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Race Result

Racer: Brady DeHoust
Race: Make-A-Wish Sea Colony Triathlon
Date: Saturday, September 24, 2005
Location: Bethany Beach, DE
Race Type: Triathlon - International Distance
Age Group: Male 30 - 34
Time: 1:32:56
Overall Place: 2
Age Group Place: 1
Comment: If ever I was given the chance to win ...



Race Report:



If I ever had a chance to win one of these suckers, this was it. Due to pretty nasty overnight weather, the ocean was looking pretty mean, and Rob V. made the right decision to cancel the swim. Instead, he institued a 1/2 mile beach run, and the rest of the race would go as normal. The winds were pretty strong ... stronger than other years I've done this race.

My wave was wave #2. The first wave of M50 and above, W40 and above, and youngsters (<20) went off 3 or 4 minutes before. With some construction on the Indian Inlet Bridge, the race directors enforced a no pass zone for the ~1-mile stretch over the bridge where we only had a narrow coned-lane to ride. This caused some concern, with the potential to get caught behind some of the wave 1 folks.

That beach run ... wow, that was the hardest half-mile of my life. My heart rate blasted out of my chest in the sand sprint. While there wouldn't be any substantial time made on the beach run, it was important to be up front to avoid the bottle-neck on the wooden steps and deck run off the beach to the parking lot and T1. I chose to wear my shoes, and figured I could "slap" out any sand that had accumulated.

I was a bit concerned with a HED tri-spoke front wheel taking a lot of cross-wind, but I had no other wheels with me to make the swap. I new there'd be sections on the course where I would really need grip the bars tightly. Heading out to the bridge, I tried hard to get in front as many of the wave 1 folks I could, but once I reached the bridge, I immediately had to sit up and got stuck behind some slower wave 1 riders. This allowed anyone from my wave who I had put some time on to catch up -- in retrospect, really didn't make a difference in the outcome of [my] race. Out of the no pass zone on the other side of the bridge, I put my head down and rode as hard as I could. Sometime after the turn in Dewey, I dropped a couple guys who had been riding about 10 meters behind me. Going back over the Indian Inlet Bridge, I took a look behind and saw no other riders close. In the closing miles, I passed one other to put me in the lead heading into T2.

I've posted good run splits on this course in previous races. Last year's was the best run over all the previous 5 years I had done this race. I felt I had a solid shot at the win -- until around the first mile. Like the Reston triathlon two-weeks prior, I heard footsteps .. then I heard breathing .. then I saw the soles of the eventual winner's shoes, as he took me over on his way to a 32:41 10k (5:16/mile pace). When he passed, I knew I wouldn't be able to match pace. I did, however, do my best to minimize the damage. I marked cones and counted seconds he had gained, until eventually he was too far ahead to do so. My 35:57 run was 30-seconds off my 2004 run time, but plenty strong enough for 2nd place overall.

A quick shower and we hit the post race picnic. I've said it before, but this is why I do this race every year. At the picnic, the kids who received their wished through the Make-A-Wish foundation tell their stories and talk about how they were able to have a day where they weren't sick or in the hospital .. they were just kids having a good time with friends and family. One went on a Disney cruise, one met his favorite band, Good Charlotte, and hung out back stage at a concert. I talked for a while with Joe's parents -- Joe is the reason I showed up at this race in 1999, and Joe's Team, once again, was represented in full force.