Photo Courtesy of Mario Cantu
Well, The Austin Triathlon was this morning. I have a full 'report' on my website, www.kellyhandel.com, so check that out to hear all the gory details. Actually nothing gory about it but was a heck of a tough day! It started off awesome as Shawn Colvin sang the national anthem (only in Austin, right?) right there before the swim. The coolest part was she was just in her running clothes, totally low-key.
The swim was in Town Lake, A.K.A. Lady Bird Lake. It felt a bit on the long side, but hey we all swim the same distance so it was all good. I opted to go non-wetsuit since the water was 78 degrees and the air was muggy. I used my Zoot Speedzoot, not only does it make me fast but it looks cool too. I exited about 2nd overall which was cool. :) I heard someone yell out to Jason McMillan 'You got chicked!', which made me laugh (he dropped me quick on the bike). I felt strong, rode hard but got passed SWIFTLY by a woman who I had no idea who she was! I kept peddaling away (what else to do?) and came into T2 about 1.5 minutes down, so as I had my work cut out for me. I pushed the first of 2 laps as much as I could and I was slightly decreasing her lead, but it was not until about mile 4-5 that I actually passed her. She was a phenomenal cyclist. At that point, I felt good and a bit relieved but didn't count my chickens 'til they had hatched (doesn't the saying go something like that?)...I made the final turn, saw Derick cheering :) and then tried to drop whatever 'hammer' I had left. I pushed in to the finish hard, slapping peoples hands - which was so cool, the fans were a huge help today - and crossed first, happy and very tired too.
This was an extremely well organized event, and a ton of fun. Jack and Adams, ya'll deserve a pat on the back, a rest and a well-deserved beer or 3. Thanks so much for making the first Austin Triathlon a big success and a lot of fun! And great job to all the other Jack and Adams racers, as well the new town phenom Derek Yorek. This guy just moved to Austin, and he ran 30-min+ 10k. Once he learns to ride a bike and brings his swimming down, he'll be scary fast. Thanks for reading!
The swim was in Town Lake, A.K.A. Lady Bird Lake. It felt a bit on the long side, but hey we all swim the same distance so it was all good. I opted to go non-wetsuit since the water was 78 degrees and the air was muggy. I used my Zoot Speedzoot, not only does it make me fast but it looks cool too. I exited about 2nd overall which was cool. :) I heard someone yell out to Jason McMillan 'You got chicked!', which made me laugh (he dropped me quick on the bike). I felt strong, rode hard but got passed SWIFTLY by a woman who I had no idea who she was! I kept peddaling away (what else to do?) and came into T2 about 1.5 minutes down, so as I had my work cut out for me. I pushed the first of 2 laps as much as I could and I was slightly decreasing her lead, but it was not until about mile 4-5 that I actually passed her. She was a phenomenal cyclist. At that point, I felt good and a bit relieved but didn't count my chickens 'til they had hatched (doesn't the saying go something like that?)...I made the final turn, saw Derick cheering :) and then tried to drop whatever 'hammer' I had left. I pushed in to the finish hard, slapping peoples hands - which was so cool, the fans were a huge help today - and crossed first, happy and very tired too.
This was an extremely well organized event, and a ton of fun. Jack and Adams, ya'll deserve a pat on the back, a rest and a well-deserved beer or 3. Thanks so much for making the first Austin Triathlon a big success and a lot of fun! And great job to all the other Jack and Adams racers, as well the new town phenom Derek Yorek. This guy just moved to Austin, and he ran 30-min+ 10k. Once he learns to ride a bike and brings his swimming down, he'll be scary fast. Thanks for reading!
2 comments:
Hi, Kelly! I loved reading your account of your race--the only thing that could make it better would be for me to join Derick at the finish line to cheer you across it! You've definitely had a wonderful race season--my goal for next year is to see you and Derick compete again. Thanks for sharing this! love to you and your sweet guy! Donna
interesting post and love the photos!! especially that last one!!
keep tri-ing
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