Race Result

Racer:	Stuart Brandt
Race:	Cape Henlopen Triathlon
Date:	Sunday, October 10, 2004
Location:	Lewes, DE
Race Type:	Triathlon - Sprint
Age Group:	Male 40 - 44
Time:	1:31:32
Overall Place:	177 / 336
Age Group Place:	15 / 18
Comment:	Glad I did this one

Race Report:

Course:
1/4mi ocean swim, parallel to shore and with the current
15.3mi bike around Lewes, DE. Flat with a light wind.
5K run on trails in the State Park. Mostly flat and very scenic.

Prerace:
I found this race late in the season and entered primarily because I wanted to race again and hadn't done any ocean swimming before. Thought it should prove to be a fun experience. Drove down on Saturday for packet pickup and bike inspection. Bike inspectors didn't show up, so end-plugs were checked on race day and that was about it. Took a quick swim Saturday afternoon to help resolve some outstanding questions I had about water temp, currents, sighting references, salt water in the mouth, etc. Drove the bike course to get a feel for it. Felt good that all turns were marked with yellow painted arrows on the road. Made it to the transition area a little after 7am -- early enough to get one of the end-spots on my rack.

Swim:
Started in the last wave, so I had the benefit of watching the prior waves undershoot the first turn buoy on their way out. Moved further up the beach which allowed me to hit the first buoy exactly where I wanted. Swam over a couple people's feet due to zero visibility in the water, but otherwise it was an uneventful swim. The distance was way too short for me -- if I'm gonna get all dressed up for the dance, I kinda want to dance a little. Out of the water in under 8min, stripped off the wetsuit on the beach to ease the longish run to the transition area. Swim + wetsuit removal + beach run/walk = 8:44.

T1:
Way too slow. Not sure what the issue was, so I'm going to need to practice this a lot more. Grabbed a bite of apple to clean out my mouth from the salt-water taste -- worked well.

Bike:
A good ride. Plan was to go moderate on the first 2mi, ride hard the next 12, then ease off toward the end to get ready for the run. Seemed to work well. I was aware of the wind, but I have no idea how it impacted me (if at all) since I'm still riding without a cyclometer. Was a litle worried about the train track crossings + grated bridge surface, but it turns out they were OK. Bike time = 48:02

T2:
First time entering the dismount point already out of my shoes, so it felt good to just hit the ground and run. Still took longer than I'd like, but not as bad as T1.

Run:
Since I know I'm not going to set any speed records, I took the time to look around and reflect on how ideal things were. I mean, I was racing at a beach in DE on a beautiful day with all of my family happy/healthy and in the midst of some fantastic athletes...not sure I could have asked for more. Definitely a feeling I need to remember on those long January trainer rides. Got to within 50yds of the finish feeling pretty good when all of a sudden I hear footsteps coming behind me (and fast). I turned and saw this F30-39 Trigal about to smoke me with the finish line in sight. Mind you, this AG has consistently kicked my butt on the last 2 race's bike courses...so the teenager in me just couldn't let this one go. I turned to her and said "you're really going to make me do this, aren't you?" For that last 50yds, we were both laughing and sprinting (a relative term) and having the times of our lives. I think I held her off, but I'll bet her RR says she put me in my place. Time = 29:24

Summary:
This was my 3rd Tri, and the competition here seemed stiffer than in the prior 2 I've done. I managed only 15/18 in my AG. I plan to move up to the Oly distance next year, but I may be back to this race next year simply because of where it falls in the season, its location, and the scenic course.