Gwen gets a stress fracture and runs Chicago anyway, audible pop and she DNF's with a broken tibia. She tries again with more cross training for a spring marathon with more nagging injuries. Barry texts Jamie who skypes Pat and Phil Knight. Gwen suddenly appears on the start list of a fall WTS race podiums like London 2011. USAT sends Katie, Taylor K and Gwen to Japan. Gwen is now average in the water and terrible on the bike. Katie is at the front with Flora (and Jessica L. and Alice B.) in a break on the swim. Vicky is with Georgia in the first chase. The largest pack was swimming 8 wide and let a big gap open. Ashleigh is off the back with Ai. Nicola attacks out of T1 and drops Gwen to bridge to Vicky's group. The race is split over 4 main groups through lap one. All of the Brits sit in on their packs, so basically Flora vs Nicola vs Taylor K vs Ashleigh. Nicola slowly closes down to Flora but groups 3 and 4 are loosing time. With 2 laps to go the front packs merge and everybody looks around. Ashleigh catches the Gwen group with 1 lap to go and they close from 2 minutes down to 1:30 on the final lap as the lead group plays tactical. The run is exciting. But I don't know how it ends.
Meanwhile, the boys swim in 1 long line. Ali pushes early out of T1 but Johnny can't keep up. Ali is out front with Ben, Henri, and Richard V but he keeps looking back. Mario is already next to Johnny. Kristian attacks from the group and bridges. Ali doesn't want to go, he is sitting up and yelling. Kristian goes off the front with Ben. Ali tries to get a break for Johnny like 18 more times. The group is too big, someone always shuts it down right away. Then they weave side to side as the break steadies up the road. They survive with 1:45 at T2. Though Ali eventually gets frustrated and breaks away solo with 2 laps to go and the break up the road at 2:30, he doesn't get very far. Ali drops out when little bro passes him 1k in. Mario slowly reals in Kristian, they draw even with 1 lap to go. Mario surges twice and gaps Kristian but he draws back. Meanwhile, Johnny is running with Richard M 30s back. Mario goes one last time with 300m to go and opens up 10m. In the finishing chute Kristian claws back and dives for the tape. For the 2nd time in triathlon history we need the photo to find a winner. With 500m to go Johnny surges and drops Rich. He looks to have bronze locked up. Then from nowhere Jake comes flying past in the last 30m.
Later on that week, Katie throws down a massive 6 beat kick to power solo from the gun. The pack rides together 20s down. On the run, Cassandre flies from the group and passes Katie at the start of lap 2. Katie hangs on 10s down. Georgia runs to the front of the group with Kirsten (she's Canadian now, thanks slowtwitch!) They hand off another 7s behind Katie. Rachel is just behind, Natalie vC is much farther back. Dorian maintains the lead in the water over Johnny who picks up Matt M. Matt S makes the chase group a threesome. Aaron finds himself on the bike with another group of 3-5. They don't make up any ground. The 2 Matts try to help but Johnny solo is better. Johnny ends up riding most of the bike at the front Matt M gets dropped in the last km. On the run Dorian's lead shrinks, but he hands off still in first. Johnny is 4s back with Matt M another 10 back and Matt S 20s off the lead. Vicky catches Leonie in the water. They work well on the bike. Gwen is solo 3rd. Jo is solo 4th but quickly catches Gwen. They ride together to T2, 25s back. On the run Gwen leaves Jo, rapidly passes Leonie and Vicky and hands off to Ben with 8s gap. Tyler and Vincent start another 12s down. Ashleigh is putting in a brave effort on the bike and run, but can only close up a little. She hands off to Jake 35s back. Ali goes balls out on the swim and start of bike and catches Ben about 1 km into the ride. They hammer hard. Tyler and Vincent swim well and bike well together but they can't catch the bike power up ahead. They start the run with a 22s deficit. At the start of the run Ben and Ali are running together. Tyler and Vincent are closing. Jake. Where is Jake? Ali's got a hamstring hitch, Ben is not a fast runner. Vincent eases ahead of Tyler, but they are both closing to the front of the race. Jake is coming. Ben looses his stryd power meter, he doesn't know how to pace now, oh no! Ali's hamstring snaps with 100m to go, he starts hopping on 1 leg to the finish, oh no! Vincent and Jake round into sight with Tyler just behind them, oh the humanity! USA gets a penalty for littering the Stryd power meter, but they protest and it is overturned because it is an american company, the US keeps their medals. RSA protests that Ali crawled during the run, initially it is upheld and Canada gets some medals, but then it is overturned. Ali keeps his record 3rd triathlon medal. Canada apologizes for both of them. Vincent protests that he is the most beautiful triathlete. Protest was denied. The race jury says it is Javier, who finally gets a gold medal for just being so darn pretty. Did Jake win another sprint? I can't remember. I think they get medals too. Also Japan gets some medals for being gracious hosts. Doumo arigatou.
