Author: Terry VanderWert

Gillette, Wyoming, May 3, 2014 – Razor City Splash & Dash Triathlon

The Razor City Splash & Dash Triathlon in Gillette, Wyoming was the opportunity to visit family, explore eastern Wyoming, and enjoy our 15 minutes of fame.

Why a Triathlon in Gillette, Wyoming?

Joy’s and my plans to compete in the Razor City Splash & Dash Triathlon, my first of the 2014 season, were cemented with mailing a check to the Campbell County Parks & Recreation on January 10, 2014.

Why this triathlon?

If you have read “How to Choose Your Next Triathlon”, you may have already guessed that there was a connection to family or friends weaved somewhere into the story.

If you have not read the earlier post, please do so later.  For now, I’ll give you the short version of the answer to the above question.

First, Wyoming was one of the states in which I had not completed a triathlon.

More importantly, Gillette was a short drive past Rapid City, South Dakota. Rapid City was the summer home of Joy’s dear Aunt Evelyn.  Evelyn learned that she enjoyed being a triathlon spectator during the Catching Cupid Triathlon in Mesa, Arizona (State #12).  She was more than ready to watch another race.

Travel to the Wyoming Triathlon

Joy and I left our Minnesota home on Thursday evening, spending the night in Mitchell, South Dakota, home of the world famous Corn Palace.   We rose early the next morning, reaching Rapid City in time for lunch with Aunt Evelyn.

While we had planned to pick up Evelyn on the way to Gillette – and she was looking forward to the trip – health problems prevented her from joining us.  Nevertheless, we were able to visit with her both on the way to and from Gillette.

After lunch and some ‘catching up’, we made the roughly two hour trip to Gillette.  Arriving mid-afternoon allowed us to prepare for the race, pick up the race packet, and explore the area a bit before having an early dinner at the Prime Rib restaurant.

Learning About Gillette

Gillette is named after Edward Gillette, an engineer and surveyor for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad who in 1891 recommended the eventual route of the railroad.

But, what about the ‘Razor City’ nickname that is the basis for the triathlon’s name?

Legend has it that the ‘Razor City’ nickname came from association of the Gillette family name with that of the company that manufactures razor blades.

The more popular nickname for Gillette today is ‘Energy Capital of the Nation’.  This name recognizes the city’s central location within an area from which large quantities of coal, oil, and coal bed methane gas have been obtained.

One fact about Gillette relevant to the triathlon is its altitude.  Like many western USA cities, Gillette is located at an elevation significantly higher than that of my home state of Minnesota.  For this race, the average altitude was 4,550 to just over 4,600 feet.

11^th Annual Razor City Splash & Dash Sprint Triathlon

The race is one of several run by Campbell County Parks & Recreation (CCPR).  You can find information about the next triathlon and other races sponsored by CCPR here. I challenge you to find a lower cost triathlon.

Distances for the individual legs of this sprint triathlon were:

• Swim: 0.51 mile (900 yds or 823 m)
• Bike: 11.3 miles (18.2 km) as measured from my bike computer (officially listed as ‘approximately 12 miles’)
• Run: 3.1 miles (5 km)

Race Day

We rose early to reach the Recreation Center for the opening of the transition area.  In fact, we arrived before the race staff.

After setting up my transition area, I chatted with the race director.  During the conversation, I shared with him that this race was the Wyoming triathlon in our 50-states quest.

As more racers began to arrive, the conversation turned to other topics.   Before I knew it, we were in the aquatic center for the pre-race meeting.

Swim

Gillette is blessed with an incredible pool, the location for the triathlon’s swim leg.  For the triathlon, the Olympic size pool (50-yard length) was configured as a 25-yard pool with 20 lanes.

The swim for this race involved five triathletes in each lane, all who had estimated similar times for their swim.  The entire 900 yards of the swim occurred within the same lane with the same five swimmers, in this case, four young ladies and me. 

Each swimmer was responsible for providing a person to count their laps.  Filling this need for me, Joy ticked off one more volunteer performance.

My swim time was actually almost three minutes faster than I had estimated at registration.  I am not sure how this happened but it was a pleasant surprise.   On several occasions, I had to slow down because of congestion in the lane.

Bike

For the bike leg, we left the transition area outside the aquatic center and headed onto a city street.  From the course map, the route looked more or less like a capital letter ‘T’ with the starting point near the bottom of the vertical section.

The course involved an out and back route with two turnarounds, one corresponding to each of the two ends of the top, horizontal section of the ‘T’.

