Federal Escape Triathlon

I drove 5.5 hours to Yakima Washington... so that I could ride in the car for another 2.5 hours... so I could "Escape!" at the Federal Escape Triathlon...

***Post race, medals are my favorite award!

It was worth every minute of driving, the race was a great test, Kevin and I cleaned up at the awards ceremony, and I felt I showed that Montana people can compete with Washington triathletes. By the way, being the only Montana person in the race made me think of this issue: I am legitimately "Montana Made," I'm sorry, but if you are not born in Montana it's not right (in my opinion) to make that claim.

The 4 day trip started on Thursday morning. After the first few hours of driving I decided to pit stop and enjoy a less-known gem of the northwest. The Trails of Coeur D' Alene is a trail system of smooth pavement that spans 70 miles. The last time I was on this trail was in 2005 in which I rode 65 miles of it with my friend Eric. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ride it again, so I kitted up, pulled the P3 off the back of the car, stashed a few of the snacks Corrie had sent with me in my jersey pocket and set out.

The ride is pretty amazing, the trail is so smooth, the sights are great, it's pretty cool to ride through Wallace and the other little towns aboard the Cervelo. There was very little traffic on the trail which was also great. I did an easy 25 miles before changing out of my 53X11 Coffee cycling kit, reloading the bike, and starting towards Yakima. Once arriving in Yakima I was treated superbly by my hosts, Kevin and his family. Me and Kevin arrived in Seattle on Friday night for packet pickup and to scope the venue. We laid low Friday night after the drive, prepared the Cervelos, and rested up. The hospitality continued as I had my own room in Seattle the night before the race, thanks everyone for your generosity.

We arrived at the race venue Saturday morning at 5:45 a.m to secure good transition locations and not feel rushed. We set up our two bikes on the end of a rack snugged tight to each other (protect each other from the bike smashers always playin' demo derby in the bike racks, oh sure that 30 lb mountain bike can be jammed into the slot right next to my Cervelo...lame).

***Bodymarking in the transition while Kev pumps up the "murder rims."

The best way to describe how I felt before the race was a state of calm confidence. Despite being a long way from home (the only Montana person racing), not having run anything over 4.2 miles since my knee injury, I was confident that my swim-bike combination would bring me to the front or close to it. I was nervous but not a terrified nervous that ceases most people, I was joking around before the race, but in my mind I knew I was ready to burn some people up.

***Pre race muscle pose off...we tied.

The men's race started with our toes snugged up to the waterline for an out of water entry. These types always get messy, I hit the water running amidst thrashing and shoving swimmers. I have very long legs so I can run further out before diving into the water than most when entering the water. I kept running 3 steps after most had submerged, I actually dove over the back of a couple people that were in front of me to gain a few spots.

Everyone started incredibly fast, like always, and I found myself well back in the pack at the first buoy. I made the sharp left amongst arms and kicking feet. After making it halfway down the backstretch people started to settle down and I began to swim past them. After making two more turns around buoys, I hit the shore for the short beach sprint that separated the two laps of the swim. I was able to count the places ahead of me while I ran, I had moved comfortably up to 8th after the first lap.

***Beach sprint after swim lap one

I swam easy after entering the water again, allowing my body to adjust back to swimming and saving energy for the other segments of the race. I swam comfortably hard the remaining portion of lap two, passing 2 people and being passed by 1, to exit a couple minutes off the lead in 7th place.

***Exit of swim, heading towards a fast T-1

 I have always stressed how important transitions are, this is the ultimate example. I passed one guy on the shore run to get to transition, 6th place. I had a clean strip of the wet suit, put my helmet and sunglasses on and was exiting transition.

At the mount line 2 people where mounting their bikes, I used my signature move of running well past the mount line. Doing so gets me clear of the congestion and allows me to mount my bike rolling at a decent speed. The two racers jammed at the mount line paid for their mistake as a shoved my bike ahead of me so I could skinny myself up and squeeze between them before mounting. I slipped between them and landed aboard the P3.

