Category: Triathlon Across The USA

Sweet Home, Oregon; September 12, 2015 – Best of the West Triathlon Festival, Lewis Creek County Park, Foster Lake

The Oregon triathlon was the second of three sprint triathlons I would complete in seven days. I had finished the first of the three, the South Davis Recreation Center Labor Day Triathlon in Bountiful, Utah. The third was the Tri Turtle Tri Triathlon in Bremerton, Washington set for the next day.

Sightseeing Before the Oregon Triathlon

With four days between arriving in Oregon and the next triathlon, Joy and I toured the western part of the state, beginning in Crater Lake National Park. After the better part of a day of stopping to take pictures and to read information displays at numerous locations around the crater, we headed toward the southern end of Oregon.

The route we chose led us into the northwest corner of California where we connected to Highway 101, also named the Oregon Coast Highway once we re-entered Oregon.

During the next three days, we made our way along the entire length of the Oregon coast, passing for a short time into the southern end of Washington state.

A Leisurely Trip Up the Coast

We had no schedule beyond the need to arrive in Sweet Home on Friday afternoon. So, we took our time, stopping and lingering at places that caught our attention, like Lincoln City where we learned about crabbing. The photo collage below shows some of the most memorable stops.

Delightful Seafood

Both of us experienced more than a few jaw-dropping moments while taking in the beauty and diversity of the inland and coastal landscapes.

For lunches and dinners, we took advantage of our proximity to the Pacific Ocean to enjoy the local seafood.

The most memorable of these meals was during our overnight stop in Florence. It was at the Waterfront Depot Restaurant that we enjoyed the most scrumptious halibut, a crab encrusted fillet with a sweet chili sauce, that either of us has had, even to this day.

Upon returning home after the trip, we found the Waterfront Depot recipe on-line. We have almost duplicated the recipe in our kitchen several times since.

By Friday afternoon, we arrived, as planned, into Linn County, the “Grass Seed Capital of the World”, and Sweet Home, the host city for the Oregon triathlon.

A Promise of Free Camping

While registering for the race, I noticed that the call for race volunteers came with an offer of free camping within Lewis Creek County Park. Joy and I decided that she would volunteer for the race, in part so we could take advantage of this offer. We had always wanted to go camping though would have preferred to go to somewhere like Iceland where we could do a camper van rental and find out more about van camping. But, for now, we thought this would do.

We had purchased a two-person tent intending to camp at the park on Friday night. Camping offered two benefits. First, it would save the cost of a hotel. However, second, and even more importantly, it would avoid us having to rise before dawn to get to the race site around the time of the opening of the transition area.

However, it became clear that camping was no longer our first choice for the evening once we arrived at Lewis Park for packet pickup on Friday afternoon.

Sure, the park was gorgeous, and it had all the essential facilities. However, temperatures in the high 80s °F and unseasonably high humidity made the thought of camping completely unappealing. We had both become too accustomed to climate control, not to mention mattresses, for a good night’s rest while in a tent in these conditions.

One of the volunteers at packet pickup told us that the hotels within Sweet Home were fully booked for the weekend. However, thanks to a last-minute cancellation, we were blessed with the availability of a clean, air-conditioned motel room.

Triathlon tip: Some have called triathlon ‘a rich man’s sport’ because of the cost of equipment, nutrition, registration, travel to the event, and more. However, there are several ways to minimize the costs, such as camping at the race venue when available and using the suggestions in this post from Training Peaks.

5^th Best in the West Triathlon Festival

Headquarters for the Best in the West Triathlon Festival was Lewis Creek County Park, in Willamette Valley a few miles east of Sweet Home. The park is home to Foster Lake, a reservoir created by a dam along the South Santiam River.

The Best in the West Triathlon Festival, managed by Best in the West Events, was a two-day affair. Saturday included sprint and half Ironman distances of the triathlon and duathlon races. In addition, each of these included relay versions in which two or three participants shared the legs of the race.

Distances for the individual legs of the USAT-sanctioned sprint triathlon in which I took part were:

• Swim: 0.3 miles (500 m)
• Bike: 12 miles (19.5 km)
• Run: 3.1 miles (5 km)

On Sunday, college men and women competed in the Olympic distance race. Others, called ‘age groupers’, raced in Olympic distance triathlon and duathlon events as individuals or as part of men’s, women’s, or coed relay teams.

