2009 World Triathlon Championships – Surfer’s Paradise, Queensland, Australia

I will always LOVE seeing that title in print. On September 12th I participated in the 09 World Triathlon Championships on the Gold Coast in Australia. It was far more amazing than I could have imagined and I want to share the highlights with you. Someone recently suggested to me that I should not talk about this event anymore as it is in the past and “doesn’t matter”…that I should only look ahead to new adventures. That comment really struck me because I spent 6 years working my life around achieving this goal! I will likely NEVER forget it, no matter how many more world championships I participate in, and I have every intention of wallowing in the entire experience for months to come. Maybe because setting a goal and achieving it is so rewarding, maybe because I was surrounded by so many people I love and maybe because I love my life far too much to blow through it that quickly…Life Really is too Short! The entire Worlds Experience was incredible for me and the #1 reason is due to the people that were with me that week and on race day. We were incredibly fortunate as a team to have our own coach, Steve Pye, and 5 teammates participate in the event. Plus we all had peeps we love with us the week leading up to the race! How lucky were we all to have Michele, Michael and family, Eric and Helen, Jocelyn and Sarah with us to celebrate the week’s events! It made it more complicated and far more fun! I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the little fiasco we had getting into the country…no picture associated with this…that would have made things even worse. Let me just say that between me trying to smuggle in some United Airline sandwiches and checking someone else’s bag through to Brisbane I have become intimately familiar with Australian Customs and Qantas airlines. I actually had to sign an affidavit that says if I come back and try to smuggle anything in I will be arrested as a felon. Let’s be honest…you all know I would never eat a chicken sandwich anyway…at least I avoided the $220 fine after some serious begging and quelling of my NY attitude. For future reference…don’t call the customs agent DUDE…they really hate that. Once in the country the week leading up to the race was filled with beach time, Team USA organizing time and touring time. John and I stole one afternoon at the beach and I was too scared of the rip tides (and the sharks) to play in the water but John had a blast playing in the huge waves and getting sand in his swim suit! Gotta love these Colorado natives who never get to the ocean! John and I also toured around Surfer’s Paradise getting mediocre food and working on our tans. John and Eric, Sonja’s dad, went deep sea fishing one day while I played with the Team USA peeps. We ran down to transition and checked out the details of for race day and then ran back. There were some questions about how transition would work but all the important things were obvious…get in the water a mile up the coast, swim to the swim exit and then rock and roll! I exercised a little every day just to keep the blood pumping and try to remain calm. One day Sonja, Michelle and I went to the local pool on the beach. It was a huge complex with a couple 25 meter pools, a diving well and a 50 meter pool. The sun was warm and the water warmer while we did our little workout in the diving well. It made me realize how badly I need to get into a master’s program because my swim workouts have no pace or consistency to them. It was really fun to swim with those guys. We also did a big team bike ride to check out the bike course. It was mayhem but I am glad we did it as it helped me stay focused on race day. I wasn’t wondering where the next turn was or what the next obstacle might be. I was also fortunate enough to get an in room massage from Jocelyn! I highly recommend her hands! Things really started to wind up on Thursday with Team pictures, the Worlds Team Parade, Opening Ceremonies and Dinner. Because it was my first event I really tried to relax and soak it all in. It was an amazing feeling to be a part of something so much bigger than myself and my little tri-world. USAT took a cool team photo and then we were off to get in line for the parade. Seeing all the athletes from countries like Ukraine, Tahiti, Spain and more really slapped me in the face that there were thousands of us with the same dream coming true that evening. I did wonder if we were all IN the parade who would actually be watching the parade and I was thrilled to see that many of us dragged friends and family down under with us so there were plenty of fans cheering us on as we rolled into the transition area for the opening ceremonies. The ITU gave a warm welcome, the local Tri organizing committee did their thing but the highlight was when the Kiwi men did their dance to welcome us. It was HOT! They were all so fit, they could dance and they have sexy accents! Sweet! My family was supposed to arrive Thursday night so I hadn’t bought tickets to the opening