Brewhouse Triathlon, August 3, 1996, Duluth, Minnesota
1/3 mile swim, 10.5 mile bike, 2.2 mile run
Pre-Race:
Had to camp out overnight for this one, although one member of our Tri team did drive up that morning (leaving home in the Twin Cities at 4:30 a.m.!). Two drunkards in the camp area next to mine stayed up until 2 a.m. gabbing and pissing at random intervals, then going inside their camper and watching the Olympics on their TV. Needless to say, I got very little pre-race sleep! I had checked in the night before so I
could drive the bike and run courses; they seemed to be relatively flat and easy
to navigate. For this race, there were two groups: short course and long course. I was doing the short course, as I had just returned from a week of biking across the state of
Minnesota for the MS Society. Five days of rest and recuperation do not make for
a super race after such grueling riding (for me), but I was going to do it! It ended up being just about what I could handle.
The Swim:
Having previously done one open water swim, this was going to be a piece of cake!
I had this baby won! (or so I thought!). After some pre-race talk, the long-course
competitors were whistled out into the calm waters; we would be leaving about twenty
minutes later (just as the leaders would be finishing). I was ready! I was pumped! The
whistle blew, and I was off! Having seeded myself well to the outside, I found I
should have been up a bit at the start, because people in front of me were going
too slow! I found my way around them and settled in toward the turnaround. And then....SUN! I couldn't see! Where were we? Everyone else had similar problems, and I was constantly stopping to see whether I was off course (or even still ON course!) The lifeguard stand eventually came into view, and I began to pick up some steam toward the end. Exiting the water at about 12:35, I felt the course might have been long (or I could have been imagining it....) A looong run up the beach to the transition area over grass and rocks, and I was in transition. Whew!
T1:
Thinking back to my first tri and the dismal time at T1, I tried to improve on it
a bit. Unfortunately, the long run up the beach cost me precious time, and I ended
up with a T1 of 3:38! I mounted my steed and immediately found that I was still breathing as if I had sprinted up the beach stairs at Alcatraz! (Just imagining that I had done those stairs is enough!) This is what a sprint race is! Off I flew; onto the bike
course....
The Bike:
Much different than the Bootleg Turtleman Tri I had done as my first foray into the triathlon
world, this race had me easily within sight of several other cyclists at all times.
I passed a few of them, but more passed me. I felt like I was flying after I cooled
down a bit and started breathing normally. I ended up completing the 10.5 miles in
33:30, faster than I could have hoped for and a definite improvement on my suspect
swim time!
T2:
Onward to T2! A great transition here for me; was in and out in 51 seconds! Yes!
(Now I feel like a semi-pro!)
The Run:
Such a short distance to go, and sooo many people pass me (It seemed like a lot,
but I found out otherwise after the race). I plodded along at my steady 8:25 pace,
and finished the entire race in 1:08:22. Another super finish and under my target
time of 1:10! Several of my Minnesota Metro Tri teammates had finished ahead of me, but I enjoyed just finishing!
Post-Race:
I stuck around after the race for a bit, because the long course competitors were
still going strong; several teammates were in this race, and it would give me a chance
to see them in action. All in all, a great race for me and one I will try to do again next
year, maybe even the long course!
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Updated 10 May 1997
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