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West Point Lake Triathlon Photos

Below are some photos from this last weekend's West Point Lake Triathlon that my wife took. As I have mentioned before, I did the Olympic, or International, distance. They also had a sprint distance competition going on simultaneously. It was a hard day, and it was the sorest I had been following an event since the Country Music Marathon...but I did it.

The swim was 1.5K, or .93 miles. It was very hard to pick a good line. I probably swam more like 1.5 miles with all the zig-zagging.

Coming out of T1 onto the bike leg of the event. I felt pretty good and was in & out of the transition area in 1:17.

I felt good on the bike. I averaged more like 19.5 mph, but this was cut down to 17.9 officially because my chain popped off twice.

"Now, where do I park this thing?"

Lost in a see of aluminum, rubber, and carbon. I had a very good T2, getting in and out in :47 seconds.

The run was pretty tough. I only stopped to walk for a second while getting some water near the half-way point. It was a pretty flat run, except for one big hill at about mile 4.

West Point Lake Triathlon 2009 Results

The results from today's West Point Lake Triathlon are in. Here are the results for the Olympic/International Distance and the one for the Sprint Distance. I will have more reviews and photos to share from this race, but I wanted to go ahead and let people know these are available.

graphics from www.gamultisports.com

More Ft. Benning Pictures

Here are some more pictures from the Ft. Benning Triathlon last weekend. There were some interesting signs along the course and some scenery that most people probably don't get to see.

This is a predictable sign to see during a race.

This one is not...

...Nor is this on. Don't venture to far off the roads.

The Airborne jump towers on main post along the run route.

Another picture of the jump towers along the run route with with one of the airplanes on display.

A view along the bike route back the woods.

Ft. Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon Review

I am looking back over the results, photos, and video of the race this last weekend, and it is hard to focus on writing a review. I took a trip up to West Point Lake yesterday and biked the run portion of the triathlon this coming up. I am planning to make at least one more trip up there this week before the International Distance competition.

Here is how the Ft. Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon broke down for me. I finished the race in 1:12:42, which put me finishing 24 out of 145 overall and 8 out of 28 in the 30-39 Age Group. The bike portion was about 4 miles shorter than the Grandman Triathlon I did last weekend. Since the race was a reverse triathlon, we went run, bike, swim as I have mentioned. I got there early again to pick-up my packet, get body marked, set up my transition area, and warm-up. I was somewhat surprised when I got my packet that we did not have race bibs. The only forms of identification were the numbers marked on our left arm and leg. The packets were average, with a t-shirt and Hammer Gel being the big items. The whole race was well stocked with water. There were 3 water stops for the run and 4 for the bike. There was water at the end of the race and some fruit but not much else. I can't complain. The entry fee was a steal at $30. There was a free meal after the race that I did not attend at the Mexican restaurant on post, but that was not really what I was craving post-race.

I ran the 5K in 19:37, placing 8th in my Age Group. This is the fastest 5K I have run since high school cross country. The course was well marked at every turn. There was quite a bit of construction near the course, but there were also many historic and interesting vistas, as well. I felt good coming into Transition #1. I was in and out in 1:08. I completed the bike portion in 37:28, averaging 19.9 mph, placing me 9th in my Age Group. The first and last couple miles of the route are pretty bumpy and much focus was given to avoiding pot holes and dips. The rest of the course was very rural and had a couple good hills. There was some interesting signage as we followed the road along some of the firing range areas. I came back into Transition #2 and dismounted. I got scolded by a race volunteer for running instead of jogging through the transition. I had my bike mounted and my goggles in hand in 1:09 and was off to the pool. We swam 11 laps of a 50 meter pool. Around lap 4, I got a huge cramp in my ribs on the left side. This is the side I breath from, and it became very difficult to take in some deep air. I tried to keep my pace up, but I know it suffered. I finished the swim in 13:23 ranking me 13th in my Age Group. At 1:12:42, I hopped out of the pool and crossed the timing chip mat.

This race is one of the best values I have found. There is not much advertising for it, not much swag, it can be difficult and confusing to get onto Ft. Benning, and the post race food is lacking. It was still a fun race with a course that will let you excel if you approach it right. It will be really hard to beat the price, as many 5K and 10K are edging their costs up to the $30 mark.

Ft. Benning Reverse Triathlon Photos

The second leg of my three week blitz is complete with me finishing the Ft. Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon on Saturday. Here are some quick photos of the event that my wife and I took while I was amongst it.

This was the transition area, pre-race, as everyone was picking up their race packets and getting their own little slice of space organized.

As I was warming up and doing a mental checklist of how I wanted the race to go down, I got a picture of the pool where we would be swimming 11 laps. It was so peaceful then. Who could have imagined all the kicks in the face and gnashing of teeth?

