This is my first time doing this race for a couple of factors, first begin that I have worked at it doing EMS on the streets since this race is in our service area and secondly it's an expensive race to do. Well, this year it landed a month out from my half iron (Rev3 Wis Dells) and my fire department knowing that I race with TeamFirefighter.com was willing to pay for my entry fee! Thanks guys!
The summer has been WARM up here and race day was going to be "cooler" with race start temps in the 70's and dew points equal to that with finish time temps in the 90's.
3000 people race this event which has a Sprint and Olympic distances all within the urban setting of Minneapolis which leads to the alarm clock going off at 3:45 a.m. to get to the event site and off load, find parking and walk the 3/4 mile to transition. Once in transition racking of the bikes was done by bib number for a section then first come first serve in that section. I was doing this race in full turnouts so I got a place right up against the fence and started unpacking, this wouldn't have been near where I would have racked if I was racing but I figured be nice and give those who want the good spots and fast T times a chance.
Swim isn't my best event, I can hold my own but need the wetsuit to do it. Water temps that day were above the cut off if you wanted to place and go for awards. I figured that doing the run in gear I didn't have to worry about a podium. After a short warm up and then getting placed into a starting corral (Clydesdales 40 and over) I get asked by an official, what my weight was. I responded with 215 lbs. He asked again if I knew that the cut off was 200 lbs for this wave, yes and I weigh 215lbs. I guess that he didn't believe me. (warm fuzzy for the day!) The swim was very good got off with the lead guys and because of the wave we went out after the pros and elites and before the rest of the 20 waves, I had clear water to swim in ran into a couple other racers but it was more like a training open water swim than a race. TIME: 28:05 second in the AG Category
Bike is my stronger leg, nothing overly special here. Decent roads and again because of the wave start time I had open roads with barely anyone on the course. Got passed by a couple of relay guys and saw the pros on some of the out and back section. Cameron Dye can fly on a bike! The course in mostly flat and all closed with only a couple of technical sections that if you were in a later wave I could see as begin bad. TIME: 1:10:05 (21.9 mph) 6th in group
Run ok walk with gear, the 10K is a 2 loop around a lake with great support along the whole course, multiple water stops, ice towels, gels and food. The walk was fun talking to people and getting cheers along with cheering on so many that I wouldn't have seen if I ran this course. Met some inspiring folks out there racing for their own causes and own special reasons. Coming down the finishing shoot which is a 200 yards long and full of spectators was a moving time. The race announcer is a local man that I'm friends with and knows of the reason that we are out there as TeamFirefighter and Code 3 For A Cure so he made special announcement was I came up the shoot and finished. TIME: 1:34:29
Total race time 3:19:16
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