(9-2-08) Submitted by Dave Campbell - Autumn is here and precious few multisport racing opportunities remain! Nonetheless, nearly three hundred kindred spirits gathered Saturday at Henry Hagg Lake outside of Forest Grove, OR for the Scoggins Valley Triathlon which would also serve as a preview of sorts for those hoping to end their season with a bang on the same course at USAT Age Group Nationals September 20. The water level was fairly low, the skies cloudy, and the air quite chilly as the athletes prepared to compete in Tri-iT (novice tri), Sprint, and Olympic Triathlons as well as an Olympic Duathlon.
19-year-old Alycia Hill of Tacoma, WA posted the fastest swim time (22:21), but due to separate male/female wave starts, the first out were actually 21-year-old Damon Burnett from Snohomish, WA and 27-year-old Daniel Hough of Talent, OR both swimming 22:29 before beginning the long lumpy run up the carpet into the transition zone.
The Hagg Lake course is one of the most difficult to be found anywhere with a relentless series of hills in the second half of the bike. Many of Hagg's hills are about momentum and gear selection and so knowing the course and planning ahead, as well as really letting it rip on the descents is key. The bike is my specialty and as such I love this course and quickly moved into the lead, ultimately posting a 1:04:13 on the day, fastest by over two minutes. Many athletes found changing shoes slow due to their cold fingers and toes, as the temps were only in the low 50s and the sun mostly hidden by clouds. I started the run with a near four-minute lead but with some high-quality runners in the field it was far from safe.
Coming back from the turnaround, my gap was down to about a minute and a half and the writing was on the wall. With two miles to go, 25-year-old uber-runner Rusty Pruden of Marysville, WA went by me like a train. The Hagg run course is 10k out-and-back on those same vicious steep climbs that conclude the bike and Pruden was going over them like he was on the flat and was soon out of sight. He posted a 36:53, far and away the best run of the day, a 5:56 pace on a very difficult course. He broke the tape in 2:11:10 and when his swim and bike improve, he is going to be force to be reckoned with on the Northwest tri scene. I, meanwhile staggered home in 2:12:19 (Top Master) and decided it was time to call it a season. The ageless Patrick Wallace (50 from Lake Oswego) ran well to claim third overall, 2:30 back.
On the women's side, swim leader Hill gave way to the incredible Lauren Binder (61 from Portland) with a 1:14:03 (26th fastest overall) bike split, which moved her into second behind 53-year-old Jan Acuff from Seattle with Deborah Potts of Bellevue close behind. Hill was the best runner on the day (45:11) but her bike left her a minute and a half down at the line behind the consistent and now victorious Potts who finished in 2:31:23 with Acuff, third and Top Master.
Not all of the top athletes contested the Olympic with some opting to do the Sprint Triathlon as the first piece of a big training weekend in preparation for Nationals. 19-year-old phenom Eric Lagerstrom of Portland stormed to a wire-to-wire win in 1:03:31. The sophomore at Cascade College in Portland earned a bronze medal this spring in his age group at Worlds in Vancouver, BC and is aiming to peak for Nationals and improve on last years silver medal. With four overall regional wins to his credit this year and an 8:40 swim (1st), 35:04 bike (4th), and a blazing 17:21 run (1st) today, he will definitely be a favorite. Perennial top NW triathlete Ignacio Rodriguez-Lopez has returned to the scene strongly and was second, also with a strong run of 18:40. 55-year-old Jess Hickerson, 6th overall, was the top Master in 1:12:53.
28 year-old Anne Davis of Portland dominated the women's sprint event in 1:12:36 (5th overall) with Kimberly Pancoast from Kirkland second two minutes back and the amazing Bridget Dawson, age 50, was third another 19 seconds back and top Master.
I look forward to concluding a busy 2008 racing year with my "local" triathlon, the Lincoln City Sprint Triathlon, a very fun and low-key event Sunday on the coast. September and October are beautiful months in the Northwest and many running events as well as Cyclocross beckon those of us who have had our fill of multisport. The hardier souls will continue to train hard to peak for Age Group Nationals and the first 16 in each age group will get a chance to represent the U.S. next November on the Gold Coast of Australia. Whatever you are doing, enjoy it and stay active! I will look forward to seeing all my multisport friends and competitors out training in the coming months and on start lines again soon!
