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Race Result
| Racer: |
Dan Frost |
| Race: |
Valdese Triathlon |
| Date: |
Saturday, March 13, 2004 |
| Location: |
Valdese, NC |
| Race Type: |
Triathlon - Sprint |
| Age Group: |
Male 35 - 39 |
| Time: |
0:50:24 |
| Overall Place: |
6 / 247 |
| Age Group Place: |
1 / 25 |
| Comment: |
The new season has arrived! |
Race Report:
Nice place. Good people. Had fun. Won cash!
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Official Numbers
Swim (250yd pool + exit) - 3:14 (Overall 6th)
Bike (T1 + 9+miles) - 26:35 (5th)
Run (T2 + 3 miles) - 20:36 (17th)
Total - 50:24 (Tied 6th)
Weather: Clear, light north winds, 49F
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Why would anyone from the DC area drive seven hours each way to do a quickie sprint triathlon in March? The Valdese Triathlon might interest you if any of the following apply:
(A) You have friends in Western North Carolina and need an excuse to visit them.
(B) You like bountiful amounts of swag and barbeque food.
(C) You want to break up the monotony of winter base training
(D) You just want to go to a warmer place
(E) You think that you’re fast enough to finish in the top seven of your gender and earn some $$$$
(F) It would be your first triathlon
Otherwise, don’t go to Valdese. The logistics needed to go there and race are a bit hefty…Leave work early on Friday in order to get stuck in traffic trying to flee DC. Spend the night in Blacksburg. With an 11AM race start time, there’s plenty of time to finish the drive, set up, warm up, and race. By the time, however, that the event is over (3:30ish) and after an obligatory post-race easy bike ride (now 5:30ish), you discover that you’re in the middle of North Carolina with nothing to do except have dinner at Myna’s Little Italy, drop in on friends, and/or commence the return journey. Hit Shenandoah NP on the way back to finish out the weekend.
This was Valdese’s first triathlon. I think the RD was also the town’s mayor and the race’s principal sponsor. Many participants were first-timers from the home town. The town’s favorite son, Sonni Dyer, coaches just about everybody who was in the race. (I happened to have bought my Softride from Sonni when he worked at Inside Out Sports.) Plenty of volunteers made the event run fairly smooth…smoother than typical new races. The city had wishful hopes of drawing 200 participants…they got 250 and almost reached their limit of 300.
The Race: Time-trial format starting with a pool swim of 10 lengths in alternating-direction lanes, a 9+-mile bike ride on a course with no flat ground, and an out-and-back 3-mile run also on rolling terrain.
Most Unique Hazard: Farm equipment traveling on the bike course.
The One Thing To Avoid Doing Here: Signing up on race day. You’ll end up starting last, at least an hour after the event begins.
Best Takeaway: Enjoying the experience of racing again and knowing that, at least in March, this racing is all for fun.
Second Best Takeaway: $50 for finishing in a tie for sixth.
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FINAL COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS
Cost: $45 entry fee
Benefits:
(Swag) Long-sleeved, non-white race t-shirt [looks good]; large water bottle; Hammer-Gel packet; BBQ lunch on site; raffle opportunity for more tri swag including a racing bicycle.
(Prizes) Short-sleeved, non-white t-shirt from race sponsor; two pieces of designer luggage [personalized tote bags with race name and overall/AG place embossed]; limited-edition portrait of U.S. Grant, numbered and signed by the artist [retail value $50].
Best wishes,
-Frosty
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