Post by MattCollister on May 29, 2006 8:01:54 GMT -5
The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.
--Vince Lombardi
Tired of the same old same old? Ironman no longer fueling the passion you once knew? Looking for something different to test your mettle? HFP racing’s Desoto American Team Triathlon Tour (De Soto Triple-T or “DATT”) might be what you’re looking for. I did it this past weekend. Here’s the scoop.
FORMAT
The race format is unique in triathlon: A super sprint Friday, two Olympics on Saturday, and a half Ironman on Sunday. The total distance for the weekend is a little longer than the distance for an Ironman - three miles of swimming, 110 miles of cycling, 27 miles of running. The park lies in southern Ohio in the Appalachian foothills, and all the racing is very hilly. Any of these races, by itself, would be very challenging. We got to do four in three days.
There are a couple of options for racing the DATT. I raced as one of the 100 solo competitors. If you choose - and if you can find someone as out-of-their-mind as you are to race with you - you can enter as one of the 50 two-person teams. Team mates have a slight advantage in two of the races (Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning), as they can draft on the bike and run.
A SEASONED CROWD
Generally the race attracts a pretty seasoned crowd - that was really nice. A lot of athletes use it as an early season prep for later-season Ironmans. It also seemed like a lot of athletes were repeat offenders who were back for more.
The race sold out a couple of months ago, so this meant there were 200 people committed to going the distance that weekend. On top of that, the Saturday and Sunday races were open to additional competitors. The Sunday morning race has become particularly popular (this is the “Little Smokies” triathlon).
DATT racers all got a customized DeSoto tri jersey to wear throughout the weekend (yeah, they were looking pretty dingy by Sunday) - blue for guys, pink for gals. It all helped add to a terrific communal atmosphere that only got stronger as the weekend wore on. It was such a great crowd and a real down-to-earth challenge. Seems like that's what long course triathlon should be all about.
EXPECTATIONS
All it took was a look at the previous years’ results for me to know that I needed to enter this thing with modest expectations and a conservative approach. Elite triathletes posted 18 mph bike splits and 1:40 half marathons in previous years. It’s a long weekend and I knew I had to apply all my experience and knowledge to preserve my body to the very end.
THE RACE
So the fun began on Friday night with the prologue leg. A short but frantic race consisting of a 250m swim, five mile bike (publicized as 5 mi, but I think it was only three) and one mile run. This is enough to get your mind and body fully in race mode without burning yourself out for the rest of the weekend. I went fairly easy on the swim and bike, ran three quarters of the run at a fast tempo then shut it down for the last quarter mile. Finished in about 28 minutes. We attended a post-race dinner immediately afterwards, met a few fellow competitors, then headed off to the lodge to get some sleep.
Saturday dawned misty and cool and with a busy agenda. The morning race was an Olympic distance featuring a rolling hilly ride and 6.5 mile out and back run on a challenging, hilly off-road trail (this 6.5 mile out-and-back would be the basic course for the rest of the running that weekend). Some of the course really reminded me that I was in Appalachia - seems like every house had either a couple cars on blocks, a drooling, barking mongrel, or a guy sitting on the porch picking on a banjo.
I went pretty easy for the rough, hilly ride and run, and I could tell that athletes were feeling pretty chipper as they sprung themselves over the hills on the bike and bounced along the trail on the run. I wondered how long that would last.
By Saturday afternoon the heat that had been forecast for the weekend settled into our valley and enveloped the race like a thick haze. It was sunny and about 85 degrees as we lined up for something different - a bike/swim/run triathlon. That’s right - the first event was the bike, and we went off in time trial format for the challenging 25-mile ride, featuring long climb worthy of Sisyphus and his stone.
Then an unusual challenge - transition from the bike to the swim. I took some good advice and put plastic grocery bags over my feet to help slide my sweaty legs into my wetsuit (a technique supposedly pioneered by Gordo Byrn when he did this race in 2004). The suit went right on. I ran down to the lake in my rubber suit and sweat was pouring off my head - diving in was a welcome relief.
