July 2016 Finish Line Newsletter - St Pete Mad Dogs Triathlon Club

VOLUME 22 ISSUE 7
JULY - 2016
THE FINISH LINE
Marino and the Mad Dogs
(L to R) David Frazer, Gail
Lohman, Allen Jernigan,
Marino Vanhoenacker - IM
Austria winner, Pepir
Jernigan, Dave Proffitt and
Nick Chase.
photo by Shonna Bedford
Join Us For A Pass-­a-­Grill
Swim Every Wednesday Night
@ 6:00 PM
Like us on Facebook!
Training Calendar - Page 3
New Mad Dogs Page 4
Mad Dog News Page 5
Upcoming Races - Page 6
Race Results Page 7
Birthdays Page 8
Mad Dog Pix Pages 9 - 11
Articles & Reports - Pages 12 - 21
Advertisements Pages 22 - 24
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VOLUME 22 ISSUE 7
JULY - 2016
Established on November 6, 1993, the St Pete
Mad Dogs Triathlon Club is a not for profit
organization designed to promote the sport of
triathlon. The club is comprised of fun loving
triathletes who train, race and howl together,
with members of all levels of experience and
expertise.
The Finish Line is a medium for communicating
the latest club news, as well as an informal
source for what’s happening in the sport of
triathlon as it affects us. Articles published in
The Finish Line may contain opinions of the
author, not necessarily the club.
ST. PETE MAD DOGS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BOD@STPETEMADDOGS.COM
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT/MEMBERSHIP
TREASURER
SECRETARY
EDITOR
BOARD MEMBER
BOARD MEMBER
BOARD MEMBER
BOARD MEMBER
AMBASSADOR
AMBASSADOR
TIM HUDSON
CAROLYN KIPER
DAVE PROFFITT
BOB MACDONALD
CHUCK LOHMAN
ALLEN JERNIGAN
PEPIR JERNIGAN
JIM CUNNINGHAM
GAIL LOHMAN
RUE MORGAN
KATHY MORGAN
Club Contact Information:
Website: www.stpetemaddogs.com E-mail:
info@stpetemaddogs.com
EDITOR’S
Articles, or photos may be submitted to the Editor
@ newsletters@stmaddogs.com. Items should be
sent by the 15th of the month preceding the issue.
COLUMN
Advertising requests should be submitted to
Chuck Lohman @
advertising@stpetemaddogs.com. For questions,
please e-mail him.
Advertising rates are as follows:
Space
1/2 page
Full Page
Width x Height
7 1/2” x 5”
7 1/2” x 10”
Cost per Issue
$30
$50
Advertising checks should be mailed to: St Pete
Mad Dog Triathlon Club, P.O. Box 635 St
Petersburg, FL 33731-0635. Please make check
payable to St Pete Mad Dogs.
Note: Payment is due on the 15th of the month
prior to publication. Payment for five
consecutive issues of advertising entitles the
advertiser to a FREE sixth month.
We have a number of race reports in
this week’s issue, including Chad
Siple’s detailed description of the local
Crystal River race, John Macedo’s
rendition of Ironman Brazil, Stefan
Schmid’s (Team Pewag) account of
Ironman France and my memories of
this year’s Ironman Austria. I hope you
enjoy them.
Since we have become so close to
Austria’s Team Pewag, I’ve tried to
include as many of their reports and
race results as I can. All of this began
(Please go to page 4)
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JULY - 2016
TRAINING CALENDAR
Upcoming Training Sessions (all show and go)
SWIMMING
Local Bike Shop Events
Every Tuesday & Thursday 6:30 - 8PM
Northshore Pool w/ Coach Joe Biondi $9 per session
Every Friday 8AM Group Swim at Sunset Beach.
Meet at Larry and JackieYost’s, 143 91st Ave S (727) 367-2504
Every Sunday 9AM Group Swim at Pass-a-Grill led
by Jack Shuten
From the Central Ave. Store (727) 345-5391 Every
Saturday 8AM Women only ride. 10-30 miles
Also: www.stpetemasters.org for Masters Swimming
BIKING
see www.stpetecycling.com for daily rides
Mon - Fri 8:00AM
Group Ride from USFSP crosswalk 16 miles at 20-21 MPH
Wed is official Mad Dog ride - wear your colors!
