Recently the Biggest Loser teamed up with Tri California to complete an Olympic distance triathlon. Eileen Swanson, a lululemon ambassador and educator at our Walnut Creek store, and her husband had the amazing opportunity to work as the Biggest Loser's coaches for this race! Read about their experiences below:

Reid and I were honored to have the amazing opportunity to change the lives of 16 inspiring individuals (Biggest Loser finalists and winners from the past 7 seasons) by coaching them to be able to complete the San Francisco Triathlon on July 12th. We sent them each a training plan to get ready for this race in 6 weeks. Not much time, but we knew they could do it!

The day before the triathlon, Reid and I did a walk-through of the course with all the athletes. This was so much fun. I love answering question from first-time athletes. They were all so excited, it was refreshing. Each and every former BL contestant we met was super friendly, sweet, and eager to listen and learn.

After the walk-through we were off to a media lunch at Joe’s Grill in the city. It was a delicious lunch and great time to get to know each other better. I sat with Heba & Ed (finalists season 6), Coleen (season 5), Ali (winner season 5), Pete (at home winner season 4), Suzy (2nd place season 2) and Holly (finalist season 4). It was interesting and inspiring to hear how each individual ended up on the TV show and to hear how motivated they were to compete in a triathlon.

The triathlon morning came quicker than expected for all. Reid and I helped each athlete get set up in the transition area, worked on their bikes, helped put on wetsuits and gave some last minute advice. Whoa, there was some serious energy in the transition area. We all had an amazing time watching these newbies get ready for an experience of a lifetime!

The swim start was unreal. I was brought to tears watching all of these athletes giving each other high fives in the water, screaming with joy, and seeing the happiness written all over their faces.

The run was an incredible sight to watch. Heba, Ed, Matt, Pete, Bernie, Blaine, Coleen and Dane looked strong and were always so happy to be out there on the run course and loved the cheers from everyone. Nothing explains this better than some pics of those big smiles. The best part of this amazing weekend was watching each one of these amazing individuals cross the finish line with so much joy! Incredible! It was an absolutely surreal moment. We, as coaches, could not have asked for a better fairytale ending. Congratulations to all Biggest Losers! You truly are inspiring, amazing individuals. Anything really is possible. Keep it going…

Above: The Team Lemon crew is decked out in Mac and Cheese yellow!

Bay to Breakers annual 12km race in San Francisco is more than just running, it is pure San Francisco fun loving time with ten thousand-plus participants. This year the lululemon athletica northern California region, Team Lemon, participated in this ninety-eight year old race that starts at the bay and ends at the ocean. Our Mac and Cheese bright yellow outfits blended in with the other outrageous costumes such as little red riding hood, fairies, cops and naked people.

We enjoyed an 83-degree day [ed. note to Canadians: that's about 28 degrees!] with bands every quarter mile cheering us on. Running Bay to Breakers is almost like being in a parade because there are as many people watching from the sidewalk and apartments to see the floats and costumes as there are runners. The course is not exactly easy. By the 6 mile I was so focused on finishing that the sight of another naked runner hardly had me dying from nervous laughter as it did during the start.

Most rewarding was finishing together as a team and celebrating with a nice cold drink of beer followed by a medium rare burger. A month ago I wrote a goal to finish a 15k race by 2015. As long as there is food at the end of the finish line, achieving my 15k is going to be much easier than I thought.

Want to keep up to date on all the other Team Lemon fun? Check out their page on Facebook!

Take a peak at some pics from the event below:

Above:  A little mid run photo posing!

Above: Look at the crowds!

Above: Definitely time to beat the heat with a cool drink!

Above: You'll know how to find us! Look for bright Mac and Cheese yellow!