ceremonies for me and John and since my family arrived later than I expected we went to dinner with Anthony and Michele. Apparently Australians drink “girly” beer (according to John and others) so we sought out the local Bavarian Haus for dinner and beers. It seemed weird to me but whatever! Dinner was a pretzel for me and I had a nice chat with a cockroach one table over. Ewwww! The family arrived later but we didn’t really connect until the next day. Friday we took Pop, Betsy, Jim, Margaret, Alison, and Rod down to the race site so they could get a feel for what race day would feel/look like. We managed to explain most of the steps involved and thankfully found a beer tent! Pop is still not walking very well so having frequent beer stops is good for all of us! I met Cousin Jim, from New Zealand while I was in Scotland 2 years ago. I asked him hopefully that if I were to qualify would he meet us in Oz and he did! He is a very vital almost 80 and a blast to have around. It always takes me a little bit to get used to his accent but once I get it we communicate quite well. I was so thrilled to have him with us. By Friday night we had added Christine and Joe and Alison’s daughter Rachel to the mix so when I sneaked off to my room during dinner there was quite a party going on at the Mexican restaurant! I was so overwhelmed to have so many people even remotely interested in my race that I had to keep closing my eyes and calming myself down. I have been doing this for 6+ years and no one in my family has ever seen me race so this was a big deal. Admittedly it was really just an excuse for a trip to Australia but I will take what I can get!
Race day I was all alone and that was perfect. I arrived at transition calm and focused. My bike was waiting for me expectantly so I pumped up her tires and set my shoes in place and said a little prayer as the sun came up. Rarely do my prayers get answered so quickly but within seconds the organizers announced that the race was wetsuit approved! YAHOOO! I will take all the help I can get and although I had been in the water it was not too warm so I was thrilled! And the wind was calm as I walked up toward the start of the race. I didn’t expect to see anyone from my clan at the start as it was so early and out of the way so I ran a little, did a little yoga and started to put on my wet suit as the first waves went out! Girls first, boys later. As I was walking down the sand I saw John in his Aussie hat and then I saw the gang. It made me really nervous and excited at the same time. It was so cool to get hugs, kisses and pictures before I went to warm up in the water. The swim start was a standing beach start which should have made me nervous but didn’t…I place myself behind the peeps who think they are swimmers and when the gun went off I sprinted ungracefully into the water. I should practice that more. The swim was one of the highlights of the day for me. Although my time would not won me any awards I was “in the game” the entire swim. I was swimming with the leaders instead of the dawgs which is where I am used to being. I was in a pack the entire time which should frustrate me but I knew it meant I as swimming strong and straight (Halleluiah!) and I wouldn’t be the last one out of the water! When I hit the beach I was smiling from ear to ear and then it happened…the #1 highlight of the day…I heard Walt, my father, cheer me on. I doubt he will ever have any idea how much him being there meant and I don’t get the sense he really gets my whole life style but I don’t care because for a moment in time, at a moment when I really needed him to acknowledge my life, he did! It almost made me run into the fence as I was laughing and smiling to myself! I was 33rd out of 79 out of the water! Yeeha! The ride pissed me off because it was so flat and fast it was hard to tell where I was. I knew I was making time on people but I had no clue on how many or how much time. Thank you so much to Ailsa Caldwell for saving both our butts when a car blew through an intersection and could have cleared us both off the road. She kept her cool and helped calm me down too. We both rode hard and focused the entire race. I so wish I had the funds for a TT bike as that was the day I would have seen the impact. I was riding strong and smart and the equipment does help when the conditions are right. GoGo served me well and I love my Giant and we had a great ride! (ride was a 1:06) Once I transitioned to my running shoes I felt completely jazzed…as much because it was almost over as I was to do the run. I blew through the first 2 miles and toward the 3rd when I realized I had gone out too fast and I better bring it in a notch or I would not finish strong and I really wanted to leave it all out there! I was running with women that I am usually chasing at this point in the race and I knew it and it felt great! My form felt solid and strong and I knew I could hold the pace I had settled into…although I didn’t know what that pace was. Mentally I was on my run and thinking about how it feels to cruise