Chattahoochee Challenge Olympic Triathlon Race Report

The stats:

Official times and distances
Finish Time: 2:13:14
Swim (1500 meters): 21:30, includes run to transition.
T1: 30 seconds
Bike (22.4 miles): 1:01:11, 21.9 mph
T2: 35 seconds
Run (6.80 miles): 49:31, 7:17 pace

4 a.m. I awake to thunder.  I get up and start to get ready for the race.  It wasn’t raining at the time, just some thunder and lightning.  By 4:30 it was a downpour and God was showing an awesome light show all around.  So I decided to video it.

5:15 a.m. I get to the race site and it is just pouring and by 6 a.m. it had stopped raining for the most part with some sporadic showers.  Due the thunderstorms the race was delayed 30 minutes.

7:30 a.m., Scott Rigsby (double amputee) lead off the race.

Scott Rigsby Waiting to Start Race

Scott Rigsby Swimming

Swim: The race was a time trial start. I didn’t get in the water until 8:07 a.m.  I felt great in the water.  I felt as though I was spotting well and I knew I was passing people in the water.  The first 1000 meters was with the current and I could see the river bed just flying by and then I finally hit the last buoy to make the turn for the final 1500 meters against the current.  I had to work a whole lot harder going against the current.  I felt good, as I continued passing people.  Finally the exit of the water at approximately 20 minutes and then I had a nice little jog to the transition area crossing the timing mat in 21:30.  

Me Entering Water

Me Swimming (on Right)

T1: I ran to my bike, helmet on, number belt on, grabbed the bike and out of transition I went in 30 seconds.

Bike: I mounted the bike, slid my feet into my shoes and off I went.  The first 1/4 mile went down a hill and around a brick sidewalk that was wet, so I kept it slow to stay on the safe side.  Once I cleared the turn it was on.  My goal was 22 mph.  A few minutes into the ride I notice I wasn’t getting any speed on my Garmin. Oops! I had the GPS turned off.  Quickly I scrolled through the settings to turn it on so I missed the first two miles or so of data on the bike.  I tried my hardest to keep the speed above 22 mph on the flats and down hills.  When I came to the beginning of the second loop I was right at 22 mph and feeling great.  I picked the second loop up and passing lots of people just beginning their first loop.  I was hitting speeds in the mid to upper 20s.  About 5 miles out it started to rain again and the course narrowed on the riverwalk and it was much more difficult navigating through slower traffic.  The rain only last for 5 minutes or so. As I was nearing the end of the bike leg my Garmin was showing 22.4, but my average speed didn’t include the first 2 miles or so which I knew was much slower than 22.  I rolled into transition at 1:01:11, 21.9 mph, close enough to my goal.

Bike Out

Bike In

T2: Slid my feet out of my shoes and dismounted the bike. Ran into transition, racked my bike, helmet off, running shoes on, running hat on and off I went in 35 seconds.

Run: My goal was to run the course in under 45 minutes which equates a 7:15 pace for a 10k.  However, the course ended up being quite long.  I headed out on the run feeling pretty good and ran the first three miles with a 6:53, 6:55, and a 7:18.  Mile 3 had a nasty little hill in it which I felt like a came to a crawl getting up, but I was still under a 7:15 pace and feeling ok.  Mile 4, 5, and 6 the legs started getting heavier and it was getting much harder to maintain my speed running a 7:17, 7:30, and a 7:29.  By this time I realized the course was going to be way long as the finish line was a good way off.  I managed to pick-up the pace and push to the finish with the last .83 miles at a 7:18 pace.  I finished the run in 49:31 giving me an average pace of 7:15 based on my Garmin, right on target! 

Starting Run

Three Miles Complete

Almost Done

Finished!

I placed 10th overall with a time of 2:13:14 and 2nd in Age Group.

Happy to be Complete