From the Palm Harbor Store (727) 786-6889
Every Saturday 8AM - 3 ability groups - about 40
miles
Every Saturday 8:30AM
Group Rides based on speed from Northshore Pool South
Parking Lot
Every Sunday 8:30AM
St Pete Library Advanced Training Ride 9th Ave N and 37th
RUNNING
Every Monday 6PM
Individual/Partnered Run (6 miles) Northshore Pool South
Parking Lot
1st and 3rd Thursday 7:30 AM
Running Drills at Field south of Northshore Pool (45-55
min)https://www.facebook.com/groups/254578011396466/ led by Ben Carlson
Every Wednesday 6PM
Fun run and social @ The Tavern at Bayboro
120 6th Avenue South St. Pete
From the Clearwater Store (727) 723-2453 Every
Friday - 5:30 AM 17 mile Clearwater Bridge Ride.
Group #1 at 20-22 MPH. Group #2 at 22-25 MPH.
Lights required.
From the Tampa Store (813) 831-1414 Tuesday and
Thursday - 5:00 AM Training Bike Ride about 90
minutes at 22-30 MPH. Lights required.
Saturday - 7:30 AM 20 mile no drop bike ride at
15-20 MPH depending on abilities. Some instruction
provided.
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WELCOME NEW MAD DOGS!
#3716 - Lorraine Hurley - Chattanooga, TN
#3717 - Jenny Carter - Tampa
Continued from page 2.
All of this began with Carolyn Kiper’s initiative to provide home stays to the Austrian
triathletes when they train here in the Winter. It has blossomed into a mutually
supportive relationship and deep friendship between athletes of different nations
that share common goals and interests. All Mad Dogs should take pride in this
great symbiotic relationship that Carolyn began.
Thanks to all Mad Dogs for the great turnout at the dedication of Roger Burke’s
bench at Pass-a-grill Beach where he used to observe the Wednesday night swims.
It was great to remember the life of a proud American and original Mad Dog.
See you all soon at the starting line,
Chuck Lohman, Editor
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MAD DOG NEWS
— Thanks to Chad Siple for a superb race report on the Crystal
River Triathlon #1 listed on page 16.
— Congratulations to Nick Chase on finishing 11/24 pro men at IM
70.3 Raleigh with a time of 4:12:46!
— Best wishes to Mad Dog Jessica Koelsch on her engagement to
Todd Bibza.
— Congrats to Alan and Pepir Jernigan, Dave Proffitt and Nick
Chase on hearing the phrase “You are an Ironman” for the first
time at IM Austria.
— A wonderful dedication for a bench with plaque in honor of
Roger Burke was held on June 29th at Pass-a-grill Beach. I think
Roger would be pleased and proud. Many thanks to Rosie Ray for
all her efforts to make this happen.
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UPCOMING RACES
9 July - FD3
Olympic/Sprint/Duathlon
Fort DeSoto
www.multirace.com
21 August - Navy Seal Tri
Sprint Distance
Sand Key Park, Clearwater
navysealtri.racehawk.com
23 July - Top Gun Triathlon
Sprint Distance
Fort DeSoto
www.racehawk.com
6 Aug - Tri Siesta Key
Olympic/Sprint/Duathlon
Sarasota, FL
www.multirace.com
20 August - FD3
Olympic/Sprint/Duathlon
Fort DeSoto
www.multirace.com
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Race Results
Crystal River #2 - 11 Jun
1st Place Karen Hasque
Chad Siple (OA)
2nd Place Amy Keener
3rd Place Lisa Abraham-Charest
Mark Yeager
Dunedin Triathlon - 12 Jun
1st Place Yova Carlson (OA)
Richard Jansik (GM)
Suzanne Brosseau
Carolyn Kiper
Sue Minkoff
2nd Place Art Singleton
5th Place Cody Angell (OA)
Heartland Triathlon - 19 Jun
Sprint Distance
1st Place Regan Quilty
Jackie Yost
Larry Yost
3rd Place Jay Anderson
Tony Handler
Olympic Distance
1st Place Annette Frisch
Bonnie Theall
2nd Place Chad Siple
Ironman Austria - 26 Jun
1st Place Marino Vanhoenacker
Finishers Nick Chase (pro Mad Dog)
David Frazer
Ashley Folkes (Alabama Mad Dog)
Allen Jernigan (Board of Directors)
Pepir Jernigan (Board of Directors)
Dave Profitt (Board of Directors)
Vincent Reiss (pro Mad Dog)
Sand Key Triathlon - 26 Jun 16
