Category: Triathlon Across The USA

Eau Claire, Wisconsin; June 3, 2018 – Mayo Clinic Health System Eau Claire Triathlon; Halfmoon Park.

The Eau Claire Triathlon, our Wisconsin race in the ‘Triathlon Across the USA’ journey, is a great example of how triathlons often double as fundraisers for important causes locally and across the world.

Planning the Wisconsin Triathlon

Our schedule for June was up in the air, as we say. Since we liked to stay near our Minnesota home on weekends during the summer months, we really did not want to travel far for a June triathlon. On the other hand, I needed to keep pressing toward the 50-state goal.

Both the timing for the Eau Claire Triathlon (first weekend in June) and its proximity to our home (two-hour drive) made it attractive. Upon learning about the triathlon’s priority for supporting local and international causes, we made the commitment.

Travel to the Eau Claire Triathlon

Eau Claire, Wisconsin was an easy two-hour drive east of our home in Minnesota. It will no doubt be the race in the ‘Triathlon Across the USA’ quest closest to our home yet outside our home state.

We left our house at about 2pm on Saturday. This allowed us time to check-in to our hotel before picking up the race packet, grabbing a couple of kid’s meals (yes, for us) at Culvers, and attending the Saturday evening worship service at Peace Lutheran, one of the race sponsors.

We made it back to the hotel just before the skies opened and rain poured down. It was still raining when we turned in for the night.

Fundraising Through Triathlon

The Eau Claire Triathlon is a fundraiser for two causes dear to the hearts of the organizers, the Friends of the Orphans and the Chippewa Valley Free Clinic.

For over 40 years, Friends of the Orphans has provided safe and loving homes for children in Latin America and the Caribbean. Currently, over 3,500 children lived in the homes supported by the organization.

Meanwhile, closer to home, the Chippewa Valley Free Clinic provides medical services for those living in western Wisconsin without health insurance.

9^th Annual Eau Claire Triathlon

Race morning was cloudy and a little under 60°F with a light wind. Fortunately, the rain had passed and would not appear any time during the rest of our stay in Eau Claire.

Distances for the individual legs of this USAT-sanctioned sprint triathlon were:

• Swim: 0.31 mile (500 m)
• Bike: 17 mile (27 km)
• Run: 3.1 mile (5 km)

Racers competed individually, in age groups or as Clydesdale and Athena, or in relay teams. 

The race was well organized. More than 100 volunteers were stationed at various locations along the race course.

Another unique feature of this event was that on the day before the adult triathlon, organizers held a kid’s triathlon for children ages 7-14. Young people competed individually or as teams with two different distances for those aged 7-10 and aged 11-14. Details of the kid’s triathlon are here.

Swim

The first of the 153 racers to enter the water for the open water swim were two men, each pulling an inflatable raft connected to a cord wrapped around their waist. Each raft carried a physically disabled child who would be with them through each of the legs of the race. I know this because I passed both on the bike leg. Later, during the run, each of them passed me.

The two men started five minutes before the first group (“wave” in triathlon-speak) of male age groupers aged 40 and under. The other waves started at two-minute intervals, with the last wave including relay team members.

With the air temperature at 60°F and the water temperature only slightly warmer, I was happy to wear a wetsuit. Most of those who lined up for the swim without a wetsuit wished they had worn one. At least, that’s what the looks on their faces told me.

Bike

The 17-mile bike course took us on rolling hills through residential streets out into the country west of Eau Claire, past fields, beautiful patches of wildflowers, and farms. The condition of the roads was mostly good, absent of potholes and cracks that characterize many northern roads at this time of year.

There was just enough wind to know its direction from the effect it had on the bike. The good thing was that the wind provided a tailwind during the last portion of the course.

Run

The run began on a paved trail leading from the transition area to a bridge crossing Halfmoon Lake and leading into Carson Park. Other than the hill leading into and out of the park, the course was quite flat.

Shortly after entering the park, I heard a clanging sound, like that of glass bottles clanking into each other. My first thought, odd as it seemed for a Sunday morning, was that someone was emptying recycling containers.

I eventually found the actual source of this noise when I came upon a horseshoe court. There were at least ten games of horseshoes being played simultaneously. I later read that “Carson Park features 18 horseshoe courts with a seating capacity of 100”.

