CaveMan Triathlon - TriathlonSprint


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Flower Mound, Texas
United States
The Race Group That Shall Not Be Named
70F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 1h 04m 8s
Overall Rank = 12/426
Age Group = M 30-34
Age Group Rank = 4/41
Pre-race routine:

Typical other than stopping to pick up a cajun chick on the way.
Event warmup:

Ran the out and back portion of the run course and did a 200 yard swim.

For some reason, The Race Group That Shall Not Be Named decided to let the first 50 swimmers be 1st time triathletes. A good idea, except that it meant we all had to wait. And wait. And wait.
Swim
  • 04m 19s
  • 275 yards
  • 01m 34s / 100 yards
Comments:

My performance - Swam OK, not great. I'm not used to 25 yard pools so my stroke count was off. Once I almost head butted the wall. About 1 in 3 flip turns were bad. Didn't get a good grip on the wall and just slipped down it. No push at all. Then some of them were great.

My favorite part of the entire swim was the last length. I drafted a guy the last 25. He lumbered over to the ladder and was really taking his time. Not wanting to wait - this is a race after all, I was ticked. Since the pool was only 3 or 4 feet deep, I hoisted myself on the wall and jumped out of the pool, leaving his tail behind. That was fun.

The Race Group That Shall Not Be Named's performance - Terrible. Wasn't shocked that there was no timing mat, but having the starter jotting people's start times down with a notebook? Wow. And uber-accurate. I swam 250 meters in 3:32? Really? 1:17/100? With a dive start and no traffic or lane changes, I might be able to do a 50 at pace, but not 250. So I have no idea what my time actually was.

Updated results have me at 4:19. That's probably about right.
What would you do differently?:

Longer warmup to get used to the length (or lack thereof).

Better turns and pushes off the walls.
Transition 1
  • 01m 30s
Comments:

Missed my rack by one. Oops.

Then my pedals were not in the position I like them in, so I had to clip in left foot first and had trouble clipping into my right one while moving. Took me a while to get going.
What would you do differently?:

Remember my rack position.

Set up my pedals right.
Bike
  • 37m 39s
  • 13.18 miles
  • 21.00 mile/hr
Comments:

My performance - Felt awesome on the bike. I pushed right at LT the whole time and got stronger the longer I rode. Hills were nothing, wind wasn't noticeable. Passed a slew of folks and only got passed once.

The Race Group That Shall Not Be Named's performance - Terrible. The first part that sucked was having all the 1st timers out there. They had no concept of drafting, staying to right, riding in a straight line, etc. I expect this on a 2 loop course...on the 2nd loop. Not on the first. That was frustrating. At one point I had to pass in between two of them.

And how about a timing mat to make sure people did both loops? That way the guy who rode 33.8 mph wouldn't have a 1st place trophy. Just plain silly.

Also heard that they were stopping cyclists to allow traffic to go through. Isn't that why we pay over $50 for these events...so that we are able to ride without having to stop for automotive traffic? Luckily I didn't get stopped.

The last mile was a lonely stretch of nothing. No signs, no volunteers. For a little while I thought I had gone off course. Especially when the guy in front of me turned into some kind of parking lot. Odd.


What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I felt great. 15 second gap between what I had and they had, but that's cool by me.
Transition 2
  • 00m 53s
Comments:

There was no dismount line, just a guy saying stop here. Had to slam on my brakes to keep from hitting him. Nice.

Typical transition except I tried to put on a running shoe without taking off 1 of my bike shoes. Oops.
What would you do differently?:

Pretty obvious isn't it?
Run
  • 19m 45s
  • 3.1 miles
  • 06m 22s  min/mile
Comments:

My performance - Started out great. I got out on the run right as the overall winner was starting his 2nd loop. I got right on him and held with him the first mile, then he dropped me like a rock. Legs died on me a bit the 2nd mile going uphill into the wind. By mile 3 I was just holding on trying to break 20. Mission accomplished.

The Race Group That Shall Not Be Named's performance - Terrible. Again. My ranking is 14th overall, but that's if you trust the results. Heck, the highest run ranking in the top 20 overall finishers was 8th. The top run was a smoking fast 12:39 5K, then there was a 13:08, some 14s, 15s, and 16s. Timing mats for two loops people! Timing mats!
What would you do differently?:

Not blow up early? Heck, 6 months ago I was trying to break 20 in a standalone 5K. I'll take it.
Post race
Warm down:

Light stretching and a change of clothes.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Perform faster? Nothing.

Rank higher? The Race Group That Shall Not Be Named's ineptness with details. My time listed was 1:03:20, but if you add up all the times they have listed for me, it's a minute faster. What the crap?

Updated results have me at 1:04:08. That looks about right.

Event comments:

The Race Group That Shall Not Be Named should be ashamed of this fiasco and should offer everyone who did this race a refund. It's a great venue for a race, but the job they did is deplorable. I thought Disco the last 2 years was the worst it could get, but they proved me WAY wrong.

They should post results with split times so that obvious errors can be spotted before the awards. They should post the results faster and more often, not just once. Lots of people went home having no idea what their times were. And for crying out loud, they should check the results before the awards to make sure they make sense.

Instead, Tom Ryan was lying down getting a massage while the rest of us who did the race got screwed.

Update - Now it's 3 days later. I actually talked to Tom personally and discussed my overall unhappiness with the race. He basically agreed with everything I had to say. Gotta say, as little respect as I have for DA's ability to put on a race, I respect Tom for calling me to talk about it.




Last updated: 2009-03-17 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:04:19 | 275 yards | 01m 34s / 100yards
Age Group: 8/41
Overall: 57/426
Performance: Average
Suit:
Course: Serpentine swim with one way lanes.
Start type: Inside Pool Plus:
Water temp: 0F / 0C Current:
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 01:30
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed: Below average
Biking
00:37:39 | 13.18 miles | 21.00 mile/hr
Age Group: 5/41
Overall: 27/426
Performance: Good
Average HR 171
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: 2 loops with some rollers. Good course.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 00:53
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
00:19:45 | 03.1 miles | 06m 22s  min/mile
Age Group: 3/41
Overall: 8/426
Performance: Good
Mile 1 - 6:14, 178 HR; Mile 2 - 6:38, 182 HR, Mile 3 - 6:36, 180 HR
Course: 2 loops, each consisting of a small flat loop and an out and back section. OK course, but kind of dull.
Keeping cool Average Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? No
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? No
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? No
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Bad
Race evaluation [1-5] 1