Category: Triathlon Across The USA

Stowe, Vermont; May 20, 2012 – Stowe Triathlon, The Swimming Hole.

As I am updating this post for the next issue of the Senior Triathletes Highlights newsletter, Joy and I are watching “Always and Forever Christmas”. This movie on the Lifetime channel is set in Stowe, Vermont. Seeing the area, brought back fond memories of this beautiful part of the country and its warm people.

Planning the Vermont Triathlon

I registered for The Stowe Triathlon in Stowe, Vermont primarily because of its timing early in the season. To complete triathlons in the remaining New England states within 2012, I needed to find two or three races in the spring. My ‘go-to’ source for finding races, Running In the USA, showed that the Stowe event was scheduled for two weeks after the Polar Bear Triathlon in Brunswick, Maine.

Getting to the Stowe Triathlon

Joy and I left our house in Chicopee, Massachusetts, on Saturday morning. The trip between Chicopee and Stowe, Vermont, took a lot longer than the maps show. Why? There were so many places along the way to explore: Harpoon Brewery, Martins Hill Covered Bridge, King Arthur Flour, and Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, to name a few.

We eventually arrived in Stowe in the late afternoon. After a quick tour of Stowe, we checked into the Town & Country Resort. I had chosen The Town & Country primarily because it was both economical and within walking distance (1/2 mile) of The Swimming Hole.

After checking in, we drove the bike course and ate an early dinner at O’Grady’s Pub. The rest of the evening involved inflating bike tires, preparing pre-race and race drinks, and setting out the gear to be used in the morning.

12^th Stowe Triathlon

The Swimming Hole, a non-profit fitness center and pool, was headquarters for the 12^th Annual Stowe Triathlon.

Founded in 2001, the Swimming Hole serves the community in and around Stowe. According to the website, “Small town life has its advantages, but a facility like this isn’t usually one of them.”

Having stayed within a half-mile of The Swimming Hole, I rode my bike to the race venue, arriving at the same time as the race event staff. Needless to say, I had my pick of the transition spots even though this would not be important for this small, pursuit-style triathlon.

Joy was also happy that she could sleep in and take her time getting ready for the day.

Distances for the individual legs of this sprint triathlon were:

• Swim: 500 m (0.3 miles)
• Bike: 14 mile (22.5 km)
• Run: 5 km (3.1 km)

I approached the race with two physical problems in the days before the race – lower back spasms and a sore left knee.

Swim

Each person swam the required ten laps in the 8-lane, 25-meter long pool inside The Swimming Hole.  Swimmers started with others who shared the same estimated time for completing the 500 meters.

Just before the last length (after the eighteenth length), a volunteer put a bright orange “Last Lap” sign into the water to let us know that we had one more lap to go.  At the end of the swim, the volunteer marked our swim time on our left hand.

Racers then prepared for the bike leg and waited in the transition area until all swimmers had finished.

Bike

Once all racers were ready, the race director started a large digital clock at the exit of the transition area. Each racer left the transition area on the bike course as the clock displayed their swim time written on their hand.

The bike course followed public roads, initially toward the downtown area. The course headed through the southern end of the downtown area and southward out of town. Cars and bikes raced side-by-side through the town. I know this because this is the only triathlon in which a car driver has honked his horn at me because I cut him off after I passed him along the side of the road. (Disclosure: I may have been guilty of not following all the rules of the road.)

The course turned onto the much less congested Moscow Road that took us past small farms. We proceeded along this road until the pavement ended. 

At this point, we turned around and returned on the same road. Part of the way back, we turned left onto Barrows Road, which eventually led us into the west end of Stowe and back to the transition area.

Except for a relatively steep hill on a section of Barrows Road, the course was flat and fast.  I knew that the swim had been longer than expected because of my back pain.  I also expected my sore knee to slow my run.  As a result, I gave my all on the bike leg. 

My bike split turned out to be the fastest in my masters triathlon age group (50-54) and ninth-fastest time among the 53 racers.

Run

The ‘out-and-back’ (run to a point, then turnaround and return along the original path to the finish line) run followed the Stowe recreation path.  

As anticipated, the run was hard because of a sore knee. Fortunately, the injury healed before the next race two weeks later. 

Getting Back Home

After a quick shower and some stretching at the Town & Country, we headed back to our Chicopee, Massachusetts, home.

We made the trip back directly, with no sightseeing stops. We dropped off the triathlon gear in Chicopee and headed to Bradley Airport, Windsor Locks, Connecticut, for a flight to Minneapolis. We would be back for the Connecticut triathlon in two weeks.

