On the morning of Oct. 20th the sun started peaking over the hills surrounding Lake Mead as athletes scurried about getting transition areas organized, squeezing gels, sipping water, putting on swim caps, and waiting for the start horn.  The 70.3 group started first and the water temp was warmer than the air.  I was wearing my full wetsuit and found halfway into the swim that this was very excessive.  Next time I will check the water temp and use a sleeveless or speed suit.

Lake Mead sits about 25 miles outside of Las Vegas below Boulder City.  The Pumpkinman is a split transition.  T1 is set in a single line all the way up the boat ramp to head out on the course.  T2 is in a park up a steep hill in Boulder city.  The Bike Course is a great section of rolling hills with plenty of up and down heading north next to the lake.  The scenery is great.  The wind was calm and conditions were awesome.  The out and back course comes back past T1 and heads up a average 6% grade to T2 nestled in a park in Boulder City.  This hill was the steepest hill climb I have ever had on a TRI bike course.  This section is on a narrow path and at one point there was a S curve that a fellow athlete cautioned me to slow down on.  As he said this I remembered doing this same path during some bike demos the last few years at Interbike.  This gave me some confidence but there were some athletes skidding that were not ready for the tight turn.

T2 was layed out with plenty of space to park my bike and I headed out on a run that cruised through a couple neghborhoods and then off into the desert.  This was a seemingly flat run until I was headed back and realized it was a slight uphill back to the finish.  There were a few people in costumes that put a smile on my face as I was finishing my run.  I was grateful for their dedication to my entertainment. In the last mile my leg tightened up in a different way than I had ever experienced and this reminded me of the climbing on the bike and that my legs were saying you did not train very well for this.  I was doing the olympic distance and really glad that it was not super hot.

The volunteers were great.  Where there was any question on the course a volunteer pointed me in the right direction.  I really enjoyed my first Pumpkinman and hope to do the 70.3 next year.  BBSC events are very well organized from registration to packet pick up, and all the way to the after event meal that is included for all athletes with registration.  Also included in the registration cost is free unlimited downloads of pictures from zasoosh.com .  The quality if the pics is great and a fun way to remember such a great event.  Thanks BBSC for putting together another great event!

For more information about BBSC events, go to: www.bbsctri.com

Nothing like signing up for a race 2 days before! But I’m always ready to take on a new race, especially in a beautiful place like Bear Lake.

My wife and I left the house around 3:30am so we could get there in enough time to get checked in and ready to race. It was a clear morning and the temperature would be perfect for racing. I checked in and got to my dedicated transition area. It’s very beneficial for a racer like me to have a designated race spot because I like to take my time to get to the race, and usually I’m a little later and end up racking my bike wherever there’s an open spot.

The swim was great. They started on a large beach area with soft sand and it was perfect for spectators. There is a reason they call Bear Lake the ‘Caribbean of the Rockies’. The water is spectacular! I could see the bottom of the lake through the whole swim. The swim course was well marked, making it easy to make the turns. The water was a little cold but not distracting. The beach is shallow a good way into the water, so everyone ran in the last 100 meters. Which is good since the swim in my worst leg! I ended up swimming a 24:32, which I was happy with.

I knew I was about 5 minutes behind first place coming out of the water. Biking is my best discipline so I wanted to make up time on the leaders. The bike course was well marked and there were plenty of safety officers controlling traffic for us. We rode along the lakeshore and the view helped distract from my pounding heart rate and screaming quads. The course was mainly flat with a few rolling hills which made for a fast bike split. Since it was an out and back, I could easily gauge my distance behind the leaders. I passed a few people on the bike to improve my position overall, but at the turnaround point I knew I hadn’t made up much time.  My racing strategy has always been to pound the bike, and then just make it through the run. I had the second fastest bike split (58:56) but the top athletes were all very close.