Sprint Distance
1st Place Yova Carlson (OA)
Art Halttunen
Tony Handler
Mike Mabry
2nd Place Suzanne Brousseau
Ben Carlson (OA)
Olympic Distance
1st Place Carolyn Kiper (Board of Directors)
2nd Place Natalie Davis
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JULY BIRTHDAYS
Chuck Ashbaugh
David Grote
Steve Meckfessel
Kim Mundy
Vicky Linkovich
Rachel Diny
Kris Swift
Lindsay Bell
Pamela Greene
Carolyn Kiper
Rudy Lindner
Maurice Kurtz
Kyah Morgan
Nema Runyan
Blair
Lahaye
Kent Gordon
Algis Vosylius
Laura Engleby
Janna Edwards
Danny Hicks
J.T. Thee
Joshua Smith
2nd
2nd
2nd
9th
12th
16th
16th
18th
18th
18th
20th
21st
22nd
22nd
23rd
25th
25th
26th
28th
29th
29th
31st
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MAD DOG PICTURES
Karen Hasque (R)
Bo Webster (R)
Jack & Melissa Shuten
with friends
Coach Leo, Trixie Taylor, Jen Olvedy with cap over nose.
Fred Rzymek a “few” years ago.
Patricia Junqueira and her Mom
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MAD DOG PICTURES
Brian Butler with family
Patricia Junqueira
from a few years ago
Brian and Awilda Harrington
Jack & Melissa Shuten with friends
Nick Chase @ IM 70.3 Raleigh
Brit Mad Dog Diane Weaver
after 10k river swim
The Junqueira twins - Claudia (L)
and Patricia (R) (I think)
Gina & Michael Bardecki
@ Sedona, AZ
Tony Scott back
in the UK with
Cameron
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Ironman Austria 2016 Mad Dog Pictures
Thanks to Shonna Bedford for most of the pictures!
Marino descending —
don’t try this at home
Dave, Pepir and Allen
Pepir, Allen and Gail
Pepir Jernigan
Dave Proffitt and
Shonna Bedford
Renee, David and Allen
Allen Jernigan
Dave Proffitt
David Frazer
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Ironman Austria 2016 Race Report
Background.
This story begins back in 2001 when Gail and I participated in our first Ironman
race — IM Austria. We were complete rookies, which I’m sure was obvious to
our travel companions. We trained by reading from one of Joe Friel’s books on
triathlon. Our first Ironman was a truly incredible experience. In any case, while
in Klagenfurt, I saw some people walking around wearing T-shirts saying, “If you
can’t race with the Mad Dogs, stay on the porch and don’t bark!” Curiosity got
the best of me and I asked them what those shirts were all about. Gail and I
learned about the St. Pete Mad Dogs, investigated the club on line and joined
while we were still living in Virginia. When I prepared for retirement from
government service in 2006 we could think of no better plan than to move to St.
Petersburg to train and race with the Mad Dogs.
In 2014 we met Rene Vallant with the Pewag Team from Austria and, later, the
rest of his charming family. Gail decided that she would like to enter the race for
2016 to see the Vallants again and enjoy the beautiful venue. I told her, “Sorry
but my body is over the Ironman distance training. I’ll be glad to support you,
though.” Since Gail was not looking forward to training solo, she somehow
convinced Allen and Pepir Jernigan and Dave Proffitt into joining her for their first
try at the Ironman distance. I hope we’ll all be friends when this is over.
Additionally, Mad Dogs David Frazer, Nick Chase and Ashley Folkes (Alabama)
signed up so the club will be well represented.
Travel
Air travel to the event has become simpler. Lufthansa offers a flight from Tampa
with one stop in Frankfurt. At Renee’s recommendation we flew to Ljubljana,
Slovenia about 40 miles from Klagenfurt, saving about $500. All of Carolyn
Kiper’s efforts at providing homestays pays off big time! Additionally, Mad Dog
racers and their guests (me) get to use the Pewag facilities including
refreshments, bike mechanic, massage therapist and VIP Lounge. Renee
arranged to have us picked up from and delivered to the airport, and he and Ella
generously let us borrow one of their autos for the week.
