Official Results: Swim 29:40.83 Bike 1:21:03.87 Run 55:39.31 Total 2:46:24.01
Saturday was my 3rd triathlon. It was at Carp Lake (鯉魚潭) in Hualien. It was a beautiful race and well organized. After school, I grabbed my gear, and headed to the train station.
Here's my bike all packed up. Also pictured are my Jesus sandals from the night market.
The gear minus the bike and swim cap.
I'm really loving my set-up. My bike is precisely obedient.
I arrived at the hostel a little late and it was too dark to see anything. When I woke up, I saw this.
If you ever find yourself in Hualien, I highly recommend staying here.
This isn't my finished set-up, but close.
The swim was beautiful. Perfect water temperature (wetsuits not allowed) and no waves.
Play by play:
Swim - I was in the second heat (5 minutes after the 1st), which was terrible. The pros and women go first. Even if I tried, there's no way I could catch the pros, but the women are a different story. I had passed more than half by the first turn, and many more on the way back. I spent most of the swim spotting and dodging instead of just focusing on technique and breathing. I felt great coming out of the water.
Bike - There were two 22.5km laps for the bike, downhill the first half, and uphill the next. I was alone for a while on the bike. I passed two guys on the downhill, but eventually got caught by some crazies who were flying. I drafted behind them for a while, but couldn't hang. They were too strong. I was wasted after the first lap, but found a sweet group and we all drafted (legal in this race) the second lap. I felt strong and was ready for the run.
Run - I felt great on the first mile, but got a double stitch and had to walk. I though this was going to be a repeat of my last two triathlons. I was frustrated because I've been doing bricks to prepare for this. Then, as fast as they came, they went away. I finished strong and didn't let anyone pass me on the last 5k. I'm pretty sure it was an 11k run. Well, at least that's what my watch told me.
I don't have my official time yet, but know it was 2:46:xx. That was a good enough time to put me 8th in my age group. I'll have to wait a few days to see my overall rank. I got a trophy, my picture taken, and a lot of pride.
The way home was terrible. I ended up sleeping on the floor of a train storage car to Taipei, where I had to get off and catch a bus back to Taichung. I got home at 1:30am totally wiped out. Worth it!
| 1 | 7:48 | 7'48"/mi |
| 2 | 16:54 | 9'06"/mi |
| 3 | 25:30 | 8'36"/mi |
| 4 | 33:48 | 8'18"/mi |
| 5 | 41:49 | 8'01"/mi |
| 6 | 50:07 | 8'18"/mi |
Here I am a couple hours later with my 8th in age group trophy.
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