A look back at some shocking fast times:
Bike course was flat with a good six miles along the lakefront of multiple lane width pothole patches. The run was also a flat event thru the downtown area.
We really need to get a data base where are these old results can be scanned in and stored for posterity. I believe that was Jack Carass’s race and had decent prize money back then. Only a few big names there, so either one of the last or first of this race’s history i would guess.
Knowing all those guys and their abilities and the course, I would say the swim was a minute long, the bike 5/6 minutes short, and the run 30sec/1 minute short. It would be nice to think that guys were doing 50 flat or better for a 40k in a triathlon back then, but sadly we were not that fast. Some of the best swimming talent the sport ever saw though, so if wetsuits were allowed, should have been a low 16 at the very least by that lead group. Mackel, Carlson, Classen, and Esselestyn, that group has some horses in it. I believe all or most of those guys went under 4;25 for 500 free, and they all were great OW swimmers. In almost any race you would find any of these guys, they would be solo off the front, but all together, must have been brutal in that 4 man pack…
The NCC course was short (I did that race). I remember times being 2-4min. faster than normal for an Oly.
Great duel between Riccatello and Pigg; hammered the bike together and exchanged surges until Pigg counterattacked off of one of Jimmy’s and pulled away.
Wetsuits were worn during the race as I had a QR model on.
We really need to get a data base where are these old results can be scanned in and stored for posterity. I believe that was Jack Carass’s race and had decent prize money back then. Only a few big names there, so either one of the last or first of this race’s history i would guess.
Knowing all those guys and their abilities and the course, I would say the swim was a minute long, the bike 5/6 minutes short, and the run 30sec/1 minute short. It would be nice to think that guys were doing 50 flat or better for a 40k in a triathlon back then, but sadly we were not that fast. Some of the best swimming talent the sport ever saw though, so if wetsuits were allowed, should have been a low 16 at the very least by that lead group. Mackel, Carlson, Classen, and Esselestyn, that group has some horses in it. I believe all or most of those guys went under 4;25 for 500 free, and they all were great OW swimmers. In almost any race you would find any of these guys, they would be solo off the front, but all together, must have been brutal in that 4 man pack…
Yup, one of Jack’s races. Not sure how many years the race had been going for (well est. though), but it kept growing, and was nationals in 94 or 95, and worlds in 96.
As you mentioned, some amazing swimming talent.
Pretty deep domestic field (isn’t pulling Lessing, Welch and those guys).
Other than Allen, it’s pretty complete. By that time Pigg and Glah are challenging the Big4, Robinson gets 4th at worlds, and Tinley and Scott aren’t focusing on/competitive in Olys.
I don’t remember having any cutoff for wetsuits by then, if we did it was 78. And Glah never challenged the big 4, Pigg did for sure in olympic distance. Hell, i would beat Glah in that distance race most the time, and lots of guys beat me!!! I had a few wins against the big 4, except Molina. He was just unbeatable for me, got 2nd to him at least a 1/2 dozen times, closest was holding him off to the last 1/4 mile once in the mid 80’s…
Apparently, Kerry had a hang-over…
-bobo