From: chrisl@stpaul.gov (Chris A Lyman)
Subject: Timberman Triathlon, Grand Rapids, MN
Organization: City of Saint Paul Public Works
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 19:45:15 GMT

Those of you who have noticed the proliferation of multi-sport events named
"<insert, um, something here>-MAN" Triathlon can add another name to the list.
The Timberman Triathlon is held in Grand Rapids, Minnesota and is now in its
eighth year.  It features a 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike and, you guessed it, a
10 km run for the masochists; for more normal folk, a 500 meter swim, 21 km
bike and 5 km run is offered along with relays.

Just to cut the suspense, I finished 4th out of 7 in my age group (40-44),
and I _think_ I was in the top 1/3 overall.

Race day dawned cool and clear; the temperature was about 65 degrees (18 C)
with just a slight breeze.  As we've been enjoying a cooler than usual summer
in the Upper Midwest, I expected the waters of Lake Pokegama to be co-o-old.
It wasn't bad; I would guess that the water temperature was about 68-70 
degrees (20-21 C).

As we lined up for the start, I noticed that people were seeding themselves
rather oddly;  they seemed to be congregating in small clumps in the knee-
deep water. "Oh, well," thought I, "I'll just stand over here by myself."
That way, I'll get a clean start."  Oh, sure.  Within the first minute, I
was kicked in the goggles twice (once for each lens) and elbowed sharply in
the ribs.  Nonetheless, I found a good pace and soon dropped a half-dozen
or so swimmers.  The first time I popped my head up to navigate, I was
surprised to see a pack of about 7-8 swimmers had already put about 30 meters
on me.  I quickened my turnover to see what I could do about reeling them
back in.  As I approached the first turn buoy (the swim course was triangular,
sort of), I passed two swimmers.  Rounding the buoy, I failed to spot the next
turn buoy, resulting in my going off course by about 20 meters.  By the time
I discovered my mistake, I'd been overtaken by 4 other swimmers.  Once again,
I turned up the turnover hoping to overcome my lost time and bring back the
lead pack.  I concentrated so hard, I lost track of how many swimmers I passed,
but my son told me later that I was the fifth long course swimmer out of the
water.  Besides that, I set a personal best for 1500 meters (24:11), assuming
the course was measured accurately.

After a smooth transition, I climbed on my bike and spun an easy gear for
about 2-3 minutes to get the legs going.  As I spun, a female competitor on
a mountain bike kept pace with me, smiled and said, "So far, so good."  I
found out later that it was her first triathlon.  I agreed, then slipped my
chain onto the big ring and surged ahead.  In anticipation of a particularly
hilly half-ironman race later this month, I'd been spending more time doing
hill repeats.  I noticed that it was easier to push my usual race gear.
Having come out of the water 5th, I realized that some of the better biker/
runners would be getting some payback from me, but I passed a couple of other
bikers so my position didn't slip too much.  My time for the 40 km bike was
disappointing (1:07:40), but as it later turned out, the course was longer
than advertised, meaning I'd posted my highest average speed to date in a
triathlon.

As I came within a mile of the transition area, I realized that I was in
contention for an age group award and decided to slip my heels over the
heels of my cycling shoes so that my feet would just slip off when it was
time to dismount.  Unfortunately, the heel of my left shoe unfolded itself
so when I dismounted, I unexpectedly found myself hopping one-legged along
side my bike trying to get it back on the rack.  Moral: don't experiment
during a race!

Nonetheless, I didn't lose any time and I soon found myself shuffling along in 
my weakest event, the run.  By this time, the temperature had climbed into the
80's (~26 C) and it was much more humid.  Although the race brochure described 
the run course as 'tree-lined,' there wasn't any shade.  Not my idea of fun.
Normally, I expect the strong runners in the race to assert themselves here.
Today was no exception but I was taken aback when I was passed by no less
than three males, all of them in their 50's.  These guys were tough, they
looked like they could go all day, and they scarsely made any noise with
their breathing.  Sheeesh!  As the race wore on, I began concentrating on 
landmarks and surging for them.  Trouble is, it got harder and harder to
sustain the surge all the way to the landmark!  As I finally began the last
quarter mile, a female athlete who had already finished the short course urged
me on: "Just a short way to the finish line, and then keep going 'til you hit
the lake!"  I smiled and replied, "Sounds like a plan."  And that's exactly
what I did!


-- 
Chris Lyman  -  email: chrisl@pwcs.stpaul.gov  -  #include <std.disclaimers.h>
 "A conservative government is an organized hypocrisy." -- Benjamin Disraeli