The Lifetime Chicago Triathlon is a race in three parts: a swim. a bike. and then a run. And the unique thing about this story, is that each part gets to be told by a different person.
Team Awesome! participated in the Chicago Triathlon Relay this weekend. Kicking things off in wave 1, Lauren Kaminsky, Ashley Bond and I tackled the sprint triathlon together.
Check out the photos and tale of the amazing day after the jump!
I had the privilege of getting things started in the first leg. And it's a good thing I enjoy swimming as I had just a hair under a half mile to cover. We were seeded with the crazy Triple Crown athletes who attempt the Super Sprint, the Sprint and the International Distance races during the same weekend...those athletes are truly amazing.
Our morning as a team got off to a rocky start. It was challenging finding everyone so I could get the chip, Lauren was having mechanical drama with her bike and there were mobs of anxious, spandex-clad people everywhere you looked. Fun times. But with no velcro ankle strap to be found to pass off our chip, we knew we had to improvise. I'd keep it in my swim cap and then the other two girls would swipe it across the mats whenever they'd find one (which led to some technical difficulties and us missing a final run split). After Lauren and I finally caught up with the rest of the ChicagoNow gang, David Wallach and I realized that we were about to start in a few minutes and did a nice little sprint up to the start line to get our heart rates going. Little did we know we would never have a moment to get them back down.
The two of us were literally sprinting through the crowds of people as the anthem was playing. We quickly zipped each other's wetsuits and were doing cannon balls into Lake Michigan just as the horn was sounding.
I had planned to start in the back of the wave on the outside since I hadn't put in any open water swims since June and no swims of a sizable distance since Ironman Arizona last November. But our starting position was in the thick of it all. There was a bit of jocky-ing for open water in the beginning with the unavoidable jostling, but nothing like the washing machine of an Ironman swim start. I'm fairly certain I got to third base with some chick out there, but when you reach for water in a group of large people, it's inevitable that you'll grab a fistful of someone's unmentionables at some point during the race.
I had no concept of where Wallach was in relation to me, I just hoped to beat him out of the swim and have fun while I was out there. So I'm swimming along and The Killers "All These Things That I've Done" pops into my head and I just get in a groove. I remind myself to sight off of the boathouse, and I count the spectators along the wall each time I breathe to my left. Close to the end, the lead swimmers of the second wave have caught up to me and I'm able to spot the swim exit.
With a few final strong strokes, I pass the final turn buoy and see a hand reaching down into the water to pull me up. Before I know it, I'm back on dry land and making the mad sprint into transition to pass things off to Lauren for the bike. I made it out of the water in less than 16 minutes, not even close to my best for the distance, but certainly not my worst.
The one unique thing about the Chicago Triathlon that they don't tell you when you register, is that you actually get to do two run legs in this race (kidding, only slightly). The dash out of the water and over to transition is at least a third of a mile, if not longer. So my final swim time plus the mad dash into T1 was 19:26. Somewhere in transition I hear Old Man Wallach shouting that he's coming after me...which can only mean one thing: he ate my bubbles as I beat him out of the water by a few seconds.
Success! (just kidding, man)
The hand off in transition goes smoothly and I take a few moments to pull myself together and hang out with some of the other ChicagoNow folk, before heading out to cheer on friends and take photos from the day.
After the race was over, we met back up with our group to hang out for a bit before talking with other athletes for their thoughts on the race and packing up shop to head home.
Be sure to check out Lauren's perspective on the bike and Ashley's on the run today over on their blogs.
I've said it once, and I'll say it again...this event truly is world class and exceptionally organized for its size. Whether you're looking to challenge yourself with something new or attempting to place in your age group, definitely give the Lifetime Chicago Triathlon consideration for your race calendar next year.
Filed under: Sports
Tags: Ashley Bond, AthletiCo, Bike, Chicago Endurance Sports, Chicago Triathlon, David Wallach, Infinity Multisport, Jimmy Greenfield, Lauren Kaminsky, Lifetime, POM, Run, Swim, Triathlon
You are a rock star in the water. What you forgot to mention was the "old man Wallach" stomped you guys in the overall race, including his incredible slow transitions.
All 3 of you were and are AWESOME!
Due to technical difficulties with the chip, you will never truly know the truth about said "Stomage." And I'd love to have some of those cookies you baked in transition, slow poke!
Remember, the full costume change in transition is necessary. Both fashion and function are important in triathlon.
That's really neat. I didn't know you could break up the race like that. Great job!
The three of us were offered a unique opportunity to race as a sprint relay team. Traditionally at the Chicago Triathlon, relay teams are relegated to the Olympic distance.
Yuuuuummm. Cookies. :)