Saturday, October 4, 2014 Santa Rosa Island Triathlon - Pensacola Beach, FL - 7:00 AM Ruby red cycling shoes and the Wicked Wind of the North “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” SRITRI was my very first triathlon back in 2008 so it is always a commemorative event on the calendar – kind of like a multisport birthday but with aero party hats. There is always a great turnout so there are plenty of friends. There is good food waiting with Carrabba’s redolence mingling with the salty beach air. And when Mother Nature cooperates it’s usually a good time of year for Pensacola Beach with Caribbean-clear water and the first signs of reprieve from the usual Gulf Coast heat & humidity. Plus, how many opportunities are there to race with top-tier talent like Brian Fleischmann at home? One would think after last year’s event being cancelled due to dangerous forecasts, this year would be idyllic conditions. And from the safety of a parked vehicle, that appeared to be true. With clear skies and cozy temps (60’s), the Gulf was pancake flat with winds out of the North. Try to open the car door though and it became immediately evident that this was no gulf breeze. Depending on the direction the car was facing, the door either seemed to weigh 100-lbs or it nearly snapped off its hinges as soon as the handle was pulled. There were several reported sightings of Dorothy and Toto whirling around. I personally think it was just Evan (Malone) though who chose to wear his spectator dress in lieu of racing due to some race on some obscure Hawaiian island the following weekend (seriously though, congrats to Evan on the pinnacle achievement of getting to race in multisport Mecca - Kona). Ironman proximity didn’t stop Chad (Hon) though who was 6-days out from his enviable, 9-something hour IM Chattanooga showing (and he still managed an 8th overall and the AG-win at SRITRI!!). There was also an alleged MC Hammer sighting but that turned out to just be Logan (Roberts) who must have picked-up some of the 1990’s celeb’s iconic flappy britches on EBay for post-race warmth. From the shore, the Gulf looked like a really big lake – not a wave to be seen. To the first buoy was reminiscent of a snorkeling excursion on the Northern coast of Panama my wife and I once took – calm, clear, cerulean water. First breath after the turn buoy was a surprise gulp of salty water. Second breath was another surprising, slightly-larger gulp of salty water. Third breath was a starting-to-panic, destination-hypoxia, giant gulp of salty water. Being a really quick learner, I decided breathing to the left was preferable than continuing to breath towards shore and drowning. Turns out the North wind that was so amiably flattening the Gulf was like that wispy seraph that emerged from the opened Ark of the Covenant in that scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark – at first, she seemed all beautiful and alluring as she floated around but then she transformed into a skull-faced poltergeist and literally melted that guy’s face off. Indy was smart enough not to look at her from the beginning, but I am no Indiana Jones and she blew a lot of water in my face. And from what I gathered post-race, there were only a handful of racers unaffected by the North wind deception – one with a pro-card and the other a local, 16-year old phenom who’s been bruising local egos since he was 12 (both posted sub-10:00 times for the 600 yard swim and subsequent run up the beach). Possibly the most astounding detail of the day is that there were no reported major crashes or injuries. After a record number of people had to be pulled from the water due to the blustery winds, it would certainly have been plausible that there would be more than a few unfortunate mishaps. It was definitely squirrely with such strong gusts billowing in from the side (reports were sustained 20+ mph). After all the sand had settled, Gulf Coast Tri Team had nabbed 7 of the top-10 spots and topped out the Overall, Master’s, Grand Master’s and Senior Grand Master’s divisions in the AG race. The Bonnie & Clyde award went to Johnny and Lisa Harrison, the husband and wife duo that pulled off the heist for his and hers Master’s honors. An anonymous team member who we’ll call Randy Walton narrowly edged out Chuck Babin for most beer tickets collected. All in all, it was a spectacular Saturday morning. The wind was just an added element of challenge, and, if we’re honest, the challenge is what makes triathlon so appealing to so many people at different places in life - fast and not-so-fast, young and not-so-young, big and little, novice and veteran, able-bodied (whatever that means) and challenged athletes alike. Gratitude is the only appropriate response to the opportunity to participate in such an event in such an incredible setting. Yours Truly, Jared Saturday, September 6, 2014
