Hey Hoagy, great race you over 50 guys had. My race report will be short, kind of like the race went. Water was frikking cold, air was damp and cold, but I like that. I'm guessing mid 50's or so. AS usual, Brian Fong took it out and hammered the rest of the field, but the 100 turns on the bike course suited an old criterium racer like me, so we I ended up catching him with a lap to go. We transitioned together, he dropped a cycling shoe,so I got the jump in the run, and Dean Harper was right there next to us changing. Brian closed the gap in a mile or so, and the two of us just ran together until the last quarter mile, where Brian decided it was going to be his day. It was kind of fun because he had his brother on a mountain bike with a video camera the whole run, so we could pretend we were Dave and Mark in the old Ironwar. We pushed each other so hard, that in the end only one kid beat us in the race overall, and Dean was right there behind us. It was a good day for the AARP crowd, lot to be said for expirence in those short sprint races I guess. Really glad the season is over, can now focus on some easy winter training, and all the little projects that got put off during the season. My first time at the Treasure Island race, and a big thumbs up to Terry and the Tri California group for a great season ending event.

Sorry about the weather, but great race! It was a lot nicer on Saturday for the Oly race. Yesterday's weather was much more conducive to wine tasting up in Napa.

clm

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

The weather was just fine and probably the same as Saturday. He's just whining cuz it's not as warm as SoCal. Water wasn't too bad either. I guess 58. Salty, though!

Uh, the water is supposed to be salty! ;-)

Actually on Saturday, it was sunny all morning. Quite pleasant. Sunday, not so much. Tonight, rain.

Glad you had a good time.

clm

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Monty, congrats on another podium in a long three decade long series of podiums. Is that some kind of a record? Has Molina had any overall podium finishes in the 2000's?

Has Molina had any overall podium finishes in the 2000's? ///



I guess if you don't count his Ironman New Zealand and Ironman Arizona overall amateur finishes this year, then no....(-: I'm sure Scott has piled up a quite few top 5 podium finishes in races we have never heard of, and a few that we all know. As long as there are no current pros, no national championship on the line, and half the entries are first timers, then some of us old timers can still get into the hardware places...And that guy Brian Fong, you probably have never heard of him, but he has quite a reputation in Calif. in the sprint races. He has won several races overall this year in the one hour range....He was the guy I beat by 1/1000 of a second in a race earlier this year. We ended up 2nd and 3rd overall in that one. He sticks close to home, and only races arouond an hour. I think he may be on to something....

Looks like you are ahead of Molina. He just needs to pick races with weaker fields :-)

Thanks bro'... my best 10K in YEARS. Something about knowing that last years winner was 30 seconds behind me with 5K to go.

I actually took 2nd, but they assessed a blocking penalty and knocked me into third. I'm appealing, because the call is total bull. Five racers passed me on the bike course (no exaggeration, and I can document it) and I have their names and USAT has their phone numbers. No way they can justify this. There were SIX blocking penalties handed out, and I was blocked no less than 500 times. I was passing people all day and I'm completely hoarse from yelling "ON YOUR LEFT" in various versions including 1-3 expletives, and they're dinging ME for blocking. There are no words to describe how wrong that is.

Anyway, I enjoyed the race a lot more than I had expected to, so I just might go back next year.

Oh, speaking of blocking, I was almost taken out by the official's motorcycle in one turn, because the bonehead driver cut from the far outside to the curb and back to the outside again, after slowing dramatically. Sure, how do you penalize the officials?

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Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...

I watched your race, and it was similar to mine. There is no way there should of been blocking calls made. There were so many turns that went both directions, and after maybe 10 to 20 seconds of straignt riding. You have to line up each of those turns since they were all 90 degree, so there is just no way not to be at the left sometimes. Then there is the added slow rider factor getting lapped. When I saw that they handed out blocking penalties, I had to laugh. Sorry you got one, I would have been pissed too if I got one.This wasn't Terrys doing, but the couple officals they had there. This was really one instance that they should have taken the course into account. Everyone blocked, and I mean everyone!!! To single a couple out to make an example of, albeit a bad one, is just plain stupid. SHame on those officals, keep fighting it and good luck. Great race.....

By the way, the 10k was short. Hate to tell you, but if I have to accept the fact that my 5k was short, then no more fooling the masses. I figure it was about a tenth short in the 5k, so two tenths for you. On another note, the bike was long, and your swim was about 2 to 3 minutes long. So your overall time for an olympic can be adjusted down from your finishing time. Some good news there....

Well, if the run was only .2 short, I STILL had a PR. I was 7 minutes faster than my best run all year. I think it was partly because I didn't hammer the bike as hard as I usually do, partly because I started the bike slow while I tried to figure out how to stay safe, and partly because the run had to have been short. I plan to do Far Side 10K to find out how fast I really am. Hopefully I won't be too disappointed!

I knew the swim was long because George Tidmarsh (USMS record holder at 45-49 for 1500 free @ 17:10) swam for a relay and did 21:01. Safe bet it was at least 250 meters too long if not more.

I totally agree that blocking, if they were going to call it, should not have been called or at the very least should have been reserved for flagrant violators, of which there were many. My thought was that perhaps the official was new on the job and didn't realize that the penalty is supposed to go to the blocker, not the blockee...

Maybe?

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Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...

Three minutes behind Dean Harper?? You were on FIRE, bro!!!. 17th overall out of the 50-54 AG is just plain CRAZY.

Did they drug test you?

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Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...

Thanks, I was pretty happy with my time. As I got closer and closer to the turnaround without seeing Dean coming back I got fired up, but he still kicks butt by a lot.

"he still kicks butt by a lot."

The guy's not real. He's some kind of android or something. It looks like you beat all the human competitors!

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Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...