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Racers' Comments From: Kenny Dunaway Sent: Sunday, March 03, 2002 4:24 PM To: la_bicycle_racing@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Northshore_Cyclists] Abita Beer Duathlon: What a Kick If you think the summer Spillway Classic Trail Run put on by NOTC in the Bonne Carre Spillway is something, you ain't seen nothing like what went on at Fontainebleau State Park Sunday morning in St. Tammany Parish. The announcements by Steve Sperrier and Mark Salvetti made the event look interesting enough, but they had no idea the weather would throw a twist they could never have anticipated. What a nice weather week it had been leading up to the 8 a.m. race. Then the torrential rains came on Friday and the temperature actually raised a bit. Surely, I thought, it can't drop below freezing! How wrong I was. As I retired Saturday, the cold winds were howling in through Baton Rouge and thoughts of rising to freezing weather with wet trails wasn't very appealing. But I knew my Florida Parish friends would verbally pummel me if I didn't show up to at least participate. I had only been back at running for a week or so after taking off since November. My August River Road bike bumble got complicated and I had to do so sizeable adjustments to my winter workout routine. Anyway, I was feeling good after the first several jogs I took to see if I was moving toward running recovery. I thought what the heck, I'll enter the duathlon and if I don't feel good I'll quit. At age 46, you can truly do that -- just quit. A few years ago I may have said that but never would have done it! How times change as one ages. Anyway there were 60 folks actually reregistered and easily another 60 showed up on site to race. Obviously race organizers weren't expecting such a crowd as there was one long, single, slow line for on-site check in to race. It was cold as we waited to check in on the banks of Lake Ponchartrain! The waiting didn't help my attitude about racing either. It was obvious feet would get wet soon and that wasn't very comforting as winds whipped through the pavillion where we got set to race. But Sperrier and Salvetti had all the glitz and glamour of a big-time race with lots of up beat maybe even warm tunes playing and the smell of red beans and rice wafting through the air. Their energy levels were high and they amazingly had lots of volunteers. Finally we gathered at the muddy and soggy starting area and were given bizarre and detailed course instructions. After a long wait we were off headed straight to Lake Ponchartrain and into the sand. Through the mud, then the sand, around "the big oak tree," and onto an incredible labyrinth of trails which were more like small bayous than anything else. There were jokes about there being no swim; hah, we did our share of "swimming". The crowd spread out fast enough and it wasn't long before we were back to the bikes and headed out on a brutally muddy, rain-saturated course. The trails had enough switch backs to keep you honest with your speed and the pot holes kept you wondering just how deep they were. Finally off the "regular" trails, we found ourselves paralleling the Abita to Mandeville bike trail -- not on the paved section mind you. It looked as though the course had basically been designated by ribbons and was being used as a "course" for the first time. I felt more like a duck hunter in salt water marshes looking for wounded game than I did a duathlete in a race. My heart rate had to be off the chart. Every time I felt as though I had some sort of cycling rhythm, the course and dynamics of the mud/dirt/gravel changed. Early on everyone had to be soaked. The challenge now was not getting your whole body soaked by taking a plunge in one of the many pot holes growing ever wider with each passing rider. There were long stretches where running your bike was far more productive than riding it! I couldn't feel my feet; thank God I could keep my hands warm with two pairs of gloves. Hearing the transition area music made you know the cycling end was near! Thank God! But the last 100 yards or so with lots of spectators looking was maybe as tough an area as there was. Right when you want to settle down and get ready for the last run, I found myself working overtime to make the last 100 yards without taking a nose dive into the mud right there in front of everyone. Pride is a dangerous thing and warmth on a day like Sunday is a precious thing! I survived though without taking a tumble and raced through the final leg of the run portion. I was thrilled that my running legs seemed okay and even though my feet were numb, I didn't see any signs of frost bite. I had survived. I hear the next one of these Abita Beer Duathlons is in July. It can't be nearly as fun in hot weather. Kenny Dunaway ------------------------------- From: Greg and Melissa Kujawa Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 10:30 PM To: crawfishman@yahoogroups.com Subject: [crawfishman] Fw: Help! Amber Duathlon From Kujo Here are some thoughts from a still water-logged participant about the race: As I stood in the registration line talking, I said that this was one of the races that we will remember for a LONG time. How true that was! After having helped marked some of the bike course the day before, I also knew that all the athletes waiting in that registration line had no idea what was in store for them. There was one guy duck taping his shoes on his feet - he knew what was in store. The greatest races are those that allow you to learn a little more about yourself, see where your limits are and push you to do more than you wanted to do. This race gave me every one of those opportunities. I can honestly say I did not expect that when I saw it on the race calendar. It was as much adventure race as it was off road duathlon. The first run let you warm up a little bit before heading out on the bike (the sand run provided a little extra umph). That was among the hardest bikes I have ever done. For a 5 and a half mile bike, it was absolutely brutal - it was great! The first 2 miles were harmless enough, just letting you get wet enough to be indifferent to the soaking that was about to come. Once the ride made its way up the powerline and across to the horse trail, things got serious. The water was knee-deep at points, while the water in some sections had recessed enough that the mud was suction-cup deep (I wished I had duck taped MY shoes). This was max heart rate time, completely anaerobic - it was a mud run with a 30 pound accessory (my MTB). Getting through the horse trail provide a false sense of relief. The last section of the bike was particularly deceiving. As the last turn was made taking you through the oak trees, you could begin to see and hear the finish. It was pancake-flat and looked fast. It really felt like you should be flying through that section but the conditions were difficult enough that I was working to stay upright. This was not the race to care about how you looked in front of the spectators and volunteers. But the bike was done! The second run was hard, chasing down the guy in front of me and then he stayed for a while, so no backing off. It hurt. I was thankful that the turn out of the trail on to the road coming back in had room to run on the brick wall and not through the stream! On that oaks section where the bike and run used the some section, it was faster to be running than on the bike! I talked to a lot of racers who had a similar experience of the runners being faster on that section than the bikes - WILD! For those who know my racing habits, I crave (lots of) beer after the finish. I changed out of my wet clothes and put on my ski jacket but at 37 degrees, I couldn't stop myself from some vigorous shivering. The Abita Amber tasted great, but what a terrible waste! My violent shivering caused half of the beer in my cup to splash everyone near me. The 50% I got was awesome. This is one I'll remember for a LONG, LONG time! See ya off road in July, Kujo << Back to Abita Amber Duathlon page Got any questions? Email us at kiwishark@msn.com.