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David Kennedy Thompson |
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Copyright David Thompson 2006 |
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Med Express Mountaineer Triathlon, Morgantown, WV June 29 Dominion Post Off Course in Morgantown - Going off course sucks no matter how you look at it, but this trip ended up being a wasted weekend. It is the responsibility of an athlete to know the course, but racers do depend on signs to guide us around the course. Courses can change; maps aren’t always correct; race maps aren’t usually complete either, and reading street signs is difficult to do at speed. If you’re a local, racer from a previous year, or course designer, the way to go is obvious, obviously. However, it not obvious if you’re looking for an obvious sign, and there isn’t one. Anyway, I went off course early during the bike leg, while in 2nd behind Andrew Yoder. Andrew was out of the water first and safely following the lead vehicle when I saw him at the first bike course turn-around. Coming back from the turn around, I anticipated a right hand corner from looking at the map, and I also expected it to be well marked as indicated at the race meeting. Unfortunately, it was marked with two non-visible arrows. I drove back out to the corner after the race to see if I was just an idiot. There was a faded orange arrow that was barely visible. It looked like it was from a previous event. There was also a horizontal strip of yellow tape, which I assume was part of an arrow. The point of the taped arrow was missing, and neither mark was visible to an approaching cyclist because of the downhill into the corner. Going into the corner, I sat up to look for marks because I was expecting to turn right. Then, I waited for the gentleman in 3rd place, who also missed the turn, so I could ask him if he saw anything. He though we should go straight, and I took another look back to see the 4th place man not make the turn as well. The guy in forth place eventually won the race, so he must have turn around shortly there after. Despite missing a corner that potentially cost me $3500, I would recommend the Med Express Mountaineer Triathlon. The swim wasn’t bad, and the portion of the bike course I saw had pretty rural scenery. The run leg through town and trails looked good too. Morgantown is just a 1 hour 30 minute drive south from Pittsburg - an easy drive. Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon, Philadelphia, PA June 22 IT Race Coverage I love Philadelphia right now. My plane is delayed and I might not make my connection, which means I could be sleeping at the Milwaukee Airport tonight. But, I don’t care. Somehow, winning a race seems to make all your troubles disappear. At least, until I look at the results. I didn’t swim or bike as well as I wanted, which means harder training in the coming weeks. I’d like to be swimming better than I was last year, especially for the Life Time Fitness in three weeks. Only two and half weeks remain before I need to cut back and taper, so I’ll have sore muscles in the coming weeks. Anyway, this is how Philadelphia Triathlon unfolded. The swim was expected to be quick with former Iowa U swimmer Cameron Dye and national open water champion John Kenny in the race. Eric Linkemann and 18 year old Andrew Yoder are fish in the water too, and this crew dropped me and the chase pack 300 meters in. At the end of the swim down the Schuylkill River, the course turns 135 degrees back up river to the opposite bank. I got around the chase pack by not following and swimming straight for the last buoy, which made my swim feel descent. I expected to be down by only 45 to 60 seconds . I was disappointed to see in the results that the lead group had about a 1:18 lead. I never saw Andrew on the bike, but I did keep up with Joe Gambles, who crushed the bike and won the Battle at Midway Triathlon last weekend. Joe passed me a mile in to the bike, but I passed him back with about 3 miles from the T2. Joe and I caught everyone in the lead swim group except Andrew Yoder by half way through the second lap (30k)of the bike course and finished with almost identical split. The youngster, Andrew, hammered out an impressive bike time, but I don’t think it was as fast as the results show (53:41). Multiple spectators told us we were 1:30 to 1:35 down on Andrew starting the run. I’m thinking he beat my 56:00 bike split by about 19 seconds because I don’t think he spent 2:47 in T1 when the rest of us took about 47 seconds. I never saw him in T1 either, which means you can’t always trust chip timing. If you subtract off 2:00 from his T1 and add it to his bike split you get 55:41, which is a believable 19 seconds faster than my split of 56:00. Going into the run, Joe Gambles immediately made up the gap I had leaving T2, and we ran side by side for about a mile. I felt confident we’d close sometime on Andrew, but making up a 1:30 gap is tough. Joe seemed to push the pace 3 times, but I just kept up my rhythm. On his third push, the effort seemed to over extend him, and as my rhythm made up the stride he gained, I decided pick up my cadence a bit, which created a gap on Joe. The separation from running side by side seemed to help my running even more, and as the run course turned the bend, I could finally see Andrew. By the first turn-around (2k), I had cut the gap to 50 seconds. On the way back, Andrew