Rev3 Cedar Point - Full Rev
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Rev3 Cedar Point - Full Rev - TriathlonFull Ironman
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2013-09-15 5:47 PM |
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2013-09-19 9:04 AM in reply to: #4856106 |
2013-09-19 1:16 PM in reply to: Shelly Whitehurst 07 |
2013-09-30 7:12 AM in reply to: #4856106 |
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United States
REVOLUTION3 Triathlon
74F / 23C
Overcast
Overall Rank = 34/68
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 6/11
We left Thursday to drive up to Cedar Point, Ohio for our 3rd Ironman! IMFL was for the experience, B2B was for a PR, and this Rev 3 is just for fun!. When we arrived, the park was closed and dark. The hotel was inside the park so we went through the gate. The hotel parking lot was empty and the hotel appeared uninhabited. I wondered if I made a mistake and the hotel was not even open? Now that it is after Labor Day, Cedar Point is only open on Saturdays and Sundays. We entered the front door leading into a VERY long hallway that was already decorated for Halloween. There were bats hanging from the ceiling and a gauntlet of witches and goblins all the way up the hall. It was like walking into the hotel from the Shining; I expected Jack to jump out at any moment! Redrum, redrum!!! We found the front desk and checked in. They said they expected a lot more people to show up Friday. We settled in for the night, then got up early for morning swim practice.
The swim coordinator was out on the beach waiting for us with an army of lifeguards, boats and kayaks. He instructed us to swim straight out for about 1/4 mile and back so that it would be easier for the lifeguards to stay with us as more people arrived. The swim was pleasant and a kayak stayed by my side the entire time.
After swim practice we had breakfast, then went to the Expo for packet pickup. This was the first time we got to see a participant list and our Bib #s! It was never posted on the website. We spent a few hundred dollars on souvenirs and merchandise, then headed back to the hotel to take our bikes for a test ride. After that we went to the park to ride the coasters!
Cedar Point opened the park from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. for race participants, families, and volunteers, etc., for only $15. No lines, no wait! As we entered the park, everyone began running in a particular direction. Pete asked where they were running to? I said, "The Gatekeeper! (the newest coaster)." So Pete said, "Let's go!" We got directly on the coaster without waiting at all. I'm a coaster lover, but I have not been on a coaster in decades, so I was pretty excited. OMG, when that thing took off I was SO AMAZED at how much technology has changed since the old wooden coaster age that I remember! It went UP just as fast as it went DOWN! ... and SMOOTH as butter! Weeeeee!!! We rode a few more coasters, my favorite being the Millennium Force. Being the Tri Geek that I am, I wore my Garmin so that i could clock the speed of the coasters. The Millennium Force clocked in at 82.4! There was only one coaster that Pete would not ride with me and it was called the Dragster. It basically shot straight up and straight down in a matter of seconds. I clocked that one at 84.8 mph!
Saturday we went out to watch the Sprint race. They swam at the same location we had swim practice (right behind our hotel), then we watched the bike mount which was right in the parking lot of Cedar Point with the coasters roaring in the background. The rest of the day was all about race preparation. We went for a run along Lake Erie but decided to skip the second practice swim. We rode our bikes to T1 to drop them off then attended the mandatory meeting. There we met up with my BT friend Dave and his crew who were doing the Half. We didn't get to spend much time visiting with so much other race prep still to attend to. At the meeting, we were told that there was a weather front coming in that could potentially cause them to move the swim to a safer location in the marina. This race has a backup plan for bad weather; how cool is that?!? After the meeting we went back to the hotel to pack our race bags and turn in early.
Packet pickup in the Cedar Point parking lot beneath the coasters!
The weather yesterday was beautiful, but last night (insert scary music here) enter the infamous Lake Erie Storm Hag! Muhaa ha ha! High winds, dangerous rip tides, and 6 foot swells! What will happen with the race?
We walked the 1/2 mile down the beach to T1 to pump our tires and drop off hydration. We then found out that the swim had indeed been moved to the marina (pout). Oh well, I'm just happy the swim was not canceled! I cannot even imagine training up for an iron distance race, then not being able to complete the distance properly. Besides, we already bought finisher's gear and had stickers made that say 140.6 X 3!