Snow was falling as everyone was dropping their bikes off in transition the day before the race. The last Tri I did, Superior Man, the race morning temp was 79 degrees as I showed up for the race. The race morning temp as I pulled into T1 at Lake Tahoe was 25 degrees. Today will be an interesting day.
Pre Race
I started off by my race morning by getting in line to get my tires pumped up. After that, I double checked my transition bag and added some food that I would need for the ride. I then headed over to the building they had open for the athletes to slip into my wetsuit while staying warm. I took my time and got my self all prepped for the 2.4 mile swim that was coming.
Swim
I knew from my pre swim two days earlier that the water in Lake Tahoe was quite chilly. It was not the coldest water of the year (the second DRC Aquathon takes that award), but when you add in the cold sand on the beach it would be chilly throughout the swim. The first thing I noticed as I crossed the starting mat was the fog on the water that was obscuring the buoys. For the first lap, it was very hard to find the buoys to sight off and I found myself going off course and adding distance. With the new start method WTC used, the swim was well spaced out.
As I hit the beach after the second lap I looked down to a very solid time for myself of 1:20:04. Now, how to get dressed when my fingers and toes are numb???
T1
22:22. No, I did not take a nap before heading out on the bike. Coming into the transition tent, there was no room anywhere. Between the cold water we were coming out of, and the cold air we were heading out into, I knew I needed to dry off and get a total change of clothes. I usually simply throw on socks and shoes and go with wet shorts and a wet Tri top, but that would not work today. I dried off and somehow managed to pull on dry shorts, compression sleeves on my calves, socks, a thermal Under Armour top, a tri top, a cycling jacket and gloves.
Bike
The temp at the start of the bike was still hovering around freezing. We had a couple easy miles before we hit Dollar Hill for the first of three ascents. Dollar Hill was not too long, but it was steep enough to take notice. On the back side downhill the cool air was very noticeable. After Tahoe City, we had about 15 miles of slightly downhill to Truckee. I made a point of getting into a groove and staying smooth. As we approached the Squaw Valley turnoff I passed an athlete who was talking on his cell phone...
Once we hit Truckee, the hills really get going. There was a short tight climb on a bike trail followed by a quick little descent. Then we turned off of onto the road that would take us into Martis Camp. We so passed through the gate of this very exclusive private community and the. We started heading up. The Martis Camp climb was a series of stair steps with little quick downs here and there. At the aid station I needed to pee, so I made a pit stop. I also grabbed a fresh water and had some of my Gatorade chews.
The Martis Camp climb was steep enough in sections that I needed to stand for brief moments. I knew I was going slightly outside of my power goal, but I made sure to take it as easy as possible going up the hill as possible. Soon enough the Northstar Resort was upon us and I had to prepare myself for the twisty descent coming.
Now it was time to climb the Brockway climb. This one was steep and straight. No twists or stair steps this time. Basically it was settle in and keep chugging. Even on lap one there were a couple folks walking their bikes. At the top and it was time to prepare for a very quick descent. This time it was open and the only reason to brake was personal lack of confidence. While I stayed off the brakes, I did stand up to modulate speed a couple times. At the bottom and we were at T1 and starting lap 2.
After Tahoe City they had setup the special needs station. At this point I was still chilled and felt it would be a good idea to stop and consume my energy bar and bottle of Mountain Dew while warming up in the sun. After a couple minute break, I was back at it. Lap 2 was pretty smooth with no big surprises. Coming up to the Martis Camp section I was mentally getting myself ready for the climbs.
I could feel the miles as I was climbing the second time. I was close to my personal limit, but I kept it rolling. As I made my way up Brockway, I was really sucking for any and all oxygen I could find. I made a point to stop for a water at the aid station at the top of the climb. Now I was focusing on one last time up Dollar Hill and just mentally getting ready for a marathon...
T2
Nothing special here. Hand off the bike, grab my bag and start stripping off the layers. I decided I wanted a long sleeve as it was only in the upper 50's, and it would cool off quick as the sun sunk behind the mountain. Once changed, I tried to muster a slow jog and out I went.
Run
I saw my parents right away, and that was nice. But now it was time to focus on running. The course was two laps, with lap one being about 18 miles, and lap two about 8. I got myself into a decent groove as I lapped around my hotel and onto the bike trail. As I continued down towards the turn at mile 10 I was hitting a little bit of a mental low. I started walking a little more than just the water stops. I needed to do something.
Special needs at mile 13 was the answer. I hit the port a potty, grabbed my extra shirt and my bottle of Mountain Dew. I carried it with me and sipped on it for the next 5 miles. That really got my energy back. So much so that after a couple miles I started running smoother. As I entered the village to make the turn I was back to a smooth jog with only walking through the water stops.
Soon after getting going on lap 2 they handed me a headlamp as it was getting dark. With the dark came much cooler temps too. I am glad I was running pretty good as that helped me stay warm. I really felt good after the second turn around. I knew I only had about three miles left and really tried to limit my slow down at the water stops. As I approached the final water stop we were in the parking lot for the village and could here the finish line. I grabbed a sponge to rinse my face off, and then grabbed one last water cup. It was time to run through the finish line now.
Turning into the village for the last time was awesome. The fans were still out in force and cheering everyone on. As I rounded the final turn the finish line came into sight. I was not going to hit a PR, but I was very pleased with my overall effort.
Summary
This race was epic. I highly recommend this race to everyone with the following caveats: if you are concerned with making the bike cut off, do not sign up. This bike course is not an easy course if it were at sea level, and it starts at over 6000 feet of elevation. If however you want a beautiful location with a challenging course and some of the most absolutely stunning scenery on a course ever, sign up.
The snow capped mountains you gaze out on at the swim start, the mountains you look over at as you climb them on the bike, and the shadow of the mountain you get to run in are all beautiful. Sensing a theme, mountains. The run also has the Truckee river that you get to run along which also adds some great scenery to distract you during the marathon.
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