picked up his pace holding the gap at 45 seconds to transition (4k), but I still thought I would catch him. At mile 4, I did make the pass, but Andrew held tough for awhile. Once I had the lead I was excited but also nervous because the win could be taken away in the last 2.4 miles. However, the positive thinking suggested that if I just kept up my current pace I would win. I was victorious, but I took a few glances over my shoulder in the finishing stretch. I’ve been passed in the last mile each of the last two weeks, which is frustrating. Battle at Midway, Midway, UT June 15 IT Race Coverage This race was in a beautiful venue, starting in Deer Creek Reservoir and finishing at Solider Hollow Stadium. Solider Hollow was the venue for cross country skiing in the 2002 Winter Olympics. With my result from Escape from Alcatraz, I thought my fitness would be good enough to possibly win here. The water temperature was 55 degrees for the swim and the air temperature during the swim was even colder, high 40s. The swim actually felt warm, but I knew the bike was going to be hard on the hands and feet from the run out of the water to T1. Normally, I like to get up to speed on the bike before I stick my feet into my shoes, but today I did it straight away. I knew with poor circulation in my hands and feet that I would lose almost all motor control in a few minutes, and I was right. Within 2 or 3 miles, I couldn’t feel my hands for feet and resorted to shifting with a fist. The plan was to leave the chain in the big ring and ride hard to stay warm. I think Joe Gambles had the same plan because he took off on the bike, and I wasn’t able to catch him. I did catch Stephen Hackett 4 miles before the completion of the bike to move into second, but Joe had 1:30 on me in T2. By the time I got out of T2 Joe had 2 minutes on me and Greg Remaly passed me. I literally could not use my hands. I pulled my head out of my helmet with it still buckled. Then I had to sit down to take off my bike shoes and put on my run shoes. I probably paid for this lack of motor control just after mile 5 of the run. Chris Foster caught and passed me for second. I had passed Greg shortly after leaving transition and had a safe gap on him, and I never saw Chris until he was 10 yards back. There wasn’t much I could do; Chris ran a 4:01 mile in college. I managed to hold the damage to 30 seconds, but my legs and lungs were fried from the non-stop hills and altitude. At least, it was a podium finish, but being passed right at the end of a race two weeks in a row is frustrating. Escape from Alcatraz, San Francisco, CA April 13 IT Race Coverage My favorite race is Escape from Alcatraz. There is no other race that’s as unique and as big of an event. The parks and varying terrain that San Francisco other are beautiful and challenging, and I happen to be somewhat familiar with the city because I usually spend two weeks here for my Navy Reserve duty every year. Going into the race this year I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I had been ill for most of May, sleeping most of the day and having trouble breathing. During this period I missed Florida 70.3 and stayed home to race Gear West Duathlon. If I was going to be sick, I would rather be at home. I ended up winning the duathlon, but I was miserable the entire race and day, but at least I got some sort of training in. If I didn’t race, I would have done anything except work at the shop. Prior to Escape I also raced Apple Duathlon and the Pigman Sprint. I was still sick at Apple, but was feeling better by Pigman. What this all adds up to is uncertainty in my ability going into Escape. I had trained through the illness, so it’s possible I could have a good race. However, my work outs weren’t spectacular during that period either. Anyway, the lap around Alcatraz Island before the start was great. Everyone on the boat was anxious to start, but hesitant to jump off the boat. So, we just enjoy the view of the bay area, including San Francisco and Golden Gate Bridge. The water was supposed to be calm and the current pushing us out to see at 4 or 5 Knots, which means fast swim times. Normally, the water is rough in the first mile of the race and then tends to smooth out in the last half mile as the course nears shore. The waves bounced me around the whole way this year, but there were no super waves either. I missed the lead chase group in the swim in the chop but ended up coming out with big group around 1:30 back from Andy Potts and Ben Swanson. I passed most every one that came out of the water ahead of me by Golden Gate Park. I could see Craig Alexander 20 seconds up at the turn around in the Park and moved past him at the hard right out of the Park and onto the Coastal Hi-way. Now, Graham O’Grady and Paul Mathew’s were just up the road and I passed both of them by the Legion of Honor at the top of a climb leading into a technical downhill to Baker Beach. Craig stayed close behind as I approached the last winding descent to Crissy Field. That’s my favorite part of the race because I seem to find a line that allows me to not touch the brakes and fly over the last 2 miles at over 30 mph. Coming into T2, I saw Andy’s bike as expected, but as I race down the rack to the exit I saw Matt Charbott’s bike as well, which was a surprise. Last year, I passed him early on the bike course. Today Matt was running side by side with Andy and they exited transition with me