Matt Mason Memorial "Cowboy Up" Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Smithville, Missouri
United States
68F / 20C
Overcast
Total Time = 56m 27s
Overall Rank = 7/298
Age Group = 30-34M
Age Group Rank = 2/27
Pre-race routine:

Woke up around 4:00 a.m. and checked out the radar and saw a massive amount of green to the west moving towards the Kansas City area. I thought that there was going to be no way that we don't get rained on. Ate my usual oatmeal, fruit, and cup of coffee and then out the door for the hour drive north.
Event warmup:

None for me. I was kind of chilly and the thought of getting in a quick warm up swim and then getting out made me shiver more. Not enough insulation on my body to keep me warm. I did check the weather radar once again and the rain was even closer, but it hadn't arrived yet. Aside from that it was perfect for racing: warm (not hot) lake water, no wind, overcast, and cool racing temps.
Swim
  • 08m 24s
  • 500 meters
  • 01m 41s / 100 meters
Comments:

This was a time trial start and I happened to be second in line. Everyone was being shy about being up front to start, but I had no problem with it. After the 2-3 second delay I charged into the water and almost immediately passed the first guy. For the first two minutes or so I was officially leading the race. Just as I was reaching the first buoy though, which was placed the farthest out of the three, I was passed by three or four guys like I was standing still. It wasn't even a battle, just a quick "see you later." I couldn't even hang on to draft. I wondered if I was swimming that slow and having an off day.

Good swim otherwise. No sun in my eyes, calm water, and no traffic ahead of me so I had to do very little sighting. At the end the water was so shallow that I had debated on when I should stand up. I probably could've walked the last 100m. Instead I kept swimming through a forest of seaweed, some of which got tangled up on my watch.
What would you do differently?:

Hindsight being what it is, I probably could've expelled a bit more energy to get a slightly better time.
Transition 1
  • 00m 56s
Comments:

Standard issue here, except I was plucking out seaweed from my wristband. Slight uphill at the bike mount made hopping on the bike a small challenge.

13 OA
3 AG
Bike
  • 27m 6s
  • 9.2 miles
  • 20.11 mile/hr
Comments:

Very few, if any true flat sections on this short bike course. No major climbs, but you're either going up or going down in short bursts, which made it difficult for me to settle my breathing and heart rate down. I passed two fellas that passed me on the swim but I couldn't get near the others that were in front of me.

The main road in and out of the park was not ideal for biking. Lots of hard bumps and cracks, which I seemed to notice more coming back into T2.
What would you do differently?:

I failed to keep the hammer down as I approached transition. I kinda coasted in. That resulted in me getting passed at the end.
Transition 2
  • 00m 36s
Comments:

I thought I moved pretty good here, but obviously there were those who moved faster. I'll chalk that up to me stopping to put on socks.

43 OA
7 AG
Run
  • 19m 28s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 06m 14s  min/mile
Comments:

This was work! There is something about a hard 5k that makes time go by slowly to where you're constantly looking for that first mile marker to show up. I caught one guy on the run, but I couldn't make up any more time on the rest of the leaders in front of me. However, I kept the motor running hard throughout. Finally, after 2.5 miles I felt like I settled into a comfortable groove - just in time to make my push for the finish. Like last year, they handed out American flags to run with as you made your way down the finishers shoot.
What would you do differently?:

Nada. Ran a faster split than last year.
Post race
Warm down:

Stood around the finishers chute and cheered on some buddies who were finishing. Then spent an hour or so chatting until we could get back into transition. Met a guy who ran Boston this past year. Turns out he lives in the same area of town as me. Since we both run the same routes we're going to try to meet up for a few training runs. Pretty cool.
Surprisingly, it didn't rain at all. Somehow, it didn't rain until 4 hours after the race started and awards were wrapped up.

Event comments:

A great event! The course itself isn't too exceptional, but the volunteers and organizers are top notch. From packet pickup to the awards ceremony it felt like everyone involved in the race went above and beyond what you might at expect at a typical race. I think because the race is in memory of Matt Mason those all involved have a personal vested interest in seeing this race do well, and it shows in their attitude. They genuinely appreciate you're there to race. I enjoyed the prerace prayer, national anthem, gun salute, and Chinook flyover as well.


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Last updated: 2013-07-10 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:08:24 | 500 meters | 01m 41s / 100meters
Age Group: 1/27
Overall: 9/298
Performance: Average
Suit:
Course: Clockwise triangular swim. Shallow water levels.
Start type: Run Plus: Time Trial
Water temp: 78F / 26C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 00:56
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
00:27:06 | 9.2 miles | 20.11 mile/hr
Age Group: 2/27
Overall: 15/298
Performance: Average
Wind: None
Course: Roads outside Crows Creek Park. Two 180 degree turns.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:36
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Good
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:19:28 | 03.1 miles | 06m 14s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/27
Overall: 7/298
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back on paved park trail.
Keeping cool Good 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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5