Race Venue
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Klagenfurt is an incredible town in Southeast Austria. The scenery reminded me
of Lake Tahoe. Friday night we first attended the traditional Ironman pasta party.
It was held in an enclosed tent that was incredibly hot — we left early to attend
the Pewag pre-race party. This was a great event and we were able to see many
Austrian friends who had spent time in St. Pete. We also met the CEO of Castelli
and his lovely wife. I asked him about the origin of the scorpion logo on the
Castelli clothing. He told us that the rumor was that the original founder had a
girlfriend born under the sign of Scorpio, and used the logo to honor her.
Reviewing the weather report for Sunday — 90% chance of rain with
thundershowers. The harder the race, the greater the glory (says a spectator).
Swim
One lap swim with a rolling start for amateurs by predicted swim times. It was
also wetsuit legal for amateurs. Worthersee is a beautiful clear lake. A unique
feature of the swim is the finish is the finish in a 1000 yard long, 50 foot wide
canal with spectators lining both banks. Several swimmers stopped to pose for
their families/supporters for photo ops. 3000 participants were too many as the
canal was overcrowded and resembled a salmon spawning frenzy!
Bike
Tough course with a lot of climbing. Predicted thunderstorms hit right on
schedule. Cyclists were down everywhere and ambulances were busy.
Unfortunately, Gail was one of the many victims.
Run
The weather turned warmer and more humid after the rain, but the course was
relatively flat. There was a huge firework display after the midnight finish. Pepir
and Allen Jernigan and Dave Proffitt were survivors of Gail’s Ironman Boot Camp
and had great races for their first Ironman finishes. Nick Chase also finished well
in his first Ironman as a professional. A glutton for punishment, he will also
compete in Ironman Switzerland in three weeks!
Highlights
Marino Vanhoenacker won the men’s race for the 8th time setting off a huge
celebration in the Pewag tent. Mirinda Carfrae set the women’s course record
highlighted by a 2:49 marathon. Marino’s win “amped up” the Pewag post race
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party. Guest speeches were given by the CEO of Pewag machinery company
and local pro Nick Chase, as well as many others. Could there be a budding
romance between Nick and the Pewag team? Stay tuned. Each of the Austrian
speakers highlighted the special relationship with the St. Pete Mad Dogs. It was
also great to have David Frazer’s wife, Anne, and Dave Proffitt’s close friend,
Shonna, to keep me company during race week. All the Austrians were
incredibly friendly and supportive. Members of the hotel staff even came out to
give us a hug when we left. Any Mad Dog who can do so should definitely put IM
Austria on their wish list of races. You will feel like you’re racing in St. Petersburg
(except for the mountains everywhere you look)!
Mad Dogs (and Pewag) rule in Austria,
Chuck Lohman
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Stefan Schmid on the podium at the Ironman France
” 3rd place at IRONMAN France.
This past week was a very difficult one for me.
After my DNF at Ironman Brazil I had massive self-doubt, even though there was no real
reason for this.
My training results from the past weeks have been very good so I knew that my shape
was right where it has to be for a big race.
What was also very tough mentally was that I had to go through race week 2 times in a
row.
Race week for me is the toughest part of IRONMAN racing.
And not to forget the stress I had in terms of traveling. Brazil to Germany. Germany to
Nice.
The good thing was that I got rid of all the self-doubt right before the start and had a
very positive mind.
After a very good swim I was 11th onto the bike.
Right at the end of the 20k climb up Col de l`Ecre I caught the 2 top favorites James
Cunnama from South Africa and the Hawaii-Champ from 2013, Frederik van Lierde.
At the beginning of the marathon I was in 4th position, but for the first 21k there were a
lot of changes in places 4, 5 and 6.
The last 15k it was a big battle against Frederik van Lierde for the podium!
I was very happy, satisfied and thankful to get to the finish line in 3rd position!
IRONMAN Hawaii, here I come!”
Race Report from Stephan Schmid of the Pewag Racing Team, our friends from
Austria. Good to know that pros have issues and self doubts just like the rest of us!
Congrats to him for his Kona qualification.
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The Chad Report... Crystal River Triathlon
Series Race #1
CHAD SIPLE·THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016
Sorry for a little delay here team, had a school paper to write this week so it took
me a few days to finish up writing your review. Hope you enjoy, here’s the lowdown on last Saturday’s Crystal River race.