I came into T2 fourth off the bike. And onto the dreaded run….my wife was yelling at me that I was only two minutes behind third place and to make up some time. I told her she was out of her mind. Little did I know third place went out at a 6:15 pace! I was only 2 minutes behind him but a 6:15?! I knew I just had to push and try to make up as much time as possible. Like the rest of the course, everything was well marked and the signs were easy to follow. Coming up to the turnaround point I saw the leaders and I could see they were holding a strong stride. At that point, I realized third was probably out of reach and I just had to hold onto fourth place. My run time was 43:12 which I was a little disappointed with. I’d like to be right around 40 minutes.

I was very pleased with my overall performance. I was disappointed at barely missing the podium but fourth overall feels great. Total race time was 2:10:51. I’d like to thank my sponsors, Flexr Sports, TriEdge and T3 Triathlon for giving me the opportunity to race Mountain Tropic Triathlon.

For more information about BBSC events go to: www.bbsctri.com

Report by Te Koi Smith

There is just something to be said about your first race of the season.  Everyone has to do it and it might be in March at a splash distance while you’re hoping for decent weather (which is anything over 50 degrees with minimal chance of showers or snow), or maybe you wait it out a while longer to finally hop in your wetsuit in late May or early June.  If you’re not yet familiar with BBSC, now is a good time to still hop on the bandwagon while there is time before their races sell out.  

The Rage Triathlon is a fantastic event where newbies, intermediate and tenured triathletes can all compete at the distance of their choice whether it be a Sprint, Olympic or Half distance, BBSC accommodates all.  

The swim takes place in Lake Mead at Boulder Beach and the water this time of year is perfect.  When I say “perfect”, I really do mean it.  It’s probably low 60’s and the visibility is a good 15 feet.  I swim in a full body wetsuit, and I wish I had a sleeveless for times like this.  The swim course for the Sprint distance was your usual course with buoys on your left.  There was one section when you are swimming out to the first buoy that you are swimming directly into the sun.  There was nothing that BBSC could do about that except for start later in the day, so I just used the sun and the feet under the water as my markers until I ran into that buoy and then it was smooth sailing from there.  

The transition is SO long!  BBSC utilizes a main road that is at about a 1-2% grade and comes straight out of the water and the divide transition into different sections such as “Open, Sprint, Olympic & Half”.  Everybody has to go the same distance, but depending on what distance you are doing, you have either have a longer run into T1 from the swim or a shorter distance to the bike or vice versa.  

While preparing for this race, somebody told me that while the bike course is not crazy hilly, it’s not flat, but just a gear changer; that really is the best way of putting it.  Think of big and short, long and steep rollers spread throughout and everything in between.  One second your in your big gear and the next your in a smaller ring climbing up a different hill.  The road is a nice, smooth road with no potholes or anything of the sort.

Coming into T2 at this particular time some of the volunteers (who there were many of), seemed to be working on the kinks of their position in the race and guiding the bikers into transition.  I was ahead of many, so I can only assume that I was one of the only ones that had the misfortune of missing the turn because on my right side, the road was coned off for vehicles, and no volunteer was telling me to turn right into a different road.  As I turned around I explained quickly that they should open up the cones so the bikers know where to go.  

T2 is all downhill.  Remember that hill you ran up?  Well now you get to run down it!  The transition area is very wide and allows enough traffic for people doing all distances, which is a nice thing to have.  

While coming down the hill out of T2 I accidently ran past the right turn I was supposed to do, again, because the volunteers were not directing people appropriately.  I only over ran it by 5 feet or so, so it wasn’t a big deal.  

I LOVED this run course.  The first part of the run course coming out of T2 is nothing but somewhat packed dirt and it’s like that for about a half mile or so.  I had heard that same thing from someone else about the run, so I was prepared to save a little energy so I could focus on the trail ahead of me.  The run goes flat for about a quarter to half mile or so, and then starts to gradually go uphill.  (Think 1-2 percent grade).  What goes up must come down, right?  You soon leave the dirt and are greeted by pavement.  It is at that time, that I felt like I had my legs under me and I really opened it up and pushed hard, because by this time, you only have about 1.5 to 1 mile left in the run.  This is great as it’s mostly downhill and at the last left turn you can see the finish line about 1200 meters away.  

When you get to the finish line you are greeted by a dozen or so volunteers doing various things such as taking off your timing chip, offering a cool RAGE water bottle, to various fruits & bagels.  My most favourite thing I received was a mini BBSC RAGE Triathlon towel drenched in ice water!!!

