Rev3 Knoxville Race Report
So it was the first race weekend of the season. A much anticipated
weekend that has had a lot of winter training and miles put in to get there. I
was really looking forward to seeing how Rev3 does things and let me say now
that I was pleasantly surprised and they put on really great events. Super fun
filled weekend and definitely family friendly were all ups sides to their
weekend.
Rachel and I left home Thursday night and made it out to Roanoke.
Our good friend Caldwell Clarke met us there Friday morning from his drive down
from D.C. so we had breakfast and finished out the drive. Knoxville seems to be
a great city, just up from the hotel was a market square with restaurants and
such and most everything is walker friendly. There was a pretty cool farmers
market in the square on Saturday. We spent most of Friday just putting around
checking things out then Caldwell and his Wattie ink teammates met up for the
Rev3 glow run at night. Cool little 5k that went to support a Tennessee Swimmer
that was injured in the Boston bombing. I’m pretty sure they had more people
show up for the 5k then the triathlons on Sunday. We had great weather Friday and
Saturday for the start of the weekend but that was soon to change come Sunday and
race time. Saturday involved race prep, a couple ez workouts, bike check in,
and a pretty awesome ugly wetsuit contest which Caldwell won. We were all kinda
the highlight of the weekend. I don’t know if I have every laughed so much
leading up to a race.
Well on to Sunday. The water temps were taken at 58degrees
and it was calling for pouring rain all day. We got everything the weather
predicted. The day started with a nice cold swim, who needs an ice bath when
you have an entire river. I was pleasantly surprised that I could still swim
30mins given the conditions. I hit t1 feeling pretty good and that may be about
where it ended.(I was ill prepared with gear given the conditions) I tried to
take extra time to get my arm warmers on but couldn’t so I flew without them
thinking I could make it. About 10miles into the bike my teeth started chattering
and didn’t stop until the run. With the exception of the rain all day the bike
course there is great with a little city and then some farmland roads. I had a
little miss hap on the bike somewhere around mile 40-45ish where the half and
oly course comes back together. A car was pushed through and when I came around
the corner and got back to speed I found the car slowing fast on the left side
of an oly cyclist I had nowhere to go but in the middle of the road and pass,
the car then decides to turn into a drive way. I got on both brakes and just
followed the car luckily I had just enough space to squeeze into the gravel
driveway, I lost a lot of momentum in the drive way and just went down in the
gravel. I thought it was going to end worse than it did. I wasn’t hurt but it
definitely shook me up for the rest of the bike ride. I finished the ride out
and hit the run. With thoughts of not going out for the run I knew what I was
there to do and a DNF wasn’t it. I laced up the shoes and went. Not the run I was
hoping for but it was all I had on the given day. I dug myself into a hole
early on with how cold I stayed on the bike. It continued to rain the entire
run and the little creeks were pretty high causing some places on the course to
be washed over. When you’re 4miles into a run and hit shin deep water knowing
that 5miles later you will see it again it’s not the greatest feeling. The
couple people off the front of the race that I saw on the out and back I give credit
to them for putting together a solid day. I was kinda in survival mode and was
happy to run even and finish the race. I ended up 6th overall on the
day and really no worse for wear. I have some things to think about and Eagle
man is just a short 4weeks away and we can try it again.
I had the oppturnity to meet one of the new Zoot Ultra team
members Danielle Baker and congrats to her on first overall women. Also the
guys at Wattie ink have some great members on their team and it was good to
share fun time with them this weekend as well. Big thinks to Rachel Jastrebsky
for being an awesome Sherpa for me and Caldwell this weekend. It’s a good wife
that gets up at 4:30 and heads to transition with you.
All In all awesome weekend and rev3 had a great event I look
forward to being at the Williamsburg venue this year also.
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