BEACH 2 BATTLESHIP (1st OVERALL)

Beach 2 Battleship was an excellent race to end the year.  Any one looking to finish with a half iron distance or full iron distance race should definitely race B2B.  Set Up Events puts on a top-notch race and the City of Wilmington has a lot to offer.  I'll be back next year!

My goal coming into B2B was to set a course record and go under four hours for the race, but I didn't acheive all of those goals because the wind and weather had different plans. I battled the 20 mph wind, slight rain, and cold weather to set a new course record, 4:08:19, but missed out on going under 4:00.  Next year! 

Swim: 20:42

The B2B swim takes place in a channel connected to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and is timed with an incoming tide providing a nice strong current for the swimmers.  The current is a bit slower for the half iron distance than the full (because the half starts quite a bit later than the full), but the current was still moving.  The gun sounded and I went straight to the front of the pack and off the front.  I had a lead kyaker paddling with me for about 500-600 meters and I thought all was great.  However, suddenly, the lead kyaker splashed me and pointed to the red buoy about 75-100 meters to the left of me and shouted for me to go left. I was shocked! I had not been sighting other than to look for him, and now I'd swum about 100 or so meters off course. (Lesson for the future: don't rely on the kayaks! from here on out, I'll always do my own sighting.) I still made it to the first buoy in first place, however, my lead was only about 25 meters.  I swam well and on course for the rest of the swim and had about a 90 second lead coming out of the water.  Without the little sighting problem, I think I would have exited the water in just about 19 minutes, and with a lead of almost three minutes.  Oh well..it was time to bike, no time worry.    

Bike: 2:18:29 (Fastest Split of the Race)

This was the toughest 56 miles of riding I've done all year.  The first 35-40 miles were almost all into a head/cross wind. I rode nearly as hard as I could but was only going 21-24 mph, making for a long day in the saddle. In addition, the temperature dropped to about 50 degrees, and my super fast, but skimpy Kiwami tri kit wasn't offering too much warmth. About 30 miles into the ride, I was shivering but kept a positive mindset and hammered away.  I kept saying to myself, "ride strong, create a big lead, and maybe I can still get under 4 hours."     

Run: 1:24:16

Coming into T2 I was super cold and shivering, but with a lead of a little more than seven minutes.  I handed off my bike to the T2 volunteer and went to get my running shoes on.  I had a little trouble getting on my shoes, my hands were not cooperating and were shaking too much.  My shivering likely costs me about 30 seconds but once the shoes were on, it was out onto the run to warm up.  

The first few miles of the run were excellent and I maintained a 5:45-6:05 mile pace.  I made it to the run turn around at mile 6.55 in 39:18 and was excited to be on pace for a sub 1:20 run.  At the turn around, I also was able to see where my competition was.  It took nearly three minutes to see the next runner, Kenneth Svendsen, a very strong runner and triathlete.  Kenneth took 9th overall at Augusta 70.3 so I knew there was a fast guy behind me but I had just under a six minute lead.  Miles 7-10 were not as fast as I had wanted, my right hip started to give me some trouble. I knew I was in for tough final few miles.  I also knew Kenneth was running fast.  I came through mile 10 in 1:01 not a blazing fast time, but fast enough to still run under 1:20.  However, the final 5K was a struggle.  The combination of my hip and fatigue slowed me down and I shuffled the final 5K in 23 minutes. I was a little worried Kenneth would catch me, however, I kept my focus and stayed positive.  I came through the finish chute with a new course record and won by a bit over one and half minutes.     

Full Results

Rounding out a great race was all of the support I got during the weekend. I had a wonderful homestay, and want to thank them for the hospitality. Also thanks to my coach Dave Williams, his wife Monette and my better-half for cheering me on. 

B2B was an excellent way to end the season. I've raced twelve times this year, including eight 70.3 distance races, and I have had a great time racing at the elite level again.  I can't wait for next year, but first, some rest and recovery.  



Post race I was wrapped up like a burrito and got a massage. 



BEACH 2 BATTLESHIP

I'm very happy to announce I'll have one more shot at racing a half iron distance triathlon this year.  I'll be racing the Beach 2 Battleship race on October 29.  B2B is one of North Carolina's best races and it will be a great way to end the season.  I'm also looking forward to hanging around and cheering on all the participants in the full iron distance race.  This will be first time at an iron distance race and watching everyone cross the finish line will be something else. 