State #6 was, as they say, ‘in the books’.

Race Firsts

• First triathlon without a timing chip for recording times of the three legs and two transitions. For this race, there was only one transition.
• First triathlon in which I raced while injured (lower back, right knee).
• This was my first triathlon with a ‘pursuit style’ start. With this type of race, there is no T1 (transition from swim to bike) time.

Questions and Comments About the Vermont Triathlon

Tell us about a triathlon you have done in Vermont in the Comments section 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.

Brunswick, Maine; May 5, 2012–Polar Bear Triathlon/Duathlon, Bowdoin College.

Planning the Maine Triathlon

The goal for 2012, the second year in the ‘Triathlon Across the USA‘ journey, was to complete triathlons in the remaining states of New England. Only one, the Massachusetts triathlon, had been completed in 2011.

Thanks to a lesson learned early on about registering early for popular races and to the support for the journey by more than one race director, I met this goal. Besides this race, I completed triathlons in Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire during 2012.

The Polar Bear Triathlon is one of many wildly popular races across the country. The slots for these races are snatched up soon after the opening of registration. The e-mail exchange between Race Director Will Thomas and me pictured below not only shows how quickly this race fills (‘in about an hour’), but also his eagerness to support my triathlon goal.

Travel to the Maine Triathlon

Joy and I traveled from our home in Chicopee, Massachusetts to the Maine Running Company in Brunswick for packet pickup on Friday afternoon. After this quick stop, we drove over to Bowdoin College to look over the parking options for the next morning and to drive the bike course, a regular pre-race ritual.

With these boxes checked, we headed north, settled into our hotel room at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites north of Brunswick, and made our way to Bath.

We ate dinner at J. R. Maxwell & Co. on the world-famous Front Street in historic downtown Bath. After some encouragement, Joy selected the full lobster, complete with bib. With some help from the waitress, Joy and I enjoyed the entire lobster. 

10^th Polar Bear Triathlon/Duathlon

Bowdoin College is a liberal arts college with a beautiful campus, including a huge pool and field house (inside track). Both the pool and field house were available for use during the triathlon. The Bowdoin mascot is the polar bear, hence the name for the race, the Polar Bear Triathlon/Duathlon.

This event, managed by Tri Maine, included both a sprint triathlon (240 participants) and a duathlon (run-bike-run) for the non-swimmers (or stronger runners). My age group of masters triathletes (55-59) included ten participants.

On Friday evening, amidst drizzling rain and a 50°F air temperature, the forecast for the beginning of the race was rain. Fortunately, the forecast was wrong. We woke to clear skies. By race time, the clouds had passed, the sun had appeared, and the roads were dry. It was a beautiful day for racing although still chilly.

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

• Swim: 525 yards (0.3 miles or 0.5 km)
• Bike: 11.5 miles (18.5 km)
• Run: 3 miles (4.8 km)

Swim

The swim took place in the sixteen (16) lane, 25-yard long LeRoy Greason Pool at Bowdoin College. Each lane included two triathletes who swam 21 lengths of the pool, after which they exited at the opposite end of the pool and ran or walked to the transition area.

Swimmers started in waves according to their estimate of the time that it would take them to complete the 525 yards. This type of start assumes that all swimmers (32 in the 16 lanes) will complete the swim in more or less the same time.

The swim involved an ‘in-water start’. We held onto the wall until the start signal was sounded. After that, we stayed on our side of the lane for the entire swim leg.

Each lane had a volunteer counter at the start end to track the swimmer’s progress. Just before the last length (near the end of the twentieth length), the volunteer put a red panel into the water. This told us to exit the pool at the other end.

Bike

While the rain had stopped, it still felt cold, especially since I was wet from the swim. This triathlon was one of a few during which I have worn a biking jacket. It was too cold to ride without it. This experience is the main reason I include the jacket in the suitcase of triathlon gear I take to every race, just in case it’s needed.

The mostly-flat course left the campus for the country roads and a few rolling hills south of Brunswick. While most of the roads were in good condition, one roughly half-mile section desperately needed repair.

Fortunately, the race organizers had prepared us for this portion of the course during their pre-race communications. An e-mail sent a few days before the race reported that “part of the course will be designated a ‘Non-Aero Zone’ which means that you cannot be in aero position on your bike. We make this designation for your safety.”

Having driven the course during the previous afternoon, I was ready to ride safely through this area.

Run

By that end of the bike leg, the air temperature and I had both warmed up. Consequently, I removed the jacket after dropping my bike in transition and before beginning the run.

