Last Place Finish

Team Magic has put on some great races this year.  I have been fortunate enough to race all of their triathlons these season.  Yesterday was Cedars of Lebanon.  I wasn't going to race Cedars because I am racing HyVee next weekend and didn't want to sacrifice another training weekend....So, I volunteered to be the designated last place finisher (a Team Magic staple to ensure none of the paying racers finish last).

I must say this was a unique place to find myself.  The swim was slow.  The guy in front of me needed a walker to get to the swim start and had real bad arthritis.  He sort of bounced his way along the bottom of the pool until he got to the deep end and then it became very concerning to me.  I was very worried that he would drown.  I stayed right behind him and watched to make sure he didn't need any assistance (quietly so as to not embarrass him) and would back off when he hit the wall.  I think the 300 yard swim took a full 25 minutes.

Got out on the bike and tried to just soft pedal the whole way.  Caught up with a girl at mile 3 who was on a heavy mountain bike.  I could tell she was having a hard time working her gears.  Again, I tried to stay back to keep her from feeling pressured.  Not sure how long the bike took but it sure seemed like a while.  This was a tough bike because it was very hilly....everytime we would hit a hill her speed would drop.  Very hard to climb hills at such a speed.

We got to T2 and she just smiled and asked if I had drawn the short stick.  I told her not to worry about me and to just enjoy her day.  She said thank you.  We took off on the run and she started talking with me over her shoulder.  I moved up and we (her and her fiance) walked almost the whole 5k.  They had good spirits even though they were hurting.  This was their first triathlon and they were already talking about their next.  That was great to see.

They crossed the line ahead of me (I wanted to make sure they got a good finishing picture) and I stopped the clock right around 2:50...long day for a sprint but I am glad I did it...taught me a lot about the people that race near the back.  They sure do work hard...they may not be winning but they probably are putting out just as much effort as the front of the pack racers....all in all, that is number 11 in the books for 2011.  Next week is HyVee.