Outer Banks Triathlon - Olympic Course - TriathlonOlympic

Had to stop to relieve myself coming out of T2.

Not pee during the run!

The 2013 OBX Triathlon is in the books, and it was contested by several folks from Charlottesville including Ed Berger, Adam Swartout, Charlie Carter, Bob Houser, and yours truly. There may have been others, but that's all I saw. Below is a summary of my race followed by a more in-depth look at the race itself for those in the C'ville Club who might be interested.

The Outer Banks Triathlon is a USAT-sanctioned event contested each September in and around the Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo, NC. The open-water swim takes place in the salt waters of Croatan Sound along the western shores of Roanoke Island. The ride and run are essentially flat. This was my third overall race and my first attempt at the olympic distance and I found myself elbow to elbow with 269 other hopefuls. In the weeks leading up to the race I set a sub-2:40:00 goal for myself, but after coming down with a cold earlier in the week I just wanted to finish the run running… which I did… barely!

Swim (1500 meters). I survived the swim - 00:29:25.
Bike (24.5 miles). I rocked the bike - 01:06:51 (22.2 mph)
Run (10k). I finished the run running… barely - 00:58:16.

As if my run time wasn't bad enough it was made worse by an unscheduled pitstop coming out of T2. As a newbie I've not yet mastered the art of relieving myself "on the fly" so wasted a couple of precious minutes heeding nature's call. Really?! C'mon!

My overall time was 2:38:49, which was good enough for 39th overall… 32nd if you rule out the relays… 30th is you don't count the two women who smoked me. My bike time held up for 11th overall - sure is fun to race on flats after training all year in Charlottesville! The winner (Brad Tripp) finished his race in a tidy 2:13:18. The fastest female (Jessica Lehman) finished hers in a cool 2:34:19.

For anyone interested in the particulars of the race event itself, read on….

Swim. We started in waves of 100 in waste-deep water with plenty of elbow room and headed for the first of two buoys in a triangle course that ended where it began. The weather was good so the chop was light, but there was still enough swell to be slightly nauseating to the uninitiated (such as me). There was also a current that ran parallel to the shoreline, so the second wave - who saw the first wave swim well wide of the turn - aimed well inside the 500-meter buoy in order to hit the target. The legs were equidistant, but the second seemed the longest because it was against the current. Friends who've done this race in less than ideal weather have reported sketchy conditions during the swim. As I chugged along I thought to myself, "I can see that. Don't think I'd want to be out here in anything rougher than this," but maybe that's just me. The bottom along the shore was sandy and the water was shallow enough that you could stand (if you felt the urge) at any point in the first 300 or so meters. And, yes, it was wetsuit legal. And, yes, I wish I had one, too!

T1. Upon exiting the water you run up a boat ramp and through a mown field before crossing a road into the grassy transition area - about 500 meters point-to-point depending how far down the line you are. Racks are standard, and positions are assigned in groups by race numbers.

Ride. The ride is an out-and-back on flat but rough roads. The route crosses the landmark bridge, which provides the only (and very slight) elevation gain. The roads are NOT closed to traffic, but there was very little and police and volunteers were stationed along the path. Even so, it was a little disconcerting. I had very little wind - head, tail, or otherwise - but others who've raced in the past have said that the helping/hurting wind can be noticeable at times. I imagine that's particularly true on the bridge, which stretches for over a mile.

T2. There are port-a-johns upon exit. Just saying'.

Run. The run is also an out-and-back over flat terrain. The first half is on a dirt road stretching across the airport, which sounds lovely until you stop to consider the kind of dirt they have in North Cackalacky - very fine, very black, silt. It's like running on the beach at times, which makes for a slow beginning and end to the run. I ended up hopping off to the side and took my chances with the uneven surface below the mown grass. In the end I couldn't decide which was better. Actually, in the end I decided that I didn't like either! Beyond the airport you run through a neighborhood, which is nice because it's on a road (for starters) lined with shade trees and plenty of aid stations.

Amenities. The race is fairly well organized with plenty of e-mails in the lead-up to make sure you're all squared away. The "virtual" race bag (which arrives via e-mail, too) included coupons for the area and a free, one-year subscription to a fitness magazine of your choosing. Race results were available via computer at the finish line, and you could print a "receipt" with your time and splits. There wasn't any real-time scoring on-site, though, and the website wasn't updated until late that same night. Aside from a pretty nice metal and a "deluxe" pull-string race bag (you know… like the kids wear) there wasn't much else happening - certainly no complimentary massages, which is all I could think about as I slogged through the last half-mile of silty-silt. That said, it was very fan-friendly and my family who came to cheer me on had plenty of access to the event and a good time was had by all… except for me when I was peeing when I should've been running.

Registration is open for 2014 - sprint, olympic, or half iron. You chose.