August 18 was the XTERRA Mountain Championships held at Snowbasin near
As the evening approached so did dark storm clouds. By night time there was thunder and lightning and plenty of rain. It was quite the light show.The afternoon before the event the officials checked the lake temperature: 74 degrees. The “no wetsuit” rule was put into effect. With no wetsuit I would be swimming either without a tri-top to reduce the drag in the water but would have to somehow pull it on over a wet sticky body thus taking more time in transition or swim with my tri-top on creating more drag but producing a quicker transition. This was a dilemma and in triathlon, every second counts.imb as would the water temp. The “no wetsuit” limit is 72 degrees and the lake was quickly approaching this. This no wetsuit rule is a safety precaution to reduce the risk of heat exhaustion and is enforced vary firmly. Not being prepared for a swim without a wet suit I was starting to get worried.As the days went by before the event the temperatures would continue to climb as would the water temp. The “no wetsuit” limit is 72 degrees and the lake was quickly approaching this. This no wetsuit rule is a safety precaution to reduce the risk of heat exhaustion and is enforced vary firmly. Not being prepared for a swim without a wet suit I was starting to get worried.
Waking up race morning to much cooler temperatures, it promised make for ideal conditions. Arriving at the swim start to set up my gear, the officials were informing everyone that the “no wetsuit” rule was being withdrawn. Apparently, the rain had stirred up the lake bringing the cooler water from below the surface to the top. The temperature had dropped nearly 10 degrees brining the lake to a comfortable 65 degrees.
After a quick warm up in the lake it was 9:00 am and time to start. The cannon’s explosion signaled the start and we were off.
I had been sick with chest congestion the weeks following up to the event so I took it easy during the swim as a precaution so that I did not blow up before the bike leg. This was smart because there was no opportunity to recover on the bike. After 2 laps, I was out of the 1.5 K swim in 22 minutes in tacked and ready to tackle the hellatious bike course that awaited.
Shortly after transition, the bike would start its ascent up the mountain and costing was not an option. The bike course would start at 4500 feet and climb to 7500 feet at the highest point, ascending a total of 3400 feet and only descending 1800 (where’s the love?).
Having rained the night before, the trails were in excellent condition. No dust, no chain suck, no worries, just hammer like crazy! And that’s just what I did. Knowing the steepest portion of the course wouldn’t come ‘til the last half of the bike leg just passed ski lodge, I would start off conservative and slowly build up so that I would have enough energy for the last loop above the lodge.
Climbing at a snails pace of 6 miles per hour I had plenty of opportunity to take in some of beautiful surrounding country. The course was mostly single track with a nice double track lead-in to secure a position. There was a little bit of everything here: single track, double track, rocky sections that needed fines to negotiate, switch backs, bridge crossings, stairs to descend, fast zigzag descents (although not many), trees…
Finding a small group of about 4 riders at about my same level I could maintain a good pace and still have some company. That all changed at the first major descent.
After a year and a half of familiarizing my self with my bike I finally felt comfortable to just opened ‘er up and let ‘er fly. And that’s what she did. Every opportunity I had to pass, I did. What a rush. This was some of the best single track I’ve encountered in a long time. No wash outs, hard pack and very grippy (not sure if that’s even a word). As long as I kept my head up and anticipated the corners I just flew. But that didn’t last too long. Back to more climbing.
Ahh, the first feed zone. Fresh cold water. Tossing my empty bottle and grabbing a new one, I immediately took a mouthful. Refreshing! I would definitely need this for the next 8 miles that await.
Finally reaching the lodge at 6300 feet I could see the transition area, but we weren’t done yet. The trail took a harsh right that directed us up a steep, steep, STEEP jeep trail; the kind of trail that you rid over your front tire to keep from falling backward. Picking the easiest gear and giving just enough to keep moving, I feared if I gave any more I would explode. …a little recovery and up we go again, this time many people are running their bikes. Not me, I’m going to make it! Swerving left and right just to keep my balance I inched up the trail. Folk running were now starting to pass me. “Almost there, not going to quit now.”
