Category: Triathlons

On Saturday, July 29, WSI had a great presence at the Cereal City Triathlon in Battle Creek. In it’s 5th year, this event is on home territory. The WSI team took it head on with several podium finishes with overall male, Brandon V, and overall female, Maggie W.

~Dan W~

This was the second time I have done this event and as usual, the Cereal City Athletics folks had it dialed in.  I did the sprint duathlon again which was a 3K and 5K run with a 20K bike.  With all of these races, I really work hard to have a clean race I can be happy with.  Were my transitions clean, were my run times good and was my ride comfortable and fast:).  I was aiming for a sub 1 hour event but due to a slightly slower bike I was over the hour mark.  Overall, I was very happy with the win and my teammate Josh got second which was awesome.  CCA really does a nice job with their events – great volunteers and a very nice post race set up including some very unique awards.

~Nikki~

Being behind the scenes since 4:30 am for the event didn’t seem to take its toll until after I finished and sat down. I enjoyed every second of the event despite the prerace jitters when I heard women were stating first (I have a HUGE past with water, panic attacks and not being able to handle people swimming around me). However, I am happy to report the swim went incredibly smooth and was actually the first triathlon swim where I was able to keep my head in the game and not have to rely on any alternative strokes despite being trampled by the faster male swimmers. Coming out of the water, I was ecstatic heading to T1 and hopping on the bike. I put out a solid ride. I was determined to not let Charles pass me. I caught a glimpse of him near the turn around at the out and back course and couldn’t quite hold him off. Mind you, in any real race situation I would NEVER stand a chance, but his aero-bar fatty isn’t quite his usual race bike. Despite catching me, he couldn’t pull away and we went in to T2 neck-in-neck. The run is always the part where the struggle bus hits. It is currently my weakest of the 3. I held consistent (not fast, but consistent) with a finish time several minutes better than last year. I placed #1 in Athena by technicality (I was THE only woman registered as Athena). I credit my great race and the amazing atmosphere to the over 70 people that joined Cereal City Athletics in triathlon training groups this season.

~Charles~

I am not in a race mindset currently but couldn’t pass up participating on the Cereal City Triathlon. I decided to have a little fun with this event and ride my Trek Farley. I even decked it out with aerobars. I got a lot of laughs, comments and questions about that one, for sure! My morning started at 4:30 am with event set up and my day wasn’t over when I crossed the finish line. Along the course I passed several people who were determined to NOT let me pass them and consequently had a few choice words for me….all in good spirit though. I chased Nikki down, caught her shortly after the turn around, drafted off of her for a bit and pulled ahead, but not by much. I could not shake her after pushing so hard on the fatty for the first half of the ride. My run was solid. I did not expect a podium finish and I did not get one. This season I had helped coach a group in the Cereal City Triathlon training program and it was great seeing all of those athletes on the course setting new PRs and some of them completing their first triathlon. It is a great community to be a part of!

~Josh~

The Cereal City Duathlon was my first multi-sport race after a knee injury derailed my race season last year.  I’m still rebuilding my base and getting my speed back but really enjoyed this du as it felt really good to get back to it.  My run and bike times were pretty much right where I thought they’d be and I raced well.  While a few runners were well ahead of me on the first leg, including teammate Danny, my strategy turned to gaining as much time on the bike over the runners before going into the final run.  I was able to put several minutes ahead of many of them and finished 2nd overall, which turned out to be great knowing Danny finished 1st.  It was a great day for WSI and as always, the event was one of the best around thanks to Cereal City Athletics and all the great volunteers.  Can’t wait for new year!

~Holly~

It was a great day to Tri! Air was cool. Water was warm. Sun came out. Humidity was low. Friends all around. The Cereal City Triathlon is like family every year. It’s our hometown event and Cereal City Athletics always puts on a great event. The course was well marked and the volunteers were rock stars encouraging and keeping us safe along the way. I was fortunate to coach newer triathletes, with WSI member Katie Bridges and Laurie Oleska, as part of the Cereal City Triathlon Training program this year. I love the out and back of the bike and run in this event because triathletes are always so encouraging of each other. Because of my Mom’s Run This Town (MRTT), Cereal City Athletics Adventure Club and WSI connections it felt like I knew everyone on the course with added to the enjoyment of the event. My swim felt like a struggle but I made it out of the water and to the bike where I was able to set my sights on the riders in front of me and pick a couple off along the way. As part of the Cereal City Athletics Triathlon Training I was able to hear Rob Lillie (Lillie Inspired) discuss the transition from bike to run and give us some tips for easing the process. As I left transition for the run I employed one of his tips and had one of my best runs in a long time – even after a swim and a bike! I felt good coming into the finish and was pleased to end up with a 3^rd place age group podium finish. It was like icing on the cake

And that’s a wrap.

If one would like to earn a badge of honor (or stupidity depending on your point of view) that consists of a red tattoo of an M with a circle on top, also known as the Iromman logo, one would need to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and top all of that off by running a full 26.2 miles all in one day. 16 hours, to be exact. It just so happens that there are real people out there that are crazy enough to do just that, and do it more than once!

Sunday, October 9, WSI members Kevin and Charles embarked on the Ironman journey in Louisville, Kentucky. This event had been in August in the past, moving to October to ease the midday heat for the athletes. For Charles, this would be his first time crossing the finish line after 140.6 miles. For Kevin, it was his last (so he says).

The morning was brisk. I (Nikki) opted for a coffee and a casual stroll to the swim exit while the racers lined up in a mile long line awaiting their turn to jump into the river one by one. Kevin made it out and hit the bike with Charles following shortly after. Although, when you are waiting for someone to come out of the water during a long swim it seems like an eternity, ask any spouse of an IM athlete.

