Grand Columbian Triathlon 2009- Race Report

The trip to Grand Columbian honestly began months ago when we thought it would be awesome to take an RV to a race. We would be able to camp right near the race site and walk right out of the motor home and into transition area. Now how sweet would that be.

Eric captaining the ship to Grand Coulee.

So when the opportunity to take the Eric’s parents RV to the Grand Coulee would couldn't pass it up. We loaded up Friday after work and though we were minus a key person to an awesome trip, made the two hour trip to Banks Lake. We had a bit of confusion with the RV spot but thanks to Tiffany for keeping her cool and collected nature we were able to snag the last open spot and began to set up camp. Which basically was putting out the extensions and well that was it. It was AWESOME!!!

After sitting around chit chatting and getting a few things ready for the race, it was bed time. Since it was a late race start of 10am, we were really in no hurry. Since Eric and Tiffany have been fighting injuries and Jessi was at home not feeling well, it left Roger and me as the racers from the RV. So after dropping off my bike in transition, I was able to relax for a bit and just try to get focused for the last race of the season.

Pre-Race.

The race was to be the club championships and Tri-Fusion was representing strong. We had a large field in the Olympic distance and a smaller but fast field in the half iron race which started an hour earlier. In all reality, we came for one reason and that was to walk away with the championship trophy.

Group Photo- Olympic Racers.

As race time neared, we were able to cheer on the half-iron racers as they finished their swim. It was awesome to be able to give them a bit of encouragement right before we started our own race. So after the final half swimmer was in, it was our turn to hit the water. The unique part of this race was the buoy line that connected the swim buoys for the entire swim. There really were no excuses for swimming off course. Though I have been swimming much straighter this year, there was going to be minimal sighting and just put your head down and swim fast.

Waiting for the gun to go off.

Off we go.

The swim went great. I was able to keep a good pace throughout and really enjoyed just following the line. I really didn’t know where I was within the group but I knew there were a few people in front of me and I did what I could not let them get to far away. Overall, my swim was not one of my fastest swims but I came out of the water and was ready to jump on my new bike and ride hard.

Coming out of the water.

Exiting the swim.

The bike portion of this race is TOUGH. You start with an almost 2 mile climb that can just kick your butt. It is hard to find a rhythm so I just tried to keep my legs moving and give a constant effort. I wanted to make sure I didn’t ride to hard and by the time I finally reached the top, I felt pretty good and just wanted to push to the end.

The long decent back into town.

I was able to pass a few riders and shortly after reach the topped I passed the last bike I would see. The rest of the ride was spent chasing the invisible leaders as I knew they were up there somewhere. To cancel out the long slow climb at the beginning, there was an even longer and faster downhill heading back to transition. I am pretty sure I averaged over 40 mph for nearly 10 minutes. I was absolutely flying but still couldn’t find that next rider.

Cruising at 40 mph...Should probably be looking at the road.

As I entered transition, I heard the announcer say here comes 4th place. I tried to not get too excited because I knew I still had to run and my buddy Greggor was coming fast. I wasn’t sure how big of a lead I had on him but knew it was going to be tough to try and hold him off.

If you would have asked me how the race was going at Mile 1 of the run, you would have seen a huge smile and me feeling great. My legs were under me and I had a quick thought that ‘THIS’ might just be 'THAT' race. Now if you asked me how I felt at Mile 1.5, you would have seen me suffer my first bad side stitch of the season and all I wanted to do was stop and have this race over.

Was definitely feeling horrible right now.

After a quick 10-20 second walking session, I had to start running again. It wasn’t easy but walking was not an option. When I finally reached the first aid I was in search of anything to help. After survey the small aid table, I decided to stuff my face with a banana and just hoped that would help. A few minutes later the side ache began to disappear and though it wasn’t gone, I was back in the race.

Heading out after the aid station, was not feeling better yet.

I could now hear Greg’s footsteps and new it was only a matter of time before he was going to fly by me. At the turn-around and second aid station, I grabbed a second half of banana and was ready to head back home to the finish. The second half of the run was definitely not my fastest but it sure felt better than running with that dang side stitch.


Now I can’t blame the side stitch alone but this was my slowest run in a long time. I know my side slowed me down but I also think my effort on the bike had a huge affect. I pretty much chalked up the end of the season to riding really hard and seeing how it affected me during the run. Though I still have not found the balance, I know that I enjoy being able to push myself on the bike and now just need to work on the run portion. Though I will have to what until next year to see if all the work this winter is going to pay off, I can’t WAIT!

This is an action shot of the Byrd's. No posing here.

A special thanks to the Byrd’s. They weren’t even racing but spent their weekend shuttling us around in the RV. I am already looking forward to the next adventure.

Until next time…