Survival of the Shawangunks - TriathlonOther

Since this race is not a standard format, I will just put everything right here.

Bike 2:01:09

The original bike course is 25 miles of rollers followed by 1200 ft. of climbing in the last 5 miles. The revised bike course was shorter, but included another significant climb starting around mile 4 with an 800 foot climb over 2 miles. For anyone who has done American Zofingen we were going up instead of down the first descent of AZ, so up the hill from Butterville Rd. to the Mohonk gate house. I climbed this very well, and even managed to pass 4 or 5 people. I recently switched to a compact crank, and that combined with an 11-28 cassette worked very well.

The first big climb was followed by a steep, curvy descent, and I am a big chicken on fast downhills. I tried to convince myself to let it rip, but I rode the brakes most of the way down. It didn't help that there was a guy down on the side of the road holding a bloody towel to his head. He was being attended to by a volunteer so I didn't stop, and I was happy to find out later that he was OK and able to finish. I was passed by several people who just flew by me, including some of the people I had passed on the way up.

The middle part of the course was nice, easy rollers. I didn't push it too hard in anticipation of the upcoming big climb. Got to the big climb feeling good, and climbed well again, passing I think 3 or 4 people.

The BT route tracker says about 3600 ft. total climbing, with a net elevation gain of 1200 ft., so a challenging course.

T1 5:30

My daughter was kind enough to get up early on her day off to pick up my bike. It was very nice to see her, and her boyfriend came with her which was a nice surprise. I took a little extra time because I had to take off both wheels to fit my bike in her car.

1st Run 1:52:55

I was a little concerned about the run since I had recently retweaked an old knee injury that I first had in high school. Neither the original injury or reinjury were running related, but I really didn't run much the 2 weeks leading up to the race, and I still had a little soreness and slight limp. My plan was to take it easy, run even slower than I normally run which is already pretty slow, and to enjoy a nice trail run through some beautiful scenery.

The first few miles were mostly downhill, so I tried to cruise along as effortlessly as possible, and it felt really good. Had to take a portapotty break around mile 5 and when I got out, I saw there was a guy about 100 yards ahead of me. Gradually caught him and saw he was in my AG. I passed him when he took more time at an aid station than me, but he passed me back shortly after. He sounded like he was working pretty hard to pass me, so I let him go, hoping I could catch him on the big climb that was coming up.

Somewhere around mile 7 or 8 we started about a 400 foot climb over 2 miles or so, and I was able to catch my AG guy and put a minute or 2 between us. I was running slowly, but I was pleased that I had the endurance to keep up a steady pace on that climb.

The whole course was very pretty, and I got a kick out of watching the rock climbers along the way, but the top of that climb was where it got really beautiful. We came out on top of the cliffs on the west side of lake Mohonk, with a spectacular view of the Shawangunks, the lake a couple hundred feet below, and the cliffs on the opposite side of the lake. I wished that I had a camera!

The finish line is at the top of the cliffs on the other side of the lake, but less than half a mile away since the lake is narrow. I could hear people celebrating at the finish line, but I still had a little ways to go. The descent down to the lake included some steep stairs which may have been the hardest part of the run because my knee was talking to me, and my quads really didn't want to go down steep stairs.

T2

This was a little awkward because you have to carry your shoes with you for the swim. I put on my swim cap and goggles, stuffed my socks in my pockets, and then started to stick my shoes in the back of my shorts, which is what most people do with them. Then I hesitated a bit, since I'm pretty shy, and I started to wonder about what the nice lady volunteers might see. Plus, I'm pretty pale to begin with, so the parts that never see the sun are really pale and I didn't want to hurt anybody's eyes with the glare.

Finally got in the water right about when my AG guy got to T2, so I figured as long as he was not a stud swimmer I would probably maintain a lead.

Swim 20:30

The water was cold but not bad. I would estimate upper 60's, so I got used to it quickly, and it felt very pleasant. Swimming with my shoes in the shorts was odd. At times it felt like a hindrance, but at times it felt almost like a pull buoy.

A couple hundred yards from the end my right hammy started to cramp. This got me worried because I had heard that cramping after getting out of the water could be an issue at SOS. I tried to work it out by letting that leg drag instead of kicking it which seemed to help. I don't think it slowed me down because my kick doesn't do much anyway.

T3

Climbed up the rocks, and that's when I really started to cramp. Tried to get my shoes on, but one calf would cramp, I'd work it out, then the other would cramp. That went on a couple of times, then the front of my lower leg on one side cramped so I couldn't point my foot at all. Then I figured let me put my foot up on a bench to try to get my shoes on, but my one thigh cramped and I couldn't bend at the knee at all.

Ended up taking forever, and meanwhile, the guy behind me finished his swim, had little trouble getting his shoes on, and left T3 well before me. So, there goes one spot in my AG.

2nd run 9:16

This was a short run, but up a steep hill to the highest point in the area. I ran some, but walked a lot. About 100 yards from the finish there were several stone steps that I walked up, then a volunteer asked my name which he walkie-talkied to the announcer. The finish was relatively flat, so I ran it in with 2 little girl volunteers running with me to help me along, and the announcer calling my name. What a great finish!

The view from the top was even more spectacular. I hope to get back there with my family when the leaves are changing so I can get some nice photos.

It wasn't the traditional SOS, but it was a fun, challenging race, nonetheless. I will definitely be back someday so I can do the whole race.

The race organizers did a terrific job putting on this race under very difficult conditions. Excellent organization, and a whole bunch of wonderful volunteers.