Concerned at the prospect of cramping, I barely kicked at all in the 1500 yard swim, instead moving along with a good pull and rhythmic glide and letting the wetsuit do its job of keeping me afloat. I ended up having my best swim of the weekend, and I did the challenging run only slightly slower than in the morning.
So after a full day of racing I felt pretty good about things. I put to use my knowledge of my body and what I’ve learned in my Ironmans about my nutrition and recovery needs (that‘s why this is such a great challenge for veteran triathletes). I was keeping myself well hydrated and fed during the Saturday races, knowing that the payoff would come not on Saturday, but on Sunday - the most challenging day of all.
And those challenges began as soon as the alarm clock went off at 4:30 on Sunday morning. Muscles creaked and groaned as my mind was more in the mood for laying out on the couch with the paper and a mug of coffee than slugging it out again with the Appalachian foothills. But like a bruised and battered prizefighter answering the bell for the 15th round, I pulled myself together, got my game face on and met Sunday’s race head on.
Sunday’s race was a half-Ironman distance, and I knew that for all I had done so far, I’d only gone half the distance of the triple-T weekend. By this time, I was getting to know my transition area rack-mates pretty well, and the weather forecast was a hot topic (pun intended) of our pre-race conversations. Morning mist and a slight chill greeted us at the lake at 7:00, but we knew we’d be running in a blast furnace by mid-morning.
I had a good swim, posting a 36 minute split, not wasting any more energy than I needed to. A deliberate but not overly fast transition - no need to waste energy to pick up a few seconds. The bike covered some of the same roads as the Saturday morning race. Big climbs and rough roads. I was really cognizant on the climbs not to bomb my legs. Low gears and easy spins were the recipe for getting through this bike ride with spring left in my step for the run.
I stepped out of T2 and into the full force of 90 degree heat and the mid-day sun. An air of struggle and suffering had descended on our race, as even some of the Little Smokies competitors - the DATT folks envied their freshness earlier in the day - were stopping to walk up some of the sun-baked hills on the run course.
I worried about stomach cramps - my long course malady. I’ve never been able to take in the calories I need on a hot day without ending up doubled over with gut pain. It’s been like a riddle to me over the years. But this year I switched to Hammer products and was race fueling on this weekend almost exclusively with Hammer gel and Perpetuem drink. And it seemed to work. I had the energy I needed to keep moving steadily ahead with no feeling of discomfort in my gut. Props to Hammer.
My splits were slowing to 9-10 minute miles, but I was putting the miles away and getting closer to the end. And so its at this point that I’ll talk about the person who got me through the weekend. Every time I turned around, Jen was there cheering for me. She was my uber-supporter. From playing chauffer when I was too tired to drive, to running with me for a few yards during Sunday’s race to help buoy my spirits, she knew what I needed and gave me 110 percent support every time. I entered the race as a solo competitor, but the fact is that I did have a teammate all weekend long. Even more amazing is the fact that she snuck in her own training during the weekend. She did the bike portion of the Saturday afternoon race and ran the run course on Sunday morning when the competitors were out on the first lap of the bike. What a super-woman! THANK YOU!
After three days of battling 140 miles of heat, hills, rough roads, rough trails, horseflies, potholes, snarling dogs and everything DATT could throw at me, I cruised to the finish. Challenge met. Belt notched.
CONCLUSION
DATT isn’t a race that attracts people, it’s a race that "calls" people. Like god calls a holy man to serve or voices call an insane man in the dark of night and tell him to maim and kill. The race format itself is such a challenge; then when you add conditions like we had this weekend, you realize its the kind of race for which you can't be blamed for saying you'd never want to do it again. Yet somehow there are scores of people who come back year after year to find out what the hills around Shawnee State Park have for them this time around.
