From: Layne Wallace (lwallace@unf.edu)
Subject: (Long) Backadapack Report: Beaches Fine Arts Series Triathlon #3
Date: Sat, 13 Jul 2002 19:35:34 -0400 (EDT)

Event Name: Beaches Fine Arts Triathlon Series #3
Date: July 13, 2002
Time: 7:00 a.m.
Distance: Sprint Triathlon
Location: Hanna Park, Mayport, Florida, USA
Host: Beaches Fine Arts / Alta Vista Sports
Benefit: Beaches Fine Arts
Course Layout: 
   Swim: Out, over, in - ~440 yards
   Bike: Modified loop - ~10 miles
   Run: Out and back - 3.3 miles
Course Terrain: 
   Swim: Ocean, 84F/28.9C, big waves, moderate current
   Bike: Flat, streets and neighborhoods
   Run: Flat, asphalt, mostly shaded
Weather Conditions: 80F/26.7C, clear, windy
Sociological (Fashion, fighting, foolery, and food): 
   Fashion: A few coordinated swim suits for the women and a bunch of men
wearing some sort of gray, high tech-looking tri/ballet britches
   Fighting: None (too tired)
   Foolery: Mother Nature
   Food: Oranges, bananas, grapes, cookies, Cole slaw, baked beans, Bar-B-Que
beef sandwiches, Bar-B-Que chicken (no milk or ice cream - bummer)
Personal Time: 89:36 MHR: 168 AHR: 150
   Swim: 15:49 MHR: 168 AHR: 144
   T1: 4:10 MHR: 160 AHR: 143 (not much recovery)
   Bike: 32:10 MHR: 162 AHR: 152
   T2: 2:21 MHR: 146 AHR: 136
   Run: 35:06 MHR: 159 AHR: 151 (lower MHR than swim or bike)
      Run Splits:
      Mile	Time
      1 & 2	21.37 (Bill Murray made me miss the first marker)
      3		10:27
      +		2:59
Personal Place Overall: 447 out of 490
Personal Place Age Group (Old Clydes): 11 out of 11
# of participants completing the course: 490
Winning Time: 48:20
Last Finisher: 118:33 
Results URL: 
   http://www.altavistasports.com/beaches071302.htm
Pictures? Are you kidding?
Newspaper story:
   http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/071402/spl_9908636.html

Comments: 
   Whelp, I've had my butt whupped and handed to me on a platter. I ate a
(Thai Lad Na) supper that has caused no trouble in the past but it decided to
stage a stomach coup. I got about 1.5 hours sleep. But none of that mattered.
I still woulda got my butt handed to me.

The weather forecasters said that there would be thunderstorms with 40 mph
wind gusts. The only thing we got was the wind. That isn't the bad news. It
dawned clear and warm (this isn't necessarily good but it isn't the bad
news). We got to the race site and set up our stuff in the transition area.
We (Susan and I had consecutive numbers) were next to a woman who had taken
up the space for three people. She said that she hoped we didn't mind - we
did and moved her stuff (if any USAT referees are reading this, I'm only
kidding). We got our equipment layered and made our way to the beach. At the
first series tri in May, we thought the waves were bad (here's the bad news).
This time, the lifeguards really were surfing. The waves were 4 feet with
occasional 6-8 footers. They were breaking WAY on out there. The buoys looked
like little red balloons since they had to move them out beyond the breakers.
440 yard swim my foot.

We gathered for the opening ceremonies and remembered a local triathalete
originally from South Africa who had died of a heart attack while training.
The entire group was amazingly quiet before the starting horn just watching
the waves come in. The first wave of sacrificial young men went off. There
was a current (so everyone on shore moved south a bit) but it was hard to
tell since we couldn't see the swimmers most of the time. After three
minutes, the next wave of sacrificial men took off. A few more were affected
by the current (so everyone on shore moved south a bit) but the waves were
actually leaving some people hanging in the air. In three more minutes, the
women (with Susan) started. The current and the waves scattered them like
kids at bath time (so everyone on shore ...). I prepped by putting on my
swim goggles - and having the frame break. Hmm, I didn't like the sissy
things anyway so I stuffed them into my tri/ballet britches. Anyway, it turned 
out that several people lost their goggles in the waves and many people ended up
with the goggles protecting the swimmers' necks. My group started (after the
3 minute interval) - Athenas, Clydes, men over 50, physically challenged,
teams, and uniformed personnel (not wearing their uniforms). The view from
shore gave no real idea what the waves were like. Just getting to a point
where I could dive under them was a major struggle (I have no idea how Susan
got out there). I swam free style/crawl, I sidestroked, I back stroked, I dog
paddled, I slithered on my belly like an aquatic reptile. I thought I had
invented a few new strokes until I looked at the other swimmers. A few had
mentioned that they were going to try breaststroking through that mess but
gave it up after the first full, face-on nasal lavage. Once we reached the
buoys the going was easier - there were still large swells but they were
manageable. One woman totally lost it but a life guard on a surfboard got to
her quickly. Well over half of the surfboards (no kayaks) had swimmers
hanging on to them. An Athena, another Clyde, and I ended up swimming and
being beached together. They'll come into the story later. My time for the
swim was 3 minutes slower than my last tri but I'm not displeased since I
came out ahead of a lot more people than last time. There were bunches of
DNFs from the swim and at least one DNS from just looking at the other
swimmers.

