The Pirate Triathlon is the old Fairport Harbor sprint with a new spin on promotion. I have done this race a 1/2 dozen times in it's original form and always felt that it was one of the best races around. The new pirate theme gave it a little more flair. The swim course is within the break wall on lake Erie, the bike rolls mostly flat along the lake and the run is flat and largely unshaded. The distance is a sprint 500m/20k/5k.
After returning from my vacation I got a hold of Tracy to confirm my ride. Around 6pm I knew the race was on. I had some veggie sushi, converted the bike from road to areo, packed my gear, and chilled.
At 5:30 I woke up and ate a small bowl of cereal and had a 1/4 cantaloupe. Tracy arrived 10 seconds early as I was crossing the street to meet her. We attached the bike to the car, I jumped in and away we drove for Fairport Harbor.
We got to the race just in time for registration($25 w/late fee). Set up transition, and got ready to race. Everything went very smooth pre race. I chose to wear a wet suit.
My wave started at 8:10. A horn sounded and we were off. I felt strong right off the bat. My mind was clear and really felt like I was just focused on the task at hand. The wave was a large group of men 35 and up. The swim was frantic and aggressive. Contact was constant. I remained steadfast and unapologetic throughout my swim. I am not sure of my time, but I stayed with the main group and swam straight. In general I believe it was a very good swim for me.
As I came out of the water I began stripping my wetsuit and jogged into T1. The only problem of the day occurred at this point as I really struggled to get my wet suit from my ankles. My guess is that I lost 3-4 minutes to the suit.
Once on the bike I hammered out the next 12 miles. Going out we had a great tailwind. I was doing an average 24mph and passing a lot of riders. On the return it dropped to 19mph as the winds were now at our face. I used my areo helmet cause I never get to. I think it benefited me on this course. Geek maybe, but it was the right choice.
T2 was quick and easy. I haven't switched out my laces this year, so I had to tie em. Not a big deal.
The run starts with a steep hill and soon turns flat. I went easy up and hit my stride after the climb. The Run went well. My old hamstring issue was apparent but not an issue. My run went well and I finished in 1:20.04(not confirmed yet).
It was fun to get out and run this race. The prep was light, I felt good the whole time and feel as though I put out a solid effort. My interest in time was obvious as I didn't look at my watch after I started it. I just went out and raced. Just had fun doing a tri and pushing my self a little harder then normal.
The race was very low tech but run well. Te new theme was fun, the food offerings were top notch. The cost and venue were as good as can be expected. I honestly believe this race is one of the best bargains in triathlon.
We had a good group of CTC members on hand and everyone seemed to have fun.
My race experience was A1.
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