# 109 Scenic 17 Triathlon - Babson Park

 This tri is a favorite of mine since I first did it in 2009.  It's held on the campus of Webber Intl. University in Babson Park, near Cypress Gardens.  The 600 yard lake swim is fine and the 5K run has a few hills but what makes it great is the 15 mile hilly bike ride on the Scenic 17 highway.  My average speed on the bike was only 18.9 but my max was 39.8!  Several long climbs are balanced by very fast downhills after great views at the top. 

There were 9 total in my 55-59 age group so I had plenty of competition. I was 4th on the swim and 4th on the bike.  There was a little problem on the run though.  Leaving transition, I was passed for fourth by Charles Best after we dueled for the entire bike ride.  After the turnaround at 1.55 miles, as I was climbing a hill with a right hand turn at the top, I put my foot into a hole at the pavement's edge.  My foot rolled to the right and as I went down, I jammed my left big toe on the pavement.  My right foot was really hurting so I walked about 500 yards and got passed again, moving me to sixth.  I soon discovered it didn't hurt any worse running than walking so I hobbled all the way to the finish.  The guys at the medical tent diagnosed it as a bruised tendon and iced it there. Even with my slow run, I finished 6th out of 9.

#108 Tigershark Daytona Mid-sprint Tri

Great race today! This was the Mid-distance sprint at Tigershark's venue in Daytona Beach Shores. The Seminole County Triathletes came out in force as Tracey, Becky, and I raced and Billy, Deanna, Walter, Cathy, and Leigh cheered us on. Walter got some great photos!

My 600 yard swim was quick at 11:52, much better than last year's 18:27 with 5' waves. I managed to beat my friend and fellow Maddog, Randy Brown, out of the water, but he started nibbling away at my lead, passing me on the bike. I upped my bike pace from last year's 20.8 AVS to 21 for this leg.

Randy's strong run ended with me 2:02 behind him for second place. My final time was 1:18:06. Jan Thompson (Maddog #27) won her age group again, finishing just behind Tracey.

First 200 Miles

This morning I passed the 220 mile mark with my new 'snow' bike, a Salsa Mukluk. The majority of my rides, ranging from 5 to 18 miles, have been in Wekiwa Springs State Park, across from my house. I travelled locally to other venues and after I sampled the Seminole State Forest, the Upper Wekiva Preserve, and Rock Springs Run State Preserve, I found that Wekiwa Springs had the widest variety of trails, hills, lakes, ponds, and fire roads anywhere nearby. The best part is that it's so close and very big. I've seen deer, black bears, fox squirrels, a bobcat, owls, rabbits, a gopher, tortoises, a bee tree, and an alligator gar in the river. One thing I almost never see is people. I often ride before or after work on the weekdays but nobodies around. Here are a selection of photos from my rides; click on any to enlarge it.