Pumpkinman Triathlon (Boulder City, NV) 2008

2008 Pumpkinman Triathlon

Boulder City, Nevada
Date: October -08

The time had finally come! I have been waiting for this day since early January 2008 when the "Tri-ers" decided that Pumpkinman in Boulder City, Nevada would be the annual Weight Watchers Triathlon gathering.

I hurried and purhcased my flight and reserved my hotel... it would be great to see old friend and make new ones!

Before I knew it, October was upon us... so I packed my gear and headed to the airport. I opted to rent a bike for one-third the cost of flying with my own. I knew this race would be more 'recreational' in nature than 'competitive' for me, so I felt comfortable with my decision to ride a rented bike.

Denver Airport:

While baggage checking systems that manage the routing of luggage are fairly reliable now, I like the extra security and comfort of "carring on" all that I need for my race. If my luggage happens to be misplace, I am significantly less impacted. With that said, attempted to board the plane with my bike tool kit. Picture a group of pointy ended hex wrenches, tire irons and two CO2 cartridges to inflate my tire if I had a flat. I also had several sealed bottles of Gaterade in my Triathlon bag to serve as "disposible water bottles" which would carry my electrolyte nutrition for the event. Airport security measures were not at the forefont of my mind when I packed my bag with these items.

Needless to say, the security staff stopped me. I had to empty the liquid contents of my Gaterade bottles into a large garbage bin even through the bottles were still factory sealed... and I lost the Co2 Cartridges during the remainder of the bag search. The process of "fine combing" my belongings seemed to take forever. They debated on whether or not to let me keep my hex wrench kit... it felt like the entire airport was staring at me... I was actually nervous mostly because I was worried about replacing the items they decided to confescate and not so much because of the attention I drew to myself at the security stand.

Reluctantly they returned my hex wrench I was alowed to proceed. I wondered toward the gates and off to Las Vegas I would go!

I love flying and I love participating in Triathlons, so I could not have been happier!

Las Vegas Airport:

I arrived in the noisey Las Vegas airport... slot machines dinging... video ads blaring... so many people scuffling about both coming and going... I retrieved my luggage and I settled in to meet one of the "Tri-ers" as we decided to share the expense of renting a car and hotel together.

While I was more than one hour early I did not mind the wait because I had my trusty laptop. So I surfed the web using the airport's free Wifi and responded to emails and updated my facebook status with a "play-by-play" recount of my experience!

Once her flight landed we connected with ease and headed into the darkness to find our hotel. When we arrived, we quickly tucked ourselves in and prepared for "Packet Pickup" which would be early the following day!

Packet Pickup:

In the morning, we met others in the hotel lobby for "Continental Breakfast"... it was so great to see the many faces of the past and to meet the new. We all post on the Weight Watchers "Tri-ers" daily thread, and this was my first time in several years to reconnect with this group.

The most amazing fact about the group is that many of the "Tri-ers" are Ironman Finishers... a title that I will hold one day. I always feel so incredibaly inspired by their presence in my life and the fact that they represent that I too can be "An Ironman!" !!!

We grouped ourselves into several cars... we each had our own individual list of things to do. I had to pick up my rental bike and others went for a morning ride. We all seemed to convene at packet pick up where we wondered around together going "booth to booth". Since the race was called "Pumpkin Man" they setup a "Trick or Treat" theme for athletes to get gooddies from the venders.

We were lucky enough to see Sister Madonna who so graciously stopped to let me take a photo with her. She is famous in the triathlon community and it amazes me to this day that she easily completes Half Ironman distances at the age of seventy-six! I hope to be competing when I get in my late seventies. It is always an inspiration to see her and to reflect on her story time and time again!

Pumpkinman Triathlon:

Pumpkinman Triathlon is the USAT Club Nationals Championship race. What that means is all of the Triathlon Clubs across the U.S. come and compete as a club/team against other clubs. While I am a member of CWW, an all women's triathlon club, I raced as a non-club member at Pumpkinman.

The event had an option of three simultaneous races!

* Sprint Distance
* Olympic Distance
* Half Ironman (70.3)

Over two thousand athletes would be competing! This race would be a "Point to Point" race, meaning that the Bike Finish would be in a location different than the Bike Start, so we had to drop off our running gear at "T2", the transition from Bike to Run, and we would rack our bikes at "T1" on the morning of the race.

To my great disappointment, the bike I rented did not have water bottle cages on the frame, yet I was fortunate enough to be able to borrow a camel back from another Triathlete in our group. I also opted to take a Hammer Product called "Endurolytes" since I would only be able to carry water in the borrowed camel back bladder and not have access to my normal electrolyte replinisher.

Trying a new suppliment on race day is normally a "no-no" as one never knows how a new product will react in the digestive system while under the stress of a race. Under the circumstances, I took a chance and hoped for the best.

With that said, I affixed my race number on my helmet and bike and laid down for a short nights rest!

Race day morning:

Dawn of the day was fast upon us... the sunrise was beautiful... the morning air nippy... we had some logistic challenges trying to shuttle the bikes to the race start considering the race finish would be in a different location and we did not want to wait on the post race shuttle to retrieve the vehicles. We managed to transport all of our bikes and convene after setting up our respective transition areas.

The transition area was long and narrow... stretching what seemed to be at least a mile from the mouth of beautiful Lake Mead. The bike racks were numbered to identify each wave... I searched for my wave number and could not find it. The numbers did not go in secession... I eventually realized that some of the Triathlon Clubs were racked by Group, and the insertion of their numbers intertwined with "non-club" participants was the cause of my confusion.

I eventually found a spot to rack my bike and lay out my transition area. When I returned from the swim, I had to place my wetsuit, cap and goggles into a plastic bag marked with my race number which would then be transported to the race finish. This was the first time I had ever participated in a "Point to Point" race and found the extra logistics slightly overwhelming in the moment.

