From: birecree@bissun.kodak.com (Jack Birecree (D47 69629) OCR group (63771))
Subject: Survival of the Shawngunks
Originator: birecree@bissun
Organization: Eastman Kodak
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 92 21:37:03 GMT

I am the editor of the newsletter for our local triathlon club here
in Rochester NY. As such I sometimes get interesting race reports from
some of the club members. Here is one I received recently. I think you'll
find the "course" quite unusual. 

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Survival of the Shawngunks Triathlon 
30mi bike, 4.5mi run, 1.1mi swim, 5.5mi run, 
.5mi swim, 8mi run, .5mi swim, .7mi run 
September 13, 1992 

by Erik Grimm

Well here goes...... During the past summer I have been contemplating whether
to submit race reviews for the various tri's I have participated in, but
decided to wait and write about the "gunks." Although, I have to admit that I
have had several opportunities to say the least. I will also try to keep the
debits on the left.

It was a pleasant surprise to hear the weather forcast for the weekend, one
which didn't include either of the "C" or "R" words. Sunny, with highs in the
mid 70's. There are triathlon gods after all. During the five hour drive of
Friday night, I was thinking of what I would do if the weather was lousey (and
we all know the definition of lousey.) Aftyer all, this is not your ordinary
tri. I concluded that this issue would require more serious contemplation, and
should be debated by those more philosophical in nature. I simple hoped the
weather was nice.

On our way to my grandfather's (Pop's) farm, we stopped for a delicious dinner
at Mike WIlcox's mom's house in Livingston Manor. To my surprise this is not a
retirement community, rather a small town in the Catskills. If you ever find
yourself on route 17 and hungry, I suggest you stop in for some spagetti and
carrot cake!

Saturday was a lazy day, a short bike and run on the surrounding country roads
and a swim in Pop's pond. We took the opportunity to perfect our 'swim with the
shoes down tha back of our suits' approach to the swims on the course. In
retrospect, I think the method was most effective, although I do not recommend
running 18 miles with sand in the crotch of your suit. I looked forward to the
pre-race pasta dinner at Dominic's, a local resturant in New Paltz. The mood
was casual and friendly, yet the usual pre race anticipation was evident in the
conversation of the competitors. As darkness fell, I thought to myself, the
next sunlight I would see would be during the bike leg.

My nerves seemed to have gotten the best of me during the preceeding week.
During a taper week I usually have so much energy and time on my hands.
Unexplainably, I mailed a birthday card to my Aunt, so that it would arrive on
September 12th. Her birthday is January 15th.

The electronic beep of the alarm pierced our ears predictably at 5:00am, the
beginning of a long day. The moon was full and the foggy country air was a
crisp 40 degrees. We indulged in the $2 breakfast special, a two day old bagel,
a power bar and a gulp of Gatorade to wash it down. Although it was dark and
cold, the starting area was surprisingly lively at 6:00am. The competitors
jovially commented on how quickly their hands and feet went numb on their
warm-up rides. Gloves, streach pants and jackets were the norm for this autumn
morning. I decided that I would start the bike in a pair of bike shorts and a
T-shirt, same a Mike and John. However, after discovering that I did not bring
either along, I opted for the Speedo and a tank top. Yes, it was a bit chilly
and the spectators and support crews thought I was rather looney, but it worked
well to motivate me.

Mike, John and I started in the second wave, one minute behind the first.
Almost immediately, I was in front of the pack. The cool foggy air began to
condense on my helmet and drip on my face. I knew very well it was not sweat.
At about mile seven, I caught the leaders in the first wave and was able to
pass them without much of a struggle, after which I did not relinquish the
lead. Leading a race is still very new to me and I am still not sure how to go
about it. Without someone to chase, or key on, I second guess my pace and
effort level. Although, this is not a bad problem to have. The 30 mile bike
course was on smooth raods which ended with a 6 mile uphill climb which lasted
approximately 20-25 minutes. Just enough to build up the lactic acid in my
quads gefore the 18 mile run!

John and Mike finished the bike a few minutes back. I can't pass up this
opportunity to give Mike some noteworthy credit. I don't hesitate to say that
if any of us had t ride Mike's Team Fuji bike all summer we would be retired
triathletes, settling for an occasional 5K race and a lake swim. The bandana
tied to the DH bars in lieu of elbow pads is the clincher. I can only make
these comments because I have heard that Mike has a Stowe on order. Look out
for Mike at the time trials next summer!

The bike-run transition was our last view of civilization for a while. The 4.5
mile run was primarily up-hill on a trail of rocks and cinders. Most of the
competitors said the feeling returned to their feet at about mile three, not
too soon before the 1.1 mile swim in the 66 degree Lake Awosting. At this point
I was having a great time, feeling strong and joking with the volunteers at the
first run-swim transition. After all it was only a 4.5 mile run.

Lake Awosting is a beautiful mountain lake with clear and delicious water. I
kicked off my shoes and stuffed them in the back of my suit and took the
plunge. While I was in the air I could hear the volunteers cringe as they
thought the water was cold. It felt refreshing to get off my feet and use a
different muscle group for a change. The view of the rising sun and the trees
reflecting off the brilliant blue water was inspiring. The paddlers and the
kayakers seemed to glide effortlessly by on the calm lake as my heart rate rose
and lats began to ache.

