Tonyeong Triathlon Olympic Distance

Korean Federation Series Finale 2016

The Start…

Surprisingly even though this was the season ender and a relatively high-pressure race for me, my nerves were quite calm and I was even joking and laughing before the start. The swim was a 1 lap, ocean swim that started in the harbor, went out and around a cool lighthouse/seawall and then looped back into the harbor. Water was relatively calm in the harbor  and I could let my collegiate pool stroke go to work. There was about 3-400m out around the seawall that I felt like a rag doll being thrown around by the ocean. I was very relieved to get back into the harbor and into my rhythmic stroke.  

Swim Exit: 19:40 (1 min lead)

The Call...

(Bike Leg)

I think I am in very small company on this story. (If you have also answered a phone call during a big race please comment I would love to hear your story!)  

After my solid swim, I was the lead cyclist on the road with my own private motorbike official to lead the way.  Or at least I thought he was going to lead the way…. So let's back up to the day before, I went to the pre-race briefing that the KTF was overly generous to provide in english for foreigners!  In this briefing I learned about the bike course.  It was a 2 lap bike course (1 small loop followed by 1 big loop).  

Fast Forward back to the race, I am on my bike and I am approaching the spot that I thought was the turn around for the first small loop, but it was not marked!   I yelled at the motorbike official and asked if I should turn around, he motioned me to keep going in a very confident manner.  With every kilometer I got more and more certain that I had indeed missed the turnaround for the first small loop. My frustration was growing and I made it known visibly and verbally to the motorbike official.  It did not help my frustration that the official was also appearing confused as he was on and off his cell phone constantly.  This went on for about 10+km until finally the motorbike official rides up alongside me, about 15km into the ride, and hands me his cell phone as I am climbing one of the major climbs of the course.  Fortunately, I am experienced at answering phone calls while riding (I have my lovely communicative wife to thank for that). On the phone is a race director who tells me that I went the wrong way…(my choice of words back to the director were not my proudest moment and I wish I could have them back).  The race director told me to do the small loop at the end of the bike. Problem solved! And after that I was able to bury my head and concentrate on the race.  I put all my anger that I had toward the race organizers into my pedals.  The bike course was a HILLY course with several climbs in the 8-13% grade.  Here is a graph from my Strava of the elevation gain in the bike.

Honestly, there was no getting into a rhythm on this bike course, I was constantly in and out of the saddle.   On the second half of the bike course I was able to gain another min+ on my competitors.

Epicness..

(The Run)

If the Brownlee brothers carrying each other across the finish line is an 11 on our epicness scale,  I’d say that this run battle was at least an 8 or 9.  Ok, I realize that this is an amateur race and our 10K times are quite a bit slower than the superstars, but to me... MAN! the dramatic chase movie music was playing in my head and I was running for my life!  

12 months ago on this course I ran a little over 50min for the 10K and I was overjoyed that I did not walk.  Now, about 30lbs lighter I hit the run this year feeling confident.  The run course was a 2 loop course with plenty of points to get feedback and encouragement from my wife and the boys.   The first feedback I heard was 800m into the run Kristin yelling, “you have a 2min lead on Johan!” 2 min is nothing and to be honest I was hoping for more like 4-5min. Johan is a fantastic runner and sadly I am very familiar with being caught and passed by him on the run.  Steve Prefontaine has a famous quote “somebody may beat me, but you are going to have to bleed to do it”.  This was essentially my mentality on this run.   Again, I am sharing my perspective of how I felt...

not how other people saw it....

There was an out and back section of the run loop which gave me the opportunity to see the gap back to second (Johan).  Unfortunately, in just a few km I had already lost 30sec according to Kristin's intel from the beginning of the run.  I now had a 90 sec lead with 7km(ish) remaining.  This was the point where I realized the narrative had changed.   I was now a poor gazelle being hunted by a lion (Johan is from South Africa so I think the analogy is appropriate).  I pushed hard and I was running well but at the turnaround on the second lap I saw Johan was within striking distance and there was about 2.5km remaining.  The catch was made in the next kilometer or so.  We ran side by side in epic fashion as we approached the finish…  I wish I had a victorious ending to this story but unfortunately I could not match the closing speed that Johan laid down in the final 500m.   I lost by 3 seconds……..

Run Finish : 40:54 a major PR run in a triathlon for me!

(Amazing Photo captured by Rianza Stofberg, Johan’s wife)

When I finished I had so many emotions… disappointment from barely losing, extreme pride in my run, satisfaction that I laid it all out there, frustration about the bike mix up.

Looking back I am ashamed to a degree on my frustration.  Yes, the race organizers should have had the first turnaround marked before I got there, but my major frustration was rooted in my lack of ability to communicate with the motorbike official.  As a guest in Korea, this is on me.  It is stupid for me to expect race officials to speak English in Korea.  I could have had the whole situation figured out without a phone call and probably 10km earlier if I knew how to speak Korean better.  I am overly grateful to the Korean Triathlon Federation for supporting ignorant foreigners like myself!

I have 2 regrets: #1 As I mentioned I spoke harshly with the official and that is not cool.  #2 I didn’t take a selfie with his phone! That would have been epic!  

The sport of Triathlon(# lifelesson) is not about being entitled to a perfect race.  It is about dealing with the problems that arise and enjoying the process.   I am honored to have shared this race experience with Johan.  He is an incredible athlete but an even better person!  

It is beautiful and humbling to live and race abroad.