A little further down the road, I saw something in the distance lying in the middle of the road. At first, I thought it was the remains of an animal that a car had struck. A little further and this object came into view. It was a huge, snapping turtle lazily munching on a bunch of leaves. It seemed truly unfazed by the many runners passing it.

The run continued through the park, past the statues of Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, Babe, and past the Chippewa Valley Museum. We eventually exited the park, crossed back over the bridge, and got onto the path leading to the finish line. 

The final jog to the finish line was the only portion of the run course not on a paved trail. These last two hundred yards covered a narrow dirt trail, a grassy patch, and a short section of a coarse gravel covered path.

After Crossing the Finish Line at the Wisconsin Triathlon

After crossing the finish line, I bent over to remove the Velcro-strap holding the timing chip around my left ankle. As I stood up, a young volunteer handed me a bottle of ice cold water.

While downing the water, Joy and I headed over to the refreshment tent. Here we exchanged our meal and drink tickets for a grilled burger, some grilled onions, potato chips, and two ice cold root beers. My mouth waters even while writing this string of words.

With the refreshments consumed and the transition area open for removing the items left during the run, we packed up. 

Following a quick shower at the hotel, we headed home with the Wisconsin triathlon completed.

Race Firsts from the Wisconsin Triathlon

• First triathlon after retiring from full-time employment.
• First bike course involving a pedestrian tunnel.
• First race with a turtle in the middle of the run course

Triathlon as a Fundraiser?

Is there a triathlon that doubles as a fundraiser which you like to support? Please tell us about it in the Comments below.

Chugiak, Alaska, June 1, 2014 – Eagle River Triathlon

About 30 minutes north of the Anchorage Airport along Glenn Highway is Chugiak High School, ground zero for our Alaska triathlon, the Eagle River Sprint Triathlon. 

While race day was rainy, the following week provided spectacular views of Mt. McKinley, a surprise visit to North Pole, and close-ups of glaciers, birds, and whales in Resurrection Bay.

A Family Connection for the Alaska Triathlon

During the summer of 2012, shortly after embarking on our Triathlon Across the USA adventure, Joy and I attended a wedding of her cousin Linda’s son.  During one of the reception speeches, we learned that he and his new bride would be living in Anchorage, Alaska.  He was enlisted in the US Air Force and they would be stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson for four years.

When we heard this, Joy and I looked at each other and in near unison mouthed the word ‘Alaska’.  Later that evening, we shared our idea about visiting Alaska during their tour with the newlyweds.  They agreed, probably sure that we would never follow through.

Little did they realize that we started almost immediately laying plans for the Alaska triathlon.

Fast forward two years and this young family had grown to include another member, their son.  On the Saturday before the triathlon, we were able to take the young family to lunch at Glacier Brewhouse in downtown Anchorage.

Preparing for the Alaska Triathlon

We arrived in Anchorage a couple of days early in order to tour the city and to test out the bike that I rented for this race.   During these two days, we sampled the local cuisine (lots of seafood) of various restaurants, including Seward’s Folly Bar & Grill, Gwennies, Glacier Brewhouse, and Bridge.

We were soon reminded of the long periods of sunlight in Alaska during this time of year.  Throughout our stay, we occasionally woke at night to peek outside and realize that it was never darker than a Minnesota dusk.   Thank goodness for thick room darkening curtains.

The day before the race, we picked up the race packet at Chugiak High School.  We also picked up the Scott rental bike at Chain Reactions Cycles.  In between we met the couple whose wedding we had attended two years earlier.

Eagle River Triathlon

I don’t think of Alaska as a hot spot for triathlon.  So, I was surprised to learn that the Eagle River Triathlon has been held every year except one (2003) since 1993, making 2014 the 21st running of the triathlon.

Headquarters for the Eagle River Triathlon was Chugiak High School.  The school is located about 25 miles northeast of downtown Anchorage just off Glenn Highway, also known as AK-1 (Alaska Highway 1).

