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Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin
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Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin - TriathlonSprint
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 Swim
Comments: I'm watching the other groups before me and I'm wondering why they are all swimming way out to the left. There is even a kayaker directly in the straight line to the bouy! So, I ask the girl who's letting us all in and she says she does not know why they are doing that or why the kayaker is in the way, just swim straight to the bouy. Turns out the reason everyone is swimming left is there is a massive current. Pulling left. We have to swim right. So much for beating my time from last year! We get in the water, the gun goes off and I give it all I have. I'm going to break free of the masses early and then catch my breath. It works. I drop everyone within seconds except 2 girls who hung on for about 100m. I slowed down at this point to get in my rhythm. I dropped one of the girls and the last one I lost as soon as we hit our first crowd. She couldn't navigate through, I could so I dropped her. Once we hit the bouy it was constant - I never hit open water again and caught at least 3 if not 4 waves ahead of me. There were way too many people in the water. Also, I knew I was first in my wave, but my age group consisted of 2-3 waves so I had no idea how I was doing comparitively in my age group. What would you do differently?: Not much, I swam strong and had a great start. The current and crowds really hurt my time. I was honestly really upset with my time, I thought it would be much faster (I was aiming for sub-13) and the only thing I can guess is the currents slowed me down along with the long run to the timing mat.  Transition 1
Comments: LONG transition! My bike was a good 15 miles from the lake. Not that far, but it really was a long ways away. Then I had to dig through my bag for my sunglasses and computer. Stupid volunteers, not manning the parking lot and then not getting the athletes to transition on time, totally screwed this up for me. What would you do differently?: Nothing I could have done. Normally would have been better because I could have actually set up my transition area correctly and not had to dig around in my bag during the race.  Bike
Comments: I started off flying on the bike. Absolutely flying. I was even going 28 UP a hill! I really thought I was awesome. I was passing people like they were standing still and wondering when I got so strong on the bike. Then I turned a corner and BAM! Stopped dead. Apparently I had a nice tail wind blowing me along earlier, and now that I turned, I fought a massive headwind the whole rest of the course. I'm still not sure why I was flying by all the others though, they should have had a good tailwind as well. Anyway, once we started to hit downhills, this ride became really dangerous very quickly. Ladies were riding 5-6 abreast, not letting faster riders around them. Forcing passing in oncoming traffic lanes or on the right. On the downhills, the big groups would randomly slam on their breaks, causing swerving all around behind them. It was disgusting and very dangerous. I did not see an official the entire time out, but I did see lots of headphones. On the bike??? Most dangerous triathlon bike ride EVER. I wrote the USAT and it turns out there were no officials at this race, I wasn't just imagining it. What would you do differently?: Not do this race. I'm serious, the bike course was way too dangerous. I already emailed the USAT and I'm working on my email to the race director. Also, up one hill my water bottle fell through the cage essentially applying a huge break. It was a steep climb so I couldn't stop to fix it. Next time I'll get my cages taken care of before the race. The winds were absoultely brutal after the first leg for the rest of the course. The last big uphill was horrible, directly into a really strong wind. I think I topped out at 4mph on that one! So, I need to work on my strength, climbing steep hills + winds = worn out Erin. Transition 2
Comments: I got to transition (where people were still on thier bikes, dismount line be d@mned...) and met yet another oh-so-unhelpful volunteer. He was blocking us, directing us to our areas. I knew mine was ahead, he insisted it was to the right and wouldn't let me through. To the right I went, only to find I was correct, my area was not in fact to the right. Dang it! I was so tired from the bike and swim with no nutrition besides some liquid that I really took my time at my station to recoupe. I was the only bike when I got to transition, when I left there were several others. Oh well, I knew I wasn't going to place anyway, so what's a few more girls ahead of me when I was feeling so grumpy and crappy? I took my time, had some beans, gave myself a pep talk and headed off to the run. What would you do differently?: Not listened to the volunteers and gone the way I knew my area was. Also, fueled better earlier so I could have moved through transition quicker. By this point I was so fed up with the entire fiasco this race was I was having trouble encouraging myself to keep going. I need to work on not letting outside factors influence my workouts and races.  Run
Comments: Eh, this went alright. I knew it wouldn't be great because of my hip. I decided immediately to just do my 5/1 run/walks I'd been practicing. I ran 5, walked 1, ran 1.5 and hit a huge hill that killed my hips. Oh that's right, I forgot I can't run uphill yet. Shoot. So, new plan. Walk up the hills, run in between. That worked really well, I even did a fast 9 minute run. That's the longest single run interval I've done since being injured. Then walked up all the hills, one was so long I tried running in the middle but that was a bad idea so I had to stop and walk again. Again, I saw lots of headphones which just made me grumpier because I can run much faster with music then without - why should these girls get an added advantage because they are cheating? What would you do differently?: Not be injured? Actually, once I'm fully healed start working on my hill strength. The hip is still too volitile at this point to risk hill work, but once it's better I need to get my hill strength up before Longhorn. If it's not ready for the Couple's tri, I'll just do what I did here, run the flats/downhills and walk the uphills, but I really want to be strong at Longhorn. Post race
