Location: Denver Emergency Center for Children, Room P2
Kevin: "hey whitney, i cant race tomorrow" (referring to Xterra Indian Peaks)
WB: "wait a sec im trying to intubate this 13 month old who swallowed a Garmin battery, i need ketamine"
Kevin: " i cant swim....."
WB: "what!?! You cant swim!?"
And thats how this road to the Maui Xterra World Champs began, over 5 years ago. Apparently my baseball, football and skiing background was not as helpful as i would have thought to prepare me for this crazy world of triathlon.
Road to Maui:
Xterra Oak Mountain, Birmingham, AL
Late May. 5th in AG
 |
| Oak Mtn: hot and humid. almost drowned in the non-wetsuit swim. Zika virus is hiding here. |
Swam a few times in between Xterra Beaver Creek (2nd in AG) and Xterra Utah/Pan Am Championships (5th in AG). Actually secured an out right qualifying slot at Xterra Beaver Creek with a 2nd place finish so wouldnt have needed the Oak Mtn slot anyways in the end. Started to feel pretty comfortable in the pool after Utah and was seeing some good progress with my routine of one day a week, 30 min pull session only in the pool. This, was sure to get me out of the ocean and away from the sharks in Hawaii.
The remaining summer was spent doing very few races actually. 18 hrs of fruita, relay for colfax marathon, singlespeed at the RME PV Derby, Vail GoPro games trail run, 70mi Ring the Peak around Pikes peak, and that was it besides the bike packing trip from Telluride to Moab via San Juan Huts system with the crew. A low volume race summer.
Race week
Got all the bikes packed up and prepared my liver for all the pina coladas and mai tais by drinking a growler each night with TK. Love our Ruster Hen House bags as they fly under the size restrictions, and free with Southwest, and it really makes some airline agents upset when you tell them "its sporting equipment, not a bike" because they cant charge you extra. And besides, these things dont resemble a bike after you tear them down to just the frame, etc..
Maui:
 |
| "Is that a bike?" "No-its sporting equipment" |
We get in with no troubles and scoop up the parental units, both my dad and WB's parents came to vacation and turn wrench for us. The Krazy Krzyzaniak's also happened to be in Kauai that week so they jumped a flight over the day before the race to hang out since its not often you have friends, one island over, while youre in hawaii.
WB and i decided to hit the trails for a quick run to scope out the lower section so we rattled off a solid 6 miles at 10min/mi pace, almost the entire run course skipping just a very small section, two days out. Then hit DT Fleming beach to scope out the swim start. While a low pressure system was clearly moving through the area, that brought intermittent heavy rains with tons of wind for a handful of days leading up to race morning, and including race day. The run and bike course were soaked and were not handling the rain well. sticky Maui mud. The waves and swells were outrageous. Probably 3-4' swells the day before the race which didnt seem too bad at the time as we practiced breaking through a few sets to figure that all out. In the end the buoys looked to not be THAT far away so i figured my progressing swim skillz would surely get me out there and back. After all, i wasnt going to win the Superbowl, i just had to have fun and finish.
 |
| view from our VRBO house on Turtle Bay in Napili |
 |
| "dry section of the prerun" |
 |
| Yes, they knew i was from CO so they gave me #420 in hopes i would bring the RD some edibles |
Race Day
The beautiful thing about Xterra is the 9am start, the 4 hour time difference in HI was also a bonus. That means you can wake up, take your time drinking coffee, eat some breakfast, and let normal physiologic processes go on uninterrupted.
Headed over to the transition area and get all settled. For a race with 800 competitors it sure didnt feel busy which was calming.
Headed down to the beach and did the nervous chit-chat thing for 45 minutes until we can get this circus going. Watch as the waves keep getting bigger and bigger and the announcer talks about the current that is moving right to left which is why we are lining up on the far right of the beach. Remind myself that i have no expectations aside from just finishing and having fun.
