What a day. At 5:30 AM the tri club moseyed on over to Lake Las Vegas for our very first triathlon as a group. I was surprised by how exciting the atmosphere is on race day. Everyone is a little nervous and excited. After setting up our transition area we went to check out the first heat of swimmers. We watched as one swimmer finished his mile swim faster than I can do my 1/2 mile, but we were also comforted by the couple of back and side strokers we saw.
The guys got to take off first. Grayson and Greg looked neck and neck, but the ladies started before we could really get a good idea of where they were. As soon as the bullhorn sounded we were off! And when I say we, I really mean Kristin was off... far ahead in the distance. She finished her swim 2-3 minutes before our entire heat.
About 10 minutes later....
I finally exited the water. When I got to the transition area, I panicked a little when I saw that my entire groups' bikes were GONE and I realized that I was the last one. The biking portion of the race was pretty similar to the course we had been training on. I did get a little smile on my face every time I passed a guy on my bike.
When I got back from the ride, I hurried on over to the transition area. The run is usually where I can gain some time on everyone. I frantically threw on my shoes, buckled my number, and I was off. About two second later I hear Eddy yelling, "HELMET.... YOU'RE STILL WEARING YOUR HELMET!!" Whoopsie.
The run was TOUGH. We trained on flat asphalt. This was an unpaved, hilly, brutal 3 mile run.
Normally when we train, I can see exactly where Amy is. This time I couldn't see her until about mile 1, and when I did see her she was about 100 yards ahead of me. When we got to mile 2, I had gained a little ground, but my energy was all but depleted. At last, as we're rounding the final corner, I get within 10 yards of her. I can hear the crown screaming, and the announcer yells into the mike, "It's a race to the final finish. Here comes Amy Gearin and Tracy Gifford is right behind her. Tracy is sprinting to the finish line, but will it be enough?"
Well, it wasn't enough. Amy ended up beating me by one hundredth of a second. Maybe I'll get her next time.
Kristin ended up taking 5th place overall and 1st place in her age group. She's a beast, and I'm glad she got us all into tri training. Amy and I both took 2nd place in our age group. The boys did well, but the competition was just a hair stiffer. All in all, it was a great experience. Chris, Nadi, and Eddy cheered everyone on the whole time. It will be something I'll never forget, and I have a sweet little medal and plaque to prove it!
