Keuka Lake Triathlon

We arrived in Keuka Lake after over 7 hours of traveling from New York, including a couple of longer breaks to break up the drive. The heat was already getting intense and I knew the race would be a tough one. Once we arrived at Keuka Lake College, Roy was less than amused at our spartan dorm accommodations. It has been a long time since I last stayed at a college dorm room. No let me rephrase that: I had never stayed at a college dorm room before. Seminaries, camps, farmhouses yes, but a college dorm was a new experience for me. Well, we had a great view, but no air condition. Luckily for me, I was still able to get a good night's sleep.

Already by 7.15 am it felt hot and muggy, but pre-race preparation went just fine. I got into the lake a bit early to try out my new full length wetsuit for the first time, and it felt just fine. Roy and Kiera postioned themselves near T 1 and the race went off, on time.

Just as always, my swim started out slow but I felt stronger as the swim progressed. Fairly soon I was able to pick up the first group of swimmers from the previous wave, so I knew I was doing just fine. I could only see a few yellow colored swimcaps from my wave ahead of me. At T 1 my good feeling about the swim was confirmed, most bikes where still in their place. Running with my bike out of transition, Roy was cheering me on and Kiera was wondering what exactly her Papa was up to.

Turns out I actually felt better during the bike portion than I really was. About midway through the wonderfully scenic bike ride, a long sustained uphill climb took its toll. Several riders past me with ease, still I felt comfortable. The last eight miles of the bike portion where both downhill and aided by a nice tailwind. So I felt almost rested heading into T 2 and headed out into the run. That's where trouble began.

At first my legs felt just fine, but quickly the heat and humidity took their toll. Typically I am able to pick up quite a few runners at this stage, but not this time around. After only two miles I felt the need to walk a few steps, just to cool down. From now on it was damage control, conserve some energy and finish.

2.45.30, hardly a great time, but overall I am quite pleased with my performance. It was a challenging course under difficult conditions. Finishing 9th out of 23 in my age group I missed a qualifying spot for the national championship. Now it's six weeks until the New York City triathlon, time to build on a solid early season base.