A 4 AM wakeup call, an hour of driving into BFE/the sticks/Carroll County, and 8 hard boiled eggs later, we had arrived for the Wife's 2nd sprint triathlon. It was held at Cascade Lake that offered her first taste of an open water swim. This event, now in its 2nd year, had a 500M swim, 15-mile bike ride, and 5k run. It was a step up from her first triathlon at Georgetown Prep and she was up to the challenge.
Thanks to the GPS, I found my way along pitch black back roads before enjoying a drive on Georgia Avenue for 25 miles as the sun rose. Meanwhile, the Wife fueled herself with eggs, coffee (to counteract Benadryl), and water before a 45-minute nap. We arrived on time and I, as her support team, got her ready to go with pre-race shenanigans. Her goal was to finish and that she did.
A photo gallery of the experience:
Race officials, having fallen short of volunteers, employed llamas to direct parking. Watch for the spit if you don't follow directions!
Upper 50s and occasional rain an hour before the start gave everyone a reason to complain and contemplate not racing, but the sky cleared and conditions were perfect for the race.
How were times noted before timing chips existed?
The race started at 7; only problem was it wasn't supposed to start for another 5 minutes...
...so the first wave had to swim back to the start line; chalk it up to race growing pains.
My not-so-high-speed camera caught this arm, but not the body with it.
Wetsuits were key to surviving water temps in the upper 60s.
Bikers mounted and were on their way for a grueling 15-mile ride through rolling farmland hills. Scenic? Sure. Long, steep climbs? Absolutely.
Watch for that barbed wire on the bottom!
Carroll County...home to agriculture and whose most famous residents are ultra-patriot Francis Scott Key and communist spy Whittaker Chambers...who says the 96% white county has no diversity?
Carroll County was used in "Runaway Bride," not that that makes you want to watch a Julia Roberts movie.
Suggested improvement #1...make sure the fire trucks don't block the driveway for bikers as they temporarily did in backing them up. I'm pretty sure the lead racer didn't appreciate having to go around them.
There were some super-serious triathletes today, like the leader here, with ultralight frames, very thin tires, and aerodynamic helmets. The Wife saw many blown thin tires.
The 5k was flat except for the final 200 meters.
Part one of a sadistic uphill at the very end.
Suggested improvement #3...The race should have competitors finish down a waterslide.
Suggested improvement #4...have enough water at the finish. The Wife looked for bottled water, but the ice coolers (really garbage cans) only offered ice and cans of Coca-cola. How about not offering soda at the finish line and buying more water? Soda's about the last thing you need after a race.
With the race over, the Wife and I avoided plenty of llama land mines in the parking field and were on our way home.
Off to the next triathlon for the Wife!
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