My wife snapped this shot off of me coming into the transition area from the run. I felt really good the first leg of the race, posting my fastest 5K run since high school.

Here I am coming into the transition area from the bike portion of the race. The bike racks were not marked, so I had to just eyeball my towel and bag sitting on the ground. An official barked at me not to run through the transition area.

I grabbed my goggles and headed across the parking lot to the fury that was the pool and final leg of the race.

This picture does not even show the chaos of the pool swim to the finish. I am in the foreground in the tri-suit.

I have not seen the final, final results sheet. I am still waiting for it to be published before I post results. I do have some more pictures to put up here and another video of the course. I was pleased with how I performed in this race up until the swim. I posted one of my best 5K runs and averaged one of my highest mph paces on the bike, but I got a huge cramp in my side about half way through the swim that made it extremely hard to take any deep breaths.

UPDATE: Here are the links to the Overall Results and Age Group Results for the Ft. Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon. It looks like they still have to tweek them. I have noticed some errors already.

The Grandman Triathlon Video

Below is my first attempt to create a video with titles, music, credits and everything. I'm sure there are third graders out there that can do it better. This is a video I shot last Friday as I went to Fairhope a day before the Grandman Triathlon to preview the course. It really gave me a way to know what I was up against and how to mentally visualize each turn and grueling incline. I only wish I had done this for the Country Music Marathon in Nashville. I still have nightmares about that race. I am taking my video camera out to Ft. Benning tomorrow to put together a similar video for this weekend's race. We will see what my learning curve is like on the next installment.

As I was sitting in my job site trailer getting pounded by some Forrest Gump-type rain, I had ominous visions of a wet sloppy race this weekend for the Ft. Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon. This rain was so loud that I could not hear people on the phone. It was only when I pulled up the weekend weather that a calm came over me with what I saw.

8 am

66°F
Partly Cloudy

Grandman Triathlon Review

Here are a few photos of the swim and run course that I took on Friday before the race. I did not get any shots of the bike course, but I have some lovely video to show in next post. I basically propped my video camera up on the dashboard of my car and filmed the whole bike course. I was good to have it to watch and review Friday night before the race.
This is a picture of the 1/3 mile swim course. Luckily, it was not this choppy Saturday morning. Even out the the second buoy in the picture, it was knee deep water, and we would swim a little and get up and run a little. It was not ideal.
This is a picture of the area around the final mile of the course. The first mile was all up hill, the second mile was all downhill, and the last mile of the run was flat. This part of the course followed along the shoreline below the bluffs.
We ran down the road along the shoreline to the turn around area beyond this duck pond, and it was aptly named. There were ducks and geese everywhere. There droppings were also everywhere. There were a couple on Saturday morning that did not like me doing a warm-up run around their habitat who started to charge at me a little.
This was the final stretch to the finish line. Past this straight away we ran along the outer perimeter of the transition area to the finish line stocked with pizza and beer.

Transition Area

I figured out early Saturday morning that everyone has their own way to set up their transition area. My approach was that of a minimalist. I had my helmet, race number, and sunglasses hung up on my aero bars. I had a pan of water to dip my feet in before putting on my bike shoes. Sixteen miles of sand in my shoes would be extremely uncomfortable. I had my gel packets in my rear water cages, along with all my repair tools. Other than that, it was just a change of shoes.

Here are how my transitions went. For the swim to bike transition, T1, I came into the area wearing my tri suit, barefoot, and holding my goggles & swim cap. I found my bike, clicked on my helmet and race number, and slid on the shades. The last thing I did was dip my feet in the water to wash away the last of the sand from the beach and put my bike shoes on. I fumbled some here getting the two Velcros and ratchet straps secured on each shoe. I did not change any clothing items or put on socks.
For the bike to run transition, T2, I ran my bike in to the area a secured it on the rack. On the last downhill stride of the ride, I reached down and unstrapped my shoes and pulled my feet out. I left my shoes snapped into the pedals as I ran into the transition barefoot. I took off my helmet turned my race number around. I slipped on my running shoes, again, without socks and ran out of the transition area. It took several strides to really get my feet under me, but I was determined not to walk any of the run course (not even the massive hills that started the run).
As you can see from the pictures, I was one of the first ones in the rack. It did not look like this at race time. It was much more crowded. I do like getting to races early.

By the Numbers

We just got back from the beach and a nice, long weekend. I completed my first triathlon at the Grandman Triathlon in Fairhope, Alabama. The weather this weekend could not have been any better. There were very few clouds in the sky, the water temperature in the Mobile gave us no need for wetsuits, and the heat of the day did not come until late in the afternoon.

