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Race Result

Racer: Katie Davison
Race: Diamond In The Rough
Date: Saturday, July 10, 2004
Location: Perryville, MD
Race Type: Triathlon - International Distance
Age Group: Female 25 - 29
Time: 2:41:56
Overall Place: 210 / 404
Age Group Place: 52 / 125
Comment: my first olympic triathlon...



Race Report:



Hellooo RATS. hehe Diamond in the Rough was my first Olympic triathlon and second triathlon ever…and this will be my first race report ever! I just have to say that this is an amazing sport…a year ago swimming was my main passion…then 6 months ago when I got my pink bike (Gigi) and triathlon training began I found even more thrill with just the training…then I started racing…does it get any better?!

***TIMES***
SWIM = 24:02
T1 = 2:21
BIKE = 1:30:38
T2 = 1:12
RUN = 43:46

***DAY -1 ***

I was off work Friday, due to the compressed work week thing, so I slept in somewhat...then got a light swim (2500 yards) and bike (15 miles) in. I felt awesome…and wished it was race day :/ The rest of the day I ran errands, packed and tried to relax. That night I watched the Olympic swimming time trials in the beautiful Long Beach, CA 50 meter pool and thought of how nice it would be to swim in the not so clean Susquehanna River tomorrow morning. The overall feeling of the day was a nervous exciting…but great pre-race feeling.

***PRERACE***

My alarm woke me up at 4:00am (my clock is 10 minutes fast so this was actually 3:50am….however setting the alarm for before 4am is insane). I got up, waited around for a few to see if Sarah, my sister, would get up and come with me, but after hearing her come in at 2:30am figured I was alone. As I got closer to the race I started to get really excited! Seeing all of the cars with racing bikes seems to do that to me. I arrived around 6am…the sun was about up and it was going to be a beautiful but HOT day. I then headed over to the registration/bike inspection/body, marking SNAFU. There I ran into Steve Smith…and found myself much calmer seeing a familiar friendly face :) After getting registered, inspected, and body marked I headed to the transition area and found a spot on the rack with the other 25-29 age groupers. I set up my stuff and visualized my transitions for awhile. I was then joined by Brady DeHoust and Mike Guzek. It was then announced that the water was 79 degrees and wetsuits would not be scored…ehh…not sure how I felt about this…I had been thinking that the stupid suit messed up my stroke anyways…on the other hand I HATE cold water and was worried about being cold. I opted to forget the suit and took it back to the car. When I returned talking with Brady and Mike kept me busy until race time….when I realized I REALLY had to go to the bathroom. Ah well I figured I would go while waiting for the start in the water…note to RAT…never come near me in the water :)

***SWIM***

I positioned myself at the front of my wave (1st wave)…this is my strongest leg by far so every little extra counts. Unfortunately this was a floating start and all hopes of going to the bathroom were shattered…cripes…I would be sorry in the run. The start was fast…seems everyone sprints to get out ahead and then most die off. I held my own off the start and continued to pull away from most of the group. At first I felt pretty awful…but once I got away from everyone was able to settle into a smooth rhythm and start alternate breathing. Eventhough the course was excellently marked with huge orange buoys I managed to run into 2 of them. The swim seemed to go by quickly and before I was back at the dock.

***T1***

Back at the transition area I noted most bikes were still there and I was off to a good start. I quickly transitioned with no problem and was off.

***BIKE***

I think the best thing about being the fastest in the swim is I get to see a good portion of the race starting out on the bike…and its like I am being chased…which pushes me much harder. As I started out of the park Steve came from behind and we exchanged go get ems, then Dave, then Brady, Aaron, Mike, Tom, one by one there they went….huh haha. One of these days that won’t happen anymore. It was very motivating to try and keep up when they passed. The course was beautiful along the Chesapeake and through the woods….although I could have done without some of the hills. I got my maximum speed up to 40, which is the fastest I have gone yet. I felt pretty good throughout most of the bike. The grade at mile 22 was a beast. All the people watching in there cars kept me entertained…some of them tried to talk to me but I did not loose focus. After the hill I started thinking about T2 and the run. Ughhhh the run…

***T2***

Seemed about half the bikes were back at the transition area…I am not too behind I thought to myself. I had another smooth transition and was off and running.

***RUN***

Oh WOW…this is gonna hurt….were my first thoughts at the start of the run. My knees have been bothering me the last few weeks. At first I thought it was from starting out with the biking too much too soon. I had my bike properly fitted at Tri-Nergy a few weeks ago. They don’t hurt at all when biking …before it was a bit painful biking and running. Now it is just when I run…however if I push through it usually it goes away…but I don’t know if that’s a good thing :/ So mile 1 passes…I am slower than molasses…hehe. Then I start feeling better….and start to push it a little more. I don’t think I have ever run 5 miles so I was not sure how to pace myself…though I was not too tired. The course was good…very flat and just there and back. The half-way point comes along and I feel ecstatic! Almost done! I really start to pick it up. The last mile was tough business….but I gave it my all and finished strong and smiling :)

***POSTRACE***

In the end I was tired and did all that I could in the run. I think I could have pushed it harder in the bike and swim for sure. It’s a learning process…and I have a LONG ways to go :) but that’s part of the fun…and I love the challenge.
After the race I hung out with the RATS in the tent….and waited for the awards ceremony. The RATS won tons of awards…very inspiring…congrats to you all! Then waiting for the team award brought me back to summer swim league championships and waiting for the winner to be announced. Overall it was an great day. Its been amazing meeting so many people similar to myself in the last few months. RATS are awesome!