Elephant Man Olympic Triathlon 2011

Well I just couldn't stay away!  I had every intention of focusing on my running for the next two months but the allure of the Elephant Man drew me back.   I had done this event twice before, in 2008 it was my first open water swim and in 2009, I again participated and enjoyed the experience very much.  After the Eagle in the Sun, I decided to sign up and started training in earnest for the longer distance event.
The race takes place at the Elephant Butte lake in Truth or Consequences, NM which is about 110 miles north of West El Paso.   It consists of a 1 mile Swim followed by a 26.5 mile Bike, and a 6 mile Run.   More info can be obtained at http://www.elephantmantriathlon.com/ It is a very challenging course but seems to have gotten better every year in terms of organization and the level of competition is very high.  Here, I will describe the race as I experienced it with the hope of passing on some insights to those who may consider doing it in the future.

I left El Paso on Sat. around noon with the idea of setting up a campsite next to the lake.  I have gone camping with the kids every year I have done the race and it adds to the fun for them and me.  Also, this is the second year they had a kids triathlon and so I needed to get them registered for that event on Sat. afternoon. I will not go into the kids event on this blog, suffice it to say that it was well organized and all my 3 children had a blast. 
Had a fitful night in the tent as usual and got up at 0500 to eat breakfast and head over to transition.  I arrived at 0600 and the crowds were gathering for the anticipated 0700 start of the Long Distance (1.2mile Swim, 56 mile Bike and 13.1 mile run) event which is the first time they have ever done it here.   Had my helmet inspected as I went into the transition area. I set up transition close to the exit and went to get my timing chip and body marking.   We received word that the water temperature was 74 and so it would be Wet Suit legal (anything under 78 by USAT rule).  Met some friends in transition and then went back to the beach to put my wet suit on for a little warm up and watched the long distance course take off.  We had swim caps of different colors and these designated the wave that we would be in.  I was in the second wave (0815) with the over 40 men, the Clydesdales, and the relay team swimmers. 

The Swim     1 mile    41:01
I started in the middle of the pack and  got hit a couple of times as expected along the starting point.  The lake level has been very low due to the drought and the course was a big rectangle this year.  In previous years it was a big triangle which made for easier sight lines.  We headed straight out and then made a right towards buoy on the far right side of the lake and then several left turns to complete the rectangle before coming back on what they called the chute.  I had trouble sighting along the long part of the rectangle and towards the end got a cramp in my calf which caused me to slow down.  I passed a few people in the earlier wave with different colored caps.  I reached the beach but was disappointed by me time in the water, I had hoped to swim a little faster.  My first time here in 2008 I had swam the distance in 55:31(202 out of 204 swimmers)  and in 2009 42:12. 

T1   3:41
For those of you who have not been to the lake of late, the water level is supper low.  This meant we had to run up a hill with rocks, barefoot to get to the bikes.  Shortly out were some wet suit strippers which was a nice addition to the event.  I had to walk part way up as my heart rate was around 150 out of the water and I could not run.  The rest was smooth to the bike mount line. 

The Bike   26.5 miles   1:25:21   Avg. Speed 17.5 mph
As I have done this race before, I knew to expect a difficult bike course.  Once out of transition there is a steep hill to get out of the State Park.  I put my bike in the easiest gears and tried to go up steady.  After you leave the park the roads are flat for a few miles then there are some fast downhills where I reached a peak speed of 37 mph.  Then followed some canyons where there are 2 tough hills. At mile 10 got some water and filled by aero bottle and at mile 11 started the biggest hill which has a 10% grade and then it flattens out followed by a longer 4-5% grade until mile 17.  From that point forward it is pretty close to all down hill with a bit of tail wind. At mile 20, we passed the turnoff for the long course and by the time I was there, I was passed by the lead group of guys that had started the swim at 0700, on their way back after nearly completing  their 56 miles, very humbling.  I got my second water bottle at mile 20 and had some energy beans for nutrition. The last few yards are straight downhill, but you have to slow down because the dismount line is at the very bottom of the hill.

T2  1:00
I was in a good spot next to the run and bike exit so I was helped to speed my transition.  Got my shoes on and cap on and took a bottle of Gatorade with me on the start of the run.

The Run  6.2 miles    54:12    8:45 min/mile
The course takes off along a dirt road towards the spill way of the lake.  There is an initial downhill and then flattens with some rolling hills.  After the half mile mark there was this killer hill that was 15% grade and I just had to walk it as did most people around me.  Then we reached the spill way and we run towards the dam, again through rolling hills and then cross the dam which is a really cool view on both sides.  The turnaround point is at the end of a short climb where I had a gu and some water.  I tried to keep a steady pace but the hills and the increasing heat took their toll.  The last mile was again through the dirt trail which seemed to give less traction on the return.  I arrived to the finish and the kids ran with me for the last eighth of a mile, which is uphill.

Overall, my time was 3:05:15 which represents a big improvement for me at this distance.  My first time in 2008 was 3:44:00 and in 2009, I had improved to 3:24:17.   My place in my age group was 12/17 which is a reflection of the level of the competition with the winner in the age group finishing in 2:18:11.

I highly recommend this race to anyone looking to move to the next level from the sprint distances and events in the swimming pool.  The volunteers were terrific and the race director, Cory,  does a very good job. 