Sunday also included events for children and those wanting to “test the water” with triathlon. Kids competed in either a short or long course swim and run. There was also a ‘Try-a-Tri’ distance for both children and adults. For this event, the distances for each of the three sports was roughly half those for the sprint triathlon.

More information about the various races is on the event website.

Saturday’s event began with the half Ironman triathlon swim. Sprint distance racers started once all the half Ironman racers had finished the swim and were on their bikes.

Swim

While the air temperature was warm, the water temperature was below 78 ⁰F making the race ‘wetsuit-legal’ according to USAT rules.

Before the start, we waded into Foster Lake to about chest depth. Here we waited for the start signal which, for this race, was produced by a real shotgun.

With the shotgun blast, we swam away from the beach toward the first orange buoy (visible above the horse’s neck in the picture above).

At the orange buoy, we turned left and swam to a second turn buoy. At this second buoy, we made a second left turn and swam back to the beach. Upon reaching the beach, we jogged into the transition area.

Bike

The flat bike course ran along the northern edge of Foster Lake following North River Road.

After 2-1/2 miles, we reached the end of the lake; the end containing Foster Dam and a small hill that drops about 100 ft (30 m) over a quarter of a mile. The course continued about 3-1/2 miles to the turnaround on a residential street in the northwest corner of Sweet Home.

From here, we rode back along the same route as we had just covered. This time, we climbed up the hill at the dam.

Run

The run course covered a short distance of grass and a wooden footbridge. Other than those, the run was on paved roads and trails within the park. The gradual rolling hills with climbs of 50 to 70 feet (15 to 21 m) provided enough challenge to make the race interesting.

However, the shade and overall beauty of the tree-lined paths made for a pleasant finish to the triathlon.

Awards Ceremony for the Oregon Triathlon

I finished last of those in my age group (males age 60-64). However, for this race, it was also a third place finish. This qualified me for one of the awards given to the top three finishers in each age group.

The award (pictured below) was among the most unique I have received to date. You can see other novel awards at “5 Unique Triathlon Medals; They are No Longer Just Metal“.

After the Race

Following the race, we rushed back to the motel for a shower before returning to the park for the awards ceremony.

It was then back on the road to make the five-hour drive to Bremerton, Washington. Our goal was to reach there in the late afternoon in time for packet pickup for the next day’s triathlon.

Race Firsts

• First triathlon with a “shotgun start” involving a shotgun.

A Journey Beyond This Race

“Uplifting, real, and full of heart—I couldn’t put it down.”

Read the full journey in Triathlon Adventures Across America

What is the Most Unique ‘Medal’ or Award You Have Received at a Triathlon?

I have received many unique finisher medals and age group awards, including the one pictured above.

What has been your most unique medal?

Bountiful, Utah, September 7, 2015 – South Davis Labor Day Triathlon, South Davis Recreation Center

The Utah triathlon was the first of three sprint triathlons within seven days.

Deadlines Can Make a Difference

If you are like me, a deadline can be important for keeping training on track. We start with an admirable, and achievable, goal, like improving our fitness or losing a few pounds.

However, it is easy to lose momentum once we start making progress toward the goal and the ‘pain’ that motivated us initially is no longer as great.

“A goal without a deadline is just a dream.”

Robert Herjavec, Canadian businessman

That’s where committing to a specific race can help to maintain the momentum. An impending race is what many of us need to remain focused.

I know that registering – and paying for – a race works because this is my story.

This is also a reason many local fitness centers, community recreation centers, and even YMCAs sponsor triathlons, like the South Davis Labor Day Triathlon. These races provide its members the much-needed deadline and focus for training.

And, they usually come at a reasonable and affordable fee, especially when you consider the t-shirt and other giveaways (also known as ‘swag’) given to participants.

Before the Utah Triathlon

The Bountiful, Utah triathlon was one stop on a roughly two-week road trip to complete triathlons in Utah, Oregon, and Washington, all within a seven-day period.

Our route to Bountiful (Salt Lake City) from our Minnesota home included an overnight stay in Omaha, Nebraska with our son, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters. From here, it was a comfortable, albeit long, day’s drive to the Salt Lake City area.

