We asked some of the most experienced Pineapple Man triathletes if they would  share their knowledge. These six athletes said 'Yes'!

You can ask questions about any triathlon subject. Post your question on the message board or email downeystudios@cfl.rr.com .
Answers from our panel will be posted on the message board.  A big thanks from the Rotary of Melbourne  Beach to these six who offer support to fellow athletes. 

Dave Underill

       Dave was winner of Pineapple Man in 1986 and since early records are lost, how many times he won after is unknown. Dave doesn’t keep much of a tally himself as he moves from one interest to the next. We know he was first overall again in 1998, twelve years later.
        His history of triathlons alone span a period of 30 years while also completing ten cross Florida cycling races. Over the years he worked his natural talent to a level where he has drawn upon his base to quickly become a contender whenever he decides to push his limits.
        He has many dozens of sprint and Olympic distance races to his credit but intriguing are the longer events. These include two Half-Iron Man, three Iron Man and most remarkable of all, the Double Iron Man, not just once or twice…but an amazing three times. The Double Iron consists of a five-mile swim, followed by a 224-mile bike, finishing with a 52 mile run.
       Currently Dave is swim coach for St. Edward’s Upper School in Vero Beach, coaches triathletes and conducts swim clincs in the Virgin Islands based on his 44’ catamaran.
       He’s not doing triathlons currently but it doesn’t mean he isn’t active or won’t start racing again. From personal experience I know the inclination to race can remerge at any time. No doubt he’ll talk me into doing his annual 3.6 mile swim between the bridges sometime soon.

Tom Hoffman

       Though his first athletic experience came very young in a YMCA swim program, Tom brings his legs as a runner to triathlon.  Proper early swim training still makes him fast in the water and he has no weak event.

        His first triathlon was1982 in Texas, the same year he moved to Brevard. But Tom had already established himself as a distance runner long before. While still a senior in high school he ran the Boston Marathon in a time of 2:37. He then ran track and cross- country at Duke University. In 1978 he ran a personal best of 2:25 in the Houston Marathon finishing 5th overall and has a sub 31:00 PR time in the 10K.

       At the 1986 Pineapple Man, he and his wife Mary entered and became the first married couple to do the event. Tom placed 3rd in that race which was basic and without age groups. The Clermont Series later attracted him and became overall Master’s winner in 1994. In recent years he has qualified and attended the 2007 Escape from Alcatraz and 2008 USAT Nationals in Oregon. In Pineapple Man he has won his age group M-55-59 the past two years.
      For cycling recreation Tom has done various tours in the Rockies, Blue Ridge and Pyrenees Mountain ranges. His leadership resume has the unique feature of listing terms as president of Space Coast Runners 1989-90, and currently president of Space Coast Velo Sport. Thankfully I have aged up and will be out of Tom’s division for the June 6th race!

Kaitlin Shiver

      In May 2009, Dave Underill asked me to put out a public message inviting swimmers to his annual 3.6 mile excursion between bridges. One who responded was an eager young woman just back from her second year of college. Little did anyone know we would be swimming with Kaitlin Shiver and what she was about to achieve on the national stage. We didn’t know anything about her or the younger sister she brought along. By the end of that morning we learned those two girls could swim!

     The race she experienced a few months later on August 22, 2009 is something very special, winning a national championship. Winning at age 20 is far younger than anyone before in a USAT National Championship.
     Kaitlin graduated Satellite Beach HS, now attends University of Florida and runs track with encouragement and support of her athletic family. Five members of the Shiver family are registered for the 2010 Pineapple Man.
     Kaitlin was known to high school runners and swimmers in Brevard but it wasn’t until summer of 2009 that triathletes became aquainted with her talent. Leading to her USAT performance in Tuscaloosa,AL she had these finishes:
1st @ Huntington's Olympic Tri - 2:04:39 (Margin: 6:54)
1st @ Heartland Sprint - 1:05:23 (Margin: 4:20)
1st @ Marineland Olympic - 2:00:04 (Margin: 15:30)
1st @ Gainesville Olympic - 2:11:03 (Margin: 24:03
     The USAT Women’s National Championship was achieved with a winning margin of 2:06 in a time of 2:08:13 for the Olympic Distance race. Her story is best told on the USAT website. http://www.usatriathlon.org/news/article/15310

Pam Maxwell

       Between sets in my weight training workout I kept going to the second floor window view of the tank at Pro Health. I was watching a swimmer below with perfect form, soon realizing it was one of my bike training buddies, Pam Maxwell. She was the ‘human torpedo’ I described on a message board in 2007 when she achieved a USAT national rank of 23rd among 4,475 women aged 40-45. That year she competed in Kona at the World Iron Man Championship. In 2008 Pam was 1st overall in the Miami Half Iron-Man.

    In 2009 she finished 5th in W40-44 at the Half-Iron Man World Championship held in Clearwater, FL.

        World Championship splits: November 2009, age 44.
Swim 1.2 miles, time 28:14 and pace of 1:29per 100m
Bike 56 miles, time 2:22:41 and pace of 23.5 mph
Run 13.1 miles, time 1:37:46 and pace of 7:27 per mile
Total time with transitions: 4:34:07 
       Now age 45, she moves up to a group where she could potentially dominate. In addition to her career, Pam has been a spin instructor for many years and supporter of her daughter Brandi who is a star volleyball player.

Gary Stern

       When Gary Stern is not racing with his team, Atlantic Shores Velo, this Indialantic cyclist trains with the very best of Brevard riders. Doing a 50 mile ride with Gary is an experience in pushing yourself to the limits of endurance. For most it becomes a matter of how long the legs maintain his relentless pace of 25+ miles per hour before finally dropping from the paceline. Many triathletes have benefited from his advise regarding the bike leg.

       Gary is a three time Florida State Time Trial Champion in years 2007-08-09 in the age 35+ division. His average speed of 28.7mph    on a 25 mile course in 2008 was a highlight in his three year tenure and a remarkable achievement in Florida time trial cycling. His race experience with triathlon has been limited to the bike leg on winning Pineapple Man relay teams three times.
       In 2010, Gary will step beyond the comfort zone of his saddle and experience the resistance of water and hot pavement beneath his feet. Beyond the spinning pedal cranks of his Orbea Ordu are two more endurance sports to explore. There can be no doubt the bike leg will help overcome any weakness in the swim and run. He has surfed for close to 30 years. So Gary, a warm welcome to the world of triathlon.

Tom Daly

      A question often asked of successful triathletes is what background they have brought to a pursuit that combines three sports. Tom played the usual high school sports but not with any particular success. However, he and his father were both competition water skiers and traveled the country. Eventually Tom became ranked 3rd in the nation but gave up the sport at the young age of 17.

      Perhaps the upper body and quad strength Tom has in the swim and bike can be attributed to his early development. He put that strength to work in triathlon in 1981 and quite appropriately that first venue was at Cypress Gardens. During the years since he has competed in 496 triathlons. He has had his share of various injuries including a broken hip, collarbone, dislocated shoulder and two rotator cuff operations. Fortunately all have occurred out of season.
     Tom believes his most notable achievement is 20 consecutive top 10 finishes in age group at the annual St.Anthony’s Olympic distance, admitting to one lapse in 2005 when recovering from the hip injury.
      Now entering his 29th season of racing triathlons, Tom claims “consistency and good luck have been the story of me and triathlons”. Hopefully that luck will continue for many more years.