What is missing from the simple description of the course as a flat letter ‘T’ are the four steep climbs (and descents) and rolling hills. These made this short course a bit more challenging though still quite fast.

One of the unique memories of this race was the pronghorn deer in the field alongside the course.  With the deer separated from the road by a fence, there was little danger of them running onto the course.  It’s just that you don’t see deer, nonetheless pronghorn deer, during every triathlon.

Run

The 3.1 mile (5k) flat run course took us through a quiet neighborhood of Gillette.  The course left from the eastern side of the Recreation Center parking lot, looped around streets south and eventually southwest of the Center, returning to the Center parking lot and finish line.

15 Minutes of Fame

Since I was the only participant over 60 years of age, I was able to claim a first place age group prize.  When announcing my ‘win’, the race director also announced Joy’s and my mission to cover the USA through triathlon.

Following the awards ceremony, Grant Egger, a reporter for the Gillette News Record, informed us that he was writing a story about the Splash & Dash.  Of course, we agreed to his request for an interview.

A few days later, I received a copy of the newspaper article in my e-mail. 

A Final Stop in Rapid City

We left Gillette at 12:15 pm Mountain Time for our first stop, Rapid City.  Our mission was to pay Aunt Evelyn another visit, this time with an update on the triathlon.

Being an experienced triathlon spectator, she asked all the right questions.  After getting her caught up and enjoying some snacks, we said our farewells and headed toward Minnesota.

Three months later, Evelyn had passed away.   We were blessed to have been allowed time with her during this trip.

Race Firsts

• First timing biking past Pronghorn Deer.
• I was the oldest participant for this race, another first.
• First race in which Joy and I were interviewed by a local newspaper reporter after the race.

Have You Done a Triathlon in Wyoming?

Wyoming is such a beautiful state. I have loved it since visiting Jackson Hole, the Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone Park as a child.

Have you done any triathlons in Wyoming? If so tell us which one and what you learned from it in the Comments section below.

Youngsville, Louisiana; October 1, 2017—Sugarman Triathlon, Sugar Mill Pond.

I had not originally planned to compete in a triathlon in Louisiana during 2017. However, a race in a western state that was part of my original plan did not take place. Then there was Hurricane Harvey.

The October 1^st date of the Sugarman Triathlon fit nicely into our plans to visit Florida for our wedding anniversary. Besides, its location in western Louisiana provided us the opportunity to meet a friend who had been through a horrific time with Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath.

While our friend lived in Katy (Houston), Texas, she had been commuting to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for work for over a year. Youngsville provided a perfect meeting point for a face-to-face visit to get caught up.

Getting to the Louisiana Triathlon

Joy and I left our Minnesota home at a little before 6 am on Friday morning. With a new audiobook playing on the radio, we headed toward Little Rock, Arkansas, where we would spend our first night. The overnight stop in Little Rock meant we were roughly two-thirds of the way to the race venue in Youngsville (Lafayette), Louisiana.

We finished the trip to Youngsville the next day, arriving in plenty of time for packet pickup. Following this, we made a quick tour of the race venue around Sugar Mill Pond. We finished the evening with our friend from Texas around some authentic Cajun cuisine at Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn.

8^th Annual Sugarman Triathlon

2017 was the 8th annual running of Sugarman Triathlon.  Like many triathlons, Sugarman doubled as a fundraiser.

For this race, the proceeds benefited two causes important to the area – the Jacob Crouch Foundation for suicide prevention and TRAIL (Transportation Recreation Alternatives In Louisiana), an organization aimed at “building and maintaining opportunities for outdoor recreation”.

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

• Swim: 0.3 mile (500 m)
• Bike: 15 mile (24 km)
• Run: 3.1 mile (5 km)

Participants had the choice of racing within Age Groups, in Relays, or as Clydesdale (male) and Athena (female).

Transition

The transition area for the nearly 200 participants occupied the space on Waterview Street between Shore Drive and Prescott Boulevard, in front of the Sugar Mill Athletic Club.

Racers were assigned a rack based on our race number. As is customary, we racked our bikes alternately facing one of the two transition area exits. For example, if the bike occupying the end position faced toward the ‘Bike Out’ end, the next bike would be racked to face opposite this, or toward the ‘Run Out’ location.

How Do You Setup Your Transition Space?

You may have heard the saying, “you cannot win a triathlon in transition, but you can lose it.” Any time spent in transition is just as important as time taken in the individual legs of the race.

Shaving a minute from your transition time is just as good as reducing your swim or bike or run time by a minute.

How To Achieve Faster Transition TImes

One key to faster transition times in a sprint distance triathlon is keeping the setup of the transition area simple. The video below shows how I setup my transition area for this and most other sprint distance races. Simpler is faster.

