Name of Race: Bala Falls Triathlon
Date: Sunday, July 29th, 2007
Location: Bala, Ontario
Distance: Swim – 750m; Bike – 30K, Run – 7.5K
I had done this race in 2005 and really enjoyed it. Last year I was doing IM USA so it was not in the cards. I have a multipass for the HSBC Triathlon Series so was happy to see it on the schedule.
Friends had fortunately given us their cottage to use for the weekend in Dorset. The cottage is water access and my wife signed up to be a volunteer which meant that we were up at 5am and on the road by 5:45. Need to allow about 20 minutes for the boat ride. Got to the race site just after 7 and figured I would be one of the early ones in transition but the parking lot was jammed and transition was filling up. In this race there are no assigned racks so you basically find your own spot. This is the way it has always been at this race and they wanted to keep the tradition alive. As I went to find a spot I realized that everyone had filled up the spots close to bike out but I was able to find a spot right at the swim in and run out which allowed for fast transitions. It was one of my really fast training partners birthday and he was looking to test his fitness prior to doing IM Canada in a few weeks. I trash talked him into signing up for the race which in the end turned out to be a problem later on.
Swim:
I have finally started to swim consistently after a winter and spring of twice a month swims. Needless to say that my swimming had suffered. Each race I have been getting quicker and this race was my best yet. For the first time this was a water start and I was able to seed myself to the right side of the course which gave me a pretty straight line to the turn and was free to swim the first leg without much contact. Felt like I was swimming better but was not really passing anyone we seemed to be staying in a group. On the way back I was suddenly on my own, as I excited the water I noticed the group behind me so I guess I just stayed consistent. Came out of the water in 14:30 so pretty happy. I knew my buddy Pat was improving his swim but figured I would still have 90 seconds or so on him.
Bike:
Made a quick transition and headed out on the bike. I was looking forward to the bike as I came across a new Zipp Disc last week that was too good to pass up. When I sold my 650 bike last year my disc went with it. I had been riding pretty strong this year so was looking forward to see what type of pace I could keep with the new wheel. Also I have always loved the way they sound. Immediately out of transition you hit a couple of hills so they hurt a little. I was able to get into a good grove and was able to carry my speed up and over most hills. There was a group of 4 that seemed to be trading spots for the first 15k of the ride. At about 17k my buddy Pat comes by me like I am standing still. I check my average and see that have averaged about 36.5 kph to that point. He was flying and in my AG so there goes one spot, glad got him to do the race (OK not so much at that point). The rest of the ride was great and got to spend about 3k with the marshal on the motorcycle. Not sure what he was doing but I was on my own so he wasn’t watching me. Came into transition and felt great with the 15th best bike of the day. I seem to be getting better each week and I thank Rick Choy of Team Running Free for setting me up in a fast/comfortable position on my new P2C.
Run:
Decided that I wasn’t catching Pat but wanted to minimize the gap as much as possible so for the first race this year decided to run without socks. Headed out on the run and felt great. I knew there were a few hills coming back so wanted to try and increase my pace each kilometer. I was able to pass a bunch of people on the run and with all the turns I was able to see where Pat was and unless I decided to skip a few parts of the run it was over. Over the last few kms I was able to pass a few more in my AG. At about 6k the no socks decision turned out to not be a great one. Made a mental note to do this in training to build up some resistance.
Overall:
This was my best race of the year so far. Felt great throughout the race and finished 4th in the 40-44 AG, one spot from the first podium of the year. My buddy Pat ended up winning the AG and pushing me off the podium. If someone is going to trash talk you into racing that is definitely the way to answer. Overall awesome day and a great event put on by John Salt and team. If you are looking for a great race in a great location this is one to do.
