3:30am on a Sunday

3:30am is an ungodly time for an alarm to go off on a Sunday morning, but the day had finally arrived: Abby’s first triathlon.

Fortunately the clothes were set out, the bike was already in the car, the coffee was brewed (strong and plentiful), the supplies for the day were packed, and so all we had to do was quickly dress and run out the door.

Driving at 4:30am in the middle of summer is strangely reminiscent of driving to the snow fields in the middle of winter – only 3 hours earlier. It was dark and quite, and although I wished I was still in bed there was caffeine buzzing through my veins and an air of nervous expectation in the car. The energy was contagious.

Abby, myself, Molly and Matt drove out to Aurora Reservoir – the site of the race – arriving at 5:45, just in time so see a beautiful sunrise:

Bikes and gear were lined up with care. Fortunately the transition area only opened at 5:30, so the girls were able to get a great position.

Molly, Abby and their friend Jen (who managed to get lost on the way – but that’s another story) pose while waiting for the race to start. One of the problem with being in a race with 2500 other women is that they can’t just let everyone go at once. It would be absolute chaos, especially in the swimming leg, so there were 25 waves of women a few minutes apart. Unfortunately the girls were in the 24th wave which means they had to wait until 8:20 to actually start the race.

It’s not often that my wife asks me to draw on her with a big fat marker – So I had fun with the opportunity.

Though there were smiles all around, Abby was wearing a full length wet suit and pink rubber hat in 102F (that 39C for all you at home) heat. She had sweat pouring out from her wrists and ankles. I’m not entirely sure how she did it. We were hot enough as it was just sitting under a marquee drinking. 2 iced coffees, a Starbucks doubleshot, a Fresca and a beer later (sure it was 9am, but I’d been up for over 5 hours) and I was still boiling hot.

Though Abby was worried about the 750m (.46 mile) swim, she did great! She and Molly started right at the back of the pack and had to fight their way through. They did the swim in just over 18 minutes and were in the top 40% – Next year I think she will do it without a full wet suit, and try to start at the front of the pack. I imagine she would easily come in the top 30%

The bike leg was where she had her biggest disadvantage. The course is 20km (12 miles) long, and Abby had a mountain bike with slick tires, while most of the competitors had road bikes. She put in a HUGE effort and completed the bike leg in under 45 mins, and in fact came in the top 35% of the field. But best of all, she was still smiling as she jumped off her bike and went into transition.

The run leg was where the heat was felt the most. By this time the girls had been racing for over an hour, and the sun was beating down. The air was thick and hot, but both Molly and Abby put in another tremendous effort and pulled the 5km (3 Mile) leg in 29 mins. That’s crazy fast, and in fact they came in the top 17% of all competitors.

Overall, they girls came in the top 24% of the race which personally I think is awesome for a first effort. With the right equipment and race experience, I know my wonderful wife will not only be able to enjoy more triathlons, but also be in the top section.

Just one side note – there were 449 people in her class, and she came 39th!