I really enjoyed this race and like many other BBSC races, will have it on my calendar for next year.  As for bringing any family, I would bring my spouse, but would have a hard time bringing our 3 ½ year old for anything longer than an Olympic distance as it can get VERY hot in the afternoon.  BBSC did have a tent set up with some food (and shade) for everyone to hang out in post race as well.  It was very well done and fun was to be had by all.  As I mentioned earlier, this is a great way to shake off your cobwebs from the winter time or to tune up for one last race before something like Ironman St. George.  I’ll be back next year with my family, will you join BBSC and me?

Report by Michael Moody

Normally this race might be the first of the year for me... this year I started early doing two other sprint distance triathlons starting at the end of March. Weather was hit and miss for the first two, but BBSC got this one right.

I came into town on Friday and had the opportunity to go swim out in Lake Mead the day before the race. This was the first chance for me to use my wetsuit this year. I was simply amazed at how warm the water was (I swam in Sand Hollow in St. George the day before and it was freezing) and how clear the water was— visibility was amazing! Did I mention the views? As we were driving to the race location (Boulder Beach), I kept noticing how stunning the scenery was and how awesome it would be to race.
    

Race morning was Saturday and conditions were ideal! I race in the 30-34 age group and knew there were 25+ athletes in my age group. The excitement was in the air as everyone was preparing their transition areas and getting ready to go. As I was setting up my transition area, I noticed how long the transition was from the water to getting to the bikes... definitely one of the longer transitions. The swim started off with all men 39 and younger starting at the same time. Things went as planned, smooth swim other than a kick to the face where I lost my goggles momentarily. No harm done, got them back on and continued on. I am a slower swimmer, and wasn't entirely surprised when I finished my swim in 16 minutes and change. Other than the looong run to my bike, transition was fairly uneventful and I got started on the bike. The only thing I would change about the whole race is, I would like to see T1 & T2 sealed off so the public would not be allowed to walk up and down the transition area. No harm done, got through it just fine.
    

The bike course starts off uphill immediately and gave me a good idea of what was to come. Being as slow as I am on the swim, I had a lot of catching up to do on the bike. I had heard last year that their were some hills on the course, and I got to experience them. Lots and lots of rollers, with a few climbs in there as well. The road was great to ride on, and the weather was perfect! I only had 1 surprise on the bike—the bike seemed to be about 13.5 miles. Oh well, everyone does the same distance, so no big deal.
    

I came into T2 having no idea what position I was in. I had passed many people on the bike, and had only been passed by 1 or 2, but I knew I was behind. As I started on the run, my coach told me I was about a minute down. I had no idea what she was referring to. I had heard horror stories about the run. There were those who told me of the awful footing for the beginning and end of the run. I knew I needed to run fast. I started out and decided I would not look at my watch for a while. Concentrating on the terrain below, I managed through the rocky path & after a half mile, looked at my watch. My pace was a 6:22 min/mile and I felt pretty good! At about the 1 mile marker, there was a much needed aid station with water and gatorade. The temperatures were starting to get hot now! Now the run course was paved & flat—time to speed up! I kept a pretty good pace, averaging about a 6:30 minute mile. I had passed a fair amount of people on the run and when I got back to the aid station, I knew there wasn't much course left. Time to turn it on. I opened up and pushed as hard as I could. I saw 1 guy left with about a third of a mile left... I kept pushing & caught him with about a tenth of a mile left. I pulled ahead and crossed the finish line a few seconds ahead of him (turns out he was in my age group). I ended up finishing second (passed 5 people in my age group on the run).  
    

Right after the finish line, there were plenty of drinks, cold towels (loved those), bagels and fruit. The awards were done a little after that-there were lots and lots of giveaways! It was fun to go back down to the water after the race and just soak it all in. Great race, great venue, great temperatures! I will definitely be back as the race quickly became one of my favorites. If anyone is wondering where to find a great race to kick off the season, this is a can't miss!

For more information about BBSC events go to: www.bbsctri.com