chasing 30 seconds back in third. Craig and Graham followed 20 and 30 seconds back from me. The run was a battle for position the entire 8.5 miles. Craig caught me just before the stairs up the Golden Gate Bridge at mile 1.5. He put in a surge to reach the steps first, but I repassed him immediately and put 15 seconds between us on the way up. Graham O’Grady also passed Craig on the stairs or shortly after in the single track that passed through the old fortifications. Once Graham reached me, we raced together for a mile or so down to Baker Beach and out to the turn around. At the turn around Andy broke away from Matt and Graham and I was reeling Matt in. As soon as I made the turn around I started assessing myself because the sand ladder was looming on the horizon. As I lunged up the log and sand steps, I seemed to be closing the gap Graham had over me on the beach while closing more time on Matt. I figured it would be possible to catch Matt and move back into third, but I had to dig deep. The leg busting portion of the run ended as the run course came back down the steps from Golden Gate Bridge and back onto the crushed rock path of Crissy field. Matt was 15 yards ahead of me as I jumped off the last step onto the path. Craig was about 45 second back at this point. Making contact with Matt was hard, and didn’t let me pass easily. He hung on for my first attempt but let a gap form on the next try. Now all I had to do was keep on the gas to finish on the podium. However, with 1000 meters to go Craig Alexander came out of no where to catch and surge on me. I ran as hard as I could and so did Craig. Craig was looking back all the way to the line, but I couldn’t get enough out of my legs to make up the 12 second difference. In the end, forth was a good result, but I need to get a better performance on the swim and bike in the future. Hopefully, that will be the case now that I’m not sick and the weather is gorgeous in St Paul. Pigman Sprint, Palo, IA June 1 Cathy Yndestad gave me a good run in the male vs. female equalizer race. Cathy had good swim and an awesome bike. I couldn’t make up as much time as I wanted on the swim or bike. By the time I entered T2, I had passed all the women except Cathy. She was up 3:20 on me and the Julie Hull, the second place women. If Cathy would have run last years time or her goal of under 19 minutes she would have won. On the 5k plus a little run and Pigman, I only manage to catch her with under a mile to go. The longer run helped me and hurt her. In the end, Cathy crossed the line about 30 seconds behind me. Things seem to be getting better for me on the road back from being sick. Apple Duathlon, Sartell, MN May 24 IT Race Coverage Apple is my favorite local race simply because they have showers available after the race. There’s nothing better than a hot shower after a race. I’d much rather drive home clean than salt stained and stinky. The first 5k went better than the previous week at Gear West. I ran 15:38 for 5k – feeling better but still sick. Sam Hauck and Brooks followed me into T1. Neil led for a good portion of the run, but then had an uncharacteristic slump around mile 2. Leading from the start of the bike to the finish is nice because I can set my own pace. I had a descent ride but it was slightly of my expected ride for Apple. I think I averaged 25 high. The second run felt better than the first just like the Gear West Duathlon. Apple was even more fun because Hannah was racing too. She even raced the week before at Gear West Duathlon. Gear West Duathlon, Orono, MN May 18 IT Race Coverage After choking on mucus and a sore throat all night, surviving the Gear West duathlon seemed to be the proper goal. However, I still wanted to win because there was money on the line. My friend Neil Miller took over the 5k cross country run around 2K and opened up a gap on me. I wanted to go with him but couldn’t. However, I did manage to pass Neil, the most aerodynamic person on a bike, about 2 miles into the bike. Soon after, Dan Cohen and John Shelp caught up. They rode well, but I managed to get a gap again at the right turn off Hwy 19 and hold it into T2. The second run felt better than the first, probably because I didn’t have to follow Neil as on the first run. I ended up winning, but it was nice to see Dan and John do so well. The rest of the day I worked at the shop, which is super fun after a race, but being on my feet did help keep me legs from seizing up. Wildflower, Lake San Antonio May 3 IT Race Coverage Coming Soon St Anthony’s, St Petersburg, FL April 27 IT Race Coverage Coming Soon Powerman Alabama, Irondale, AL April 13 IT Race Coverage After finishing one of my favorite races of the season, a malaise feeling came over me. I should have been excited to win one the biggest duathlons in the U.S, but the troubling lack of professionals in the field seemed to indicate the extinction of elite level racing in this two sport race. This was my third trip to Birmingham and Powerman Alabama. When I was there for my first race, it was the Elite National Championship and had a solid field of around 14 male professionals, including Tom Jeffrey and Kevin Danahy. The next year the field was even deeper. Josiah Middaugh, Greg Krause, and a few Europeans showed up in addition to last year field. Tom and I ended up battling it out in a neck to neck run, and I was thrilled to edge him out for the win in the last mile. This year there were only