Giant Acorn Triathlon 2012

The Giant Acorn Triathlon

Lake Anna, Virginia

October 6, 2012

Setting the Stage:
Over the year planned competitions dropped off my schedule like nuts falling from an oak tree, until finally the Giant Acorn Triathlon was the only one left; by default, my A Race.  It is held in Bumpass, Virginia, and on the way down my wife and I stopped in Cincinnati to see two of our children and watch the first presidential debate at their apartment.  What at great way to start the trip!  Our guy won, and we had the entire next day to hear about it over and over again on talk radio while we drove the rest of the way down to Charlottesville.

Goal: do the race like Romney did Lehrer

 

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Son #2 was registered for the event, but a shoulder injury put him on the disabled list.   We rendezvoused with my parents as planned in Charlottesville, and spent a few days with Brian at the University of Virginia before heading off to the race.  Charlottesville is a great town, and we had a fine time with him and his friends.

Carb-loading is essential

We got the competitive juices flowing with a few games of corn-hole:

The winning corn hole team

And my son had an opportunity to test his shoulder just before the race (no dice):

Live to race another day

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I spent the weeks leading up to the race training in Michigan, running and rolling over the thousands of acorns on the roads.  I love the crunching sound they make beneath my wheels, and their feel as they are crushed beneath my heels.  I especially love when I catch an acorn just right on my bike and I send it flying sideways at high velocity.  I felt the organizers implied I would find some particularly massive nuts at the Giant Acorn Triathlon, but that was one of the only ways the race disappointed.  Virginia’s acorns were small and forgettable.  I did see a few giant nuts at the swim start, but I think they were hickory nuts, and there were a few 6 year old boys scouring the grounds for all the best specimens to throw in the water.  I had no chance of finding a decent whole acorn, giant or otherwise.

Acorn? Hickory Nut?

The Drive In:

Onward to Bumpass!  If we hadn't had a GPS I would never have thought we were going in the right direction.  This race takes place deep in rural territory, and I could hear the Deliverance banjos playing.  It was a beautiful drive in, and the countryside was spectacular as we headed out of the mountains and down in to the rolling hills.  The weather was wonderful: 74 degrees and sunny was predicted and delivered.  The race was sold out, but there was plenty of room in transition. I kept my bike set-up tight and tidy but there was no one edging into my space and everyone had plenty of room to move.  The 10am start was very nice also.  No darkness, no anxiety, and plenty of time to drive in and even get lost.

See all the empty space?

In set up I recognized Cort the Sport from her blog: http://unblob.blogspot.com/2011/10/race-report-giant-acorn-sprint.html, which I read to prepare for the race. She was setting up right across from me in the corral, and seemed fit and ready to go.  I never did see her on the course, but she did great -- 5th overall.

The Swim:

   How can you be disappointed with a heated lake?  The organizers promised warm water (the effluent from the adjacent nuclear power plant is discharged into the lake near where we swam) and they delivered on their promise.  Water temperature was 79 degrees -- indoor pool temperature -- and wetsuits were not allowed.  That's a bit of a problem for me as I rely on the wetsuit to improve my body position, but it was nice stepping in water that was warmer than the air.

Downhill on gravel.  We'd run this later.

   The swim start and finish were at different locations, and it was about a half-mile walk to the start on a gravel road.  No one seemed overly anxious unless they didn't have sandals.  Before the swim we had a playing of the national anthem, and then it was off to the races.

Miss Campbell was the eventual female winner

   There were six waves, and no bumping or thrashing that I could see.  I left in the 5th wave, and for a short time I was able to follow the feet of a faster swimmer from the final wave, but he shook me eventually.  At some points the water level was so low my fingers dragged in the mud and I had drifted so close to shore once that I stood up and walked about ten yards to deeper water.  A few other swimmers did the same I could see.

• My swim time:  31:20.  Age Group Rank: 5/22

Why am I wearing my shirt?

T1:

Always glad to get out alive

The run up to transition from the lake was carpeted and a smooth ride.  There was so much room in transition that you could post a great time if you wanted to, and there were plenty of volunteers directing traffic.