Warm down: Walked around, tried to get a massage only to find out they are charging athletes!!! I thought those were supposed to be free for the athletes. Nope, $1/minute. Several of us walked off pissed off about that, and the guy was so smug and rude about it to. When one girl said "I didn't bring cash on the race course with me" he gave her a dirty look, shrugged and turned to the next girl. Bastard. Then my hip was really hurting and with no massage I decided I needed some ice. So, I headed to the med tent to try to get a baggie of ice. The only way in to the medical tent was via the finish line. They wouldn't let me in because I had already exited the race course! I complained and he said "You should have thought to come here earlier, before you left the course". Um, it wasn't even marked! And, how is that not a huge liability - not to treat injured athletes???? So, since I didn't need treatment, just some ice, I nicely asked if he could just pass me an ice bag. He said NO! They wouldn't pass me ice because I wasn't in the medical tent "you'll have to wait until the race is over to come in m'am". This also went into my complain letter to the USAT. What limited your ability to perform faster: Injuries, ignorant volunteers, not having transition set up due to ignorant volunteers, wind and the currents. Do I have any other excuses for sucking this race? ;) Event comments: Worst race organization EVER. I will never do another race with them. From the lack of volunteers in the parking lot, to the volunteers not helping us get to the race on time, to the volunteers giving us wrong directions, this race was a fiasco on all levels. Post race it just got worse. Danskin will never get another penny from me again. Which is a shame, because I loved the idea of a women's race and empowering women. They just didn't do it correctly. Last updated: 2008-02-28 12:00 AM
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 2008-06-13 3:57 PM |
Expert  1083   The Woodlands, TX |  Subject: Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin |
| 2008-06-14 1:16 PM in reply to: #1465848 |
Elite 2998   Fishers, Indiana | Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin Wow, what an experiences. I'm sorry it was so mismanaged like that. I've talked to a few others who felt the same. Well done though despite the craziness that was the management of the race. If anything, this race will make all your others look so smooth. At least you KNOW the RD for Longhorn puts on a phenomenal event!! |
| 2008-06-14 1:41 PM in reply to: #1465848 |
Master 1779 | Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin I'm sorry the race was so chaotic. What a nightmare. Reading your race report made me glad I dislocated my toe and couldn't go. Hopefully USAT and Danskin will make the necessary changes. Longhorn is going to be great! Let me know if you want to go up for a practice run before the race! |
| 2008-06-14 9:53 PM in reply to: #1465848 |
Expert 944 Waller County, TX | Subject: RE: Danskin Women's Triathlon Series - Austin Great job despite the conditions and issues. Get that hip healed before Longhorn. See you at a race down the road. |
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Overall Rank = 265/2592
Age Group = F25-29
Age Group Rank = 35/291
HA! I was already nervous about the transition area from the night before. It was a complete free-for-all. The racks were numbered but really small and no big letters or signs and then within the racks there was no order whatsoever, it was first-come-first-serve and they had way too many bikes per rack. Normally I arrive at least an hour early, take my time setting up transition, walk around checking out the site, chatting with my fellow racers, etc. I wanted especially to get there early due to the lack of transition area at this race.
Well, we pulled up to the street the parking was on about an hour before transition was scheduled to be closed. There is so much traffic!!! By the time we got to the site (less then 2 miles down this road) and parked, we had all of 10 minutes until transition would close! Turned out there were no traffic cops in the parking lot directing traffic, so the parking lot was complete chaos which was clogging up all the roads entering it. We finally get in, park and get on line for the buses and they are letting spectators on before us!!! Girls were furious. The stupid volunteer kept yelling at the girls "I've been doing this for years, they won't close transition". So, they finally get us on a bus and the bus won't take off! "We have empty seats, anyone else want on?" We finally take off at 6:55, transition closed at 6:50!!! The bus driver kept saying "no worries, they won't close transition".
We get off the bus to hear "transition is now closed, everyone out of the transition area". Well, you try keeping back 40+ thoroughly pissed off women. We charged through the gates and ran to our areas. Throwing stuff willy-nilly, I hoped I got everything out of my bag and ran off. I got out of the area and realized I hadn't unpacked my sunglasses, bike computer or my BREAKFAST! I hadn't eaten yet and as my wave was around 8:15, I just figured I would eat while waiting. Yeah, no fuel for this race. I was so stressed and now hungry, what a horrible way to get ready for the race.
Waited on line at the port-o-potty once we left transition. This took a good half hour during which it started thundering and raining. Would they call off the event? Nope, luckily it passed us. Then it was down to the lake to nervously watch the others start. Before we knew it, Joy's wave was starting. I then pushed my way up front, I was starting at the front of my wave this time, so I was going to be rude and push my way through. I was sick of getting stuck behind the slower swimmers who want to start up front.