Race Coverage
Ben's First Race of 2013...
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Wednesday, 17 April 2013 01:10
ED. Ben Ewers is a three-time Minnesota Grand Master of the Year.
LEADMAN 125 EPIC MARQUEE, first TRI of 2013 season (Race day account)
By Ben Ewers (benewers.blogspot.com)
Yesterday (4/14/13) I raced the Leadman 125, hosted by Lifetime Fitness. Tempe Town Lake, Lifetime, and Red Rock Racing hosted a whole weekend series of races starting with the Collegiate Draft Legal Championships on Friday, the Collegiate non-drafting Championships on Saturday, and three triathlons run concurrently on Sunday (a Sprint, Olympic distance, and the 125K). Amazingly, Red Rock and Lifetime pulled off a very excellent Tri Festival, especially challenging as it took place in an urban setting.
The 125K race is an attempt to host an equivalent to a half Ironman that doesn't leave you with as much of a post-race hangover. Consequently it has a slightly longer swim (2.5K), longer bike (109.5K), and shorter run (13K) compared to a half Ironman. The theory is that it's the run that leaves the most post-race hangover. It takes about the same total time to complete. Judging from how I feel this... morning, the concept is sound.
Interestingly, there were more entrants in the 125 than each of the shorter races. Perhaps due to its unique lengths. There were even some 125 entrants that were first-time tri racers. That's nuts.
I won my 65-69 age group by a wide margin, but also would have won the 60-64 and 55-59 age groups. When that happens, I know I had a good race overall. No complaints, mate. However, the following critique of my effort shows I was a little rusty and made some rookie mistakes.
I woke up early race morning to a flat on my racing wheels. My race wheels are tubulars, lighter and less prone to "snake bite" flats (flats that leave two puncture marks caused by the pinch impact of the rim against the tube when hitting a hole or major road crack). The bike course was changed two weeks before the race to a multiple (4) loop urban setting with lots of turns per 17 mile loop (fourteen 90 degree turns and three 180 degree turns per lap) with lots of road expansion joints. Better for light weight tubulars. I replaced the wheel set with my training clinchers and departed for the race site early so I could take advantage of the bike mechanics provided by Landis Cyclery to readjust the shifters to the replacement wheels. READ MORE
