Category: Triathlon Across The USA

Kailua (Honolulu), Hawaii; April 21, 2013 – BOCA Hawaii Lanikai Sprint Triathlon

The Hawaii triathlon was the perfect opportunity to introduce my aunt, a resident of the island of Oahu, to triathlon.  It also led to several firsts in the “Triathlon Across the USA” adventure.

Planning the Hawaii Triathlon

Joy and I are fortunate to have a close relationship with my aunt Nelda, who lives 10 minutes by walking from Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. For the past several years, we have visited her during the heart of the Minnesota winter.  In turn, we welcome her to our home during the summer.

Planning an April trip to Hawaii for the BOCA Hawaii triathlon seemed almost a waste. After all, why make the long flight to visit Hawaii at a time when the weather in Minnesota is typically spring-like. April in Minnesota generally means spring flowers in bloom and trees beginning to bud and sprout green after the winter.

As it turned out, the 2013 winter in Minnesota was longer than usual.  It snowed on and off at home throughout our time in Hawaii.

Before the Race

Joy and I, along with my Trek SpeedConcept triathlon bike, arrived in Hawaii a little more than a week before the triathlon. After re-assembling the bike, I took a short ride to make sure that I had put it together properly.  I had planned to get in some serious biking before race day.  However, this didn’t happen.

Why? Biking in Honolulu was challenging and even dangerous. Traffic is congested and there are many distracted tourists driving on streets with which they are not familiar. In addition, there are few designated bike lanes on the city streets and roads.

By January 2018, this condition had improved due to the more than 1,000 rental bicycles that are part of the Biki ride sharing program. Bicycles are available at more than 100 rental locations throughout the main tourist areas of Honolulu.

12^th Annual BOCA Hawaii Lanikai Triathlon

The BOCA Hawaii Lanikai Triathlon, managed by the multi-sport training and racing company BOCA Hawaii, started and ended in Kailua Beach Park on the eastern side of the island of Oahu.

Distances for the individual legs of the USAT-sanctioned race were:

• Swim: 0.3 mile (550 yd or 500 m)
• Bike: 10.7 mile (17.1 km)
• Run: 3.6 mile (5.7 km)

This race had the distinction of including part of the bike course on Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH).  For reference, MCBH was formerly known as Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay and originally called Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_Base_Hawaii.)

Swim

The over 350 competitors ran or walked into Kailua Bay together with the sounding of the air horn that signaled the start of the triathlon. The 500 meter (550 yard) swim in the calm, clear, and comfortably warm waters of Kailua Bay took me a little over 11 minutes. Given the water temperature, swimmers could not use a wetsuit according to USA Triathlon rules.

Note: According to USA Triathlon rules competitors are not allowed to wear wetsuits if the water temperature is 84 degrees Fahrenheit or above.

Bike

The bike leg took us from the transition area in Kailua Beach Park onto city streets parallel to the Bay. We eventually entered MCBH.

The course was flat except for one nasty hill that ended with a turnaround in a neighborhood of base housing. To put things in perspective, the hill leading to the turnaround was the kind that causes you to wonder if you are going to fall over from going so slowly even though you are in the lowest possible gear and giving it your all.

We all know that whatever goes up must come down. This day, coming down meant extreme attention (and braking) to avoid ending up in Kailua Bay while navigating the near right angle turn near the base of the hill.

This was the first race applying a strategy on the bike of using a gear that allowed me to maintain a cadence (pedal revolution) of 90 rpm. The one exception was on the aforementioned hill. This approach seemed to work as hoped. While I was not always biking as fast as I could have, the higher cadence saved my legs for run.

Transition

Transition occurs between the individual legs of a triathlon and typically involves a change of gear and shoes. The time to complete the two transitions (from swim to bike, called T1, and from bike to run, called T2) is included in the overall time for completing the triathlon. Time spent in transition is just as important as time spent in each of the legs. For more about this, see How to Minimize Transition Time.

The video clip shows how to use multitasking to minimize time spent in transition.

VIDEO: Connecting the race number belt while running out of the transition area is one way to minimize transition time.

Triathlon Tip: Reduce your transition time by completing certain tasks together.  I connect my race number belt while running out of transition.  If the triathlon involves a wetsuit, I wear the race number under the wetsuit from the beginning of the race.

