70.3 World Championships - Clearwater - Flat

after spending much of the 2008 season chasing down a slot for the world championships, i am left very disappointed. ill get to my personal misfortune in a minute. i am disappointed in the sport. what is supposed to be the ultimate test between the top athletes in the 70.3 distance turned into a total sham and became nothing more than a bike shop group ride with a transition run. everyone knows its a draft fest, and some age groups had a fairer race then others. for instance the 18-24 age group for both men and women was absolutely ridiculous and i dont blame the athletes as much as the race organizers. because of the flat narrow course, it is virtually impossible to avoid drafting in some of the swim waves, and if you actually want to compete you have to draft because everyone else is and they are not going to be penalized. its a joke. i really hope ironman thinks about the sport not money when they decide where to put the world championships in 2011.

i was feeling pretty damn good on saturday morning, as i came out of the water sub 26, crossing the mat in 26:04. those damn swim classes at nssc really helped. i will say that was the most violent swim start i have ever endured, the fighting lasted for about 700 meters!

after a relatively quick transition and struggling to mount my bike, i slowly got into the groove. about 5 miles in i really started to feel good. at about mile 20, the course became real narrow and populated. over the next 40k it was getting dangerous. i was literally yelling at people. i started yelling at them for blatantly sitting on my wheel, then i began to mad because it as downright dangerous. i broke from one pack, and a heavier guy came off my wheel looked at me and said, "ill ride shotgun!" i couldn't believe it.

the only way to get ahead of some of these peletons was to ride the shoulder and go for it. which i did. unfortunately the last time i did, i struck one of those reflectors from the side, and almost went down. the pack of thirty couldn't of cared less as they continued to cruise on. after regaining my balance i got back in the drops, and went after them again, but this time, i couldn't catch them. i was thinking, "damn, they are moving". as i got slower and slower, i realized there was a problem. i had a flat tire at mile 37.

i ended up walking my bike for a few minutes until i got to an intersection and found a cop. he radioed someone, and 28 minutes later i was back on my bike headed to t2. as i sat on the side of the road, i noticed one thing in particular, no one was not drafting! i cruised in debating whether or not to even finish. i was so pissed off, i needed to run.

i ran a relatively relaxed 1:24, finding it hard to dig deep because of the flat, crossed the line in 4:41 and i am left waiting for 2009 to begin. i am not finished with that race, and will not be until my next one. i had too much in my legs, my heart, and my gut. i have never once eaten food from the race after a half ironman, becaus ei am usually so sick. i was eating pizza within 15 minutes.

learning is such a huge par of this sport. i have learned more about triathlon this season then the 5 before it combined. consistency, quality, and bringing a flat kit are a few of my lessons. but, the great part is that it will all begin soon enough and redemption is sometimes more fun then getting it right the first time.

i am not sure if i ever want to return to clearwater, because the times are so insane due to drafting, but there will be 2009, 2010, and beyond. there will be plenty of races where i will continue to leave it all out there, and puke my way to the awards, but i will never forget what its like to finish the world championships with so much left in the tank and a 28 minute handicap.

congrats to kelly and her new PR! 42 SECONDS from breaking the 5 hour barrier ! 2009 for that too. it was still a blast to chill on the beach, get a sunburn, and eat some grouper tacos again.

a huge thanks to janda for his support all year, and especially for being there saturday. i could see him and michelle from a mile away because of that damn green shirt. next year...