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nobikemike |
GRISKUS Race Report wanted. |
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Posts: 444 (06/16/08 04:57:23) |
I saw a few of the HEAT members results at GRISKUS on Sat. Looks like Wolfgang finally got back on track with a solid 3rd place finish (CONGRATS!!!). I also
saw Raf. did very well, with a killer bike split. I hope his ankle and knee are feeling better. Not sure what happened to Dave Carbone as I was only able to
find a swim split for him. Hope everythings okay with Dave. I looks like the father/son team of Bill and Tony Lombardi had a great time as well. It looks like
Bill can longer stay with Tony however. I also saw that Rob D. had a pretty solid race as well. He must have healed up from that swim beating he took a week
earlier. So how bout people? Let see a race report, and lets hear about those members that I missed (sorry)!!!!
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DeerBlood22 |
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Posts: 15 (06/16/08 05:30:21) |
I guess I'll do the honors here. Got there around 6:00 AM on Saturday with my father. Not sure if it actually did sell out but there were a good deal of
people there. In any case, the water was a beautiful 75 degrees. The weather was great, very mild. We took off pretty much on time, with three waves, Men 39
and under, Men 40 and over, and all Women. Needless to say, I had a borderline awful swim, 37 minutes, although I think the shared sentiment was that it was a
bit over a mile. I was 164th out of the water. In any case, the swim leg is the bane of my existence. I had an OK T1, got on the bike and felt pretty good. Got
settled in and picked up the pace a bit. Then we hit the hills. For all that haven't done this race, it's a pretty hilly course and it's tough to
average over 20 mph hour on the bike (unless you're from Germany and your name starts with a "W"). Averaged 19.4 mph, which I was ok with
considering the hilly course. I was then in 70th place, good demonstration on how awful my swim was, almost made up 100 places on the bike. My T2 was pretty
good, I think. I was really looking forward to the run because I thought I could catch many more people. Which I thought I did, but that hill....everyone knows
about "that hill." It's brutal! Takes no prisoners. All and all, ran a 6:37 per mile pace, coming in 62nd overall, and just missing catching Rob
and also missing 3rd in my AG by a minute and a half! All and all, it was a fun race, and Heat had a great showing. Great to see other Heatsters out there!
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slowpoke |
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Posts: 219 (06/16/08 16:42:42) |
Living up to my name.....
Swim was long and either 1) everyone but me was swimming in zig zags or 2) I swam an extra 1/4 mile. I think we know where the truth lies. Truth is...I've been in water once (last week at West Hill) since Sept, so my 31 min wasn't too bad. If you don't have a VASA erg, its an unbelievable tool for a time strapped aging triathlete or for anyone who can't get to the pool alot. Just doesn't help your sighting!! Bike - just haven't been on the bike that much this year and I never really felt power - 1.12. Consider that the last time I did this race in 04, I got a flat, lost my spare, waited by the side of the road for Ernie to finnally pass me and getting his spare and changing the tire and then cruising in for 1.14, shows how much I've slowed down. Run - Ugh - over 7 min a mile and slower than anyone in front of me or many places behind me 32 Overall, 4th in AG But - I had alot of fun and the reason for the post - Tom W flat out knows how to put on a race. Veryt well organized, great course and nice after "party." Beer before noon - life is good!! |
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fftri |
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Posts: 31 (06/16/08 17:12:10) |
Yes I share the sentiment that the swim was long. Everyone I heard talking about it felt that it was long.
I felt I swam fairly straight and still ended up with an out of the water time similar to my time at Nutmeg 1/2 last year. I noticed quite a few HEATsters during the run. How many of us where there????? I finished 50th overall and 11 th in AG. And yes I suffered on the hill on the run especially the second time up it. Congrats to everyone who raced! Mark |
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German Tri Guy |
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Posts: 21 (06/16/08 17:38:12) |
YEAH....YEAH............YEEEAAAAAAH !
I'm back on course! Ian (2nd place) and I came out of the water at the same time and startet the bike. He almost went the wrong way at the "detour" sign at the beginning of the bike.. I did study the results from last year and knew that Chris Thomas (1st place) is returning. I was hoping i maybe could swim 2min faster and maybe bike 1min faster....Hmmm. Because he was in the first start wave 3min earlyer then me i ..thought....that ....maybe...only maybe..........I can see him on the bike and introduce my self. The swim was on schedule...unfortunately on the bike I had enough to do with getting rid of Ian. Which never worked out the way i planed..
