# 101 Tigershark Daytona Long-Sprint Tri

St. Pete Maddogs Danny Hicks (2nd/65-69), Jan Thompson (1st/65-69), David Burg (1st/55-59), & Jack Finucan (2nd/55-59)

Today was the longest of the Tigershark/Rice & Rose Sprint Series, with 800 yard swim, 15 mile bike, and 4 mile beach run. The overcast sky and flat water made this race more pleasant than 2 weeks earlier, which had big surf and a very hot run. Jan Thompson brought her husband Danny Hicks and David Burg with from Tampa. All three are Ironman finishers and pretty fast. David beat me by 2:06 even though I had the fastest run, with a final time of 1:44:50.
Only 1 other person pre-registered in my age-group so as I climbed the ramp from the beach, I saw Butch exiting the water. Keeping an eye out for him at the first bike turnaround, I calculated I was 36 seconds ahead so I pushed hard on the bike. A big surprise came near the bike finish though when I came upon a unknown cyclist with "59" on his calf. I passed him quickly but we were in transition in just a few minutes. I headed out on the run and at the 2 mile turnaround, I was 1:00 minute ahead of him. As I concentrated on keeping my pace high, I had a sudden visualtion of my passing him on the bike; he had flat handlebars, which meant he was in the "Fat-tire" class. I finished strong but never saw David Burg ahead of me; there were actually 4 in my class. Sometimes you never know where you are in a race until the results are posted.
This ends the Tigershark Series for 2010 with my two First Places and today's Second.

Reflections on # 100

On July 20, 2010, I completed my 100th triathlon. I stumbled on this upcoming event several years ago when I totaled all the race numbers I had saved over the years (with the race data inscribed on them). At that time it was a very surprising 72 which in turn provided me with a goal of 100 in the not too distant future. Looking back at the 100 Triathlons I've done, you can view the statistics:

1 Mini-Sprint Tri (my first triathlon; see earlier post)

1 Team event: 1993 Chicago Sun Times Triathlon; Team Ameritech, 2nd place (I did the 25 mile bike leg in a thunderstorm on Lake Shore Drive)

22 Olympic distance Tris (St. Anthony's Triathlon 10 times)

76 Sprint Triathlons (plus 1 fun triathlon, the 2001 New Year's Day Hair of the Dog Triathlon put on by the St. Pete Maddogs. Sandy & I did it together on our tandem bike.)

Medal Count:

Firsts - 12, Seconds - 8, Thirds - 10

No penalties ever, No DNFs, 2 flat tires (same race!)

But I think the greatest part of competing in this sport is all the great people I have met. My wife Sandy has been extremely supportive, emotionally with encouragement, physically by being there, and nutritionally with her wonderful meals. (Pic on left is from the 2000 Sanibel Triathlon)

Others who contributed to my success are my friend & occasional coach, Jeff Cuddeback (pic below with former pupil Olympian Hunter Kemper), his wife, Dr. Kim Watson, who got me back in shape after a broken collarbone in 1995 and several other injuries,
Alec & Lera Rukosuev (National Training Center coaches) for their advice over the years, the late Jim Ward (for years the oldest Ironman World Champion), Bruce & Maddie Olster, David Sanborn of David's World Cycle, for his continued support, Race Directors Fred Sommers/CFT Sommer Sports, Zahid Buttar/Buttar.com, and Rob Wallace/Tigershark Endurance Events, USA Triathlon for their guidance & management of this young & growing sport (when I joined it was Tri-Fed USA), the St. Pete Maddogs Triathlon Club, all the wonderful volunteers and referees like Charlie Crawford who labor on hot Sundays so we can race, and many others who I've met over the years. And a big thank you to the fine people at Hammer Nutrition for the wonderful products that I used for many years. Their free guidebook is a great resource for endurance athletes. http://www.hammernutrition.com/

One of the neatest experiences I've had was when a co-worker, Hollie Finley (pic on left), asked me to coach her in her first triathlon. Over several months, we found her a bike and the accessories and did practice rides and transition rehearsals. She then did her first race at Moss Park.