2011 Eagle in the Sun Triathlon Race Report

I can't say enough good things about this event.  Needless to say, it was a blast. I had been disappointed in my performance last year and really had been focusing on improving my time and maybe getting a podium spot for my age group.  The race is a Sprint tri with a 400 meter Swim, 20K (12 mile) bike and a 5K (3.1 mile) run.  With this in mind, I worked on my bike and run speed as I figured I am not likely to get any faster in the water.  Also, practiced transitions and dismounting off the bike.   I also had done the Socorro, New Mexico triathlon as a practice event and felt good with my progress one month out.  After 4 years of doing triathlon, I have been able to have steady improvements which has made for a great journey.  My first was the Girl Scout triathlon at the Ascarate pool which was a reverse tri which they called F1 format with 1.5 mile run, 6 mile bike, 1.5 mile run, another 6 mile bike and then an 800 meter swim at the end.  On that Labor day weekend, I was 2nd to the last participant and took me 2 hours to complete.  (Bobby G. did it in a little less than 1 hour).  On this Sunday, I was thrilled to have come away with 3rd place in my age group (45-49) with a time of 1:08:52.   For those who are still with me and interested in more details, I will gave my race report.

The organizers improved several things from last year and one of those is to organize a package pick up on the west side of El Paso at the Coney Island Restaurant on the Thursday before the race.  On Sunday AM headed out to the Tigua Indian Reservation recreation center at 0500 and was there by 0530 setting up my transition.  After that, got body marked and picked up the timing chip for the left ankle.  At 0700 we had a pre-race instructions and they started at 0730 with the first 50 people and as I was 190, I got ready to line up.  There was a little bit of a wait as they allowed 10 seconds between athletes to jump in the pool.  I talked to Rob L. (188) and Flip L. with his captain america swim trunks. Before I knew it, it was my turn to jump in and there I went.

The Swim  400 meters   9:06

I started as fast as I could but had to slow down a bit because I felt a little winded.  I also got some water in my goggles and had to readjust.  The pool is 50 meters so you swim one length and change lanes for a total of 8 lengths.  I passed a few people along the way but there was plenty of room.  Last year, my swim time was 9:24 so I improved very slightly.  This is the portion of the triathlon where I could really use some improvement. 

T1  0:56.8
I exited the pool and ran to T1, not jogged but ran.  I had practiced this before and knew I could do it without passing out.  Got to transition and put on the race belt, next shoes, helmet, and last sunglasses in that order.   Off the start of the bike.  My bike was next to the start as I had arrived early so that helped.  This year, I did not bother with any shirts and significantly cut my T1 time from last years abysmal 2:30.   Looking over the top 10 male finishers, their T1s were between 0:45 (Bobby G.) and 1:10.

The Bike  20K   32:57  Avg. speed 23mph
I clipped in and started out cautiously as there was a 90 degree sharp turn as you head out on Socorro road.  I felt really rested and recovered which allowed me to take off faster in the beginning.  I passed several people and was looking at their numbers and calves for age.  I had to be careful not to draft as there was a good size group riding in front of me. There was great crowd support and a HS band was playing.  The road was closed to traffic but there was 1 loose dog that could have caused an accident.   I caught up to Rob. but I couldn't pass him for a while.  I made a move but he passed me again just before the turn around. At the turnaround as I slowed down, I ate a gu and drank from my brand new water bottle which sits on the aero bars.  Really cool little gadget.  On the way back  there was a slight tail wind so I again sped up and caught up to Rob and passed him again.  I began to loose speed towards the end and got passed again.  At this point I figured I best save some energy for the run and so I focused on increasing my cadence and easing the gears to wash off lactic acid before the run.  (I read about that somewhere).  Finished the gatorade as I arrived to T2. Last year, I raced the same course in 36:10, so a big improvement which was reflected in my total time.

T2  0:49.9
I had a great dismount off the bike leaving my shoes on the pedals.  Carried my bike as I ran barefoot to my transition area.  Got the helmet off, then cap on and put the Spira XLTs with elastic laces on.  Grabbed a Gatorade bottle and ran with it to the start of the run.  The top 10 athlete's T2 times were 0:36 to 0:57 so that is pretty good.

The Run  5K  25:02  Avg pace 8:05 min/mile
I started the run and tried to keep my pace around 8 min/mile.  The crowd support was great and I specially enjoyed the kids with the water guns who sprayed us.  They were very polite and asked first, if you wanted to be sprayed. The course is flat around the nearby neighborhood.  I paced behind someone who passed me and was able to keep the pace.  I sprinted the last half mile as I didn't want to leave anything behind.  If I was going to miss a podium slot, I was not going to have any regrets.  I crossed the finish and heard my name called.  Got a finishing medal and picked up a delicious chocolate milk.

This was by far my best triathlon finish ever and I feel really happy to have come this far.  In my age group, I was 3rd out of 22 and overall, I was 28 out of 205 finishers.  The event is well organized and I got to see a lot of friends as this is my home town race.  I really wish we could have more of them. For now my focus is on Nov. 6 when I will get to participate for the first time in the New York Marathon.  After 4 times being denied entry via the lottery, I finally got an automatic acceptance.