“THE CHAD REPORT”
What?
Crystal River Sprint Triathlon Series Race #1
When?
Saturday May 28, 2016
Where?
Fort Island Gulf Beach
14024 W Fort Island Trail
Crystal River, FL 34429
Race Director/Organization
Chris Moling/DRC Sports
This review is currently on the first race of the 2016 series, which I just completed
yesterday. As I complete the series I’ll update and revise the report to include any
additional noteworthy details, but for now I wanted to go ahead and get a write up done
on this first one, as the second race in the series (of three) is only 2 weeks away, and I
wanted to provide a review for anyone considering either one or both of the upcoming
races.
Registration
The usual online routine for registration by clicking the easy to find link on the race
website. If you are considering the full series, keep an eye out for early registration deals
to snag a spot in all three races for a nice discount. It’s important to know that the field
for each race is currently limited to 350 athletes, and this first race of the series did sell
out, so don’t wait until the last minute to get in.
Packet Pick-up
For this first race of the series, packet pickup was only available on race morning, and
not the day before (Friday evening). Rumor has it this is not the norm, but was due to a
brand new sponsorship for the race and not enough time to finalize a time and location.
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An email went out to inform the athletes, but to be quite honest it was no big deal, and
personally I would not have picked up my packet the day before anyways, as we only
drove up on race morning. We’re only talking about a 350 athlete event here, not the
New York Marathon! Just give yourself maybe an extra 15-20 minutes to grab your
packet, get your timing chip, get body marked, and put your numbers on your bike/
helmet. No sweat.
RACE MORNING
Parking
Once you arrive on the race site for the first time, you quickly realize why the number of
athletes has to be limited. The physical race venue is only so big, and can only support so
many athletes! Having said that, there IS enough room for everyone to park, and there
were some helpful parking assistants ready to guide you to a spot with their orange light
sabers. Parking closest to transition fills up early and gets pretty cozy, so you might want
to leave the big dually at home and take the wife’s car if your goal is a chance at rock-star
parking! Otherwise, there’s plenty of room to parallel park off to either side of the 2-lane
road that also serves as part of the bike and run course. The later you arrive, the further
away you’ll likely have to park, but again remember we’re not talking thousands of
participants here. There’s something to be said for the low-pressure environment of a
smaller race like this. (And, you did bring a bike... if you got there late, park, throw your
backpack and helmet on and turn a 3 minute walk in to a 30 second ride :))
The potty situation
There were 4 or 5 porto-potties at the far end of transition that seemed lonely for a while
as a line formed for the public restroom facility, but as the pre-race morning progressed
and “go time” drew closer (pun intended? maybe?) there were some lines for all of the
above, but not too bad. If your plan is to pit stop on the way in, understand that after
turning off of US-19, the final 8-9 miles of your drive out to the race site only has
bushes, and not any public facility or convenience store, so you might want to find
something out on 19 ahead of time if nature is really calling!
Transition
Transition is set up right behind the beach in what looks to be the main parking lot for
this beach on most days. Make sure you are able to count racks or read the numbers, as
there aren’t many other random visual objects to help locate with. My rack was in line
with one of the only telephone poles, so I lucked out! The pavement is bare-foot friendly
and there is room to stash bags along the wall against the sand, just make sure you don’t
set your bag down in ants!
Swim start
This beach isn’t huge so the swim start is just a short walk from transition. Basically the
swim start is at one end of the beach, and swim finish and transition are at the other
end, but we aren’t talking about any great distance here, maybe a few hundred yards.
