1K Swim, 18K Bike, 6.3K RunEldora Ski Resort, Colorado - 9500ft
1st Amateur, 2nd Overalll
Everything started off smoothly with the packing of the moto and meeting Sasha at the court house at 6:30am. We drove up to the Eldora Ski Resort with no troubles and arrived in plenty of time to set up, warm up and watch the La Sportiva 10K run begin and end. I was already feeling a bit off and not having much of an appetite so I wasn't able to get much down before the race...it was going to be less than 2hrs so I really wasn't worried. Was it the altitude again?
Swim - BRRRRRRRRRRR...at 9500ft, no matter how big or small the body of water, it's gonna be cold...and it was. I guess the faster you go, the faster you can get out of it, right? After all limbs went numb, I was finding a good rhythm and sighting the best course I think I've ever swam. After getting pulled out of the slick exit, I found my shoes in the giant pile outside the lake, ripped off my wetsuit and began the 650m dash to transition. It's pretty hard running straight uphill on rocky terrain carrying your wetsuit but I loved it...true XTERRA style!
Bike - I geared up and headed out on the course as quickly as possible. After not training hardly at all the week leading up to the race I was unsure how I would feel out there. I planned on starting off easy and gradually building into race pace throughout. Unfortunately, the course was poorly marked and right off the bat I made a wrong turn with some other people and after realizing it, turned right around and tried to get back on course immediately...this wrong turn and one other early in the ride definitely spiked my heart rate and I ended up getting frustrated and going harder than I wanted for the first half. Luckily most of the final sections were all super fun downhill trails so I was able to relax a bit before heading on the run. With a better marked course, this is definitely going to be one of the best bike courses on the XTERRA circuit for sure :)
Run - Had a very quick transition and was out on the run course in no time. Because it was a time trial start, I wasn't quite sure my exact standing in the race, but I didn't know that of the few girls who got in the water before me, I had passed 3 of them on the bike and was certain that at least 1 or two were still behind me on the run. After hitting the short out and back section, I saw a few girls who I had passed on the bike in front of me on the run...hmmmm...I got a little frazzled and just pushed harder. Then, like last weekend in Crested Butte, I began to get another slosh in my belly. I had not taken but 3 sips from my bottle on the entire bike and hadn't consumed anything on the run that far. What in the world? Since it was only 6.3K, I really didn't think about it, just tried to ignore it as much as possible and get to the finish line. After making a sharp turn out of some tall grass, I could see the finish and the never-ending run was finally over.
The Madness - Turns out there was one section on the bike that a lot of people went straight instead of right at making the course about 15min faster. They issued penalties to those whose times were 'obviously' wrong, but for others, it was up to them to fess up or have others who know their ability say something. It was definitely not a pretty end to a race but things happen and not everything can always go perfectly.The Outcome - After all the penalties were issued, I ended up being the first amateur and 2nd overall to Melanie McQuaid. I was also the 20-24 Triple X Champ for having the fastest combined time for Buffalo Creek, Crested Butte and Indian Peaks! WHHOOAAAAA :)
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