# 138 Clermont Sprint Triathlon in June

Crossing the finish line!

I was looking forward to Saturday's triathlon in Clermont for 2 reasons; first it was the first real test of the new Moulton SST bicycle and I against a course I had completed 4 times last year on the AM SPEED and secondly, it was the Seminole County Triathlete's goal race for the Couch2SprintTri program.  Leaving the house at 4:30 AM, I got there plenty early and was one of the first up to registration.  Racking my bike, I met a new competitor in my Age Group, Robert Broeckett, AKA Brockett the Rocket.  Running into Ken Junkins a few minutes later, I shocked him by mentioning that Brockett was here.  He said that the Clermont Series are by far the most competitive races he competes in.  With the usual Ken Junkins/James Mayer/James Best/Will Hathaway quartet to battle with, I was now looking at another very fast 60+ Male.  Last year I was 4th out of 20 for the first race and I wondered what the day would bring.  Kevin Casey arrived to spectate and I was fortunate to have him get some good pix of me.

The bright morning had me starting in the 3rd wave and I had a great swim.  Transition went quickly and I surged out on the Moulton.  The bike performed beautifully and I hit an average speed of 19.2 before the big climbs started.  Reaching the crest of the big hill at mile 5.5, I sped down reaching a top speed of 38 mph.  That's followed by a sharp climb where I dropped to 8!  With a final average speed of 18.6 (course PR), I took off on the run.  I felt great and began reeling people in.  I managed to pass 2 men in my age group and really pushed into the finish.  Good thing, as another guy was 7 seconds behind me.  I hit the line with a time of 1:12:11, achieving a new PR by over 2 minutes.

My finish was good for 7th place out of 15.  Ken Junkins beat Brockett by 1 minute and 11 seconds with a 1:03:21 for the win.  James Mayer was 19 seconds back for third.  I was amused that despite my previous 4th place, my 2+ minute faster time only garnered me 7th place today.  The new SST performed extremely well and I'm very happy with the bike (Thank you Diane Blake!)
Heading over the the Seminole County Triathletes tents, we all gathered to cheer on our friends and especially all the first timers that were out on the course.  Small groups began running in with members, cheering them along into the finish.  The coaches passed out prizes to all the newbies (no more) and the newbies presented the coaches with some gifts.  Under Billy Price's leadership, this club gets stronger every year.

Ready for the start

Great swim!

Stong finish on the bike.

Seminole County Triathlete tents

Happy group!

Happy Jack!

# 137 Tomoka Triathlon in Ormond Beach

Today was the 5th Annual Tomoka Triathlon.  Last year's was the feature race for Seminole County Triathletes Couch to Sprint tri program and this year was well attended, even though the 2016 goal race is the first Clermont Sprint.  I debuted my new Moulton SST there as Diane worked on it the last 2 weeks getting it ready.  I rode it for the first time Saturday morning in preparation for the Sunday event.

I arrived there at 5:25 AM to discover that many people had already arrived.  Packet pickup opened early and I got the bike racked in a good spot.  The swim was a bit confused as I lost one buoy in the sunrise but settled down and had a good swim.  The bike ride had a false start when police stopped traffic but Timing fixed it later so no harm was done.  The big bridge climb at the start and finish is always fun as well as the 6 miles (out of 16) on the private road west of the Halifax River.  The run wound through the town east of the river and I grew faster as I got closer to the finish.  Final time was 1:27:41, good for 3rd place out of 7 in the 60-64 age group.  James Mayer won, with Matt Mahoney 2nd like last year.  The Moulton performed perfectly, averaging 19.2 mph over the course, even with the wind.

Racked and ready

Transition under the bridge

Feeling ready!

Heading out.

Off on the run!

Awards minus James Mayer.

New Moulton SST worked great!

29th Annual Real Florida 5k & 10k in Wekiwa Springs

Cold start at 37 degrees for my bagel run (Thank you Panera Bread) but the temp rose by race start to 53'.  It was brisk though and we had 242 people start the 2 races.  I took off too fast as usual (8:06 first mile) but soon settled down by mile 3 on the Tramway.  I made the turn at marker 15 and began my singletrack journey back.  The 2nd waterstop was set up at the wrong place but I made good time, finishing with 56:31 for a 8:58 pace.  I placed 2nd out of 5 in my age group, 1:32 back.  Kevin Casey and his daughter Megan did the 5k and she won the 14 & under age group.  Great job Megan!

