Dan said it would be okay if I posted this so here it is:
 First race of the season finally arrived. I competed in the Columbia Triathlon on Sunday. What an exciting day this turned out to be on all levels. Personal record on the swim, awesome bike course, and the run course lived up to all expectations! Here are a few highlights:
The swim couldn’t have been better. The water temp was quite cold, so thank goodness for the wetsuit. I started out in front and sprinted for the first 50-100 yards and eventually was caught by a pack. Got elbowed and banged around a bit, but once I made the turn I felt like I really began to concentrate of my form, drafted a bit, and felt really strong. I ended up swimming a personal best of 22:44, which put me at a pace of 1:23/100yds. I couldn’t have been more pleased!!!
T1: No issues. I actually had the 10th best transition in my age group (2:08).
Bike course was so fun. It sure did have nice hills and long gradual inclines, but the technical parts of the course and some of the the rolling parts were quite fun. I actually posted a better MPH average here than I did at Annapolis last year which was mostly flat. Once again though, it was tough to see all those people on tri bikes get past me on the hills and the flats, hopefully next year I can achieve my goal and purchase a nice tri bike.
On a side note, I just received Hank’s email about some bike accidents, but I don’t know any specifics so I can’t comment on that. Though, I would like to hear if anyone has any information on that.
T2: Once again, no issues (1:28).
I can see why this run course is one of the toughest 10K’s in Triathlon. Hill after hill after hill. I ended up posting a very disappointing 8:11 pace per mile, which is far above what I’ve been training at. But after some more thought, I can’t be overly upset because this run course is truly one of a kind.
My stats were as follows:
Overall: 328/1722
Age Group: 44/143
Swim: 22:44 – 1:23/100 yds.
Bike: 1:18:23 – 19.4 MPH
Run: 50:47 – 8:11/mi.
That was the race in itself. Now comes the good stuff. This race was filled with the best pro field they’ve ever assembled there. Chris Lieto, Chris “Macca” McCormack, Desiree Ficker, Amanda Lovato, Richie Cunningham, and the man who just might be the next best thing in Triathlon at Olympic distance races, young 19-year old professional Andrew Yoder. He finished 2nd beating Macca and many others. It was such a great honor to just watch all of them prepare in the transition beforehand and then see them kick off the race in the water. Even better, after the race was over, I was fortunate enough to get a picture with several of them, including Andrew Yoder, Desiree Ficker, and the great Chris McCormack. They all were very generous and are truly great role models for the sport! I have attached a pic of me and Macca!!
Whether or not these pros attend next year, I still definitely look forward to doing this race again and bettering my time in 2009!!!
Congrats to all those who raced this weekend!!
Dan Pfeil