Their mistake (and my transition awareness) lost them the place. I had moved up by 2 spots to 4th. Once on the bike course I hammered it full speed to try and get to the lead. At mile 2 I caught the 3rd place guy, passed decisively, and kept the throttle at full. At mile 4 I caught 2nd, and shortly after, the leader. It felt great to have found the lead, I have never done that in a Washington race. Unfortunately it did not last long.

On the tail end of the first of 4 laps a traffic cop distinctly waived me to turn left, subsequently exiting the race course. Second place followed me. After riding for 45 seconds to a minute I heard 2nd place yell at me to turn around. We back tracked to the cop to get back on course, he didn't say anything...wtf? I had lost 3 spots by being sent off course, 3rd and 4th had stayed on course and now 2nd place was ahead of me as we turned around. It would have been very easy to be mad with what was happening, but that wouldn't change anything...I used my frustration to thrash my cranks in an attempt to repass those I already have.

On lap two of the bike I caught and repassed the 3rd and 4th place riders. After a few high speed corners I had bridged back to the leader (the guy that went off course with me) we exchanged a few comments to pump each other up after being sent off course by the cop. On lap three of the bike the 2nd place guy, also on a P3, went by me, I couldn't hold with him and lost a few seconds on each stretch.

On the final hill of lap three I down shifted to a mangling of gears and metal. NO!!!!! I did not come 400 miles and ride to the front to have a mechanical failure! My chain had spliced one side. I was stopped on the side of the road trying to remedy, I watched 3rd and 4th place go by. I settled for adjusting my barrel adjuster and jamming the broken pin into the compromised half chain link. I was very careful to keep my bike in a gear that kept the chain totally straight as to not stress that link. I didn't shift very much for the next few miles as I ground the pedals up the short hills. I was extremely happy when I overcame the adversity again (for the third time in the race) to pass the 3rd and 4th rider, moving me back to 2nd place.

I entered transition 2 in second overall. I remember hearing two things as I put on socks and shoes (I had new shoes). The first was, "good job young man," from a person directly behind me. The second was from Annie (Kev's gf) "Bryan! You are killin' it."

***Starting my first run lap, 2nd place overall gong into the run

I exited transition 2 still in 2nd place, but not knowing what the run held for me as I have only run twice a week, 4 miles maximum once, the entire 2009.

The bad thing about being up at the front is the people run fast, and the places change quickly if you are not running well. I found this out as I lost two spots on the first 2.9 mile laps. I was on total cruise control, minding every feeling I had in my knee. I was in new territory for running post injury. I lost another spot at mile 3.5 and another soon after. I continued to run my best and cling to every spot I could. I lost another two spots to runners that were flying before entering the park for the finishing mile.

I sprinted to the finish to stop the clock at 2:07, good enough for 8th place overall and 1st in my age division. I consider this a major success because 1. I lost minutes by being sent off course and having to stop to fix the chain. 3rd place overall was a 2:05, well within my capabilities had I not lost those minutes. 2. The knee did not flare up too badly on the run. 3 I found my way to the front of the race, twice, a new feat racing in Washington. Finally, despite the trouble, I had a great race, my computer showed an average of 23.5 mph, my swim went well, my transitions were very fast, and despite losing all those spots I still ran 6:55 mile pace for by far the longest run of 2009.
 

***The aftermath of the awards ceremony.

It was a very successful and fun trip. Kevin and I both had grea races, both receiving medals and trophies for our efforts. In the end the true satisfaction does not come from what place I was, the true satisfaction came in the results of being able to race (and keep up with) most of the contenders, being able to run without severe pain, traveling, spending time with friends, and overall taking satisfaction in another trip of "living the dream" life of a triathlete.

