Kinetic Sprint - TriathlonSprint

Met up with a fellow club member there who was also in my AG, Fred W. I was looking for him before the swim and he saw me looking around. So, discussed things and the race. Fred is relatively new to the tri scene and he just wanted to finish today. Just before our wave starts I look out over the lake and see the Northwest winds I was expecting had started up and I was initially more concerned about these on the bike vs the swim. Anyway we're in swim wave 3 and see the first 2 waves go off and we're up next. I tried to line up near the front this time in hopes I wouldn't be bumped so much. But, it was apparent after we start that this wasn't to be the case. It was a fairly rough first part of the swim with a lot of bumping and I got kicked in my stomach/groin area once too (umm... ow :( ). Turn the first buoy and now we're in the wind waves...UPPPPPP....and.....DOWNNNNN! Yeah, I had to go up extra high in order to sight for this 150m leg. Doing okay though and actually seeing caps from first the wave ahead now and then too, but also saw next wave as I was on the last leg, which was better now that we weren't swimming into the wind. Reached the swim finish around 2 1/2 min faster than 5 years ago.

14th AG/32. T1 went better than when I did Kinetic previously mostly because I learned about how to tell where my stuff was at and also much more experienced. Still, I had problems with my wetsuit and I expected this since I hadn't had enough time to practice transitions with it. A small problem getting into shoes but nothing else major happened here. I decided on sunglasses since it was so bright out. Wetsuit was the biggest issue here as I think I was also a bit hesitant to "abuse" it since it was new.

Bike starts up a hill and goes out of the park. The course is an out and loop back (kinda lollipop shaped) on rolling rural roads. Fairly congested during different sections though nothing like Columbia. It is while getting out of the park though, which does go on for a while. Complicating things a bit is that after you get out of the park and ride until after a major intersection, the road is kinda rough. Once past the intersection it smooths out and remains that way until you loop back to that spot. I did pass a fair number of folks and there were some that passed me here and there though not a large amount like at some races. Also, I seemed to be trading places with several of the same folks. Just depended on how we were tackling hills and downhills. The winds weren't really much of a factor as we were sheltered by trees a good bit. Did have a good tailwind here and there on the way back. I felt pretty strong on the bike but I can see it is limiting me now. My bike is 6-7 years old now and it is what I've considered to be an entry-level tri bike. So, next year will probably be new bike and wheels year. Anyway, remember when I said the road was a bit rough on the way out and back? Well, there was a spot where I was trying to maneuver around some rough spots and folks at the same time when a gal attempts to pass but a truck on the other side is slightly into our lane. All I hear is "OH SH*T!" from the gal behind me. I quickly maneuvered back so she could move out of the truck's way and then so she could pass. Back on the park road and here I take two Clif Bloks and full strength Powerade to power up for the run. This worked well at Ft Ritchie last year and so thought I should just stick to the strategy. Then it's a matter here of staying powered up and not drafting. One guy got out of shoes way too early and I passed him with a burst of power. Another guy I was gaining on and almost passed but then I made the mistake of thinking I was close to the finish and slowed when in fact I still had a bit to go. I think I did power back up and passed him. Now, I was a bit concerned about balancing on my bike when out of shoes as I'm coming downhill to the dismount line. But, found it was gradual enough that I didn't have to worry. Got out of shoes as this downhill started, wound my way around the curve, smoothly swung my leg over balancing on one pedal, and hit the ground running into T2 just before the Dismount line. Good bike - about 7 min faster than 5 years ago!

1st in AG for T2. For sprint races I'm very minimal: no socks, no nutrition/hydration. Shoes on, grabbed my hat and race number belt and I was outta there! 2 1/2 minutes faster than 5 years ago and 1st in AG! As I'm leaving the transition area, I cross a timing mat and the race announcer says "And now getting out on the run course is...Dave Miller of Frederick MD!" That actually gave me a bit of a boost!

Nothing that I can think of.

