Lifetime Fitness Sprint Distance Triathlon

I woke at 4 am to big thunder, bright flashes, cracks and booms.

The transition area was scheduled to be open from 4:30am - 6:45am. The thunderstorm during that same time frame dumped 2.6 inches (6.7 cm) rain.

The Lifetime Fitness Triathlon twitter feed asked people to stay in their cars until the storm cleared. I was not in my car but home, four miles away, planning to ride my bike to the transition area.

6:20 AM Lifetime Fitness Triathlon Twitter:

"Lightning is cleared, transition is now open. See you there!"

I put on some rain gear, threw on my backpack with all of my gear, and hopped on my bike.  The thunder and lightning had stopped but according to NOAA the winds were from the south at 17 gusting to 28 MPH. The rain was still heavy.

The intersection in front of my house in south Minneapolis was flooded as were several others areas.  Part of my route to the transition area was along Minnehaha Creek.  Some of that same route was intended to be the Olympic distance bike course.  The creek was flooded up to and over the road in some areas.  I rode my bike through water that was deeper than my bottom bracket.  I'd say the deepest water was about ten inches. My feet were rotating through water.

As I neared the transition area, hundred of cyclists (actually 3,000 registered!) and their support crews were heading out of their cars and into the transition area.  It was still raining and I heard several "No way!" types of comments.

7:25 AM Lifetime Fitness Twitter:

"The International course is currently impassable due to flooding. The Sprint course is being evaluated. More details as they come."

The race was orginally scheduled to start at 7:00 am but due to the threat of thunderstorms and re-routing of the bike courses it was delayed.

After setting up in transition and meeting some of the other old dudes in my age group, I wandered the grounds.

During the delay I saw someone familiar. She recognized me and I recognized her but it took a moment for us to place each other because we were were out of our usual context and were wearing triathlon kits. It was Bridget, a fellow parent whom I had passed hundreds of times at our kids school. Our kids are the same age.  I hung with her and her husband, an Ironman Wisconsin veteran, during the delay.

It was announced that after studying "very sophisticated radar" the storm had cleared and we were safe to begin once the new bike route was set.  The Olympic distance was cancelled leaving only the sprint course. The pros and age groupers who came for the Olympic distance were then relegated to a sprint distance (.25 mile swim, 16 mile bike, 5k).

The pros started around 9. I was wearing a wet suit so waited in the water until it was time for my wave to go. They set us off two at a time every three seconds. I like that scheme.

The age grouper waves left by oldest first. I also like that. When it is done the opposite way, I am usually the last person out of the water and the life guards want to rescue me so they can go home.

It was windy and wavy but my swim started out pretty good. I stuck to my plan of using every stroke I know to survive. I crawled, breast stroked, back stroked, side stroked, dog paddled. I knew my swim time would be bad. I just wanted to make it.

There was a gauntlet of life guards on the swim course all of whom asked me if I was doing all right. I was going so slow I had conversations with several life guards. When one life guard complained about being hungry, I apologized for not bringing food but I was hungry, too. I hadn't planned on a two hour delay.

I had a long and slow transition but finally got out to the bike course. I passed a few dozen cyclists but then started getting passed by the younger age groupers.

I saw one woman, who must have thought the course was an out and back, cut the pylons and started returning. I thought, "Seriously?" If that was her intention, she was wrong about the route. Who knows where she ended up.

The winds were still strong, and the last portion of the bike was upwind. It was tough going but I enjoyed the ride through the beautiful parkways of Minneapolis.

The sun had come out and the temperature was now 80F (27C) and it was very humid.

I had another long, slow transition. I got out on the run. When I hit mile one I thought, "Damn, these are long miles." I walked some of the hills. There were lots of spectators out trying to tell me that I was doing great and that I was "almost there". Little did they know how not great I was doing and how "almost there" I was not.

The nicest thing about the finish was that there was a volunteer dipping towels in ice water and handing them to you. That was the best thing. I threw that ice cold towel over my head and neck.

I was handed a participant medal and began looking for apples and bananas but found none.

I wish I had pictures. Rain and mud-wise, this had been the Woodstock of triathlons.

Eventually I hopped on my bike and rode home. It is only four miles, but those were hard miles. Little inclines had turned into hills.

Three blocks from my house I saw a woman examining a downed tree. I said, "I thought all the trees that could blow down did in the last storm."  She said, "It wasn't wind. It was lightning."  That tree had been decimated by lightning earlier in the morning.

Later in the afternoon I went to the first game of my son's baseball tournament. The boys did great and won handily.

It was a good day.