Swim course
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For those unfamiliar with how Florida’s west coastline changes as you move north,
basically once you’ve gotten above the Dunedin/Honeymoon Island area you no longer
have an intracoastal waterway and developed barrier island beach arrangement like you
do in, say, Clearwater for example. If you’ve ever been to Fred Howard Park in Tarpon
Springs, that’s more of what to expect here at Fort Island Gulf Beach in Crystal River. So
while a really windy day could potentially develop some small chop, you’d never see
anyone take their surfboard to this beach. You can basically consider this a salt-water
lake swim, and for this race, the water looked like a sheet of glass. The course is
essentially straight out, take a right turn at the buoy for a short distance, and make
another right at the next buoy to head back towards the beach. There were 2 other buoys
in between for guidance, but they weren’t exactly lined up with the turn buoys, and
following them was not required, (I think this may have been slightly confusing for some
of the newbies??) so just sight straight from the beach out to the turn buoy, turn right
and head to the next turn buoy, and then turn right again and sight back in to the swim
finish. Simple as that! (If I lost you here, just have a glance at the course map on the
website. I probably made it sound way more complicated than it is!) You can see the
swim finish pretty well from offshore, but you will also be looking straight in to the
rising sun, so don’t forget your tinted goggles for this one ;). Should a swimmer find
themselves in need of assistance, there were some kayaks and also lifeguards on rescue
boards, and an EMS unit on standby in the parking lot, but any trouble here would most
likely just be newbie nerves, not overwhelming water conditions. It was really as flat as a
pancake for this race. Entry and exit were both a smooth taper and sandy bottom, with a
few dolphin dive opportunities for a little extra speed :). As a side note, the race director
indicated it was a high tide on this morning, so it’s possible that a lower tide might
introduce your feet to some of that grassy/muddy bottom upon entry and exit, but I
won’t know unless it’s low tide next time. Course is advertised at .25 miles, my
inaccurate Garmin measured .22 miles, and my body and swim split said it was probably
about 500 meters or so.
Bike course
Much to my personal satisfaction, this bike course is 15 miles! (Compared to most sprint
races which are only about 10 miles). It’s nothing more complicated than 7.5 miles out,
U turn, come on home. You will have already driven on the return trip portion of the
bike course (and seen the “out” portion) by the time you get to the race site, since the
course itself is the only road in and out of this area. There is a side street at the location
of the u-turn, but I’ve failed you in forgetting what the name of it was. I’ll take note next
time so you can identify it on the drive in, and know “ok, that was the bike u-turn and
now we are officially driving on the bike course.” Don’t worry, the U-turn is well marked
and has police assistant during the race! This road is 2 lane (one in each direction) with
a double yellow down the middle, and a shoulder/bike lane on each side. The course has
some very mild sweeping turns and is completely flat save for about maybe a whopping
6 feet of elevation gain leading up to a flat concrete bridge crossing. The road is in pretty
good shape, some sections better than others, but definitely way less bumpy than Fort
DeSoto has become!! The most important and noteworthy thing about this bike course
is that it is NOT closed to vehicular traffic (but there is a police officer stationed at the uturn to give you the right of way). I’ll admit I was a little leery of this going in to the race,
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wondering how many cars may potentially be trying to pass, or worse, drive 15 mph and
get in the way!! However, I personally had zero issues on my ride, and saw maybe a
dozen vehicles total while riding and running. In one instance, some vehicles were
approaching from ahead in the oncoming lane and wanted to pass some cyclists (and I
was alone), so I moved from the right side of my travel lane in to the bike lane and
allowed the oncoming cars to use my travel lane to pass the cyclists. This was my
decision, the vehicles were not being aggressive, and I’m not recommending you do this,
but when I moved over is when I discovered that on some sections of the course, the
bike lane is actually a little faster and smoother than the travel lane :). Just keep your
head up and be alert, it’s very easy to put your head down and zone out on this course.
My bike computer registered within 1/10th of the advertised 15 miles.
Run course
There’s really only one place you can have a run course here, and that’s a simple out and
back on the same flat course you just rode your bike on. While running it’s easy to
contain yourself to the bike lane and stay out of the travel lane, (remember the roads are
not closed... although I never encountered any vehicles) and by this time all the other
athletes still cycling are only returning on the other side of the course, no one is still
heading out on your side where you’re running. There’s a slight bit of an angle to the
road and I personally found it most comfortable to run directly on the white line, but it’s
not a big issue. Unfortunately there is a grand total of absolutely zero shade on the run
course, so just be prepared for this. You’ll find an aid station at the one mile mark, turn
around at 1.5 miles, and have the opportunity to hit the same aid station on the way
back. On the subject of aid stations, I’m not sure if I missed it, or maybe there wasn’t
one, but it is nice to be able to grab a swig of water coming out of transition before
heading out on the run. That would be a welcome addition the race :). Or, maybe I just
need to pay more attention? As with most out and back run courses, you’ll be high-five
distance away from your friends, and staring distance away from your competition ;).