Brett Robinson Alabama Coastal Triathlon - Orange Beach, AL - 7:00AM The Brett Robinson Alabama Coastal Triathlon is known by local triathletes as the race with some of the prettiest beaches, a great after party, and awesome swag giveaways. However, this triathlon is renowned throughout the gulf coast for its ability make you feel like your body is going to catch on fire during the run on what seems like a never ending road! On the way to the race this year we were entertained by a lightening storm off the coast. When dawn hit, it was realized it was not going to storm but hold the tradition of keeping the course warm. This race is a time trial start, with the super sprint racers starting first. Our team had one athlete doing the super sprint, but most were doing the Olympic distance race. The swim is in the Gulf of Mexico and is a two lap swim with a short beach run in between laps. Usually during this race I am worried about jellyfish, but not this year. The water was crystal clear and as calm as a pool. After the swim, it’s a run on the white sand beach up to transition with plenty of spectators cheering you along the way. The bike course is mostly an out and back along the beach road and a stretch into the state park. Almost the whole bike course has a bike lane, and I felt very safe the whole race. About 9 miles into the bike you go over the only hill on the course which goes over the Alabama point inlet. Being the only hill on the course makes it feel that much worse though, considering the rest of the course is pancake flat. Once over the bridge you turn around under the bridge and go back over, this is nice because it gave me a nice push on the downhill back toward the state park. Once to the state park, you have a short out and back which gives you a chance to see some other riders and see what type of time gaps there are. Out of the park and it’s a short ride back to T2 and onto the infamous run. The run course is also an out and back. It is very straight and very open. As I started the run I knew that it was going to get hot fast, so I started holding a little back trying to save it till I made it to the turn around. On the way out we had several team members in the front of the race. I flew by Eric Larson on the run course, but he was going the other way already on his way back to the finish leading the race. I also flew by Johnny Harrison but same scenario. Once I made it to the turnaround I was able to see some people still heading out which gave me a little encouragement knowing I was on my way back to the finish line at the Hang Out. There were several aid stations on the run course with fabulous volunteers who were handing out water, Gatorade, and cold rags to try to keep everyone cool. As I was coming up to the finish I was able to have a sprint with Sam and was unable to make my way around at the last minute. When finished with the race, there was a tent with water misting where athletes were able to cool off and some athletes just went to the gulf to jump in. The awards started shortly afterward and the gulf coast triathlon team was able to take away several age group placings, a masters winner, grand master winner and an overall winner. Our one racer who did the super sprint race was also able to pull off an overall win. This was a very fun race and I look forward to being there with the team again next year! Till next time racers, Logan Roberts Saturday, July 26, 2014 Top Gun Triathlon (St. Petersburg, FL): 7:00AM Twilight Triathlon (Crystal River, FL): 7:30PM Half of the GCTT crew loaded up for a weekend on the road looking forward to two fantastic events in Central Florida. So, with a collective of near fifty linear feet of caravan capacity, ten bikes, a multitude of tri gear, one family-size bag of animal crackers, Wiz Khalifa pumping on the stock sound system, and nearly another fifty feet of mobile phone chargers the 1,000 mile journey promised to be a great time for Dem Boyz. The notion of racing twice in the same day was a welcome challenge for all of the team members, not since the days of track or competitive swimming have the guys done something like this. To ask the body to go anaerobic for nearly an hour at a time twice in a period of twelve hours presented many challenges, many of which were debated and discussed during the drive to St. Petersburg, FL. The basic strategy included the following: wash the team tri shorts with bar soap and air dry between events, swing through a grocery store to find some baby oil for the temporary tattoo removal, kill them with kindness at hotel #2 so as to gain early check-in and score some shut eye before the Twilight event, and be sensible about eating too much heavy food in the middle of the day. The guys checked all these boxes off with the exception of the food timing, “lunch” between events ended up around noon which would be similar to eating “dinner” at midnight prior to a routine morning event… Race #1 featured the 14th Annual Top Gun Triathlon on a racetrack of a course in Fort De Soto Park just off the Southernmost tip of St. Petersburg, FL. The event is a marquee event for the central Florida triathlete community directed by two pillars of the multisport community, Fred Rzymek and Joe Fernandez. Fred even