Video describing setup of my transition area at Sugarman Triathlon.

 

Before the Start

Race organizers set a pleasant tone for the event, especially during the final moments before the first racers hit the course. Participants, volunteers, and spectators all came together at dockside alongside Sugar Mill Pond. Here, everyone joined in reciting the pledge of allegiance, singing of the National Anthem, and prayer.

Congratulations to the young lady to lead us in the National Anthem. What a beautiful voice!

Swim

The swim was an in-water start with participants beginning in groups based on gender and age group. The first group (also referred to as the ‘first wave’) included all males aged 50 and over and all Relay participants.

Swimmers followed a counterclockwise course around a series of buoys that led us to the exit a few hundred yards south of our starting location.

Bike

The 15-mile bike course was well marked and staffed with many volunteers and members of the local police department. There was no question about the course or the safety of the participants. The out-and-back course was nice and flat.

However, the less than ideal road conditions, with many asphalt repairs, kept us “on our toes”. These repairs meant lots of rough patches for those of us who obeyed the call to stay to right.

Fortunately, my fellow racers were forgiving. This was especially true for the guy who I pulled in front of to avoid an exceptionally rough area. 

Thank you, sir. You are a gentleman.

Run

The temperature just before the start of the race was in the low 70s °F. However, it shot up quickly. By the time I finished the run, the temperature was somewhere in the upper 80s and very humid.

Such conditions are not unusual, or even considered hot, for those who live in the South. However, for me, a Minnesotan, the upper 80s with high humidity represents a condition in which I usually say “Maybe later” to running.

My run was slow, with stops at each of the many aid stations. Despite taking a glass of Powerade at each of these, I experienced a cramp in my hamstring with about a half mile to go.

Thankfully, an answer to my quick prayer came as relief from the cramp. I finished the final 1/2-mile of the run around the pond with a respectable sprint through the dockside finish line.

After the Race

With the race finished, Joy and I attended the 11am service at the Bayou Church. Not only did we enjoy the worship and fellowship with other believers, but helped to celebrate the pastor’s 33^rd anniversary as pastor. This was another opportunity to experience Acadiana (French Louisiana).

From here, we continued our journey to The Villages, Florida, where we would spend the next two weeks.

Race Firsts

• First race within a planned residential neighborhood.
• First race involving swim in a man-made pond.
• Roundabouts on the bike and run courses was another first.

 

Comments

Where in Louisiana have you done a triathlon? What did you learn from this race?

Please share your comments below.

Rye, New Hampshire; September 23, 2012 – Wallis Sands Triathlon, Rye Beach at Wallis Sands State Beach.

I started this triathlon, the second in as many days, differently than previous ones. I had fresh scrapes on my right arm and right knee. My right shoulder was also injured. After this race, I would not swim for four months while my shoulder healed.

The injuries resulted from a bike crash a day earlier in the Newport 19.7 Triathlon in Newport, Rhode Island. On a positive note, I had a new front tire and tube, thanks to the previous ones being destroyed by a knife-like object I had apparently run over early in the bike leg of that race.

I was glad that my injuries weren’t so severe that they were going to stop me from competing,

Getting to the New Hampshire Triathlon

Joy and I left Newport, Rhode Island, late Saturday morning of the day before the Wallis Sands Triathlon. We drove the 140 miles north to the Trek Bicycle Store in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the triathlon’s main sponsor and location for packet pickup.

Since I was at the shop, I asked a technician to look at my Trek SpeedConcept bike for any damage from the crash. He showed me a large cut in the front tire. My only option was to have the tire replaced.

Following packet pickup, replacement of the front tire, and a lunch of fresh seafood, we drove the bike course checking out the road conditions. One thing that struck us was the number of cyclists, literally hundreds. To this day, I have never seen an area with so many cyclists sharing the road with cars and trucks.

Before heading to the hotel, we stopped at a local pharmacy to purchase a tube of liquid bandage. Joy applied it to the main cuts and scrapes once we had settled in our room.

3^rd Annual Wallis Sands Triathlon

Just under 400 men and women competed in the third running of the Wallis Sands Triathlon sponsored by Trek Portsmouth.

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

• Swim: 0.33 mile (530 m)
• Bike: 14.5 mile (23.3 km)
• Run: 3.1 mile (5 km)

Swim

One of the distinguishing features of this race was the swim. The water was “freezing” cold, in the mid-60s °F, making the race definitely ‘wetsuit legal’. Despite this, there were still some hardy souls swimming in only triathlon shorts, without a shirt!

