The 5150 Hy-Vee Championship race was my goal this season and the effort to qualify was worth the effort. A purse of $1,000,000, 60 of the best non-drafting athletes in the world, and a huge crowd made this the best race I’ve ever competed in. As soon as Amy and I landed in Des Moines, we were impressed with the professionalism of the race. There were signs in the airport for the athletes, shuttles to take us to downtown Des Moines, and when we got there the race was practically already set up two days before race-time.

It rained on Saturday then Sunday was beautiful weather and almost cool. All the rain Saturday was in the river by Sunday making for a very strong current. If I swam easy then I’d simply be getting pushed backward by the water.

After getting called out individually to the pontoon, the race was underway. I’ve had progressively better swims this season but that streak didn’t carry through here. I exited the water in 29th place and 3 minutes down from the lead. The upside was that 10 guys lay within a minute up the road.

The bike course was finely planned and consisted of four laps with a nice mixture of city riding, hills, and straight power sections. I hit it hard on the bike and rode to 23rd place by the time I started running. I wasn’t sure how my legs would feel once they hit the pavement after my effort on the bike but they got rolling well. I fought hard on the run, passing guys to move to 16th place. After dealing with an achilles injury all spring and summer, it felt fantastic to finally have a stride and open up the legs. I loved the lap format of the run, 1.5 miles per lap with one big hill and a deep crowd most of the way. Plus I had Amy, Tate, and Paula cheering me on every loop keeping my spirits high.
With the huge backing of Hy-Vee and other race sponsors, 16th place was worth $7,000 which I’m very appreciative of. Greg Bennett was the men’s champion on the day which was nice to see. Amy and I were impressed with his friendliness and positive outlook on racing when we saw him and his wife Laura throughout the weekend.

It would help the sport dramatically if other companies could see the benefit of backing a race of this caliber. Imagine a series of races at this level. This was a bit of an experiment for high stakes non-drafting Olympic distance race and from my perspective it was a success. The athletes were an intriguing mix of Ironman World Champions, Olympians, ITU athletes, and 70.3 stars. The city of Des Moines is a perfect size for this race because it’s large enough to host a race this size yet small enough that the race is THE event in town. The race drew a large crowd locally and the live online coverage seemed to draw high ratings (at least every who I’ve talked to watched it). This is the model that the IAAF T&F World Championships is based upon.

Now it’s time for a short down period before getting back into my fall race season which will consist of five races. Next up is the Jarden Westchester Triathlon on September 25th in Rye, NY.

With 8 weeks between my last race, Boulder Peak, and Hy-Vee, 70.3 Boulder was a nice opportunity to break up the tough training and get in a race without having to travel. I haven’t seriously competed in a half distance race since 2007 and was excited to test myself over the distance. My achilles tendon has been healing nicely since Boulder Peak so I’ve been back into my normal running routine and building back the run fitness.
Race day. The swim was noticeably slower than an Olympic distance but it was also “75.9″ degree water making it wetsuit legal by .2 degrees. I think this led most of us to hold back on the swim and avoid overheating.
I felt great throughout the swim and that continued onto the bike. Amy was spotting for me on the course so I knew I was in 8th place and 2 minutes off the lead starting the bike. I rode steady the first loop but was surprised that: this guy behind me wasn’t dropping, I hadn’t caught anyone, and no one was even in sight. I was riding slightly higher watts than expected while at a lower effort level than expected so what was going on?
At the turnaround at 20 miles (out of 56 miles if your not familiar) I was happy to see that Gambles and Cartmell were leading at 2 minutes up and 6 guys were grouped together at 1 minute up. I kept up my watts and caught that group heading up 36. It turns out the fellow riding with me was Raynard Tissink, 5th place at Kona last year so not bad company to be in. Once the course flattened again after a long slight downhill I moved to get back into the pace but got a little crampy on the inside quads of my legs. I hung back the next 5 miles to let it work out then went back to work the last 5 miles. I finished the bike in 2:04 (4th best split) with 3 other guys so we were holding down places 3, 4, 5,and 6. Aside from feeling normal crampy twinges, I felt great the whole ride and was surprised how comfortable I was riding for that long.
I was pumped up going into the run. I had been feeling excellent all day and felt ready to run. I dialed in the pace on the 1st of 2 laps, holding down 6:00 pace. I got into 3rd place and definitely thought I could hold it with a chance at getting 2nd.
Then, the wheels came off. I suddenly had to walk the hills, feeling sleepy and wiped. I walked the aid stations, filling up my bottle and taking down as much as I could. I’d drink it down, feel slightly better for a half mile then it would hit again like clockwork. I had to endure this for 4 miles as I gave up my position. 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th. Finally after taking in a load of Gatorade, Coke, water, and a gel (tasty meal huh?) at the 11 mile aid station some life came back into me and I was able to run steady for the last 2 miles or so to the finish. Oddly, once I sat in the reservoir for a few minutes after the race and drank some fluids I felt better than I normally do after racing.