Hammered to the finish!

Megan and Kevin Casey

Superbowl Duathlon in Clermont

On Sunday, the Clermont Triathletes hosted their 2nd Annual Superbowl Duathlon.  This event consisted of a 2 mile run, 12 mile bike, and a 2 mile run.  I asked my friend Kevin Casey to join me and his daughter Megan decided to compete also.  The race was held at Lake Louisa State Park, just south of Clermont on US 27.  This is a loosely organized training event so a good time was the goal.  However, since Clermont is now a hotbed of pro triathletes residing there, a number of very fit people with very serious gear showed up.  The rain ended at midnight but it stayed at 44'f for the entire race with an overcast sky and gusty winds; not really Florida conditions.  We all took off on the first run together but were strung out within a 1/2 mile.  I did the 2 mile run quickly but still felt cold getting on the bike.  My bike speed suffered on the first lap, feeling cold and bundled, and it did pick up on the second lap.  I ditched the heavy bike jacket for a windbreaker on the final run (forgetting my gloves in the process) but running hard warmed me up quickly.  I caught the guy that passed me on the bike and finished in 1:22:16.  Kevin and Megan finished a bit after me with Megan flying across the line.  Hopefully, next year's event will be warmer than today.  We then adjourned to the Planet Smoothee inside the National Training Center for refueling.

Kevin and his daughter Megan   (Note flag blowing)

Very cold day!

Start/Finish area.

The SPEED and I.

Megan runs hard to the finish!

Everyone had a good time!

Clermont Tri Series surprise!

A surprise package arrived in the mail last week from Sommer Sports in Clermont.  A nice beach towel accompanied by a note stating that I placed Third in the 4-race Clermont Sprint Series.  My finishes were 4th, 6th, 8th, and 7th but I gathered enough points by doing all the races for a 3rd.  Looking forward to next year!

# 136 Clermont Sprint Triathlon in September

Saturday, September 12, was the final triathlon of the 4 race series put on by Sommer Sports.  My training was slightly compromised by my taking 3 different prescription medications so I approached the race with a bit of trepidation.  I'm always happy getting to Clermont early and get set up so with registration opening at 5:45, I left the house at 4:45.  Sommer Sports was organized as usual and everything was effortless.  I set up my bike in transition and then met my friend Kevin Casey who was also competing.  The eastern sky began to brighten and we headed over to Lake Mineola for the start.  There was a big crowd as usual but the start went off on time, with me being in the third wave.  My swim went well, taking 10:29 before the long run to the bike.  I again rode my Moulton SPEED, enjoying zipping along the lakeshore and then hitting the hills.  Averaging 17.40 mph over the course, I returned to transition to start my run.  At the beginning, I was following a guy who's leg/age was either 53 or 63.  He was pulling ahead of me and I didn't want to blow up in the first mile, so I ran my own pace.  I gathered speed after the turnaround but didn't see anyone ahead or behind that I was concerned about.  However, just before the finish, Mike Pettis passed me and I surged hard down the chute, beating him by one second.  My 1:16:46 was good for a 7th place out of 13 but I know if I was feeling better, I would have gotten 6th.

Quietly waiting

Jack and Kevin

Big field!

Kevin at the finish!

The Moulton and I.

# 135 Clermont Sprint Triathlon in August

Good but not great triathlon yesterday in Clermont.  All the usual fast guys showed up with a few additions.  Dr. Randall Brown, who I've raced against many times was there, so I knew I'd have some serious competition.  A bit breezy to start so there was a little chop on the water, adding a bit to my swim time, and the breeze made the bike harder, resulting in my slowest average speed, 17.6 mph, this year. The breeze even slowed my speed off the big hill to 37.4.

I felt good coming off the bike and Randy was 2:06 ahead of me.  I pushed hard and saw him at the turnaround on the run, giving me the eye.  With him in my sights, I really pushed it and at the bend in the course, I saw him turn and he spotted me closing.  We then battled the last half mile and I got to within 9 seconds when we hit the finish line; I finished 8th out of 16 with a 1:16:43, my slowest time for the 3 races.  Time to ramp up the training for the final September race!

The Ken Junkins/James Mayer battle continued for 1st with Ken beating James this time. Race #4 should be quite a battle.

I'm right in the center of the photo.

The AM SPEED performed perfectly!