Xterra Schiff Scout Off-Road Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

While watching the Olympics, and reading interviews from all different athletes in all different sports, one recurring theme keeps popping out at me. The theme is "Run Your Own Race". When you worry about the person next to you, when you race outside of your norm and what you are capable of, disaster will often strike.

The day before the race I took a clinic hosted by the Xterra Ambassadors. They stated they were all wearing wetsuits. The day of the race 75% of the people had wetsuits on. Meanwhile the lake water felt like bath water and it was plenty warm out to start the morning, maybe 75 degrees. For me, when the pool at the YMCA is too warm I have a crappy time training in the pool. I get hot and overheat real easy. I knew I shouldn't be wearing a wetstuit (especially a full one) but I was too busy paying attention to everyone else, and I didn't want to lose any advantage to other people wearing suits.

And the result: I had my worst swim ever. I overheated 100 meters in, I never got my breathing rythym down, and I had to breathe every other stroke for 90% of the time and bilateral breathed only 10%. Normally it's the opposite for me - 90% bilateral breathing and breathing every other stroke just once in a while when I need some extra oxygen.

I had more of a finishing kick during my HIM than this swim. Pathetic.

Race my own race. I know myself and I know what works best for me in races. Pay attention to my own details.

I've become a master at transitioning.

21st best T1 time overall.

Run even faster.

Training on a mountain bike in the woods is fun, I'll admit that much. Racing all out in the woods, bombing downhills, hitting turns at full speed, dodging trees, stumps and other racers is insane.

First five mile loop I was almost entirely in my big ring, got passed by a dozen guys and only passed a couple. I quickly realized that going full speed in the woods is pretty dangerous. On one steep fast descent, my fingers still a little wet from the swim, my hand almost slipped off my grips and the thought of "losing it" on the bike and the consequences of that entered my mind. I took it a little more conservative after that.

Another mile in I stood up in the saddle and cranked onto a path, when suddenly I felt an unbelievable sharp pain in the middle of my right butt cheek. I reached down and pulled a giant black wasp out of my skin!! It hurt really bad, like no other sting I'd ever experienced. Again, the unpleasant reality of racing in the woods set in and I was thinking to myself, "Perhaps this isn't for me."

The rest of the bike leg was pretty uneventful. During the second loop I kept the chain in the middle ring and found I could keep the same cadence and yet had more gears for the hills. Slowly I began gaining ground, picking off more riders than were passing me, and I was feeling more and more confident. With about a 1/2 mile to go one biker stayed on my tail, right behind me. Repeatedly I asked him if he wanted to pass (as I would've gladly moved over) and repeatedly he said, "I'm okay dude. I'll just hang behind you." Feeling him constantly behind me and knowing there was less than a 1/4 mile to go on the bike leg, I decided to ramp up the speed and cadence and hit the last section hard. I booked down an incline and my front tire hit something, I hit the brakes, and my bike went flying up into the air over my body, and my left shoulder rammed full-force into the ground. I looked up with my bike on top of me and watched the guy behind me swerve and miss just running me over. I felt my shoulder with my right hand and I honestly expected to feel my collarbone poking out of the skin - I hit the ground that hard. Thankfully there was no blood (at least that I could see at the time) and my collarbone and shoulder bones on the left side felt the same as the right side. Pheeeew.

The dude behind me was nice enough to ask if I was okay and I said Yes! and urged him on. I pulled my bike off the track and rested my head on my seat. My heart rate was through the roof, naseau was hitting me hard and I was preparing to throw up. Thankfully I just concentrated on my breathing, kept waving on the considerate racers who slowed down and asked if I was all right, and I began to gradually feel better.

The absolutely dreaded thought that I might have my first DNF motivated me to start moving forward regardless of how much pain I was in. I checked out my bike and noticed the front tire was bent, but it was still rideable. I also quickly realized that if I bent my left arm in across my body the pain became much more manageable. Slowly and I pushed my bike pack onto the trail and up a slight turn. That's when I realized a photographer was sitting their the whole time. I kindly asked him not to take any pictures and I really hope he listened. With my arm tucked and my bike sounding like a rusted freight train, I slowly trucked up the path and toward the finish.

When I came out of the woods and hit the first batch of spectators, there cheers quickly went from "Rah Rah" to "Whoa, Eww, and Yikes". My bike was bent, wobbly, and loud, and my left side of my body was covered it dark earth.







No Comment.

A' la road style I took my feet out of my shoes and somehow managed a slow flying dismount. Probably the only guy to do this. I was probably still dazed from the crash.

With my arm in the sling position I ran out of transition and lo and behold who is handing out water and Gatorade, my 4-yr-old son and 2-yr-old daughter!! That put a huge smile on my face! But then my wife looked at me and knew something was wrong. I pointed to my shoulder and she frowned.

Down the hill toward the lake, a quick left, and I was on the trail and moving at a reasonable clip. Aside from my shoulder, I felt really great. My legs wanted to turn over fast, but the shoulder pain wouldn't only let them go so fast.

Up ahead two runnerd began racing towards me. My first thought was, "Am I going the wrong way?" But then I saw the look on their faces and I knew something was wrong. They were screaming there was a swarm of bees or wasps in the trail. They said they'd gotten stung multiple times and were turning back. I then noticed some runners were running up the hill and through the woods to get around the swarm. With only one useful arm I knew I couldn't run off-trail up the hill. And I'd come this far and wasn't about to DNF, so I covered my face with my right hand and sprinted through a black swarm of bees. I felt them hitting my head and arms, and my shoulder screamed in agony from the bouncing, but I had to get through there and quickly. Perhaps God felt as if the sting from early in the ride and a shoulder injury was enough for me, cause I was spared and somehow did not get stung once. I rounded a corner and knew I was in the clear. Again, my lungs and legs wanted to sprint the remaining two miles, but my brain and shoulder knew I had to stay conservative and that just crossing the finishing line would be a huge win for today.

Amazingly I only got passed once on the run (by a Girl :)), passed quite
a few guys, it's a real damn shame I crashed because I was feeling like I could've hammered the run. I had my racing flats on, the ground was nice and soft, I had two Espresso Gels with 2X caffeine.

Swapped war stories with all my friends, apparently some people got stung a lot. Congratulate my children on volunteering their time. Walked over to the medic. Used my one good arm to drive myself to the hospital.


Do I really have to say it.


For me, there is a night and day difference between off-road triathlons and road triathlons. This race is right down the road from me, I have some of the best off-road trails in the Northeast 15 mins from me, I really wanted to enjoy this race and become an off-road triathlete. I grew a beard, took a clinic, read a ton of material, tips and interviews specifically about Xterra; but in the end, it's just not for me. When racing in the woods there are just to many variables: insects (wasps and bees), trees, stumps, sand, unpredictable terrain - it's just not my cup of tea.

The race organization itself also left a lot to be desired. I don't want top pick apart everything because overall the race was reasonably organized, but you'd think at an Xterra event they'd have a Medical Tent or Medical Section of some sort. Nope. At this event the Medical Area was a young kid with a First Aid Tool Box. There was no benadryl, no ice packs, nothing. Yes I'm thankful that at least he was there, and the Race Director kept saying benadryl and ice packs were on the way, but honestly -for the price we paid and given the Xtreme conditions that accompany an Xterra, there absolutely needs to be more emphasis on Medical Support.

So my first Xterrra will surely be my last and it just helped me to truly see how much I love road triathlons. Also, thankfully, my injury is just a Grade 1 shoulder separation and I should be back to road training within a week.