Last weekend I traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, to watch son Jake compete in the USA Triathlon National Championships, and wow, what an exciting show USAT managed and Cleveland hosted. From Cleveland, we flew to Fort Collins, Colo., for the week to check out Colorado State University and its exercise science master’s program, as Jake finishes up his undergrad at University of Southern Florida in the spring.
This week, with our local triathlon season just around the corner, I thought I would let Jake write his usual Race Report and publish it for my triathlon and multisport readers. I thought it was an interesting piece in that he broke out many aspects of the sport and put it into his own words, covering his race like a triathlon play-by-play report.
2019 Age Group Sprint Triathlon National Championship
I want to thank everyone who has supported me over all my years of racing. If you are from Delaware, you’ve likely watched me race in our little running community since elementary school. If you’re a Floridian, you’ve witnessed me enter the triathlon scene as a complete newbie to swimming and cycling. I’ve received a tremendous amount of support from these groups and many others. I would not be the athlete I am today without all of you taking a part in my journey.
In return, I will detail my experience racing in the 2019 Age Group Sprint Triathlon National Championship. This was my debut race coming off a serious injury from this past winter. With that being said, I am proud of my three-month preparation for nationals. I have lived like a monk for the past six months. I get up and do my work – training. I eat and sleep – recovery. Then repeat. My schedule is devoted to my goal of being the best triathlete I can be.
Fast forward to race morning, Aug. 11. The race took place at Edgewater Park in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, on Lake Erie. My swim wave was the third group to enter the water that morning. The 29-and-under men were scheduled to take off at 7 a.m. If I could summarize the swim in a couple words, it would be “contact sport.” When 100 of the best young triathletes in the country are swimming together, only so many can occupy the water. There must have been a ton of young guys swimming 1:25 per 100-meter pace because I was in the washing machine. The entire 750-meter swim was constant punches and kicks from surrounding swimmers.
Cleveland locals say that Lake Erie occasionally gathers swells and rough waters. Days prior to the race, the water had been whitecap-infested. Thankfully, that Sunday morning the water was calmer, sort of like a lake. Racing in choppy water and shoulder-to-shoulder in a stacked field would have made the swim much more difficult. With that being said, my watch read that the swim distance was 50 meters long, which is likely due to being tossed around in the washing machine. Regardless, I was happy with my swim, being new to this discipline of triathlon.
My swim time was 11:25 (1:25 per 100-meter pace/1:17 per 100-yard pace). This put me in 102nd place for the men in the overall standings and 18th in the 20-24-year-old age group. I exited the water and stripped the wetsuit to my waist while running to the transition area (thanks to Bruce Clayton for letting me borrow a wetsuit). I ran up to my bike, pulled the wetsuit to my ankles and it slipped right off my baby-oiled legs. I tossed my goggles and swim cap, strapped on my helmet and grabbed my bike, racing to exit transition. As I left the transition area, I moved from 102nd overall to 68th place. In the 20-24 age group, I moved from 18th to 11th place. Transitions matter, period.
Leaving the transition area, I ran with speed, jumped on my bike, strapped my feet into my shoes (already on the bike) all simultaneously, and began to pedal hard. This move is called a flying mount, and it saved me precious seconds in my overall time. The bike course took place on a highway that spliced through downtown Cleveland. It was incredible cycling on a major three-lane roadway and climbing bridges (surprisingly, over 400 feet of elevation gain) that overlooked the city. My bike split time was 29:31. I averaged 25.26 miles per hour over the 12.4-mile (20 km) ride. I improved from 68th place at the start of the bike leg to 27th place by the end in the overall men’s standings. In my age group, I moved into eighth place from 11th.
I dismounted off the bike and ran into the second transition area. I quickly racked my bike, took off my helmet and struggled to slip on my shoes. Remember how I said transitions matter? I had some difficulty quickly getting on my running shoes, and I fell from 27th to 28th place overall by the end of the transition. Someone in the 20-24 age group passed me in transition, so I started the run in ninth place. The small details matter, and they cost me in this instance.
The run course started similar to the bike by climbing a ramp onto the highway. The run course had more than 100 feet of elevation gain – about 80 feet of it was in the first half-mile. This hill wasn’t steep, but climbing for a half mile right after a bike time trial is a recipe for heavy legs. My mile split time was 5:57. It wasn’t until after the mile that I found my legs and ran the second mile in 5:43, coming through the two-mile at 11:40. The last mile I closed in 5:25 and had a finishing 5K time of 17:45 (5:42 average pace). I’m always proud of negative splits in racing. In the overall standings, I went from 28th place at the start of the run to 23rd while crossing the finish line. However, in my age group, I fell from ninth to 10th place.
My final finishing time was 1:02:16. I am happy with this result for my very first triathlon national championship. Racing in such an elite field leaves me feeling motivated to improve myself as an athlete. When I crossed the finish line, I felt quite emotional. I have been envisioning running down the red carpet at this race for a while now. I remember lying in a hospital bed months ago wondering when the next time would be that I’d cross a finish line. I’m thankful I was able to experience this amazing race and return to great health. Cleveland put on an amazing national championship, and I’m already looking forward to next year. Again, thank you all for the endless support!
Fort Collins, Colorado - “I will leave where I visit better than I found it”
While in Fort Collins this week, I read an interesting piece at the end of the visitor guide that I thought every city, town and state should adopt as well, or at least a similar statement of rules in their own words. This promise or contract is used by the people of Fort Collins who love their city, love being active and having fun, and love living a healthy lifestyle. I thought it would be interesting to come up with a similar set of guidelines for visitors to obey while visiting Rehoboth Beach. We could start out with, “I will not beep my horn while driving or act out in any type of road rage while on Route 1 or Rehoboth Avenue.” Here is a look at the guidelines for visitors to Fort Collins:
I, (state your name), do promise to have an incredible time while visiting Fort Collins and to get the most out of my visit whatever that might mean to me. While in Fort Collins, I will conduct myself in such a way as to not bring harm to myself, others or the environment. I will do my best to follow these guidelines:
• I will take only pictures and leave only footprints because it would be odd the other way around. I will avoid risking life and limb for more likes.
• I will share the road or trail with bicycles, horses, wildlife and the occasional wandering Instagrammer.
• I will respect wildlife for my own safety and the health of the animals: no selfies, no chasing, no approaching.
• I will know what condition the conditions are in regarding weather, roads and trails.
• I will do my best to respect the power of rivers and the hazards associated with any body of water. I will be safe.
• I will not invent my own parking space nor will I lose my mind trying to find an existing one. I will have a plan B.
• I will slather on sunscreen everywhere whether I’m in snow, on a lake, a summit or just sipping beer on a patio.
• I will drink water like a camel in the desert. I will drink that water from a reusable container because I love the earth.
• I will monitor my health and the health of my companions for evidence of altitude sickness, which might present as flulike symptoms.
• I will follow the leave-no-trace principles while in the great outdoors. I will plan and prepare. I will dispose of waste properly, meaning pack it out. I will be smart about any use of fire.
• I will leave what I find unless it is a lost puppy. I will be considerate of other visitors so we all have an extraordinary experience. I will leave where I visit better than I found it.