Distances for the individual legs of this USAT-sanctioned sprint triathlon were:

• Swim: 0.3 mile (500 m)
• Bike: 12.4 mile (20 km)
• Run: 3.1 mile (5 km)

Unique Transition Area

Somehow I missed the information on the Eagle River Triathlon’s Facebook page that race organizers did not provide racks for holding bicycles in the transition area.   Other racers brought their own means of supporting their bikes. Some of these were purchased while others were clearly homemade.

Since there was plenty of space in transition, I stood my road bike upside down.  (This would not have worked with my Trek SpeedConcept tri-bike.) 

As you can see in the picture below, other racers still gave me more space, probably fearing that my bike would tip over.

Swim

The swim leg occurred in the Chugiak High School Swimming pool.  The 500-meter swim consisted of 10 laps (20 lengths) of the 25-meter long pool, all within the same lane.  Swimmers started according to bib number with about 100 swimmers completing the swim each hour.  The result was that the entire field of triathletes was spread out over nearly four hours.

Bike

On race morning, the temperature was just under 50ºF (10ºC).  By the time I had completed the swim and headed out onto the bike course, a light drizzle had begun to fall.  The combined temperature and rain made the ride chilly, bordering on just plain cold.

The course left the transition area in the Chugiak High School parking lot, turned north following Birchwood Lane to the first turnaround.  From here, we returned on the same route past the transition area to a second turnaround about two and one-half miles past the school.  From the second turnaround, we rode back to transition.

I had used a rented bicycle in a previous triathlon, the Hilton Head Sprint Triathlon.  However, the bike rented for the Alaska triathlon did not fit me nearly as well.  The time to complete this leg of the triathlon showed it.

The lesson? Next time I rent a bike, I will pay closer attention to the fit.

Run

The run course followed a single loop, out-and-back course.  The course followed a paved trail that left the transition area, passed under Glenn Highway, and then turned left to follow another paved trail that paralleled the highway.  Upon reaching the halfway mark, we turned around and returned to the red inflatable Finish Line (shown behind me in the picture below).

A Small World Story from the Alaska Triathlon

While chatting with other triathletes before the race, Joy and I struck up a conversation with a young lady and her parents.  We learned that while she and her husband were living in Fairbanks, her parents were from Hutchinson, Minnesota, a rural community about 1-1/2 hours drive west of our home, also in Minnesota. That was interesting.

However, as we continued talking with the young lady, we learned that she had not only grown up in Hutchinson but that she had also swam in high school with our daughter-in-law.  Now that made the world seem just a little smaller.

Here we were more than 3,000 miles from home. We not only met, but raced in a triathlon with, a person who had swam with our daughter-in-law. 

Besides, this young lady represented Minnesota well. She was the first overall female finisher for the Eagle River Triathlon.

Results

Finishing third in the Male 60-64 age group earned me a ceramic plague.  You can see it listed third in “5 Unique Triathlon Medals; They are No Longer Just Metal”.

Exploring Alaska

Joy and I took the next week to put on a bunch of miles in the rental car, first driving to Fairbanks.  Enroute, we spent one night in Talkeetna from where we took an air tour of Mt. McKinley and surrounding mountains and glaciers, and one night at the Mt. McKinley Princess Lodge.

After a quick tour of Fairbanks and North Pole, we returned back to Anchorage and onto Seward for two days.  On one of these days, we joined Kenai Fjord Tours Aichik of Resurrection Bay for whale watching and glacier viewing.

Race Firsts

• There were no common bike racks in the transition area, a triathlon-first for me.
• First race in which I was #1 in both T1 and T2 time for my age group.
• First race in which the swim start was spread over several hours.

Have You Done a Triathlon in Alaska?

Have you done a triathlon in Alaska? If so, let us here about it in the comments below.

Waverly, Iowa; May 5, 2018 – Wartburg College; TriByKnight Sprint Triathlon.

It had been 27 years since we last spent time with our friends, Paul and Susan. In the summer of 1991, Paul, Susan, and their three children had traveled from their home in Algona, Iowa, to join our family in Minnesota. During that visit, our two families served as volunteers for the International Special Olympics being held in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area. As part of the event, we met Kirstie Alley, Fred Savage, and Olympic gymnasts, Nadia Comăneci and Bart Conner.

