I wish the above title would have been written about me when I raced in my first multi-sport event back in 1988. But in my first event I about died in the swim and I had to walk parts of the run due to fatigue. Ended up coming in somewhere outside the top 500. It would take a couple of years of training and many miles logged to earn my first Gold medal in a multi-sport event. Not the case with my better half.....
Last month when I got in entry form in for this years Sedalia Spring Into Summer Duathon, I jokenly asked Carolynn if she wanted to race in her first multi-sport event. I had asked that same question many times over the last 20 years. I expected the same answer as I always received which was "I do not want to embarrass myself and get last place - I am not an athlete". But to my surprise the answer I received was sure, sign me up for the Short Course. Only three short weeks to train for the running legs of the event. She already had the bike leg covered. Carolynn followed my 3 week training plan and on race morning we slapped a race number on her road bike for the first time.
If you are looking for an event to begin your multi-sport career then the Sedalia Duathlons are for you. Jeff and Maria
Mittelhauser have hosted Spring and Fall versions of there popular duathlons for years. Held in the small town of Sedalia Missouri (home of the State Fair) they offer both Long and Short course events.
Both events begin with a 2 mile run with part of the course on the good ole Katy Trail. By the time we got our race numbers and got ready the race was about to start. Note to self, when your wife says we need to wake up earlier than 5:00 am to make a 8:00 am race start in a city 2 hours away you might want to listen to her.... For me the Sedalia Duathlon was just a training race and I treated it as such. I have been working on pacing and my endurance. There are a couple of key Triathlons coming up this Summer that I really want to do well at. One of me big weaknesses is the run as I normally go out very hard on the bike and kill my legs. Today's event was about pacing and "keeping something in the tank" for the second run leg. Due to no warmup the first mile was slow in about 8 minutes. The second mile was better in 7 minutes. Both very slow times and the lead runners were way in the distance putting down time in the 6 minute range....for Carolynn she only wanted to get through the run and not let this young 12 year old girl beat her. Well, the little girl did beat her on the run but Carolynn kicked her but on the bike leg.
Transitions in duathlons/triathlons can make or break a race. I learned that the hard way and with years of experience have mine down to about 30 seconds when done correctly. Carolynn practiced transitions twice I believe and only once with her new speed laces that I installed for her. With this limited experience Carolynn's first transition was a little slow in 1:51. Yes we have a little room for improvement.
Once on the bike both of us shined. Carolynn stormed the course using the finally tuned "Aero" setup that I setup for her. During our practice duathlon two weeks ago I was actually impressed with how she handled the setup. Some new to TT bars have a hard time adjusting but Carolynn caught on quickly. The short course is a 5 mile bike leg and Carolynn posted the fastest women's split in the short course in 20 minutes. For me I wanted redemption for my pathetic bike effort 2 years ago. I am happy to say I got it. Even with keeping the pace well within myself I posted a 31 minute time for the 12 mile bike. Two years ago I rolled a 34 minute bike split so I as happy. I do not think my time was very bad for the rolling hills that make up the course and was the 2nd fastest bike split of the day. I rolled into transition with legs feeling good.
After another quick transition for myself I left on the second run leading my division. One of my goals if I had a very good race was to take home the Masters 40+ trophy. My main goal was to have a strong second run leg. Normally I am passed on the run legs in events and things started off as usual with two guys getting by in the first 1/4 mile. One was the eventual winner of my age-group. I remember catching him on the bike leg and thinking I needed a few minutes on him to stay ahead because he was a fast runner. The good news on the day was that I was able to run a second run split only 21 seconds off my first. Finished up with a time of 1:02 good enough for 2nd in the Male 40-49 division.
Carolynn finished up her multi-sport debut with a good second run and was happy to finish strong. She was really happy when they were giving out awards and announced the winner of the Female 50+ class. First race and already has a win under her belt. I have to say I am a bit jealous.
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