And Chris? First time i have seen him was when he run out of T2 and I came back with the bike. Finaly Ian then passed me on the run... I am sooooo HAPPY that i finished the race without any "disorientations" ! |
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BobbyDoogs |
Race report | ||
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Posts: 62 (06/16/08 20:39:19) |
Sorry guys I'l always post a sort of long winded race report but I copy and paste from my blog.
Wolfgang Congrats on a good overall race and no detours this week. slow poke I can't remember your first name but great race. Mark good job, Gary :nice kick on that last hill.Tony, Bill, Raf, girl set up next to me in transition, good job. Indeed good job to everyone out there, and good luck next week at club championships, as I sit at my desk I will think of you guys out on the course. There are several reasons why I decided to do Connecticut's hardest Olympic Distance Tri, a week after Eagleman. The first is it's a tradition, every year since 2006 I have used this race as my "season opener", it was my first Olympic race so it holds a lot of nostalgia. The second or rather third reason is it is Connecticut's best of the US qualifier so it attracts a massively competitive field. The 2008 edition also held another more practical reason why I was racing, it was my trial run, for Hell week, how would my body hold up after a half ironman, when I would try to ask it for all it had again. I was about to find out.
I arrived in transition after picking up my bags the night before ( and flashing the Ironman New Zealand T-shirt.) I set up next to a new HEATster. I met
Gary, Raf, and a few other guys and Ken " Mr. Invincible" Davidson, from Shoreline. Now for those that don't know Ken D. he is BADASS! 4
years ago Ken broke his collar bone and 3 vertebrae in a horrific bike crash, he came back a year later, and last year conquered the course where he was
nearly killed. we had swam masters together for a year, and sort of have a competition within a competition between each other, when ever we're racing.
Irregardless, I got my stuff ready because I was in the first swim wave, and unlike some towns that come to a stand still when there is a race in town,
Middlebury, CT had complained about our PA system, so until 9 AM there would be no PA and the loudest Volunteer had to use his vocal chords to corral us to
the swim start. Tom Wilkas and crew went through their normal pre race spiel on how they've put this race on for 7 years and haven't had to
Emergency Evac any one. The first wave took their spots for the start. I set up far wide hoping to avoid the crushing masses at the start.
The Swim: That's the way uh-uh I like it uh-uh!
An air horn went off to signal the start and after a quick dash, I was in water deep enough to swim. I began to pull away with a group of 5 guys and by the
first buoy we established ourselves as the main contenders for the first leg. One guy broke away at the turn while the rest of us drafted and paced off of
one another. Unlike Eagleman there was no wrestling. I stood a little wider, and the other competitors gave a little more room. There were no Kona slots at
stake, just bragging rights and a a cushion on the bike, so there was no need to get dirty and break out the brass knuckles. The second bouy went well, 2nd
and third place broke away a little so as I rounded the corner I noticed glare on the water. I tried to keep 2nd place directly infront of me. I noticed as
soon as I got out of the glare zone we were on a direct line to the last bouy. I noticed the pack was starting to thin out. 1st place was gone 2nd was
pulling away, 3rd was to my left and 5th was tucked in on his feet. The approach to the beach seemed to take for ever, I would take 5 strokes sight and the
bouy on the dock didn't seem to get any closer. The third place swimmer caught up to second and finally after what seemed like and eternity I hit the
beach. A volunteer in the water called out my split as being 24:54...I was a little slow on the run up to transition as I hit the mat at 27:09 40 seconds
slower than last year.
T-1: You ever just have one of those days.....
When I hit T-1 I pulled off my wetsuit. Once again I was a little slow getting it off the ankles. I lost about two slots then got on my bike. My plan was
to do the bare foot slip in like I did in Maryland, but as I mounted and began to pedal away, one shoe flipped upside down and snapped off. "
S**t!" I muttered to my self I got off the bike ready to toss it to the ground so I could grab my shoe. " I'll hold it I'm an
official." Tom Wilkas, the race director said to me as he took hold of the Stomper and I grabbed my shoe and put it on. I thanked him grabbed my bike
and slid my foot into the other shoe as I rode away. I had lost at least 10 spots and had added at least 2 min. to my bike time, since I had already
crossed the timing mat. T-1 time: 1:19.
The Bike: See elevation Profile below.