With our kids now grown, Joy and Susan had been trying to find a way for the four of us to get together. An opportunity emerged in early March when we learned about the TriByKnight triathlon in Waverly, Iowa.

A check of schedules showed we were available. Our first weekend in May was going to involve triathlon and friends.

Snow in late April?

My training for the Iowa triathlon had all been indoors – pool, stationary bike, and treadmill – thanks to the extended 2017-18 winter. To top it off, twenty-two inches of snow fell at our Minnesota home exactly three weeks before the TriByKnight sprint triathlon.

While the weather warmed and the snow quickly disappeared, it was difficult to get outside for training. The first opportunity for an outdoor bike ride was less than one week before the race.

I approached the race with some questions about how ready I would be.

Visiting Waverly for the Iowa Triathlon

We left home around 1:30pm on Friday, May 4^th for the 3-hour drive to Waverly. By the time we arrived, we could proceed directly to pick up the race packet at Thompson Shoes, one sponsor of the triathlon.

With this important task complete and our stomachs rumbling, we walked next door to the East Bremer Diner to sample the local cuisine. After an exceptional prime rib dinner, complete with the signature East Bremer Diner salad dressings, we headed out for a drive along the bike course for the next day’s triathlon.

Joy and I like to checkout the course before the race. Our goal is to identify road conditions for the bike leg. In particular, we look for potholes and cracks in the road that could pose trouble, if not avoided.

After driving the bike course, we checked into our hotel. Before calling it a night, I finished preparing for the next morning by:

• applying the race number to the bike and race number belt,
• preparing drinks for before and during the race, and
• inflating the bike tires.

7^th Annual TriByKnight Sprint Triathlon

The TriByKnight sprint triathlon was held on the Wartburg College campus, home to the Wartburg Knights. The triathlon was also managed by the college.

Distances for the individual legs of this USAT-sanctioned sprint triathlon were:

• Swim: 300 yard (274 m)
• Bike: 15 mile (24 km)
• Run: 3.1 mile (5 km)

We could not have asked for a more perfect day. Clear skies. Light breeze. Mild temperature. While on the ride, I looked down at my bike computer, which showed the temperature to be 77°F (25°C).

Swim

The Schuldt Natatorium, location for the swim leg, includes a six-lane, 25 yard long pool. Before the race, swimmers lined up according to their estimated swim time.  

Following the singing of the national anthem, race staff sent the first triathlete into the pool to begin his race. The rest of the nearly 200 racers started at approximately 5-second intervals.

We swam down and back in each lane (except for the last lane) to make up the 300 yards. After swimming back in each lane, we ducked under the lane divider and repeated the down and back excursion in the next lane.

After completing the ‘down’ portion of the sixth lane, we turned and swam approximately halfway to the starting end, then turned about 45 degrees to the left, and swam across an area of the pool designated for water sports (e.g. volleyball, water polo). We exited the pool, walking up several steps.

From here, we left the building, heading toward the fitness center and pool parking lot, which on this day was the transition area for the triathlon.

Bike

The bike course was a 15 mile loop on paved roads in the rural area north of Waverly. The ride involved a continuous series of rolling hills. While the hills were not extreme, they were still challenging, considering that I had ridden outside for the first time this year less than a week earlier.

During the first two miles, the combination of cars, trucks, bikes, and hills created a slow down for some bikers. While I did not slow down because of a car or truck, several of the bikes in front of me were required to slow. This brought back memories of the Texas triathlon.

Near the halfway mark of the bike course, we passed through the small town of Bremer (see picture below). About a mile outside of Bremer, we passed by a farm with three antique threshing machines sitting in a grassy field. While there was no sign of the owner trying to sell them, I did note that he had a plot of land for sale.

A few miles later, with the longest hill of the course behind us, we were back on Waverly streets. This last section of the bike leg included a wooden pedestrian bridge that crossed the Cedar River. In a few more blocks, we were at the dismount line and back into the transition area.

Run

The 5k run leg was three loops of a course on streets within the Wartburg campus and about a half lap on the asphalt track of Walston-Hoover Stadium. 

During the final loop, the course led runners to the finish line on the track at the 50-yard line of the football field.

Taking the Long Way Home

As often as we can, we combine travel to a triathlon with visits to family and friends. More often than not, we choose the location of the triathlon so that we can accomplish both goals.

