Mighty Magnolia Triathlon Race Report

October 12, 2013
Hattiesburg, MS

It's been a busy several weeks of racing, so I  was anxious to wrap the season up with the local tri, Mighty Magnolia. Not only was this going to be a fun race with a lot of local friends & familiar faces (including long lost training buddy, Ginger!), but Mighty Magnolia was the GOAL RACE for Runner's High's first triathlon training program.

These are a few faces from the Runner's High Tri Program: (front) Joanne, Kelly, Todd, Michelle, Bradi, Alexis, Laura (back) me, Theresa, Pam, Carol, Kyle, Evan, Greg, Cayla, Kristina, & Brinn.

For 12 weeks we've been working with 21 beginners as they prepared for their first triathlon. Let me preface this by saying that the MMTri is NOT an easy beginner race. Each person in the program worked very hard. We gave them training plans for each sport, and many of them went above and beyond their 'prescribed' workouts in preparation for race day. Group training sessions included running form clinics, swim clinics for stroke technique, swim clinics for open water technique, bike clinics, bike maintenance workshops, transition clinics, open water swim practice... it was a BUSY 12-weeks jam-packed with information, practice, and training, but we got through it with beaming success. Out of the 21 starting participants, 19 were able to join us on race-day, and all 19 were successful in their completion! Here are some of the awards/rankings from our group:

• Hanna Knowles- 1st female beginner
• Greg Strange- 2nd male beginner
• Kyler Knowlers- 3rd male beginner
• Alexis Crosby- 2nd 20-24
• Pam Sumrall- 2nd F 50-54
• Carol Joplin (My super-tough MIL)- 1st F 55-59
• Becky Tew- 2nd 55-59

I have a lot of respect for each person who stepped out of their comfort zones and put their trust in us with this program. As a once-beginner, I understand how difficult and intimidating it is to jump head first into a sport like this. The difference is that I had a mentor (Rocketman) next to me for years and made sure I didn't do anything silly, like forget my swim cap, draft on the bike, sit down to put on socks... I absolutely LOVE this sport, and I love the people I interact with who have made it such a big focus in their lives. I love to see how much this sport has grown and embrace the opportunities to contribute to that growth.  Most of all, I love going to races and seeing people with different abilities, backgrounds, and challenges gathered at once spot to achieve the same goal: finish and do the best you can.


On to the race report!

Swim 7:37

Time trial format, seeding based on order of registration. This year Kyle and I registered early so we would be some of the first in the water. We were assigned bib numbers 30 & 31 out of 300+. The swim was wetsuit legal, the water felt borderline, but I welcomed any advantage that might help drop some time. Kyle has been working with Brinn and I on pacing, but that went down the drain AGAIN. I just get excited, and the fact that there were 250+ onlookers didn't help. I tried to make myself calm down, settle into a rhythm, and just GO. We've been practicing this course over the past several weeks, so we knew the EXACT path needed for a quick time: Swim STRAIGHT to the drain, curve left and hug the next buoy, then aim straight to the shore. Even though we were some of the first in the water, things got a bit congested around the drain. I was about to the next buoy when someone (BIG)  swam DIRECTLY OVER me! Weird, since I was passing several people at the time so it wasn't like I was creeping along... I got behind them and managed to draft along for a bit before dropping off. I later learned that this sea monster was fellow Team HAMR member Dave who swam in college. When my hands hit the shore I stood up and glanced at my watch -7:11. HUGE PR, woohoo! Official time after running up the hill to transition: 7:37.

It's funny to me how resistant most age-groupers are to getting in the pool and working! Kyle's masters swim group had 3 ladies who worked with him over the winter with the TOP 5 SWIM FINISHES! Me (1st, dropped :45), Brinn (2nd, dropped 1:35, HUGE!), Ginger (5th). WORK WORKS. And I am available for swim lessons.

Bike 45:30, 21.8mph
I had unrealistic expectations for this course. I've made huge improvements since last summer, so I had this ambitious goal that I would average 23mph. Even though I've practiced this course a couple times over the summer, I forgot how difficult the hills are when you're racing. Last year I was still pretty well trained for hills having just moved from Virginia, this year 95% of my workouts have been on the super flat & straight Longleaf Trace. While I'm so grateful to have the safety of the Trace in my backyard, I realize I need to do more hill riding if I'm serious about seeing speed improvements, especially on a rolling Course like MM. SO, not a TERRIBLE bike split, but not the improvement I was looking for- 21.8mph.

Run 20:40, 6:53/mile
While the bike course is tough, the run course is not easier. 3 miles of rollers, the worst of which are at the beginning right off the bike. There are a couple of out-and-back hairpins off of the main road which COULD be problematic (last year I heard a lot of complaints about cheating...). Fortunately this year there were some FANTASTIC volunteers on the course directing athletes where to run & making sure people hit those hairpins. I had some great motivation on the run: first off, you can see people right behind you on those hairpins, so I knew I was being chased. Second, I saw Brinn's husband Greg on the first hairpin; he was in front of me by maybe 200 yards, and I was determined to catch him. Third, half of the run course is shared with bikers coming back in, so I received some words of encouragement and convened myself that all those riders who started behind me were way too close!
Unfortunately, I never caught Greg. Talk about a guy with high pain tolerance. I've been working my butt off for a year to throw down a decent run at the end of a tri, and he starts training over the summer, looses a bunch of weight (no longer classified as a Clydesdale), has to take a month off of running due to an Achilles injury, then pops off a 22 minute 3 mile.

Final 1:14:58 1st Overall

I had one REAL goal for this race: Beat the female course record. I didn't share this with too may people because I know it sounds arrogant. Last year my time beat the record, but so did the woman who tied with me by A TENTH OF A SECOND and another who beat us by 5 SECONDS. Races are RARELY that close, and it was hard to look at the website's course records and see other names listed knowing that I was right there. I wanted to crush the record, I wanted to keep the female hardware local, and I wanted my name on the list. 3:23 faster this year, check it out! I'm also happy to report that my run is no longer a glaring weakness. If anything, it's become a strength. My bike used to be the only respectable leg when it came to racing, but now the swim and run combined are what make the difference.

I really enjoy local races. I like being around a bunch of people I see out on the trace or at other races and getting to socialize about all things triathlon. It was a GREAT day for Team HAMR (Hattiesburg Area Multisport Racing). It was so awesome looking at the post-race crowd and seeing so many bright blue team shirts. The group picked up a lot of hardware and we even gained a few new members. I'm proud to call these guys my tri family! Tri Optimum Performance had great success as well (between me, Brinn, and future athlete Ginger! 1st, 3rd, and 5th overall). Kyle was one happy coach. Lastly the Runner's High Tri Program did fantastic & we are SUPER excited about our next program (maybe for Girl Power/Guy Power in early spring?!?)

I feel like this race report wouldn't be complete without a shout-out to Brinn. She's been working really hard this year and is fairly new to the racing scene. She dropped 10 minutes off of her MM time from last year and placed 3rd overall! I'm REALLY excited to see what happens next year. All she needs is a little work on the bike and we are ALL going to be in trouble!

RESULTS HERE