two male pros, including myself, at the Powerman starting line. Tom and everyone else couldn’t make it because of work conflicts, family obligations, or injury. The addition of an equal purse for the Whistle Stop Duathlon, which a shorter race held in conjunction with Powerman, split the number of pros that were there. It was bad for completion, but hopefully, it generated more interest and participation for the race organizers. While I was time trialing the Powerman by myself, I was contemplating the possibility of racing Whistle Stop as well. Hell, this wasn’t the first race that ended up being a hard workout. Why not extend it 50% more. In the end, I only did the Powerman and tried to stay motivated by trying to catch my wife, Hannah, who was doing the Whistle Stop. It didn’t come down to a sprint finish between us. She beat me handily. Hannah didn’t feel like celebrating her win over me because of her handy-cap. I didn’t feel as excited to win either, but a wins is a win. You have to celebrate a victory when you can no matter how small. In this business, you never know if it could be your last. California 70.3, Oceanside, CA March 29 IT Race Coverage When I reached mile 10 during the run, I was still in third place behind Andy Potts and Craig Alexander, but I had a long way to go. Winter training had gone well back in St Paul, MN. However, it’s never quite enough and at some point I knew the wheels were going to fall off. I just expected it to be much sooner. The pro men started at 6:40 AM. Sun rise was at 6:39. I’ve been working on my swim sprint and made a valiant effort to get out in front of some of the other pro men. Having even a half a body length makes a big difference in making the first swim pack. After the selection was made, I got to cruise out to the turn buoys with the main group chasing Andy and another super stud swimmer. Around 20 of the 40 pro men came out in that first group in 24 min. I took more time in transition to put on my wife’s extra-small long sleeve jersey. I almost froze to death on the bike last year. After swimming in 60 degree water, you're already chilled, but the evaporation and 54 degree air almost did me in 2007. I made up my losses by mile 10. However, Bjorn had already created a little gap off the lead chase train to Andy. Unfortunately, Craig Alexander and I pull the group up to Bjorn, and the usual dance took place took place in the 7 man train until mile 45. Then, Bjorn and Fraser Cartmell had broken away and I solo up to them and went by. Cartmell fell back a bit but Bjorn came into T2 right behind me followed closely by Craig. Popping onto the run course in second was nice but unexpected. Last year I started running on vapors toward the conclusion of the bike. This year I still felt okay starting the run, or maybe it was just the cheers from the crowd as I ran down Harbor drive. Anyway, Craig and Fraser passed me just before mile one. I had to walk for a spell, so I could concentrate on peeing in my pants - something that I had to do again at mile 7. I felt much better after relieving myself and reeled Fraser back to move into third. I held Craig to around 40 seconds until mile 6. At that point, my body was starting to give me warning signs, but I was hoping that whoever was behind me was starting to feel tired as well. Unfortunately, Paul Ambrose was still running strong at mile 11 and past me for third. My Gear West team mate John Shelp who was finishing his first lap helped pace me in the last 2.5 mile to hold on to 4th. I had a little time but no much to give high-fives to the crowd before Richie Cunning ham came screaming into the finish. The first major race of the season always hurts, but this one was especial painful. The last 3 miles put my body through a meat-grinder. Desert Classic Duathlon, Phoenix, AZ February 24 IT Race Coverage To anyone who has done Gear West Duathlon, the Desert Classic Du is the Arizona version of the Gear West Duathlon here in Minnesota. It starts with a 3.5 mile trail run on a hiking trail after a downhill start on a 600 m of asphalt just like Gear West Du. The main difference is in the plant life. If veered off the course in MN you probably come back on the trail with out bleeding. This is not true in Arizona were everything is sharp and deadly. The first run was fast for me. I could only made the 10th fasted split. On the bike I faired a little better catching everyone but Paul Tichelaar who one the race, but I did get passed by Jordan Rapp. I felt much better on the second run and managed to pull back sometime on Jordan. In the end, I finished 3rd, a good result for me in the middle of winter. |
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Race Reports |
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Desert Classic Duathlon, Phoenix, AZ Elite Men's Results |
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California 70.3, CA March 29 Men’s Results |
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Powerman AL, Irondale, AL April 13 Elite Men's Results |
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Race Results & Pictures |
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Battle at Midway, Midway, UT June 15 Elite Men's Results |
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Escape from Alcatraz, CA June 9 Elite Men's Results |
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Philadelphia Insurance Philly, PA June 22 Elite Men's Results |