I get to the race at about 7:10 (8am start time), check in, get my timing chip, and set up in the transition area without my bike. I went and pulled my bike out of the car and my back tire is just about totally flat. I take off the valve cap and hear a POP sshhhhhhhh.... The tip of the stem came out. I screwed it back in, pumped it up, and it seemed to hold. Was that all it was? I hoped so and went and set up my bike.
Format was a Run, Bike, Run, Bike, Run race. The runs were 1.5 miles each, the bike sections were 8.25 miles each. There were 5 waves that started 3 minutes apart. The first two were for the Teams, the 3 remaining waves were for solo's. I was in the first solo wave, wave 3.
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(both pix pilfered from Steve Stenzel) |
RUN 1- All runs were 1.5 miles out-n-backs. I started quick and was gasping pretty loud before I hit was even a 1/4 mile in. Things calmed down, but I kept going pretty hard. I was out in front by a good chunk and already passing teams before the turnaround at the 3/4 mile mark. I think I was about a minute up on the next solo person as I hit the turn around and was heading back for about 30 seconds before we crossed each other. I was expecting the big contenders to be in my wave--that would have been better because I could chase, instead of be chased. On the way back coming at me were some guys from one of the next waves--Steve Stenzel and who I thought was Dan Hedgecock (turned out to be Ross Weinzierl; Hedgecock opted out and volunteered). I hit T1 and prepared for Bike 1.
RUN 1= 8:43 (5:49 pace)
BIKE 1- This was sort of tough. 8.25 miles. How hard to you go? It was a bit windy, but not too bad. I've raced in worse. Much worse. The course was nice and simple--all right turns. I passed a handful of teams then there was nothing. I couldn't even see anyone else. Again, I wish I was chasing someone--from the first two waves. There was patch of road that was pretty rough that I caught someone on. He was on a team and was either way benind his partner or way ahead. This was not a relay team format, but a teammate TTT format. I hit T2 and prepared for Run 2.
BIKE 1= 20:52 (23 mph)
RUN 2- Not much to report. This was tough, but felt better than Run 1. I caught a couple more teams here as teammates had to run together if they wanted to work together on the bike--in otherwords, a fast runner and a slower running who teamed up would run at the slower runners pace. A little sooner after I turned around did I cross with Ross W. That means he gained time on me. The others that I thought would be up there in the ranks I crossed a little later in the run. That means I gained time on them (Steve Stenzel, Charlie Roach, and known only later to me, Elwing Portilla). I hit T3 and prepare yet again for BIKE 2.
RUN 2= 9:31 (6:21 pace--much slower than run 1)
BIKE 2- I forgot to put on my sunglasses for this and was worried that with the wind, I would lose my contacts or as the very least, they would dry out. Thankfully, neither happened. I passed one team within a 1/4 mile out of T3, but they soon passed me an got a couple hundred yards up. I was glad they were there as I tried to keep the distance between us from growing. Not that I care because they were in the team division, but it kept me going. We caught one other team in the last couple miles of this final loop on the bike. I hit T4 and decided I would try to go as hard as I could without puking.
BIKE 2= 21:05--13 seconds slower than Bike 1 (22.8 mph)
RUN 3- I caught the team that I was chasing during Bike 2 and not sure if I caught any others. After the turn around it wasn't long before I crossed with Ross--he gained more time on me. I then crossed with Portilla, then Stenzel, then Charlie not long before the finish--something happened to him because I expected to see him with or around Stenzel.
RUN 3= 9:17 (6:11 pace--slower than run 1, but a little faster than run 2)
TOTAL TIME= 1:12:20
I ended up 2nd overall for solo's and was 4th if you include to the two teams that finished 1 and 2. Despite my lack of sleep and near problem with the valve, I couldn't be happier with the results as the thing that would have gotten me a higher finish was if I did more training and was just plain faster.
The top 5 men:
1. Ross Weinzierl
2. Mario Minelli
3. Edwing Y. Gelvez Portilla
4. Steve Stenzel
5 Charlie Roach (he took a wrong turn during the second bike section and had to back track--still a sweet finish).
Top 5 women:
1. Jenny Wilcox
2. Julie Hull
3. Jennifer Scudiero
4. Melissa Macmillan
5. Leslie Englert
See the link below for complete results:
Click THIS for a write up in the Examiner.
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