About to begin the bike

The Bike:
The bike route was two loops on a road that was closed in our direction.  There was some oncoming traffic, but very little.  The scenery was nice and the road was smooth.  We passed over a bridge, and up one very steep hill.  There was one tight turn, but again it was well marked and there were volunteers to warn us early on.  I went as hard and fast as I could and being in the fifth wave meant there were plenty of cyclists on the road ahead of me.  One guy on a Quintana Roo tri-bike passed me five times... but I passed him six times.  Our back-and-forth helped both our times, and we both knew that any lead on the other wouldn't last too long.  My average speed was 23.1 mph, which is way faster than I have ever gone before.  I was hammering as hard as I could, and I even passed a car that made its way onto the course.  Still, there were three people that went harder and faster, and one was the age group champ.

• My bike time: 1:04:26.  Age Group Rank: 4/22

I'm thinking about getting a tri-bike

T2:

About a hundred yard walk from the road to transition, then out the chute to hit the run.  

The Run:
The run is always my weakness, but this was a nicely laid out route so the pain wasn't too bad.  We did two loops, and the out-goers were side by side with the in-comers.  I always prefer a two loop course to an out-and-back.  I prefer to get familiar with the trerrain.  Many of the cyclists I had put behind me were happy to pass me on the run, but you get used to that.  Near the end of the loop we ran down the gravel road to the swim start, then back up out of the pit.  Most of the spectators were there, and it was a fun section.

• My run time: 57:53.  Age Group Rank: 14/22.

The Summary:
All-in-all this was a great race.  Well run, fun, and worth the trip.  I would certainly recommend it to anyone in the area.  The next day I found out that I was fourth place and only two minutes off of the podium.  Maybe someday....

The goal

(Special thanks to the photographer)

Barry-Roubaix 2012

The fourth running of the Barry-Roubaix mountain bike race took place this weekend in the heart of Nowheresville, Michigan, and your Undercover Athletes were there to report on the event.

The race takes place in Barry, Michigan, and the clever title implies that it is intended to be tough, muddy, and for the intemperate.  There were plenty of riders sporting Ice Man jerseys, Colorado sweatshirts, and other emblems of past glories.  The weather was great though.  During the prior week the midwest had blown apart the existing temperature records, hitting mid-80s every day.  The trees were sprouting leaves, flowers were blooming, and everything smelled beautiful.  In 2011 1,046 signed up for the event but nasty weather cut attendance to 950.  This year, probably due to the great conditions, no one on the waiting list got in.  (One of your reporters rode as a bandit)

 We rode up from Indiana in the dark, and the closer we got to the race the more bikes we saw on top of cars.  They fit a lot of people into a small park for the event, but it was very well organized.  Check-in was smooth, the swag was good, and everyone was orderly.  The T-shirts were a pretty light blue, and I'm glad I bought one.  They also sold commemorative posters (I bought one) and bottle openers (I passed).  Last year there was free beer, but the State of Michigan forbade that this year.  It was pretty early in the morning anyway.  The girl checking us in had a plastic baby in a papoose -- part of a school project to discourage teenage pregnancies; part of the local flavor.

1,500 riders is a lot to fit onto one road.  We left in four waves a few minutes apart.  There were three lengths.  61 miles which was for the hardy, 35 miles which they recommended for first-timers and which we rode, and 23 miles.  Doug and I started in the ditch as our wave swarmed across the start line.  The timing chips were incorporated into the race numbers, which was cool, and everyone got off pretty easily.  I was in the final four across the start, but rode hard to get up towards the middle of the pack.  Better planning would have allowed an easier beginning.

The route turned sandy and muddy.  Every hill was doable, but with the sand most people clipped out at least once during the race.  drafting was allowed, but with so much mud and sand you got a real face-full and you had to pick and choose your times to cluster together.  The riders were all friendly, and camaraderie prevailed over competition.  Two riders finished together, in uniform, placing pretty well in the 61 mile race:

The Barry-Roubaix is a nice race.  There were license plates from Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.  I think it was worth a drive of a few hours, but not worth a cross-country trip.  The organizers did a very good job of making a friendly event, and if it fits your schedule I recommend it.

I rode a 29" mountain bike.  Most riders had a cyclocross bike, and some had road bikes with 32cm tires.  There was a separate category for Pugsley-type fat tire bikes.  Each choice seemed to have advantages and disadvantages, but the cyclocross bike is probably best.

One final word of thanks.  My friend wanted to register but the race closed out and he rode as a bandit.  He had two flats.  One just before the race and one during the race.  The sag wagon helped him out beautifully and he was able to finish the race.  We all came away happy.