This time was no different. Following the triathlon, we traveled north and west to Clear Lake, Iowa. Following a quick lunch, we headed on to Algona, Iowa, to visit friends, Paul and Susan.

While we had passed through Clear Lake many times on past trips between Minneapolis and Des Moines, Iowa, Clear Lake had a special significance this time.

About six months earlier, Joy’s book club had read “Stars Over Clear Lake” by Loretta Ellsworth. This historical fiction novel describes events around the World War II German POW Camp in Algona, Iowa.

At the end of the book, Joy had learned of a museum memorializing the Camp and the area residents who had served in the war effort. So, while in Algona, we jumped on the opportunity to visit the museum.

A Stop in Algona

The docent of the POW Camp museum, Glenn, added to the various displays by sharing some heartwarming stories from interviews of area residents. Glenn had conducted some of the interviews himself.

At least one of these stories is told in “Common Valor”, a book to which Paul and Susan’s daughter Leah was a contributor and that we now own.

Following the museum visit, Paul and Susan showed us Algona, of which they are rightfully proud. We finished the day with a great home-cooked dinner and a late night of catching up. After attending church with Paul and Susan the next morning, we headed toward home.

Since US Highway 169 passes through Algona and within a few miles of our home, we returned along this route. Along the way, we stopped briefly in Blue Earth, Minnesota, to visit with Sherryl and Penny, Joy’s sister and niece.

Race Firsts

• First time racing in the 65-69 Age Group
• First race with a portion of the bike course on a wooden pedestrian bridge over Cedar River.
• Passing through a second town (Bremer, Iowa) on the bike course was another first.

Comments

This was not the first time I had done a triathlon where the swim was in a college pool. How about you? Have you done a triathlon on a college campus? How about a triathlon anywhere in Iowa?

Please tell us your experiences in the Comments below.

Englewood, Colorado, September 8, 2013 – Inverness Triathlon

Adding Colorado to the 2013 Triathlon Season

We decided that 2013 was the year to share my love for triathlon with my parents.  Since they were living in the south Denver suburb of Parker, it was a matter of finding Colorado triathlons that fit our schedule.  We decided on the one closest to Parker.

As long as we were making the trip, Joy and I decided to add a few days and a couple of extra stops to check in on family in South Dakota and Nebraska and to visit friends in Colorado Springs.

An Indirect Route to the Colorado Triathlon

The path from Minneapolis to Denver was anything but direct.  We started the six-day, six-state trip on Wednesday morning by heading to Rapid City, South Dakota for a visit with Joy’s aunt Evelyn.

The next day, we reached our friends Steve and Lori in Colorado Springs for a visit with them.  Then, on Friday, we made the hour and a half drive from Colorado Springs to my parent’s house in Parker.

Last Minute Equipment Problem

While on a short bike ride around my parent’s neighborhood on Friday afternoon, I noticed that the seat kept sliding down, not just a little but almost a foot within a few blocks.  While I could still ride the bike, it took more effort to keep moving at a normal pace than it did with the seat at its correct height.

Not wanting to over tighten (over torque) the seat post clamp and risk cracking the carbon fiber frame of the Trek SpeedConcept, I called the Trek bike shop in Parker for ideas on how to solve the problem.

We agreed that I would bring the bike into the shop on Saturday.

The people working at bike shops are among the most generous I know. The guys at the Parker store of Treads (the local Trek dealer at the time) were no exception.

They spent several hours trying to solve the mystery of the sinking seat. Much of the time was spent with the bike on a trainer so I could test ride the bike after they implemented what they believed would be a fix for the problem.

The final solution appeared to be applying a grit filled, sticky/greasy substance to the seat post. This material was designed to create additional friction between the seat post and clamp to keep the post from moving.

In the end, they did not ask for anything. I decided to purchase a tube of the grit filled material in case I needed more in the future.

When I left the bike shop, I was convinced they had solved the problem. I headed into the race confident in my equipment.

Inverness Triathlon

The Inverness Triathlon, held at the Colorado Athletic Club in Englewood, included individual and relay sprint triathlon and aqua-bike events.

