Race #9- Santa Barbara County Triathlon, August 25
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Having Fun Again |
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This was our first visit back after
five years to this popular race which attracted over 750 athletes. Its Long Course
distance (1 mile swim/34.6 mile bike/10 mile run) is an unusual cross between
an Olympic-distance triathlon (1.5kS/40kB/10kR) and a Half-Ironman
(1.2miS/56miB/13.1miR) so part of the challenge was in dosing our effort
accurately so that we had just enough energy to last to the finish line. We
both enjoyed this distance because it did not demand the 100% intensity
required for an Olympic-distance race, yet it rewarded patience and endurance
but not to the extent of a Half-Ironman. The swim was always challenging with
a beach start into the ocean, the bike was one of the most technical circuits
we have raced (.6 miles were added due to a detour) and the run was a fast
jaunt along the coast. All that against the beautiful backdrop of Joining us again would be Jeff
Tigert, former AFM
Champion turned triathlete. He had also raced Folsom
with us just two weeks prior and was ready to move up in distance. Already up
to speed in the swim and bike (with one of the fastest transitions), Jeff
just needed to get his run together. |
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Sherwick
3:22:11, 8th age-group, 48th overall men (36th
non-elite) |
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“The swim was a success as I came
out of the water with no neck chafing thanks to using Sports Slick on both my
neck and the inside of my suit! Although I swam my way up to the 2nd
wave before us, there were six others in my age-group ahead of me. It was an
enjoyable swim with little chop and no contact! We had pre-run the bicycle course
in our car the day before and it had sure seemed longer than on two wheels.
My cycling has not been very strong this year and although the hills and
descents were no problem, I felt that I needed that extra gear on the flats.
As a side note, my bike had trouble on the stand shifting into the 11/23 gear
but out on the road the problem magically disappeared! On the way back, head
down and following the rider ahead, I missed a turn with only a few miles to
go. I immediately made a u-turn losing a few spots but the other guy kept
going! For all I know, he is still lost! No sooner after I had repassed some
of the riders who took advantage of my mistake were we stopped at the
railroad tracks by a train! We waited for what seemed an eternity (in reality
it was ~ 1 minute) and then it became a mass sprint up the hill funneling
into a narrow bike path that was perhaps only two miles from T2. Having 20 riders
fight for space was a bit unnerving but nothing like an AFM race start! I came off the bike in 10th
having only lost 3 spots and proceeded to run down the others in my
age-group. My first two miles were at 6:55/mile which about 15 seconds slower
than my run five years ago- I guess my age is showing! However, I was able to
click off a 6:26 mile on the return trip and pass two men in my age-group
which put me up to 8th out of 84 at the end of another fun day in
Santa Barbara!” said Sherwick. |
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Sherwick with a final check behind to finish in 8th |
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Jami 3:37:51, 4th
age-group, 30th overall women (23rd non-elite) |
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“I was looking forward to the ocean
swim. Its rectangular course would be simple to navigate and the gentle roll
of the waves would be soothing. I stepped into the relatively calm waters to
do a warm-up and was stopped cold – literally by the chill. I stood there for
several moments waiting for my feet to lose feeling. Once they did, I swam a
quick out-and-back and was ready to start. I surged to the front of the pack
towards the first buoy which came up fast. Then, it was a long haul to the
next turn buoy, but I seemed to get there faster than others. I made a quick
90° turn, then one more when suddenly I was blinded by the light. The sun was
directly in my path casting a glare which obscured the buoys. I swam with
blind faith that I was going in the right direction. It turned fine, albeit not
as straight as is necessary for a fast swim time. As I exited the swim, I told myself
to forget about it and think forward to the bike. I was judging that the
technical, hilly course would be perfect for me as a smaller rider with
respectable bike handling skills. I maneuvered my way through the course
adeptly, but there were some long, flatter sections that were exposed to
headwinds. These sections required a more powerful rider. This is where I
lost time but not to the extent of having to stop completely. Officers made a
group of roughly 20 of us stop because traffic was getting backed up on the
highway due to our event! Unfortunately, I didn’t have the presence of mind
to time how long we were held there, but my best guess is ~2-3 minutes!
Nevertheless, I was in 12th place off the bike. After that, it was
a sprint to the bike finish where I dismounted and changed into my running
gear- all within 1:17 and one of the fastest transitions of the day! That set the stage for my run. I
started off with a 7:56 mile which, at first, I thought was too slow, but
later realized it helped me “warm-up” for the remaining nine miles. Over the
next two miles, I dropped 30 seconds per mile as my running felt effortless
even though I was probably well into the 90%+ heart rate zone. My turnover was high as was my energy as I
pounced upon targets (both men and women), reeling them in like fish. After
passing seven women in my age-group I came upon the last two miles in which I
starting to tire. I managed to catch one more in my age-group within the last
half-mile, and I even put 20 seconds on her by the finish! My run performance
was one of the best in my triathlon career and was good enough for 2nd
fastest amateur run of the day beating out 3 elite women!” said Jami. |
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Jami coming home with the 2nd fastest run of
the day! |
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Jeff 3:37:47, 13th
age-group, 133rd overall men (119th non-elite) |
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Jeff had an awesome swim coming out
of the water in 9th place. The fastest transition in his age-group
combined with a strong bike put Jeff into 7th off the bike. Then
the wheels started coming off as he found the 10-mile run to be a little
difficult. Nevertheless, the former motorcycle racer turned multi-sport
athlete soldiered on to finish 13th in his age-group and 4 seconds
ahead of Jami which is very respectable given that this is only his third
triathlon! |
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Jeff out of the water in 9th place |
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Enjoy
the ride! –- Team
JaS
Special thanks to: |
