2012 Gravenhurst Give-It-A-Tri

What: Gravenhurst Triathlon Weekend (Give-It-A-Tri):
http://www.msctriathlon.com/ms/events/showEvent.cfm?showEventID=138
These races are for first time racers to the sport of triathlon or a race for those who want a short race where they can go all out. An average race will be a 400m Swim, 10km Bike, 2.5km Run.
Where: Gravenhurst, Ontario
When: Sunday, July 15, 2012

Cost: Give it-a-tri: Before July 4th=$58.76, July 4th onwards=$68.76, Race Weekend=$74.00
Other Races: 

• Give-It-A-Tri Swim/Bike, Give-It-A-Tri Relay
• Spring Triathlon, Sprint Tri Relay, Sprint Duathlon, Sprint Du Relay
• International Dist Duathlon, Int.Dist Du Relay, Olympic Distance Triathlon, Olympic Distance Tri Relay

Aid stations: 1 during the Give-It-A-Tri and it had water and heed
Swag: Medal for top 3 finishers in each age group, coupons, a gel and recovery cliff bar, brooks t-shirt.

My time: 0:47:46.8
My splits: Swim=0:11:03, Bike=0:22:29, Run=0:11:20
My Result: 2nd in my age group of 20-29, 8th in gender out of 108 females, 35th overall out of 179. Medaled 3rd not 100% sure why but I’ll take it :)
Winning men’s times: 0:35:56.7
Winning women’s times: 0:40:36.7

Experience:
After spending the night before in Orillia (25mins away), Kevin and I got up at 5:45am, ate some Timmy’s then drove to the race at 6:15am. We arrived and got ourselves parked up by 7am. After parking I got really excited when seeing everyone making the short walk over to the race start. The parking area was in a great location, just across from the transition area.

The scenery at Gravenhurst was beautiful, full of trees, calm waters and sunshine.
Once at the race, I was thankful that Kevin read all the to do information from the website or else I would’ve felt overwhelmed. We first had to look up our race number then place our bikes in the transition area. We next went to the swag bag pick-up. It was at this point that we got our swimming caps, t-shirts, ankle chip, and our numbers written on our bodies (back of the right leg, and left arm).

Next I went back to my bike and prepped my equipment for the transitions. Helmet on bike handle, bib on shorts for biking and running. Shoes, socks and sunglasses ready to go. I then took off my layers till I was left in my bikini bottoms and fave lululemon sports bra, called ‘Stuff Your Bra’. I felt a little out of place since most were in proper gear. Kev and I had decided pre-race not to invest into all the proper swim stuff until we knew what we thought so I’m sure many got a good smile out of my bright green bikini bottoms! If they weren’t smiling, I knew Kevin at least was. I was also smiling to myself at his soccer undershorts he wore! We were keeping it classy.

Before walking over to the water I ran into my friend, Steve who walked over to the swim start with me and gave me some great tips before starting. #1. Wear your goggles underneath your swim cap so no one can knock them off, #2. Watch for swimmers in the previous heat doing the back-stroke. #3. Hold your ground, it gets tight.

Kevin and all the guys were the first to begin the race, with the under 29’s (that’s me) starting right after. Before starting I was wishing I would’ve swam more, then it was time to jump in the water and get ready. The horn then went and we all were away. I was most nervous about the swim but felt pretty good. Yes I got tired but I just tried to keep my breathing steady and only got kicked once. The hardest part was knowing where I was swimming. The water is pretty dark and with so many swimmers close by it’s very difficult to see where you are going.

Once out of the water I had to run on a dock to the transition area and was running very carefully since the dock was slippery. I was taking off my cap and goggles as I ran.

Transition Area #1: I quickly tried to pull on my shorts but they stuck to my legs that were wet, then I put on my helmet and sunglasses and put on my socks and bike shoes. As I was running with my bike I noticed my race number was falling off of my shorts and had to repin as I ran. The next part of the run was running in my cleats on the road with my bike, so scary.

Once on the bike I felt much better and noticed quickly that I was still breathing heavy, finding it difficult to get my breath back to normal. I passed every time I could, making sure I said “On Your Left” after the first person I passed quickly reminded me I should’ve said it. Whoops. On the bike I had no idea what the half-way point was and wished I would’ve looked at this prior. I wasn’t sure during this section when I should push or if I should reserve energy. Right after I saw Kevin pass me on his way back I hit the half-way point. It was a 180 skinny turn and all bikers were slowing down. The cyclist in front of me decided to dismount off her bike even though race volunteers were yelling for her to stay on. This meant I either had to come to a quick stop and un-click or try to go around her. I tried to swerve around her thinking there was enough room, the shoulder of the road that was sand didn’t agree with me, and I was soon on my side with my bike over me. With volunteers shouting, “Are You Okay”, I got up quickly and back on my bike ready to catch the next people. I actually didn’t feel the fall I was too high on adrenaline.

Transition Area #2: Once I got my bike back to the transition area I just switched my shoes, into my Free’s and took my helmet off and followed the rest of everyone out to the road. As I was starting my run, I saw Kevin on my first turn coming downhill and ready to do his last stretch, he was killing it! I was thinking that the run would be my best part of the race, I was very quickly corrected. My legs felt like jello and I felt as if I didn’t have much control over them. It was a new feeling. During the run I passed many people and made sure at the end to get my sprint on, especially since Kevin was yelling at me to pick up.

Post Race: After running I had a nice cold sponge bath thanks to the volunteers, and met many friendly faces ready to help me out and high-five me. When complete I couldn’t believe it was just before 9am. I was so happy to finish such a big goal, completing this tri had been on my goal sheet for over two years and it finally happened. This was a big thanks to many friends and family members who combined last year to get me a road bike for my birthday. Thank-you ALL!!!

There were many food options afterwards from, ‘Hero Burgers’, Chocolate Milk, Cliff Bars, to V8 juice but my stomach just wanted water and wasn’t quite ready to eat a burger. Kev and I quickly got some of our gear and crossed the road with our camera to watch the Spring Tri Start. What an experience. We were watching all the way till the last swimmer then went back to see how we did.

Our return came with a great surprise. We caught back up with my friend Steve who informed us that we missed our awards. Kevin had placed first in his age category and myself third. After the raffle we collected our medals took some photos and finally ate our burgers.
WHAT A GREAT MORNING!!!!

If you are planning on doing your first Give-It-A-Tri, here is my advice:

• SWIM SWIM SWIM, especially in open water if possible.
• Spend time in your area of opportunity and on transitions.
• Practice doing a trial with all 3 events at once.
• Make sure to check out the race course prior to competing so you know when to pick up or reserve your energy. 
• Consider elastic laces.
• Wear as little as possible.
• Forget about wearing socks.
• Goal: Try to limit time wasted in the transition area. 
• Practice running with your bike in cleats or figuring out a way to clip in while on bike so you can run in your socks or bare feet. 
• Invest in a proper bathing suit/wetsuit
• Buy a race belt so you can just clip it on and not worry about pins coming undone.
• Arrive early, to set up. 
• Ask lot’s of questions.
• Be familiar with your transition entry and exits. They can be different at different parts of the run. 
• Don’t be shy, if someone is in your way, tell them.