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Race Result

Racer: Mike Guzek
Race: American Cancer Society (Salisbury) Sprint
Date: Sunday, May 5, 2002
Location: Salisbury, MD
Race Type: Triathlon - Sprint
Age Group: Male 25 - 29
Time: 1:16:09
Overall Place: 18
Age Group Place: 4



Race Report:



Brady and I headed to Salisbury, MD to kick of the season with a sprint tri. This was the first triathlon I ever did three years ago, so I always look forward to the chance to race here. The weather for the weekend was predicted to be pretty cold…..and it was.

When we woke up for the race, the temperatures were in the low 50s. This was not shaping up to be ideal. We made our way to the race site to see all the other athletes bundled up. There was not much we could do. The only thing to decide was whether to wear extra clothing on the bike and run. Since it was a sprint, I opted to go with nothing by my normal racing gear. I figured I could tough it out. I was definitely nervous after having the past 6 months to relax and of course train.

The swim start was in waves so it was pretty manageable. I seeded myself up front and when the gun went off, I took off. Very quickly, I was able to clear most of the people and followed a guy for about the first third of the course. I could tell I was near the front, but a couple swimmers had really sprung from everyone else. As I got out of the water someone looked me dead in the eyes and gestured with his hands and he yelled "FOURTH!" Sweet! I rushed through transition and was on my bike.

The guy that came in from the swim after me snuck out of the transition ahead of me. We rode and very quickly caught a slower biker ahead. Temperatures were cool, but surprisingly manageable. About 10 minutes into the bike we saw 2 guys ahead of us. We just cruised by them. I then made a pass on the guy in front of me and the rest of the road was totally clear. My math got shakey and for a moment I thought I might be leading the whole race. About that time, the true leader came flying towards us. He had already hit the turn around. "whoh," I thought. "that guy is moving!" The fellow behind me moved in front of me and we road all the way back like that. I was third headed into the run.


I labored through the run and had about 5 or 6 guys pass me. I was delighted to see I had run sub 7 minute miles, but 7 minute miles won't cut it, if you are lucky enough to get off near the front. Since it was a wave start some of the guy from previous waves edged me out and I ended up 18th overall. Coming down the shoot I rolled my ankle with about 40 feet to go. This is the same ankle I rolled playing hoop a few weeks earlier, so I was not too happy.

Just a minute or two later, Brady came trucking from behind and found me by my tree nursing my ankle. I managed a 4th in my age group (still searching for an age group place) and 18th overall. Not a bad kick off for the season!

http://mguzek.tripod.com/salisbury02.htm