Chilly Cheeks Duathlon #3 - DuathlonStandard

The run went pretty well. Going up the hill at the start was tough but I just took it easy until I got on the dirt path which was flat. I was passing lots of people since I was way behind after the flat. I did have 2 guys go by me, one of them just took off and was out of sight the other was within sight the whole run. Just kept it as fast as I could. Felt good and checked the garmin every once in a while and my pace was getting faster each mile. Mile 1 uphill 6:51, mile 2, flat,6:29, mile 3 up and down 6:30 and mile 4 on the road into a headwind and uphill for the last .25 was 6:45.

Nothing good run...

second fastest overall the first place guy overall was faster by 5 seconds.

Nothing.

So the race started in waves of about 8-10 people on the bike at 1 minute intervals. So I was in wave D or the 4th wave. Some dude busted out front hard and then stopped peddling, not sure what happened but as I went by he still had his chain on? So I was out in front of my group and began catching the waves in front of me. Got to the only real hill and hit it hard and headed downhill to the turn around. I saw my buddy Dave who was in the first wave and out front heading back to the trans and I wanted to see how close behind him I was. Then right after that I hit something in the road and my back tire lurched to the right, I think I hit a big ass piece of asphault. THen my tire went flat! Damn it, I had no spare or tire irons today so my race was over. I wanted to at least finish since I haave never in my life DNF'ed a race and didn't want today to be the first. So I take the wheel off and yell to everyone going by if they have a tube. Everyone says no. Then my buddy Chris goes by and I yell, "tube" he says yeah when I come around. We were almost at the turn around. So I am trying to get the tire off with a stick and finally get the tube out and ready for my buddy to come around. He stops and I grab the tube and off he goes. I put the tube in and then work on the tire but I had put on new tires last night and they are tight and i have no tire irons. A guy goes by and says,"do you have everything?" I reply NO! He comes around and lets me use his tire iron. I ask him his name and he tells me Matt, I thank him and off he goes. Well I would have to say I am greatful for those who stopped to help me, that's why I love this sport, such good people. SO I finish up and head out to set a new land speed record. I know I will not win but this was the last race of the series and I was tied for first so I thought maybe I could pull off a podium for the overall. I pushed as hard as I could and was ready to see how the legs felt for the run. My bike time would have been 28:14 with 23.1 mile per hour average. I got the infor from my garmin as it stops when I stop.

Not get aflat. Even If I had a tube I would not have finished in the top 3. At least I didn't DNF.

Talked to friends and had a few beers and watched the awards. Pretty bummed as my time I had on the garmin, (moving time) was 56:18 would have gotten me the agegroup win for the day, and I would have won the overall series win in my agegroup. Oh well things like that happen to everyone today was my day. I have raced over 60 triathlons and this was my first flat in a race, it was my time.


Great winter series with awesome competition.