I absolutely love Xterra Triathlons. In my opinion they are the absolute best triathlon there is. Hands down! If you are into Triathlon and have never done one, you should. For anyone that does not know how they differ from your average triathlon, they are off road. The swim is the same as any other triathlon except they sometimes make you get out of the water and run a bit before plunging back into the water to finish your swim. Next you ride a mountain bike on trails and dirt roads. Single track is the best but makes for challenging passes. Sometimes you ride paved roads to get to the dirt roads and trails. Next you usually ride your bike to some of the tallest mountains around the area, not once but a couple times. Every time you get to the top of a mountain usually there is another one to climb. But wow is there amazing descents and things to look at. There is no one except you and the other racers tearing it up out there. It is like no other. After the bike you strap on some shoes you don’t mind getting dirty or muddy and go for a run up and down the same mountains you just mountain biked. But when you finish it is sweet victory. Nothing like it! Ironman has the energy like no other but Xterra has soul and some serious nature which I love.
I was reminded of this when Kasia and I headed out to Vegas for the 2011 Xterra West Championship this past weekend. Kasia was signed up for the half marathon on Saturday and I was set for the Championship race on Sunday. The race is located east of Las Vegas about 45 min at a place called Lake Las Vegas. It is a man made reservoir with lots of little fingers. Golf Courses, resorts, and nice homes surround the area. It is a bit out there for all you 70.3 World Championship racers. Desert mountains surround the lake with different colors which makes for some amazing scenery.
We left Friday after work. Got to Vegas way later than expected and ended up crashing around 11:45PM. Bummer since we both got up feeling tired. I played Sherpa and helped Kasia get down to the 21K race and off she was.
Kasia decided not to race the triathlon since she has not been on her mountain bike since last summer. We have been riding so much training for Ironman Texas that I only got to ride my mountain bike one time with Leo from B&L Bikes before this race. Before that it had been a month or two since I had been on my mountain bike. I would find this a mistake and a learning experience by the time my race was over. Kasia killed it and placed second in her age group. She was only able to run in her new Asics trail shoes one time before this and man did she pay the price. I think she popped 4 blisters later that day.
I got to go out for a pre-ride on some of the course later Saturday after Kasia’s race. It was an amazing time to be out in the desert. I had a great ride and shot some helmet cam footage. I wish I would have pre-rode the whole course. Little did I know I was going to make a wrong turn during the race the next day. Had dinner with Kasia and hit the sack early Saturday night. I felt really tired all day from not getting enough sleep the night before but I was really excited for my first triathlon of 2011. Eyes shut and I was out by 8:30.
I woke up super excited and feeling more rested. I always have a hard time eating the morning of a race. Nerves make me want to not eat but I know I have to so I shove it down. The coffee is nice though. I sat a few minutes outside on the balcony of our hotel race pre dawn enjoying the calmness. I knew this would all change in a few hours. We headed to the transition area, racked up and got body marked. They use the same stamps like Ironman. After that I watched Marco start in the sprint. He was second out of the water and won the entire sprint triathlon. Congratulation Marco! So fun to have a friend out there racing with me. He said after the race that he would be back for the full triathlon next year. Can’t wait Marco.
It was my turn to get in the water. I had been waiting till the last minute but I wanted to give myself 15 minutes to warm up. It was probably 58 degrees. It took my breath away. I could not swim at first but after a few minutes I was going and got warmed up. Before I knew it I was lined up. This is a cool swim start for spectators because the hotel has a bridge sort of thing that allows spectators to stand right above the swimmers. The swim took me 30 minutes. I did not realize it right away but I was dizzy from the cold water. When I reached my bike I could barely stand up but I managed to get out of T1 and out on the bike. I have to work on my Xterra T1 transition since it took so long to get on the bike. I have my road triathlon transitions down but Xterra is another thing. You should wear gloves and I chose to wear a camel back. Also my shoes have three straps instead of one.
It was so cold at first on the bike but within minutes I was warm pedaling away. Once on dirt everything just opened up. No trees. Big dirt roads. The bike felt better on the dirt rather than the cement. This area was carved up by construction companies for houses but never finished. We then took a left turn and started to climb on roads that were new to me. I love riding courses for the first time. All the riding I had been doing on the road really paid off. I felt good pedaling up the hills. The course winded and dropped and came back around. Before I knew it I was in a drainage ditch full of sand. The Specialized Stumpjumper Expert 29er which I got at B&L Bikes in San Diego worked amazing in the sand. The wheels momentum helps you keep going but the front wheel some time has a mind of its own. Before I knew it I was at the junction I was at the night before on the pre-ride. This is where the fun began. We dive off another dirt road and start climbing up one of the last big climbs and at the top I see 30 or so people heading down a ridge so I follow. I descend about 30 seconds or so and see the bottom and a bunch of riders coming back up so I slam on the breaks. As the first riders gets up to me he says “wrong turn, gotta head back up”. I was to say a little mad but turned around and got back to the top in a few minutes. Ticked off I crested the top and headed down the sketchiest descent of the whole ride. A grooved mess of rocks and ruts made by hundreds of pre-rides . Lots of fun but very violent on the arms. At the bottom we turned hard left and were faced with another big climb. You have to love Xterras. Just when you think your at the bottom you have another climb. They are not the faint of heart. They are hard. Plain and simple!
The first loop I got lost and had to dismount a couple times but felt relatively good. The second loop I rode well having to dismount only once through the deep rut section (everyone was carrying their bikes through this area). Before I knew it I was back on the pavement headed back to T2. Got into T2 and this transition was fast. T1 one was pretty slow but this one was fast. Out on the run I felt really good. As I was heading out most of the pros were heading towards the finish. I felt good from all the hills I have been running in the off season. A friend I made over the weekend, Justin from Richmond Virginia, caught me on the run and we chatted for a while. I had been feeling like I had to pee since the bike so as soon as we hit the dirt where we just rode I darted off course and relieved myself. This along with my wrong turn on the bike would unknowing me cost me the win. It took me a couple minutes to get back with Justin and the group I was just with and just at that time the fun began. Hills, hills, and more hills. I felt great and just kept a slow pace jogging up the hills. There was a 40 year old male in front of me that I just kept trying to catch. He made good time and I never caught him but it gave me something to shoot for. Right at about 4 miles I knew it was all downhill from there and my pace quickened. Before I knew it I was hearing the roar of the announcer and the music from the sound system. I was almost done. I was just starting to feel like I needed more nutrition when I finished. Overall it was an amazing time. I cannot wait to do the Xterra in Tahoe City and Snow Valley this summer.
I ended up second place 3 minutes 40 seconds behind the first place Clydesdale. My time - 3 hours 4 minutes. Looking back I wished I had pre-rode the course so I would not have made a wrong turn and from talking with Chris Berg I need to learn how to pee on the bike and run but it a hard thing to swallow so we will see about this. But if possible I will always try and pre-ride Xterra courses before I race them. This was my fourth Xterra race and my best. I had dropped an hour off my last time and I cant wait to see what I can do this summer at Xterra Tahoe City and Xterra Snow Valley. Anyone interested in getting a little dirty?
