2009 Nations Triathlon Race report

It was a great morning for the race and the extra space in the huge transition area was great. But I do think the race is to big for what it is. This race is really not set up for the local racers. Parking and traffic is terrible and you basically have to invest an entire weekend to do this race. This race is set up for TNT (Team in Training) and is a big fundraiser. You have a large number of first time participants and I think you notice it the most on the swim and bike. I applaud the effort of every racer out there but it can be dangerous on the bike if the rules are not followed.

The swim was ok. I have been battling a horrible case of swimmers ear so I made sure I had my earplugs in and my cap over my ear. It still didn't stop the water and within a few minutes i could feel the water sloshing around inside my ear. The water quality wasn't to bad and on the straight parts of the swim I was able to find a nice clear path and move. But the turns were a joke. Having to come to a complete stop at every turn on the swim just shouldn't happen. Maybe it was the wave I was in but coming around the turns was no fun at all. A lot of people, a lot of legs, arms and heads getting hit and kicked. Next race I am sticking to the outside. it may be a bit longer but I will avoid the bottleneck at the turns.

The bike was very frustrating. There were too many people not paying attention to the rules and absolutely no races official on the course that I could see. Stay to the right means stay to the right. There were so many people riding 2,3 and 4 abreast. On the return loop on the bike, which was mainly down hill, it is a HUGE momentum killer when you have to break on a downhill because riders don't understand to move to the right. And then on the last stretch coming back to transition I had to avoid one person crossing the road and another guy not even looking, standing 10 ft into the road taking a picture. The bike course itself was good and I managed to avoid most of the bumps in the road, but it was way to crowded for my taste.

The run is a nice flat course. Pretty uneventful and good support at the water stops. I did see the lady in the wedding dress. I noticed people running with the racers but I did not know that they might have been coaches. My best run to date in a 10K but not as fast I was hoping to go.

I probably will not do this race again next year. Having done both New York and DC, I thought the New York race was a better race (at least for me). I don't mean finishing time, I mean in terms of the course, race participants etc. I am glad I did it and I finished uninjured, which is always good. I just think the logistics of this race make it very challenging. I have never seen a line so long to get back into transition at the end of a race. I was lucky enough to see a friend and the people around us let me get in line otherwise I would have been there for much longer.

All in all it was a good time and I finished in under 3 hours which was my goal. But having the worst swimmers ear I have ever had and a slight fever I was glad when I was done. I just wanted to get home and take a nap!