Returning to the site of my first multisport experience, the 2012 2Xrip Olympic Du, I knew more about the sport and what to expect. Additionally, I was eager to improve my performance from a year prior and step up on the podium. The same course in Maryland, it featured a 2-mile run, 26-mile bike course, and 4-mile run, all over challenging and rolling hills.| The Course |
The first run was one lap on a 2-mile loop that started with a nice downhill but had a couple inclines along the course. The second run was two laps of the same 2-mile loop, for a total of 4 miles, but in the opposite direction...so the big downhill became an uphill challenge on both loops.
The bike course was two laps of a 13-mile loop on country roads, and it was described as "moderate to aggressive" hills.
| Race Day |
It was an early rise, hitting the road around 4:30 in the morning and heading up to Maryland. Just like last year, my transition rack was the furthest from the bike out, meaning a long run with my gear before and after the bike leg. As usual, there were a lot of expensive triathlon and time trial bikes in the corral, but my rack actually had a bunch of road bikes. Maybe my aero-less equipment wouldn't be quite the anchor I thought it would be.Without a swim, the transition set-up is easy: cycling shoes and helmet ready to go in the first transition area. I ran the first run leg with my cycling sunglasses on and carried my gloves in my back pocket to pull on in the final kick of the run. I had two bottles on the bike, one with water and one with Nuun electrolyte mix. I also had a few half-servings of Shot Bloks and a Honey Stinger gel in the bento box for fuel. I wore a Pearl Izumi triathlon jersey on top and TYR triathlon shorts on the bottom. For the run portions, I wore my Brooks Pure Cadence with Yankz! elastic laces for quicker transitions.
On the first run leg of two miles, I kept a consistent pace and cruised through the opening two miles. It was fairly uneventful, and I crossed into the transition area in 12:48 at a relaxed 6:24/mile pace. My first transition went smooth and even with the long run, I was out in just over a minute. The bike course hills were more expected than last year, and I found myself maintaining a 90 rpm cadence over much of the ride. My road bike was definitely an asset in the climbs and more technical sections of course, but I again found myself being overtaken on the flat or downhill sections by those with aero bikes and aero helmets. I completed the 26-mile course in 1:20:56 or about 19.3 mph, a nice improvement over 2012. Transition #2 was smooth as well, again taking just over a minute. But the biggest improvement in my performance came in the final run. After struggling a bit in the final stretch the prior year, I was strong throughout the final 4-mile run and overtook a lot of runners. Even though my legs took some time to transition from cycling to running, I was pushing myself up the hills and maintaining my strides. I hit the finish line in 31:12, the 7:48/mile being much slower than my usual pace, but still an improvement for this course and situation.
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| No in-race pictures this year, but I made the fringe of the award ceremony photo. Haha. |
| The Results |
Run 1 (2 mi) : 12:48 | 6:24/mile
T1 (run to bike) : 1:12
Bike (26 mi) : 1:20:56 | 19.3 mph
T2 (bike to run) : 1:01
Run 2 (4 mi) : 31:12 | 7:48/mile
Final: 2:07:09 | Age Group 3rd place
After being pretty close last year, I took the step on the podium this year, finishing 3rd in my age group. I was also around #18 overall in the non-elite class, not a bad outcome considering my road bike disadvantages.
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| The bounty. Finisher's medal at the top right. And for my age group podium, a DVD documentary, bronze medal, and Lock Laces. |
| The Verdict |
The volunteers, the course, and the weather all worked to make it a year to remember. The crew at 2Xrip produced another great race and it will continue to be a fixture on my summer racing calendar. The next step is ramping up my final run and really kicking it into gear through the final stretch.
 Finisher medals. |  Age group awards. |  The truth. |
|---|---|---|
 My transition set-up. |  Watermelon and bananas, a well-balanced breakfast. |
