this event like nothing I have ever experienced before; I cannot wait for all of you to experience what I have.

I have so many thanks that I need to give but we can cover that later.

I have a few important details that need to be addressed now:

1. This event's theme is "Spirit of Triathlon" and Dick defined it. So if you plan on showing up without any race spirit, you might need to reconsider. You will see some of the very best athletes the state has to offer. These are nationally ranked athletes showing support for the World Champion Dick Tomlin. You will also see brand new athletes to the sport, which was one of Dick's passions, to recruit new athletes and guide them into world of fitness. Spirit for the sport, for competition, and for wanting to help other athletes, that's what Dick did everyday.

2. I hope/pray that everyone will encourage those around you. Don't be afraid to say "thanks" to our wonderful volunteers and race staff. Leave the yelling and negativity at home. We want nothing but smiles and laughter; after all, we are celebrating Dick Tomlin's life.

3. The swim will take place in the old Municipal pool. This pool at one time was the only competitive swimming pool of its kind throughout the world. 35 yards! Dick and Bonnie lived just a � mile away from this pool. Please realize it is a smaller pool, so were going to have some fun with it. 2 loops through the pool on 30-second interval starts and 6 � feet wide lanes, plenty of passing room. Each athlete will start on one end and snake swim to the other end, exit up the stairs run back around to the start and do it again (Euro-style) no waiting. This will make it a 420-yard swim but VERY spectator friendly and different than almost every other event. The pool surface will be covered in carpet so you will be able to run back to do your second loop.

4. The bike course is one of the most beautiful courses you can do in Arizona. Some of the backdrop views will take your breath away. It is NOT a flat course either, which make it somewhat a challenging bike ride. Again, we have the Euro style feeling because the 2-mile is on a narrow rolling road, but what a blast to ride. I can tell you, I did it several times now. 2 loops on the bike, 3 miles out and 3 miles back. Please be considerate of other riders and most important, always and I mean always, keep your head up! The last thing we want at this event is an accident. Roads will be heavily enforced with law enforcement and volunteers. The road is open to a subdivision that has no other access in or out. We suspect that at most we may see 3-4 cars thru-out the day. Don't worry though; we have police on hand to control the vehicles. Our first priority is rider safety. I just feel obligated to tell all the athletes. I have to post/hand deliver notifications to every resident 4 weeks, 2 weeks and again 7 days before the event. I will request that all residents please either stay at home or get out before 12 noon.

5. The run course takes you the opposite direction of the bike and again hits some rollers. We made the turn-around special for all you runners. I'm not telling until you do the run for yourself. You pass by Dick and Bonnie's first house within the first � mile, we will have a sign pointing to that special house. The run is .7 miles out and .7 miles back. Yep you guessed it, 2 loops. Can you feel the theme? This will be a very spectator friendly course, so bring your family and friends, they can see just about your entire race unfold. You will finish on the street to the right of the transition area. We are NOT doing the one lap on the track. Logistical reasons are preventing it.

6. This will be an annual event in Kingman. The city is very excited, so please tell all of your family and friends to come support this event. Without you the athletes, we have no event. All the money raised will be used for the new AZ Juniors Triathlon program. All the details will be posted shortly.

7. The awards banquet will be very special. Doing the race it's self is only half the fun. We have so many things planned that every athlete who attends will leave and say; "I can't wait till next years race". Bring your party hats and be prepared to honor some incredible athletes. Bring your dancing shoes because we have a live band and a dancing mix that will be playing all night long. Oh, did I mention free beer???

Now time for "thank you" to all the people who have made this event the special event it will be:

CarbBoom Gels / Mike Carey for all the countless hours developing our race website. Mike, I cannot begin to thank you enough. I apologize for the 1 a.m. emails and making you work so hard! You're the best.

Mike Gaul Chef, the master of cooking. Thank you for your willingness to cook for so many of us athletes. We sure do appreciate food, even more when its great food like yours. Thank you.

Scottsdale Running Company, Lance Muzlay for his registration magic and for setting us up on the SRC website. For helping with donations and making this a special event.

Landis Cyclery, Dave K, Perry and the gang. Thank you for your endless support always. I love working with you. Thanks for all the donations and for all the volunteers. Thanks for the brainstorming session over way too much beer.

Keith Doneski, you just simply rock! Your countless hours creating the poster and graphics for the entire event, searching for the best prices for me on various merchandise, arranging logo's to my sponsors and everything else (the list is too long), thank you so much!!! Your giving of time only proves how much you care about this sport and the people in it.

Daily Miner, Robin Mauser for your generosity and for helping us promote this wonderful event. Thank you. We wouldn't have the community support like we do without your help.

Darel Fruhwirth / Kingman City of Parks and Recreation, thank you for your networking skills and helping us get things approved. I can't wait to see you plow thru the 5K run!!

Rhodes Homes/ Bill Marion for your financial support and coming aboard as a sponsor of the event. We look forward to establishing a long lasting relationship with you in years to come.

Taco Bell / Krystal Burge sponsorship. Taco Bell was our first sponsor of the event and they have been nothing but accommodating to work with, especially Lisa. We pray that this relationship may grow stronger with all of you over the next few months and even years to come. Thank you so much.

Kingman Regional Medical Center Foundation, Brian Turney: We look forward to hosting an event that meets your standards. You all save lives everyday and make a difference in someone's life everyday. We only hope to impress you and host one of the best triathlons ever held in Arizona. Thank you for your wonderful financial sponsorship. We are very please that you are part of this event. We also pray that none of our athletes have to visit your Center because of our event. Usually we like to say support our sponsors, but in this case, I hope it's solely a financial donation and not a medical need! Thank you again for everything.

Kingman Police department, Scott Wright, for all of your time helping me get a safe and secure race route. For helping providing us a safe and secure racecourse.

County Sheriffs Office, Gary Conter, for approving our racecourse so quickly. We couldn't do these events with people like you.

City of Kingman Mayor Monica Gates: Thank you for making things happen so quickly. You are a machine!! We all look forward to seeing you and your team members out on the course race day. Thank you again for your wonderful support.

Tucson Racing Inc., Jonathon Grinder: For your unselfish support of this even. Most likely you did not know that Jonathon and Dick were very good friends. Jonathon is promoting this even from his heart and not for any other reason. Thank you for your willingness to endure all the physical demands it takes to promote a successful event. But most of all, thank you for your expertise and your compassion.

Last, Bonnie Tomlin and family: Where to start? Cassie, Nate and Zack, thank you for allowing Chances for Children-AZ (Janell and myself) to put this event on. We hope that you find it somewhat challenging and a whole lot of fun. Cassie, I look forward to throwing back a couple beers with you and Bonnie. Bonnie, I don't really know where to begin. You have been such an incredible inspiration. Thank you for our time together. I love having our every other Wednesday breakfast together. I love hearing all about Dick and your awesome kids. Thank you for all the hard work with this event as well. I pray that we host an event that Dick would have cherished. I KNOW that Dick will look down on all of us and say; "darn, sure wish Bonnie would shift on that uphill!" or "Oh my gosh, I can't believe Jonathon Grinder is in a speedo racing none the less!!!!" Good stuff.

Thanks again,
Tim Bolen

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