100Triathlons

Saturday, June 23, 2018

# 155 Ormond Beach Tri-Y Triathlon

Back to Ormond Beach for my third time at this great triathlon. It’s a very accessible race in a nice beach town just north of Daytona on the Atlantic Ocean. Since Diane and I built the 1965/2016 Moulton 8 speed bike, I’ve wanted to try it in an actual race. Inspired by the 1960s era deeds of British cycling legends John Woodburn and Vic Nicholson on F-frame Moultons, I thought this would be a great venue for the 8 speed in competition. The morning was perfectly clear with almost no wind, a flat ocean, high tide so almost no current, and 75’f.

I had a great 500 yard swim in the calm salt water, rushed up the beach to transition, and jumped on the 8 speed, anxious to see how it would perform. Since I wanted to emulate John and Vic, I did not add aero bars or a handlebar drinking bottle, but rode on the drops for the entire 10 miles. I was happy to see my average speed rise to 18.1 mph for the first 5 miles pedaling along the Halifax River. After the turnaround, there was a slight headwind and even with pushing hard my average dropped to 17.6 on State Route A1A along the Atlantic coast. After racking the bike, I headed down the ramp for the 5k beach run. Hard pack sand and a nice breeze almost made it pleasant as the temps had now climbed to the mid-80s. My attention was diverted by mullet jumping out of the water and sure enough, two dolphins appeared, enjoying their breakfast. My legs felt great and I maintained a fast running pace all the way into the finish. My longtime competitor and friend James Mayer won with me in third place. The Moulton 8 speed performed very well and was a real pleasure to ride. My average speed of 17.6 mph was a bit slower than last year’s pace of 18.5 on the Moulton SST but it’s always difficult to compare races a year apart.

Atlantic sunrise over transition

Racked and ready, the little Moulton looks a bit lost!

Myself with James Mayer before the start

Swim start down the beach

Rounding the first buoy

Exiting the water

Riding along the Halifax River

Racing on the 8 speed

Now for the run

Feeling great at the finish

Well done, Moulton!

In front of The Birthplace of Speed Garage with A1A in background

Nice award!

Vic Nicholson back in the day; huge chainring!

John Woodburn breaking the record...in December!

1963 news story

Sunday, June 3, 2018

# 154 Clermont Sprint Triathlon in June

Headed out for the first of the Clermont, Florida, Sprint Series of 4 races for 2018. I was interested in seeing who would be competing as this was my first in Clermont in my new age group, 65-69. While several of my old adversaries were not there, James Mayer aged up with me (see photo).

After the previous weekend's disappointment due to the last minute cancellation of the Tomoka Triathlon, I was really primed for this race. Weather was perfect and everything went well. Seminole County Triathletes had this event as their beginner tri for 2018. I had a good swim, a good bike (except for some cars in the way) and a great run. My times were a bit off though and James romped home for the win. I ended up fourth of the eight competitors. Regardless, I was happy at the finish and the Moulton SST performed well with the new aero wheels on it.

Moulton SST racked and ready!

Transition area filling up.

With James Mayer

Wave 3 swim start; I'm in wave 2 in the water.

Swim finish!

Time to bike!

Off the bike, out on the run!

Into the finish!

Happy with 4th place!

Finishing chute.

Sunday, May 20, 2018

# 153 Cape Coral Sprint Triathlon

Got down to Cape Coral for my "vacation" triathlon; first race in 65-69! Low-key event with a salt water swim on a flat bike/run course. First race with the aero wheels so I'll see how they handle.

Mass start swim of 500 yards went well though my transition was a bit slow. Fast bike, averaging 18.8 mph. I caught third place riding into transition but he got out ahead of me. He ran hard for 500 yards and then slowed dramatically and I shot past him. Pushed hard to stay ahead of him and had the fastest run in my age group; 8:36 splits. Didn't catch second though so I finished third; Glen Fritz won with Lawrence Tomsic second. Overcast throughout the race so it was comfortable. Always happy with a podium!

Racked with the big wheels!

Dawn over transition

Finish with the Hammermobile

Larry, Glen and I

Happy with third place!

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Dawn to Dusk 12 Hour Endurance Challenge 2018

Saturday was a "leap of faith" race. I did the Dawn2Dusk 12 Hour Endurance Run put on by Seminole County Triathletes in Sanford, Florida. With a great venue along Lake Monroe, the 1 mile loop allows the competitors to rest/refresh whenever they like. While there were many teams with 2 or more members, I raced as an individual. My goal was 50 miles as I had done two 50K runs (31 Miles) before. The day started in the 60s with heavy fog but the sun came out at 10:00 AM and it quickly got into the 80s. I took breaks at 10, 20 and 30 miles. At this point, I had risen in the standings so I began pushing myself. By the 6:30 finish, I had completed 45 miles with plenty of race walking to keep going. Finished 4th out of 14 men overall; oldest by far. Top man Sean Baum did 57 and the top woman, Jennifer Jordan, got 66 miles in her first Ultra. Feeling good this morning with a little soreness and a bit of sunburn despite precautions. Used a lot of Hammer nutrition and a slice of pizza at mile 32 and again at 36 while running helped a lot. Very enjoyable event with lots of support each lap as you passed the tent village by the finish line. Pictures of friends and the race below.