My husband Rodger decided to do the XTERRA West Regional Championship Triathlon at Lake Las Vegas. I'm too afraid of major bodily harm to mountain bike in a race but since I was accompanying my husband, I signed up for the 21K XTERRA Trail Run Race thinking it would be good training for Wildflower and Deuces Wild both of which include trail running.
On the drive up, we had a flat tire!... which delayed so it was late by the time we arrived at our condo at Lake Las Vegas. The next morning we discovered that our condo building was right next to transition... how convenient!
While Rodger headed out to check out the mountain bike course, I headed to the store for supplies. Rodger returned from the bike course preview with some bruises and said the course really challenging and he decided to switch to the sprint distance (The Olympic distance was a qualifier for World's in Maui).
I volunteered at packet pick-up where I met Raina and Janet who were overall in charge of registration. There were 5 races occuring over the weekend (Two XTERRA tri's: sprint/Olympic and three trail runs: 5K, 10K, 21K. So packet pick-up was a bit complicated with people signing up on-site, forgetting their USAT cards or having expired cards, people who signed up for a run through "Group-on," ID's to check, waivers to complete, big #'s to assign for those not pre-registered and T-shirts and swag to hand out.
The next day I checked out the 10K part of the run course (the part that the Olympic distance XTERRA triathletes would do). There were sandy, rocky washes, a section of dirt road and eventually off into the rugged rocky steep trails. There was absolutely no shade. The weather was hot (high race day was 87) and windy. There were some parts that were so rocky and steep that it was impossible for me to run. Plus, I really didn't want to twist and ankle or fall. I wondered, "What was I thinking when I signed up for the 21K?!... The 10K would have been enough of a training run.
The XTERRA tri's were on Saturday and the XTERRA trail runs were on Sunday. I went down to the swim start with my husband and stood on the bridge watching as the swim wave took off... only to be called back... due to some mix-up in communication... so finally off they went. The water looked brown and was said to be in the high 50's. I cheered as my husband exited the water and yelled to Kelei the announcer that that was my husband so she announced that to everyone.
After my husband headed out on the bike course, I got in line for a hair-cut! Paul Mitchell hair stylists give haircuts in exchange for a donation to Challenged Athletes Fdn. It was a great cause... and a great haircut!
I waited for my husband to finish and was relieved to see him in the Finish Area but somehow I missed his running across the Finish Line... which may have been a good thing as he fell running down the hill to the Finish. The awards Ceremony was right after the race in the Expo area. Rodger did win his age group. Local Tucson triathletes, Mel Liebling and Bryce Phinney ended up 5th in their age groups. I was particularly proud of Mel because this was her 1st XTERRA triathlon. I also congratulated Pro Suzy Snyder whom I had met at a mountain bike clinic on finishing 2nd overall.
The trail run races were the next day. I had not felt anxious prior to the race until race morning... even though I kept telling myself this was just a training run. I planned to be cautious after previewing the course and know there were some rocky steep climbs/descents. I have big races scheduled and did not want to get injured on this trail race.
The 21K XTERRA Trail Race included not only the 10K portion I had done on my preview but we also actually ran the bike course section that the XTERRA triathletes had raced the day before... more steep climbs/descents, sandy, rocky washes, some narrow sections... all in direct sunlight and wind. The trails had been described as "running on the moon" and I could see why! There were aid stations along the way with water, Gatorade and Power Bar gels... but I do not recall seeing any porta-potties (maybe I missed that)! I did not see any runners seriously running up the steep rocky climbs but then I was toward the back... perhaps some younger runners could manage it... but mostly it would take a mountain goat! Some people did fall but luckily, I wasn't one of them. I managed to pass about 5 people which surprised me... perhaps from training in Tucson where I'm more used to heat, wind and direct sun. I did end up wining my age group and also a FREE entry to the World XTERRA Train Run Championship in Hawaii at the end of November (Thanksgiving in Hawaii sounds good to me!... but my husband just rolled his eyes!... It was cool knowing I had won the entry, though).
It was quite the weekend and a unique experience. XTERRA participants seem to be more laid back and welcoming.... and also so many knew each other.. perhaps because there are less participants in these type of races!... The Race Organizers, staff and volunteers did a great job!... and a special thank you to Paul Mitchell hair stylists for providing their expertise and donating proceeds to Challenged Athletes Foundation.
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