By the end of the swim, I was glad to exit and begin the next 5.5 mile run leg.
I was aware of the soggy shoes for about 100 yards when the ache in my legs and
tightness in my shoulders overshadowed any other thoughts. After the race
several competitors mentioned they had severe cramps and chills due to the long
cool swim. At the end of the swim, Mike was overcome by leg cramps and had to
stop and stretch. At this point on the trail, John ran by Mike, asking if he
was ok. Nevertheless, John continued his journey with callous compassion for
our training friend understood only by other triathletes, knowing it would get
a good laugh at the finish line.

The second run proceeded along the upper edge of the famous Shawngunk cliffs
created years ago by crashing continental plates. The four state view was
magnificient. The fog in the valley that we had ridden out of on the bike leg
had not yet dissipated. It reminded me of being in a plane above the white
puffy clouds on a sunny day. Along the way, I spotted a white tailed deer 20
feet from the trail. The deer spooked and trotted parallel to the trail with me
for a few strides and then stopped. I figure it either knew it couldn't keep up
with me, or more likely, knew that such a slow creature as me couldn't possibly
be a threat.

The second swim in Lake Minawaska was similar to the first, although half the
distance. Again it was refreshing to cool off and take a drink of the deep blue
water. Two sides of this lake are surrounded by 30-50 foot rocky cliffs similar
to that of a quarry. During the swim, the upper body fatigue was beginning to
slow down my stroke and weaken my pull. The swim was only .5 mile and anyone
could swim hard for 12 minutes, I thought to myself. The swim-run transition
was beginning to become routine - take the wet shoes out of my suit, clean the
sand from my feet, put the wet shoes on and run. At this transition Pop and
Mike's mom and the rest of the crew were cheering us on. My thoughts were on
the upcoming 8 mile run.

The first half of the run was through a wooded area passing by a scenic
waterfall. I decided that my bladder needed relief and this would be an
opportune time. My lead was approximately 5 minutes at this point and a 20
second break would do much good. I checked the trail, all was clear, so I
began. It felt great. During the process, a mountain biker came up from nowhere
and began asking me for directions. Of all the people to ask directions from, I
don't think a urinating traithlete during a race is the best choice. I forgot
what I actually said but I remember thinking I should have said "ask the next
guy you see running by in a speedo."

Trapps bridge marks the midway point of the third run. Just beyond the trail
was crowded with rock climbers as this is a world famous rock climbing area. I
enjoyed the puzzled expressions of onlookers as they watched a tired triathlete
run by with a swim cap tucked in his speedo. At this point I began counting the
minutes to the final swim. My strength and enthusiastic attitude were left
somewhere back on the trail and from here on out I was fuelled by the notions
that 1) triathletes don't quit, 2) it would be all over shortly and I would
probably win, and 3) Jim Krapf and several other RATS finished Hawaii which is
much longer. After a hill called "Godzilla" that seemed endless, I saw Lake
Mohunk, the final swim.

Not to my surprise, John found people to run with during portions of the race.
The last leg he and recent Rochester transplant Larry Krieger connected. No
doubt John took these opportunities to release a few dry, sarcastic comments or
to take to some liberal bashing. As most of us know and welcome, John is quick
to come up with a hilarious, off-the-wall comment during a long workout.
The Lake Mohunk swim was painful. My arms felt like sledgehammers; it was an
effort to lift my arms out of the water and even worse to pull! I thought to
myself, anyone could swim hard for 10 minutes. My definition of hard changed
throughout the race. At the beginning, swimming hard meant long powerful
strokes and good form. At the end, swimming was just plain hard. Nevertheless,
I reached the opposite side and proceeded with the transition routine, knowing
a 5 minute run was between me and the finish. A quick look back to see if the
second place competitor was a threat, but he was in the middle of the lake,
about 5 minutes back. At this point I knew I would be first to finish, so I
started the climb to the tower. To my surprise I finished in 4:22.30, a new
course record by 2 minutes and an improvement of 16 minutes from last year. (I
can't help thinking that an elite triathlete's time would be under 4 hours.)

John and Mike finished near 5 hours with very respectable times, each beating
their personal goals by a few minutes. At the finish, we had time to eat and
drink the post race goodies while taking in the wonderful view od Lake Monhunk,
the Shawngunk cliffs and the valley below. Both the competitors and the
volunteers were friendly and enjoyed talking about the race. We were survivors!
Much thanks to our support crews; Mike's mom and relatives and Pop and Willie
Grimm. (And Mindy for letting John go.) A special thanks to John McFarland and
Mike Wilcox for their inspiration during the year and letting me talk them into
this.

The way I figure (from a bean counters perspective), a race is a success if you
want to go back the following year. I know I do and I suggest you talk to John
and Mike so they can share their unbiased feelings. If this sounds at all
interesting to you, I highly recommend you give it a try too!

From: chapman@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Larry Chapman)
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 15:38:25 GMT
Subject: Re: New Timex Ironman Watch
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA