Last weekend was my second of four
Olympic distance races this year, Lake Geode Challenge Triathlon. Again, we camped for the weekend.
This was the first year Wes and I
have done the race. I’ve heard great
things about it, and had signed up for it a few years ago but had to sell my
entry (I love races that allow you to do that).
It’s mid-July in Iowa, so the race is known for being HOT! It’s been warmer in years past, but it was
still steamy for us.
Friday night we pulled in to the
park, found some water to fill up our tank (didn’t think to fill it up prior to
leaving the house since we didn’t have on-site water), parked the camper, and
then headed to Burlington for packet pickup with Ebe. Getting our info was quick and easy. I found out there were three waves, and the
women would be all together. There’s
money for the top finishers, so having all the women together makes it much
easier to see where I’m at throughout the race.
Back at camp we grilled up some
dinner with the Meaney’s who were camping near us. It was pretty late by the time we got to bed,
but that’s usually how it goes.
Race day brought our standard
breakfast with coffee. As we were
packing up the truck to head over to the race start, Shawn stopped by to let us
know he wouldn’t be racing due to a flat tire and loss of ambition, but he’d
still cheer us on.
We arrived just as transition was
opening. The body marking area was a bit
slow going, but we had plenty of time before the race start. The start to both the bike and run were
uphill, so I took my bike out for a quick ride to make sure it was geared
correctly. With a few minutes left
before the pre-race meeting, I put on my Xterra Speedsuit (first time wearing
it this year) and did a quick warmup. I
had heard the water can be pretty nasty, but they have been working on it the
past few years. It didn’t bother me
besides that it felt like bath water. The
official water temp was 83.
The waves were 3 minutes
apart. The start was an in-water start,
and most people could touch the bottom so you didn’t have to tread water. One of my current teammates (Stacey Jackson)
and one former teammates (Jen Parker) were also racing. There were both to the right of me, and all
the other women to the left. As soon as
we started, the three of us were quickly ahead of the others. By the turn buoy I could tell that I had a
bit of a lead on them. The race was
paying $25 for the fastest swim, bike, and run times, so I was trying for those
in addition to the overall cash (and really cool plaque).
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| Swim exit |
T1 could have been a bit
smoother. I really should work on
getting out of the speedsuit before I have to use it again.
The bike was somewhat hilly,
similar to the big pig and Kansas 70.3. A few flat areas, but more hill
than flat. I took the bike out too hard to begin with. When I
looked at my powermeter, my watts were where I should be for a sprint, not an
Oly, so pulled back a little.
There is a little out and back
section a few miles from the end that is all hill and curve. Thankfully
you didn’t turn around at the bottom of the hill, but instead partway up the
next hill. This was the first time I could see where I stood against the
other women. A bit after the turnaround
I saw Stacey and that was it for the women.
I’m not a great runner, but I was pretty sure I had enough room between
us that she wouldn’t catch me.
 |
| Getting ready for T2 |
The run was hilly with a few flat
areas. A few of the hills were steep, but the rest were gentle enough
that when you ran down them you could actually run and not spend the energy
trying to stop yourself from running too fast. The hill just out of
transition is one of the longest on the course.
Great way to start the run :( Being
that it’s usually a very warm race, the aid stations were every 3/4 of a mile
instead of every mile. They were well
stocked with Gatorade, cold water, sponges, ice in little baggies, and several
volunteers. At the first one I grabbed
two sponges and put them on my shoulders, and picked up a baggie of ice. My only complaint of the race was not having
the option of a cup of ice so I could just toss it in my bra and grab out a
piece as needed. It was kind of a pain
to the get Ziploc open while moving forward.
Other than that, the race was VERY well run.
 |
| Loving the sponges! |
The run was an out and back. At the turnaround I found out that I had over
a half-mile lead. With about 3 miles
left, it was really unlikely that I would be caught, so just ran it in. The guy’s race on the other hand was a mad
dash to the finish. I was grateful to
not have to push myself on those hills in the heat!
 |
| Almost done |
The finish line consisted of
getting my chip off, having a volunteer had me a cold water, another volunteer
wrapping a cold towel around my neck, the option of getting into one of two
kiddie pools with ice water, or grabbing an ice cream cone. Nice!
Before hoping in the cold water, I did a couple quick interviews (this
has been a new experience for me this year).
Articles…
I still wasn’t ready for the ice
cream, but loved that it was at the finish line!
After Wes finished up, I showered
and changed clothes, had some of the post-race food including an ice cream cone
and LOTS of watermelon, and hung out with friends until the awards
ceremony.
I ended up winning the fastest swim
and bike, and the fastest overall woman awards.
I finally got a geode to take home with me. A great way to start my birthday.
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| Awesome award! |
In all, the race was extremely well
run. The amount and helpfulness of the
volunteers was amazing. I would definitely like to do this race again.
Enjoyed reading your post and Congrats !!
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