RR: 2008 Capitol View Triathlon

The race was last weekend, but I haven't been able to get around to a real race report. Before I forget everything, I'd thought I'd share the day.

Quick facts:
Capitol View Triathlon (Inaugural race)
Gov. Nelson State Park, Waunakee, WI

Swim (400m): 5:57 - 1st OA
Bike (12 mi): 37:38 - 14th OA
Run (5K): 27:08 - 48th OA
Total: 1:12:56.7 17th OA, 1st AG (M30-34)

Swim
I warmed up with a few quick pick-ups in the water, saw some more friends and went to find my spot in the third wave. That's when I was pulled aside by a fellow competitor and convinced to be in the first, elite wave. There were less than 10 in the elites, and more than forty in the second wave and even more following that. Elite wave it is. On the horn, I took off sprinting. The water was shallow for a long time, prohibiting any good strokes. Once I could swim, I sprinted for a while to create a gap. I turned around the first buoy a little wide, lengthening the 400 meter course just a bit. I kept thinking I had some drafters, so I kicked hard every so often. Around the last buoy and headed for the beach, I made my way around the seawall to some nice cheers. I swam as long as I could, lifting my arms and pull as close to my body as possible. Once on the beach, I ran in first out of the water to a very nice applause.

Bike
First out of the water, and first out of T1 means you get to follow a lead car. This one was a white mid-90s Corvette. I kept hoping it would slow down to allow some drafting, but they were too smart to allow that. As soon as I crested the first hill, I got passed by a speedster on a P3. I got my first "nice swim." He took the 'vette with him, too. It was fun while it lasted. Just one other pass, and I held my own on the bike. The wind kicked up on the way back in. Seeing the waves behind me appreciated the open road from the elite placement.

Run
My legs were really heavy out of T2. I just stuck with a shortened stride and kept the turnover high. I wanted to be as even as possible. However, this is the part of the race everyone left talking about. It was a cross country course, with the first half winding through the woods and the second half in the open field. Trouble was, every turn in the woods meant going up another hill. Also, communications were crossed on the course setup, so the mile markers didn't make the course. If you didn't catch the route maps ahead of time, having to run past the finish line was a cruel joke. The winding, hilly course threw off everyone's internal odometer, and were surprised to hear they had another 1.5 miles left as the past the line from the wrong side, many sprinting thinking that they were finishing. I just held my pace as long as possible, got passed by three more from the elite wave and finished slower that I hoped, but felt better knowing the overall leader didn't break an hour.

Final thoughts
Triathlons are getting fun to attend. I know more and more people, and old friends are now competing. I need to remember to get to transition earlier so I can talk longer with friends. I had relatively low expectations going into this race with very, very few rides and little run base as I work my way back from a sprained ankle. The first place age group finish was a big surprise. Winning it by 2+ minutes was an even bigger surprise. I got a really nice custom medal that made me smile.