Here's where I poured on the speed! First part, though, is a relatively difficult hill which is the same one we tackled on the bike initially out of T1. Appreciated the cheering along the sidelines as I make my way up to start this hill. Now, even here I'm starting to pass people which I thought at the time was a bit weird because the folks ahead of me looked like they were doing okay. I was just doing better. Turned the corner, was now downhill, and used gravity to propel me forward. Continued to pass folks here and I'm sure a few were just in disbelief, especially if they saw my age on my calf. I mean initially I wasn't just casually passing folks where you might be beside them for a bit in nearly the same stride. I was passing them without pause! Go by mile 1 and I'm at a 7:06 pace! Wow! Can I maintain? Folks continue to fall behind me as I press. Even at the turn around on this part, I passed four to five folks with no challenge and continued to pass them up this slight hill I just came down. One guy hears me coming and moves over. Mile 2 comes up and I'm there in 14:00! That means my pace had come up! Now the last 1.1 is mostly down hill and I'm using gravity once again. I see a young boy who's 14 in front of me and I think "No, can't let that happen" and propel even more forward eventually passing him on this stretch. The pace I'm setting is tough but I'm not letting go or fading. We come to the path through the woods and I know the finish is up ahead! One guy sees/hears me coming from behind and encourages me to pass as he's fading. And I do. Even through here I'm catching and passing and people are encouraging me! Emerge out of the woods and I'm close behind one guy who definitely hears me and starts to sprint. But, I have enough left too and swing out to sprint myself...more so not to get blocked for the camera than anything else ;) I can't catch him but it really doesn't make a difference here and the announcer calls out my name as I finish plus gives some extra emphasis on my age which I took to be a good sign. Finished a little over 15 min faster than 5 years ago! BTW, NO ONE passed me on the run! And check the final pace! Wow! So, I was VERY pleased when I looked at my watch and saw my time as I remembered what it was previously here.

Can't really think of much differently as this is a good time for me.

As I'm finishing, I receive a nice Finishers medal from a volunteer and think I'm handed some water. As usual, I moving a bit slow after the effort and make my way up to the refreshment area. Grab some welcomed fruit and snacks and thank the volunteers. Then grab caffeinated soda along with a sports drink. For this race, Setup was trying an electronic scrolling results display and so I sauntered over to check the display. This must've seemed like a good idea at the time but the problem with a scrolling display is that you had to wait for the scroll to come back around to you to recheck the results. And with the numbers of folks finishing increasing, the time it takes to scroll through takes longer and longer. So while I'm kinda waiting, I go grab some pizza here that Setup has provided. Can't eat all of it, though, as pizza doesn't agree with me after a tough race.

Now, initially after looking at the scrolling results, it listed me as only coming in 10th in AG. And it continued to do so though there seemed to be a problem with the fact that others behind me were also listed as 10th. Still, it wasn't looking like I would get an AG award and so I was actually thinking of not sticking around for them. But, Fred was there as he finished behind me somewhere and so I decided to stick around for the awards and chat with him during this time. I did go back to check results and they listed me as 5th now. Okay, that's good as I was only able to come in 14th last time I did the course. Well comes to our AG and announcer says "In 3rd place from Frederick, Maryland..DAVE MILLER!" WHAT???? I was shocked! But all smiles as I headed down to the podium to accept the award. Yea! Yeah, apparently, two guys in AG took 2nd and 3rd Masters awards. And since you can only take 1 award group, I got moved up to 3rd in AG!! SSSSWWWEEETTT!!!! What a way to start the season!!! I received a bottle of wine from Lake Anna Winery and a wine glass to go with it for my AG award! Nice!!


Well, my swim was just okay, but took too long in T1 mostly because I need more practice with the new wetsuit. The bike was a fast bike for me but my bike and wheels are limiters as they are rather heavy. I'm still a bit of a limiter as far as weight goes too. Trying to do something about that :)


This race is nearly a 5 and probably should be rated a 4.5. I didn't rate Post race activities though they're somewhere between Average and Good. There's no post race massage or anything else along those lines. But, there were some great post race snacks plus plenty of water, soda, and sports drinks and places to sit which is actually lacking at other races. And the Awards ceremony gave practical AG awards which I always think is a great idea. Kinetic Sprint has been established for many years now and Setup does know how to do this one correctly. Plus, the lightly rolling bike, decent run and swim courses, and super AG awards make this a good beginner tri and a super "season start" tri for the experienced triathlete. Hoping that Rumpuss in Bumpass comes back in a future year. But, Kinetic is just as enjoyable that I'll be back if Rumpass isn't.