Big Sky State Games

First I have to start by giving a HUGE shout out - thank you to everyone that provided the generous resort-like accomidations, super loud cheering, delicious food, and entertaining company. Corrie, Carrie, Chris, and PJ, thank you all so much!!!!
  Last weekend was Montana's State Games. The race is a mix of distances, it starts with a 2 loop, 800 meter swim, a 16 mile very hilly bike, and then the typical 5k run. Being that I race a lot throughout the year, I am familiar with the people who are fast swimmers, bikers, runners etc. I am sure people know me, it's the unspoken rule that you know who you are racing but never tip your hand by letting them know that you are focused on them. However, it does come down to how fast I can do the race, so the other people cannot be the only focus of a race strategy.
  With that said, I was aware that one of the fastest swimmers in the state was at the race, I know he is swimming really fast this year because I watched him rip the swim field apart the week before, duly noted. I knew he was going to gap everyone in the swim, including me, so my strategy was to start as close to him as possible, find his draft right away and hold it as long as I could. Drafting in the swim is completely legal (unlike drafting on the bike) and common practice. I knew that every second I could hold in his draft would cut a second off my swim deficit.
  The gun started and there was a mad dash of legs, arms, and thrashing bodies diving into the water. I found the draft quickly, even using 15% less energy, thanks to the draft, required full throttle on my part. I hit the first buoy sharing the lead swimmers draft. Along the back stretch I lost contact with first and had to slip onto the second swimmer's draft. We made one more right turn to come back towards the beach for our beach sprint that separated lap one from two. I hit the beach in third, Chandler (lead swimmer) already had 10 or 15 seconds on the field, I looked over my shoulder, saw Brad Z and was satisfied that the lead 5 had blown apart the big pack that held together the first few minutes of the swim.
  I hit the water and resumed swimming. I hate beach sprints because I feel so tired after entering for the second time. The blood rushes to my legs for the sprint on the beach and the next second it has to be in my shoulders, that takes a little time to adjust. Anyway, I lost the draft of the second person and swam the remaining lap of the swim by myself, trying to put distance on Brad in 4th.
  I could clearly see the swim exit and was waiting for the lead swimmers to exit, when I saw this I would count in my head and try to establish the gaps. I was very happy when I exited the water only 34 seconds behind super swimmer Chandler. I knew I could catch him. I could also hear my entourage cheering me on, that always feels great, I really wanted to make them proud.
  I (uncharacteristically) lost a little time in T-1, by the time I exited in third, the first two swimmers (Chandler, and a relay team) where out of sight. I had my work cut out for me, but I was confident the P3 would reel the lead two back in.
  I did not make up much time the first mile and a half because there were a lot of twists and turns exiting the park and making our way to the main road. Once on the main road I put the pressure to the pedals determined to catch the lead two. My legs did not feel super strong, they lagged a little on accelerations and burned more than usual. I knew, for whatever reason, today I did not have top form.

Determined to not let tired legs hold me back I pressed on full steam. At mile 2 I used a road mile marker to take a split on Chandler, 23 seconds. By mile 3 I had closed the gap. I shifted down a gear and continued to turn over my FSA chain ring. I

 came up in Chandler's slipstream (a legal pass is required within 15 seconds of entering another rider's slipstream) at the last second I swung out of the draft and hammered the cranks. I don't "lallygag around" when passing because passing quickly creates confusion to the passed rider and discourages drafting. I passed Chandler turning over about 26 mph, slipped back to the right, and continued to pressure the pedals up the hill. I came up out of the aerobars and summited the top of the hill.

