Ed’s been racing for 23 years and can still mix it up. Congrats Ed!!
Unlike Sunday, Saturday’s long course weather was fabulous. In fact, too sunny for my taste. I had been salivating over the predicted 60s partly cloudy early in the week but as Saturday neared, looking like Sunny and close to 80. Got there 1.5 hours early and the lot already full so had to deal with shuttle bus. Set up in transition with 1 full hour to spare. Chatted strategy with Trev and others, studied course details. Trevor asked me if he should ride all out on the bike leg. Ha ha… never ask a Vet for advise on day of race. I suggested relaxing on the bike leg to save legs for the ½ marathon. As it would turn out, Trev out-biked me by 2 minutes… not sure if he relaxed – I rode hard.
40+ age group went off in wave #2 - 5 mins behind. After a lot of physical contact and head-slapping I faded to the right and caught the toes of a great lead-out man. By first buoy it was the two of us off the front. We were working through wave 1 traffic by the 3rd buoy and all through our 2nd lap. My boy was perfect with line and pace, even through the riff-raff. Never a need to bully the lesser swimmers, just slithered by with grace and courtesy. Off the beach in 27 low, I thanked my man and proceeded to the bike. Onto the bike feeling good and rolling on familiar roads. It was nice to have an ongoing line of wave 1 men to roll through, giving the illusion of out-riding the field. At the out-and-back of lap 1, I counted 6 minutes without spotting the Trevenator. By the end of the first lap I seemed to have found my position as there were no more riders coming back to me. Through lap two I exchanging places with two others and late came a 41 year old with authority – dang, there goes the masters aspirations. Now my race was with Trevor and the 5 hour clock.
Into T2 in 5th spot. Feeling pretty good onto the run and floating along in 7:30 pace. Was looking forward to the run format that featured three out-and-back sections so as to monitor my status vs Trev frequently. Time-check #1 and there’s the Trevstor looking strong, 8 minutes back. I felt comfortable with this but certainly not a guarantee. One side-ache and two miles of walking erases that gap. Had to keep composure, not push too hard… checked back to “prevent” pace. Time-check #2 and there’s my boy Trev still at 8 minutes. Feelin better now (with the gap) but the heat started to erode my fleet-footedness. No more high knees and hands, back to traditional survivor shuffle. Time check #3 and Trev has taken a minute, gap down to 7 mins. Finally back into the park and only the lumpy, rocky, loop around the lake to get ‘er done.
Finished in 4:51 to wrap my season with 2 out of 3 goals reached: sub-5 and put Trev off for one more season. Did not nab the masters as a very fit 41 year old demolished in 4:30. Great props to Trev who also went < 5 with 4:58 in first ½ ironman - that’s amazing work.
d.a.d.d.
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