This course is advertised as 3 miles, and it is, I logged 3.01. Seems easy enough to move
the turn around just a tad further to make it a true 5k, but I’m never one to complain
about a few less tenths on a run course, so I’m cool with it :). Just remember it’s only
supposed to be 3 miles so don’t think you’ve been shorted on your 5k! Don’t forget to
smile for the camera when you cross the finish line, and once your heart descends from
your throat, chug a water and go find your friends and cheer them in. It gets a little
warm out there, they could probably use the encouragement :)
After Party/awards
My picky belly kept me away from the pulled pork and coleslaw sandwiches in the food
tent, but no one else seemed to have a problem chowing down! There was also some
fruit and bananas for anyone else like me, along with gatorade and water to help replace
what’s been lost through your sweat pores. Preliminary results went up pretty quick, and
the awards ceremony tentatively scheduled for “approximately 10am” actually seemed
to be right on time! Nice little covered stage set up there to go have your moment and
show a good smile (and not be awkwardly squinting from the sun!). Top male and
female overall winners got a nice plaque, as did the top masters male and female
winners. Age group awards went 5 deep, and they received a cool little finisher-medal
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style award that has some seriously tough looking muscle-manatees on it!! Age groups
were presented and awarded from oldest to youngest, meaning that the place wasn’t
deserted with no one clapping for the athletes who’ve been competing longer than some
of us have even been alive! Yes it’s convenient to grab your award and hit the road (and
we’re all guilty of it, myself included), but seriously what’s an extra 10 minutes to hang
out and show some respect to those athletes who completely defy what society and
statistics think they should be capable of? So thumbs up for backwards awards, it forced
me to hang out and clap for some people who’ve forgotten more about this sport than I’ll
ever know.
THE SHORT VERSION
A very simple and user friendly race without the stress and pressure of a huge field of
athletes. Yes, it is a bit of haul from the tampa bay area, which is the only thing that kept
me from doing it in the past, but I’m glad I made it out there. From St. Pete it was a little
less than 2 hours drive time on race morning, which does necessitate an extra cup of
coffee, but it’s totally doable. Of course there is always the option of staying the night
prior, and I’ll do some more research for you guys about the logistics of that, but if you
can’t swing the overnight stay, it’s worth the early drive. I feel this course should be
attractive to both the beginner and the elite athlete alike. As a beginner, it doesn’t get
much more simple and straightforward than this... The crowd isn’t insane, the swim
should be flat calm, it’s impossible to find a hill, or get lost on the bike course, and you
only have the added challenge of the florida sun on the run course. For the elite athlete,
the same things that make this race beginner friendly also really set the stage to
absolutely hammer this course. I’ll be back for the rest of the series, so stay tuned for
any updates or revisions to the Chad report once the series is complete. Thanks for
reading!!
Chad report.... Over and out...
Chad Siple and Amy Keener
@ Crystal River Tri
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John Macedo’s IM Brazil Race Report
After missing a Kona slot in Ironman Florida by about 90secs, I specifically
picked this race to try for that slot one more time.
Race week preparations were great. I got to meet and hang out a bit with
Pewag teammate (and 2015 IM Cozumel champion!) Stefan Schmid Triathlete. The weather forecast however was looking dicey; sure enough,
come race morning we found ourselves at the start line under foggy, cool
and drizzly conditions.
Starting off I was able to easily sight the buoys on the outbound section,
but coming back into shore for the first half I could not locate any of them.
From the looks of the completely spread out field, neither could anyone
else it seemed, so I just decided to plot a course to shore somewhere
within the middle, reasoning that the wisdom of the crowd would be my
best bet.
On to transition and a brief struggle with putting on arm warmers in wet
conditions, and then off on a very wet and rainy bike course. bike course in
Brazil is mostly flat with a relatively short section of hilliness, just enough to
break up the monotony and change position out of the aero bars for a bit.
On the second and final bike loop the rain did let up a bit; unfortunately a
head wind started up and lasted almost all of the way back keeping the
suckiness factor fairly constant throughout.
The rest of the run was fairly uneventful. As always in Ironman, the last 10k
was really tough, and I was forced to walk though the last two water stops.
The last few hundred meters into the finish felt great. Feeling fairly
confident that I was a top finisher in my age group, I cross the finish line to
the "You Are an Ironman!" announcement and cheers of the folks bravely
spectating through a cool and rainy day!
So after Ironman number 8, I get to go to Kona for the first time!
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1700 1st Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL
(727) 502-0044
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