My legs hurt but I continued to ride hard, now with 3rd place safely gapped I set my mind on catching first. Now don't get me wrong, I DO NOT dislike people who are one teams, I respect their effort in training and competing. However, I dislike the idea in general of teams in triathlon. Triathlon is 1 person doing 3 events, not 3 people doing 1 event. I was determined to catch the lead biker (on a relay team) because in all honesty a relay team does not deserve the honor, cheers, rewards, and prestige of riding at the front of a triathlon. In all fairness Chandler deserved those cheers and prestige because he was the first individual competitor at that checkpoint. I feel like Chandler did not get his dues that he deserved as the TRUE leader of the race.
  I used this as motivation bridge up to the relay team member, at mile 5 I ripped by the lead biker doing a full effort pull, taking back the lead and returning the prestige back to where it really belongs (not on me specifically, but on the triathletes that have trained for 3 disciplines, no offense to relays).

Happy that I had made my way to the front, very satisfying feeling to pass people and get to the front of the race, I continued the pattern of climb a hill, descend and repeat. This really is a brutal bike course as only 3 of the 16 miles are flat. At the turnround I took time splits and noted positions. Team biker in 2nd, and Chandler had moved to 4th. Brad had bridged up to Chandler and rode slightly ahead in 3rd place.

On the way back I had the hills again, this time however I climbed up the side that I descended the way out to the turn around. I continued to put time into the relay biker and Chandler, but I had a slight problem at mile 11...Brad was in my slipstream (riding legal distance). I knew he would be content to stay there and try and make this a runners race. I had only one chance if I wanted to win.

I had to wait until the last hill at mile 12.5 and launch and attack and try to create a time buffer. I hit the bottom of the hill, came out of the saddle and gave the cranks everything I had. I did not have the usual power and strength, it hurt tremendously to put in this effort as like I said before, my legs were tired today. I looked back at the top of the hill, the attacked had worked, but not to the extent I thought I needed. I had put about 20 or 25 seconds into Brad. I live for the feeling of coming into T2 in first place.

I feel like there is something special about being the first biker back. I like the loudness of the crowd and personal pride of knowing I did something special by riding past those that left before me. This was no different, the crowd cheered as I made my way back into the park, it felt amazing to be me at that exact moment. I hit Transition 2 in first but feeling very tired. I made a mistake and went down the wrong row so I had to continue down the incorrect row and go back up the correct one.

By the time I exited Transition 2 I botched my lead and Brad was right with me. My tired legs did not want to run as fast as I wanted (and needed them to). Brad, figuratively speaking, killed me quickly by dealing a clean and crisp pass. I tired to hang with him, I couldn't on this day, and slipped farther and farther away, losing a few seconds with each passing minute.
  I ran the best I could, safely in 2nd but hurting very badly, until I reached the turn around. Every so often there are races when for whatever reason I am tired, this really draws out the run, every minute stretched. I took a walk break up the last big hill on the run to consolidate my tired legs. I finished 2nd overall after running a 22 minute 5k, it was much worse in my mind, it felt like a 40 minute 5k because my legs were so tired. ha ha

I don't want to sound negative in this blog, yes I know I could have done better, but less than ideal things happen. I did my best for having tired legs. I am happy with 2nd place and a gold medal in my age division. It's easy to be hard on oneself, "should of done this, should of done that" but I have learned that gets you no where, at makes you look like an idiot. Sure I wanted to win overall, very badly in fact, but I am happy that I was able to find my way to the front and lead the race until the run, and I'm positive that those there watching me (Corrie and her family) are just as proud of me, even though I was second.
  **Very tired at the finish line :)
  Aside from the race, I had a fabulous time with Corrie and her family. I was treated so well the whole trip, great food, prime accommodations, and lots of fun. I could never thank Corrie or her family enough for making the State Games trip so great. But I will continue to try, Thank You!!

Montana State Games

The streak of podium finishes continues with 2nd place winnings last weekend at the State Games.

  Race report to follow...

Spring Meadow Sprint Triathlon

Sometimes it's nice to have a measure of how far you have come, how much progress you have made, and more importantly a measure of years of hard work collected in one lump sum of satisfaction...time to pay up.

***View From The TRI-Pad on Race Morning In 2004 this was my first open water swim triathlon. I had a terrible swim, a slow bike with my legs burning and arms aching, and a survival shuffle of a run. I was totally out of my comfort zone. I finished way down the list with a time of 1:28, disappointed, harboring an emotional triathlon scar (first of many).

