After a 15 minute ferry ride from Tacoma, we (Brian Schur, Derrick Watkins and I) arrived on Vashon Island (just southwest of Seattle) shortly after 12:00 pm Saturday, July 14.
Ryan, Brian, & Derrick Ready to Go!!
Vashon Island is host to many tourist attractions. This weekend’s attractions included the Vashon Island Strawberry Festival and the Vashon Island XTERRA triathlon.
The Vashon Island Strawberry Festival is probably the biggest event held on the Island all year. It features artist exhibits, a grand parade, classic cars, live music and entertainment, food vendors, arts and crafts and more. Pretty much the whole island gets involved in this event. ...all except for a small group of thrill seeking individuals that call themselves triathletes. ...and not just triathletes, but XTERRA triathletes.
The Vashon Island XTERRA is Washington’s only XTERRA and is part of the XTERRA Point Series to earn an entry into XTERRA Nationals held each year at Lake Tahoe. for those of you that don’t know, XTERRA is the off-road cousin to triathlon.
So many exciting things to do and see on the Island. How would we ever decide what to do? Needles to say, this small group of weekend warriors was not interested in anything having to do with fruit, art exhibits or parades. The Strawberry Festival will have to wait, this year my goal is to earn an entry into XTERRA Nationals. The top 10 athletes in my age group and region (Northwest) will qualify for Tahoe.
We did manage to take in a bit of the strawberry festivities as we searched for a place to eat lunch. While enjoying a sandwich we were able to watch the local fire department take up an entire 1/4 mile stretch of road as they put on a competition among their fellow fire fighters consisting of a race to get suited up, drag a “victim” up one street, carry 2 chain saws down another, then hose down 3 traffic cones 25 yards away. Quite entertaining.
But now it was back to business. After lunch we headed to the race site to pre-ride the course. One loop of the 2 loop bike course and also road the run course. Before this weekend, if I could imagine what an XTERRA course should look like, this would be it.
The swim is a salt water swim in Quartermaster Harbor, just off the Puget Sound. The bike is two loops and consists of twists, turns, roots (big ones, the kind you can, and will, get your chain ring hung up on), steep climbs, fast descents, drop offs, stinging nettle, and lots and lots of trees! At one point the trees were so dense that it was hard to see. The run started out with a major climb out of the park that seemed to go on for ever. Just like the bike course it also consisted of many twists and turns, roots, steep climbs, fast (knee buckling) descents, drop offs, more stinging nettle and even more trees!
After pre-riding the course, swollen and itchy from the nettle and down to 2 good rear derailleur (starting with 3), it was crunch time. Derrick had busted his to bits just before finishing up. Brian and Derrick both suffering severely from an allergic reaction to the nettle were in desperate need of Benadryl.
It was now 6:30 pm, Brian’s voice all but gone and Derrick sneezing uncontrollably using his shirt as a snot rag, it was time to make a decision: fined some Benadryl to relieve the two of their suffering or track down a bike shop that would still be open to purchase a rear derailleur? Find the derailleur of course!
We finally traced down a bike shop in Tacoma that had the derailleur and was open ‘til 8:00 pm. The next two ferries would leave at 6:50 and 7:45. It was 6:50 or perish.
We arrived at the ferry at 6:53 leaving a few 100 miles worth of rubber somewhere along the way. There were 4 cars head of us and were still cars onto the ferry. One by one the attendant was signaling them on. He pointed to the car right in front of us and waved them on. He pointed to us and held up his palm. “That it” he said.
There was one last option: single speed! We would wait ‘til in the morning at the race venue to make the conversion in case we were able to fine a derailleur there.
We turned around to locate some Benadryl, eat some dinner then set up camp. Having just enough light to set up camp it was time for bed.
Race morning, rested, and in better spirits, we all had breakfast consisting of our own pre-race meals: I have my usual bagel, peanut butter and honey; Brian I think had a Power Bar; and Derrick, well, something he found the night before at the grocery store: instant Mac & Cheese with a little caned chicken. We packed up and headed to the race start.
