A few years ago, I signed up for this race while I was here in FL at my house, but I signed up on Saturday afternoon, and the race had actually already been done at that time! I sent a note to the director asking if there was anything we could do, like a refund or something, and she suggested they give me credit for a future race. Then the pandemic happened. Then cancer happened.
So 4 years later, I sent a note to the race director asking if they still had a record of this offer, and she responded with an offer of a 50% discount for this year's race. I decided that was very generous given the time that had passed, and I signed up for the sprint.
This is a women-only triathlon and has 200-300 competitors. It's a nice race with a swim in Lake Minneola, a ride around the lake, and a run through the Clermont trail area. The transition is small and easily navigable, and the water is usually pretty warm. (I've done races in Clermont at this location in the past so I was very familiar with the course and the location.)
On race day, I got up at 5 AM and drove the hour 10 minutes to the course, checked in, got my chip, shirt, bib, and stickers, got body marked, and put my things into transition. There was a large contingent of women over 65 there from The Villages. They have a triathlon group and do this race every year. We chatted while we waited for the race to begin. The start was uneventful, but I left a pair of flip-flops at the beach's edge because we had to run across very rough asphalt. The 400 yd swim was a very nice U shape from right to left with a long beach and asphalt run to transition after. I think I finished in about 10 minutes or less, and one of the ladies I had chatted with came out with me. I was, as usual, one of the first ones out of the water.
I took my time getting ready for the bike and several minutes later was on the course. This bike ride is only 8 miles, so it is shorter than the standard sprint distance. It is partially shaded on the ride, and since it's fairly early, there is little traffic on the course, but it is open for most of the ride. There are short steep hills at the end of the ride, so it's good to be prepared for this last push. The final ride into transition is downhill, so that's a nice way to prepare for the run.
This time of year, it's getting hot and humid quite early. Temps are about 80+, and 80% humidity is normal. That day was no different. I am still dealing with HR spikes on runs, so I had to do quite a bit of walking. I aimed for 14 min pace for the walk when I could. That keeps my HR up about 155 or more; running short distances at that temp spikes my HR up to 188. (Normal Max HR for someone my age is about 150). I was happy to finish and enjoyed the race very much.
I chatted with a woman who was a Base member and a vendor at the expo afterward. She sells skirts and headbands with a sort of Hawaiian theme. I liked them but decided against spending money at that point. I got some race food.
As races go, the buffet for this race is tremendous. They had sandwich roll-ups (3 varieties), chips (6 varieties), fruit (grapes, strawberries, bananas), pastries, yogurt and sodas, and mimosas with champagne. We all received medals and a tiara at the finish line.
I didn't podium, there were some pretty fast ladies there (runners), and my bike shoes needed to be clipped in completely, so I wasn't getting a full spin cycle on the bike. I wasn't too worried. Just doing the race was fun and good for my psyche.
I recommend this race to anyone in the Clermont area.
If you want to rent my house, you need to be 55+ and do a background check, but it's available most summers and within an hour or so drive of several triathlon sites. Clermont, Fort DeSoto, and Vero Beach triathlons are all within driving distance without a hotel if you get up between 4-5 AM.
No comments:
Post a Comment