I will always remember the race in 2004. In each of the 5 other years I have done this race I have always raced uneasy with the thought of the first year. I have however, with the exception of racing sick in 2008, become progressively better and gained confidence to do well at this race.

The fact that the hard work has taken me from a 1:28 to a 1:05 is pretty satisfying. Call it being self righteous or whatever, but it means a lot to me. No one will ever know what it took over the last HALF DECADE...and YES, it was worth the it in the end, it always is. This was a great trip and a successful race, myself, Kevin, Mackenzie rolled up to the race in style. We had over 10 thousand dollars worth of Cervelo Triathlon bikes (3) on the back of my new car, I wish everyday was triathlon day. Basically, this was a great day of family friends, and competition.

***Our group worked very hard this year, it paid off, Kevin and Mackenzie both medaled in their division in the Olympic distance race.
  ***My friend Evan also had a great day, 4th in the Olympic race, setting the pavement on fire during the bike.

THE RACE: This Spring Meadow runs two races at the same time, a sprint distance and and olympic distance. This has been voted Montana's best venue for many years so you can always count on numerous strong competitors in both race distances. This year, as in all of the past years I have raced, had both the olympic and sprint distance champions in the field, as well as other fast racers that I know very well.

When I was warming up for the swim I was confident I would swim well against the field. I was fresh off a great swim at Janet's Triathlon and had confidence to swim hard. When we started I was surprised how fast the pace was, people zoomed past on both sides, a few even went over my back in their haste to get to the front. Taken back, I hit the first buoy swimming incredibly hard and holding to what appeared to be about 10th place, what the heck?!

Along the back stretch I could not swim a straight line, I was sighting my mark every 3 strokes but still found myself pulling hard to the left, wasting energy and time. I also found my swim muscles in my upper body to be feeling tired and a bit stiff. I did my best to stay calm, reassuring myself triathlons are never won in the swim, the bike and the run will decide how will be winning. I managed to straighten out my line while swimming from through the stiffness in my shoulders and back. I picked up a few spots every couple of minutes as I would draft the feet in front of me, pass, and repeat.
  I could see the lead kayak, escorting the lead swimmer, a ridiculous ways ahead. I finally managed to hit the shore and exit the water. I left the water in 4th place and almost 90 seconds behind the leader. Normally, I wouldn't be happy with that much distance but I didn't really care, with the way I have been cycling this year I knew I could catch the leaders. It would hurt and be hard to do but I thought I had what it took to do it.
  I have always maintained the importance of transitions, this would be prime opportunity to gain an advantage in that preparation. I entered T1 in 4th, before getting to my bike rack I had my wetsuit down to my waist and my goggles, ear plugs, and swim cap off. I tossed the goggles etc. onto the grass outside of transition, zipped the ankle zippers and slipped my legs out of my suit. Tossing it out of transition also, on top of my goggles. I quickly put on my number belt, sunglasses, and helmet. I unracked my white P3 and ran it to the mount line. Having a great T1 I passed a racer to exit in 3rd place, and scuffed off 13 seconds of the leader's 90 second lead.
  ***Watch out Camera Man!
  ***The Infamous Flyin' Mount Out of Transition 1
  ***Working To Put My Feet Into My Shoes

I hit the mount line and hopped aboard my P3, slithered my feet into my shoes, made the sweeping corner exiting the lake, and gave my ride the gas. I felt great immediately on the bike. Within a mile I had caught 2nd place. I accelerated, turning over my large chain ring, and quickly slipped by the 2nd place guy and could see the leader (last years defending champion) in the distance.

