tentac-ALS

Wherein Al reports on the Lumpy Pancake Olympic Triathlon and tells all about getting stung by a fucking jellyfish

Yesterday was tough. It was terribly hot. At Seven in the AM, it was already well into the upper 80s and VERY HUMID!



There was some delay to start the swim. First, there was some discussion about the course marking. Next, there was some discussion, it seemed, about a passing wave of jellyfish. Both these points would prove important later. We began the swim, though, without incident.




Somewhere mid swim two things happened. 1) I realized that Stevie Wonder had marked the course. I was at the midway buoy and the course was swimming VERY LONG. There was a good deal of current, so I wondered if it just felt long. (Fighting current can be a real slow, grueling bitch.) But, post race, all Olympic competitors I spoke to said the same thing: "LONG!" 2) About 200 yards after midway, I felt something strange on my face, in my mouth. It was a squishy something. I pushed it away and noticed many other squishy somethings--jellyfish. I kept swimming, reasoning that the faster I was through them the better. I almost made it. I suffered one minor sting on the upper arm and neck. The suit protected me from the rest. The sting was annoying and a bit painful, but I was able to continue on without difficulty.

We transitioned to bike and I got going cleanly. I moved ass out of the water and got to my bike expeditiously. I ripped off the suit and got the shoes on quickly. I did not use the "shoes clipped in method." Instead, I ran in my shoes and clipped in as I pulled past the "mounting zone." All was smooth, and I was out on the road.






Have I mentioned that it was hot as a pair of balls? The bike was pretty flat except for one long, steep climb. And there was little wind. So the course wasn't very challenging in those ways. But it was brutal. The sun beat down and there was no air. A couple of notes: the course leader wiped out on the downhill. It was a very fast, steep section with a sharp turn to it and some road hazards--a rough section and an uneven manhole cover. I heard he went down here. I also heard he was taken away on a stretcher. I saw the ambulance. But I did not see the wreckage nor any EMTs at work. From the bike I transitioned cleanly to the run, grabbing a few gels, slamming on a cap, stowing the bike, slipping on the shoes. Then I was pounding the pavement...





The heat was ON! It was so humid and sweltering that runners were staggering and dropping. I saw several more ambulances along the route and heard of a "cross the line and drop" finisher who was scooped up and taken away. Gels and gatorade kept me upright, though. And I dumped a sea-ful of H2O on the ole noggin. I crossed the line in 2:54.09, and BOY was I glad to be done. I came in 70th overall, 55th among men, and 12th in the 35-40 Men bracket. I'm still re-hydrating and, needless to say, feeling a bit like hammered shit. But I'm a good deal better than poor Al K. He DQd in the swim when he stopped and swam ashore to get out of his wetsuit (it was WAY too warm for the full suit he had on). To add insult to injury, someone swiped the suit from where it lay on the beach. Poor fucker.