Checked in our gear at about eight on the windiest, coolest day we've had in Chicago so far.
I start at 11:40 and David and Kim after 12 so its back to the apartment to eat, drink and sleep.
According to the athletes handbook the bike course is a convoluted series of loops on wide roads with tunnels, ramps up and down to different levels and smooth (ish) hot mix surface.
The run is up and down the same wide boulevarde that makes up part of the bike. It's been effectively closed for days and in a town with lots of cars that's got to be unpopular.
We went down and checked in our street gear about 11 after food and sleeps.
The forecast wind was not that strong so there were disc wheels humming up and down the road in the race.
Swim was cool, with occasional weed in the face that refused to wash off, followed by a 650m (Dave's gps) run to the bike. Onto the bike, wide, smooth, South Columbus Drive then into the tunnel and... can't see a thing. Can vaguely make out the road markings and luckily it was straight for a while. We'd imagined that there would be short tunnels or covered roads with light from the side but the darkish covered part of the course seemed to make up around half of it. It was a little bit better when the lenses in my glasses faded from being out of the sun for a while but every time I reentered the tunnel I had the same problem of blindness.
And its not like it was straight and easy to navigate. There were several u turns, 90o turns and ramps up and down. There were several crashes and its not hard to see why. Gutters couldn't be distinguished from the road surface in the dark and there were pylons and expansion joints, not to mention the occasional wet patch.
Great discussion after the race about how dangerous it was. And to top it off the ride was only 37 ks. You'd think they'd get it right for the world championships.
The run was straight forward. Join the crowd running up and down South Columbus drive, duck into Buckingham fountain on the way north and do it four times. Except someone forgot to bring the turn in from the aquathon and the run ended up 10.8 ks. Pity the odd athlete who was cheated in their favourite bike leg then passed late in the run. Great support from Justine and the kids helped keep the running pace up - at least till we passed them each lap.
Both David and I were in groups big enough to have two waves so results were a little while coming through. I knew I would be back a bit as I had been passed by two riders in my age group going considerably faster, then passed by at least one runner (again going considerably faster). Then, only a couple of minutes after finishing the first runner from the wave behind came through.
I ended up 8th, six minutes off the lead. Kim was 10th, eight minutes from the leaders and David was 37th and 12 minutes back. Strong showing from the USA although, according to team management, we were the second most successful team after the US.
We analysed our results as you do and the greatest area for improvement in my race is transition but a minute of that wouldn't have been enough to get me on the podium. I don't think I can go any faster on the bike or in the run. The guys who beat me by minutes must be freaks. Or on drugs.
So last night my head was sorting out what sort of drugs the people who beat me take and how widespread it is. On one side was the idea that old people don't take drugs and on the other was the recollection that we had to do a drugs in sport course prior to competing. And the fact that even at 60 there are some seriously competitive athletes who might be desperate enough to be drug cheats. So where were the testers. Even at this level I've never heard of anyone being asked to undertake a drug test.
Pleased with the race, especially the run which has continue to improve.
Today we helped David, Justine and the kids get to the subway. They were heading to the airport then San Fransisco. Disneyland.
While Kim and I went out for a three hour run.
And as usually happens we sorted out the touristy things we should have done in Chicago and found a real coffee shop.
We felt like telling the crowd there that good coffee can be found in at least five places in Maclean, a town of 3500 people and that was normal in Australia. The looks on their faces and on the faces of the staff suggested they thought they were pretty special. They'll get the hang of it in a few years.
Chicago is a beautiful looking city with dozens of polished high rise, museums, art galleries and open air theatres. Today (sunday) everyone was out along the foreshore enjoying the last of the summer. Riding, running skating. Drop into one of the thousands of restaurants and fast food shops for giant iced coffees, soft drinks, "subs", hamburgers, donuts, and lots more. Then its back to your apartment.
Can't wait to get to Hawaii.
I start at 11:40 and David and Kim after 12 so its back to the apartment to eat, drink and sleep.
According to the athletes handbook the bike course is a convoluted series of loops on wide roads with tunnels, ramps up and down to different levels and smooth (ish) hot mix surface.
The run is up and down the same wide boulevarde that makes up part of the bike. It's been effectively closed for days and in a town with lots of cars that's got to be unpopular.
We went down and checked in our street gear about 11 after food and sleeps.
The forecast wind was not that strong so there were disc wheels humming up and down the road in the race.
Swim was cool, with occasional weed in the face that refused to wash off, followed by a 650m (Dave's gps) run to the bike. Onto the bike, wide, smooth, South Columbus Drive then into the tunnel and... can't see a thing. Can vaguely make out the road markings and luckily it was straight for a while. We'd imagined that there would be short tunnels or covered roads with light from the side but the darkish covered part of the course seemed to make up around half of it. It was a little bit better when the lenses in my glasses faded from being out of the sun for a while but every time I reentered the tunnel I had the same problem of blindness.
And its not like it was straight and easy to navigate. There were several u turns, 90o turns and ramps up and down. There were several crashes and its not hard to see why. Gutters couldn't be distinguished from the road surface in the dark and there were pylons and expansion joints, not to mention the occasional wet patch.
Great discussion after the race about how dangerous it was. And to top it off the ride was only 37 ks. You'd think they'd get it right for the world championships.
The run was straight forward. Join the crowd running up and down South Columbus drive, duck into Buckingham fountain on the way north and do it four times. Except someone forgot to bring the turn in from the aquathon and the run ended up 10.8 ks. Pity the odd athlete who was cheated in their favourite bike leg then passed late in the run. Great support from Justine and the kids helped keep the running pace up - at least till we passed them each lap.
Both David and I were in groups big enough to have two waves so results were a little while coming through. I knew I would be back a bit as I had been passed by two riders in my age group going considerably faster, then passed by at least one runner (again going considerably faster). Then, only a couple of minutes after finishing the first runner from the wave behind came through.
I ended up 8th, six minutes off the lead. Kim was 10th, eight minutes from the leaders and David was 37th and 12 minutes back. Strong showing from the USA although, according to team management, we were the second most successful team after the US.
We analysed our results as you do and the greatest area for improvement in my race is transition but a minute of that wouldn't have been enough to get me on the podium. I don't think I can go any faster on the bike or in the run. The guys who beat me by minutes must be freaks. Or on drugs.
So last night my head was sorting out what sort of drugs the people who beat me take and how widespread it is. On one side was the idea that old people don't take drugs and on the other was the recollection that we had to do a drugs in sport course prior to competing. And the fact that even at 60 there are some seriously competitive athletes who might be desperate enough to be drug cheats. So where were the testers. Even at this level I've never heard of anyone being asked to undertake a drug test.
 |
| No on course photos this time. |
Pleased with the race, especially the run which has continue to improve.
Today we helped David, Justine and the kids get to the subway. They were heading to the airport then San Fransisco. Disneyland.
While Kim and I went out for a three hour run.
And as usually happens we sorted out the touristy things we should have done in Chicago and found a real coffee shop.
 |
| As usual, Kim is very pleased to be in a photo. |
We felt like telling the crowd there that good coffee can be found in at least five places in Maclean, a town of 3500 people and that was normal in Australia. The looks on their faces and on the faces of the staff suggested they thought they were pretty special. They'll get the hang of it in a few years.
 |
| Big city |
Can't wait to get to Hawaii.
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