brought in some supplemental race director talent in the form of his twin brother Mickey Rzymek so as to tend to GCTT’s complicated multi-page rider sheet which includes such things as premium and sequential bike rack placement, preferred parking, three different flavors of post-race Rita’s Italian Ice, an extra couple ice cubes in the cool pools following the event, and a one-on-one pre-race course debrief complete with Q&A. One of the many great things about Top Gun is the completely-closed bike and run courses, basically no vehicles to get in the way at all. This allows for the 1,000+ athletes to speed through the 0.25 mile swim, 10 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run without much concern other than “go fast, blister this course, every second counts.” Another great asset is that the event included a USAT Florida Region Youth Talent ID start wave which team member Joey Pocreva was able to spar with. The Top Gun swim course took place in the calm and warm (85F) waters of the Gulf of Mexico at the North Beach of Fort De Soto. With a running entry start from the beach shore, zero surf or current, and great sighting buoys this course was meant for some fast swim times. Once beyond the 400 yard run up to transition the guys were looking forward to letting it rip on their own personal Brickyard given the simple out and back bike course which doesn’t even demand any hairpin turns, rather a wide, scooping cul-de-sac wherein momentum can be mostly maintained. Considering ~1.5 miles of hard-packed sand and some passing morning rain showers, the final leg of the event played to the strengths of those who either possess a solid cross country running background or have trained in a negative-pressure sauna (little wind, 100% humidity), respectively. The final 200 yards of the run were a blast with the spectators lining the chute cheering everyone on, this made for a great chance for the GCTT crew to look for their comrades speeding down the final stretch while secretly hoping one of them might experience some reverse peristalsis for all to see. When the dust settled GCTT ended up with three in the top ten (Larson, Felty, Harrison), all team members in the top 12% of the 898 finishers, and eight podium appearances. Notable splits included Joey Pocreva with the third fastest swim of the field despite some extra drag (see — race number belt AWOL), Johnny Harrison with the second fastest bike of the field racing from behind in the final wave with plenty of athlete traffic and slotting in only seven seconds behind the top bike split recorded by the first athlete to span the course on wide-open pavement, and Eric Larson tapping into his hard-wired cross country harrier background to claim the second fastest run of the field. GCTT results page. By 11:00AM it was time to hit the road North up the Suncoast Parkway toward Crystal River, FL. What was supposed to be a generous eight hour intermission seemingly evaporated thanks to tending to the Jenga puzzle of bikes in the team U-haul and time spent hunting down some post-race grub but it was made tolerable by the power naps most everyone was able to enjoy as well as DJ Harrison’s musical selection to get the guys through the 100 mile jaunt. Race #2 was the DRC Sports Twilight Triathlon, also the 14th annual running of this event. This event is held at the Fort Island Gulf Beach along Florida’s Nature Coast. Although this would include nearly identical, and arguably routine, sprint distances as race #1 (0.25 mile swim, 10 mile bike, and 3 mile run) what it would require to speed across the second finishing tape of the day would prove to be demanding considering the logistics of the daily double dip. Daunting, yes. Fun and exciting, hell yes. The prospect of racing at dusk was very appetizing to the team. The setting sun, the seizure-inducing blinks of hundreds of bike headlamps and taillights (required safety equipment), and some afternoon headwinds which were about to lay down made for another reason to redline those transmissions for the second time of the day. Following a full swim course warmup to loosen the muscles in a low-impact manner, eight of the ten team members would eventually toe the start line this evening. The two DNS recipients electing to rather indulge in the more comforting pleasures of frozen pineapple umbrella beverages while lounging on the beach. The same warm water of the Gulf welcomed the athletes, this time it was more of a brackish mix with less visibility, considering the Crystal River runoff. What was especially exciting to the GCTT crew was the “all men in wave #1” start layout. This was a chance for the guys to really get after it without having to factor in wave start differentials. It was ON! After a quick swim, all team members well under 8:00, and only one team member chumming the water for shark by swimming into the barnacle of an underwater jetty it was out of T1 and off onto the bike course chasing one another down. With some vehicular traffic to account for this made for a bit less of a time trial