Just one week post 70.3 race, I find myself toeing the start line again! For those who know me well, I have never been a swimmer. I have always floated like a rock!(**see times below**) I am not a swimmer turned triathlete, but quite the opposite! This was going to be my first ever open water swim race (not attached to any other events). My expectations? To finish the 2.4 mile course & gain some confidence in the distance swim looking toward Wisconsin! I am a triathlete treading on a swimmer's turf. I just wanted to finish with a respectable time!
This was the first year of this event. A year before, an avid local swimmer (& father of a high school classmate) had died in the Gull River when he suffered a heart attack, his boat capsized, & he was able to get his grandchild to the safety of the shore. Proceeds were to benefit the local high school swim teams. I was happy to participate!
The way the rest of the year has gone, it should be no surprise that is was cool & raining on race morning! The 06:30 race start was not pleasant (my alarm had to go off way too early), but it was nice to roll out of bed and not have very far to drive to the race site!
After the race brief, we headed to the water. Water temps had cooled off during the week. It was definitely brisk when I jumped in! We lined up & were off through the channels of Lake Margaret on our way toward Zorbaz on Gull. It was a typical swim start with a washing machine like first few hundred as people got sorted out. Once things settled down, I settled into my pace and just focused buoy to buoy. They had yellow markers every 1/2 mile on the course that helped me figure out how far along I actually was. I had hoped to grab onto a set of feet & hold on as long as I could, but quickly found myself on my own (there were a couple around me, but nobody to draft off of). The one time I did find a set of feet, it was unexpected.... and came as a heel struck my goggle dead center. We were both okay & pushed toward the finish!
Before I knew it, I was under the bridge & approaching the funnel of buoys to the finish! I crossed the line, climbed the steps to the pier, & found some LAMS teammates that had done the 1 mile race. I felt good. Was I tired? I just swam 2.4 miles, so yes, but I felt like I needed to hop on the bike & go (and was ready for it)! The plan was to take the race at IM pace & be comfortable with my pace (not push it).
My time? 1:02:08 (I was hoping for 1:05:00). I felt like I met my goals for the race! After I got changed & cheered on a few others, it was on to check the results. I ended up 8th overall, 5th Male, and 1st in my Age Group! Definitely not where I expected to be, but I feel like I am in great shape for the IM swim!
After the race, I stuck around for a awesome breakfast buffet & Bloody Mary bar provided by the event sponsors. This was a great event & will be keeping this one in mind for future race calendars!
**To support this statement, here are a few previous results:
2008 Lakes Country Triathlon 1/2 Mile Swim: 29:06 (3:38/100 yds)
2010 Young Life Triathlon Olympic Distance 1.5 km (0.93 miles) Swim: 45:08 (2:44/100 yds)
2012 CanAm Games 1500 Meter Swim (1650 yards) 27:09.26 (1:39/ 100 yds)
2012 CanAm Games 800 Meter Swim (1000 yards) 16:16.96 (1:49/100 yds)
2014 Gull Lake Challange 2.4 Mile Swim (1:28/100 yds)
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