BFAST #2...or, DRAFT-FAST 2008!

There are cheats in every sport, and triathletes are no different. The main issue is that triathlons are supposed to be an individual event...but the opportunity to break the rules comes once you mount your bike. In a triathlon there is no drafting (except the UCI olympic type of racing), it's supposed to be every person against the elements to see how fast they can complete the event. This past weekend's Beaches Fine Arts Triathlon was a perfect example...

It was a pretty nice day on Saturday, although the surf was a tad rough...but nothing terrible. The gun sounded and I was aggressive early, and tried to stay to the outside to avoid the human washing machine. I had to swim a little extra, but was worth it to me. The swim course was much longer than last time, and was probably the correct distance this time. I came out of the water feeling like usual in a sprint triathlon swim...heart rate through the roof, heavy breathing, legs and arms tired...and then made the run through the deep sand to the transition area.

I had a descent transition 1 and headed out on the bike. I started ramping it up to catch people and try to find the leader(s). As I looked up I saw the lead motorcycle in the distance, so I kept going between 27-28 mph. It felt like it was taking me a while to get there for some reason, and as I caught them about mile 4 or so...I noticed why. They were all lined up in a pace line drafting. I think there were about 5 guys, and as I approached the front said, "That doesn't look like 3 bike lengths to me...you guys need to break it up." I went past at my same speed only to have them latch onto my draft. I then threw in a couple surges, but the were staying too close to drop without a full sprint. As we were heading back towards transition 2 periodically a rider would come by and pass (sometimes 2 at a time due to one rider in anothers slipstream), so I would have to slow down to not draft. I know that I normally can't run with the top guys off the bike, so try to have a bit of a buffer heading into the run. I also knew that several of these guys usually race Elite and are some of the better triathletes in the state. I finally resigned myself to the fact that they were willing the cheat at all costs, and I would have to see what I had on the run. And believe me...I'm pissed, but nothing I can do about it now. Where the hell were the course marshalls? My bike split is 12 seconds slower than last time due to all these idiots in my way.

We go into transition 2 and I have a quick transition and exit with two other guys. We're running pretty quick, and I hit the first mile in 5:40 something, ouch. The other two guys start pulling away...so I have to let them drift away. I'm soon passed by another guy from our "pack". We turn around and head back, I pass mile 2 in around 12:05. About a 1/2 mile to go another guy passes me and I try to go with him, but I know he's a really good runner and leaves me. I finish 5th, and the top 6 spots are seperated by less that 55 seconds. My run split was faster than last time by about 15 seconds.

After the results are posted, it shows they assessed a 2 minute penalty to two of the guys in front of me. I read the referee's penalty report, and I'm not even sure the penalties were for drafting...it was very strange. This moved me into 3rd place, which is nice...but the damage was done, the dynamics of the race were totally changed. Since there was drafting in the lead pack, I wasn't able to ride my normal race. I would have been able to put at least 1 minute on the next person on the bike, and although I had the fastest bike split of the day...it didn't give me a lead of the bike. I was only 38 seconds out of 1st place, and without cheating would have had at least that as a cushion coming off the bike.

The positive's from the race are that I had a descent swim and run although I have been on a bit of a break. I need to mentally and physically "reboot", so that when I start ramping up my training for Ironman Florida...I'll be ready and focused.

The last race in the Beaches Fine Arts Series is in 4 weeks, so hopefully they have some descent course marshalls to ensure this kind of racing doesn't happen again. We'll also see how I feel since I'll have been on a bit of a non-structured break until then. I'm in the lead for the series overall, so would like to have a good race.

P.S. If you look through the results, a LOT of people broke 25 minutes on the bike. It looks as though more people broke 25 this time, than at any other time since they've had the bike on this particular course...hmmm...

Last weeks results.
Historical results.

Sween