The waves of the surf on race morning were 7 to 8 feet (2.2 to 2.4 meter) high. Just so you don’t think I am a sissy, the race organizers announced that the waves on this day were the highest they had seen all summer.

During the warm-up swim, I learned that getting past the cresting waves was nearly impossible through a frontal attack. Thankfully, the race director gave those of us not experienced with swimming in such conditions some simple advice for getting past the waves and beyond the surf. “Swim under the waves”.

Following this advice made all the difference. Swimming under a wave before it crashed made it straightforward to get into open water where most of the swim occurred. Of course, coming back to shore was much easier, much like body surfing.

Bike

The ‘flat and fast’ bike leg began and ended on US1-A, where we road between the Atlantic Ocean (on our right side) and houses as shown in the background of the above picture (on the left side).

Leaving Rye Beach, the course consisted of a two-mile ride north on US1-A before turning inland toward the town of Rye and its adjacent neighborhoods. At about mile 10, the course rejoined US1-A south of Rye Beach for the final four and a half miles back to the transition area.

Run

The out-and-back run course also left Rye Beach north on US1-A, with a turnaround at Odiorne Point State Park. From here, it was back to the finish line at Rye Beach.

I made one short stop during the first mile to remove a small rock from my shoe. However, after this, I was able to finish the run with a respectable (for me) time and average speed.

One lesson that I took from this race is that I should wear socks during the run when the air temperature is cold (as it was in this case). My bike shoes are porous to allow air to flow through them. Under normal circumstances when the air temperature is higher, this is good. However, today, my feet were cold after the bike leg. While I normally run without socks (see How to Achieve Faster Transition Times) in sprint triathlons, doing so with cold feet is uncomfortable.

Results

I am not sure what is ‘in the water’ in Rye, New Hampshire. This race will likely go down as one of the fastest in which I have taken part. Despite respectable times for me, times which led to top three finishes in my age group in several other races, I ended up 13^th of 16 in my age group.

Race Firsts

• First time completing sprint triathlons on consecutive days.
• This race was the first with a swim in the surf of the Atlantic Ocean.
• First race with bike and run portions on scenic US Highway 1-A.

Leave Your Questions and Comments Below

Have you raced in New Hampshire? Did an open water swim in the Atlantic Ocean? Tell us about your experience in the Comments below.

Comments: Please note that I review all comments before they are posted. You will be notified by email when your comment is approved. Even if you do not submit a comment, you may subscribe to be notified when a comment is published.

Middletown, Rhode Island; September 22, 2012 – Amica 19.7 Newport Triathlon, Second Beach and Third Beach.

The goal for 2012, the second year in the ‘Triathlon Across the USA‘ journey, was to complete triathlons in the remaining New England states. In January, registration opened for triathlons in two of these states, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, on back-to-back days in September. I registered for both in January.

Travel to the Rhode Island Triathlon

Joy and I left our house in Chicopee, Massachusetts around 3 pm on Friday, taking a southern route through Hartford, Connecticut to Newport, Rhode Island.  We arrived at the race venue for packet pickup on time, albeit with some difficulty.  Since we had left our GPS in Minnesota, we navigated the ‘old fashioned’ way using printed maps. We were reminded that some skills, like navigating with maps, follow the ‘use it or lose it’ principle.

After picking up the race packet, we made our way to the hotel for the evening in Swansea, Massachusetts. In order to save money, I used points to book a free night at the nearest Holiday Inn. The drive to the hotel from Newport should have taken 25 minutes.  Instead, it took us 45 minutes.

We finally made it to the hotel, frustrated by the difficulty in first getting to the race site and then to the hotel. However, the payoff was a wonderful dinner at Kent’s—Joy had steak and lobster and I had fish and chips. Both were excellent.

The next morning, we rose early and made our way to the race venue. This time, we used a more efficient route and arrived with time to spare.

3^rd Amica 19.7 Newport

2012 was the 3^rd running of the Amica-sponsored Newport 19.7 sprint triathlon.  Distances for the individual legs of this USAT-sanctioned sprint triathlon were:

• Swim: 0.5 mile (800 m)
• Bike: 16.1 mile (25.8 km)
• Run: 3.1 mile (5 km)

Like the recently completed No Label Triathlon in Katy (Houston), Texas, the Newport 19.7 had two distinct transition areas. The first transition area, that for the swim to bike, was in a park at Third Beach.  A second area, near Second Beach, contained the bike to run transition area and finish line.

Following the pre-race meeting, we walked our bikes the half mile from the second transition area to the swim to bike transition area.

