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It was the end of August, and time for triathlon season to start winding down. Kellie had one tri to do as part of a relay team. She was the cyclist.
On September 30th, Xterra returned to Fort Custer, I had enjoyed this race in the past and had to do it. The swim course was two 400-meter laps in Eagle Lake with a short beach run between them. Apparently, this is how Xterra Worlds does their swim. It was neat to get out of the water, see where you were in the field, and jump back in for another lap. The warm weather we had earlier warmed the lake up enough to make the swim enjoyable but still wetsuit legal.
The bike course was a combination of the Green and Red trail. My main goal was to not crash, I had a few close calls but was able to stay upright. Passing is difficult on single track trails so a good swim can help you on the bike a lot more here than road triathlons. Something I hope to remember for next year.
The run course used the three miles of the Green trail a technical trail run. I have been struggling with my run off the bike this year but it felt good today. I will be looking forward to this race next year and I hope they keep the fall date.
~Kevin B.
The start of 2017 race season was a plan to get out of my comfort zone with the intent to set myself up for training for RAAM, the coast-to-coast bicycling race from California to Maryland (but more on that later).
I started off the year with Hyner Park Trail Run in PA. I ran it with my oldest daughter Melissa who was gracious enough to stay with me. The course featured an extremely difficult combination of three big climbs. The total distance was 25k with 4,226 elevation gain. What a riot, and great to be with my daughter for the event.
The next event was the National 24 Hour Challenge in Middleville, MI. As the name implies, you have 24 hours to ride as many miles as you can in a 24-hour period. Making the race was even more difficult this year, a lightning storm forced the race director to close the course down from midnight until 3:30 am. It was a challenge to get going again after you were forced to stop, especially after riding for that long. I rode it like I was racing RAAM, trying to stay focused. In the end, I finished 1st in my age group 3rd overall with a total of 339 miles (even with the 3 1/2 hour break from riding)!
After that came Muncie 70.3 Ironman triathlon, I have not done one of these in quite a few years, and it’s strange to say this is a “short” race for me. Most of my training has been in the ultra-distance world. It was a great venue, but I seriously got my butt kicked. Still managed to finish 4th in my age group, but this engine is used to running for longer distances and the shorter course really didn’t play to my strengths (but still good training).
Next came The Marquette 100k Trail Run. This was amazing and one of the most beautiful and challenging trail runs I have ever completed. I was proud that I was able to just finish and 2nd overall female.
Lastly was the Wisconsin Ironman in Madison, WI. Again a great venue with great spectator involvement and a beautiful/challenging course. I finished 2nd in my age group and very happy with my results on this challenging and hilly course.
Now that my official racing for the year is over, training dials in for RAAM (Race Across America) coming up June 2018. This is a 3,000-mile bicycle race from Oceanside CA. to Annapolis MD. I’ll again (yes, I’ve done this a few times now) race in the solo women category and will have 12 days to complete the entire course or be disqualified.
~Kathy Roche-Wallace
BTR Criterium
I decided that the BTR Criterium in Kalamazoo was going to be my first ever bike race. It was an absolutely amazing experience! For being relatively new to cycling I hadn’t put much thought into bike racing until Maggie (my very supportive girlfriend) encouraged me to try bike racing.
I was somewhat nervous going into the race, but overall I was very excited. Scott Bridges was really generous in offering tips and tricks to doing well in my first bike race. He told me to try and stay at the front and see if I had anything left for the sprint. I did stay mostly in the front for most of the race until the bell lap came around. Unfortunately, I made a rookie mistake and found myself in the lead position a little too early. Overall, it was a great experience, and bike racing is definitely something I will continue to pursue.
~Bubba Continue reading “A Collection of “Bubba’s” Race Reports…”
On Saturday, August 12 I raced the Girls Best Friend Triathlon in Vicksburg. This race is special to me because it was my first multi sport race, and it got me hooked on triathlons and cycling. I’ve raced the du, the sprint, and Olympic distance events, but the Olympic is my favorite. This race is also a great beginner race, and the excitement of the ladies is inspiring.
The swim was 77 degrees, barely wetsuit legal. I opted to go without my wetsuit, and the swim went fine but I felt slow. Continue reading “Who Says Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend? Triathlons Are!”