(4-28-09) Submitted by Dave Campbell - April and May bring a plethora of racing opportunities for area triathletes...if you are willing to do pool swims. A fun event at Western Oregon University with a bike course substantially different than the norm was contested in Monmouth on April 25 by 240 regional athletes. Put on by an "original Oregon Triathlete", Elke Asleson (1983 Hawaii Ironman finisher and WOU Health and PE adjunct instructor), the event consists of a 500-yard pool swim, a hilly 17-mile bike, and a 3.2-mile run. The vibe is friendly and fun and the promoters work hard to provide a quality event.
Athletes must pre-register and are seeded in nine heats going off from 8 until 10 a.m. with 3-4 swimmers per lane. Five second intervals make for an inevitable "washing machine" effect that, while chaotic, is also kind of fun. The high 40s/low 50s weather conditions outside, however, combined with cloudy skies and occasional light, misty drizzle made clothing choices for transitions especially important (and challenging). Should I take time to put on more clothes for the bike? Will I overheat on the run? How much time can I spare for such things in a sprint race?
The aforementioned hilly bike course was tough - after some twists and turns out of transition came a long steady opening climb followed by a ripping (and freezing) 40mph plus descent. That gave way to a few miles of flat and then a plethora of shorter, steeper climbs and up then the back side previously mentioned descent, before a twisty, lumpy return to T2. OUCH. Not unlike Hagg Lake in its difficulty with last year's winner, beastly Matt Berg barely averaging 21 mph. The run was a flat out and back with a finish on the WOU track and throngs of people to cheer you on. Oh, and there were the students attired in superhero garb (I definitely spotted Wonder Woman but not sure who the giant green bird was!)
One of the challenges of "pool swim sprint tri's" are the heats - not all the fastest runners and cyclists start in the last (fastest) heat due to their swim times, so you can't "take the lead" and then just cruise in to the finish. This is why I love to race these as I tune up my fitness for the "big" races ahead in June and July. They are great training and you have to really dig deep.
The tall, athletic uber-swimmer Warren Bloomberg of Salem was first out of the water (6:29 including the run out to the bikes) in Heat 9 and I had to put out a big effort to catch him and distance him on that first climb and was soon "in the lead". This takes me back to a previous point - slow swimmers in earlier heats means you better keep racing! Dave Florence of Canby is an incredible runner and a much improved cyclist who started in heat 8 and young gun Brendan Treacy was there as well. Treacy, a self-professed swim hater who rarely trains his swim has been racing P.I.R. and cat 3 road races regularly; improving an already solid bike and his slender 23-year-old physique is always rapid on the run...so I kept on hammering.
I had taken time to pull on a long sleeve top, while others, Treacy among them, went shirtless! Brrr! The long descents made my hands numb and my feet feel like blocks of ice well into the run, but hey...I'm old! Treacy, a tough young guy, out-biked me by 29 sec (47:29 & 47:56 put us over 2 min faster than anyone else), out-transitioned me with the shirtless maneuver and was only 38 seconds back after the swim! The race was on!
Treacy, who recently graduated from Oregon State, was smooth and strong running 20:18 to claim the overall victory in 1:16:29 while I hung on for second in 1:17:11 with 21:02 run on the slightly long course. Bloomberg who dropped back a bit with a bike of 50:28 rallied with the fastest run of the day (19:34) to come up to third overall. Dave Florence's second best run (20:12) earned him fourth overall, just 49 seconds clear of Albany's Jason Hawthorne.
44-year-old Kristy Aalberg from Portland was the top woman (and 17th overall) in 1:33:35 while 34 year old Kat Smith of Eugene was next in 1:36:52. Local Denise Cooms (age 38) was third best woman but top runner on the day in 22:30.
24 enthusiastic athletes from the area didn't let their lack of a road bike keep them out of the event...they did it on their mountain bikes! Local fire department folks, WOU students, and many relay teams took up the challenge, despite the rugged climbs requiring some to walk. Spirit of the sport for sure! 20 road bike teams competed and King Cobra, anchored by a WOU Cross Country athlete was 3rd overall (1:17:29) with their runner (17:49) putting me firmly in his cross-hairs down the finishing straight. The local Ranger Club was the top mountain bike team in 2:01:36.
Complete event results for the WOU Sprint Triathlon can be found HERE.
There are many more pool swim sprint triathlons to come, notably Lebanon on May 16 and Heart of the Valley in Corvallis on May 25. With a long warm up and warm down, they make for a fabulous training session. If you are looking ahead to Pacific Crest, Boise, or Lake Stevens then a long ride can round out a serious weekend training combo. Another great event approaching is the Duck Bill Thrill, the first open water race in the area on May 17 at the Fall Creek Reservoir near Eugene.
In the meantime train smart, have fun, and I will see you at the races!
