From: stergios@leland.Stanford.EDU (Stergios)
Subject: Santa Cruz Tri - Something Different
Reply-To: stergios@kt22.Stanford.EDU
Organization: DSG, Stanford University
Date: 6 Oct 92 19:58:00


I have had such an over whelming positive response on my write-up of
the Sanat Cruz Tri from my friends I have decided to share it with the
net.  Don't expect to learn much about how to train, or do a Tri from
my report.  I've learned quite a bit about tris from reading other's
reports in this forum, and for that I am great-full. 

You might get the idea I had a blast, and that I'm a recreational
athlete from the following, anything else implied is all
tounge-in-cheek!

Enjoy

/* Stergios Marinopoulos:   Tue Oct  6 19:54:56 1992 */

SANTA CRUZ - Stergios Marinopoulos braved shark infested waters and
lived to tell about it.

The 10th annual Santa Cruz Sentinel Triathalon was held on Sunday
October 4th to the delight of over 1400 elite atheletes.  The 1 mile
swim, 23 mile bike, and 10k run was covered by Marinopoulos in just
under 2 hours 30 minutes.  Marinopoulos set personal records in the
swim (25:11), and bike (1:04:28, 21.4 average Mph), before succumbing
to calf cramps in the run which throttled his 10k time to 52:45.

"Over all, I'm happy with my performance" stated the sterginator, "I
was really moving well in the water.  I just kept on thinking shark
breakfast in 55F water was no way to end it all, and so I really swam
hard.  When asked why his first transition from swim to bike was so
slow Stergios blamed the frigid water, "when I walked up on the beach
I could not feel my feet, they were completely numb.  My wet suit did
not cover my feet, and my feet turned into popsicles.  As I ran the
1/4 mile from the beach to the bike transition I kept on thinking my
feet were going to shatter."

Cold feet, however, could not stop Marinopoulos from hammering the
entire 23 mile bike ride.  "Once I got on the bike, and got the salt
water taste out of my mouth, I felt like a machine."  Marinopulos had
his stellar ride on less than state of the art equipment.  He rode a
12 year old Fuji bicycle, that weighs over 30 pounds, as though it was
one of the multi thousand dollar hi-tech two wheelers so commonly
employed by these culturally elite athletes.  "It's a psyche thing",
says Marinopoulos, "I love passing all these tri-geeks going up hills
with a bike that weighs twice as much, has three time as much
friction, and cost only $70."  Coo-ed Marinopoulos: "It's not about
how much (money) you spend on your equipment.  It's about how much
time you spend preparing your body and your mind.  Every time I saw
one of little rolling hills I just turned my focus inside and told
myself I've ridden up Pagemill 50 times this summer, and those little
hills were no Pagemill."  Indeed they were not.  Marinopoulos remained
seated hammering away as he flew past riders standing up on their
peddals who could only watch Marinpoulos bridge from group to group.

The glory in the swim and bike were not to be repeated in the run.  As
an event organizer was talking to him, giving him instructions, and
encouraging him to stay strong in the run, Marinopoulos replyed "It's
just another Sunday", and went scrambling out of the bike/run
tranistion area to tackle the 10k run.  But just another Sunday it was
not.  Marinopoulos experienced cramps in both calfs within the first
half mile.  "I felt my calfs twitching while I was puting on my
running shirt in the bike/run transition area.  I had the same problem
in my last Tri, so I purposely went slow in the transition area taking
extra time to rub my calfs."  "When the twitches turned into full
cramps, I backed of my pace, and held a 10 minute mile pace for the
first 3 miles.  I still could'nt feel my toes at the begining of the
run.  By the time I hit the turn around point I noticed my toes were
actually moving, my feet had completely thawed, and my calfs were now
warm. I was ready to run."  But no amount of running was going to put
Marinopoulos back in contention, he had simply lost too many precious
minutes in the first 3 miles of the run.

Marinopolous cranked up the pace on the second half of the 10k passing
many of those who thought they left him in the dust.  "It felt good to
get back into my seven minute mile pace for the later part of the run.
I wanted to finish strong and I did."

Many competitors used the Santa Cruz Tri as a warm up race for next
week's Hawaii Ironman.  Marinopoulos will not be traveling to Hawaii
next week siting scheduling conflicts and "personal reasons".  

When asked where he was going next after just finishing the Santa Cruz
Tri Marinopoulos said "I'm going to Stanford!"

--
--------------------------
Stergios Marinopoulos
stergios@kt22.Stanford.EDU