layout compared to the morning event but the blue, black, and white kit colors of GCTT were blurring up and down that five mile stretch of Fort Island Trail providing the team members impetus enough to not lay off the gas for even a few peddle strokes. On post-mortem analysis, most every team member would later admit to having been anaerobic and battling some screaming gams while heading into T2 and looking forward to both racing into the night as well as being done for the day, as soon as possible. The run course demonstrated just how quickly dusk turns to dark, especially on a road with no traffic lights of buildings. No joke, dark. But, it was a blast. Chasing one another down and also having the chance to do a little check on the teammates before and after the 1.5 mile marker hairpin turn made for a great opportunity to motivate, joke, and wonder “is he feeling as bad as I am?” With less than 0.5 mile remaining in the day it was great to see the glow of the flood lights in the sky and look forward to the anticipated team member finish chute meet-and-greet while wondering why everyone agreed to this venture in the first place. Quickly, the GCTT crew learned it had posted some great results: three in the top ten (Felty, Moore, Harrison), seven of the top sixteen, eight for eight on the podium, Rob Felty with the fastest swim split of the field, and GCTT title sponsor (Joseph Bolton of Pro Cycle & Tri) claiming his first age group podium slot in a triathlon! The fun did not stop there though. DRC Sports knows how to have some fun with a post-race party. The food was top-notch and the atmosphere was energetic as many of the athletes on the day were celebrating their duplicate tri finishes, with some looking forward to an unbelievable third triathlon at the Scenic 17 Triathlon (Babson Park, FL) the next morning (GCTT opted out of that one). One additional perk to these events is that Kennedy Law Racing (Clearwater, FL) is an avid supporter of multisport in the Central Florida region and the KLR folks slung some custom backpacks and water bottles at all the athletes who completed both events, very nice! The fun continued into the night as the GCTT crew hauled back to the hotel for some rest and relaxation… But, as with any great road trip goes, what happens on the trip stays on the trip! In the end, GCTT greatly enjoyed both of these events and would highly recommend both of them, even the double scoop day. Any event with the the names Rzymek/Fernandez or DRC tagged to them are top-notch! FUN CHALLENGE FOR THE OUTSIDE OBSERVER: Which of these statements is TRUE? (choose as many as you think apply) - one team member wore his race kit for a cumulative 15 hours beginning at 5:00pm on raceday and lasting through the night - GCTT scored another award in the form of a misdemeanor citation for open container parlayed into an offense for transporting alcohol into a state park - auto insurance claims needed to be submitted as a result of the weekend - GCTT only made two pitstops for gas, not a bathroom break, during the weekend travel - Chipotle was an advisable post-race meal during a group road trip Grandman Triathlon - Fairhope, AL - 5/31/2014 7:00 AM
The 5th weekend in May is always one of my favorites; this year was no exception. So far I haven’t had good showings in our first two team races, so today I needed to play makeup. This year I was early to the transition and was still beat by half the team to the race site. Had a nice leisurely time in transition, went for short run with a team member and it was time to head off to the pier. The swim starts from jumping off the Fairhope Municipal Pier. This makes the swim portion for me and probably for most others a lot more fun. The first few people who jumped performed some acrobatic maneuvers, leave it to the first few being Gulf Coast Tri Team members. The swim was an easy to follow course with only one left hand turn, then head straight to the beach. My swim was steady and uninterrupted due to the time trial start. Then, out of the water and up the stairs to T-1. The short run to transition is completely filled with spectators which provided plenty of encouragement. Coming into transition, I realized I had made it in while some of the faster guys were leaving, so I made my transition as fast as possible to try to catch them. So, at least my transition time was tied with Eric Larson for the fastest T-1 time. Starting off on the bike there is a nice little hill as soon as you clip in. Starting on this hill, you need to make sure of two things: first is to make sure you’re in the small chain ring; second make sure your bike is shifting correctly. Here is a short clip of the hill out of T-1 and a good team member who was unfortunately unable to attend this year. After the hill leaving the pier the first half of the ride is through beautiful downtown Fairhope with rolling hills. The second half is flat and comes back into town along the water and Magnolia Beach Park. I was able to ride with the eventual race winner for the second half of the course. Coming