Deer Creek Fall Challenge - Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

Without a mat at the start they sent the whole Elite+M30-39 off as a group. I stayed near the back as usual, and without a wetsuit I was happy I'd gotten acclimated to the chilly water before the start. The first length of the swim was hit-your-hands-on-the-ground shallow, with several of us walking at times. With the sun at the far end of the course sighting was easy until the last turn when the buoy disappeared in the glare, but otherwise a good swim with good cornering. By the end the water felt great.

By my watch I was in and out of the water in just over 14 min, with the rest of the time spent jogging up to transition. A good swim for this distance (for me, anyway).

This transition took a bit longer just so I could get a thermal top and a shirt on before the ride, which could have proven to be the coldest part of the race. Glad I took the extra time, as I was very comfortable on the bike.

Not much. Decent (cold) transition.

The bike was my weakest leg all summer and this race was no exception. Pushed a decent pace (for me), taking advantage of the downhill portions toward the end of the course. I had, however, forgotten the hiker's rule that What Goes Down Must Come Back Up, so the first hill at about 10mi and the second hill shortly thereafter tried to take advantage of me. After an almost entirely flat course, theses didn't quite burn up my legs but definitely took me by surprise.

Know Thy Course. Duh.

Second time trying to get out of one shoe before the transition area, which went well, but getting out of the second shoe, not so much. Ended up running into transition with one shoe on my bike and the other in my hand. I'll blame cold fingers.

Once into transition I was smoothly out of my helmet and into my shoes. Not much to change.

Was afraid I'd spent too much on the last hills in the bike portion but still had enough in the tank for a decent (again, for me) run. A beautiful run, with the view of the lake and the birds diving across the grass path.

Run faster, take in less scenery.

Found a quiet place to suck wind and then stretch. Put one of those fizzy electrolyte tabs in my water bottle. Blech.


After this race and looking at my season overall, the weakest link and my training target for the off-season is the bike.


In terms of start times and results presentation, this was a much more organized HFP race than the Great Buckeye Challenge, which I think is a reflection of the tremendous popularity of the Girls Tri held at that previous event. A great way to wrap up the summer.