Race Report: Atlantic City Triathlon: Break all the rules and end up on the Podium

Summary

I raced the Annual AC International Triathlon sprint distance this morning and ended up coming in 3^rd in the Clydesdale division. Wow. Never expected a podium finish in my life, much less on a day where I was unprepared, hung-over and sleep deprived.

Registration

My cousin Marc and I decided to combine the sprint together with a Boys Night Out in AC. After we registered, USAT Paratriathlon named this race as the regional championship for the Mid-Atlantic region. A couple of paratriathletes from the para-tri training camp I went to in the spring were coming, so I volunteered to be a handler and ditch Marc for the race. Unsure if they would need me, I brought my gear just in case.

Pre-Race

One thing for TriDevils to keep in mind is that this race requires bike drop-off and a mandatory race meeting the day before the race. I hate that. It must be part of the deal they made with AC to try to encourage people to stay in town. It didn’t matter for Marc and me since we were already planning to hang out for the night, but it would have really bummed me out if I wanted to drive down that morning.

Marc and I met at the course on Saturday in time for the 1:00 meeting. I knew there was a chance that there would be plenty of volunteers, so I checked in just in case. After a very smooth packet pickup and racking our bikes, we headed down to the boardwalk. It was a perfect afternoon and we found a beach bar with an awesome reggae band, lots of beautiful people, sun, and great conversation. Pre-race hydration started with more than a few beers followed with gin & tonics (mistake #1, repeated many times). We barhopped our way up the boardwalk ending at the Village Whiskey in the race sponsor Revel casino. This place is wonderful. Burgers and bourbon may not be the best pre-race nutrition, but it sure was delicious (mistake #2). A few more bars and beers, then to bed. Think I drank more on Saturday than I did this entire summer combined.

Wake-up call came shortly after we hit the beds (mistake #3). Too early for the hotel’s complimentary breakfast, and AC is basically closed at 5:30 am. Forgot to pack any food, so breakfast consisted of Rocktane energy drink, one GU gel, and about an eighth of yesterday’s soft pretzel that wasn’t so soft anymore (mistake #4).

Loads of folks showed up to help with the paratriathlon – including TriDevil James Armstrong - so the race director gave me the go ahead to race.

Swim

Watching the paratriahletes do the swim was inspiring for all of the able bodied racers standing on land. When each of the 10 racers came out of the water, the crowd went crazy. More than a few eyes were watery.

Swim was in the brackish water of the inlet and temp was 75 degrees. Wore my wetsuit to keep me warm on land while we waited, and for the buoyancy. I haven’t been in the water since Jersey State Tri and wasn’t feeling well trained (mistake #5). Jumped with Marc off the floating entry dock. Time trial format turned out to be great. Even with 1,000 racers, there was little bumping or kicking since everyone was well spaced out. Dropped Marc in the first minute – possibly the first person I’ve ever dropped in a swim. Finished in a blazing (for me) 9:36. 199/474 and 7^th in the 45-49 age group. Something’s wrong with the reporting of the Clydesdale results, but I can see my overall and age group results.

Bike

Typical leisurely transition for me – 3:41 – then off on the bike. Excited to be riding on loaner Profile Design Altair 80 race wheels which made my bike look killer. My pump didn’t seem to work on these wheels so I figured I would have the race mechanic take a look. Mistake #6 – there was no race mechanic. Well, I hoped that the air in there was enough.

After mounting and riding about 200 yards, we had to traverse a sand/gravel path that was slow and extremely nerve wracking. It was well marked, covered with volunteers yelling to go slow, and everyone seemed to make it through okay. Then flat out along the Blackhorse Pike, up the ramp, and onto the AC Expressway. What a great place to race. The shoulder and right hand lane were closed to traffic, and we could really fly. I was passed only once, but must have passed 200 riders. Forgot to fix my race computer, which had been only working intermittently (mistake #7). I could only guess my speed and cadence, but worked hard to keep both up. Back though the sand path and into T-2 in 26:26, averaging 23 miles per hour. 22^nd overall, and first in my age group – a full minute in front of #2. Must have been the race wheels.

Run

Another relaxed transition – finishing my energy drink and a GU, then off to run down a few blocks of city streets to the famed AC boardwalk. I did my usual slow pace and finished the run in 31:36. Should have been going to Brian Shea’s Wednesday night track workouts.

Finish

Crossed the line in 1:14:27. Great crowd cheering us over the finish line, then the best race food I’ve ever had. In addition to the usual bagels and fruit, we had scrambled eggs, bacon, pastries, donuts, and Philly soft pretzels! Almost worth the race entry itself.

The timing company had a tent set up with about a dozen screens where you could search your race results almost immediately. I couldn’t believe that I had finished 3^rd in Clydesdale, so I stuck around for the awards ceremony to take my place on the podium. What a great feeling.

Fat, drunk and stupid may be no way to go through life. But it worked pretty well for me today.