I don't post too terribly often but I promised someone on the island I'd make a slowtwitch post with some thoughts on the race, and St. Croix in general. That being said, everyone on St. Croix is incredibly friendly. From restaurant owners at Un Amore (whose son demolished the sprint) to just random people walking the streets, the staff at Hotel on the Cay.
Holy hell, what a race. It was my first time competing, and I went in without much of an aerobic base (Olympic A race two weeks prior, not much in terms of long runs or long rides since February). Just about everything except the swim is against the athlete every step of the way, but it was fantastically run. I was worried for a "low-key" event that there would be mismarked turns, or some other annoyances. Tom Guthrie really put together a great event. It's something when 1,000 volunteers around the island (a population of 50k) support a dwindling 200 athletes. It's really sad that its the last race, and that it has run dry in the triathlon community because it brings in a lot of money to businesses on the island.
Swim--The ocean swim was incredibly fun. All of the athletes swam from transition to a cay island about 150 yards out, got in the swim corral and waited to start. The course took a sharp left turn around the cay, running parallel to the main island. We rounded a triangle buoy and did a 150-ish degree turn that angled us back to transition. It was basically a big triangle. My watch logged 2240 yards, finish time of 33:40. It felt very fast and buoyant in the salt water, and rescue divers under each buoy were fun to watch as you swam overhead. I managed to be in the lead pack from the first wave, so the fish weren't scared away yet.
Bike-- the swim was directly into transition, so no run. The course was incredibly scary on race day, since a light rain made the already rough roads (despite being paved) very slick. A short 8-mile loop with rolling hills and high humidity took you back into Christiansted in a few narrow alleys which, if dry, would have been very classic "Tour de...[x]" like, providing a ton of energy. Couple 90 degree turns made speed very slow. Slightly rolling hills followed for 12 miles to the base of "The Beast." While steep, I think it is a little over-advertised if you manage your energy conservatively. A couple minutes of suffering, spin out your legs once you crest it and a careful, windy descent lets you recover quite a bit. Also I was rocking a 39/28, so the gear ratio helped. Then settle into a higher aerobic pace for the true second half of the course. Since the 55.4 miles takes you around the whole island, you get to see it all, and the second half is much more scenic than the first. It is windy, though. So you conquer the hills and go into a harsh headwind for anything downhill and flat. There's no gaining momentum. And any downhill has a sharp turn that follows it anyways. It's easy to tell who didn't listen to Tom when he said "Listen to the SLOW signs painted on the ground. Trust me." There was a lot of road rash. Finished in 2:52, a whole 30 minutes slower than what I did at Austin in October.
Run-- All about heat management. Two loops, and very little was ever flat or any extended portion. An aid station every kilometer was stocked with ice, cold sponges, gatorade, water and some solid foods (plus coke). Ice down the suit, sponge off face and head, swig of gatorade/water at every station. You run through a golf course from roughly mile 2.5 to mile 3.5 without a station, so cool off before real good. The golf course is a heat lab, and it has a few steep climbs that are actually better walked than ran from an energy management perspective, unless you're an incredible runner, and very light and lean. There was loads of support from islanders throughout the run, though. A live band, running into town, and a group of 20 that are just hanging out at a bar cheering on athletes. The energy made it difficult to walk. Finished 1:46, another 15 minutes slower than in Austin.
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Holy hell, what a race. It was my first time competing, and I went in without much of an aerobic base (Olympic A race two weeks prior, not much in terms of long runs or long rides since February). Just about everything except the swim is against the athlete every step of the way, but it was fantastically run. I was worried for a "low-key" event that there would be mismarked turns, or some other annoyances. Tom Guthrie really put together a great event. It's something when 1,000 volunteers around the island (a population of 50k) support a dwindling 200 athletes. It's really sad that its the last race, and that it has run dry in the triathlon community because it brings in a lot of money to businesses on the island.
Swim--The ocean swim was incredibly fun. All of the athletes swam from transition to a cay island about 150 yards out, got in the swim corral and waited to start. The course took a sharp left turn around the cay, running parallel to the main island. We rounded a triangle buoy and did a 150-ish degree turn that angled us back to transition. It was basically a big triangle. My watch logged 2240 yards, finish time of 33:40. It felt very fast and buoyant in the salt water, and rescue divers under each buoy were fun to watch as you swam overhead. I managed to be in the lead pack from the first wave, so the fish weren't scared away yet.
Bike-- the swim was directly into transition, so no run. The course was incredibly scary on race day, since a light rain made the already rough roads (despite being paved) very slick. A short 8-mile loop with rolling hills and high humidity took you back into Christiansted in a few narrow alleys which, if dry, would have been very classic "Tour de...[x]" like, providing a ton of energy. Couple 90 degree turns made speed very slow. Slightly rolling hills followed for 12 miles to the base of "The Beast." While steep, I think it is a little over-advertised if you manage your energy conservatively. A couple minutes of suffering, spin out your legs once you crest it and a careful, windy descent lets you recover quite a bit. Also I was rocking a 39/28, so the gear ratio helped. Then settle into a higher aerobic pace for the true second half of the course. Since the 55.4 miles takes you around the whole island, you get to see it all, and the second half is much more scenic than the first. It is windy, though. So you conquer the hills and go into a harsh headwind for anything downhill and flat. There's no gaining momentum. And any downhill has a sharp turn that follows it anyways. It's easy to tell who didn't listen to Tom when he said "Listen to the SLOW signs painted on the ground. Trust me." There was a lot of road rash. Finished in 2:52, a whole 30 minutes slower than what I did at Austin in October.
Run-- All about heat management. Two loops, and very little was ever flat or any extended portion. An aid station every kilometer was stocked with ice, cold sponges, gatorade, water and some solid foods (plus coke). Ice down the suit, sponge off face and head, swig of gatorade/water at every station. You run through a golf course from roughly mile 2.5 to mile 3.5 without a station, so cool off before real good. The golf course is a heat lab, and it has a few steep climbs that are actually better walked than ran from an energy management perspective, unless you're an incredible runner, and very light and lean. There was loads of support from islanders throughout the run, though. A live band, running into town, and a group of 20 that are just hanging out at a bar cheering on athletes. The energy made it difficult to walk. Finished 1:46, another 15 minutes slower than in Austin.
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