Gary Kirby Triathlon

On Saturday was the 6th annual Gary Kirby Triathlon. What a perfect weather day God blessed us with for this event. Earlier in the week temps were in the mid 90's with high humidity. Saturday started out with a little coolness in the air an low humidity. Perfect conditions for the race.



Arrived to the race site early in order to get the transition area setup. Pretty cool to see all of the different bikes that every has. From one extreme to the other with all types of colors.

I setup my transition sporting an NC State University towel and my Running of the Ears (ROTE) visor. After getting transition setup it was time to get our timing chip and body marking. I was # 49 and the person who wrote the numbers apparently wanted to make sure everyone knew my number....they were huge. No one would have any problem seeing what number I was on the course.

Transition are setup.

At this point the excitement was building. A pre-race meeting was held poolside for last minute announcements. The meeting ended with a word of prayer and it was time to line up for the start. While standing in line you could see the nervousness, excitement and anxiousness of the athletes (including me). This was at an outdoor pool and the sun was shinning down on the pool in glorious fashion. At 8:00 am the first swimmer started. My start time was 8:12 am.



3...2...1...Go!



I was feeling a little sluggish in the swim after the first 100. Not sure why, but just battled through it to the finish. Overall swim time was 6:08. That included probably 20-25 seconds from exiting the pool until crossing the timing mat.

Great photo my wife took of me.

Heading to T1

In T1 I got my sunglasses, helmet, socks and shoes on and it was time to attack the bike course. The bike course was 4- laps consisting of 3 miles each lap. I was wondering as more and more athletes got on the course if it might get congested, but that was not a problem. The course was all throughout a subdivision with several traffic circles to navigate. I used the first lap to get a feel for the course since it was new to me and get an idea for shifting. There was a stretch in the last mile of the loop that was downhill and that was a blast to ride. Throughout the course there was great crowd support cheering every athlete on.

On the bike course.

As I came back to transition for T2 and dismounted the bike, I about dropped my bike running with it. I let go with one hand and the bike drifted out from me. One of the pedals cut the back of my right calf in that process. Overall time on the bike was 41:29 for the 12 miles. Average of 17.5 mph which is about 2 mph faster than my training rides. I was really pleased with the ride.

Cut on the back of my leg from pedal at T2

Read for the run!

Once back at the rack in T2, I just needed to grab my race number and visor and I was off for the run. Felt pretty good in the first part of the run. I was at a 8:30 pace, which was too quick for me. I slowed the pace some in order to make it to the finish. Part of the course was sharing the bike course. Plenty of room and actually pretty cool to see the other bikes while running.

On the run course

As I made my way towards the finish, with about 0.6 miles left in the run I got my second wind.  Great feeling when you get that second wind as this carried me to the finish and as the organizer of the event (FS Series), says in their name....I was able to Finish Strong. My run time was 29:58 for the 5K.

Finished

Overall time for the triathlon was 1:19:11. I was 75th overall for males and in the Clydesdale category I finished 6th out of 14. 

This was a great event and well run. FS Series put on a great race. I would like to thank the Kirby family for their hospitality.

My First Triathlon

I can officially call myself a triathlete!

Saturday, April 9 was the Granite Falls Triathlon. This was a sprint distance with a 300 yd pool swim, 10 mile bike and 3.1 mile run. Going in to the event my expectation was to simply finish. I had been looking forward to this day for a while now.

I did not get the best night of sleep. At 4am I simply could not go back to sleep. I laid in bed and just thought about the race and strategy. Got out of bed at 5am, got dressed and then had some breakfast. Put the bike on the car rack and headed to pick up a friend who was also racing.

Once I arrived on scene, headed over to transition to begin the setup. It was definitely cold to start the morning with the temperature at 50 with light winds. After racking the bike and getting the gear setup for the transitions, it was time to get the timing chip and body marking. I was number 61. Interesting how many places you get your number written on you in permanent marker. Then in case you did not know or fogot, they write your age on your calves.

Now it was time to get focused for the race. Headed into the pool area and they had the heat kicking! Instantly thought how much fun coming out into the cold was going to feel after being all wet. I knew I couldn't change that, so I put that out of my mind.

My start time was 8:18:30. You start in the pool and not a start where you dive in. The swim will snake up and back for 6 lanes.

3, 2, 1....time to go!

I started out with a good pace and felt pretty decent. Around 150, I passed a couple of people and then there was more traffic in the final 100. Overall the swim was good. Finished right at 5 minutes. Hopped out of the pool and then it was time to hit the cold. At first it hit you, but then I never noticed it again. Going to T1 we had to climb a bunch of stairs. I was more worried about stubbing a toe on the steps. Once I got to T1, proceeded to get my sunglasses, helmet, socks and shoes on and it was time to start the bike. This was a hilly course so it was a good challenge. I passed a few people and was passed by others, but it was a good ride. Finished the 10 miles in 38:43.

In T2 I knew I would be quick as all I had to do was rack my bike, take my helmet off, grab my visor and race belt. Spent just 33 seconds in T2.

The run course also had it's challenges of hills. Went through a subdivision and the about a mile on a trail. As I came to the finish line there was my wife and two daughters cheering me to the finish. Such a cool feeling to have that support. Crossed the finish line in 1:14:21. Found out later I set a PR for my 5K with a 28:53.

I was in the Clydesdale category and finished 4th out of 8.

What an awesome feeling it was crossing that finish line and then to know that I am know a triathlete!