TRIals & TRIbulations: Race Report: XTERRA Southeastern Championship

Well it's been a few days since the race so I've had some time to look back and think. I've also had time to forget. Always a nice thing of endurance racing. I raced hard, it could have been better, but it always could have been better. The swim was pretty good; I came out about 50 yards behind the first guy in my age group. Somehow, I made it out of transition faster than he did though because I saw him on the road before we ever hit the trail. So, the race was on. If I was going to beat this guy, then I had to do it on the bike. I knew the course and hopefully he did not. There was a pack of three riders on the trail together. Pro Matt Boobar was leading the pack, next was Michael Keith, my competitor, and then me. Keith found a way around Boobar at a spot on the trail. I was still behind. I couldn't get around and Keith was taking off. I finally found a spot to pass and laid down the hammer. Too much I guess because I took a corner too hot and slid off the trail a little bit. I allowed Boobar and another rider to pass me as I remounted my bike and got back on the trail. Now I had some time to make up, but there is still a lot of racing left to do. That's what I kept telling myself. I got to the fire road climb and started picking people off one by one. I made it to the top of the mountain successfully and was ready to take the plunge down Blood Rock and the rest of the mountain. I passed two more people struggling through Blood Rock and a switch back before I aced it! Score! Now the the white knuckle, death grip, downhill bombing. I cut both of my thumbs on my shifters because my hands were bouncing around so much.

Boobar climbed better than I did, but I caught him again on the last 6 miles of trail. I was on his wheel for bit before he let me pass, at which point I hopped over a log and dropped my chain due to some front derailleur issues/ bad timing. I came off my bike and Boobar went back in front. About 1.5 miles later when I caught back up with him, I hollered "I sure do know how to yo-yo," as I passed for the third time. I came hauling into T2, but I never passed Keith again. I was told I was in first in my age group, but I disagreed. I started out on the run hard. I was feeling pretty decent for the first 2 to 2.5 miles. Boobar caught up with me around 1.75 and never looked back. He told me that an athlete crashed around Blood Rock. I was beginning to think this was Keith. I felt a little better about myself. That feeling was quickly replaced as I got to the first death climb. It was walking time. It was the better race strategy: don't blow up on this and run hard at the end around the lake. It never got any better though. I met up with Blake Voges the soon to be winner of the 25-29 age group. We stayed together and encouraged each other for a bit. I kept having the fear that Keith was going to be right over my shoulder though and it would have all been for nothing. I had to keep pushing on. It was really hot. It was really hurting. I knew I was really giving it out there when all I wanted to do was lay down on the side of the trail for an hour or so and then walk the rest of the way in. I never stopped though. I kept moving. Some, okay a decent amount was walking and I finished with a longer run split than I posted in '07 when the course was "harder" and supposedly longer. It was rough.

I finished and knew that I had not won. I could just tell. Keith had not crashed. Seth Wealing had and pulled out of the race. Keith left T2 before I ever got there; my spotter just missed it. So I got second in my age group, 11th amateur, and 29th overall. Results I was pretty disappointed at first and am still not really satisfied, but I have accepted it. Keith is a great athlete and if I had to lose, he was a worthy competitor to lose too. I talked with him after awards and found out he just moved here from South Africa on a student visa so he could race in America. He won the Xterra World Championships in Maui last year in his age group. So, I guess he is pretty good. He was a nice guy too. Glad I met him. South Africa went 1-2 in the pro race and Keith wrapped up 3rd amateur for the 1-2-3 for RSA.

On another note, I did win something that weekend. I won an Xterra Wetsuit Transition bag by winning the post race push-up contest. We went on the director's count and I racked out 59. Two more than any one else. Keith was also in the competition. Not to brag or be an ass, but I was not going to lose that competition. Not to Keith. I wasn't going to lose to him again. Around 35 to 40 I looked over at him and gave him "the look back," challenging him to go the distance with me. After a few reps of staring at him, I went back to ground and continued on to victory. It kinda made me feel like a badass for a few minutes there. Then I remembered he still one and I was only going to have 90 points from the championship race.

Oh well, another month, another state, another race, another day. Live On, Live More, Ride Hard