-1.5 km swim in Great Bay
-40 km bike (4 laps of 10 km through the Phillipsburg hills)
-10 km run (5 times back & forth on the boardwalk)
So on Sunday morning, we left the house at 5:30 am to get to Phillipsburg with plenty of time to spare before the 7:00 am race. It was a beautiful morning but it had rained the night before so the start time was actually pushed back to 7:30 in order to allow the roads to dry a bit because the biking course was quite hilly and they wanted to make sure that none of the bikers wiped out on the wet roads! So Mike got his stuff all set up at his transition station and at about 7:30 they were ready to start the race! (from my rough estimation I think there were about 50-60 people competing in the shorter Sprint distance and about 25 competing in the longer Olympic distance with Mike) They lined all of the competitors up on the beach and they were off on the 1.5 km swim!!
(Below: All the competitors lined up & then sprinting into the water to start the race!)
(Below: Mike coming out of the water & running to the transition area)
Mike did AWESOME in the swim and looked really strong the whole way! Even though they were way out there in the ocean for parts of the swim, he was still really easy to pick out because compared to other swimmers who were doing really fast, frantic strokes, Mike has a slower, methodical stroke that makes him go just as fast since it is a strong stroke but it makes him easy to pick out! :) All of the people doing the sprint exited the water after 1 lap of the course but Mike and the other Olympic length competitors had to do 2 laps totaling 1.5 km! Mike did great and came out near the head of the Olympic pack and then ran up the beach to the transition station where he had to put on his biking gear.
The bike portion was 40 km and the athletes had to do 4 laps of a 10 km route through Phillipsburg. The course was actually REALLY hilly and challenging but Mike was ready for it b/c he has been training the whole time on these crazy St. Maarten hills. So for the first 30 km or so Mike looked great and was still near the head of the pack. He was kicking butt and he told me after the race that he felt really good up to this point. BUT THEN.....coming down a big hill near the end of his 3rd lap, he got a flat back tire!!! He managed to safely make it to the bottom of the hill without wiping out (thank goodness!!) but then he had to stop and take time to repair his flat. Luckily he was prepared and had a repair kit but he had only ever changed 1 bike tire so it took him 20 min to change out the tubing in the tire. During this 20 min, he told me after the race that it was incredibly frustrating because he saw a lot of the competitors that he had gotten ahead of during the swim and bike pass him!! Also, his muscles started to tighten up after being stationary for too long while he worked to repair the tire. So finally, he got the tire prepared and was back on course to finish the last 10 km of the biking portion of the race (and when he passed me on his last lap after the tire repair he did not look too happy!) So overall, Mike did GREAT on the biking portion but with the time added from his flat tire he had lost his lead on many of the other competitors!!
(Below: Mike looking like a pro on his 40 km bike)
The last leg of the race was a 10 km run. The course for the run was 5 laps down & back on the boardwalk. Even though I could tell Mike was incredibly frustrated after his flat tire, he pushed through and finished the 10 km run and finished the race!! I was so proud of him b/c he did so great!!
After the race Mike took some time to cool down and even made use of an outdoor shower along the boardwalk!! :) Then, the restaurant Taloula Mango's that sponsored the race had a brunch for competitors and gave out awards. We stayed to watch the awards even though Mike was sure he wouldn't place due to his flat tire on the bike portion. So when they got to Mike's age group and they called his name, he had a very surprised look on his face and it was pretty funny! He went up to claim his 2nd place award for the 18-29 age group and it was very sweet because Sue & Norman (the owners of Taloula Mangos and parents of the high schooler Mike tutors) presented the awards and they were SO proud of Mike for finishing his first triathlon and they all had the biggest smile on their faces!! Norman even made the announcer tell the whole crowd about how it was Mike's first triathlon ever and about his flat tire (they all teased him that the one thing he needs to learn for his next race is how to change a flat in less than 20 min...haha!!) The 'trophy' Mike got was a hand made pained bowl made on the island of Saba...it is now our new key/wallet bowl so we see it every day!!
(Below: Mike cooling off in the shower after the race)
(Below: Mike on the awards podium with Sue & Norman :) )
After all the race festivities, we made our way home. On the way, we stopped where Mike had gotten his flat tire and picked up the popped tube that Mike had swapped out mid race! Then, as we kept driving, the main road home was closed for construction, so we had to go over this REALLY steep hill that Mike always tries to get me to go on but I always refuse because those heights and steep hills really freak me out! But I was forced to take that route (and to make matters worse I was the one driving) and it was pretty scary but the view at the top was amazing and I am glad I took that way at least once while I am on the island!
(Below: Mike holding up the remains of his flat tire after the race!)
Now we are back to our normal island life of school, work, and the occasional beach day :) Mike is so funny because he is already looking up more triathlons to do because he wants to beat his time and complete one without getting a flat tire!! Haha :)
Well, we miss you all so much and hope all is well with everyone!
Love,
Carly & Mike
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