REV 3 ANDERSON

REV3 Anderson

I was really looking forward to REV 3 Anderson, I felt very fit and ready for a break out performance.  I knew I could swim with the first group, ride with the main group, and if my run came around to where my training indicates, I would have a great race.  However, on Friday morning I woke up to find my lower back/right hip killing me.  I could barley walk, much less do 70.3 distance race.  I spent nearly all of Friday working from the floor.  I drove down to South Carolina on Saturday morning, my back/hip was a bit better, but not 100%.  I could swim and ride, but running really hurt.  I planned to go out Sunday morning and see what would happen.   

Swim: 24:39 (5th out of the water)

I led the swim for the first 300-400 meters. I planned to let Brian Fleischmann pull the rest of the way, but I thought Richie Cunningham took a better line to the second buoy so I hopped on his feet instead.   This wasn't the best choice, we lost a bit of ground to the guys ahead of us, but stayed within 20-30 seconds of Brian.  I came out in 5th and was ready for the bike.     

Checkout the video below, that's me in lead! (I am wearing the silver cap in the left of the screen, however, the announcer thinks I'm Victor.)

I am in the front of the group
photo by Eric Wynn

Bike: 2:18:57

The bike started off fast.  Andrew Starykowicz showed off his superb cycling skills and power and took off right away. In all, about nine or ten athletes came out of the water within a minute or so of each other and two chase groups formed.  I was riding strong and taking a fair amount of pulls.  For the first 40 miles or so, all was going well.   About mile 41, a referee gave me a penalty. I can admit when I make a mistake (I've made a few earlier this season and have always admitted to them) but this was just a bad call by a referee.  As my group approached a hill, all of our speeds slowed and the ref said I was drafting.  During the stand down period, I asked what I had done, and she said I was 8 meters behind the guy in front of me and not the required 10 meters.  I responded by asking her how far back she was and if the distance between me and the other rider stayed constant. She replied that she was 20-30 feet behind us and no, that I was moving back to open the gap further but not enough. I asked how she could distinguish between 8, 9 and 10 meters from a distance of 20 feet and with riders moving 20-25 mph and changing position. I didn't convince her, and the stand down dropped me back to 14th. I hammered the last 16 miles trying to catch up (not a smart move) and lost another minute or so and did a number on my legs.

Check out the video below.  At about 30 miles there were two chase groups, I was in the second group, riding well.  You can see me at :34-36 seconds into the clip.  The two groups would come together about 15 miles later.

Run: 1:25:16

Not too much to report on the run, other than it was a tough day.  My back/hip acted up right away and I struggled through the run finishing with a 1:25 half marathon.  Only part of the run that I can be proud of is that I did not quit, even though I was quite tempted at each mile marker.   However, I really want to finish the race and not end up with a "DNF".   

Total: 4:10 (16th Professional)

I think I have one more race in me, but before that happens, I need to get my lower back/hip taken care of. 

Thanks for reading!

PINEHURST TRIATHLON

Pinehurst Triathlon -- First Overall Course Record

After two races which I did not finish it was time to break the streak and get back on track before Rev 3 South Carolina. 

Going into the race I felt tired and not too fast.  I had put together some tough workouts over the week and also put in about 50 hours of work.  But after a quick talk with my coach we decided it was a good idea to go out, race, and put in a good effort.  We knew I would not be on top of my game but it would be good to get things going before next weekend. 

1500 Meter Swim

The plan for the swim was to go out fast and get away.  I took the first 200 out at a quick pace and then settled down for the rest of the swim.  At the first buoy I realized I had about 100 meter lead on second place and decided to keep pushing the pace to the extend the lead.  I exited the water in 19:32 and had about 3 minutes on the next competitor. 

30 Mile Bike

I decided to push the bike today and see what I had.  The course was hilly and the wind tough, but I kept my focus and rode hard.  I've been trying to ride at a lower cadence and it seemed to help on some of the false flats and downhills.  I powered through the course and extended my lead to a bit over 8 minutes.   

10 Kilometer Run

I had a good lead off the bike and tested the legs on the run.  They were tired but I chugged along.  This course is great, hilly and tough, but beautiful as well.  Other than a couple sections were I slowed up, I kept a decent 5:40 pace up and finished strong. 

I finished in 2:09:04 and a victory by a bit over 11 minutes. 

Rev 3 is looking to be a stacked field and I'm really excited to see what happens.