Graniteman Clearwater

July 12, 2014

A consistent race on my race calendar, I was back at the Graniteman Clearwater for another go.  Having not raced since Liberty (just over a month ago), I had to round up all of my gear that had been drying since that soggy race.  As I was preparing my stuff, I noticed that they had pushed the race back an hour this year. Yeah, I got to sleep in!

It is always fun to start your day seeing familiar faces in the transition area.  I got to catch up with a few people.  During race check in, a band was placed around our wrists.  The event staff tried to keep everyone without the band our of the transition area.  Thank you for protecting my gear!

I knew going in that they had reversed the bike course (clockwise), but in the brief learned that it was about a mile shorter.  The swim & run were unchanged.  My goal was to have a relaxed swim, hammer the bike, and survive the run.

The swim was a mixed gender Age Group start.  I positioned myself front & center right next to Casey Miller from Baxter (another LAMS member & the eventual winner).  I told him to grab onto my toes & hang onto the draft.  We were off!  Somehow I got pushed around off the start (Thanks Dave for the practice on our Wednesday night swims).  I took a foot to the face in the initial rush.  Looking for clear water, I veered left & placed the buoys on my right side (they were down the center of the swim lane).  I knew I was out fast!  I saw one group of arms in front of me, one to my right, & clear water.  I figured  I would be in the second group across the line.  Perfect! I kept my pace steady & relaxed.  Unfortunately, I didn't hit the correct buttons on my watch, so had no data until 1+miles into the bike.

As I came out of the water, there was a huge cheer from the crowd!  When I heard my Dad yelling that I was #2, I understood why!  Casey came flying by on the way to transition.  He had been the one next to me throughout the swim.  We both transitioned quickly, hit the road, & he lit the afterburners.  That was the last I saw of him until the run course!

The roads were great for the bike.  I was passed by a few on the road, but for the most part, I held my own.  In the big picture of things, the bike was uneventful.

I had a quick T2 and headed out on the trail run.  The first mile is slightly uphill on a trail around the lake, but I knew that going in, so didn't feel so bad when my legs felt like logs! The second mile is on asphalt going down a hill & up the other side to turn around and go the other direction back to the trail.  Then the last mile is back (slightly downhill) on the trail.  The return trip was a little more congested as the trail is narrow with two way traffic.  Across the line with no issues!

Overall, a descent race.  I ended up 45th Overall/37th M/7th Age Group with 20th overall in the swim/17th Male 3rd in my age group (Casey crossed the timing mat ahead of me).  It felt good to be back racing a tri!