Lucky "13"??

Evan's Bracebridge Report

Well, what can I say, this was a very memorable race, for many reasons. Not only was I very pleased with my race result, it was not easy given the weather conditions I had to deal with in the race.

My pre-race routine was a lot more relaxed and organized in comparison to Peterborough, even though Peterborough wasn’t all that rushed or hectic (it just wasn’t how I wanted it to go). Dee and I got to the park in plenty of time (approx. 2 hours before the race start) and went over to get registered before dropping off our bikes and gear into the transition area. When we went over to see what my “lucky” bib number was for this race, I was a little surprised to see the number “13” beside my name. After I saw this, I told Dee “It’s a good thing I am not superstitious, or at least, I am not going to be superstitious today.” After I was able to take my time and get my transition area set up well, I had some time to hop on my bike before getting my wetsuit on to make sure I had my shoes clipped onto my pedals and to make sure I was in a low gear to get up the hill in the park past the mount line. Next we got on our wetsuits while listening to the pre-race meeting, mainly because we weren’t sure how the swim was supposed to start and where we were supposed to enter the water after the first lap of the swim was completed. Once we got an understanding of the race details, we got in the water at the swim exit and had about 10-15 minutes to do a quick swim before the horn sounded for the start of the race. The weather was cloudy and warm before the race began, and I knew they were calling for a chance of thunderstorms, with sun and humid weather to follow, but I wasn’t too worried about the forecast, and thought that it wouldn’t be until later on in the day before the storms hit anyway.

Swim:
Overall, I would have to say that I was fairly happy with my swim. For the most part, I found a group of 2-4 swimmers whom I just drafted off of from about the second half of the first loop and the entire second loop of the swim. Even though the swim times seemed to be slow (it was probably a good 100m run across the shore to start the second lap of the swim, so that added some extra time to the swim speed), I felt like I had no trouble sticking with this group of swimmers, even though I had a plan before the race to push the swim a little harder than I did.

Bike:
Well, that was one of the most memorable 90km that I have raced to date…well, the first half wasn’t all that bad. I was feeling very good and I felt like I was timing my nutrition intake well. As per usual on an out-and-back bike course when I was approaching the turnaround point, I began counting the bikers who were passing me in the opposite direction to see what place I was in. To my suprise, I counted only 2 people by the time I made it to the halfway point. Wow...3rd place overall half way through the bike, I couldn't believe it!!! However, this excitement didn't last long. Not long after passing the halfway point, a huge flash of lightning and a loud “rumble” of thunder hit right over my head, which took me by a huge surprise. Following that, the sky opened up and down came a torrential downpour of rain, enough rain that I would be uncomfortable driving in if I was driving a car, let alone a bike. Being this was a hilly and very technical course with a few areas of bumps and potholes on the road, I at first became a little cautious about where to bike and how to ride, given that the weather and road conditions became poor very quickly...and unfortunately, a couple of bikers took advantage and passed me in my brief time of caution. I realized, however, that I had to keep my focus on what I had to do to stay on the road, and my confidence began to grow as I got used to the new “obstacle” thrown at me. This rain was relentless, and lasted for a good hour/hour and a half….it was falling down so hard and fast that it felt like hail as it hit me. Near the end of the bike (between 80-90km) there were places on the course where you had to bike through 3 inches of water where the road was beginning to get completely flooded. However, I tried as much as possible to keep my focus on getting my nutrition in at the right times, and keeping the bike from skidding out below me. It was one of the most challenging, let enjoyable bikes I have ever done (Yes, I must be crazy).

Run:
The run began quite nicely, as by this time the rain was beginning to slow down, however my shoes and socks were completely soaked from the deluge of water that just fell. I felt fairly comfortable and felt ready to attack. However, not too long into the run, the clouds began to break and the sun began to come out, and it got very humid very quickly. I reminded myself that if I stuck to my nutrition plan, I should be able to keep my energy up for the rest of the run without bonking. At about the 7km mark of the run, a spectator told me that I was in 5th place overall, and I could see 2 runners ahead of me. My legs suddenly began to spring to life and I began to I pick up the pace. I found myself in 3rd place within the next few kilometers. Shortly after, I saw another runner ahead of me. Slowly, but surely, I was able to catch him just after passing the half way mark of the run. 2nd place!!! My thoughts began to run wild as I suddenly realized the situation I was in. However, there was still 8-9km left in the run, and I had to stay in control of my mind, and my body. I knew there was no possibility of me catching up to the lead runner, as I knew he had built up a huge lead, so it was just a matter keeping up a good pace, and not letting anyone else pass me from behind. Fortunately, everything seemed to go well for me this day, and I was able to finish strong, in 2nd place overall!!! Very happy with my result.

I have to thank Dee for helping me prepare for this race, both physically and mentally, as well as helping to prepare a nutrition schedule that seemed to work for me this day. :)