Photos: pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mwc1066/album?.dir=/75d4re2&.src=ph
--Vince Lombardi
Tired of the same old same old? Ironman no longer fueling the passion you once knew? Looking for something different to test your mettle? HFP racing’s Desoto American Team Triathlon Tour (De Soto Triple-T or “DATT”) might be what you’re looking for. I did it this past weekend. Here’s the scoop.
FORMAT
The race format is unique in triathlon: A super sprint Friday, two Olympics on Saturday, and a half Ironman on Sunday. The total distance for the weekend is a little longer than the distance for an Ironman - three miles of swimming, 110 miles of cycling, 27 miles of running. The park lies in southern Ohio in the Appalachian foothills, and all the racing is very hilly. Any of these races, by itself, would be very challenging. We got to do four in three days.
There are a couple of options for racing the DATT. I raced as one of the 100 solo competitors. If you choose - and if you can find someone as out-of-their-mind as you are to race with you - you can enter as one of the 50 two-person teams. Team mates have a slight advantage in two of the races (Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning), as they can draft on the bike and run.
A SEASONED CROWD
Generally the race attracts a pretty seasoned crowd - that was really nice. A lot of athletes use it as an early season prep for later-season Ironmans. It also seemed like a lot of athletes were repeat offenders who were back for more.
The race sold out a couple of months ago, so this meant there were 200 people committed to going the distance that weekend. On top of that, the Saturday and Sunday races were open to additional competitors. The Sunday morning race has become particularly popular (this is the “Little Smokies” triathlon).
DATT racers all got a customized DeSoto tri jersey to wear throughout the weekend (yeah, they were looking pretty dingy by Sunday) - blue for guys, pink for gals. It all helped add to a terrific communal atmosphere that only got stronger as the weekend wore on. It was such a great crowd and a real down-to-earth challenge. Seems like that's what long course triathlon should be all about.
EXPECTATIONS
All it took was a look at the previous years’ results for me to know that I needed to enter this thing with modest expectations and a conservative approach. Elite triathletes posted 18 mph bike splits and 1:40 half marathons in previous years. It’s a long weekend and I knew I had to apply all my experience and knowledge to preserve my body to the very end.
THE RACE
So the fun began on Friday night with the prologue leg. A short but frantic race consisting of a 250m swim, five mile bike (publicized as 5 mi, but I think it was only three) and one mile run. This is enough to get your mind and body fully in race mode without burning yourself out for the rest of the weekend. I went fairly easy on the swim and bike, ran three quarters of the run at a fast tempo then shut it down for the last quarter mile. Finished in about 28 minutes. We attended a post-race dinner immediately afterwards, met a few fellow competitors, then headed off to the lodge to get some sleep.
Saturday dawned misty and cool and with a busy agenda. The morning race was an Olympic distance featuring a rolling hilly ride and 6.5 mile out and back run on a challenging, hilly off-road trail (this 6.5 mile out-and-back would be the basic course for the rest of the running that weekend). Some of the course really reminded me that I was in Appalachia - seems like every house had either a couple cars on blocks, a drooling, barking mongrel, or a guy sitting on the porch picking on a banjo.
I went pretty easy for the rough, hilly ride and run, and I could tell that athletes were feeling pretty chipper as they sprung themselves over the hills on the bike and bounced along the trail on the run. I wondered how long that would last.
By Saturday afternoon the heat that had been forecast for the weekend settled into our valley and enveloped the race like a thick haze. It was sunny and about 85 degrees as we lined up for something different - a bike/swim/run triathlon. That’s right - the first event was the bike, and we went off in time trial format for the challenging 25-mile ride, featuring long climb worthy of Sisyphus and his stone.
Then an unusual challenge - transition from the bike to the swim. I took some good advice and put plastic grocery bags over my feet to help slide my sweaty legs into my wetsuit (a technique supposedly pioneered by Gordo Byrn when he did this race in 2004). The suit went right on. I ran down to the lake in my rubber suit and sweat was pouring off my head - diving in was a welcome relief.