Relatively speaking a minute is not long in terms of time, but when you are on a bike you can cover a lot of distance in one minute considering you are riding at 22 or 23 mph....roughly 2000 feet, or 6.5 football fields. 6.5 football fields was the gap between me and leader at mile 1.5. The way out to the bike turn-around is slightly uphill with a few rollers thrown in. That suited a chaser because it was on the inclines that I could pull time back. I keeped my head down and the power to my cranks. I knew I was catching the leader, slowly but surely. At mile 3 I had cut the lead to 20 seconds, at mile 4 I was on the leader.

I waited for the base of the hill at the 4.25 mile mark before I attempted to pass. At the base I the hill I gave full power, pulled alongside, then past the leader. I cut back into line and kept the power on. I made myself hold that pace until mile 5, at which time I would allow myself an over the shoulder peek at his position...he was gapped to about 30 seconds so I allowed my burning quads a minute to rest. I knew I had the advantage on the return to the lake because the decline of the road affords for high speeds, speeds that are enhanced by my super aerodynamic position and large FSA chain ring.

I hit the turnaround and took a split to 2nd and 3rd place, 43 and 61 seconds respectively. I always like the out and back courses because you get to see everyone on their way out. I always take pride in being the leader that people look at. I always want to tell them that "you can do it," because for many years I looked at the leaders wishing I was them. Hard work does wonders :) I rode quickly back towards the lake, always maintaining an aero position, only coming out of the saddle to "dance on the pedals" as I gave the climbs everything I had in my legs. I made the sweeping corner to enter the park, slid my feet out of my shoes and readied myself to hit the ground running.
  I had a great T2, and felt great heading onto the run. I was not sure what my lead was but I was not going to wait around and find out. I had scrunched my insole up into the toe box in my haste but decided not to stop to fix it, hello blister, it eventually flattened in my shoe. I felt great, despite the hard bike ride, for the first portion of the run that perimeters the lake. I heard the announcer saying that last year's winner was just leaving T2, I don't wear a watch but I figured I had at least 2 minutes on him.
  The first mile came easy, I had an opportunity to see the chasers on a hairpin corner, plenty of time. I continued to run well, I was very surprised how great my legs felt. I have had strong run segments this year but this was going to be great one. Don't get me wrong it hurt but the triathlon exemplifies the best statement I have ever conjured up...it's pure gold, here it is...

 ...it is NOT how or what you can do when you are fresh, everyone is "the man" when they are not hurting, it is what you do when you are exhausted and tired that decides who is tough. Do you quit or do you find another level that you thought was impossible? Ever wonder why the fastest triathletes in the world are within a small percentage of each other physically yet the same few always seem to win?...they find that other level when they think they are maxed out. That level is easier to talk about than achieve, but I at least have the conceptual and philosophical knowledge to know it exists. I repeated, "it' easy to be the man when you are fresh, it's what you do when you tired that determines the 'winners,'" in my head.
  I continued to run hard, with .6 miles to go the adrenaline of winning kicked in, I looked over my shoulder, no one in sight. I ran hard to the three mile mark, knowing I had a heck of a split going, I felt so great I kicked the last 45 seconds of the race and finished with a huge smile on my face, I had won again! I had a great run split of 20:24 which for me feels amazing because I can hardly run any miles thanks to the knee injury. It is easy to get caught up in times and accomplishments but it's more than that.

I try not to buy into my own hype, I know thousands of people in the world are faster than me, but I am very proud of what I have done, I went to the lowest depth with the knee injury only to rise up to my fastest and most mentally tough version.

Triathlon is not the times, the medals, or the wins. Triathlon is, and always will be about being the "Power Of One."

Janet Clarkson Memorial Triathlon

~In Memory of Janet Clarkson~

 "This One Is For Janet"


Sometimes in life we have moments that we try and stretch, prolong and make last. Moments that play in our minds both before and after the actual happening. The Janet Clarkson Triathlon is one of the those moments. It is a very special race that is put on for a very special reason, the memory and celebration of the all too short life of Janet Clarkson. After winning this race last year I had the opportunity to become familiar with Janet's story from her parents, family, and friends. I knew coming back this year that the race would not be for me and my personal fulfillment, this year's race was for one reason, my race was "For Janet." That was my motto leading up to the race, throughout the race itself and up until writing this post. I know Janet would be doing the same things; running, biking, and swimming if she was still alive.