We arrived two days before the Labor Day Triathlon so we could take in some of the unique sights and activities of the area that included:

• Touring the Latter-Day Saints Conference Center.
• Listening to an organ recital at the Mormon Tabernacle.
• Searching family records at the Family Search Center in the Joseph Smith Memorial. I learned about my paternal grandmother. Joy learned that she comes from French and English royalty; she always told me that she was a princess.
• Walking in and around the Great Salt Lake.

On Sunday afternoon, Joy and I drove the bike course for the triathlon, a typical pre-race ritual. We were unable to drive the entire course since several miles of the course was on a combination bike and walking/running trail near the Legacy Nature Preserve.

7^th South Davis Labor Day Triathlon

Bountiful is a northern suburb of Salt Lake City that sits at around 4,300 feet elevation. This is high enough for someone from the middle plains of the USA to feel the effects of the altitude, especially during biking and running.

The Labor Day Triathlon is part of a series of races organized and managed by the South Davis Recreation Center in Bountiful. The event included both sprint and novice individual triathlon distances. It also included a sprint relay option.

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

• Swim: 0.2 miles (350 yards)
• Bike: 12 miles (19.3 km)
• Run: 3.1 miles (5 km)

The novice race included distances approximately half those of the sprint triathlon:

• Swim: 150 yards
• Bike: 5 miles (8 km)
• Run: 1.5 miles (2.4 km)

The triathlon made use of the Center’s 14-lane pool. The transition area for the triathlon made use of the parking area for the Bountiful City Park located immediately behind the fitness center.

Swim

The 350-yard (320 m) swim followed a serpentine path across the 14 lanes of the 25-yard long pool.

Before the start of the triathlon, swimmers lined up in order of the time in which they anticipated completing the swim. Every few seconds, a swimmer would jump into the first lane and swim to the other end.

At the end of the first length, we ducked under the lane divider and swam back to the starting end in the second lane. It was then under the lane divider for a swim to the other end of lane 3. For the sprint distance race, this process was repeated for each lane of the pool.

After 14 lengths, we got out of the pool and walked or jogged out of the pool area onto the outdoor sidewalk leading to the transition area and our bikes.

Bike

The initial and final portions of the relatively flat bike course were on the streets of Bountiful. An intermediate section of the course followed the bike trail next to the Legacy Nature Preserve.

While we had driven the road portion of the course the day before the race, we obviously could not drive on the bike trail portion. Neither had I taken time to ride the trail portion.

Did I Miss the Turn?

With swimmers starting one at a time, bikers were also spread out along the course. In fact, there were times, especially on the portion along the Preserve, when I did not see another biker.

At one point, I was sure that I had missed the turn-off and was on my own. I knew that the course eventually turned onto a path leading back to the streets. All of sudden, I realized that there were no other bikers around me and began to worry that I had already passed the turn.

I decided to trust the race directors to have clearly marked the course or to provide a volunteer to keep racers on course.

Sure enough, a few blocks ahead, I found the sought-after volunteer. A quick turn, followed by a ride of about one block on a section of the trail, and I was in a parking lot heading back onto the city streets and toward the transition area.

Triathlon Tip: Many athletes, including elite triathletes, have lost races by missing a turn on the race course. This has occurred despite the best attempts of race directors to mark all turns. Take advantage of race course maps and instructions provided before the race to become familiar with the course. Ironically, being familiar with the course is more important for races with fewer participants, for which the spacing between racers is often greater.

Run

The run course left the transition area, heading west about a block to the street that passes in front of the South Davis Recreation Center. With the first of five right turns complete, the run on this flat course continued along a rectangular path on the sidewalks of the streets north of the South Davis Recreation Center.

It was during this leg that I felt the effect of the altitude. Fortunately, there were many supporters shouting out their words of encouragement to a background of ringing cowbells. Music along the course arranged by the race organizers the much-needed distraction as I worked my way toward the finish line.

With the Utah Triathlon Complete . . .

With the race complete and a long drive ahead of us, Joy and I went back to the hotel for a quick shower. We packed the rest of the luggage into the back of our van and headed to our next destination. It turned out that this would be Bend, Oregon.

Race Firsts

• First triathlon on a weekday.
• This was my first triathlon held on a national holiday.
• First race in which part of the bike course was a biking/running/walking trail.

What Could Your Journey Be?

“It made me think, ‘Wow, wouldn’t it be fun to try to do this too?’”

Explore the journey across all 50 states