After reaching the top, or what I thought was the top based on my observation down below, I noticed more climbing… Anyway, you get the idea.“Phew!” Over the jeep trail and on to some more single track. Looking up, I could see our trail wind up the mountain side dotted with mountain bikers. The switchbacks went up for ever. At the very top I could all I could see were little tiny dots with wheels.
Finally I reached the top at 7500 feet. “Wow, what a view!” I thought only for a second before starting the last descent back down to the lodge. At this point the racers were pretty spread out and I had the trail all to myself. Again I just opened ‘er up and enjoyed the ride. Dropping 1200 feet over 4 miles in 14 minutes. Back and forth, up and down, catching air every few minutes, it didn’t take long ‘til I was back at the lodge racking my bike and getting ready for the run.
After climbing for so long I knew my legs weren’t going to be very happy to start running. But not just running, running up hill…
After a speedy transition, and running around the lodge, it was up hill again. It was about a 300 foot climb over about a half mile. Instantly my quads started to cramp up. I forced myself to run through it but that didn’t last long.
Now finding my self walk I was quite frustrated. Every step was an effort just to get my leg muscles to work properly. “This is going to be a long run,” I thought. But then after a few minutes the cramping started to go away. Continuing to walk I reached the top of the hill. The walk turned fast stride, the stride turned into a jog, the jog turned into a run ‘til I was back up to race pace. “This was great!” My spirits were lifted and I was on my way.
Running over rocky terrain, leaping over rocks and roots, zigzagging though twisty single track, my mind was alert and attentive. ...planning every step and turn. One wrong step would mean devastation. ...and then it happened. I rolled my foot off the edge of a small rock and twisted my ankle. “Ouch!” I said, along with a few other words, as I tried to slow down.
It’s not like I could instantly stop running and remove the weight from the injured ankle. I had a pretty good pace goin’. Nor could I through myself to the ground. ...it was rocky. So I slowed as fast as I could while screaming ouch and stuff.
Again I was walking. I thought for sure this was it. I walked for about another 1/2 mile and things started to feel good. I tried to run but it hurt. I found that if I ran on my toes it removed the strain on the outside of my ankle. So that’s what I did. The last 3 miles was an odd looking limp but it got me to the Finnish in a semi respectable 46 minutes and 37 seconds for the 5.2 mile run finishing the whole thing in 3 hours 13 minutes and 15 seconds. Placing 6th in my age group, I earned enough points to put me in third place for the Northwest region and secure my entry into Nationals at
Fast forward one week:
Saturday, August 25, my friend (Brian Schur) and I camped in Ponderosa State Park near McCall, ID, as we geared up for Sundays event: The Wild Rockies Xterra. This is the last stop for athletes to earn points toward entry into Nationals at
Xterra McCall consisted of a 3/4 mile swim in
A pre ride of the course revealed a very technical, rocky, dry course with lots of opportunity to get off the bike. Stream crossing, bolder obstacles, steep run ups, and a deep powder descent that hid many more unseen obstacles. Unlike
Race morning was a chilly 44 degrees that made jumping into the 60 degree lake feel like a warm bath. The water was calm and the air was still. It was going to be a great day for the event.
The race started at 9:00 am with what was said to be a 3/4 mile swim. I was out of the water in just over 8 minutes within the top ten swimmers. It was defiantly shorter than 3/4 mile. Racing though transition in 1:30, I was soon on my bike.
There were no surprises on the bike course. A good clean ride with no hiccups. Climbing the first 7 miles easily holding my position, negotiating the rocky sections with ease, running a few steep sections was unavoidable, and descending the deep powder section cautiously, I arrived back to the transition area intact and still somewhere in the top ten with a 1:39:43 bike split.
Just after a minute, I was out of transition and on the run. The run course was similar to
Not seeing too many folks out on the run course, I figured they were either eaten or I had put enough distance on the bike to cruise in for a top ten finish. And that’s just what I did. I finished 10th overall and 5th in my age group with a 51:33 run split and 2:42:05 overall earning enough points to move int 1st place for regional champion. Brian Schur finished 13th with a time of 2:44:30.
The final Xterra event for the year is Nationals held at
Your humble race reporter,
Ryan Brown
