Eureka Springs Multisport Festival - TriathlonSprint


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Eureka Springs, Arkansas
United States
All Sports Productions
90F / 32C
Overcast
Total Time = 42m
Overall Rank = 10/156
Age Group = 40-49
Age Group Rank = 2/32
Pre-race routine:

The race didn't start until 3pm, so I just had a normal morning. Left for the race at 10:30. Had to go to packet pickup first, which closed at 1:00. Had lunch with some friends, went to transition and took my time getting ready.
Event warmup:

Very short swim warmup.
Swim
  • 06m 49s
  • 300 yards
  • 02m 16s / 100 yards
Comments:

Swim was only 300 yards, so even a bad swim would go reasonably quick. I started toward the outside with a good friend. I took a line toward the buoy and got mixed in with the madness. The pulling and hitting and tackling was ridiculous. I should've known better than to get in the middle of it. My friend stayed completely to the outside and never touched or was touched. I wish I had done that, because even swimming a longer distance would've been faster. Still, I got out of the water with a faster per 100 time (by far: 2:16 vs 2:58) than my last sprint.
What would you do differently?:

Get to the outside and stay there!
Transition 1
  • 01m 14s
Comments:

Reasonably quick transition. No real complaints. Big benefit by using my new tri-specific bike shoes.
What would you do differently?:

Learn how to get in the shoes with them already on the bike.
Bike
  • 18m 56s
  • 7 miles
  • 22.18 mile/hr
Comments:

Short but very intense ride with some nasty curves and constant elevation changes. Had a bit of trouble getting my legs going again coming out of the swim. I'm obviously using my legs too much in the swim. The start was a bit uphill which added to the problem. Very sharp curve about half a mile in. It should've been marked better or had someone there slowing people down. I locked up my brakes and barely stayed on the road. At least one rider went down pretty hard. Ultimately it is the rider's responsibility to know the course but the race director has a responsibility to keep people as safe as within reason.

My swim once again put me behind a lot of folks, so I started passing people constantly. My strength is cycling and specifically hill climbing, so this was a well-suited course, although a difficult one. Some of the roads were very rough chip-n-seal with some loose gravel, so that cost some speed.

I had the 3rd fastest time out of 156 people, so it's hard to complain.
What would you do differently?:

Might have gone a bit too hard because my run hurt a bit, but it was worth the risk.
Transition 2
  • 00m 45s
Comments:

Probably my best transition to date. Bike racked quick. Shoes swapped fast.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Run
  • 14m 19s
  • 2 miles
  • 07m 10s  min/mile
Comments:

The run started on the same start of the bike course. Then at the sharp turn I mentioned earlier the run course moved to the golf course cart path. It was hilly. Way hillier than I (or anyone else I talked to) thought it would be. My calves were hurting a bit when the run started, but when we moved to the course my hamstrings really started to lock up on the first hill. I had to really shorten my stride to keep from seizing.

I had caught up with my good friend on the bike, since he beat me on the swim. We are pretty close to the same pace on the bike and the run, so we ran with each other until the last hill about quarter mile before the finish. I got a small gap on him and finished just four seconds ahead of him.

My time was 10th best overall and 2nd in my AG. My first triathlon podium! I couldn't believe. It was a short but intense triathlon.
What would you do differently?:

Don't know really. I went hard but not all out on the bike, but I cramped on the run. The hills were the issue and I didn't take them into account enough.
Post race
Warm down:

Got some water and a little stretching.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Swimming was better but still needs a lot of work.

Event comments:

This race was part of a 3-day multi-sport festival. It was the kickoff event with a 100 mile bike ride the following day and a 10K run the third day. That's the reason it was so short.




Last updated: 2011-08-02 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:06:49 | 300 yards | 02m 16s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/32
Overall: 0/156
Performance: Average
Suit: none
Course: Clockwise rectangle.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 84F / 29C Current: Low
200M Perf. Below average Remainder: Below average
Breathing: Below average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 01:14
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
00:18:56 | 07 miles | 22.18 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/32
Overall: 0/156
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Hilly loop with an out-and-back mixed in.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:45
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:14:19 | 02 miles | 07m 10s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/32
Overall: 0/156
Performance: Average
Course: Very hilly run mostly through a golf course.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4