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Monday, May 23, 2011

Race report weekend of May 21-22, 2011

Hi Dawgs,
 
Well we had a lot of people racing this weekend!  28 Dawgs/3 Races/Lots of memories!  I reached out to some Dawgs to send me race reports to post... see below what your fellow teammates are saying about the races....Results posted below each race as well....
 
Columbia Race Report
 
Per Dave Anshen:
Great time hanging out with all the Dawgs at dinner the night before the race!  Lots of good carbo loading and some wine drinking by coach!  Although I've participated in the event the past four years, this is the first year that the weather forecast did not include rain or T-storms.   In the days leading up to the race, there was some question about water quality (due to the rain and run off), but after we all urinated in the water just prior to the race, the water quality was acceptable and the swim was on! 
For me, my alarm was set for 4:30 so I could eat my usual PB&J (and coffee) for breakfast and allow enough time to get to the race by 5:30.  Many Dawgs met in the tent area before the race and it was a great place to relax prior to race time.  It also nice to have help with zippers and lubricating by that is another story (Vince, Paul and Henry).  Vince and I were in the same wave (7:18) and were one of the first to enter the water.  It was crazy, there were 230 in our wave and everyone seemed to be fighting for the same space.  I had more people swimming on top of me (or under me) than in all other races combined.  After getting kicked in the head twice, I swam into a clear lane near the shore.  After the first turn, things seems to settle a bit.  After the swim exit, I was happy to see that I was more than 1 minute faster than last year...Coach almost looked surprised when I ran past (always nice to hear his encouragement after the swim!).  The transition was fairly smooth and it was time for the bike (my favorite leg).  I really wanted to improve my bike time from last year...but I had my doubts when my legs felt a bit sluggish during the first 2 miles.  I finally got into a groove and started cruising a bit.  Around mile 18 (I heard go Dave) and Carrie was flying past in the opposite direction.  That woman can ride!  It was mile 21 and I spotted Chris up ahead...Vince is flying up ahead and we made the turn onto the final stretch together.  Blair Saunders flew by us...holy crap...Blair was going faster than many of the pro men!  Blair, Vince, and I were all in T2 at the same time and it didn't take long for Vince to fly by me on the run.  Vince's form and pacing across all three legs in fantastic.  He had some nice words of encouragement for me...but I just could not hold Vince's running pace.  At mile 3, Chris McGoldrick flew by (as usual) and made it look so easy on the run.  I saw Paul Randolph looking smooth at mile 4 and then saw Marianne looking fantastic at mile 5.5 as we started the final stretch around the lake.  By this time, I was exhausted...the humidity was taking its toll.  I really wanted to make my PR but I knew it would be close.  I picked it up the last 1/4 mile and ended up breaking my Columbia PR by 42 seconds. 

After crossing the finish line, I was happy to see Vince and Chris...a nice hug and we were very happy to complete this tough race.  To be honest, I felt very weak and needed some food/water.  After the race, two of my childhood friends found me near the food tent...very nice catching up.  I grabbed some chocolate milk and two bagels and then went to our Tri-Dawg tent.  I saw Brett chilling in the tent and can not believe he did a 2:30 on such a hard course (at his age).  Wow...quite impressive!   I wish I could have tailgated with the Dawgs but promised Lauren I would be back home for her soccer game.  Great day...another great showing for the Dawgs. 

Per Jocelyn Saunders:
It was a beautiful day for the Columbia Triathlon today. With lots of Tri-Dawgs competing it was exciting to cheer everyone on. Heather Drysdale, Brian Drysdale, and David Drysdale all did their first triathlon on this challenging course, and David even made it on the podium in his division. Lenny, and Marianne also made it on the podium 1st and 3rd respectively in their divisions. Alexa, Andrew, Brooke, and Brett all competed at their first Olympic distance race. Brett took 1st in the 19 and under men, Andrew took 3rd in the 19 and under men, Brooke took 1st in the 19 and under women , and Alexa took 2nd in the 19 and under women. So on the way home there was talk of a 1/2 Ironman , Ironman, and even an Ironman tattoo like Lenny all some day way in the future. Pre-race nerves got to Alexa and it was great to have Lenny and other Tri-Dawgs encourage her to enjoy her race. It was fun to watch the friendly competition among Vince and Brooke on the swim, also Blair caught Dave, Vince, and Chris on the run, then they again challenged each other on the run. Cheering everyone on at the finish, Diane and I agreed that we would both race next year. It was also great to see the race director, Vigo recovering from being hit by a car 7 months earlier in Hawaii. Lets hope he makes a full recovery.

 We all agreed on the drive home that the Tri-Dawgs are a really nice, supportive group of people and we are really happy to be part of this group. I have to add that this has been a tough year for me with a separated shoulder, then a broken collarbone and the support I have gotten from you guys has been tremendous! Glenn has checked up on me probably more then anyone, and I think it is in the tough times that you learn who really cares about you! (: Thanks to everyone and congratulations to all who raced in Columbia!!!