The weather was calm and cool. The water temp was somewhere in the high 60’s so I decided not to bother with a wetsuit. Derrick ended up with the race director’s mountain bike to race on. Things were starting to come together. Also, it was nice to see a familiar face at the event. Tony Sako was escaping a family function in Seattle to come don and race.
The swim would start off a boat dock a ways into the salt water bay. 15 minutes before the race start we all headed to the dock. I felt the water temp with my hands. It was a little chilly. “this feels a little cooler than high 60’s” I said. I jumped in to a quick warm up, quickly turned around, got out and started whining like a little girl. This is way too cold for no wet suit. I looked around and saw no one else without a suit. This was going to be one cold swim.
9:00 am and we were off. Men first then women. About 110 athletes took the plunge. Getting out there a ways, the water actually felt warmer and was actually just about right.
I noticed a lead group pulling away in the water and couldn’t bridge the gap. I cam out of the water about 4 minutes behind the leader and about 2 min behind the chase group in about 17th.
Not having to deal with a wet suit and fast transition skills, I was able to start the bike in about 12th place. I passed a few more right at the beginning of the bike as we made our way through town to the forest.
I was now sitting in about 7th place. For the first lap there would be very little athletes around me. I caught and passed one early in the first loop on one of the climbs while later I would be passed by someone else on one of the technical, rooted, tree infested descents.
At the end of the loop, after a long and technical, wear-you-out, descent there was a 3 foot drop onto a flat graveled parking lot that was hidden by a turn around a large tree, if not handled correctly, would throw you over the handle bars face first into the gravel. Pre-riding the course the day before, we were prepared. Coming in hot, I pulled up hard to come flying off the drop of landing hard using every bit of full suspension I had to absorb the shock. I noticed lots of spectators with their cameras cheering as I flew by them. From what I hear, this was the sight for a great deal of entertainment for spectators as many racers did not make it as they crashed into the gravel parking lot.
Derrick and Brian also made it with no scraps and bruises... Tony on the other hand was not quite as fortunate. The first lap, not knowing what to expect, bailed just before the corner as his bike flew off the edge to the street below. Chasing after his bike, he had bypassed the drop off completely still unaware of the troubles awaiting him for the second lap.
My second lap consisted of lapping a few of the slower athletes. Although mostly single track, the slower riders were very courteous and pulled to the side as I not-so-gracefully pounded the dirt flying from root to root.
I managed to complete the 2nd loop rubber side down as well as Derrick and Brian. Tony, on the other hand, did remember to slow before the last turn into the parking lot but was unaware of the shame and humility awaiting him around the corner.
After making the turn, Tony immediately hit the brakes throwing his rear tire into the air as he plummeted down the drop off, landing head first somehow on top of his bike. Cameras flashing, the crowd loved it, they cheered him back on his bike to the bike-to-run transition.
Starting the run, my legs were heavy and the climb seemed to last forever. After leveling off, the rest of the run was rolling hills and very twisty. The trees were so dense that it was impossible to see anyone else on the course unless I was right on ’em. I could hear rustling in the thick foliage but couldn’t tell if it was someone coming up on me or if I was coming up on them. Either way, I picked it up and eventually caught and passed someone as he said “good job” and “go get ’em!” I continued to keep the pace up around the corners using the tree branches and vines to help keep the momentum up.
After a though battle on the run with knee aching descents, ankle tweaking turns and shrubbery hiding all sorts of ankle high surprises, I finished with a 6 place overall, 3rd in my age group and 61 (out of a possible 75) points toward a Nationals qualification. Brian finished just outside of top 10 in 11th, Derrick in 54th and Tony in 60th.
My next XTERRA will be in Ogden, UT on August 18th followed by McCall, ID on August 26th. A little closer on the radar though is the Whisky Dick triathlon in Vantage this weekend.
Your humble reporter,
Ryan
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