Show Me State Games Duathlon

July 24, 2005

Just before leaving Saturday evening, I said to Kate, "You know, if I wasn't pre- registered, I'd probably just skip this one." I had been working outside most of the day and Sunday was predicted to top Saturday's high of 101. The race was scheduled to start at 8:00 AM, so we'd be done prior to the heat of the day, but even the morning temps were predicted in the 90's.

During the evening and morning, I drink everything in sight. I get myself hydrated to the point where the fifteen minutes in the registration line is about as long as I can go between bathroom breaks.

I keep my warmup fairly short. Technically, this is a duathlon, but the first run section is just a sprint to the bikes. Since I won't do any significant running until after the bike leg, I don't bother jogging at all. After about 15 minutes of easy spinning, I decide I'll be better off staying cool and taking the first few miles a little easy.

We start shortly after 8 with the temperature just under 90. The first set of hills quickly strings out the field, so the no-draft rule is easy to observe. By the end of the first mile, I'm alone in second, chasing Jason Ozenberger from the Dogfish cycling team.

The course is very hilly by time trialing standards. A few of the climbs would do damage to a road racing field. Mostly, it's just constant rolls. While I prefer this type of course, I'm also a little worried about the hot run to follow. I flirt with the 14-tooth cog (my normal TT gear) on the flat sections, but never really try to turn it for fear I'll blow my legs.

Up the road, Jason is setting a stiff pace. No real surprise there. I've only seen him at bike races so I console myself with the possibility that he might not be a very good runner. When his lead gets to a minute with only 5 of the 21 miles completed, I console myself with the fact that he is 15 years younger than me, so I still have a good shot at the 40+ win.

I can't really get a good rhythm going because I'm constantly popping out of the saddle to get over another little roll. About five miles from the finish is a significant climb. At the top of the climb is a cluster of spectators who provide some motivation for getting back up to speed. Despite the effort, the switch to climbing position is a welcome relief from the cramped tuck I've been riding in. I switch to the 16 for the last few miles and spin to avoid leg cramps in the transition.

My time for the bike is nearly 56 minutes, which I would regard as pathetic except that everybody else seems to be pretty slow as well. I guess it's just a tough course. At the transition someone calls out that I'm "only" three minutes behind the leader. The fact that three minutes in a 5K is roughly the difference between a decent High School runner and an Olympic Champion has me thinking that I'm still racing for second.

One could not have picked a running course more different than the bike. Rather than a loop, it is an out and back on the Katy trail. That also means that it is unpaved and absolutely flat. Perhaps the most important difference is that most of the run is shaded. The temperature has already climbed into the low 90's.

There are several other joggers and walkers on the trail. I don't pay much attention to them so I almost don't notice when I suddenly find myself passing Jason. He's obviously cooked and just trying to shuffle into the finish. Now that I'm leading, I try hard to make the finish look good. I'm pretty much maxed, though, and increasing the pace just gives me a stitch so I have to back off again. I complete the run in 20:19, which is a time I'll happily take in this heat.

The State Games don't carry quite the prestige in Missouri that they do in some other states I've lived. I'd like to see that change, because my experiences with Empire State Games in New York and the Ohio Sports Festival have been pretty positive. The event is very well run and the course is certainly worthy of a championship designation.