The (long) run to T1 was not much of a run (I was wasted). T1 went smoothly
and I started off on the bike without any problem. The wind (which had been
blowing the froth off the top of the waves) was strong on our left at the
start. This wasn't really too big a problem and I started passing people. We
made an oblique turn and the wind shifted to our right but still no real
problem. I was going 20-21 mph and still passing people. THEN we turned onto
a long straight stretch into the wind and my speed dropped to 14 mph within
50 feet. I got as aero as a Clyde can get and upped the speed to about 17. As
I passed the Athena from the swim, we chatted a bit about the wind (she said
many, many bad words). I finally reached the turn into a neighborhood that
served as a long turnaround. The police (who did an excellent job) were
trying to allow vehicles to pass when they could. I got behind a trash truck
- Phew - and the Athena caught up with me (still saying many, many bad words
about the swim). I put on a little sprint to get around the trash truck and
headed back with the wind. It was pretty nice but I never got above 25 mph
(and still felt the breeze on my back). There were quite a few flat tires but
I didn't see any crashes. I did Mike T's stretches and entered T2.

In my last tri, I lost focus at the start of the run and never really got it
back. This time I was determined to focus. So, as soon as I stepped on the
timing mat to start the run, Bill Murray's marching cadence from Stripes
popped to mind (Boom-shocka-locka-locka, boom-shocka-locka-locka). The bad
part was my running form then was very similar to Bill Murray's. I tried to
focus on foot landings, breathing, posture, threads from r.r, recent movies,
my childhood - nada. Boom-shocka-locka-locka, boom-shocka-locka-locka. Then I
got  tickled. I blame it being whupped from the swim (and Bill Murray). At
that point, I gave in and just ran - slowly. I talked to the volunteers, the
crowd, the police, other runners, imaginary animals, whoever. I didn't pass
more than half a dozen people on the run but had bunches pass me. In fact,
I've never had so many people pass me in an event of any kind. I did catch up
with a young (20 something) woman who would run 30 yards and walk 20. I
suggested that she might not want to listen to strange men who catch up with
her while she was running but that when I do unplanned walks, it becomes
harder to start running again and easier to stop. Maybe she could pick a spot
to run to and then decide whether to run or walk. She gave me a weird look (I
understood) but ran the rest of the way (she stayed about 50 feet behind me
<G>). The Athena and one of her friends were behind me and telling each other
that they'd walk if the other one would walk first. I suggested that they
both should walk or, better yet, sit in the shade for a while on nearby wall
that looked awfully soft. They laughed, she walked, and he left me in the
dust. During one stretch, I was carrying my water cup appropriately bent at
the top and a Clyde asked me how to do that (we were all tired). I showed him
how to bend the top and then fold it with one hand so that he could run with
it and not spill it but still take sips and not get it up his nose. A couple
behind us joined in the conversation and they all tried it at the next water
stop. It worked, they thanked me, and then they left me in the dust. The
Finish line appeared, Ralph sent an RSVP card of regret, and it was over. I
got some water for Susan and waited (not long) for her.

There were quite a few DNFs at all stages (even during the run). One woman
was taken to hospital in an ambulance (for dehydration?). The post race
ceremonies were subdued - even the elites were whupped (I'd love to know how
they got through the surf). Susan copped an AG 2nd (to a woman from St.
Simons Island - payback for Susan taking an award at last week's St. Simons
Island run) and was awarded a nice towel. But she did win her triathlon
series AG. I won some oranges, bananas, grapes, ... Now that it's over, this
is going to provide revisionist history/stories for a long time so it was a
good event. Susan is zonked out on the sofa downstairs so I'd better go and
saw 1/4 inch off her chair and hide her car keys.

Boom-shocka-locka-locka,
Layne