It’s a bummer to give up all the spots and finish in 7th but I think that once I dial in the nutrition better and race in cooler temps then it will be easier for me to race this distance. It was close to 100 degrees and a high temp record so tough conditions to race in. I’m aiming to race two more half’s this year at Rev3 South Carolina and 70.3 Longhorn. On the positive side, my swim-bike was strong and both have been feeling great in training. My run is coming back quicker than I expect so I’m excited for the Hy-Vee start line in 4 weeks.

Dan Mackenzie traveled to Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada this weekend to compete in the ITU Kelowna Pan American Cup. The race served as the Canadian National Championships, and thus provided a star studded field in arguably the strongest triathlon nation. Mackenzie toed the line with 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist and 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist Simon Whitfield (CAN).

Mackenzie exited the water in the midst of the third swim pack, but together they caught the second swim pack in the first lap of the bike. He remained in the second pack for the bike leg, entering the second transition in 18th. Once out on the run Dan moved up to 16th, earning coveted ITU points. ITU points are the basis for ITU Rankings, which are how USA Triathlon allocates starting positions for World Cup Events and World Championship Series Races, both of which are in Mackenzie’s plans for 2011. Performing well at those events earns athletes more points, which can eventually translate to Olympic Games qualification.

Riptide’s Ryan Borger also competed in Kelowna, finishing 39th despite competing with an infection in his lower leg that hampered his training for much of the previous week.

Mackenzie will be back in action on Sunday at the San Francisco Triathlon at Alcatraz. Borger will race this weekend at the Chicago International Triathlon.

Full results are available here.

Photos by bethmackenzie.com

Cyrus Severance led wire to wire to win this morning’s Tri the Creek at Cherry Creek Reservoir in Denver, Colorado.  The race is put on by the Denver Athletic Club and drew 275 local triathletes.

Cyrus hangs out with his new fans post-race.

Severance, racing in the 30-34 age group, started the race in the second wave of athletes.  Despite the 2 minute lead the first wave had, Severance caught and passed all but 1 in the 750m swim.  After a quick transition he was the first athlete out on the bike.  Riptide U-23 athlete Chris Athey followed shortly after, his increased yardage in swim practice already paying off.

Once out on the bike it was just Severance and the lead police car for the 13 mile leg throughout Cherry Creek State Park.  He entered T2 with over a minute lead, which only grew over the course of the 5k run.  He crossed the line first in a time of 1:06, 3 minutes ahead of 2nd place.

Athey crashed 2 miles into the bike, luckily only suffering relatively minor scrapes on his legs and feet.  He was able to continue racing and finished an impressive 4th overall, the best result the 19 year old has experienced in his short career.

Full results will be posted here when available.

Update (5:00pm 6/5/10): Athey did end up with 4 stitches in his foot from his crash.  Hopefully this won’t keep him out for long!

15 year-old Taylor Fogg took 2nd place overall at Friday night’s Metro Brokers Triathlon in Cherry Creek State Park.  Fogg is a member of the Riptide Junior Team and has her sights set on a Youth Elite National Title this summer.

Watch Fogg’s progress as she races throughout the year here at riptidemultisports.com.

Full results here.