Distances for the individual legs of the USAT-sanctioned Inverness triathlon were:

• Swim: 0.3 mile (574 yd or 525 m)
• Bike: 12 mile (19.3 km)
• Run: 3 mile (4.8 km)

The aqua-bike race was available for those who did not want to or were unable to run the three mile distance of the triathlon. For example, one of the guys who swam in the same group as me competed in the aqua-bike. He explained that he chose this event because of a chronic knee problem that prevented him from running.

The aqua-bike included the swim and bike distances of the triathlon with only short walk or jog to the finish line from the transition area.

Later, while chatting before the race, he told me that, from his perspective, the bike course for this race was ‘quite flat’. When we later met on the course, I shared with him that flat from the perspective of a Minnesotan is clearly different from that of one from Colorado.

Swim

The triathlon began with the slowest swimmers (those who reported the longest expected swim times) starting first.  Five swimmers occupied each lane and started about 10 seconds apart from each other. This is commonly referred to as a ‘time trial start’.

There was also one lane for the fastest swimmers, those who expected to swim the 525 m in 7 minutes, 30 seconds or less.

Since I was in neither camp – neither among the slowest nor the fastest, I waited and eventually found a group of five other swimmers who expected to complete the swim in a similar time as me.

The swim involved 21 lengths of the 25 m pool, all within the same lane shared by the five swimmers. The odd number of lengths meant we exited the pool at the end of the swim leg at the end opposite from that at which we entered it.

From the exit of the pool, it was a short walk or jog to the transition area just outside the pool area.

Bike

The bike course took us through a business area in the south Denver suburb of Englewood. The course had the feel of a labyrinth of side streets lined with modern office buildings and the occasional green space. The altitude was between 5,720 and 5,900 feet – a little over one mile high.

The bike course was a bit hillier than typical venues, though not especially difficult. After a 120 foot descent over the first 2-1/2 miles, the course ascended 180 feet over the next 8 miles.

Late in the bike leg, it became clear that the gritty material applied to the seat post at the bike shop the day before was not doing its job. In fact, by the time I finished the bike leg, the seat post had dropped about a foot. At least it had taken longer for this to happen than it had on Friday.

While the bike was still working fine, I was not generating the same amount of power with each stroke of the pedal as with the seat at the correct height.  The result: it was taking longer to get through the course.

What should I have done differently? The guys at the bike shop in Parker had done everything that they knew to do.

In hindsight, I should have taken the bike for a ride a week before leaving home for Colorado. This would have at least provided more time to diagnose and solve the problem.

Another lesson learned.

Triathlon Lesson: A triathlon is a microcosm of life. The unexpected often occurs during a race. It is best to accept whatever comes along and learn from it.

St. Paul to the Romans (Romans 5:3-4)

Run

The run was partially on a combined walking and running trail and partially on city sidewalks, all behind the fitness center. Even though the run course was relatively flat, my run was actually a mix of running and walking.

I expected the run to be a challenge with the difference in altitude between my Minnesota home and Colorado. Running near my parent’s home during several previous visits had taught me that running at the higher altitude was more difficult.

Results

Despite the challenges with the bike and run legs of this race, I ended up finishing 50^th of 200 overall and second within my 60-64 year men’s age group. For me, that was respectable.

Reflections on the Colorado Triathlon

Other than for the swimming portion, triathlon is not much of a spectator sport. Nevertheless, my parents stayed for the entire race and even seemed to enjoy all the activity around the event.

We were glad that we had made the trip. This weekend was among the last times we spent time with my parents. Within a few years, both had passed away.

After the award’s ceremony, we headed back to Minneapolis with an overnight stop in Omaha, Nebraska, to see our son Ben, daughter-in-law Lindsey, and granddaughter Mari (Anna Joy was not yet born). More precious time with family.

Fixing the Bike Seat

A week or so after returning home, I took the bike into my local bike shop, Maple Grove Cycling. After explaining the problem, I learned that Trek had very recently announced a recall of the seat post clamp. A Maple Grove Cycling technician installed the new and improved clamp.

I no longer needed the grit-filled material for the seat post.

Race Firsts

• First race at over one mile altitude
• First triathlon involving a problem that affected the bike fit
• This was the first (and only) triathlon attended by my parents

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