"June is bustin' out all over, All over the meadow and the hill! Buds're bustin' outa bushes And the rompin' river pushes, Ev'ry little wheel that wheels beside the mill!"
The next event on the "Tour O' Trahan" was the Summer Solstice Sprint Triathlon, my first official USAT triathlon. The race venue is held at Marion's Camp on the pristine waters of Lake Singletary in Sutton, MA. Always held on the closest Friday to the actually solstice. The race is organized by MRA Multisport a local triathlon coaching club that hosts a multitude of unique race offerings in central MA. They have something for everyone at any level of the sport; running, cycling, swimming and throw in a trail series, snowshoeing, and paddling and you have a nice selection of events to pick and choose. Many of their triathlon and multisport races even offer a team relay division.
We all know that committing to a race, any race requires travel and eats up entire weekends in preparation and execution. The idea of racing on a Friday evening during the longest days of the year is brilliant, leaving the better part of the weekend to be spent with family and tend to much necessary yard work. How productive!
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| 144 triathletes enter the water to begin the 2015 Summer Solstice Sprint! Photo by Emily Hayes |
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| Three Embattled Friends Photo by Emily Hayes |
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Pairs of two, every 3 seconds in time trial start format.
The women begin their calculated assault.
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Showing up to an event facing the leg I have devoted ZERO training time; the swim. I would surely be challenged. Anyone that knows me, I prefer to kayak and if your swimming while kayaking then your doing something terribly wrong! Lining up with seasoned triathletes is a little intimidating knowing that the Clydesdale figure 15 years older was going to obliterate me in the water was unnerving. Good news was being surrounded by friends, colleagues and many new acquaintances from MRA Multisport. Its always a pleasure to race with so many fellow outdoor enthusiasts. The energy in the atmosphere at an event like this is contagious!
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| Chef Mike and I paired up 30 spots from the front. Photo by Emily Hayes |
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| My triathlon version of the seal launch. Photo by Emily Hayes |
So the race started and a group of friends competing directly against each other started uncomfortably way too close to the front. Starting out in pole position 30 with over 120 people behind me was the first mistake of the day. Second mistake was charging out too fast in the first 100m and burning out. I fizzled out upon reaching the large orange inflatable buoy marking the first turn in the course. Racers converge on this target area like sardines. Getting bumped and beaten out there, lost my rhythm, breathing uncontrollably, lost my direction and came up briefly treading water to look around. Surrounded by swimmers just cruising passed me almost effortlessly. I was in survival mode from this point forward and it was painful.
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| Athletes quickly transition to their bikes.... |
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| Athlete crossing the timing mats coming out of transition onto the bike. |
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| Friend and Colleague Justin Deary Photo by Mike Luchini |
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| Working hard at playing chase on the bike course. Photo by Mike Luchini |
The bike ride around Lake Singletary is an outstanding time trail course. Relativity flat and fast with freshly paved roads and only 5 turns over the 10 mile course make it an all out burn session. Can you feel the pepper! Coming out of the swim in 93rd position required a huge effort out there on the bike. I passed numerous competitors but for some reason noticed how much more effort was required to make each and every pass, seemingly in slow motion. Riding triathlon specific bikes built specifically to place the rider in an aerodynamic position thus competitors were speeding right along in a fury while conserving tons of energy. My road bike and I were completely surrounded, this time by cyclists cruising at almost effortless speed. I was able to command a 21.6mph feeling remarkably good coming into transition and ready to put the legs to the ultimate test coming off the bike.
Coming off the bike and into transition I still had my work cut out for me. It has been a long time since I have raced a short distance for speed and this 5km would define how far I have come since running again. Coming out of transition in stride with a spring in my step. Something I have not felt in a long, long time. I carried the pace and intensity onto the main road working my way past competitors asking myself, "is this for real" and concerned about loosing my stride. It never happened and I cruised into the finish line with a ton of steam left in the tank.
Coming off the bike and into transition I still had my work cut out for me. It has been a long time since I have raced a short distance for speed and this 5km would define how far I have come since running again. Coming out of transition in stride with a spring in my step. Something I have not felt in a long, long time. I carried the pace and intensity onto the main road working my way past competitors asking myself, "is this for real" and concerned about loosing my stride. It never happened and I cruised into the finish line with a ton of steam left in the tank.
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| Coming off the bike.... Check out the cyclists bike next to mine. |
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| Patrick Royce of Sutton, MA coming off the bike into second transition |
I successfully achieved my projected goal with a time of 1:02:10. Thus managed a 20th overall and 3rd place (35-39 age group) after coming out of the swim in 93rd place moving up 73 positions through the 10 mile bike and 5km run. Ranked 11th in the bike and was completely blown away with a 20:15 run a triumphant 6:32/mile pace. I just whooped and hollered with excitement! Here are the entire race day results.
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| Justin Deary of Uxbridge, MA accepting his finish line medallion. Photo by Emily Hayes |
In the battle among friends Justin Deary took the belt in yet another event of going head to head with him with a 16th overall with a time of 1:01:23 and 2nd (35-39 age group). He is a pure machine on the race course and an adrenaline rush when he gets moving. I could easily point to how poorly I felt on the swim but interesting enough I actually lost the race in transition of all places! This is a stark reminder of how important it is to practice transitions especially between the swim and bike. In comparison, Patrick Royce of Sutton, MA finished 4th overall with a lightning fast time of 55:57 and 1st (35-39 age group)!!!
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| Nick and Ted competing in their first ever triathlon. Photo by Emily Hayes |
It was such an inspiration to see racing partners Nick Draper and Ted Painter competing in their very first triathlon together. They are both members of Team Hoyt New England.What was even more impressive was their stats....
Check out these results!
Swim Tran1 Bike Tran2 Run Finish
===== ===== =================== ============ == === = ======= =======
1 258 NICK DRAPER SPENCER MA 27 M 13:36 5:37 37:47 2:41 20:24 1:20:03
2 256 TED PAINTER OXFORD MA 44 M 13:36 5:36 37:48 2:42 20:24 1:20:03
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Visit them online at "In the 'Nick' of Time" and keep an eye out for them.
I think they are hooked on multisport!
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| Race Director, Alex Rogozenski Photo by Emily Hayes |
The Summer Solstice Sprint Triathlon is the perfect event to bring the entire family for a delightful evening cheering on the athletes and enjoy the setting sun over Lake Singletary. An entertaining evening with a DJ spinning tunes and full food service firing up the grills on-site. MRA Multisport puts the exclamation point in what is undoubtedly a stellar racing experience for anyone from a first time triathlete to the most seasoned competitor. The support of the Town of Sutton along with local Police and Fire departments along with the swarm of volunteers making this race possible is simple outstanding!
The Summer Solstice Sprint has just become a favorite on my list of events and hopefully for many more years to come. The competition was stout and with some improvement I might even be able to edge ever close to breaking the 60 minute mark. Must focus my efforts on both swim strategy and technique, speed up my transitions and who knows perhaps even a time trial bike in my near future!
Work Hard, Train Hard, Play Harder
Mark
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| Waters colleagues Ed Ognibene, Cheryl Turner and Nicole Asrenault soaking in those very last rays of the solstice. |
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