Last Saturday, Tracey and I participated in the "Soak Up the Sun Triathlon" in Madison, just north of Jackson, Mississippi. It was an ideal first real triathlon for us, as it was short distances (250m swim, 8 mile bike, 2 mile run) and it catered to people who have just started to do TRIs. We both had done the TRIs on base, but they were nothing more than a few people getting together for a workout--this one had over 400 participants! Friday night we drove to Madison, had some dinner and checked into the hotel near the race site. The race began at 7am so driving from Meridian was not going to happen, especially because of the "setup" involved with the bike and getting checked in, etc. So we were up at 5 and racing by 7. Because of the number of participants and the fact that you start the swim in a lake, the start is a little different from most races. A long single file line was formed and everyone started at 5 second intervals. Each person had a chip--an electronic timing device affixed to the ankle--that would record the individual's time to do each event and the overall time. So even though people may be in front of you, they may be going slower than you!
As it turned out, the chip and timing was a disaster for both Tracey and me. My chip fell off my ankle during the swim and though I miraculously found it in the cloudy water, it failed to record any times for me. Agh! Tracey's timing was not without controversy as well. She started her watch when she began swimming and stopped when she crossed the finish line, thus at least giving her the overall time. However, the chip said that she took 38 seconds longer than her watch! It would not be a problem, except it meant the difference between 2nd and 3rd place overall for women. Double Agh! Despite these issues, we had a lot of fun. We figured out my time based on one of our friend's time and the time stamp of the picture of him crossing the finishline and the time stamp of when I crossed the finishline. And though in our hearts, we know she was second, Tracey was officially 3rd overall female and I, if my chip had functioned, would have been 1st place, 30-34 male in the mountain bike division...or more succinctly, second place in my own house.
To the surprise of no one, Tracey beat me soundly.
3 comments:
You guys are amazing! Wow - a trophy!?! Nice work being the household winner, too, Tracey! Look forward to hearing about more races this summer. Love the pictures and video of Marin below, too!
Congratulations, you two! You know what they say about triathlons .... they are addictive! A friend of mine started doing sprint triathlons our first year of grad school, and she does full IronMan races around the world now! Hopefully your next city will provide a climate suitable for training (you, know, like San Diego's ...). =D
Way to go Tracey . . . oh ya, and Boog too! I'm jealous! I still have yet to do an official Triathlon. Ugh! Anyway, thanks for sharing. I can't believe that Tracey started after Boog, then finished before him, then had time to video Boog's transition from the bike to the run!
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