Frank Maples Reverse Sprint Tri

So today I completed the Frank Maples Memorial Triathlon. It's a reverse sprint tri up in the small town of Scottsboro, AL. The run was a short 2 miles with a 15 mile bike and a 200 m swim.

As I mentioned before, I drove up to Huntsville, AL last night and stayed with ZBuck who was also running the race as well. Let me just set the record straight. Buck has two photos of himself posted on his blog. They are of a round faced kid who doesn't look much like a triathlete. After meeting him last night, let me tell you the guy has been doing some work. He's slimmed down tremendously. He's down 20 pounds! It won't be long before he doesn't qualify for the Clydesdale division. More on that later, but make no bones about it. He's a triathlete, and he looks like one.

Being the consummate welcoming guy that Buck is, he brought along his trusted training partner, Z-man, for the race as well. We arrived around 6:30 for the 8 am start. The field of racers was rather small at around 80. The race itself is a no frills type of race. My race packet came with a note pad, a pen, a magnet from a local bank, a brochure about Scottsboro, and some Bio-freeze. You really have to appreciate the laid back atmosphere the event provided.

8:00 - the gun goes off. I'd already positioned myself around some of the guys that I knew I'd want to keep an eye on. To be competitive I knew I needed to keep them in sight. There were a couple of track stars out there that ran like their hair was on fire from the very start. I was able to stay within sight of them and keep up a pace that was comfortable. Coming into the first transition, I was in 10th place with a 12:00 time for the 2 miles.

Bike portion - I felt great from the start. The weather was perfect. The course was great too. Fairly flat with some steady climbs. I yo-yo'd back and forth with one guy for a while before taking him on a hill. I was in 9th. I kept my pace steady and attacked when I was able. Out of no where two cyclist came flying by me. Two, as in together, as in drafting. I was livid. An official came by on a motorcycle and watched them for a while then went on. I'm not sure if he gave them a penalty or not. I didn't lose sight of these guys, but they were losing me. I was now in 11th. About mile 9, three more came by. Together they caught the other two guys and they stayed in a pack about 45 seconds in front of me. I was able to catch one of them when he faltered and put him behind me. I rolled into the 2nd transition in 39 minutes. A 23 mph pace. 13th place.

Swim - The 200 m swim was being held in an 8 lane pool. Not the easiest to get into rhythm in but it didn't matter. My arms felt heavy and the water felt like jello. I'd forgotten to take off my tri-shirt which only proved to act like a parachute in the water. One guy past me on my slow drudge through the thick molasses. I had one guy on my tail as I made my way through lane 7. I had to kick it in. It mattered. I turned on the jets and left him on lane 8. I wanted to puke when I got out of the water, but I was done. 14th place and a time of 56:23. Not bad.

Buck wasn't too far behind me. Despite being slowed by two dog paddlers going side by side, he finished strong in just over 1 hour flat. A solid 26th place. As soon as he got out, he said we've gotta go find Z-man. He crashed!

Z-man had apparently crashed at the 2 mile mark. He took a turn too fast and his wheels went out from under him. Here are some picks:

Z-man's face, thumb, knees, back, and chest were all just one big ole' strawberry. He kept saying, "Man, my wife is going to be pissed!" Z-man took the pain about as well as I've seen anyone take it. He's got a rough road ahead of him for a few weeks.

Now here's the big news. ZBuck who competes as a Clydesdale finished 2nd in his age group. For whatever reason, they didn't add him to the Clydesdale division. If they had, he would have won it. He said he was more proud of beating those skinny 150 pound guys anyway. Here's the proud man and his hardware:
So, a good race overall. It was quick and easy. I learned a lot about myself and how to compete today. I would have like to have finished a little higher, but I'm taking away a good deal of knowledge on how to push myself and how to reel in my competitors.
Tomorrow's another big brick. 35 miles, then 8 mile run. Can't wait.

Be sure to check out ZBuck's account as well.