Dewey Beach Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

I will get this course in 2013.

Not anger Poseidon.

Transition was spent deciding that yes, I am going on. There were maybe 50 of us still in the water. It reminded me how many others made it out just fine, in the same conditions. Yeah it was rough, but the vast majority finished the swim course. I really want to be a good swimmer, but it is clear I have not taken the time or effort to actually work at it. Just showing up to the pool for an hour at a time is meaningless if I am not improving.

Ride with a tube, pump and levers.

As I walked into transition, I had a more optimistic thought, imspired by a pessimistic one. I realized my family might be out at the run looking for me. The motel is along the run course. M kids need to see my succeed. They wouldn't see the website results with a DNF, they just want to see Daddy in the race. I turned in my timing chip and racked my bike. Then I went running.

I hit the run course, now an official DNF. But no one needed to know that. I wasn't taking a finisher's medal. (this race doesn't have them.) I paid for the course, right? I still had a bib number. If a person does the bike and dnf's the run, it's still 2 out of 3, so why not a dnf sandwich? I took the run, passing by our hotel, where the family wasn't expecting to see me so soon, and was still on the balcony. When I got back to them on the return, they were right on the course, with the dog and everything. I was happy to see them. I was out n the course, with the tribe, participating, i wasn't going to cross the finish line, but then here were all sorts of people cheering there, including some folks I had met the day before at the beach. I stopped to tell them I'm unoffical, not crossing. They told me to go on. Sme fat boys handed me a beer, I stopped and pounded it. That was fun. I shuffled across the line, and explained my lack f chip to the confused volunteers. It's all good.

I stood in line for the beer wagon. Got some food, and enjoyed the post-race combination of an uncrustable and a beer. Talked with some lifeguards about the currents. I met the race director for the rehoboth beach marathon and half. I was happy to be where I was, salvaging what I could from a really messy race day for me.


I will retun in 2013 to conquer that swim. The bike and run are short and flat, this race is all about the ocean swim. I am still getting over the reality that the swim is what destroyed me. S many of my friends think I must be this great swimmer because of the events I try, that they wouldn't, but in the context of endurance sports I have so so so so far to go to begin even to be a back-of-pack participant. That's ok, if it was easy it wouldn't be worth it. When I do he Manhattan swim some ay, I'll remember the time I couldn't swim against the current.