The 3 mile (4.8 km) run course included both on- and off-road sections. The initial portion followed sidewalks along city streets leading away from the campus. After a few blocks, the course turned onto a dirt, a slightly muddy, trail complete with potholes and tree roots. The final stretch was across a grassy field leading to the finish line outside the south end of the field house.

Another New Experience—Volunteering At The Finish Line

Joy also volunteered at this triathlon. Her job was to remove the timing chip connected to a strap around one ankle, typically the left, of each triathlete.

Unfortunately, one racer came to the finish line with ‘stuff’ running down his leg. Clearly, he had suffered from gastrointestinal problems during the race. While this situation would be difficult for most volunteers, Joy has too sensitive a nose for this to be anything but a disaster.

While Joy would volunteer at many other races, this would be her last time at the finish line.

It’s A Small World

We took advantage of passing through Portland, Maine, on Saturday afternoon to eat a seafood lunch. Afterward, we toured downtown Portland and the Allagash Brewing Company.

The experience at Allagash came in handy some years later while waiting for our friends, Jim and Kris, to join us for dinner at Manhattens Restaurant in the Chicago area. Recognizing the Allagash name on one of the taps at the bar, I told the server about our visit to the brewery in Portland. Interestingly, we learned that this restaurant owner’s wife had grown up in Maine.

It really is a small world.

Race Firsts

• First triathlon held at a college.
• Our first time in Brunswick and Bath, Maine.
• First triathlon with most of the run on a trail through woods.
• Joy’s first experience eating a whole lobster.

Have You Done a Triathlon in Maine?

Leave your questions about my Maine triathlon story or share your experience in the Comments section 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.

Douglas, Massachusetts, September 17, 2011 – TDD Triathlon, Douglas State Forest.

It had been nearly one year to the day since my friend, Jim Philipsek, had talked me into doing my first triathlon. Now, I found myself in the fourth one.

Two had been in Minnesota. My first triathlon had been in Buffalo and the second in Maple Grove. My third triathlon had been in Yankton, South Dakota.

In my experience, this triathlon was unique in that it was the first that doubled as a fundraiser. However, it turns out that this would be quite common – see Reason #2 of 15 Reasons for Those 50 and Older to Do Triathlons.

 

Getting to the Massachusetts Triathlon

During this period, I was working half-time in Chicopee (Springfield), Massachusetts. This meant that Joy and I were living around one hour from Douglas State Forest. We made the short trip east from Chicopee on Friday afternoon for packet pickup and a pre-race training session on open water swimming.

Bright and early – well, it was not so bright when we started out – the next morning we made the same trip for the race.

TDD Triathlon

The TDD Triathlon, managed by FIRM (Fiske Independent Race Management), is a memorial for Tyrus, Dante, and Daniel Vescio. The triplet sons of local racers, Don and Elaine Vescio, died shortly after birth. This annual race serves as a fundraiser for the University of Massachusetts Memorial Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Worcester, Massachusetts.

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

• Swim: 0.25 mile (400 m)
• Bike: 11 mile (17.7 km)
• Run: 3.2 mile (5.1 km)

The temperature on arriving at the race site was a brisk and sunny 42ºF. Even though the water was considerably warmer than the air temperature, I was grateful for the wetsuit I had recently purchased.

 

Swim

The triathlon began with a hail of cheers for the first swimmer, a man who towed a green and yellow rubber raft carrying his disabled son.  I remember later, in the final stretch of the rectangular swim course, passing the raft and thinking about the kindness of this man.

 

Bike

Since this was the last triathlon of the season, I used the hybrid bike that I kept at our house in Chicopee rather than ship my Trek SpeedConcept tri-bike for a single race. 

The hybrid bike I used was a three-year-old Giant Cypress DX, similar to the one used in my first triathlon. While it was comfortable and fit me very well, it is not a tri-bike and clearly not as fast as my Trek.

The bike course followed rolling roads within the State Forest and on public roads with a few hairpin turns to make sure we were paying attention.

While the bike leg took me longer than I had wished because of the bike used, I finished the bike portion with legs that were ‘ready to run’, unlike the experience of my first triathlon.

 

Run

I had learned earlier that one way to reduce the transition time is to take care of certain tasks while on the way out of the transition area.  One of these is putting on the race number belt.

This time, the fourth time I used this race number belt, one end of the belt came out of the loop of one of its clasps.   As a result, I could not secure the belt, a race requirement.   This also meant that I could not proceed out of the transition area.

So, before starting the run, I wasted time re-threading the belt through the clasp and securing it.  Since this experience, I have used a small safety pin to secure the belt to prevent it from coming loose.