back into the second transition you get to go down the hill and dismount right at the bottom. Coming off the bike, I think will be the closest to feeling like I was in an ITU race. I dismounted my bike with the fastest runner in the race right behind me. Sprinting through transition, I rack the bike and put my shoes on and run out with the fastest runner still right next to me. Then, back up the hill for the start of the run. Trying to stay with someone faster than you is not the best way to run your best race, but it is the only way to win. When we made it to the top of the hill I realized I was spent and Eric was just warming up. After the top of the hill, you run through gorgeous neighborhoods to the turnaround at one mile then back down the hill. This segment was just spent recovering for me. Down the hill and through the duck ponds I was able to catch a local, Johnny Harrison, and he lead the way separating the geese and making a nice path for me to follow to the finish. After the race, we were treated to plenty of pizza, pastries, and beer. The team did very well at this race with 9 members in the top 15 overall. We had an OVERALL victory (Eric Larson), third overall (Allen Stanfield). For age groups the team had 6 first place finishes, 4 second place finishes, and 4 third place finishes. Cheers, Logan Tradition's Triathlon - Biloxi, MS - 4/26/2014 8:00 AM
The lead-up to this 4th iteration of the Tradition's Triathlon was markedly less unnerving as the forecasted temperatures were not in the 30's as they were last year. With the 600-yard swim in Tradition's Lake ruled wetsuit-legal, racers were afforded a strategic choice - buoyancy-boosting wetsuit or T1-time-trimming. It appeared most opted for the neoprene swimwear. Teammate Rob "Philanthropist" Felty, however, was one of the minority who opted out and, arguably, despite his notable history as an aquatic Nittany Lion donated as many extra seconds in the water as he invested in post-race raffle tickets. Imagine Andy Potts not posting the fastest swim on the day. The bike course is certainly challenging for a Gulf Coast race with about 650' of climb over the 17-mile trek. The race venue is just secluded enough to give the impression that the course is closed to traffic creating a very safe course for aggressive riding (excluding that last sandy, sharp turn into Transition...under no circumstance should any racer attack at this point on the course). The run course is certainly a break from normalcy for most sprint-distance races. What starts (and finishes) in a serene, posh residential development quickly detours onto an undulating trail (with some portions showcasing the iconic Mississippi mud), which opens up onto the Freeway for a rolling out-and-back. One last pass through the wooded trail and finishers are greeted by the redolent aroma of Waffle House waffle batter. Every race touts their post-race party as "the best". While I am not qualified to award that title, I can say emphatically that the Tradition's post-race festivities are a lot of fun. A relaxed setting, quality-grub (some healthful options in addition to the usual cookies), and good camaraderie create a backyard-bar-b-que/neighborhood bloc party vibe. The awards this year were functional - engraved glass mugs. And the Gulf Coast/Pro Cycle & Tri Team collected quite a few occupying eight of the top 10 overall spots. Eric Larson took the top overall spot followed closely by Allen Stanfield, and Sam Hudson rounded out the podium (and topped the Master's division). Also notable was Randy Walton's Grandmaster's win. The only team member who returned home without a mug was Doug Jones who sacrificially donated his 1st Place AG mug after a mix-up resulted in a racer in another division not receiving their hard-earned award. He was not wearing a shirt at the time of donation. Overall, Tradition's is a great early-season race and certainly worthy of making an annual tradition. Jared Moore This race course was located in Tallahassee, Florida in Maclay Gardens State Park. The 1/3-mile swim took place inside the lake at the park, the 16-mile bike was on secluded back roads and one long stretch of highway shoulder, and a 5k run took place on dirt trails inside the park. There were large, overcast clouds which kept the weather around the low-60s and provided for very humid conditions. The swim was chilly, definitely a wetsuit race, and was great fun after Rob Felty and I broke out of the main pack and had the course to ourselves. The bike was very unforgiving with multiple challenging hills (saddle sores for this local coastie) and thinned out the crowd coming out of the water very quickly. The run was fairly flat and fast with most of the race taking place on awesome trails, which was a nice sight to see for a cross-country runner! Our guys finished excellently with a 2nd place podium finish, Master’s title, Grandmaster’s title, three age group wins, and many other excellent finishes in each respective age group. Joey Pocreva |
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