Swim
9am comes and the pros hit the water, just as a huge set hits too which seemed appropriate. 4 minutes or so later my AG gets the gun and its a bit easier to get in. I find open water immediately which is a welcome surprise since i went off with the largest group of AG'ers. I settle in and seem to do alright besides having to try and sight the buoys and take a breath with almost every other stroke. The waves do not seem to settle out as we get closer to the buoy and i definitely feel the current as i end up next to a course marshal on a surf board telling me to go right. I dont think the helicopter overhead is helping matters either but still make it to the buoy in decent shape and make the turn back to the beach. I certainly took advantage of riding a few waves as much as i could to help expedite this torture session but find myself having the floor drop out from underneath me and drop about 3 or 4 feet which led to some very inconsistent swimming. Finally make the shore and make my trot around the flags before heading out for round 2 (swim is an M shape with a short beach run between legs). Take a deep breath and look out towards buoy 2. Clouds seem to be rolling in again and the swells look huge. WTF i think to myself. Im immediately having flashbacks to the movie The Guardian. #$%^'s about to get real for round 2 so i take 15 deep breaths and start to make my way out and just begin to get pummeled. big waves, big swells, getting punched in the face the entire way out to buoy #2. Try to do a better job at swimming against the current but then just end up swimming in place for like 10 minutes. Finally make my way around and headed back. moral is picking up until i get almost to the shore line and catch a huge wave which literally washes me ashore a$$ over teakettle and end up washing up on the shore on top of another dude, goggles floating besides me. The guy looks over at me and says "Well thats one way to make an entrance". I look over at him and say lets get the $%^ out of here man! Up to transition we go, so thankful for that to be over.
Swim: 33:56 (42nd/53 in AG)
 |
| Video of my swim start: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwbg7CGcmTs3QkdpMVAxOFBxQVE |
Bike:
Well, i dont really know what to say other than at mile 1 i was in line marching up a hill, sometimes sliding down it, wishing i had metal spikes on my shoes. Tried to get on and pedal intermittently for the next 7 miles. Got off and pulled mud from my frame and gears about 15 times. You just had to laugh, but be glad you werent there.
We all knew what the bike was going to bring based on the prerides and weather. It was a slip and slide after a week of rain.
We all knew what the bike was going to bring based on the prerides and weather. It was a slip and slide after a week of rain.
At mile 8.5 we finally hit the downhill section. I hoped on and started to hammer. However, what i didnt take into consideration was my bike was 10 lbs heavier and turns out you go faster downhill when youre carrying more weight. About a mile or two in and we are cruising down another slip and slide muddy road and i took flight and just launched myself and bike into the bushes. Luckily i landed in some soft bushes so i popped up and hoped back on and held on for dear life. Finally made my way back to the lower section where it gets a bit more technical and twisty but the course was more manageable and tacky vs muddy and wet. The last time i was this excited to get off my bike was the course at Oak Mountain where there was something like 900 turns in 20 miles. Its just plain exhausting as its more mentally exhausting to stay so dialed into the course instead of just letting your legs power you up or down a hill.
Was able to drink about 2 bottles of water although even in the rain and wet conditions i was always thirsty and could have used one more aid station. i think i got a bit behind with all the hike a bike that i had intended to use that climbing time to drink but instead had my hands full carrying a 40lb bike.
Anyways, into T2 with only the whites of my eye balls showing and super excited to get to the fun part of the race.
Bike: 2:27:54 (about 30 mins slower than expected)
 |
| If anyone is interested in watching how T2 works: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwbg7CGcmTs3LWQwT1hIM3dueFE |
T2: 1:33 - crushed a package of cliff shots, tropical flavor of course. had a hard time tying my shoes since my hands were covered in mud and i dont use the EZ laces. otherwise uneventful but really happy to be off the bike.
Run:
This is where i typically catch a few in my AG and move into a solid finish but today would be different, i maybe picked off 2 in my AG.