Needless I had a lot of personal pressure riding on this race, pressure to do justice for my motivation, "For Janet." Most people did not know of my "For Janet" personal motivation but I was surprised how many people remembered me from the 2008 race, must have made a good impression, pressure to live up to them again this year.

Throughout the race I was getting updates on time in comparison to last year. "Forty-three seconds ahead of last year," was what I heard while riding by an aid station on the bike. I heard similar updates throughout the race. A lot of people were cheering for me to break my 2008 record, and I really wanted to deliver for them. I felt like maybe my effort to go faster than last year may inspire those watching, even if it was just one person, to "go for it" in some unrelated aspect in their life, maybe even convince them that they can do it too...like convincing them to sign up for this race next year.

Overall I had an amazing day, it was hard, but I thought of Janet not having the opportunity to race with us, and all those people cheering for me and willing me to eclipse my previous record, when I felt tired on the run. I am happy to say that I smashed my old course record of 1:30 by three minutes, clocking a 1:27.

Upon reaching the finish stretch I saw the clock and knew I had "killed it." I checked over my shoulder and slowed to a walk. I was bound to enjoy the fleeting moment of racing, and winning- I train thousands of miles and hundreds of hours every year, all in an attempt to collect all the satisfaction in the 10 seconds it takes to go through the finish chute. Let me tell you, it's worth it, some days it does not seem that way, but in the end it always is. -I let the cheers fill my ears, the people cheered so loud, even as a center-stage, attention-seeking person, I felt a bit awkward having so much attention and noise coming my way.


**Satisfied of what I was able to do. I plodded across the finish line with my head tilted back and smiling because I did Janet's memory justice. Janet's father (race director) was waiting at the finish line for me, I grabbed his hand and quietly said, "that was for Janet." He replied with a "thank you Bryan," and a hug.

  I feel very lucky to do what I do, whatever that may be. I had an amazing trip and race with Mackenzie, who also took the women's overall, and my parents. Two more special fans I had that I want to mention is the Waldrons. Mr. Waldron is the former fire chief where I grew up, it was his actions that saved my parent's house and neighborhood from a wildfire a few years back. He will always be a hero in my book. He's known me since I was little so it was nice to see him and Mrs. Waldron again.

  **Plus, can't leave out my girlfriend Corrie, she's starting to get the hang of the whole triathlon lifestyle, she's very supportive, she has been to three races and I have won them all...lucky charm? I think so. She's always waiting for me with some Recoverite or a bottle of water, very nice. I won't mention that she woke at 4:45am to travel to this race because it might make her realize how much "craziness" she is enduring. :)

  **Me and Mackenzie...and Quintana with our overall awards.


**Family portrait...yeah!

  **Picture of me and Mackenzie with our dear friends the Clarksons! (Janet's parents) So how about the race? Well we left our house at 5am as to make it in plenty of time for the start...all 5 of us, 1 dog, and two bikes. A stop at the bakery, some wicked driving by yours truly and the Tahoe rolled into West Yellowstone in style. We unloaded our items into transition, greeted the Clarksons and all those people that recognized me from last year, before we applied the body glide, pam, wax ear plugs, no fog, and suited up.

The water in the lake was the coldest I have swam in this year, very chilly. After catching my breath that was stolen by the cold water, I swam about a 500 yard warmup, I knew that I was going to swim very well today. We exited the water and waited for the start and subsequent mad dash -n- splash swim start.