For the race, I was signed up as a first-timer, but they also put me in my appropriate age-group division, 30-34. So, I will be giving the stats for both divisions for what its worth. Here is how the numbers broke down for my first triathlon.

I placed 154 out 530 overall.
I placed 15th out of 42 males in my age group.
I placed 7th out of 64 first time male participants.

The swim: 7:44 at a 2.6 mph pace
I placed 2nd in my age group and 8th among first time males.

The bike: 53:34 at a 18.4 mph pace
I placed 19th in my age group and 10th among first time males.

The run: 21:58 at 7:06 mile pace
I placed 9th in my age group and 4th among first time males.

I was unsure how I felt about my transition times and felt I could have done better, until I looked at the comparative results to the other racers. I was very pleasantly surprised. For the swim to bike, T1, transition, I did it in 2:54 and :55 for the bike to run transition, T2. Here are the links for the Grandman Triathlon results and Lepow Photography from the race

I have some other items to share (pictures, video, etc.) that I will do over the course of this week. I need to get everything out there that I want to publish before this weekend when I compete in the Ft. Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon and get a whole new series of items to post.

Departure

We are loading up the car today, heading for the beach and the Grandman Triathlon in Fairhope, AL. It is amazing how much you have to pack just for the event. I dropped off my bike at Golden's Bike Shop for one final tune, lube, and wipe down. Hopefully, I can have a good clean race with few mishaps or mental lapses.

I am pumped to get down there today and have a day to relax for the early 4:30 AM wake-up call. The race starts at 7 AM and is a little more than 45 minutes away from where we are staying. I would love to be able to get in a real easy swim in the Gulf of Mexico and/or light ride. If I have time, it would be beneficial to drive up to the course and get a preview so I am not riding and running blind, but we will see how it goes. I will post when we get back about the race and let everyone know how it went.

Looking Forward: West Point Lake Triathlon

The third and final leg of my three week triathlon blitz is the West Point Lake Triathlon. I have decided to stretch myself a little bit and go for the Olympic distance race, 1.5-K swim, 40-K bike, and 10-K run. I hope that my eyes were not too big for my race schedule. I felt like I had to get in at least one Olympic distance race in this year to stick to my overall goals, which are at least one Olympic distance race this year (check), at least on Half Ironman next year, and at least one full Ironman the following year. From there, who knows what I will have a passion for next.
This race is being held June 13th at 7:15 AM at R Shaefer Heard Park near LaGrange, Georgia. I have not seen, ridden, or run the course yet but hope to do it at least once before competition. As you can guess, the 1.5-K swim will be in the waters of West Point Lake. The swim start is a Time Trials start format based upon the competitor's submitted estimated swim time. It will start on a the point seen below and continue around a peninsula to the finish at the Day Use Area of the park. This area will serve as the transition area for the race from swim-to-bike and bike-to-run.
The bike ride will take the competitors on a 40-K, roughly 25-mile, trip up U.S. Highway 29, along several different scenic points along the lake, and through quiet country roads. As you can see on the elevation chart below, there are not too many back-breakers on this route. There appears to be only a couple hundred feet of elevation change the entire race. The course is basically a large loop with a couple out & back tangents thrown in there. I can recap this review when I get a chance to put wheels to pavement.
The run course actually sounds quite interesting. The 10-K course takes the runner across the West Point Lake Dam and hugs the water's edge for most of the race. From all accounts that I have heard, both the bike and run portions of this race are flat and fast. Again, I will have to revisit this review when I can get a run in and maybe post some pictures of the routes in conjunction. Some people's definition of flat and fast are quite deceiving.
Graphics from www.gamultisports.com

Looking Forward: Ft. Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon

While I am previewing upcoming races in which I will be participating, I wanted to go ahead and bring up the 2009 Ft. Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon. It is being held on June 6th at 8 a.m., a week after I am scheduled to compete in the Grandman Triathlon. The reason that I decided to go for two in a row is that I am very familiar with the run and bike routes for this race. Here are PDF's of the race flyer and registration form.

This is a bit of an unusual race, in that you run first, bike second, and swim third. I have been practicing for normal triathlons with the upcoming Grandman and will only have a few days to re-train my body to get accustomed to a reverse order. The race starts out from the Main Post Bowling Center on Ft. Benning Army Post just south of Columbus, Georgia. The race is open to the public, but be sure that everyone in your party has a valid driver's license (or photo ID) and vehicle registration & insurance to get on post.
The Route Preview: The run starts at the Bowling Center, which is also the T1 and T2 Transition Areas. It starts off on only one of two real uphill climbs on the 3.1 mile route. On this portion of the route, you pass by several Airborne Training Mock-ups. You continue up and around the back of the outdoor pool, where the swim portion of the event will be held, and along Riordon Street to Burr Street. Here you run alongside the three jump towers that have become somewhat iconic to Ft. Benning. There are also a few vintage, WWII airplanes on display on the parade grounds in front of the jump towers. The run up Burr Street is the second uphill climb. As you continue and make your turn onto Eckel Street and pass the Smith Fitness Center, you have a smooth downhill run back to the Transition Area for the bike ride.

