There's been a lot of chitchat about this years worlds and all the drafting and overcrowding, and most all of it is true. But what you won't hear, is that in the middle of all that mayhem, there was a truly classic battle that was played out between two of the sports great legends. One you will know, and one you probably won't, unless you were doing triathlons before 1995. Here is my race report;
Morning of the race I'm racking my bike, and across from me I see my old friend Scott Molina. Scott needs no introduction, probably the winningest pro of all time, and overall amateur winner of two Ironmans this year. We shake hands, and agree to have a few beers after the race( couldn't find you buddy, but drank to your great race anyway). Then right before the start, another old friend from Mexico emerges from the crowd, Ricardo Gonzalez, also just turned 45 like Scott. He is Mexico's equilevant of Scott Molina, the winningest pro they ever produced, and just an all round nice guy. I raced in Mexico a lot in my career, and he would be ever present, and usually dominate the world class fields. We shake hands quickly, and he looks at me and says,"Looks like it's gonna be a fast swim." Race starts off at a blistering pace, and 5 of us get away into a lead pack. First time since I began racing age group that I got to swim in a pack of more than two, and this one is hauling ass, and I don't have to pull. After the first loop we begin to lap the slower swimmers from the other heats, and it is one fine mess. This is a really tight course, with a lot of 90 degree turns, so there was a lot of head thumping and suit grabbing going on. I was riding Ricardo and Molina until we all hit the breast strokers with about 600 to go, and I lost them.
Molina exits ahead of Ricardo by a couple seconds, but Ricardo bolts out of transition and gets a 25 second jump. It takes Molina about half the ride to close it down, and he puts a small gap on Ricardo going into T2. Meanwhile I pass a couple guys, and a couple pass me, holding onto a top 10 spot into T2. Ricardo blazes the T2 transition, and once again passes Scott while he is idle. It takes him almost half the run to close it down, and Ricardo tells me the next 3k is just hanging onto Molina while he puts the hammer down. I'm out there somewhere running myself into 19th, when I hear the announcer yell out that Scott Molina has just won the 45-49 age group. It's not till later that I see Ricardo at an internet cafe, where he tells me the story of how he won the race, in the final sprint by a couple seconds. I seem to remember that he beat Simon Lessing in a race in Mexico in a final sprint, so it doesn't surprise me. They post two of the fastest legit times of the day( I'm throwing out a lot of the younger guys times, since they were in the draft legal race), and had a battle a kin to the Ironwar of '89 between Mark and Dave.
Welcome to the age group guys, I think I'll leave it now.......
Morning of the race I'm racking my bike, and across from me I see my old friend Scott Molina. Scott needs no introduction, probably the winningest pro of all time, and overall amateur winner of two Ironmans this year. We shake hands, and agree to have a few beers after the race( couldn't find you buddy, but drank to your great race anyway). Then right before the start, another old friend from Mexico emerges from the crowd, Ricardo Gonzalez, also just turned 45 like Scott. He is Mexico's equilevant of Scott Molina, the winningest pro they ever produced, and just an all round nice guy. I raced in Mexico a lot in my career, and he would be ever present, and usually dominate the world class fields. We shake hands quickly, and he looks at me and says,"Looks like it's gonna be a fast swim." Race starts off at a blistering pace, and 5 of us get away into a lead pack. First time since I began racing age group that I got to swim in a pack of more than two, and this one is hauling ass, and I don't have to pull. After the first loop we begin to lap the slower swimmers from the other heats, and it is one fine mess. This is a really tight course, with a lot of 90 degree turns, so there was a lot of head thumping and suit grabbing going on. I was riding Ricardo and Molina until we all hit the breast strokers with about 600 to go, and I lost them.
Molina exits ahead of Ricardo by a couple seconds, but Ricardo bolts out of transition and gets a 25 second jump. It takes Molina about half the ride to close it down, and he puts a small gap on Ricardo going into T2. Meanwhile I pass a couple guys, and a couple pass me, holding onto a top 10 spot into T2. Ricardo blazes the T2 transition, and once again passes Scott while he is idle. It takes him almost half the run to close it down, and Ricardo tells me the next 3k is just hanging onto Molina while he puts the hammer down. I'm out there somewhere running myself into 19th, when I hear the announcer yell out that Scott Molina has just won the 45-49 age group. It's not till later that I see Ricardo at an internet cafe, where he tells me the story of how he won the race, in the final sprint by a couple seconds. I seem to remember that he beat Simon Lessing in a race in Mexico in a final sprint, so it doesn't surprise me. They post two of the fastest legit times of the day( I'm throwing out a lot of the younger guys times, since they were in the draft legal race), and had a battle a kin to the Ironwar of '89 between Mark and Dave.
Welcome to the age group guys, I think I'll leave it now.......