The Louisville course was great for spectators! With 4 kids in tow we were able to see athletes at the swim exit, coming out of the transition on bike, twice on the bike route when looping through the quaint little town of Granger, again at the transition to the run, and finally at least twice along the run route which looped into town, teased the athletes with a view of the finish line, then made them turn left for another 13.1.

For Kevin, this IM was a goal setter. His goal was to be under 12 hours after completing the 2014 Louisville IM in 12:38. He quickly remembered how hard the race was. The swim was fun “if you like kicking and clawing at 2,700 people in a dirty river for 2.4 miles.” (Yeah, no thanks!) At least with it being in October, it was wetsuit legal this time. He completed his swim in 1:10.  He then made up time on the bike, averaging 19 mph. In fact, he flew by me so fast, the only picture I got of him was his back end. I am a professional spectator, mind you, and great at spotting riders from a distance, so he was really flying!

Being the smart rider that he is, he set his bike computer to monitor his cadence to make sure he spun easy through the rolling hills of Kentucky. Saving your legs for the run is extremely important. And of course, the run is where the pain starts. Kevin describes his marathon as the Frazz cartoon does. When Frazz is asked how he can run 26 miles at a time, he says he does not run 26 miles, he runs 1 mile 26 times.  He completed his marathon in a respectable 4:35, a whopping 30 minutes faster than in 2014!!! Crossing the finish at 11:57:07, in Downtown Louisville, with the music blaring, the street lights vibrant and the crowd cheering, Kevin Bridges, became an Ironman yet again, and accomplished his goal of under 12 hours.

For Charles, the goal was to finish. The amount of time put into training for an Ironman is no joke. Yet, it is so hard to determine a goal time as you NEVER know what is going to happen on the course. The swim was as expected, and the bike full of lovely Kentucky rolling hills that will take your legs if you aren’t careful. The run started off smooth. Around mile 10 his achilles wanted to make sure he knew it was there. It got louder (read more painful) as the run went on. His run slowed to a fast walk, in which I was biting my nails watching the clock and split times via IM updates. The run course was an out and back, twice, so we were only able to see him at the 13 mile mark and the finish. Those last 13 miles, for me, and I am sure for him, felt like forever. Knowing how hard he worked and knowing he was struggling was horrible. I, however, also knew how stubborn he was and that he would be crossing that finish no matter what. As the kids crashed at the finish, we waited anxiously for that moment of glory. The moment you see him appear in the finish chute and hear the announcer say those words; “Charles Elder, YOU are an IRONMAN!”. His first words to me after finishing, and I quote, “That was the dumbest thing I have ever done.” Ask him now, and he will tell you he is already planning for when he can do the next one. Really?!?!

There are even more badass people in our area! Another Battle Creek-er, Jason, joined in the festivities and coincidentally, a Trikat (from Kalamazoo) crossed the finish right behind Charles (which we did not realize until someone pointed it out in the picture)!

Congratulations to ALL of the Louisville Ironman finishers! I am not sure how accurate the statistic is, but they say you are now a part of the elite 1% of the population.

~Nikki

This may be the shortest race report ever…..

Dan Frayer set out to put his hard training efforts to the test at the Ionia Xterra on July 24th. Clouds rolled in along with lightening and storms. The event was cancelled and Dan was hopped up on caffeine with no place to go, which left him feeling like a caged bull. Better luck next time! At least he remembered to get some pre-race shots for the blog.

Sunday, May 22 was a day of triathlons near and far for WSI teammates Danny Wolin and Charles Elder.

As a beginning of the triathlon season tradition for many 3 years, Danny Wolin competed in the Seashorse Duathlon. With Danny’s speed on both the bike and run, he traditionally places in this event. With that being said, he is also constantly racing against himself and striving for new course PRs. If you are not familiar with the Seahorse Triathlon/Duathlon, it is a great beginning of the season event put on by 3 Disciplines. The event is held in Coldbrook Park in Climax, Mi. The run is definitely as tough one, though. The run is nothing short of a good cross country route, with woods, hills, a campground and stair climb. At the beginning of the duathlon start, there was a 16 year-old girl whom intimidated everyone, knowing she was a force to be reckoned with. They took off and while Danny kept her in sight for a while, while another 3D sponsored racer was pulling some very fast splits-close to 6 minute miles- hard for a trail run. He caught the girl after a mile or so on the ride and caught the other racer with about 4 miles to go on the bike and had a 4 minute lead on him for the second run. As always, a lead is never a lead until the finish. Danny’s opponent caught back up to him a mile and a half into the second run, and that was all she wrote. Second place with a new course PR.

About 10 hours south, Charles Elder participated in the Ironman Chattanooga 70.3. He joined with Team ZERO for this event and raised over $1700 for ZERO Cancer, and organization dedicated to ending prostate cancer. Leading up to the event, Charles put in a lot of effort raising funds, including a 12-hour cycle-a-thon at the Battle Creek YMCA.

The weather for race day was perfect! With a good swim time, a strong bike and a decent run, he finished in 6:07, just shy of his 6 hour goal for this time around. There were some amazing athletes on the course that day, with the winner finishing in 3:46 with an average bike speed of 27 mph! The world championships will be held on that course next year.

The swim was a point-to-point in the Tennessee River with about .2 miles upstream and rumored 8 foot catfish. The hills were what you would expect in Tennessee; mountains. The course was scenic and enjoyable and the run was lined with spectators, including Elder’s 4 kids.

For Charles, this event was all in the training plan for the full Ironman in Louisville in October.