Tuesday, September 7, 2010

City of Lenoir Triathlon 2010

Saturday, September 4 was the second year in succession that Amy contested the City of Lenoir triathlon just north of us in Caldwell County. Held at the Lenoir Aquatic and Fitness Center, the sprint-distance triathlon consisted of a 250-meter swim, 16k bike, and a 5k run. Amy's overall goal for the event was to improve on her 4th overall placing from 2009. As was the case in 2009, conditions were nearly perfect as the region experienced its first stretch of low humidity and crystal-blue skies since spring.

With the advantage of being the first swimmer off after a 2-min break to allow the lanes to clear, Amy had time to splash around and give a thumbs-up before setting out.

Halfway through the last of the five 50-meter laps.

Running toward the transition area after clocking a 7 minute, 25 second swim leg, a few seconds off her pace from the previous year.

Ready to jump on the bike and set out on the 16k (10-mile) bike leg after a 1 minute, 23 second swim-to-bike transition.

Last year, Amy opted for her road bike due to the three steep climbs. Feeling that there were more seconds to be shaved on the flatter sections of the course, she chose her time trial bike this year, set up with a 50mm from wheel for aerodynamics and a standard rear wheel to reduce weight.

Never one to take great pictures, I am even less competent with our new camera, even though it's close to idiot-proof. However, there's something about this photo of Amy cresting the final 16% hill to the Aquatic Center that I like. After completing the bike leg in 29 minutes, 48 seconds, we would have to wait until the end of the race to see how she stacked up compared to last year, as the bike leg was shortened by two miles from 2009.

Two legs down, one to go, as Amy sprints out of the transition area after a 1 minute, 9 second bike-to-run transition.

Smiles are mostly non-existent as runners hit the line after running up the 1/4-mile climb to the finish, which ends with a 16% gradient. Amy notched a run time of 24 minutes, 47 seconds, trimming 27 seconds from her 2009 5k leg. Amy met her overall goal of improving her placing, finishing 2nd overall female with a time of 1 hour, 4 minutes, 30 seconds, and 18th overall out of 101 total competitors. Another important goal of hers was to do a strong bike time, which she also met; she clocked the fastest bike time among all women by almost two minutes, and she was also the only female to negotiate the course in less than 30 minutes. Her bike time was the 9th fastest overall among all competitors, placing her in a select group of only ten who broke 30 minutes.

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