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Saturday, September 21, 2013

Last Tri of the Year in Atlantic City

Just the facts:

71st overall
7th in Age Group

1 Mile Swim, 20 mile bike, & 6.2 mile run
Swim:  30:39
T1:  2.29
Bike:  54:24 (22 MPH)
T2:  2.22
Run:  44:20
TOTAL:  2:14.16

This would be a nice and easy race for me.  Admittedly, I had not trained much since the Wildwood Triathlon on August 17.  Between vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and back to school time in our house, I just did not make training a huge priority.  It showed with the results this year.  I was over 7 minutes slower, mostly on the run.  All of the Delmo Sports races are awesome in their own way, but Atlantic City Triathlon is quickly becoming one of my favorite races.  It is at the perfect time of year, late summer.  Temps are usually dropping, the water is still warm, and humidity is low….perfect conditions.
This year you would rack your bike on Saturday, the day before the race.  I was also taking a fellow PTC'er's bike with me and I had Kristina and Emma along as team support.  We headed to AC on Saturday afternoon.  It is the AC Seafood Festival as well as check-in for the triathletes, so Bader Field is a little busy.  Bader Field was super easy to navigate with plenty of FREE parking for athletes.  After check-in we caught Stephen DelMonte's race review and see Tom Knoll, he is an original Ironman.
I had promised the girls we would hit the boardwalk for some rides on Saturday night.  It wound up being a late night, and I did not get to bed until 11:30pm, way to late.  The alarm would go off at 4:15AM!  It is a 40 minute ride to AC from my parents house, so I wanted to hit the road by 4:30.  I got up to AC by 5:15AM and cruised right into the parking lot.  I was in transition and set up by 5:30AM.  Now I just had to relax.
DelMo has adopted a no wave swim start.  You basically line up in the honor system, fast people at the front, average swimmer in the middle, and those just there to enjoy the day towards the back.  This year, the Mid-Atlantic Para Triathlon Championship would be happening at AC.  DelMo did this part the best.  All the Para Triathletes would hit the water first.  The rest of the athletes would wait along the shore line cheering for these awesome and inspirational athletes.   It was my favorite part of the day.  Watching these athletes swim in a competition that determines a champion!  If a picture tells a 1,000 words, then what does this picture tell us. Here is Rob Winder and athlete Jessica Rogers.  I would love to see the Go Pro video of that.  Rob has the camera on his head.



Watching the Para Triathletes was inspirational and loud.  Everyone was going crazy on the shore line.  Once all the Para athletes finished DelMo had the sprint athletes start then the olympic athletes.  The swim would be in the back bay, protected from the waves of the ocean that almost killed two years ago (the swim was cancelled AFTER I went into the water).  The swim was a little different than last year, but used the same basic rectangle.  The best part about DelMo Sports is their concern for the athletes.  Once again, plenty of lifeguards in the water and along the shoreline at the exit.  The run to T1 was better than last year, carpeted exit path and T1 was on grass.  I am on the far right starting my Garmin.


Once I changed and got ready for the bike I headed towards Albany Ave.  Heading out of T1 there was a little gravel, but plenty of volunteers to point it out so you noticed it.  We exited Bader Field and Rt 40/322 Albany Ave and headed West towards the Atlantic City Expressway.  We entered the ACE at exit 2.  It is awesome to ride on the ACE with hardly any cars on it since the right lanes are closed and we ride in the right lane and shoulder.  We exit at #4, cross over the ACE, and re-enter at exit 4 heading east directly into Atlantic City.  Once into AC, we make a short loop on the exit ramp and turn around heading Westbound again towards exit 4.  Once you get to exit 4 you just loop around the off ramp and exit the ACE at #2 and return to Bader Field.  A nice easy 20-miler on the bike in and out of AC.  Coming into t2, again plenty of police, volunteers, and DelMo staff on hand.  


Once I got to my rack, I put my bike up and got dressed for the run.  I was moving OK, but my feet were sweaty and I had a hard time getting on my Zoot racing flats because the grip of my wet feet.  Once I got done dorking around in T2, I hit the run.  The run course was the same as last year, a nice run along the boardwalk.  Running to the boardwalk was a little crazy.  Some of the roads were opened to traffic, but with police controlling to flow.  Sometimes the drivers paid no attention to the police.  I had no issues and made sure to thank the officers each time I passed them.  I felt OK running and noticed many people with their Philadelphia Triathlon Club race kits on.  