The Run: The base is strong but the legs are weak. As I headed off on to the run I passed a few of the cyclists that had beat me in at the same time I was passed by 3 or 4 faster runners. My legs felt like lead the Half Iron the week before combined with the Mountain Stage bike course had taken a huge toll, yet despite all this my breathing was fine, my lungs felt great but my legs just couldn't turn over. We started down the hill and I passed 2 guys one of whom stopped to "water the grass". At the aid station I took water and gatorade, the water went over my head and the gatorade went to fuel my tiring legs. One guy in a heat jersey got around me. I kicked it up, I wanted the honors of being the first HEATster across the line ( although I lost that to Wolfgang....I doff, my timex visor in respect.) I surged on the hill where I lost an age group podium in the sprint last year. We got back to flat land and the turn around at the park and I was caught by Gary, we decided to pace each other and reel in some of the runners from the Shoreline Sharks. My sights were set on Ken, he usually got me on the bike but I would often re pass on the bike, sadly that would not happen today. Gary and I kept a good pace, I made the comment about my shorts chafing, ( they don't have a normal cycling pad, like most zoot products, but rather a recessed soft fleece pad, they're great to ride in but the raised seams can hurt like the devil in the run.) We got down the hill again and down to the flat turn around. We started back and at the aid staion Gary accelrated we passed a few guys including one dude from Shoreline, but my tired legs could not keep up with Gary, as he acclerated up the hill like a house on fire. I kept him in sight as we summited but he continued to break away. Then reality hit as the shoreliner I had just passed made an attempt at a come back, I kicked it up a knotch and got around him as we turned down the finish chute, thankfully it wasn't long because I don't know if I had the legs to beat him in a 100 meter dash. I finished in 2:36.19 about 20 sec. faster than last year. My 10k split was 42:49 almost 45 seconds faster than last year. I didn't medal in the age group as most of the studs came to play. 1st was a 2:15 low 2nd a 2:15 high 3rd a 2:16 4th a 2:26 and my self at 2:36. the most inspirational athlete in this race was John from Milford. John lost both of his legs to a bacterial infection 4 years ago at age 17, since then he has been racing in a hand cycle, and experimenting with prostetics. He had swum on a relay last year and this year was doing the whole enchilada. He was leaving T-2 shortly after I finished, he became the first person to finish any of the Griskus races using a hand cycle and push chair, quite an accomplishment considering the brutality of the race. He finished in about 3:30, which I found out after the race that he is using for a trial run to his first Half Iron in Providence on July 13, also he still managed to beat some of us more able bodied competitors, can you say BADASS! I could go on about the post race, but nothing really special happended I met a fellow Zoot Gu guy, another Blazeman Warrior, caught up with the HEATsters, guzzled some brew and met up with a CENTri guy, and oh yes, like every year dropped $5 on raffle tickets and still didn't win crap. I'm begining to think that I'll win the Sprint race before I win anything in that darn raffle.Well that was Saturday in Middlebury. This week will be devoted to long training miles, and hopefully reversing my Middlebury Curse on July 9 in the sprint after seeing how I stack up with some of New England's elites on July 5th at the Patriot. The Latic Acid Filled Warrior R.D. |
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kanastas |
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Posts: 369 (06/17/08 04:07:15) |
Wow--great race everyone!
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ctvinman |
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Posts: 412 (06/19/08 18:28:38) Moderator |
I had to miss the Olympic Griskus this year but signed up for the July sprint.
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TBJones |
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Posts: 2 (06/23/08 11:21:16) |
Hey folks, New guy Todd Jones here with a race report I posted to my online journal.
The start of the race was in perfect weather conditions. Mild temps 75-80 and sunny with just a touch of humidity. I started in the second wave and made a leasurely entrance to the water in the back of the pack. The swim was uneventful and I exited the water feeling good. Swim 1.0 miles in 33:36 or 1:55 per hundred. T1 1:30 Typical problems getting the wetsuit off from around my ankles but nothing catostrophic, just a little longer than I would like. We head out of T1 and my new tri shoes are clipped in and being held with elastic. This strategy works well and has me out of the transition area and pedaling on top of my shoes ahead of many. I'll definately include this new strategy in future races. The bike course is extremely hilly. The Griskus tri is part of the "Best Of The U.S." series and boasts one of the tougher bike segments in the country. I soon find out all about it. Miles of uphill climbs through connecticut farm country produce a beautiful backdrop to an excruciating course. I don't know what else to say, it killed my quads! T2 Is still included in bike time ( it hasn't been broken out yet?)and my time on bike is 1:22:14 or 18.8 mph. T2 is fast. I purchased the new Zoot racing flats and I'm in and out of transition lightning quick. I can't wait to see what T2 ends up at-I'll keep you posted! The 6.2 miles are a double loop-downhill on the way, back up on the way in! My legs are wasted from the bike and I post a dissapointng 46:37 for a 7:31 pace. I finish 80/293 overall and 15/38 in age. I'm very happy withthe results on such a challenging course. As this was my first shot at the olympic distance I'll be ready to up the ante next year! Next race is The Lake Compounce Half Marathon on Sunday the 22nd of June! I'll be posting that soon! Todd
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