2002 Indian Creek Triathlon
By: The WM
June 9, 2002

The second annual Indian Creek Triathlon was held at the Indian Creek Recreational area near Woodworth, 10 miles south of Alexandria.  This is a beautifully maintained state park with excellent facilities.  Really works out well for something like this.  I missed last year's, but am glad I made it to this one.  Participant numbers were up about 50% over last year - a total of about 190 individuals and ten teams completed the event.

The honorable mayor of Woodworth was introduced and started the race for us.  Three waves, five minutes apart, so no congestion on the swim or bike.  The 800 meter swim seemed was easy enough -the water was calm, warm, and pretty clear.  Plenty of buoys.  Good support as far as numbers of kayaks, jet skis, and a rescue boat.  There was an issue with some very thick weeds in the shallower water that were tough to negotiate, but they were all gone once you got just a few yards out on the course. 

I really enjoyed the the 20 mile bike course  This is the course that they couldn't use last year because a bridge was washed out, I'm told.  And I heard last year's course had some rough spots.  This course was great.  Mostly very smooth.   A total of eight 90's and a nice wide turnaround.  The hills were not so bad as to beat you up, but enough that you had to allow for them.  To me, it adds a tactical element that is interesting.  The course was well marked with lots of orange paint.  Turns were spelled out on the road in big letters well in advance - pretty smart.

The 3.1 mile run was flat, and contained within the park grounds.  Out to the 1/2 way point and come back.  At around the 2.5 mile mark or so, race winner Patrick Marr was standing, slapping hands, encouraging us to finish strong.   A nice gesture. 

The food was excellent - red beans and sausage, pasta salad, jambalaya.  And the chicken kabobs might have been the single best post race offering ever, pretty close anyway.  Chicken, sausage, and red pepper cut in generous pieces, marinated overnight and grilled on the spot.  That was courtesy of Gary Perkins of Spirits restaurant in Alexandria and his head chef Jack Moffett.

The logistics of transition and all were well handled.  It's a plus when you can park 50 feet from registration and maybe 150 feet from transition.  It was nice to use the excellent and clean facilities at the park and take a shower after the race.  The race packet was above average as well - besides a t-shirt and some flyers there was a nice ball cap and some running shorts, both with the Indian Creek logo.

Word will get out about a triathlon this well organized at such a great venue.  Look for even more athletes next year - this race is sure to grow.