Run

Most of the 3.6 mile run was on the hilly streets of the Lanikai neighborhood.

The last six-tenths of a mile was on the beach, on sand packed by water from the waves which had washed ashore. Finishing the run required running a few yards through soft, deep sand. While I try to sprint to the finish line, the sand made this difficult.

Results

There was no award for me this time. I finished fourth of seven in my age group. I was not even close to the guy who finished third. While I was ‘in the hunt’ after the swim and bike legs, the three guys in my age group who finished ahead of me were much stronger runners.

Race Firsts

• Part of the race course was on a USA military base (Marine Corps Base Hawaii), a first.
• This was my first triathlon with the swim in the Pacific Ocean.
• First triathlon outside the continental USA

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

Let Us Know About Your Races in Hawaii?

I know some of you have raced in Kona-Kailua on the Big Island. Others may have done different races like the one I did on Oahu.

What did you think about your Hawaiian races? Tell us in the Comments below.

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; October 12, 2013—On On Tri Hilton Head Triathlon

Joy and I used the occasion of the Hilton Head Island Sprint Triathlon to celebrate our 40^th wedding anniversary in and around Savannah, Georgia and Hilton Head, South Carolina. In addition, I checked off the state of South Carolina in the Triathlon Across the USA quest.

Planning the South Carolina Triathlon

Unbeknownst to me, Joy had been dreaming about visiting Hilton Head Island for quite some time. Friends had told her of the many wonderful sights in the area. She shared her desire one evening, while we were discussing plans for the 2013 triathlon season.

About the same time, the race management company for the On On Tri Hilton Head Sprint Triathlon, Setup Events, opened registration for the 2013 race.

When we learned that the 2013 running of the Hilton Head Triathlon would take place in the week of our 40^th wedding anniversary, we looked at each other and said, “Why not?”. Here was an opportunity to explore a part of the USA we had not previously visited and check off another state visited for a triathlon.

Hilton Head via Savannah

Eleven months after registering for the race, Joy and I left Minneapolis for our combined mini vacation and triathlon weekend. The Thursday, October 10^th flight to Savannah, Georgia, with a connection in Atlanta, got us into Savannah at around noon.

After picking up our rental car, we drove to the Savannah Visitors Center. Here we purchased tickets and boarded the Old Town Trolley Tour for a narrated trip through historic Savannah.

About three-fourths of the way through the tour, we hopped off the trolley for lunch at Paula Deen’s restaurant, Lady & Sons. The buffet-style lunch included southern staples of grits, fried okra, and peach cobbler. There were plenty of other items, like green beans, more commonly found on our Minnesota table.

After finishing the tour, we headed north out of Savannah toward Hilton Head Island, crossing from Georgia into South Carolina just outside Savannah. It took about an hour to make the roughly 40 mile trek to our hotel, The Beach House Holiday Inn, at Coligny Beach on Hilton Head Island.

Following a brief rest and walk on the beach, we headed over to Steamers for a swordfish dinner. Before turning in for the night, we took a dip in the hotel’s outdoor hot tub.

Renting a Bike for the South Carolina Triathlon

Months earlier, I decided to rent a bicycle for the race from a bike shop on Hilton Head Island. Renting meant I did not travel with my bike to this race.

There were several reasons in favor of this option.

First, at $50 for a 24-hour rental, it was a lot less expensive than the $300 ($150 each way) to bring my bike as airline luggage.

By the way, I had previously offered Delta Airlines the option of sponsoring me in triathlon by giving me free bike shipment. Unfortunately, they hadn’t taken me up on what I thought was a reasonable offer.

Second, by renting a bike, there was a lot less hassle. Renting avoided the need for unpacking and re-assembling my bike once at the race venue, then disassembling and re-packing it after the race and before heading back home.

Finally, traveling with the bike case would have required renting a larger vehicle, also at greater cost, than the mid-size sedan I reserved.

Concerns about a rental bike

Clearly, there were good reasons, mostly financial, for renting a bike locally. However, I worried a bit about getting a bike of the right size and fit that would not cost me too much time during the triathlon.

I am accustomed to riding a triathlon-specific bike (‘tri-bike’) which includes aero bars. However, there were no bike shops on Hilton Head Island with rentals of this type. The closest rental option was a road bike, without aero bars.

