RR - Falmouth Sprint Tri 7/19/09
Hi All,
I heard we like to read race reports so I thought I would share even it if is a little late. I did the Falmouth Sprint Triathlon on July 19th. This was my 2nd Triathlon and my first with an OWS. The first one was in May and was a 250yd pool swim
It race was a lot of fun and I was pleased with my results especially on the swim. I was primarily a biker who started running about 1 year ago to cross train and hadn’t really swum any distance since HS when I signed up for the Tri in May.
The race was a 1/3 mile swim, 9.25 mile bike and 5K run. My goal was to complete in under 1:15:00
It turned out to be a beautiful day, not too windy so the ocean was fairly calm not like the day before when some storms had rolled by, the RD actually said if the race was the day before they would have had to cancel as parts of the bike course were flooded!
I arrived early since we had to park about 1 mile from the race site and ride to the start and wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to set up transition, I also wanted to get a spot on the end of the rack. As another person said the time does fly.
I was in the 7th of 9 swim waves and just wanted not to be the last one out of the water, you get DQ if you are still swimming 20 minutes after the last wave starts. I am at the point now that I can easily swim the distance but I am slow. I was hoping to complete the 1/3 mile swim in 15 minutes or less so was pleased to complete in 11:25 and I wasn’t the last one in my wave. I few people from the next wave passed me but I passed a couple of people too.
The transition from the swim to the bike was fairly long perhaps 100-150yds I decided to cut some time and go sockless with the bike shoes to speed the transition. The bike is my strength and I completed in 33.51 which includes both TT (swim/bike and bike/run) according to my bike computer I did the bike is 30:20 seconds including running to from the mount/dismount areas so a little over 18 mph, 18 miles per hour was my goal. The course was an awesome rolling course and I was able to pass a number of people.
It was then time for the run, and I was a little tired at the start, and fortunately it was a flat course but it was starting to get hot. I would say that I am an average runner, I did the run in 28.34 which is a little slower then I would have liked, my best time just running a straight 5K (really 3.2 miles) was 27.08 in June but I guess I can’t expect to be as fast after swimming and biking. :)
I completed the race in 1:13:51 so 1:09 seconds under my goal, I was 19/45 in my age group and actually came in second in the newbie category for my age group (the newbie category actually combines to regular age groups so instead of 40-44 it was 40-49.)
I placed 351/600 overall (race included M/F age groupers and an elite category) so middle of the pact but in the swim I was 544/600.
Stats:
Swim (1/3 mile) 11:25 (544/600)
Bike/TT1/TT2 (9.25 mile) 33:51 232/600
Run (3.1 miles) 28:34 (351/600)
Total 1:13:51
My next race is in September and its shorter swim (1/3 mile) and a longer bike so that might play better to my strengths. My goal for next season is to improve my swimming to at least be within the middle range of times.
I think I am hooked :)