2008 GrandMan Triathlon
by: Ben H.

My trend lately has been to write race reports on the larger races only, but I did a triathlon last weekend that was so enjoyable I thought a report was in order, as much to promote the race as anything.

 

The race is the GrandMan triathlon in Fairhope, Alabama, a little east of Mobile and on Mobile Bay.  Fairhope is a too-cute town full of antique shops and boutiques.  Not my style, but I must admit, very clean and pretty easy to get around in.  It also features a sensational restaurant which I'll touch on later.  The race is a sprint, and a relatively short one - 1/3 mile swim, 16.4 mile bike, 5k run.  I had to be in Fairhope on business, so I posted on Slowtwitch that I would be looking for a place to ride, and a guy shot back about the race, so a lucky break for me - quite the coincidence.  Anyway, about the race - I thought okay, baby swim, baby bike, then run a hard 5k.  Piece of cake.

 

Things got off to a good start when I picked up my packet Friday afternoon down at the pier.  The nice lady looks me up and down and says, "Are you the ringer that they told me about, that's going to win the whole thing?"  I assured her no, I would not be winning the race, though I would go all out.  But I'll admit it made me feel good, implying that I looked the part.  Now she may use that line on everybody for all I know, but that's beside the point.

 

Race morning I got there early, got marked and got my chip, no line at all.  I managed about a ten minute ride, and a two mile run for warmups, which was good, though the ride should have been a bit longer.  My only complaint about the race is that it was tough to find water pre-race.  I finally did, but I think I was the only one.  If I were Jerry Richard, I would have had a complaint though - the number of portalets was way small.  I saw two and the park had a few minimal bathroom facilities, but not enough in my view and I know not enough for JR.

 

On to the race.  My favorite triathlon swim ever, hands down.  Not only is it short, I walked (ran) half of it.  It's shallow enough halfway out to the turn buoy, so that's what I, and more than a few others, did.  The water is a bit muddy, and warm.

 

There is a big time hill immediately out of transition.  Almost Holy Toledo big.  Real steep at the start, then the grade eases up, but you are literally climbing for 1/2 a mile before you make the right on to Section St.  That same hill as a descent on the way in is not all that much help.  You could hit 45 mph toward the end if you wanted,  but you have to come to a screeching halt as soon as it ends so you can't do all that much with it.  Same deal on the run - it stung my legs getting up it, but on the way back, it was too steep a downhill for me to do anything with.  Had to apply the brakes the whole way.  A 12% grade is just too much for me.  Now if I were young and nimble I could fly down it maybe, but I am old and ungainly.

 

I drove the bike course the afternoon before the race, and that was time well spent.  It's a simple out and back, with some significant climbs.  Seems I always overestimate how tough hills are when I drive a course, and no difference here.  Race day they were plenty tough, but not quite as bad as I was expecting.  I had noted the hardest climb on the course (not counting the hill right out of transition) at about 2/3 of the way out.   Not that long but very steep - it's a screaming downhill on the way out and obviously you must climb it on the return.  It's preceded on the way in by a little downhill so you can build some momentum, and I used that to full advantage, and was pleasantly surprised that I was able to big-ring it all the way up.  Barely.  Ken St. Pe' would have been proud.

 

I had a great ride for me - nobody passed me and I passed quite a few.  No, my time was not as fast as Trevor's was last year, but obviously the course was short in 2007.

 

Heading out on the run, I felt I was having a good race, and for years the run was my strongest leg.   But it's kind of been the bike in the last year or so.  Anyway, I was ready for the big hill out of transition.  That was a drag, but I got through it.  One guy passed me on the run.  It was on this hill, then he fell right back behind me, and immediately vomited with a deafening roar.  Never seen (heard) that before at a sprint tri.  Good effort!  But despite nobody else passing me, my run was only so-so.  I passed a few people, maybe 10, but I could tell I just didn't want to get to the level of pain that I used to almost embrace.  I had a big kick left for the last 40 meters or so, and that told me I had left a little out there.  Hate that, but it's true.

 

This event features a very high ratio of volunteers to racers, maybe the best ever.  As I said, the whole town seems to get behind it.  If you go next year, and I intend to, you need to eat at Buck's Diner, and get coffee at the Coffee Loft, both on N. Section St.  The former served me two of the best meals in recent memory, and the latter is a very funky and relaxed place that I managed to hit 4 times in a little over 24 hours.