If you want to learn about renting a bike on Hilton Head Island, check out this article on Hilton Head bike rentals. There are a few bike rental companies. Don’t be afraid to shop around to find the best bike or deal for your needs.

Picking Up the Rental Bike

After lunch on Friday, Joy dropped me off at Road Fish Bike Shop to pickup the rental bike, a Trek Madone 3.1. The bike shop staff exchanged the pedals with mine and adjusted the seat to fit me. After a quick test ride and another minor adjustment, I headed back to the hotel.

The ride back to the hotel reminded me why I am paranoid about riding on city streets. While crossing an exit from a parking area, I was nearly struck by, of all things, a school bus as it barreled out of the lot. Had I not hit the brakes hard enough to lift the back wheel off the ground, I would have been hit by the bus.

Packet Pickup for the South Carolina Triathlon

Later that afternoon, it was time to pickup the race packet and T-shirt. Remembering the close call with the school bus earlier in the afternoon, I walked rather than rode the few blocks to Go Tri Sports.

While crossing a bridge along the walking trail, I glanced down into the water to see something that you don’t find on walks around any of the 10,000+ lakes and ponds in Minnesota—an alligator.

Fortunately, I already knew that the swim was in the gator-free ocean and not in a local lake or pond where these guys spend their time.

On On Tri Hilton Head Triathlon

Distances for the individual legs of the USAT-sanctioned On On Tri Hilton Head Sprint triathlon were:

• Swim: 0.3 mile (550 yd or 500 m)
• Bike: 12.4 mile (20 km)
• Run: 3.1 mile (5 km)

Swim

Just before the start of the race, all triathletes made their way from the transition area to Coligny Beach. It was here that the race director gave us final instructions for the swim.

We then walked up the beach 550 yards, the distance of the swim, to the starting line. Once here, we waded into the water up to between chest and neck level (depending upon a person’s height). Here we waited for the signal for the race to begin.

Once the gun went off, the entire group of triathletes swam parallel to the beach until reaching the end point for the swim. The waves were small today, making it easy to swim in a straight line and stay on course.

Exiting the water, we ran the roughly 100 yards across the beach (on the right side of the volleyball court pictured below), through the Holiday Inn parking lot passing directly below the room where Joy and I were staying, across South Forest Beach Drive, and into the transition area.

Bike

After removing my wetsuit, I grabbed the rented bike and jogged it to the line designated for mounting. Hopping onto the bike, I slipped my feet into the shoes already clipped into the pedals.

The bike course was three loops of a very, very flat, tree-lined four mile section of local streets. The course left the transition area, which was near the Coligny Circle roundabout, and went right onto South Forest Beach Drive.

At about one mile from the start, South Forest Beach Drive split into North Sea Pines Drive and Cordilla Parkway. The course followed Cordilla Parkway back to Pope Road, where we made a right turn. Once at the Coligny Circle roundabout, we took the first exit of the roundabout. This put us back onto South Forest Beach Drive for the second and, eventually, third loops.

The rental bike turned out to be a success. I normally ride a triathlon specific Trek SpeedConcept 7.5. However, the Trek Madone road bike worked well. My pace during the triathlon was the same as I would have expected with my bike.

Triathlon Tip: Renting a bike from a local bike shop, especially for shorter distance races, can be a cost-effective alternative to shipping your bike to a race. Tell the person at the bike shop the size bike you normally ride. Ask the shop if you can bring your pedals in order to use your clip-in shoes. And don’t forget to have the shop fit you to the bike, at least as much as they can.

Run

There is not much to report about the run. The run course was quite familiar since it was a somewhat shortened, single loop of the bike course. As they say in triathlon-speak: “flat and fast”.

Results

This will probably be recorded as the flattest course ever, at least of the triathlons in which I have competed. This should not be surprising considering the course was on a small coastal island cut up by many waterways. Waterways and ponds occupy 40% of the island. Nearly every square inch of the island is at sea-level.

The flat course no doubt helped me to achieve a competitive time and to place first in my age group. We were grateful for a positive end to a marvelous trip.

Race Firsts

• First race with a rented bike.
• First race in which our hotel room looked out onto the path between the swim exit and transition area. The trip to transition on race morning was about one block.

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