Hit the road and feel ok but it felt about 90 degrees and super humid at this point. I immediately sense that my hydration was not adequate on the bike and plan to take water at each aid station, where ever those may be located. I typically only hit one or maybe two stations during all other races so i knew i was in the hole.
To start, you run up a big hill, paved, and then tuck into the trees. About a mile in i see a guy ive been racing with all day kneeling in the middle of the trail, hands between his legs, arms crossed over his head. I ask if hes ok and he mumbles something so I assume his airway is intact and keep trucking along. Next some female AG'er passes me like im standing still. I am immediately taken aback and think that i am dogging it a bit so i try and pick up the pace but the legs are just crushed so i settle back into my 9min pace. I dont know who that ever was but ive never been passed by anyone like that on the run. Maybe it was Flora Duffy?
At about mile 2 i feel that i have a huge rock in my shoe and its not going anywhere so i make the decision to pull off and empty my shoe. that helped for about 1 minute until another appeared and i start to feel a huge blister developing on the pad of my left foot. Pull off again and empty that guy out. Carry on and finally hit the top around mile 4 and start to make the decent through the winding forest and old golf course, down the embankment and up or over the fallen trees on course. Certainly a much drier run than it was a bike and thankful for that.
Hit the beach at last and completely flounder trying to make that look sexy but my best attempt at a solid David Hasselhoff impression is a fail. Into the finishing chute i go with a huge smile on my face.
Run: 57:43 (9:10min/mi pace)
 |
| Run |
 |
| told you it was muddy |
 |
| the watermelon was delicious |
After finishing up i headed back to catch up with the crew and find out WB is still out on the bike. We headed to transition and after about 10 minutes she comes rolling through. I knew this type of bike course was not what she has ever ridden in so i figured she would not be happy with the conditions but SUPER excited to get off the bike. She made a quick turn in T2 and out to the run she went.
WB Swim: 31:25
WB Bike: 3:35:41
WB run: 59:25
5:11:21 Overall time
7th in AG!
After all is said and done we grab a beer and then head back to the house. Was a great day to be out there and I wouldnt have traded in the touted "toughest Xterra World Championship race in 21 years" for anything. It was truly a course and conditions only for the worlds best, or at least those in the world that dont mind suffering. (i am not one of the best, but do love a good suckfest!).
It was muddy, unrelenting, and i was just lucky to not have had any mechanicals but there was carnage EVERYWHERE. People holding their derailleurs in their hands, peoples bottom brackets sounded like cans of rocks, chains laying on the ground where people abandoned them and just decided to coast their way into the finish.
To sum it up, Xterra is not Ironman, its not marathon running, its a ~3hr race (on normal days). I dont have a coach or training plans and most people dont need them unless youre the pro's or one of the world elite's. Knowing how fast you can run in a straight line or down a street means nothing in Xterra, similarly to knowing how much power you can push on the bike only tells you that you spend too much time on your indoor trainer when its 85 degrees and sunny out (Sorry Breyer, not a jab at you i promise!). That doesnt help you climb up 3400+ feet over mountainous terrain with 200 turns and switch backs or jump over fallen trees or run down beaches. The point of this is to just be outside, having fun, with cool people who feel the same way you do, and especially the beers at the end. Having several screws loose certainly helps too. I hope to come back some day on a dry course and really see how much fun the course could be, which is why the real reason we do this. Its all about the exploration and experience.
Big shout out to our family who came and drank more than we did, the krazy krzyzaniaks for all the cheering and photography, Team DGBG and the Strava Crew for blowing up our phones all throughout the race; Optic Nerve, Panache, Peak Cycles & www.bikeparts.com, Wheat ridge cyclery, Skratch labs, Runners High, Wish for Wheels, etc.
Up next: 25 hours of Frog Hollow....who's in!?!
~k2
 |
| does xterra need any mascots? |