Concerned at the prospect of cramping, I barely kicked at all in the 1500 yard swim, instead moving along with a good pull and rhythmic glide and letting the wetsuit do its job of keeping me afloat. I ended up having my best swim of the weekend, and I did the challenging run only slightly slower than in the morning.
So after a full day of racing I felt pretty good about things. I put to use my knowledge of my body and what I’ve learned in my Ironmans about my nutrition and recovery needs (that‘s why this is such a great challenge for veteran triathletes). I was keeping myself well hydrated and fed during the Saturday races, knowing that the payoff would come not on Saturday, but on Sunday - the most challenging day of all.
And those challenges began as soon as the alarm clock went off at 4:30 on Sunday morning. Muscles creaked and groaned as my mind was more in the mood for laying out on the couch with the paper and a mug of coffee than slugging it out again with the Appalachian foothills. But like a bruised and battered prizefighter answering the bell for the 15th round, I pulled myself together, got my game face on and met Sunday’s race head on.
Sunday’s race was a half-Ironman distance, and I knew that for all I had done so far, I’d only gone half the distance of the triple-T weekend. By this time, I was getting to know my transition area rack-mates pretty well, and the weather forecast was a hot topic (pun intended) of our pre-race conversations. Morning mist and a slight chill greeted us at the lake at 7:00, but we knew we’d be running in a blast furnace by mid-morning.
I had a good swim, posting a 36 minute split, not wasting any more energy than I needed to. A deliberate but not overly fast transition - no need to waste energy to pick up a few seconds. The bike covered some of the same roads as the Saturday morning race. Big climbs and rough roads. I was really cognizant on the climbs not to bomb my legs. Low gears and easy spins were the recipe for getting through this bike ride with spring left in my step for the run.
I stepped out of T2 and into the full force of 90 degree heat and the mid-day sun. An air of struggle and suffering had descended on our race, as even some of the Little Smokies competitors - the DATT folks envied their freshness earlier in the day - were stopping to walk up some of the sun-baked hills on the run course.
I worried about stomach cramps - my long course malady. I’ve never been able to take in the calories I need on a hot day without ending up doubled over with gut pain. It’s been like a riddle to me over the years. But this year I switched to Hammer products and was race fueling on this weekend almost exclusively with Hammer gel and Perpetuem drink. And it seemed to work. I had the energy I needed to keep moving steadily ahead with no feeling of discomfort in my gut. Props to Hammer.
My splits were slowing to 9-10 minute miles, but I was putting the miles away and getting closer to the end. And so its at this point that I’ll talk about the person who got me through the weekend. Every time I turned around, Jen was there cheering for me. She was my uber-supporter. From playing chauffer when I was too tired to drive, to running with me for a few yards during Sunday’s race to help buoy my spirits, she knew what I needed and gave me 110 percent support every time. I entered the race as a solo competitor, but the fact is that I did have a teammate all weekend long. Even more amazing is the fact that she snuck in her own training during the weekend. She did the bike portion of the Saturday afternoon race and ran the run course on Sunday morning when the competitors were out on the first lap of the bike. What a super-woman! THANK YOU!
After three days of battling 140 miles of heat, hills, rough roads, rough trails, horseflies, potholes, snarling dogs and everything DATT could throw at me, I cruised to the finish. Challenge met. Belt notched.
CONCLUSION
DATT isn’t a race that attracts people, it’s a race that "calls" people. Like god calls a holy man to serve or voices call an insane man in the dark of night and tell him to maim and kill. The race format itself is such a challenge; then when you add conditions like we had this weekend, you realize its the kind of race for which you can't be blamed for saying you'd never want to do it again. Yet somehow there are scores of people who come back year after year to find out what the hills around Shawnee State Park have for them this time around.
Photos: pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mwc1066/album?.dir=/75d4re2&.src=ph