Court’s Race Report

So, it’s common after a big race for all the triathletes to write up race reports and send them out on listserves. I’m not quite that cool, but I am pretty psyched about finishing the race so I figured I’d tell you guys all the details. WARNING: It’s pretty boring unless you’re into this type of thing

On Friday, I headed to out Bend and Sunriver, Oregon (about 3.5 hours away) with my boyfriend Charlie, my roommate Allison and her boyfriend, Jesse.

Saturday morning, I set up my bike to run transition (T2) and Allison and I caught rides with our friend Kurt to the lake, while Jesse and Charlie rode the 25 miles there. I had spent the better part of a week being very, very nervous (it felt like a better part of 6 months, to be honest) and I was surprisingly calm when it came time to race – kind of like a ‘now or never’ feeling.

Swim: Swimming 1.2 miles in open water can be a really scary experience…especially when you’re doing it with 100 other people at the same time, and there’s 100 people 5 minutes ahead of you and 100 people starting 5 minutes behind. There’s a lot of kicking and running into people going on as the competitors swim towards big buoys set up in the water (especially because not everyone has the same definition of ’straight’). My swim was fine – a little longer than expected, but I managed not to hyperventilate, which is common occurence for many people when they start the swim. The biggest gripe was that the halfway buoy was bright yellow – the same yellow as the caps in my wave. So, it was impossible to see the buoy because it blended in with all the caps!

There was also some boat wake to deal with, which resulted in some swallowed water. I learned later that a 40-year-old male had a heart attack (the guy who pulled him out of the water and into his kayak was Charlie’s friend that we were staying with!) He needed to be transported quickly, so a wave runner came out to bring him to shore. As of yesterday, he was still in critical condition. Time: Approx. 45 minutes

Bike: About 10 minutes into my bike course, I was the first person stopped on the road as volunteers cleared the roadway for the medical helicopter to transport the athlete. After a few minutes, they realized they could let us continue on. The course is basically flat with a very long, very low grade climb of approx. 30 miles, with three sharp spots and a 10 mile descent. Because of my slow swim time, I started near the back on the bike and was able to pass a lot of people (many of which consequently passed me on the run). I never felt really great or strong on the bike, but the climb wasn’t as hard as I expected and the descent was fun. Time: Approx. 3:10

Run: The run was what I dreaded the most, and it wasn’t easy. After the first mile I had no cheering section, so it seemed pretty long too. My stomach was very upset from all the liquid calories I had consumed so I decided I wasn’t going to make myself miserable (or sick) and settled in for approx. 10 minute miles, walking briefly through every-other aid station to grab water. The last 2 miles were the hardest but I still had enough energy to run strong through the finish line. Time: Approx. 2:15

Total Time: 6:18, 6th in age group (of 10??), 335/518 overall.

It was fun to do an event where I knew a lot of people also competing – Allison was a rock star with a time of 5:27, 16th overall for females. I was well prepared for the race, both mentally and physically, and although there are things I would do differently, I’m happy to have done it. I don’t plan on doing another half this year, although I enjoy triathlons: people who compete in them are amazing and come in all different shapes, sizes and ages! It’s also a very ’supportive sport’ in that the crowd wants everyone to do well. I encourage you to look for a sprint tri in your area and see what you think.