Cultus Lake Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

I really don't get it. Just when you think the swim can't get any worse I lay down a shit time like this. I actually felt fast in the water, and didn't think there was more than a dozen guys in front of me.

In defense to my shit time I heard a couple guys talk that the swim course was long. I'd say it'd have to be 1650m...but whatever.

I passed 6 people in T1, including 3 in my own AG. I did this pretty quick considering I put on my shoes in there and ran in them instead of pre-clipping them in my shoes.

It was raining heavily already and just continued during the bike. I thought I was pushing it hard, but I think I lost focus on the course. My time is a little slower than I was hoping for.

I passed a lot of people right from the beginning of the bike, including a group of 5 people that basically rode together and drafted each other illegally the whole time. A few of these people podiumed their AG so I hope their happy with their cheater medals. As I reached the turn around I counted that I was in 9th spot and quite a ways back from 6-8 spots, who all seemed to be riding together too...or at least quite close together.

For the return trip back to T2 I was by myself the whole time. Couldn't even see the guys in front of me, nor could I see the guy who would be in 10th spot behind me. I think this is why I lost focus. Plus, the wind was picking up too and combined with the rain, I think I just zoned out.

I need to get better at staying 100% focused for the 40k. No Day dreaming!

Really fast. Felt good.

I came out of T2 blazing fast. Felt great and felt fast. Pulled back the reigns a bit so I didn't burn out.

As we approach the end of the first loop I finally see the guy in front of me. He makes the turn for the second loop and I knew I could catch the guy. I also notice at this point the first loop was only 4k...WTF?!?! This race is going to be short. I push a little harder now. I pass the 8th place guy at about the 5.5k mark. I'm locked into this position now, I'm thinking. The guy in 7th is about ahead by a bit and I won't be able to catch him in time even though I'm gaining on him.

The guy who I pass is tracking with me a bit. He's trying to keep me in reach for a sprint finish. Sorry, not happening on my watch. As I turn the final turn I surge forward because I know I'll be out of his eye sight for several seconds. I'm hoping I made some good ground. I glance back with about 700m to go. He's coming strong at me so I push again. He has no chance and I pass the finish line.

If I knew it was only an 8k run I'd have pushed out of the gate faster.

There was pizza, cookies and chips at the end. I had a couple slices of pizza and some water. The awards ceremony immediatly followed and I won my age group and got a medal for it.


Up to this point I've always been fairly happy with the races I've done...but there's first for everything.

The Good: The backdrop to the course is quite nice. Cultus Lake is a nice place for a race. The water was warm and clean. The post race pizza was top notch too.

The Bad: The most obvious peeve I have is the short run. I'm not talking about a couple hundred meters short, I'm talking about a full 2k+ short. Total BS. One of my goals since I started triathlon in 2008 was to run a sub 40m 10k in a race. I knew I could have done it this year and I feel cheated out of a major goal of mine and have to wait until next year now. I'm also quite positive I could have gained 1 or 2 more overall positions in the final 2k.
Also, the swim was long by at least 100m. I have no doubt. So they lengthen my worst sport and shorten my best. Not impressed. To further add some insult, my friend who raced the whole race somehow doesn't show up on the results...WTH?!?! He figured he'd be about 58th position but to not have an official result is bush league.

The Ugly: worst shirt I've ever got for a race. It's brown with bright green lettering. They should have put the logo that was on the back in the front. It says in bright green lettering 2010 on the front. Thats the biggest thing and then you see Cultus Lake Tri. Poor font color choice and poor design, IMO.