Spokane Medical Research

I didn’t plan to do a triathlon this year. Then one day back in May, I received a phone call from Sharon Cutler, who was working on public relations for the Nissan XTERRA Central Championship. With her enthusiasm, Cutler somehow convinced me to take part in the July 29 XTERRA event in Keystone. After reviewing my options, I entered in the half-distance off-road triathlon, the MicroSupreme XT. This meant that instead of swimming two laps around the frigid pond in Keystone, I’d only need to swim one. Likewise, I’d bike 13K instead of 26 and run 5K instead of 10. This all sounded fine to me – especially the shorter swim! Although I swam swim team in high school, that was 10 years ago, and since then, I’ve barely swum at all. Nonetheless, I was determined to finish the race…

Life was made easier for me when Cutler found me a wetsuit, courtesy of Weaver’s Dive and Travel Center, located in the Table Mesa Shopping Center in Boulder. For a mere $15, Weaver’s will rent out a wetsuit for the day – a much cheaper prospect than buying one! I managed one training swim in Boulder Reservoir on Friday morning, two days before the event. The wetsuit made it harder to lift my arms out of the water – undoubtedly an annoyance. On the flip side, it did make me more buoyant. Nonetheless, I was worried about the swim.

Cutler also graciously arranged for me to stay in comfort at Keystone Resort’s Inn at Keystone Hotel, located on Highway 6 within walking distance of the XTERRA event. I crashed there with my friend Natalie Luhtala, also a competitor, and her husband, Erik, the night before the event. Though an avid athlete in his own right, Erik graciously accompanied both Natalie and me to the event in the role of a supporter, tuning up our bikes and providing encouragement throughout the event.

When the whistle blew to start us off on the swim the next morning, I knew that I’d be relieved as soon as I hit the shore again. I found myself quickly gasping for breath due to the combination of the high altitude (Keystone is at around 9,000 feet) and the cold water. One-quarter of the way around the loop, I decided that if I didn’t switch to breast stroke, I wouldn’t complete the swim. This decision proved the right one, as my breathing calmed down almost immediately as I settled into the rhythm of the stroke. I finished the swim in just over 12 minutes, but it seemed much longer than that. Even at 61 degrees, the water felt cold!

As I started to jog, barefoot, to the transition area, I realized that my hands were so numb that I couldn’t undo my wetsuit. Visions of biking 13 kilometers in a full-body neoprene sheath flashed through my head, but after a few pumps of my hands, feeling returned, and I undid the Velcro and yanked the zipper down. Underneath my wetsuit, I had on a swimsuit top and bike shorts. In the transition area, I donned my bike helmet, shoes and gloves, then charged out.

I hopped on my bike and began the 1,500-foot climb on dirt roads and singletrack trails. I spun along at a comfortable pace, swigging sports drink when I could and remaining cheerful, despite my panting – I was overjoyed to be finished with the dreaded swim. My mood only faltered when I passed an aid station and was informed, “you’re two-thirds of the way up!”

“Ugh,” I thought. “I didn’t want to know that I still have a bunch of climbing left.”

By the time we reached the turnaround point to head downhill, I was psyched to cruise. I’d been sucking wind for nearly an hour, trying to keep up a steady pace despite the altitude (topping out at around 10,500 feet above sea level). The downhill was a fun, winding singletrack to a steep dirt road that led back into the transition area.

Back there, I threw down my bike, popped off my bike shoes and put on my running shoes. I sucked down a Clif Shot and took off on the run, eager to get to the shady, mostly flat trail. I picked up a steady pace and held onto it for the whole run segment. Toward the end, the trail emerged from the woods to drop competitors into a stream crossing, which felt fabulous on my hot and tired body. I finished with a smile on my face and immediately headed to chow down on the food – bagels, fruit and pastries – that awaited competitors at the finish line.

More free food – yummy lasagna – was in store, courtesy of Mitch’s. As a bonus, I won a free pair of sunglasses from Zeal Optics (www.zealoptics.com) during the awards ceremony – the first nice pair of sunglasses I’ve ever owned in my life!

All in all, the MicroSupreme XT far surpassed my expectations. Aside from a few minor glitches, the race was well organized. The volunteers were absolutely fabulous, and the course was beautiful, fun and well marked. Look for the XTERRA series to come to Keystone again next summer, or to a location near you. If you’ve never done an off-road triathlon before, the XT is the perfect place to start!