We snapped a few candid photos as competitors wiggled into their wetsuits. I wore "sacrificial" sandles that would be left at the swim shore after race start. I preferred to protect my sensitive feet while walking about the transition area pre-race. The fan fare close to the shore was starting to raise in volume, so I headed in that direction.

Swim: 0:19:31

I can barely remember the wave order... which age group and which distances were scheduled to go off... I just stuck close to the women who wore the same color cap as myself, and I knew the aproximate start time for my wave. I had short dialogs with several of the women as we waited to be staged in the water... uncertain of the actual swim course since there were three distances represented by the maze of bouys. Unofficially we decided how we were going to swim. Luckily it coinsided with the actual race course. It was hard to hear the announcer and the information he imparted on us athletes, yet we managed to muddle through the confusion.

Finally the air horn went off an so did we... lots of splashing and kicking. I waited for the over zellas swimmers to get their lead... and I followed close behind knowing that I would pass some after the massive crowd dispursed.

The water was comfortable temperature wise... my greatest challenge was to spot the correct set of bouys. My stoke was long and strong... slightly blinded by the high morning sun. It was a good day!

I rounded the bouys with ease and grace... navigating correctly in spite of my earlier confusion regardng where to go... knowing that the challenge was about to begin. Many nervous thoughts began to fill my head as I exited the water and headed toward my transtion area, T1.

T1 - Transition from Swim to Bike: 0:10:12

T1 was a long way from the swim exit. I ran with delicate feet up the gravel ridden pavement. I had to abandon my "sacrificial sandles" that kept my feet dry and debris free prior to the swim start. I eventually found my rack and began to sqirm out of my trusty wetsuit. I rolled it and forced it into the special bag used in "Point to Point" races. These bags would be picked up and transported to the Run finish later that day.

I took my time, not concerned about taking too long... dried my wet feet to more gracefully recieve my dry socks. I remembered to put my towel, swim cap and goggles into the bag for transport and off I went.

Bike: 2:00:53

There was a slight incline coming out of the transition area and onto the bike path. The rented bike had "chunky shifting" but I managed to coax the bike into a lower chain ring which is where I stayed for the remainder of the bike ride. The hills were relentless... steady inclines at 8% or more. So, slowly my legs went 'round and 'round"... Spin and Grin" I thought silently to myself as my lungs and legs labored!

The letter "S", "O" or "H" was marked on each competitor's calf to designate which distance race they were competing in... so my calf was marked with an "S" for Sprint Distance. On the bike leg I was being passed by others who had "O's" for Olympic and then "H's" for Half Ironman... I felt like I was at a stand still. Clearly this was a competitive field... and clearly I hadn't done much hill training for the season. In any event, the bike leg was underway and my goal was to finish... and I was on my way to doing that!

The sun was high in the sky and the air temperature felt "hot". I took two of the "Endurolytes" capsles and sipped from my camel back. With each stroke I was more and more grateful to have access to so much water as I would have been limited to only two bottles had my rented a bike had bottle cages.

The hills were quite steep for me and I was deeply grateful for the "Granny Gear" that the rented bike offered... so I peddled slowly in the lowest gear... 'round and 'round... I eventually made it to the base of the final ascent. To the top, then the run!

I made a friend along the way... a natve of Nevada. She too just wanted to finish, so we inspired each other along the way. We stopped to rest mid-hill then encouraged each other to ride on! We stopped several times, trusting that we would somehow be able to clip back in to continue our ride.

Finally we made it to the top, but not without extreme effort. We were both winded and very glad to see the slight decent to the Bike dismount line. Bike leg was over. Now on to T2.

T2 - Transition from Bike to Run: 0:06:54

I trotted to the location where I had left my shoes tied to the rack the night before. Racked my bike and transitioned to run. I put on my race belt, white visor and running shoes. Sprayed my arms with sun screen and off I went.

Run: 0:57:14

I didn't carry any water on the run because there would be water stations every mile. My cycling friend and I continued to keep each other company opting to do a "fast paced walk" instead of a full on run. We chatted and got to know each other... talked about why we were so interested in the sport. It was a delightful way to pass the time of our 3.1 mile run.

It was a long race... much longer than I had anticipated. The bike leg took quite a bit out of me. I had to keep presencing my goal, which was to just finish. For the last several years I was not able to attend the "Tri-ers" annual gathering, and my goal this year was to be grateful to simply be present and participate.

So as my polar watch continued to elapse time... and I had to be clear in my mind that the time shown did not matter... I was going to finish the race injury free and with no mechanical failures. THAT would be my success.

So I trotted to the finish line... sprinting as much as I could after that hill climb... the announcer was busy tending to some other business and did not announce my name. But my friends were there to receive me! They waved and cheered... and my eyes filled with sentimental tears, as they always do.

"I am a triathlete!" I thought to myself... my mind already making mental plans about doing this race again sometime in the future... thinkingn of being in better physical condition... fantasizing about how the Denver based Triathlon club, CWW, could easily pack this race with participants and be national level contenders based on participation alone.

I love this sport... my thoughts kept racing... and I love these people! My life is so deeply rich and fulfilled! I would have never thought that an online bulletin board on a Weight Watcher Website over five years ago would bring this many friends and this much joy to myself and my life!

...but it has... and it does!! :::sentimental tears streaming :::

So this marks my completion of the Pumpkinman Triathlon USAT Club Nationals Championship!!

Big fun in the Sun...

...SWIM, BIKE, RUN!!!!! :::fist in the air!!!!:::

Swim: 0:19:31

T1: 0:10:12

Bike: 2:00:53

T2: 0:06:54

Run: 0:57:14

Total: 3:34:43