through the trails at home at this pace and how I always feel like I could run forever. It was so amazing to be so focused and within myself with all the craziness of Worlds around me. (hey Steve, I found it!) During the ride there was a big strong Aussie woman named Foster on the bike and we played cat and mouse a bit. Once we hit transition I didn’t see her again until the last ¼ mile of the run! What? Seriously? As she went past me I said out loud, (sorry Steve) “Oh no, I don’t think so!!” And I just ramped it up one more notch. I blew past her and tried to catch the next woman in front of me. There were 4 of us who finished within 45 seconds of each other and I wanted to be the leader in that but I lost it to a French woman in the last 500 yards. That burned my butt! The finish line was dazzling! The colors and noise and energy left me wild and wound up when I crossed the line. My legs and core were tired but my heart was jumping. One of the coolest parts of the race was hanging out in the shoot with MF, SW, and a group of gals from Team USA. I really enjoyed talking about the race and the day with them. It made the race so tangible even after it was over. The second most amazing thing that happened that day was when I left the finish line area to find my family…they were all standing right there and there was another addition! Nicole had not only made it to the race site she actually saw me finish! She and her brother Joe dragged their luggage all around the race site in order to see me finish and meet me at the finish line. I doubt I will ever be able to convey to Margaret, Nicole, Walt, Alison, Jim, and the rest of the gang how moving it was for me to share those moments in time with them. It was more than I ever expected or could have asked for. Racing at worlds is one thing but having so many people I love to share it with makes it something completely different! THANK YOU TO ALL! After the race where did we go??? You guessed it…the beer garden! We sat and watched some of the men race and ate some expensive lame sandwiches and had a blast! I was overwhelmed and on auto pilot! Cooler still, Sonja and Michelle’s clans parked next to us so we could talk more about the race and hang out. Sonja and Michelle…thank you for being such true friends and teammates. I am so proud to play, train and race with you! And your families are all extraordinary! Once the beer and sandwiches settled in we all went back to our hotels to clean up and head back for the pro race. The most unexpected part of the day came later in the afternoon while Anthony was graciously checking results for all of us…I had placed below 30th?? Below 20th??? In fact I had placed 12th in the world! How about that. Now, to those friends who still think of me as 11th I appreciate it but when the final results were tallied I came in 12th…which is equally amazing to me. My time was 2:22 and change and it was a PR for me! Booya! I knew I shouldn’t be surprised because this is what I had been working toward for so long but I seriously hope to finish in the top 50% so 12th blew me away! I was so shocked and happy and I think everyone else was too. I loved watching the Pros with the gang. They pros are so amazing and inspirational! Plus it was a chance for my friends to see how the big dawgs race! It was a great men’s race to watch! After the pros we got together with my whole clan for dinner. We walked into the tourist trap in Surfer’s Paradise and we had a wonderful meal together. We laughed a lot and had a chance to relax and get caught up. Sadly Margaret, Alison and Rod were leaving early the next morning and I really hated not getting to spend more time with them. The next day we all went to Currumbim Outdoor Experience! It was so much fun to play with the Koalas and Kangaroos and do it with Pop and Betsy! I am going to share more about this part of my trip in my next post so this doesn’t get too long! Ha! Again the closing ceremonies were too expensive, $40 person, so we went to George’s across from the park for a ½ priced yummy dinner! The ½ price made it worth it for sure! John ate Morton Bay Bugs which are these big nasty sea crustaceans and Nicole ate squid…ewww! After dinner Cousin Jim treated us to our first experience at the RSL. It is a social club for veterans in Australia and New Zealand. There are slot machines, a great menu and good cheap beer! Right up our alley! We hung out with Jim until they closed and by then we were all tired and I knew it was the end of this portion of my adventure. Worlds was everything I imagined it would be and then some. Having my sister and her friends and Pop and Betsy with me and John was awesome. Thank you to everyone for your support and for putting up with pre-race Beth and cruise director Beth. I am honored to have experienced all this with each of you! A special thanks to John for taking such good care of my family and to Margaret for being so selfless and power photographer! Love you! So how about we do this again next year in Budapest? September 11-12, 2010! Bring it! And more pictures to come!