Looking ahead, I've just signed up for the Atlantic Coast Half-ironman Triathlon on October 17 at Ameila Island, Florida (just north of Jacksonville). This will be my first half-iron race (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run).

People ask me why I did 100 triathlons. It’s not like I planned on doing one or two and then moving on. I look upon triathlon as a fountain of youth; something that will keep me fit and moving for the rest of my life. But endless training with no goal is to me without purpose. Triathlons, whatever distance, give you a point and a goal to achieve, if just to have a good time. After all 17 years and 100 triathlons, I still get excited on race mornings. I also still say to myself during the swim, bike and run, "Boy, is this great!"! That's why I keep going.

# 100! Tigershark Daytona Mid-Sprint Tri

This race was #100! I returned to Daytona Beach Shores for the second of the 3-race Tigershark series. My wife Sandy again rose at 4:00 AM to cheer me on. Rob Wallace, the race director, puts on a great event at a really great venue. The only glitch was the rough surface of US A1A but when we turned off of Dunlawton Ave, surprise!, A1A had been completely repaved! I was really looking forward to the 12 mile bike now but this was tempered by seeing the Atlantic Ocean and the 600 yard swim ahead. Despite the lack of wind, the waves were running 3-4' with a strong south-to-north current. At registration, I was delighted to find I was given #100 as my race number for my 100th triathlon! Ken, Joe, & I discuss past and future races. All men were in the first swim wave, so we all charged into the waves head on. I'd been reviewing my rough surf technique since May and it really helped diving into the breaking waves. Finding the swim buoys in the rolling water increased the challenge but I exited the water in 18:27, not bad considering the waves. I jumped on the bike and quickly got into a strong rhythm. The smoothness of the new pavement enabled me to quicken my speed to an average of 20.8 mph over the 12 miles.

I shot out of transition and headed on down the beach for the 3 mile run. It was starting to get hot in the early morning sunshine but it's a joy running by the ocean and I maintained a strong pace, completing the run in 26:41. As I approached the finish I heard the announcer calling out my name and that this was my 100th triathlon. Sandy was there with a big kiss and received a sweaty hug from me in return. My final time was 1:25:12, good for 1st in my age group.

At the awards ceremony, Rob Wallace presented me with a plaque commemorating my 100th, as well as my 1st place age group award. My friends all congratulated me and as a capper, I won a door prize for a RoadID wrist band! A new friend from the West Volusia Runners, Ken Allen, who entered the tri after encouragement from me, picked up 1st place in the 70-74 age group. Joe Evans and his girlfriend Charisse, was there too as well as Howard Montgomery. We finished the day with a celebratory dinner at McCormick & Schmick's seafood restaurant. A great 100th triathlon!

Ken Allen with Jack waiting for the start.

Lucky's Lake Swim

I finally got out to the Lucky's Lake Swim on Lake Cane by Universal Studios. I heard about this last year but never got a chance to go. Dr. Lucky Meisenheimer generously opens his home and lake up to anyone who want to swim. The lake is one kilometer across and back and the swim starts at 7:45 on Saturday morning. You can use the bathrooms and showers by the pool too. There were about 85 people there this morning, all having a great time. I swam 1 lap at 24:12 and then another at 26:00 after a 5 minute rest. So 2 kilometers (equals 1.32 miles) in 50:12; not bad. Had a great time; I'll be back soon.

For more info, go to http://www.luckyslakeswim.com/.

Here's a Growing Bolder video: http://growingbolder.com/media/sports/water-sports/luckys-lake-swim-202905.html#content_tabs

# 99 Tigershark Daytona Sprint Tri #1

Big day today with #99! My wife & number one fan Sandy rose at 4:00 AM to accompany me to the first of the Tigershark Series of Sprint Triathlons. The races increase in distance over the series of three. I spent a bit of time checking out my four competitors online (which became three when one decided to compete as a Clydesdale) since I had never raced against any of them before.

