That's a very good race and I enjoyed the write-up. There was no confusing that this was a time chip event, you had to cross a mat and they were only starting six at a time. There was no room for confusion on the format. Congrats.

Great report. Great race !

Really enjoyed reading that. As a MOP AGer, it's such a pleasure to read the reports and thoughts of the top guys. Admiration for the will to make your body overcome.

I will say, though, whether Petr knew it was chip-timed or not, I believe you sandbagged by starting so far back. It's not like you started in the second or third group. You started way in the back. "Tom and I decided to enter the water together about 1/2 way into the group of athletes jumping into the bay. We started about 4 minutes behind the first people to enter."

To me, while not a rules violation, it is certainly a dick move. You clearly had an expectation you could win. By starting so far back, you could manage the time difference in your head but your competitors had no idea what their margin (if any) was. My wife finished 5th in a sprint last summer when she actually was the 3rd female to cross the line. She was in the elite wave but was beaten by two AGers. Problem is, she shut down the run in the middle because she knew 2nd was out of reach and she wanted to make sure if 4th put on some magical push, she had plenty in the tank. She was racing, not trying to PR so time didn't matter. After winning her AG numerous times over the last few years, she went into this race attempting her first overall podium and "raced" to get it. Her 5K split was about 1:15 slower than usual.

I wonder how much Petr "raced"?. How much he was struggling and how much he dialed back to ensure his "position" in the race and not his time?

If you or anyone else disagrees with me, I think we can all understand how the winner might not be able to get themselves first or second in the water. But, for the winner to come from the MOP? Also, go back and re-read the report and notice how many times he used his time "cushion" to help motivate. That's an advantage others didn't have. Again, not a rules violation, but, IMO, not cool at all. Is this the way you FOPers want to be racing? Do you want it to become a game to see who can hide best at the swim start?

In the end, you stud triathletes will need to police your own on this one because I'm finishing 3-4 hours behind you. The worst this impacts me is when I see the results and see that 20 people finished within 10 seconds of me in time, but I was nowhere near them in the actual race because I started way in the back of the swim. Then I convince myself if I was in a positional race with them there is no way I'd lose that sprint to the finish.

Again, great race and congrats on the win. Next time, though, get your ass to the front with the big boys and race.

Yeah, I would agree with DJRed that starting a few minutes back even though you were going for the OA win is a bit of a shady move. I can also understand the guy you beat due to the time gap in the start not expecting the chip times to count for the overall placements. Some races, like most major marathons, determine OA place by clock time, even though they place AG awards by chip time. The expectation is that the people gunning for the OA win should be able to race head to head, not in a staggered TT start. So it isn't unreasonable for Peter to expect that. In any case, great race and congrats!

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http://trainingwheelsrequired.wordpress.com
@KellyNCollier

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.

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Jeff Paul
http://www.dreambigjp.net
XTERRA (Pro Deal Code- SA-JPAUL) GU Energy Kiwami, Zipp Wheels,

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?

Well if we are going to go with the chip time thing, technically a relay team won this race :)

I agree - great race, totally within the rules, but nut up and start with the leaders next time. Still, congrats on perservering and winning!

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Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team