Mary K.'s profile

   

This was my first long-distance triathlon, and I completed it in 2008. I consider the scenery of the Santa Cruz coast to be second-to-none, and the swim, bike ride, and run are just tremendous. The volunteers were very helpful, and the race announcers were fabulous. The only negative is that the run from the beach to the transition area is very long, but the nice thing is that there were a lot of fans to cheer me on as I jogged down the street with bare feet. I really enjoyed this race, and the necklace that is given out with the shirt is still hanging from my rearview mirror. And the medal - a wonderful ceramic Hawaiian art piece - is hanging in my kitchen.

   

My sister and I did this race in 2008 and 2009. We will do it every year that we possibly can - we absolutely love this race. First - it's pricey - approximately $160 for a team of two people. However, this organization is responsible for allowing many of the disabled people that we see at every race to compete. They buy race wheelchairs and racing springs in particular for disabled athletes. And they make a big point of talking about their work at the start and end of the race. Second - this race is very well organized. The packet pickup is quick, and the waves are handled well. Third - almost a quarter of the participants do the race in some type of costume. It's great to see the bananas, penguins, nuns, etc. doing the race. In 2008 my sister and I raced in tutus, and this year we were Wilma and Betty from the Flintstones. You might think that because this race is done by people in tutus, that it's easy. Think again. In 2008, it rained for three days before race day, and it truly was "muddy buddy." The first leg of the race was so muddy that almost everyone's bikes locked up from mud. There were bikes abandoned all over the course, and we washed our bike in the lake mid-way, and I had to fix the derailer at one point. Doing the obstacles with all that mud on our feet and hands was crazy, and we laughed through every one of them. In 2009, the only mud was the lake crossing mid-way through the race, and at the end, crawling through the mud pit. I saw no bikes abandoned anywhere. This year the most dangerous obstacle was gone, thank goodness (a pyramid of steel bars that you had to crawl over and under). The balance beams are still there, and I'm amazed that no one falls off them and gets hurt. I was definitely sore on Monday from the cargo nets (I don't usually climb up a cargo net), but it was worth it. I highly recommend putting a set of goggles on the bike to wear in the mud pit (in 2008 I got mud in my contacts and couldn't see for about half an hour). This year I wore goggles and it was great. I also recommend wearing tights or knee pads for the mud crawl - in 2008 I had on tights, so I didn't realize until this year how much the gravel at the bottom of the mud pit hurts as you crawl across it. There is a costume contest before the race starts, and this year my sister, me, and my niece (dressed as Bam Bam) were selected to be one of the three finalists. Two guys in french maid outfits titled "Just the Tip" came in first. They really looked good. Decent race food - this year they had fish tacos (ick). We ate a lot of Bear granola with yogurt instead. The tshirt this year is also really nice. My only complaint, which I've raised with the race organizers two years in a row, is that we are always in the last wave due to our age. The course is totally chewed up by the time we go through, plus we cannot get back in time for the Mini Muddy Buddy (my niece isn't old enough to participate by herself). The race organizers this year said they would look into changing the time of the mini muddy buddy since the last wave contains so many moms.

   

I have not done the race, but I ran the transition area for the race this year, and a lot of my friends do the race. So I feel like I can comment on it. The swim is in a beautiful lake in the heart of Cheyenne. The transition area is set up in a parking lot in the park, and it's about an 1/8 mile run from the lake back to your bike. There is an option to swim in a pool if you can't handle lake water, and that's an even longer run to the transition (but they put down mats). The bike ride is on rolling hills, and, if you're lucky, there will be no wind. If, on the other hand, it's a typical Cheyenne day, the wind will be about 20 mph - but at least you have that same wind at your back when you're tired. The run is around the lake and the golf course. It's really really flat and very shady for about half of the run. The breakfast is a homemade breakfast burrito. It was really good. Of course the transition area was handled very professionally since my sister and I were in charge. People wear timing chips, and it is USAT certified. The race director is very professional, and he makes all the volunteers go through training before the event!

   

The Chilly Cheeks series is comprised of three races - one in December, one in January, and the last one in February. The races are conducted no matter the weather. If you check out the website, you'll see pictures of people biking in a foot of snow. I did the series in 2008/2009, and we had no snow this year. A couple of patches of ice (well-marked by the race organizers). Lots of sunshine. The race is small - usually less than 200 people - and the participants are intense. I showed up for the first race and was stunned to see people warming up on bike trainers. Everyone looked very fit and serious. However, as I set up my bike in transition, everyone was very chatty and welcoming. The fun part is that each race is slightly different. In Dec 2008, the race was run first, then bike. In Jan 2009, it was .5 mile run on paths and roadways in the park, then bike the 3.6-mile paved loop. Next, a 2.5 mile run, then bike for 2 laps of the 3.6 mile loop. Finally, a run of 50 meters to the finish line. The last race in February was bike first, then run. The food after the race is good - hot soup and hot chocolate as well as muffins and cookies. We received some very nice maroon sweat pants. I'm really hoping that this year I get a chance to use the studded snow tires I bought for the bike!

