Race Coverage

Starting a Tradition...

Thursday, 09 July 2015 00:10

By Larry Hosch

How it Started

ZTRI RACE REPORT - It all started last year, around midnight over a summertime bonfire, it is common knowledge our best decisions occur at midnight over a neighborhood bonfire, our conversation shifted towards triathlon and my friend, Brad who had never ran a 1k was adamant he was going to race a triathlon.  After perusing the handy dandy race calendar on MN Tri News website we decided the Ztri was a perfect event…small, up north during the holiday weekend, ends with a Zorbaz at the finish line.  My friend Brad completed his first triathlon last year at Ztri, had a blast, did something he never thought he’d do and is working towards doing more this year.

This year, Andy Zabel and I came back to Ztri and we didn’t leave disappointed.  This is a great event for the weekend warrior or up north vacationer looking for a great race to kick off the 4th. of July festivities.  Uncle Randy offers a a cool, unintimidating vibe, no one takes themselves too  seriously and everyone is there for some fun and exercise...

Gearing Up 

Pre-Raceday is critical for proper race day performance.  Andy and I were on a mission to prepare for this epic race by sampling Minnesota’s finest electrolyte drinks…it’s critically important to be hydrated for a July triathlon.  We also made sure to calm our nerves and reduce any stress for the race by escorting 5 children, 2 grandparents and 1 Mom to be (3x over) to the beach for swimming and late-night fireworks viewing from the pontoon boat…who needs a good nights sleep before a race? There also may have or may not have been some leg shaving involved.

The Big Event

We arrived at the race plenty early and were able to set-up in transition, check-in, and prepare for a pre-race ride.  The pre-race ride is where things got interesting.  Andy’s rear derailler bent inwards, hitting his rear spokes and rendering his gear selection to 2. Andy’s rear brake was also were rubbing wheel and his last minute fix actually made things worse.  We then got ready for the swim and about a minute before the gun, Andy’s goggle strap breaks. This is all par for the course for a guy who has been known to completely forget to bring shoes to a race, swims the wrong way at times, races with tires at 50 psi…I could go on :)

The swim was a first for me.  The swim is always my weak point, middle of the pack is usually where I sit…err swim. Imagine my surprise exiting the water in what appeared to be shoulder and shoulder with the lead swimmer, this couldn’t be…could it, maybe some of my off season swim work is paying off.  According to my Garmin, the swim was approximately 125 yards long, Garmin swim distances often times have a large margin for error but my 100yd. swim pace seemed to be consistent with recent times so I think the swim was in fact long. The run up to transition is probably the harriest part of the whole race with a relatively steep hill of concrete and river rock covered by some matting.  

The bike consisted of a 7 mi. or so out and back bike totaling just over 14 miles.  The course is smooth with rolling hills, 3 - 90 degree turns and one 180, just enough to keep things from getting boring or mundane.  On the turnaround, I saw Lee Brown first, who exited the water with me about a minute or so back and then Andy Zabel behind him. I was happy to see that Andy’s bike was still rolling despite his mechanical difficulties.

The run is a nice run through some rural up north lakeshore neighborhoods which is really nice because it provides some nice shade.  Nothing really changed during the run.  As most runs after a swim and bike, it can be painful but knowing the finish line was never too far ahead (Sprints are great that way) and that there was food and drink at the ready made for ample motivation to push through.

After finishing it was great getting to talk to Lee Brown (bike photo) the second place finisher, and Nicholas Serratore (5th) who both seem like really cool people and will be folks I think will be mentioned on these pages in the future.  On a personal level, it was nice to win a race however I am always most inspired not by the fast folks, but the folks that are able to call themselves triathletes when there may have been a day they couldn’t envision such a feat, much like my friend Brad did in 2014, this event is perfect for this.  I will definitely be back in 2016, for the fun, the mini-party, and continuing what appears to be a 4th. of July tradition. RESULTS