Anyway that is what I think happened. Thoughts?
Meanwhile, the boys swim in 1 long line. Ali pushes early out of T1 but Johnny can't keep up. Ali is out front with Ben, Henri, and Richard V but he keeps looking back. Mario is already next to Johnny. Kristian attacks from the group and bridges. Ali doesn't want to go, he is sitting up and yelling. Kristian goes off the front with Ben. Ali tries to get a break for Johnny like 18 more times. The group is too big, someone always shuts it down right away. Then they weave side to side as the break steadies up the road. They survive with 1:45 at T2. Though Ali eventually gets frustrated and breaks away solo with 2 laps to go and the break up the road at 2:30, he doesn't get very far. Ali drops out when little bro passes him 1k in. Mario slowly reals in Kristian, they draw even with 1 lap to go. Mario surges twice and gaps Kristian but he draws back. Meanwhile, Johnny is running with Richard M 30s back. Mario goes one last time with 300m to go and opens up 10m. In the finishing chute Kristian claws back and dives for the tape. For the 2nd time in triathlon history we need the photo to find a winner. With 500m to go Johnny surges and drops Rich. He looks to have bronze locked up. Then from nowhere Jake comes flying past in the last 30m.
Later on that week, Katie throws down a massive 6 beat kick to power solo from the gun. The pack rides together 20s down. On the run, Cassandre flies from the group and passes Katie at the start of lap 2. Katie hangs on 10s down. Georgia runs to the front of the group with Kirsten (she's Canadian now, thanks slowtwitch!) They hand off another 7s behind Katie. Rachel is just behind, Natalie vC is much farther back. Dorian maintains the lead in the water over Johnny who picks up Matt M. Matt S makes the chase group a threesome. Aaron finds himself on the bike with another group of 3-5. They don't make up any ground. The 2 Matts try to help but Johnny solo is better. Johnny ends up riding most of the bike at the front Matt M gets dropped in the last km. On the run Dorian's lead shrinks, but he hands off still in first. Johnny is 4s back with Matt M another 10 back and Matt S 20s off the lead. Vicky catches Leonie in the water. They work well on the bike. Gwen is solo 3rd. Jo is solo 4th but quickly catches Gwen. They ride together to T2, 25s back. On the run Gwen leaves Jo, rapidly passes Leonie and Vicky and hands off to Ben with 8s gap. Tyler and Vincent start another 12s down. Ashleigh is putting in a brave effort on the bike and run, but can only close up a little. She hands off to Jake 35s back. Ali goes balls out on the swim and start of bike and catches Ben about 1 km into the ride. They hammer hard. Tyler and Vincent swim well and bike well together but they can't catch the bike power up ahead. They start the run with a 22s deficit. At the start of the run Ben and Ali are running together. Tyler and Vincent are closing. Jake. Where is Jake? Ali's got a hamstring hitch, Ben is not a fast runner. Vincent eases ahead of Tyler, but they are both closing to the front of the race. Jake is coming. Ben looses his stryd power meter, he doesn't know how to pace now, oh no! Ali's hamstring snaps with 100m to go, he starts hopping on 1 leg to the finish, oh no! Vincent and Jake round into sight with Tyler just behind them, oh the humanity! USA gets a penalty for littering the Stryd power meter, but they protest and it is overturned because it is an american company, the US keeps their medals. RSA protests that Ali crawled during the run, initially it is upheld and Canada gets some medals, but then it is overturned. Ali keeps his record 3rd triathlon medal. Canada apologizes for both of them. Vincent protests that he is the most beautiful triathlete. Protest was denied. The race jury says it is Javier, who finally gets a gold medal for just being so darn pretty. Did Jake win another sprint? I can't remember. I think they get medals too. Also Japan gets some medals for being gracious hosts. Doumo arigatou.
Anyway that is what I think happened. Thoughts?