Wilmington YMCA Triathlon

I finished my third triathlon this past Saturday! What an amazing experience. Each tri experience has been awesome - but this one was unbelievable. The weather was fantastic and I reached all my goals. But, most important, I was surrounded by people who believed in me and helped me reach the finish line!

The race weekend started on Friday with packet pick-up at Two Wheeler Dealer and a participant meeting at Wrightsville Beach Park. We met Gail & Bob Crutchfield and Julie Stocks and were introduced to their relay team from Whiteville. We paced out the run from the end of the swim at Seapath Marina to the Transition Area. Plus, Neal and I scoped out my spot in the bike racks. Here is a before and after shot.

Above: Friday Night. Below: Saturday Morning

Neal and I arrived at 0-dark-thirty to pick up my timing chip, prep the bike and get to the swim start. The participants were bussed to the Blockade Runner. Neal rode his bike cruiser a mile or so to the swim start.

A little girl spelled out: Go Triathletes! in the sand.
Sunrise on the participants:

Participants crowd the shoreline waiting for their wave to start.

There were 16 waves of swimmers starting about 5 minutes apart. The open athletes are sent first and then most of the other waves are based on age-groups. I think this is the 35 - 40 year-old men. The announcer told them to behave: You are the troublemakers in the bunch, he said, so be careful out there!

Here I am pre-swim. The water was wonderful. It was clear and 76 degrees.

I wore my wetsuit top over my bike/run gear.

Here's what it looks like at the start of the swim!

My official swim for 1500 meters was 26:54! My goal was 28:00 minutes. Yay! I even passed some of the swimmers from the previous waves which was pretty cool. We had to climb up the ladder at Seapath and run from the Marina, through the parking lot and down the Causeway to the Transition entrance. Phew! I was so excited to hear Dad and Joyce and Neal yelling for me when I came down this stretch! The sun was shining and everybody was so excited.

Here I am in Transition 1 (T1). It felt like I took forever to don my helmet, shoes, gloves, watch, hairband, and race skirt, but my T1 time was 2:37. I actually cut my time by 1 minute from my last race at White Lake - which is huge! Here are a few shots and video:

Our 12 mile bike took us over the WB drawbridge, up Airlie Road, to Greenville Loop, back down Oleander to Eastwoood and back to the beach. Dottie Sauer [Neal's mom] cheered me on at mile 2 and mile 9 on the corner of Airlie and Oleander. Kathryn, Suzanna and Jacob Webster were cheering for me a the Lowe's Foods on Greenville Loop, and Anna and Parker had cowbells and pots and pans near the muni golf course! I finished in 43:03! [My goal was 45:00.]

I didn't feel so hot at the end of the bike - I had a stitch in my side and I was simply THIRSTY! [Um....that's what swimming in salt water does...hello!?]. My main goal was to run the entire way...and I did it! Megan and Alex gave me a BIG boost in downtown WB. Hearing Alex say: go Bessie! was awesome! Colin met me at mile 2.5 on the shady side of the course. He ran with me and for a few yards and pepped me up and then we passed Joyce, Dad, Dottie, Anna, Neal, Parker (who gave me a high five!), Amy, Connie, Caitlyn, Emilie and Finn!

Here I am in the home stretch in front of the police station!

Kickin' it in the end. I ended up passing that tall guy! I finished in 31:19 which wasn't my goal time BUT, I ran the whole thing and it's my best time in a Tri yet! My total time was 1:45:56!

After the post-race party, everyone came to our home for the real finish line party. We pigged out on all the stuff I try to avoid during training: chickfila, krispy kremes, gallons of sweet tea and homemade ice cream!

I want to thank everyone for helping me eat so much junk food, but especially for coming to show your support and to cheer me on. I know the other athletes loved seeing you and hearing you, too. I may not have won an award for my finish but I should have won an award for the most fans! You all deserve medals for your enthusiasm and time and interest!

Thank you to Cathy, Shelley (and Ella), Connie, Dottie, Ron, Megan, Dumay, Alex, Gail, Bob, Julie, Kat, Suze, Jake and Mary Jo - you all made this triathlon special. Thank you to Amy and Emilie who created my FIRST triathlon medal. It is now hanging with my other half marathon and 5k medals.

I want to say a special thank you to Dad and Joyce who arrived SUPER early at the race and probably ran as much as I did. They also presented me with beautiful mums and an post-race dinner with all my favorite foods! I so appreciate Anna and Colin and Parker making the trip from Raleigh and chasing me around the beach! You made the race super fun and it meant a lot to have you there. You all helped with logistics at the race and the party - awesome!

And, of course, I want to thank Neal. He is always a G-A-S (gear and support). Most importantly, he keeps me motivated and believing in myself during my training in the days leading up to the race and points out all my strengths and accomplishments in the days following the race. Thanks!