Jeff Paul IA wrote:
I see your point and think you may see things different had your wife been on the other side. I think races with good prizes or money that have elite waves should require athletes to be in the elite wave to earn the overall prizes. Challenge AC did not have any big prizes and no money. I disagree with the sandbagging statement however. If swimming 2.4 miles without anyone to draft having to navigate through traffic, and then biking 112 miles solo without anyone to help set a pace is sandbagging you would be correct. I see it different. I see more of an opportunity to sandbag by going in the water next to other fast athletes. Go back and take a look at the picture I posted on the blog with the 3 lead riders. While I'm not going to say they were sandbagging...I will say their effort was easier than a solo ride. There are plusses and minuses to starting back in a TT format. I wouldn't say racing 140.6 solo is sandbagging but we can disagree on that.
I hear you on the pacing and riding alone. I did a half with 37 people in it this year and the times ranged from four to seven hours. Talk about spread out. Yeah, I did that race alone in the MOP. 56 miles with just me and my GUs. And as a BOP swimmer, I'm always swimming by myself and then dealing with congestion on the bike. I hit T1 usually in the bottom 5-10% and then ride/run my way up to the top 10-15%.
I call a little bit of bullshit on you, though, because CAC had only 117 full finishers. It's not like you started MOP in an IM that has 1500 people in it. That would be congestion and navigating traffic. Or, c'mon to the back of the swim pack in a 350 person sprint where the 11-mile bike is three loops and I'll show you even more congestion. Dealing with maybe 50 people over the course of the swim/bike over 114.4 miles doesn't even register as a minor inconvenience to me.
I saw the picture of those three lead riders and knew exactly what your message was when you posted it. Yes, they are helping each other. I didn't need you to point that out. Again, you studs need to police your own.
Either way, much love and respect for the time. Put my one-and-only IM time against you and you beat me by 4 hours. Said another way, you were done as I was exiting T2. And I DNF'd CAC in my first 140.6 attempt last year after going 2:22 in that hellish current/swim course. So, if you ever want a fun challenge, I'll race you heads-up 140.6 if you give me a 4-hour head start. That sound ridiculous as I type it but that's the gap between you and me and I respect the hell out it.
Best of luck in your future races. I hope you crush them all.
P.S. - I am curious (and I don't remember reading it either way in your report) when you and Petr crossed the finish did you break the tape and did they announce what place you were? Seems that would be tough for them to know who won in real time?