Columbia May 22nd
http://www.tricolumbia.org/events/?eid=3
Olympic Distance Division Time Awards
Blair Saunders M 45-49 2:16:53  
Vince Lafashia M40-44 2:22:56  
Dave Anshen M40-44 2:25:10  
Brett Saunders M14-16 2:30:57 1st AG
Chris McGoldick M35-39 2:31:01  
Paul Randolph M 45-49 2:31:33  
Lenny Rogers Clydesdale (40-79) 2:37:35  
Carrie McGoldrick F35-39 2:38:13  
Marc Oleynick M-50-54 2:39:47  
David Drysdale Clydesdale (15-39) 2:41:18 2nd Division
Marianne Moore F55-59 2:48:42 3rd AG
Andrew Collier M14-16 2:49:53 3rd AG
Brooke Saunders F14-16 2:53:16 1st AG
Henry Speed Clydesdale (40-79) 2:54:36  
Stephanie Khan F45-49 2:56:33  
Patricia Clifford F50-54 3:05:38  
Alexa Murray F14-16 3:14:06 2nd AG
Brian Drysdale M25-29 3:28:08  
Heather Zolna F25-29 4:08:56  
 
Escape From Ft Delaware Race Report
 
Per Rich Castro:
Sunday morning I packed the car and arrived on time to get marked and pick up the race packet. At 9 AM+-, I ran into Bill, Ray, Rockey, and Eric. For about 1 hour, everyone had to wait until the ferry would transport us to the island. Once at Fort Delaware we had to wait for another 2 hours until the first wave went off (quite boring).
On the swim I mimicked the behavior of a zipper; swim left, swim right, and repeat. There was a strong current at the last buoy, making the swim more challenging.
Through transition I jumped on Scarlet and made my way through the crowd. The first 5 miles were ok, including the route 9 bridge. A strong wind started at around mile 7, slowing me down significantly. Once through the marshes, the wind dropped and I kicked it up a notch.
The run was slow and uneventful, until I saw Rockey. He yelled out “Rich”, followed by “Ouch, I think I pulled a muscle when I yelled out your name.” It made me laugh J
Happily finished, I had a chance to spend some time with 3 of my coworkers. Throughout the past year, I have been helping them train, as it was their first multisport event. For us, we finished within 1 minute of each other….amazing….but I did tell them that I had 50 lbs on them, as well as at least 6 years J
Well, it was about 4 years ago when I met the TriDawgs at this race. It’s been great to be part of such a nice group of people.
 
Per Eric Wolf:
Congratulations to everyone who raced yesterday at Columbia and Delaware City!  And special congrats to all first-timers out there. Nervousness is normal for anyone who has already completed a triathlon before and it can be extra intimidating when every aspect of the race is a step into the new and unfamiliar.
 
Escape From Fort Delaware brought its one unique challenges to the world of swim/bike/run for those of us who stayed local yesterday, the swimming was it. The skies were overcast for most of the day which made for ideal temps on the bike and run legs but brought with it a fair amount of wind and waves when crossing the river.  For those of you have never swam in the Delaware before, I can confidently say, it has the faint taste of diesel fuel and goes perfectly with the drift wood blocking our access into the canal. At one point, I thought Sun Oil and the Home Depot upstream in Claymont were having a free-sample give away and each of us was going to get our share whether we liked it or not. (Coach, I think at some point in our weekly Saturday swims, and so long as we all agree to keep our suits on, we should consider take turns swimming over top of one another but only after spilling 5 to 10 gallons of 87 octane into Chris McGoldrick's lane. :) 
All seriousness aside, I want to personally congratulate Rockey for completing the swim yesterday. For me, that was the highlight of the day. It was a challenge with two good shoulders and for him to get his feet on dry land without calling it quits beforehand was a great example of our team's never-give-up attitude.
 
The bike was, in typical Rt. 9 fashion, windy. Despite pedaling in my hardest gear going down the backside of the bridge, the wind was able to slow me down enough that it made reaching into my pull-along refrigerated cooler attached to Candi's (my bike) backside for the second half of my pulled-pork sandwich with creamy Dijon mustard extremely difficult. I attribute this reason alone to why I did not win overall male for the race.  
Sandy Womer had her own problems on the bridge. Apparently she could not get her bike into the small chain ring for the climbs to the top of Reedy Point which I'm sure must have tired her legs immensely in preparation for the run portion. Combine that with the fact that she deliberately disobeyed my direct orders to haul my second cooler of food, the one that housed the Acme $6.99 rotisserie chicken I picked up on way to the race and its clear to see that she was malnourished and was not carrying nearly enough weight to have her momentum carry her down from the top. She also does not believe that Chamois Butter is a suitable alternative to sunscreen and when applied safely can literally cut minutes over your swim splits. (Don't worry Sandy, I will not tell anyone else what else i suggested it was good for.)
 
The run was, well, what can you say about the run. It's the last obstacle to "free" food I paid $165 for. Escape's run is a flat out and back. The leader passed me on the way back at the mile 1/5 split. I think he may have enjoyed a Mexican meal the night before because he was hauling his butt like methane was shooting out it and he wanted to be first finisher in line for the port-o-poopers. I think there is a medal for that, btw. I'll have to check to confirm. Regardless, I made a mental note to consume a large can of Bush's Baked Beans on all future bike legs and will be taking applications for responsible teammates willing to accept responsibility for making sure this Clydesdale gets his much-needed share of gut busting fiber.
 
Escape from FT Delaware May 22nd
http://www.piranha-sports.com/Race142.aspx
Olympic Distance Division Time Awards
Wolf, Eric Clydesdale 2:51:55 3rd Division
Smallwood, John David M40-44 2:54:43  
Jackson, Ray M45-49 3:09:37  
Womer, Sandy F35-39 3:15:36 2nd AG
Castro, Richard Clydesdale 3:21:31  
Williamson, Jr., Ronald M45-49 3:22:06  
Poeta, Rockey M35-39 3:49:44  
Dolan, Kevin M50-54 4:03:07  
Ironman Texas May 21st
http://ironman.com/events/ironman/texas#axzz1NCUm2fNC
IronMan Distance Division Time Awards
Jocelyn Wong FPRO 10:50:50  

Mags!!!!
 

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