The bike ride begins with a left turn out of the Bowling Center onto Sightseeing Road for the 12.4 mile out & back route. The first stretch of the route is all uphill and the roads are not in great condition. Be on the lookout for potholes and loose gravel. As you make the turn onto Dixie Rd, and eventually Sunshine Rd, it is a gentle descent until the turn around. There will be one big hill before the turn around spot just past a bridge. Everything that goes downhill, must come back up on an out & back route. The only real relief you get is around the Lawson Army Airfield runway coming and going. Finally, you crest the hill back onto Sightseeing Road and head back down to the Bowling Center for the transition to the swim.

Once you leave T2 from the bike ride, you make a short run across Eckel Street and through a parking lot to Cary Pool for a 550 meter swim. From what I hear, this part of the race gets a little crowded. Once the racer is in the pool, there are 11 - 50 meter laps to complete, down the length of the pool, swim under the rope, and back the other way. The race concludes with the final lap swum. The race is conducted by the Army M.W.R. Department, and they hold post-race awards ceremony at a Mexican Restaurant just around the corner from the Bowling Center and Cary Pool open for everyone to attend.

One final note: Ft. Benning recently reopened the National Infantry Museum in a state-of-the-art facility. They have an IMAX theatre, the Fife & Drum Restaurant, large parade ground, and an authentically renovated WWII barracks area on the property. Inside the museum are memorabilia and artifacts from every major conflict that the U.S. Army Infantry has been involved. It really is something to see if you have the rest of the day free after the race.

Graphics from www.benningmwr.com

Looking Forward: The Grandmand Triathlon

Now that all my long distance running for the winter, it is time to switch to a more well-rounded sport, triathlons. This has been a busy year for me with a variety of firsts, my first ten mile run event, my first half-marathon, my first & second marathon, and now my first sprint triathlon.

The Grandman Triathlon is held in Fairhope, Alabama on the shores of Mobile Bay on May 30th. It consists of a 1/3 mile swim in the bay, a 16.4 mile bike ride out & back, and a 3.1 mile run through the streets of town. There is a very easy to follow registration page where you can sign-up online or mail-in a printed form. They have sent me monthly updated emails as more information become available on packet pick-ups, pre-race expo, etc.

The race itself should be a lot of fun. For those of you that have never been to Fairhope, Alabama, it is a quaint little town off the beaten path between Mobile, AL and Pensacola, FL along the eastern shores of Mobile Bay. There is a large variety of shops downtown and beautiful bungalow homes set within the groves of Live Oaks. There is great dining, golf, water sports, night-life and family events to suit any visitors.
The race starts off with the swim from the Fairhope Pier at 7 a.m. and is an out & back course where the swimmers will be guided by buoys and volunteers in kayak for the 1/3 mile swim in the Mobile Bay. From the information off their web site, the water temperature ill be close to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and a wetsuit will not be needed. I have gone ahead and purchased a one-piece triathlon suit to use for the whole event, swim, bike, and run, in order to cut down on my time in transition. The transition area is situated round-about at the end of Fairhope Avenue. It will be the spot for the bike in/out and run in/finish.
After the swim, we transition to the bike portion of the race. It will consist of a 16.4 mile out & back course up a steep hill from the pier area along Fairhope Avenue until we turn South onto Section Street (Hwy. 3). We follow this route for 8.2 miles until we reach the turnaround at U.S. Highway 98 before we retrace out steps and descend back into town.
Now on the last leg of the event, we come to the run. Once back in the transition area of the round-about, we change our gear and head back up the large hill on Fairhope Avenue and Magnolia Street on foot. We make a truncated out & back route up N. Bayview Avenue and Summit Street before heading back over our footsteps to the transition round-about. The race does not end there as we continue along Fairhope Park Drive north along the coastline to the turnaround at the "duck pond." The final sprint of the 5K run goes back down through the round-about and finished in the field just south of the transition area.
After the race, there are a variety of awards for all levels and age groups. The Grandman Triathlon web site is filled with helpful information, including maps, weather, rules, hotels, etc. This event is also USAT sanctioned and should really be a lot of fun.

Graphics from www.thegrandman.com and photo from media.kickstatic.com