2003 Los Angeles Triathlon
1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run
1mi swim, 24mi bike, 6.1mi run
 

Results:
The mph is calculated from the time and 24.8 miles as it was not posted.

I was hoping to be in the top half, not with a run like that.

Nancy kicked our butt on the course. I'm sure Cricket's near accident and tire problems drastically hurt her bike time, but having seen the wheel, a 1:27 is impressive.

Tom had the strongest bike time. Nice.

A good time had by all.

Pre-Race

Got up at 3:30 to be on the road at 4. We got going around 4:10. I dropped my Dad off at T1 and headed for downtown to leave the car and take the $20 bus back. Tom was doing the same thing and we spoke on the phone a few times. He was probably 20 minutes behind me. I got to the bus stop and the volunteer said the busses had just headed back from Venice to pick us up. An hour and 15 minutes later the busses finally pulled up. My wave was to start in about 10 minutes and I just accepted that they would either delay the start or I'd start late. I wasn't here to do much more than have fun so it didn't really matter either way. They said there were hundreds of people waiting at the Hyatt (The official race hotel) so I figured they would delay the race. Sure enough once the bus finally arrived they had delayed the start and my wave went off in 15 minutes. I jumped in my wetsuit and hit the water.

Swim
The waters were calm, the tide was a little low and the surf was small. I have not swam in months and decided to take it easy on the swim. I felt very strong, but the swim which was supposed to be a mile was surely long. I estimate a 1.2 mile swim easily. Not a problem, I just kept swimming until I hit the shore. After the results were posted, I think this reflects that my lack of swim training really isn't hurting me all that much. I'm happy with the 29:34 and have not swam all year.

Bike
Just like swimming I have not been biking much this year although I have been biking a good amount in the last month to get ready for this. This bike course feels uphill the entire way. It's an amazing ride across the entire Los Angeles. I find it hard to believe that they can take up so much terrain and block so many streets. Although I did have a close call with a car when the police let a few extra cars cross the road as I was approaching an intersection. I actually had to slow down to let the car go by me. Not very nice of the police. The ride was uneventful. I didn't eat anything and drank one full bottle of water. I needed a little more water so maybe next time I should take two bottles. They were handing out gatorade at one point, but I only wanted water so I went without.

Run
The transition area must be a mile long. Once you start running off the bike you don't actually get to the start of the run for quite a will. Probably 300 yards. I don't have any excuses for a poor run, only a poor run. I have been running a lot and have even done some bricks recently and felt great off the bike. I just didn't have the energy although I did make sure I had a good time. This run is very hilly. I walked a number of the hills and ran most of the way back after the turn around. It was HOT. Every aid station after the two mile mark I took a cup of water and dumped it on my head. That run time really stinks! I've been training for the run as well. No excuses.

Post Race
We hung out and waited for everyone to finish. Sat under a big tree for a little while then went to check results. The difference in temperature between the shade and the Sun was staggering. It wasn't that the air was really hot, but you sure did feel the Sun. Overall I had a very fun race. This race is very tough logistically and probably one of the worst for spectating, but it is a tough course and covers a lot of nice territory.

© 2003 W. Wood Harter - All Rights Reserved