   

I did this race in 2008, and it is a very large women-only sprint triathlon. The swim is terrific - Cherry Creek Reservoir has some kind of solar water filtration system to keep it algae-free. By August, the water is in the mid-60s. The bike ride is nice - lots of small rolling hills around a park, and you can see the mountains in the distance. The run is not so nice - it is a run up to the top of the levee wall, then across the levee, then back down. There is no shade whatsoever. The only good thing is that you can see all your friends while you run back and forth along the levee. The best part of the race is the organization. The waves are done in reverse order by age - so for those of you, like me, who have always been last in every race because it's deemed by all race organizers that women over 40 like to run when it's hot, you'll enjoy watching all the 20-year-olds suffering in the hot sun two hours after you've finished your race. A bit sadistic? Probably, but after all the races where I've been the one in the back, it's nice to be up front for a change. The race shirt was awesome - a technical racer-back shirt that I've worn a lot. The package pickup was crazy - hundreds of women packed into the sports store, but it was fun and quick too. It is fun to watch the cancer survivors go out in the same wave - they were very excited. The only problem is that this race allows people who cannot swim to participate - they have angels with noodles who swim with them. During the race, I went to stroke with my right arm, and I encountered a body...but as I pulled my hand back, the body sank. I stopped and helped the woman back up to the surface, but it was really frightening. I told the race organizers about it after the race, and I think they might put the non-swimmers in their own wave now. I'm not sure. August in Denver can be very warm - it was 85 degrees at 10 AM the day I did the race. So make sure you're used to high temperatures, particularly if you're not used to high altitude (Denver is over 5,000 feet). And if you're not used to high altitude - wear three layers of sun screen! I'm not kidding - the sun is intense at high altitude, and it's painful to see all the sunburns at the triathlons out here.

   

This race is more difficult than the Fremont Mermaid triathlon, but the scenery is worth it. The swim is in the ocean, which seems to freak out some newbie mermaids. If you haven't swam in the ocean before, make sure you attend one or all of the mermaid clinics! The run from the beach to the transition is all stairs - fun fun fun! Then the bike ride is very hilly, and the run is almost all flat - except for a steep hill at the very end. Organization is awesome, lots of happy volunteers, and loads of happy mermaids. Again, lots of moms and daughters, which is fun to see in a race.

   

If you're looking for a very fun, easy triathlon, and you're female, this is the race for you. The lake swim is a good intro for people who fear open-water swimming, the bike course is utterly flat, as is the run. Wait until you see the moms and daughters competing together. I saw some 8-year-old biking on her little pink huffy last year. The organization is superb, and it's so much fun. And they have the best announcer in the world!

   

I did the half-marathon in 2008. There is a 5K and 10K that starts at almost the same time. It's lovely to see all those women running and walking along such a beautiful course. Lots of aid stations, and the course is well-marked.

   

If the weather had cooperated, this would have been a great race. The course is extremely challenging, as the entire race is between 7000 and 7500 feet elevation. The bike ride varies between 2 and 5% grade. The run is also extremely hilly, but the scenery makes up for it. The swim is in a pool, which is a necessity in this part of the world. The Falcon Groundspeed Triathlon is one of the first Olympic races in the mountain west, and when I tell you that the temperature when I got on the bike was 35 degrees and raining, you'll understand why. The year before the weather was beautiful (I hear). The Olympic consists of two loops on the bike and run, while the sprint is one loop for each. The pool is very nice and cool (about 73 degrees), which is unusual since most indoor pools in Colorado and Wyoming are kept at 80-85 degrees. The organization was top-notch, and there were a lot of volunteers considering there were only 53 competitors in the Olympic and 98 in the sprint. I'm guessing that there were probably more people signed up, but they bailed when they heard about the weather. There was an aid station on the bike, and two on the run. Multiply by two for the Olympic. The run ends in the stadium. Each person was announced as they entered the stadium, even if it was empty (who wants to sit around in freezing rain?). You'll want to get to the campus early on race day as you'll have to go through security, including having your car searched. The BBQ after the race was great - hamburgers and hotdogs. The medal is also very nice.