So shortly after the LOST swim on Saturday, about a dozen of us headed up to Peterborough to do the Half Ironman on Sunday! This was very much a training and preparatory race for everyone, as pretty much all of us are doing Ironman Canada in 48 days! Yikes.
Now the cool thing is that we all just like racing and marathons and swimming and tri’s and such, like lots of other groups out there… but this is really a pretty fast bunch! (as the results show!)… and we all like beer. A nice combination if you ask me.
We pretty much always have a large contingent that goes up to this race and despite the fact that it is only a “so-so” race… it is alway a great race! It’s always hot-as-hell, very hilly… and lots of fun! A few of the guys usually grab a few camp sites that are about 50m from the starting line (to minimize the commute time before the race!) and this year we were lucky enough to have several “athletic supporters” that were there to cheer us during the race… and beer us after it! So special thanks to Nancy, Cathy, Janice, Lambrina and Alex for the much needed encouragement, pictures and beer!
As for the actual race, here are a few of the highlights:
– Cousin Al: 27th place overall, from a total group of 402. 3rd in his age group. What more can you say. Wow, he’s going to crush IMC… (Kona?!)
– Brett Titus: 38th place overall… this guy just started tri’s a year ago… and he couldn’t swim! Oh man, what a great race!
– David Brezer: 8th, 10th, 5th in his age group, 57th overall… the model of balance and consistency… and like the two guys above, he trains Hard.
– Helene Desrosiers: 1st in her division… again. A machine! She’ll crush Lake Placid!
– Peter Von Euw: 4th fastest in his age group and 19th overall in the run… he’s still got it! (oh and before I forget… yes, Pete, you got chick’d by Eileen and Joanne on the bike too!)
– Eileen McMahon: the chick that chick’d Pete (and Bruce, Brian, Ron and me!)… and also placed 5th, 2nd and 6th in her age group… pretty nice balance there too!
– Bruce Horsburgh: still a bit of room for improvement on the swim (but considering where he started… very impressive!)… but my lead from the swim still wasn’t enough to hold him off in the run… he flew by me doing a 1:44 half marathon!
– Ron Marek: like Bruce, his first Half Ironman… and like Bruce his total lack of swimming ability has improved dramatically!!! Still learning the 4th discipline and the value of salt tablets… but lesson learned! I get the feeling this is the closest I’ll ever finish to him from here on in!
– Rob Kent: good swim, 1st in division and 16th overall… a freakin’ brutal bike (soundly chick’d), and a decent run. Able to avoid getting completely chick’d by Joanne at least… some solace.
– Joanne Kent: 2nd, 6th and 12th. A bit of tough run, but a good race all in all… I think she must have cheated on the bike… I’m just sayin’.
– Brian Smithson: plowed through the swim okay… decent ride… and the heat got to him on the run. But like a true Ironman… he finished the sucker! Brian… SALT TABLETS!!!
– Julia Rutlege: a special shout out to Julia… who finished her first tri! A Sprint tri, no less! Congrats Julia, and be careful… it’s a slippery slope! Show what can happen when you hang around with the wrong crowd!
– Scott Gaye: a good ride… and a good run… 2nd in his division… now we just need to get that wetsuit on him!
Peterborough 2011, results
And that’s about it… when it was all said and done… we lived to tell the tale and a good time was had by all… even if we didn’t all look like Cousin Al after the race!
Good job, everyone… bring on Ironman Canada!!!
Cheers,
Rob
An amazing first experience … and being with such a great group of athletes made it incredibly exhilirating! Yes…I think I’m hooked…already signed up for the SPRINT TRI in Orillia in August…and I signed up my son up for his first K.O.S. TRI…!…and yes…the trailer is going on another “road trip” with us.
Thanks for everyone’s wonderful encouragement…you are an extraordinary group of freinds!
Cheers, Julia & Georgie
Congratulations to all of you.
Was there and know how tough the conditions were.
Too bad I did not see you.
Felt in great shape during the swim and the bike up to 85km.
Suddenly quad felt a bit funny.
T2 was still ok but 200m into the run, major quad cramp.
Walking, stretching did not help.
Did 3k then for the 1st time ever had to withdraw.
What a shame.
But learnt my lesson that in those hot conditions, electrolytes and hydration are key. Only 1 bottle of Gatorade on the bike with 2 bottles of water were obviously not the proper recipe for yesterday’s weather.
Did other people found that the swim was a bit long.
Comparing Swim time from past years, it seems that most people (including the fast fish) were 2 to 3mn slower.
Congrats to all the racers yesterday and the ones that are doing Canada, you are going to rock it!! Nice bike Joanne, chicks rule!
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