  **Waiting for the scuffle to unfold...I feel like a dork in my wetsuit and swim mask

 When the gun went off I hit the water, ran thigh deep and dove in with a head first stream line, cold water breached the neck seal on my suit...cold! I had swimmers around me matching my pace for about a hundred yards, I thought they were going to swim with me so I was determined to make them suffer if they tried. At 300 meters I had gone clear and was swimming well. I have been swimming very well this year, at a pace that is much faster than I previously could, add in the cold water dissipating all my body heat, I was able to swim very hard and break a gap before the turnaround at 500 meters. A group of three had broken off the main field and was sticking together about 30 seconds back of me and probably 45 seconds ahead of the pack.

  Usually I would slow down and swim easy after opening a gap, but like I said I knew I was going to have a great swim, I kept what seemed to be torrent pace, but I never felt tired or any hint of fatigue so I kept swimming. It wasn't long before I entered the marina, my swim gap had busted wide open and stuck at a minute plus.

  I hit transition one, deviated from my normal protocol by putting my shoes on at my spot instead of on the bike. It was less than a minute before I was on my bike and hammering.

  My goal was to be completely out of view from those chasing by riding super hard until the first aid station. I rode extremely hard, way above threshold until aid station one. I couldn't see anyone behind me but the trees and corners only allowed for a 20 second view at the max. I backed off the pace at the aid station and settled in. I chose to ride a soft tire this year to hopefully cling the dirt better in the corners, had a few missed turns last year and wipe outs. In retrospect I did not budget for the rain soaked dirt that held the tire's grip tight this year. The wet dirt this year would have warranted a higher tire psi, I could feel a little too much friction with the low psi, but it was too late to change, I continued to ride.

I made it past the other three aid stations riding hard and swerving from side to to avoid the mud (I hate to mess up my triathlon clothing kits). I was counting down the miles until T2. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13...getting close. A gentleman told me I was ahead of my previous time as I made the final corner before coming in side saddle for the dismount. The crowd was loud.

  I put on my running shoes and visor and started to exit T2. To my surprise a lady jumped right in front of my running path and shouted, "how does it feel?!" Hhm...I'm not a rude person, but my initial thought was how the heck do you think it feels, I probably have Hammer Gel, spit and sweat all over my face, I have 10 rocks in each shoe and I have to run my guts out for 30 minutes...that was too long to say so I had to settle for a brilliant reply as I sped out of transition, "it doesn't feel good." ha ha.

  It's no secret this year has not been friendly in terms of the run. I still run fairly well considering my situation. I had no idea who was behind me or how close they were. I know there are fast runners at this race, and I saw a lot of fast bikes in transition before we started.

Eh, can't do anything about faster runners, I just focused inward, this was "For Janet" and I was going to win. Mile one came easy, running well, mile two, little bit tougher. I didn't see the sign for mile three so it seemed incredible long, let's face it the run always hurts, it's never fun, if it is you probably are not running hard enough. Mile 3 and 4 on the run share the last miles of the bike so I was passed by cyclists finishing their race. I did my best to muster a "good job" to those that cheered me as they passed.

I ran a little scared mile 3 to 4 because that was longest run of the year territory. I could feeling a tightening in my knee, not pain, and most likely a phantom feeling in my mind and not in my knee, but still uneasy. I hit mile 4 hurting but still going fast, someone shouted "you are going to break the record!" I had no watch so I kept going.

At 4.1 miles I could see the finish chute, and 4.15 I saw the clock, checked behind me and slowed to a walk. A man yelled, "don't stop yet, you can do it!" Buddy, I am not walking because I'm physically tired, I am walking because I worked years for this moment, a moment that lasts a fraction of time, a moment that is never guaranteed, a moment that few ever achieve, a moment that is so rare in life that 99.9999999 percent of the satisfaction in this moment can only be held for seconds; the rest is lived in memory, a moment that was "For Janet." I could go on but you all know what comes after this moment, you read about it at the begining of this post, thanks for reading.

  **I am the Power of One, I will never underestimate that.

 ~In Memory of Janet Clarkson~