Skip to main content

Race for the Border: Race Report

Race for the Border was held on Belle Isle on July 27th.  Since this one was close to home and there was a Super Sprint, Melissa (my 12 year old daughter) decided to race, too.  She trained a little bit, but she is much more interested in race day than practicing :-)

 I have done a few races at Belle Isle, so I knew there would be weeds in the water that could cause her to panic, so we went out on Saturday to swim in the Detroit River a bit to make sure she was ready.  She took this on our way home after the swim practice, she was fine.


I don't normally have spectators, but with Melissa racing too, Mark and Tyler came.  It was nice to have them there to cheer me on and take pics :-)  Before the race started, I looked over and saw one of my former students prepping for her first race.  She had been training and fundraising as a project for school.  I knew she was racing, but she was originally going to be at a different race.  It was so cool to run into her before the race started and even cooler to be there to see her take first place in her age group!  I think she may be hooked ;-)

Swim - 750 m...  13:43 - 2/10 AG - This swim course had us start at the far end of the beach and swim with the current back to the south end of the beach.  Very fast!  This time includes a pretty long run back to transition.    


Bike 20 km - 36:41 - 20.5 mph 2/10 AG - I was looking forward to the flat and fast course that is typical of Belle Isle races.  It was flat, but lacked the typical speed because of the crazy turns they had us taking on the south end of the island.  I was still happy with my pace overall, but it could have been faster with less turns.  


Run - 3.1 miles - 25:42 - 8:15 min/mi - 3/10 AG - Run was good - a little hot and humid.  The course was set up nicely for the Super Sprint athletes.  There is plenty of room on Belle Isle to have a complete 3.1 loop, so it was a little disappointing to have to do this out and back (T-shaped) twice.



My transitions looked better  T1 = 1:54 and T2 = 1:19.

Results =1:19:18 - 2nd Age Group (35-39), 8/51 overall women, and 36/121 overall men and women. 
Melissa's Results -


This race was effective in helping me determine what I need to tweak before Nationals in 2 weeks.  I mostly just loved sharing the experience with Melissa!!



Age Group Results: http://raceservices.com/14/border/sprint.html 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Big News: I'm Now a Multisport Coach!

  Big News: I'm Now a Multisport Coach! After 12 years of racing triathlons and multisport events, I am beyond excited to announce that I am officially an Ironman U Certified Coach and the Head Coach at 3 Goals Multisport Coaching! 🎉 Why Coaching? Over the years, triathlon has become so much more than a sport for me. It’s a way to challenge myself, build confidence, and connect with an amazing community. Some of my proudest moments have been helping friends reach their first finish lines, and now, I’m ready to help even more athletes discover what they’re capable of. My coaching philosophy is built on trusting the process, understanding your workouts, and setting meaningful goals . I believe in celebrating every step of the journey and supporting athletes with honest, straightforward guidance. Whether you’re brand new to triathlon or chasing your next big PR, I’m here to help you cross the finish line with pride. Why Train with TriDot? TriDot is a cutting-edge triathlon training p...
Post a Comment
Read more

IM70.3 Eagleman 70.3: Lucky #13??

  TLDR: An 11-minute PR in my 13th 70.3!!  It definitely wasn't Lucky #13, though.  I did the work, collected the puzzle pieces, and was able to put them together on race day!!   Pre-Race I drove to Cambridge on Friday, which was the first day of my carb-loading plan.  Having taken the Carb-Loading Masterclass in The Triathlon Nutrition Academy and practicing/ramping it for several weeks.  I wrote my plan, packed a cooler, and got on the road!  I made it to town in time to check in, do my pre-race run, and swim familiarization.  On Saturday, I got up to do my pre-race safety check bike ride and then met up with fellow Team Zooters as they did their pre-race shake-out run.   Race Morning As usual, I set three goals for this race, but I needed to protect my mental game on the run.  So I only set the 3 goals for swim and bike.  Instead of a goal for the run, I made myself a promise.  At this race, I was also going to be...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ironman Lake Placid 2025: Ten Years Later

2025 marked my return to Ironman Lake Placid—exactly ten years after I first raced here in 2015. Back then, I was Race Age 40, my fourth season of racing. Now, at Race Age 50, I came back not just to finish—but to race. To see if I could beat my former self. To see if I could qualify for Kona. And this time? I believed I could. The Road Back to Lake Placid Leading into this race, I’d been training with TriDot for over two years and was finally seeing major gains—especially in my run. For the first time, I started thinking not just about finishing faster than 2015, but possibly finishing  fast enough to qualify for Kona.  I hired a coach, became a coach, and followed my training plan to the letter. I even attended a race rehearsal camp in Lake Placid a month before race day to get the lay of the land and build some confidence on the climbs. Race Week: The Journey North I started my drive on the Tuesday before race week. For camp I made this trip in two days and ended up with sw...
Post a Comment
Read more