The ‘out-and-back’ run course took us on a combination of a dirt trail, complete with tree roots and rocks, and a road within the forest.

 

Another New Experience – Volunteering

What would a triathlon without volunteers be? Chaos. Impossible. A ‘free-for-all’. All of the above!

It was during this race that Joy decided she would become a triathlon volunteer. Well, it was actually more like they drafted her into being a triathlon volunteer because of a shortage of volunteers. 

Joy’s job? The very important role of directing runners to make an important right-angle turn a short distance from the finish line.

She did very well, taking charge and shouting out instructions. It was the perfect job for her, playing to her strengths.

 

Race Firsts

• First triathlon that doubled as a fundraiser
• Joy’s first experience as a race volunteer
• First triathlon attended from our house in Chicopee, Massachusetts
• First triathlon held in a state forest

Have You Done a Triathlon in Massachusetts?

Have you done a triathlon that doubles as a fundraiser? in Massachusetts?

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.

Quakertown, Pennsylvania; June 2, 2013-Independence Triathlon, Lake Nockamixon State Park.

The summer of 2013 was the last one during which Joy and I would be living half time in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Anticipating this change, we competed in triathlons in the middle Atlantic states of New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

Traveling to the Pennsylvania Triathlon

With the Maryland and Pennsylvania triathlons held on consecutive days, we turned a three-day weekend road trip into an adventure across southern Pennsylvania.

Getting to the Rocky Gap triathlon in northwestern Maryland took us through eastern and southern Pennsylvania, including the chocolate-themed town of Hershey.

Following the Pennsylvania triathlon in the southeastern part of the state, we traveled through the spectacular Pocono Mountains as we made our way north and east toward western New York and western Massachusetts.

Independence Triathlon

The Independence Triathlon, one race organized by Piranha Sports, was held at Lake Nockamixon State Park about 10 miles east of Quakertown, Pennsylvania. Quakertown is about 50 miles north of the heart of Philadelphia.

The race likely gets its name from the history of Quakertown. During the War for Independence, the Liberty Bell was hidden in Quakertown (at the time known as Richland Centre) en route to its permanent hiding place in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Our travel to Lake Nockamixon from the hotel took us past Liberty Hall, the temporary hiding place of the bell, one of the main symbols of freedom.

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

• Swim: 0.25 mile (400 m)
• Bike: 10 mile (16 km)
• Run: 2 mile (3.2 km)

Swim

The open water swim began with each of four waves – groups of triathletes within a certain age group and gender (e.g. females age 40 and over) – in the water.

In-water starts, an alternative to shore starts, are often used when the entrance to the water includes large or sharp rocks or abrupt drop-offs that are likely to cause difficulty for a group of triathletes to enter the water at more or less the same time.

The transition area was located in a grassy area up hill from the lake. At the exit of the swim, we found that race organizers had placed non-slip, rubber mats in the water to protect our feet from the rocks. The mats continued up the grassy hill to help us avoid slipping while running up the hill.

Bike

The bike route took us out of the park onto a state highway for about 3 miles (5 km) to the first of two U-turns. Along the way, we enjoyed a flat course with a few gradual hills.

The course returned on the opposite side of the highway, up and down the same small hills. Instead of turning into the park, we passed the entrance continuing about one mile to a second U-turn. From here, we returned to the park entrance and back to the transition area.

Run

The ‘out and back’ run course followed an asphalt trail from the transition area. We turned around at a flagpole on the peninsula next to the lake’s marina. The aerial picture below shows the run turnaround in the upper right corner.

Results

This was the first triathlon in which I placed second in my age group. Previous best age group finishes were third place. Needless to say, I was pleased with the result.

The relatively short race and sprint-only event allowed us to complete the race, take part in the awards ceremony, and get back to the hotel for a quick breakfast and shower before hitting the road for the drive back to Chicopee, Massachusetts.

Race Firsts

• First sprint triathlon with a run of 2 miles. Sprint distance triathlons typically involve a run distance of 3 to 3.5 miles.
• First sprint triathlon completed in less than one hour (59 minutes, 59 seconds)

Not a First

This was actually the second time that I competed in triathlons in adjacent states on consecutive days. The first time was in 2012 when I did triathlons in Newport, Rhode Island and Rye, New Hampshire on September 22^nd and 23^rd, respectively.

This would not be the last time for races on consecutive days. Balancing work, family, and other commitments, and triathlon schedules sometimes required this.

Do You Have a Favorite Pennsylvania Triathlon?

Tell us a bit about your favorite Pennsylvania triathlon 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.