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Wednesday, June 5, 2013

I Escaped the Cape


Well, how do I possibly describe one of the best events I have ever participated in.  And when I say best, I don’t mean I had my best times swimming, biking or running, because I think I have done faster races.  I mean best because of the atmosphere, venue, fans, safety personnel on site, and race directing from Stephen Del Monte from DelMo Sports.  Cape May, NJ in June, just before the crowds of summer starts is awesome.
Overall time 2:11:38
swim:  21:40, T1: 4:28
Bike:  1:10:38, T2:  1:20
Run: 33:30

We had another busy Saturday before the race but headed to the shore right after Conor's baseball game.  Once at the shore, my dad and I went over to the race site, the Cape May Lewes Ferry Terminal.  It’s a short drive from their house, which is nice.  We made it just in time to hear most of the athlete’s meeting with DelMo Sports.  The meeting really focused on the swim, since we would be jumping off the Cape May Ferry, 1 mile from the swim exit.  The check-in was smooth and easy for me.  I am guessing I missed most of the crowd by going in the later afternoon to rack my bike and pick up my swag!  Saturday night I could not contain the kids so we headed to the boardwalk for some quick amusement rides.
Race morning always comes early, 420am this time.  I triple checked my bags Saturday night, so I was ready to go once I got dressed and had a little to eat.  There would be off-site parking for all athletes and spectators, only a 5-minute shuttle ride away.  I arrived at 5am to the parking and was on a bus and at the venue by 5:15am.  Something new this race was the increase of Police.  When we exited the bus we had to put our bags on the ground so the K-9 unit could take a “sniff” at them.  After that, Police checked our bag before we could go into transition….what a different experience.  Since it was a Ferry Boat in water start, there was lots of extra security all around…ok by me and made me feel extra safe. I was set up and ready to go by 6am, so now I just had a long wait, but my spot in transition was right near a grassy area so I could sit, lay, and relax.  Before I knew it was time to board the Ferry.
An in water start is tough.  Now imagine an in water start jumping off a boat with a strong current, high winds, and regular waves.  The Sprint distance people went first and you could see just how fast the current was.  It takes a while to get a few hundred people to jump off a boat so I knew we would be waiting and not making our 830am start time for the Olympic distance.  For me, this was no problem, there is nothing that can be done but sit back and relax.  For others you could see the angst in their face that it was taking longer than expected.  Once all the sprinter went off, they moved the boat to our starting point.  I made sure to get as close to the starting area, since they had pretty much abandoned color coded cap waves, and just went with lets get everyone moving.
I made my way to the “jump” point. Boy did that look far down, but really only about 10 feet.  I jumped with no issues and realized right away that the current was fast moving towards the swim exit.  Nice for me because I really don’t enjoy the swim as others do.  I stayed calm and steady, not worrying about the current, or waves, just focusing on sighting and my stroke.  I made it out in 21:40, thanks to the current for that time.  The run to T1 was up the beach and just a short jog on the pavement.  The wet suit came off a little easier this race compared to Black Bear just 2 weeks ago.  Here is the jump off!

The bike is a nice flat and fast loop done twice for the Olympic distance.  There is one bridge that we crossed twice, which meant 4 short steep hills.  I was feeling pretty good on the bike with my pace right up until I got a rear tire flat around mile 15.  It took me way too long to change that flat. Probably over 10 minutes fumbling with the tools, the tube not wanting to stay in the tire, and cutting my thumb and knuckle.  After changing the flat I realized I was in the small gear the whole time, I guess thats why so many people seemed to be flying by me and I was spinning just to keep up.  Along the bike course I spotted my old college roommate Scott, who was spectating.  Overall the bike was nice, I was just disappointed in my time.

Coming in off the bike I felt great, since I had a 10-minute rest fixing a flat.  I was off to a nice tough run starting along the beach, soft sand until we made it to the harder packed sand since it was low-tide.  We ran along the beach for maybe .7 miles then headed to the street.  The road was hot, and I forgot to take my water pack.  The run was challenging due to the portions on the beach.  The turn around was crossing back on the beach, another tough section of all soft sand.  The course returned the same way going out and had a great finish area, a nice long straight away along the water front.

 The race was well run and organized as always from DelMo Sports.  Pictures are free and the post race area was awesome with lots of things for the kids, and adults alike.  I had a blast doing this race and will continue to go back as long as they have it.