After the race I had to head back to my parents and could not stay at the awards ceremony.    The Jersey Girls won the club challenge from I Tri 4 Downs.  They had the most participants competing.


I now start to transition to fall running on the trails and the road.  I still may decide to do a fall marathon, but I am focusing on the trails.

PS--Challenge Atlantic City was announced the other day and of course I signed up.  Challenge is another ultra distance triathlon company, like WTC and the Ironman brand.  Stephen Delmonte and DelMo Sports is going to be the co-race director of this iconic race, so you know it will rock!


Sunday, September 8, 2013

Wildman

Short recap:
Swim 9:23
T1 2:43
Bike 28:18
T2 2:21
Run 20:03 a PR for a 5K
1:02:50

On August 17th I participated again in one of my favorite races of the season, the Wildoood Triathlon.  It is at the South Jersey shore and close to my parents house.  I have been going to Wildwood for my whole life, so I feel like it is a home race for me.  To make it extra special, I Tri 4 Downs was the presenting sponsor for the Wildman/women program, a contest for Tri clubs to see who had the most participants.

We picked up my stuff the day before, as recommended, on our way to the boardwalk with the kids.  Race day was just perfect weather.  As always Stephen DelMonte of Delmo Sports was right on top of everything.  We were able to put up a tent in the tri club area since we were a sponsor of the club challenge.  We had the America Flag flying high, and the pirate flag flying low...because sometimes we race like a pirate and try and take no prisoners....a goal for today.  My secret goal was to finish high enough to qualify for the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championship.  I had qualified for this year, but just could not pull it off so close to Ironman Lake Placid.

DelMo Sports has adopted a new swim start procedure for their races, no waves, you start when you want based on your ability.  They send people into the ocean in groups of 10 at a time.  Most athletes I overheard talking before really like it.  Your clock does not start until you start, so at the end of the day it really does not matter.  The swim was great.  You ran south on the beach for  little bit then headed into the water.  The waves were great!  Once you made it past the breakers, the swells were fantastic.  I made it through in 9:23, not to bad for an ocean swim.




The run into T1 is on soft sand, so it is a great equalizer as far as I am concerned.  I got to my bike and out of the wetsuit in ok time.  Since it is a sprint, I have no drink or food to worry about on the bike.  The bike course was new this year.  No more "loops" around the Central Avenue.  This year we hugged the shore line and then headed out to Stone Harbor, NJ.  It was much better for just trying to hammer for a good portion of the race.  The turns are not real technical, just sweeping with plenty of room.  Plenty of Police, volunteers, and spectators for 5 of the 10 miles.

The run is my best event in a tri, so I love a beach run, especially in Wildwood because I run the beach just about every weekend of the summer.  I got off the bike feeling good and ready.  I knew I would be close to finish in under 1:05, my goal.  My bike rack in transition was close to the bike out sign so I had plenty of room to get my legs heading out to the run.  You ran back toward the ocean for the hard packed sand coming out of T2.  You head south along the beach, then head into the boardwalk to go north along the boardwalk to the finish.  Running along the beach, I was pacing off a young girl in front of me and another guy.  I remember saying to him something about how small girls can generate so much power when running.  Then I looked at his leg and he was 40, breathing hard already (we were only .25 miles in), and I thought to myself "see ya dude" what am I holding back for.  Before we hit the turn to the boardwalk I had reeled in the girl in front of me and was cruising on the boardwalk.  I made it passed a few people along the boardwalk, but at this point everyone was pretty fit, hard swimmer, and bikers I assumed.  Coming in and out of the piers with the rides is awesome.  Here I am heading out of Mariners Landing.


Coming off the boardwalk to the finish, I saw Cathy and our friend Karen Halm, both volunteering as part of I Tri 4 Downs.  I came down to the finish having run my fastest 5K ever, 20:03.  The best part was that Kristina put my finisher medal on, because she volunteered as well.

All the crew volunteering!

This is without a doubt one of my favorite races of the year.  It was the 2nd of the three DelMo Sports Races, next up Atlantic City International Triathlon!