The course was in Beautiful Pattison State Park in Northern Wisconsin. The swim was in a shallow, sandy-bottom reservoir in the park, and the start of each swim was at the top of a 100-yard hill. I felt like I was on Baywatch, heading in for a rescue! However, the run back up the hill at the end of the swim was no picnic…
The bike was an out and back course on the nicely-paved state HWY 35. It was all downhill on the way out and all uphill on the way back, with a pretty decent 2-mile climb at the very end. I’m told that the course for next year will be a loop; much more exciting.
The run was on a great unpaved trail through the park; it had the perfect amount of hills, stairs, technical terrain, and flat fast straightaways to keep you from getting bored with any one thing.
Tom and I signed up in the Imperialist category. He started the race off for us at 7:30am; about 55 people were in the mass start, and the competitors quickly spaced out based on ability level in the water. 15 minutes after Tom began his run, I headed to the tag-off area, ready for my first leg. While I was waiting, another Imperialist tagged off to his partner. I learned that he (Steve) and his wife (Angel) were doing the race together, and joked with him that they would be who Tom and I were gunning for. Tom came in about 2 minutes after Steve, in a time of 1h, 17m. I headed off on my leg; it was nice to not have the thrashing waters that come with a mass start. Instead, I was on my own in calm water using nice, easy power. I got to the transition in about 11 minutes, and passed Angel up (a weaker swimmer) with a quick transition. I maintained the lead on the bike, and headed out on the run with about a 1 minute lead. I quickly learned that she was a strong runner as she darted by me about ½ mile in. I was maintaining 8:45 min/mile pretty comfortably (which I was happy with, running being my weakest leg;) I didn’t want to expend all my energy on my first lap. I finished with a 1:20: split, and Tom was off for his second leg. We were nonchalantly keeping tabs on Angel and Steve, but we got more and more serious about this friendly competition as the day wore on, and it was clear they did too. Tom reeled Steve in a bit on the swim, lost a bit on the bike, and held steady on the run. In a show of extreme consistency he split his second lap at a 1:17: as well. My second lap was the least memorable; I just remember thinking that my running would deteriorate rapidly after that leg, because I was feeling fatigue in the balance muscles of my ankles and knees due to the uneven terrain. Overall, with my second 1:20: split of the day, I gained about a minute on the Steve/Angel team who were now about 5 minutes ahead. During my downtime, I had trouble maintaining body heat, so I took off my tri suit, wore sweatpants, sweatshirt, fleece jacket, hat, and a blanket and my lips were still blue. My legs were feeling achy so I took some advil. It worked wonders. As Tom came in from a very impressive third lap at 1:17, we only lost 1 minute on Steve and Angel and were 6 minutes behind. The swim seemed to be getting colder as the day dragged on, but after a few strokes I perked up and was feeling good. I let myself push the bike a little harder than the previous legs. They were a bit achy still, but no cramping; my nutrition was working perfectly and the Advil had kicked in. However, I did have to wear a supplemental pair of bike shorts at this point as saddle-soreness was becoming an issue! Tom and I didn’t waste much time on transitions, which really helped us in our quest to catch Steve and Angel. I was able to close the gap to within 2 minutes at the bike to run transition. Of course, she increased their lead a bit in the run, but she was slowing down and I was speeding up. I averaged 8:39s in my 3rd run and we were 3:30 behind. I tagged off to Tom who was in for his fourth and final lap. At this point we could predict that we could make 8 laps within the time limit (you have to start your last lap before the 10-hour mark.) We found out later that Steve made some voodoo concoction of coke and water for his last leg and had his fastest bike split of the day, gaining them some time. He slowed a bit on the run, getting a final split of 1:19, and Tom finished with an impressive 1:21. He was much closer to Steve in speed on the last 2 laps than the first 2. We were 5 minutes behind.
As I entered the water for my last lap, Tom asked my mom how bad their lead was. Her reply was “insurmountable” which was my thought as well. But having nothing to lose, I hauled on the swim. Somehow I reeled Angel in on the swim and with a fast transition, got on the bike just behind her. I immediately passed her on the first downhill (I’m much heavier) only to have her pass me about 10 minutes later. I stayed behind for the rest of the ride, but had her in my sights the whole time. In the transition, I threw my bike to Tom, slid into my shoes and was on my way after my fastest transition of the day. Now, there was hope in my mind of a victory, but I was still convinced that I couldn’t hold her off. I was running as if there was a fire under my you-know-what; constantly thinking I heard footsteps and “girl breathing” (during races, you can tell whether a person running behind you is male or female based on the pitch of their breath; I don’t mind hearing “guy breath” behind me, but “girl breath” is another story!) The turnaround for the course takes you back on the same path for about a mile. 10 yards into the turnaround, I see Angel, charging up the hill, and she looks like she’s holding together well. I think it’ll be a matter of minutes before she overtakes me. I’m beginning to fantasize about tripping and falling so I have a good excuse for losing. Instead, I keep running as if I’m being chased by a bear, optimizing every step on the trail to conserve momentum and minimize the number of strides. I make it up every hill and set of stairs without walking, and I finally reach open air where I can see the finish line and hear the music. I chance a backwards glance for the first time in the whole race, and I can’t see her! I cruise up the hill to the finish and throw my arms up in victory after the closest race of the day. Angel comes in 30 seconds later and we congratulate each other on an amazing race; a 10-hour race that came down to 30 seconds.
We thoroughly enjoyed recounting various parts of the race with Angel and Steve, and all have agreed to do it again next year.
I learned a huge lesson during that race. I don’t consider myself a runner, and never thought that I could grit out a win when it comes to running. When I’m tired and hurting, I walk. That’s all there is to it. Well I pushed through that barrier, and I feel like I’ve opened a world of possibilities for my running capabilities, which is very exciting.
My one complaint about the race is no fault of the race directors. I participated in a 10-hour race with Tom and didn’t get to actually spend time with him during that 10 hours. We learned so much about each other during our Adventure Duluth race, accomplishing all legs together as a unit. Although we learned some individual lessons, I did miss having him there with me, gritting out the pain together. Fortunately, my ever-so devoted parents were there to provide support and company. For that, Tom and I are both thankful.
My suggestion to anyone who is considering doing this race next year; do it! The entire experience is worth the price. You may race just for fun, or you may surprise yourself, breaking barriers like I did. But the location, the camaraderie, and the entire atmosphere really validated this triathlon for the people.
