Having only returned from a four day work trip in Arkansas (which had just enough time for one run in 95+ temps) just before 10:00 PM on the evening before the race, I simply packed my van and headed south towards the race venue. Fortunately, I raced here in 2008 (and did a gig nearby in 2009) so I’ve ridden the course before. Good thing, as I didn’t reach the venue until about 1:00 AM race morning…just enough time for a quick nap in the back of the car before transition opened at 5:30.
Dawn broke in a steamy mess of humidity which seems to be par for the course in NJ this summer. A winter of snow leads to a summer of moisture, it seems. Hardly ideal conditions. And with the relatively long four mile run after a short and flat 16 mile bike, it wasn’t exactly a perfect course for me...but everything is a bonus in 2010 as I wasn’t sure I’d be able to race at all with my work schedule.
I finished 3rd at this race in 2008, having started in a later wave with no idea how I stood until the end. This year our wave was off first. Better for gauging position, worse for sighting during the swim. Low sun + first wave = it might be tough to find my way. But I did have a secret weapon: XTerra swapped my Medium-sized Vendetta for a Small/Long one and the fit was much better. Even with water temperatures veering very close to the 78 degree cutoff I was quite comfy in the suit and by the first turn I was off the front of the pack.
As expected, the sun did wreak a little havoc with course detection, but I managed to muddle my way to the turnaround and from there it was a nice turn back into shore. Even managed to pass my dad who was drifting at the last buoy in his kayak as volunteer. I hit the sand first with the second place just behind me. I saw him go past as I unracked my bike but managed to snag the lead out of transition and soon found myself behind the always exciting police escort.
By the time I hit the asphalt the sun was fully beaming - even at 8:00 am - and it was promising to be a hot one, but the course and bike felt fast and I managed to hold a decent speed for the 8 miles out to the turn around. Of course, even though I managed to maintain my position around the cone, it was concerning to see that second was only about 30-40 seconds back. I’d widened the gap slightly but it would have to be bigger than that with a four mile run to come.
I increased my speed on the back half and managed to get into transition with about 45 or 50 seconds padding and the fastest bike split of the day, but as I headed out on to the run course, I saw #2 coming in and knew it would take a really hard run to maintain my position. Unfortunately, even running hard wasn’t quite enough to keep me up front and second place slipped by just after mile #1. Nothing to do from there but keep my eyes up the road and try to maintain a decent pace. However, there is nothing crueler than passing through mile 3 in a sprint and knowing the finish isn’t just around the bend like it is with a ‘normal’ 5K final leg. Add to that a relatively unshaded, straight stretch of blacktop and the race became nearly as challenging mentally as it was physically.
A quick glance back as I crossed the bridge that led to the last road and I saw that 3rd was in sight, but a few hundred meters back and with half a mile to go it seemed I would hold onto my position. I managed to cross the line in second overall, an improvement over 2008. The winner had outpaced my run by over 2 minutes, but it was still decent showing for me and I was happy, especially as - for such an affordable race – they have very decent prizes! While I didn’t get the 4-foot trophy (Yes, I’m totally serious) of the overall winner, I did get a very nice sleeveless fleece jacket, perfect for cold morning race starts (which I don’t seem to be getting many of this year…) Add in Italian ice, free pizza, cake and cookies and the day was very good indeed.
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