Team Interwest

Boulder 70.3

Team Interwest competed in the coed relay division of the Boulder 70.3 Triahtlon last weekend. Gwen swam, Terry cycled the bike leg, and I ran.

We picked up our packet on Saturday and attended the "mandatory" pre-race meeting. Approx 1288 starters! I got in a pre-race run, then we walked around Boulder. Pretty cool town. Lots of open space. Also, lots of people milling around town. Not sure if its' always like that, or if it was because of the race or the college starting soon.

We were up early on Sunday to be at the race venue and setup before transition closed at 6:20 am. Swim wave started at 7:10 am, and I didn't plan on starting the run until 11:00 am. Before the start we met Terry's coach, famous triathlete Simon Lessing. He was very gracious and gave me a run singlet with his coaching business logo to wear during the run. Very cool

Gwen had a good swim. She always makes it look so easy. We were worried about Terry on the bike as he is still recovering from a broken shoulder, and he suspects a torn meniscus in his knee. As it turned out, neither of these ailments bothered him in the ride.

I took a nap in the van while I waited for my turn. With about 15 minutes prior to Terry's anticipated finish, I took a seat in the transition area to wait. During this time, I was fortunate to witness an inspirational display of sportsmanship. As I sat in transition, Julie Dibbens was finishing her race with an 8 minute lead on the second place female pro. It took her an extraordinarily long time to finish the last mile. She finally entered the finishing chute; walking, shaking hands, giving high fives, signing autographs. She even stopped and gave an interview to the race announcer before she crossed the line. This went on for about 3 minutes. Finally, she explained to the crowd that prize money is paid to the first five female pros. According to Ironman rules, if a top 5 finisher time is more than 8% slower than the first place time, then they do not get paid. She was waiting to make sure that everyone that finished in the first 5 got paid. I was honored to witness this unselfish act.

Terry rolled into transition a few minutes later, about 3 hours 15 minutes after he started, and off I went. The run course was 99% on dirt roads. It was hot and there were no trees. I stuck to the plan of running 10 minute miles for the first half, then slowly ramping up the pace to finish as hard as I could. The race went according to my plan until around mile 8. Then my wheels fell off, and it was a real battle to finish. At that point I just couldn't make myself run anymore. For the remaining 4 to 5 miles I alternated walking and running. I wound up finishing in 2 hours 34 minutes. It was great to hear Terry and Gwen cheering loudly for me as I crossed the line!

Photos by the race organizer are available at:
Team Interwest Photos

Terry and his wife were gracious hosts, and I am truly thankful for all that they did for me while I was there. Thanks! It may be a long time before I run 13.1 miles in Boulder again (or not); but it would be fun to go back next year to do a whole triathlon, only shorter.

Team Interwest also had a presence at the TBF Tri for Real #3, where Kate, Gary, and Mark defended the series coed relay title by taking second place in the coed relay division. Way to go!