Marshman Triathlon

I ran my last triathlon of the season yesterday, the Marshman Triathlon held at Marsh Creek State Park in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

Pre-race

Got up at 4:00, ate a bowl of cereal, loaded my bike and took off for Downingtown around 4:30. The transition area was scheduled to open at 6:00, so I wanted to be early in case it was first come first served. Arrived at Marsh Creek around 5:45. Parking was a pretty good distance from the transition area, so I loaded everything in my bag and made my way to the starting area. Check-in was easy. Spots in the transition area were marked and luckily i got a primo spot located near the bike in and bike out area. It was also on the end of the rack, which gave me a little more room.

Swim

The water temperature was 75 degrees, so wetsuits were allowed. I decided to wear mine for two reasons 1) to gain a little advantage and 2) I bought the thing, so I wanted to get some use out of it. Start was in-water, and I was in the second wave, 5:00 minutes behind the first wave. Got off to a good start, but couldn't get a real good rhythm going after that, and seemed to be struggling more that I should have been. I was swimming straight though and rounded all the buoys close to the left side without having to swim in. Came out of the water a little disoriented as usual, but not too bad. had a long through the transition area, and was working my suit off on the go. Ended up on the wrong side of my rack and for a few moments could find my bike until I realised what I did. Got the suit off, changed into my bike attire and I was off.

Bike

The course is short, but hilly. I rode well, shifted at all the right times and was only passed by one person, which was somebody on the 20-25 age group who must have started late. I got in a few battles on the flats, but dropped everyone I was riding near on the hills.

Run

Got my legs under me fairly quickly, but there was a fairly large hill - the biggest hill yet that I have had to face in a triathlon. I lost time going up the hill, but so did everyone else. It was an out and back course, so I made up some ground/time going the other way. I wasn't passed by anyone on the run, but did manage to reel in a few competitors before the finish.

Results and Final Comments

* 48th/497 - top 10%; 6th in my age group.

* The top 6 places in my age group were only separated by around 6:00 minutes.

* the wetsuit helped me on the swim, but my transition was slower, so I guess I didn't really gain anything.

* I should have pushed on the bike a little more, or at least pushed a little bit more on the downhills. I was off the pace of those in front of me by around a minute to a minute and a half. I coasted a little more than I should have.

*Run time was 4th best in my age group, bike was 6th best and swim was 6th best at least among the top 6 in the group.

* I was happy with my performance, and happy with the organization of the race. Piranha Sports does a great job.