Ryan Borger finished 4th overall, and was the 1st amateur finisher at the Capital of Texas Triathlon held this morning in Austin, Texas.  The second-year triathlete earned his USA Triathlon elite license by way of his strong finish, and will now begin racing in the pro ranks.

Borger fought his way through the long swim course, hitting a rock half-way through that caused him to briefly lose focus.  Once out on the bike he stayed calm when his legs took awhile to warm-up and respond to the demands of the intensity of the Olympic distance race.  As his legs started to come around he kept grinding away and made it onto the run course in a strong position.

The run course was long, and the former 800m track star worked it hard through the end, trying his best not to let the 89′ heat get the best of him.

Borger finished behind 3 pro triathletes, leading the way for the amateur field.  Borger will now have to plan the remainder of his season with the pro races in mind, possibly forgoing some non-drafting races in favor of ITU Continental Cups.

Full results here.

[Updated 2:22pm, 6/1/10]

Taylor Fogg and Fiona Dretzka started their seasons at the Summer Open Triathlon in Longmont, Colorado this past Saturday.  Fogg, 15, and Dretzka, 14, went 1-2 in the 10-15 year old age group.  Showing tremendous potential, Fogg placed 10th overall and Dretzka was 56th overall, a great showing in a race that drew over 300 athletes.

Taylor on the bike.

Taylor and Fiona hanging out after the race.

Full results here.

Dan Mackenzie finished third in a competitive men’s pro field at the Columbia Triathlon in Columbia, Maryland this morning.

Mackenzie, who worked overtime in the pool over the winter, emerged from the swim amid the race leaders, most of whom were wearing swim skins (Mackenzie was not). Leaving the first transition, cycling prodigy Andrew Yoder unsurprisingly rode away from the others immediately. Dan stayed within striking distance of 2 other pro men for the duration of the ride. The Columbia bike course is quite brutal: a steady climb for the first 8 miles before entering a long section of rollers. Further testing the riders’ skills was the downpour that began as they exited the swim portion and headed out for the 40k bike. Fortunately, Mackenzie, a Maryland native, had raced on the course before, “It really helped to know the course. I knew which hills I could bomb down in the slick conditions without having to worry about a sharp turn at the bottom.”

Mackenzie exited the second transition with two other pro men, but the former Princeton University track runner who has a track 10k PR of 30:07 to his credit, quickly found himself in 3rd place. At the 2 mile mark Mackenzie caught 2nd place, Tim O’Donnell, and the pair ran stride for stride before O’Donnell surged with a mile to go.

The usually cool Mackenzie was excited about his performance, “By far the best race I’ve had in about two and half years. The only one that might top it is the ITU Kelowna Continental Cup a few years ago.”

Mackenzie races next at the ITU Coteau-du-Lac Continental Cup on June 26th, just outside of Montreal, Quebec.

Full results here.

Cyrus Severance was the 13th elite amateur to cross the finish line at the Memphis in May Triathlon today in Memphis, Tennessee.  Unlike most triathlons, the race begins with a time trial start, instead of in waves.  A major disadvantage of a time trial start is not knowing exactly where you are among your competitors.

Severance swam solo through the 1500m swim, weaving around those who had started ahead of him, and kept a careful eye for anyone passing him.  Exiting the 77.7′ water — 3 tenths of a degree away from being a non-wetsuit swim — Severance checked his watch to see slightly under 19 minutes for the swim and felt confident that no elite amateurs had passed him.

Out on the bike Severance was solo again, not seeing any other elite amateurs the entire ride, happy that no one caught him, but knowing all the while that the real competition was ahead of him.

Hitting the run course on a mission, Severance clicked off 5:50 mile after 5:50 mile despite temperatures in the 80s and extreme humidity.  All was good until he hit the turn-around point at 5k, and the heat and humidity finally caught up with him.  His brisk pace slowed and a few guys passed him on the hilly and shadeless course.

Severance finished in 13th place out of the elite amateur field, but 17th overall including a relay team and those who raced in a separate collegiate wave.  His time of 1:58:49 was within 8% of the winning pro’s time, thus counting as one of three of his pro license qualifications.

Full results here.