Kansas City 5i50 Triathlon

Struggling through some relationship issues the week before, just getting to the start line of this race was truely the hardest test.  I made the 9 hour drive across boring Kansas alone and tried to refocus my energy to the task at hand, qualifying for the Ironman 5i50 HyVee Championships.  My mission was to place in the top 15 in my age group.  Other than that, I was extremely excited for this race, my 3rd Olympic distance race and my first one at lower altitude (first 2 were Boulder Peak 5i50 2010,2011). 

I broke up the drive from Denver with a stop in Salina, KS at a 60$ hotel.  You definitely get what you pay for as far as hotels go, but sometimes you're so tired you can sleep anywhere.  My morning run yeilded an increased pace of 1min/mile at the same percieved effort, so things were looking and feeling good going in.

I got to packet pick up just as they opened at the race site (Long Lake in Lee Summit, MO) 1pm,  I guess a lot of other people just wanted to get it out of the way also, because a long line had quickly formed.  The weather was unsettled, windy with a mix of rain and sunshine.  There is always a fear that things arent going to be organized and to be honest I dont know how they put together any race of 1400 athletes with any amount of success.  So when things didnt really run smoothly at packet pick up I became a little leary about race day, kind of like being all in on a pair of threes.

After pick up I drove back into Kansas City to get a tour of Boulevard Brewery and find a store that stocked beers from one of my favorites.. Vermonts own, Magic Hat Brewery. BLVD's tour didnt really compare well with CO front range breweries, I guess we get a little spoiled.  To be honest it was the first brewery I have ever been to that didn't smell like barley and hops.  Even a comparable (in the sense that its also soley a pack and deliver kind of brewery) place like Coors can be smelled for miles around Golden.

After my free samples of beer I headed back to Lee Summit where I stayed in the Fairfield Inn about 9 miles from the race site.  This place was much nicer with an amazing breakfast (which I couldn't partake in due to it starting at 7am and me checking out at 5am).  I did another check of my bike and equipment, added all the necessary stickers and went through my goody bag.  It was then that I realized that I had no timing chip, apparently unlike most races they give them to you on race morning after body marking (Syracuse 70.3 did this also).  They figure it would save you the 25$ replacement fee, but for me it was just one more thing to worry about on race morning.  After all a nervous brain doesn't exactly make all the right decisions all the time.

Swim route on Longview Lake Kansas City, MO

                                          Last wave of the day (not my wave)

Crazy weekend, I hope to never have to drive KS again. I went to Boulevard Brewery, Race went off without a hitch though, weather was just about perfect. I didnt get the best swim starting position so it was a fight for the first 200m, then my goggles fogged up and I swam pretty much blind the rest of the way. It was a counter clockwise route instead of the usual clockwise so I was breathing on the wrong side to be able to see. My wave had some fast guys in it and we overtook not only the wave infront of us but some straglers in the one in front of that as well so it again was a battle the whole way. I ended up almost drowning a girl because my hand got stuck in her goggle strap. I got out of the water like 11th with a 3 min pr on that distance. Long run to transition and my bike for a 2 loop bike course of rolling hills and a little wind. I put up a good fight and got passed by 3 guys (dont know if they were in the same race or not though since the sprint race was on the same course 30 mins later and they only did one lap).

                                            (I was about half the distance closer to the Bike out gate but this gives you an idea of how large transition was.  Run out was behind this guy and then looped past transition again).

I took the run out pretty conservatively, my legs were burning and locking up and I didnt want to totally blow up. No one passed me on the run from my AG. I got 18th, wanted to be top 15 so I was about 2 mins away from that but still had a great race and couldnt see improving on the day more than one min.  Maybe next time.