Race Report: Holiday Lake

Sorry it took so long, here is the report that all two of you have been waiting for!

Pre-Race:
I was traveling with Britney and our sisters so it was easier to get to the triathlon on time. I woke up about 5am to finish packing the van (we were camping after the race), and we made it to the race site around 7:15am. I checked in and got the crap scared out of me by TriBeaner, who shouted my name halfway across the building. I headed out in the crappy weather and got my stuff set up in transition...and was one of the first ones there:


I had plenty of time to get everything situated and get my hair braided by my better half before putting on the AquaTux and hanging with Tribeaner for a while before our wave started:


The Swim:
The swim happened in two waves, males and females/teams. It was a smaller race of only 100+ racers so this set up worked well. The swim was longer than a sprint at almost 700 yards, about 200 of those yards seemed to be all algae, which was disgusting! I had a good swim, although I had to stop twice to defog my goggles. I came out of the water as the 3rd female and 15th overall.


T1:
Nothing special here, got out of the AquaTux (and ripped it in the process), threw on my shoes, helmet and was off. I asked my transition neighbor if he'd bike for me, but he declined...bummer.

The Bike:
Holy hills! This course was just non stop rollers, something I have not been able to train properly for. Needless to say I was a huffin and a puffin the entire way. This course was filled with a bunch of 'what the hell am I doing out here?' moments, but I held on for the ride anyway. My average speed was 17 mph which tells you how fast I was going down hills cause I wasnt going that fast up them!! Although it cleared up a little bit, as I reentered park it started raining again...crap.

(notice the overwhelmed look on my face)

T2:
After dismounting on rocks and running through the mud I was back in transition. Nothing special here, threw on the shoes and was off.

The Run:
Ok, so I lied on the bike part...the holy hills were apparently saved for the run course....all 12,000 of them!. The entire course was up and down, with no flats what so ever. This was the longest. run. ever. Luckily the finish line was at the bottom of a hill (I would have cried if it was at the top) so finishing was easy...as long as you didnt wipe out (which I thankfully did not).

(running up the first of 12,000 hills)

The Numbers:
Swim: 11:27 (3rd female, 15th overall)
T1: 1:44
Bike: 1:02:03
T2: 0:47
Run: 35:30
Total: 1:52:50
Placement: 1st place Athena Division, 9/38 sex division, 57/110 overall

(getting my flag 'award' for first place)

Overall Comments:
This was a freakin' tough course...like tougher than the TriHawk last year when I thought I was going to die. Either way, I was determined to stay under 2 hours. With a solid swim time and a decent bike and run I guess I was able to pull it off. I was pleased to take first in my division and even more excited to see that my time would have taken first in my age group...which will never happen again. It was a small race so it was easy to place. I'm sure if this race picks up, it will be known as a challenging course!

After the race we all went camping at a near by state park, which was a blast but made me feel twice my age Sunday morning. Finally this weekend I get to rest before HyVee in two weeks!

(my sister, Kelsey (Britney's sister), Britney and me)

Happy Training!

P.S. Once again, I forgot to get a picture with my better half at the race site, or the girls for that matter. Here's the best picture my sister snapped of me and BB before she braided my hair:

I'll leave you with that.