ITU Long Course World Championships Race Recap and the End to the Season

The revenge of humidity...

After a trip last year to USA Long Course National Championships in Oklahoma City, I learned that I would in fact be coming back this year for a similar, but longer, course at the same venue for World Championships.  ITU Long Course distance includes a 4km swim, 120km bike, and 30km run which leaves you out in the water, wind, and sun for significantly longer than the American 70.3 distance for championships.

The 10 days leading up to the event showed a cold front coming in on the day of the race.  With the preceding week reaching the high 90s I was praying for that kind of luck.  When we arrived 2 days before the event it was hot and humid but we went out and got a taste of Bricktown and the local scene.

A replica of a Massachusetts lighthouse at Lake Hefner OKC - Never seen anything like that before ;)

On race day morning it was warm and humid but clouds were gathering in the west.  They were still calling for rain to arrive at some point during the day but the sun burned off those early clouds making the start clear and sunny.  I was hoping that my cloud friends would return after the swim.

The swim was my biggest concern since I had only been able to swim for 3 weeks prior to the race after my clavicle fracture had healed enough from my bicycle race accident in July.  The impending cold front brought in strong winds with gusts up to 35mph and in the shallow water of Lake Hefner the race field got to experience white caps, swells that block sighting, and constant violent rise and falls that represented water much more turbulent than any reservoir should ever be.  The organizers stuck with the regular swim course instead of the shallow water course and it was a mistake.  The mistake was two-fold, first off, the super shallow water was so turbulent from the wind that many athletes dropped out after the first lap, but secondly, about a half mile into the swim, I looked up to sight and saw 30 swimmers standing in knee deep water wading to the next buoy.  It was a shock, as the water was too shallow to swim in with the breaking waves and the fastest way was to stumble and step on rocks in the shallow water until the water was deep enough to resume swimming.  During the swim, that occurred 4 times, 2 times out and back which made it quite an experience.  Due to the turbulence, I was in pure survival mode with my lack of swimming shape by the end and was happy to be getting out of the water even as far back as I was.

I took my sweet time in the transitions due to the length of the race and downed a full gatorade and bar before leaving for the bike and run portions.  As the temperatures climbed on the bike, hydration became more important and difficult as the strong side and head winds made effort difficult to dose and control of the bike was challenged by rough roads.  Luckily I was able to finish the bike at a decent pace where I moved up many spots (since I lost so many swimming) and put myself into the run with a chance at a good showing.

Surprisingly, despite being out for about an hour longer than I had originally planned by the start of the run, I felt good on my feet and started moving past other runners.  At this point, I was begging for the rain that never came.  Based on what I heard afterwards, I think my cursing at the sun and gusts of wind was shared by athletes from all countries.  I went through a tough middle portion of the run, but with significant intakes of fluid and sugar combined with cups of ice down my trisuit, I was able to move myself to fourth place in my age group and miss a world championship medal by one spot.  Still, all smiles and a great, but sufferfest of an, experience!

It was tough for everyone out there, and the number of dropouts was high, but the experience was new and challenging which will light the fire for my return to full health and a more successful 2017.