Swim

As I waited for the start of the swim, I noticed a light mist in the air, enough to cover my goggles.

The half-mile swim took place in the bay off Third Beach. The water was calm and comfortable, thanks to the wetsuit.  However, beneath the water were sharp rocks that cut my feet in at least two locations while entering the water.

As it turned out, I soon forgot about these small cuts.

Bike

The mist continued as we started the bike leg. Within a short time, my glasses were covered with water making them useless. Since I could no longer see through the lenses, I pushed the glasses down on my nose, peering over the top.

At somewhere around five miles into the bike course, I started to notice a periodic hissing sound from the front tire. I later learned that this sound was made by air leaking from the tube with each revolution of the wheel.

I did not see that the front tire was gradually becoming flat.  However, it finally became apparent that the tire was completely flat and I was riding on the rim of the front wheel. There was no choice but to stop and replace the tube.

I decided to make the upcoming turn and pull off the road to replace the tire. I soon learned how little control one has with a flat front tire.

My First Crash During a Triathlon

Upon making the turn, I fell hard on my right side, in front of a crowd of spectators, no less. I landed partly on asphalt and partly on a grassy shoulder of the road. In the fall, my knee was cut, my right arm was scraped from its wrist to the elbow (there is a scar to this day), and other parts of my right side were scratched, After the race, my shoulder would be sore, having been jammed into the grassy area next to the road.

As I began removing the front tire to replace the tube, a member of the volunteer bike maintenance crew came around the corner in his truck. He stopped and asked if I needed help.

Casting any remaining pride and ego aside, I told him I would very much appreciate his help. He became my Good Samaritan, quickly replacing the tube. He also replaced the chain that had come off in the fall so I could continue the race. My best estimate is that the repairs took about four and a half minutes.

I have often thought about the perfect timing of my Good Samaritan’s arrival. A coincidence? I don’t believe in them. The Lord’s timing is always perfect.

I got back on the bike and rode as if I could make up for the lost time. Surprising myself, I rode as if nothing had happened, racing down several steep hills to finish the course.

I saw Joy as I came into the transition area, giving her a summary of the crash as I ran my bike to the rack.

Run

Unlike the bike course, the run was flat. After the excitement during the bike leg, this out-and-back run was uneventful.

However, I apparently looked pretty battered. As we met, one runner commented about my injuries and his similar experience a week earlier.

After Crossing the Finish Line

Joy was waiting for me at the finish line.  We made our way to the first aid vehicle, where paramedics cleaned my cuts and scrapes and covered those on my arm and knee with gauze.

We then walked over to check the results. Despite having lost 4-5 minutes with the flat tire and crash, I finished 9^th of 16 in my age group.

While putting the bike into the van, I noticed a hole in the tire roughly a half inch in diameter, large enough that the new tube was protruding through it.  Fortunately, the new tube had not worn through and lost its air.

On the way to the hotel in New Hampshire for the triathlon the next day, we stopped at a bike shop to have the damaged tire replaced.

As near as I could determine from inspecting the tire, the puncture had come from a large piece of glass or an unusually sharp rock.

Lessons Learned During the Rhode Island Triathlon

Through the Rhode Island triathlon, I learned two important lessons which I have applied in other races.

The most important lesson was to stop riding at the earliest sign of a leaking or damaged tire. Following this experience, I am extra cautious whenever the road is wet and I hear water spraying from the tire. On at least one occasion, I stopped and dismounted the bike to inspect the tire and verify that it is still solid.

A second lesson from the Rhode Island triathlon was that whenever race organizers provide a transition area bag, use it. It helps to avoid losing gear in the chaos of a race.

At packet pickup, race organizers provided a plastic bag with our race number on it.  During the race, volunteers used the bags to transport racer’s wetsuits and goggles from the individual swim/bike transition spaces to the second transition area.

I made the mistake of not bringing the plastic bag to the swim/bike transition area.  As a result, I spent several moments after the race frantically digging through a pile of unbagged swim gear, searching for my wetsuit and goggles.

Fortunately, I found both. I would definitely need them the next day during the Atlantic Ocean swim at the New Hampshire triathlon.

Race Firsts

• First race with the swim portion in the Atlantic Ocean.
• This was the first race in which I had a flat tire.
• First race in which I was injured in a bike crash.

Have You Done a Triathlon in Rhode Island?

Have you been in a bike crash during a triathlon? Let us know about it and what you learned.

Comments: Please note that I review all comments before they are posted. You will be notified by email when your comment is approved. Even if you do not submit a comment, you may subscribe to be notified when a comment is published.