Sunday, June 27, 2010

Celebration Sprint Tri

I looked forward to this event, the Celebration Sprint Tri, my first tri in about 2 years (I missed the 2009 season in Florida for various reasons). It was a challenging, hilly bike course, and I'm happy with how I did.

2:10:39, 51/104 in M40-44, 329/667 M, 548/~1400 overall


  • Swim - 0.62 miles (1000 m) in 28:25, 67/104 M40-44

    Yeah I'm a slow swimmer, finishing in the 65th percentile. The swim at Centennial Lake was okay overall, low visibility, but the water quality was much better than expected. Race officials clearly skimmed the surface of algae and plants before the event.

  • T1 - 4:03

    Transition was a flat field, but the bike exit was up a grassy hill. Had to step carefully or slide.

  • Bike - 17.5 miles in 1:05:27, 64/104 M40-44.

    I've been biking the course nearly every week since the middle of April, so there were no surprises. It is a hilly long course for a sprint tri, making it fairly challenging overall.

    On the bike course...


  • T2 - 2:17

    Had to be careful again, this time going down the grassy hill without sliding.

  • Run - 3.3 miles in 30:30, 31/104 M40-44.

    I was able to hold a good pace for 2 miles, at which point I had to slow and walk for a few seconds. It was sunny and hot, but it was the hill on the way back in that did me in. Despite these problems, I somehow managed a run time in the top 30th percentile of my age group!

    Running in the shade...




A net result in the middle of the pack is good for me - I seem to remember a lot of bottom 20th percentile finishes previously.

The Mid Maryland Tri Club had fantastic support, everything from bike pump patrols in transition before the event, to tons of volunteers, to a very nice tent near the finish line, with smoothies and refreshments, BBQ, snacks and drinks. WoW! On top of that, two club members took photos of every competitor they could, put the pictures up on Flickr, and are tagging them bit by bit.

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