Jack with Jan Thompson

Howard Montgomery & Jack

The weather was crystal clear, 74 degrees, no wind, with a calm Atlantic Ocean at the start. As low tide was 60 minutes after the start, it was a 100 yard dash off the beach to water deep enough to swim in; it was also 72 degrees! I had a good swim (after another 100 yard dash out of the water) and headed north on Rt. A1A on the bike. I warmed up after several miles and got up to 21mph for a while, pushing my average to 20.4 for the bike. The rough pavement on A1A kept my speed down and I felt I could go faster.

Since I had not seen any of my fellow 55-59 racers, I took off immediately on the run down the hard-packed sand of Daytona Beach. I was running strong and felt great the whole 5K, finishing it in 26:17, with an overall time of 1:02:14. When the results were posted, I was stunned to see I had won by a margin of 7:01! So much for my pre-race concerns. As usual in sprint tris, the rule is just hammer the entire event.

I did run into Joe Evans again after another great 4th place in only his 2nd triathlon! Also saw Jan Thompson (Maddog #27) win her 65-69 age group; her son Andrew picked up a second in Clydesdale. Also met a great ex-marine and current fireman, Howard Montgomery; he'll be in my age group next year (uh-oh!).
Jan, Ashley, & Andrew Thompson

# 98 Clermont Sprint Triathlon #1

June 12 was the start of the Clermont Sprint Tri series, put on by Fred Sommer of Sommer Sports. Fred pretty much started triathlon in Central Florida (and the Tri-America series across the USA). He also puts on a 1/2 Iron-distance tri in September and a full Iron-distance in October. These 4 sprint tris are held several weeks apart on the same course, which is great if you are tracking your splits and looking for improvements. I did my first tri in Florida at one of the Clermont sprint events in 1994. Interestingly enough, I drove my first auto race in Clermont, Indiana. The waterfront park in downtown Clermont is a great venue and Lake Minneola is rated "pristine waters". The area around these events is quite hilly with some really big hills, Sugarloaf, Grassy Lake, Buckhill Rd., nearby.

This race had an entry list of over 400 with 11 in my age group, 55-59. My old nemesis, Ken Junkins, was there (we first competed in 2005) and blew the field away as usual, finishing in 1:01:33. You can read about Ken at the Facebook page his daughter created: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Incredible-Ken-Junkins/332767313666

John Holloway and I battled back and forth on the bike leg with me in third exiting T2. But he passed me about 1/2 mile into it with a blistering run and finished 1:20 minutes ahead of me. I came in 4th out of 11 with a 1:10:03. My top downhill speed was 38.4 followed by a long climb at 9 mph! Another great race!

# 97 Ocean Deck Triathlon - Daytona Beach

Great race today! This is a low key race, utilizing an all beach format. Held at the Ocean Deck bar right on Daytona Beach, you must have a mountain bike or beach bike to compete. My old Softride hybrid has 1.5" tires, so it worked well. The transition area is set up on the beach too so you don't have far to go to complete each leg. I did decide to bike in my running shoes, so I switched the Shimano cleats for regular pedals with toeholds.

The ocean was much calmer than last weekend and I had a great swim followed by a fast downwind ride north reversing course into a headwind going south for a total distance just over 8 miles. It's interesting weaving around the soft spots in the sand (you can drive your car on Daytona Beach) and the early morning tourists. The run was a quick out & back 5K down the beach. My finishing time was 1:08:27, nearly 3 1/2 minutes faster than last year's 1:11:59, good enough for first in 55-59! My training seems to have paid off as my times keep dropping.

I met some nice people doing there first tri's, Joe Evans and Dave Johnson. Joe got a 3rd in his age group, which always entices people to keep competing. I think I'll see him at future races.



Joe Evans readies himself for the ocean swim.