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Race Result
| Racer: |
Dan Frost |
| Race: |
Tri-America Hampton (Sprint) |
| Date: |
Sunday, June 19, 2005 |
| Location: |
Hampton, VA |
| Race Type: |
Triathlon - Sprint |
| Age Group: |
Male 35 - 39 |
| Time: |
1:03:18 |
| Overall Place: |
1 / 190 |
| Age Group Place: |
1 / 18 |
| Comment: |
Not the place I wanted to race, but the race I wanted to win |
Race Report:
TRI-AMERICA SERIES (Sprint Distance - 750mS/20kB/5kR)
Hampton VA / June 19, 2005
Clearing morning cloudiness / 71F / East wind 10mph
(http://www.sommersports.com/events/triamerica/hampton/)
I am WAY behind on race reports (this one is two weeks late, Eagleman is three weeks back, and Breezy Point is four). So, I was relieved to see that my finsher's picture appears on the race website...meaning that's a thousand less words to write!
I had set aside, in my long term plans, to do a race on this weekend. My first choice (Military Nationals) was nixed when I was snubbed from selection to the All-Navy team. My second choice (Charlottesville Sprint), to my surprise, sold out. Yet, I still wanted to do a race, even though I was coming off of Eagleman...Something to keep the motivation going through the week before going into easy mode for a while. Kind of like weaning off of nicotine and moving to a smaller "patch".
Hence, I entered the undercard event of the Tri-America series stop in Hampton, right across the water from Norfolk and Breezy Point, where I had raced two weeks earlier. It was a race that I thought that I could win going in, but I received a very tough challenge. Having the best swim split, best T1 time, and the best bike split only earned me a lead of 1:24 going into the 5k, and I was pushed into HR numbers I had never seen before by a hard-charging runner who finished two minutes behind me at Breezy Point.
THE COURSE
START/FINISH/TRANSITION: A great beachside location in a large park. Perfect for a race with ample on-site parking.
SWIM: A warm (unannounced, but guessing 75F) ocean swim. International distance swimmers swim a long-elongated rectangle (direction dependent on currents), Sprinters make an early turn half-way out and cut across the rectangle to the other side.
BIKE: Flat, urban course. Technically challenging, but plenty of opportunities to open up the throttles. Uneven pavement (concrete slab) in many places. Course is on major roads crossing many other major roads, residential streets, and shopping areas. Traffic is very well marshalled by volunteers, but got to keep your head up. One loop for sprinters, two for Internationals.
RUN: Flat, not too much shade. Characterized by a mile-long straightaway at the beginning and end. International does a lollipop-shaped 10k, while sprinters make a U-turn before the loop section. Water at the miles.
COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS
Costs: Entry fee $60. Then you got to fight the traffic jam heading back to DC.
Benefits (Participation): White t-shirt, and plenty of post-race food and drink (including personal pan pizzas)
Benefits (Awards): A rather generic plaque that looks straight off the trophy shop shelf, and the intrisic knowledge of being the first to finish.
Thanks for reading...now, about that Eagleman story...
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