2003 Gulf Coast Triathlon
All the good things I had heard about the race were true. Expertly organized. Supposedly 3,000 volunteers worked to make it all happen, and that was not hard to believe. Little things like the absence of long lines when picking up packets or getting the free breakfast or pasta dinner are much appreciated. The aid stations on the bike (every 10 miles) and the run (every mile) were outstanding - loaded with encouraging volunteers. The day before the race, there were rumors that the swim would be canceled, which seemed plausible to me, at least. We went for a brief dip in the Gulf and it was pretty rough. I went in without my wetsuit, planning for a worst case scenario. Still, it seemed likely that we would be able to wear them in the race. Race veterans told me that the Gulf had been too warm for wetsuits only a very few times previously. Others felt that even if the water temperature were measured at 79 or 80, the race director would fudge and let them be worn, as they are such a safety net, especially for poor swimmers like myself. Waking up at 3:00 race morning, the surf was quite loud from the ninth floor of the beachfront condo. When the sun broke through, it was apparent that things were indeed rougher than they had been the day before. At the pasta dinner the night before, we were all surprised when it was announced that the Gulf was too warm - no wetsuits. Spaced at five minute intervals, there were fifteen waves of just over 100 athletes each. I was in #14. It was a bit tense on the beach, talking to people as they kept sending them out. I was not the only one a little nervous. Finally, it was my group's turn. I said another prayer and waded out. You had to turn sideways when the breakers rushed past you in the shallow water. It soon got deep enough to swim. Somewhere around 100 yards or so, the breakers dissipated, replaced by swells of at least 4-6 feet. Fortunately, there was decent spacing between them, so you had a chance to gather yourself before taking on the next one. The swim went slowly, but well, for me. I would have liked a few more boats on the course. I swallowed my share of salty water, but was pleased not to get sick or even a little nauseous. After the race, I heard a lot of stories about that. Sighting was tough, especially on the way back. Buoys at 100 yard spacing would have been better than the 200 yard spacing they used. T1 was slow, but uneventful, except for finding that my prescription sunglasses in a hard case had been stomped on and were severely bent. I held my breath and straightened them up a bit. Had they broken, my race would have been over. Memo to self - bring spare pair from now on. The bike course is excellent. Flat and fast, with good quality roads. Great traffic control. Not fully closed to cars, but what traffic there was was manageable. One good-sized overpass that you hit both ways and that's it. I had a good ride, despite the stuff flying off my bike. A CO2 cylinder at mile 4. My Endurox bottle sometime previous to that. My other CO2 cylinder and tool bag around mile 35. Can't afford a flat tire now. My seat post swivel bolt backed off around mile 40. The post was okay vertically, but the seat had about 90 degrees of play in the horizontal plane. Not real bad, but a bit disorienting. Got off the bike feeling strong. No problems in T2. Took off for the run, theoretically
my
best leg in a triathlon. I had goals of running strong, maybe holding
the pace in the 7:45 area. Ha! Now, it was wickedly hot. I
mean hot. There was a bit of a breeze at times, and that helped. I ran
through
the first three miles at about 7:40 or so, then the wheels came off. I
may have been low on calories, not really sure. But I had to run/walk
the rest of the way. Limped in over two hours, a 9:26 pace. I
couldn't even manage to run from aid station to aid station. The
stations were roughly a mile apart, and they were incredible. Each
must have had 50 people. Cold sponges, water, ice, Pepsi, Gatorade,
oranges, pretzels, cookies, gummy bears, and probably more. I somehow
managed to run in at a decent pace for the last half mile or so, even though I
would have rather walked. A half dozen or so of us crossed at about the same
time. I must have looked pretty bad, because a volunteer walked up to
our group looking at me the whole way and asked if I wanted to go to the
medical tent. I told him maybe, then felt better as I kept walking and
so declined his offer. A little water and some shade, and I was fine.
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