Hawk Island Tri (Page 2)

It's Friday from 7-9PM. You have to pre-register. Email [email protected] to sign up.

Just rode the course yesterday - pavement is improved from last year (especially Mt. Hope near MSU).  A little rough on Farm and Forest, but overall I'd give it a B.

Should be a great ride!

YAY!  I miss craigweaver!

YAY!!! I miss gw1n & KL & all the other GH's!  can't wait to see you all!

In case you aren't on the email list, here is the latest update about the Hawk Island Tri:

Hello Triathletes,

We?re at T-5 days!  For those who didn?t see my last email, catch up at http://southlansing.org/T4weeks/tabid/1489/Default.aspx.

Open Swim Trial
Anyone having jitters about the swim is welcome to join us for a dry (er, wet) run at Hawk Island Park on Friday, June 3, from 7-9 p.m.  Corner markers will be set earlier that day, so racers can swim the same 400 meter course as race day.  This event was very popular last year, especially for beginners with no experience swimming in open water.  Racers MUST pre-register so we can plan for adequate lifeguards in the water.  Email [email protected] to sign up.  Note: you will need to sign a waiver before you enter the lake.

Registration
Saturday registration is available from 4-7 p.m. at the park.  Athletes can pick up their earth-friendly, re-usable race bags, swim caps, shirts, and BIB numbers, check out the courses, and visit with triathlon guru Jef Mallett.  Race day registration is open from 6-7:30 a.m.  Even if you pick up your bag on Saturday, you still need to get a timing chip on Sunday morning.

Parking
The parking fee at Hawk Island County Park is $3 for Ingham County residents, $5 for non-residents.  Parking fees must be paid at Saturday registration.  Parking on race day is free until 7 a.m., after which the same fees apply.  When the lot is full (or if you?d rather not pay the fee), you may park at any of our three overflow lots (see link below).  Each is less than half a mile from the race pavilion.  You can also avoid fees by biking or shuttling to the park.

Handicap parking spaces are available near the transition area.  Drivers need to show parking staff a state-issued permit.  Please tell any spectators who need handicap parking to be in the park before 8 a.m.  For the safety of our racers, we ask that anyone parked in Hawk Island Park remain there until all racers are back from the bike route (approximately 11 a.m.).  If you need to leave before 11 a.m., please park in one of the overflow lots.

Security
To add another level of security in the transition area, we are now requiring bike and helmet tags.  Each racer will receive two adhesive numbers, one to affix on their helmet and one to fold over the brake cables on the front of their bike.  Volunteers are instructed to verify that bike and helmet numbers match racers? BIB numbers.

Flooding
Due to recent storms, the beach is flooded past the sidewalk and a small portion of the run course is under water (about 3 inches).  We expect the water on the run course to recede, but the beach and the sidewalk may still be under water on Sunday.  Park staff are moving sand to make it level with the path where swimmers enter and exit the lake.  Please be aware and stay within the flagged areas.  Stubbed toes don?t make for happy racers.

Maps
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the parking map, course maps and diagram of the transition area:  http://southlansing.org/Triathlon/Maps/tabid/383/Default.aspx.  Note: bike rack placement corresponds with BIB numbers, and BIB numbers are assigned by the date you registered.  Families and friends who registered together will have spaces together.

Beginners may also want to brush up on triathlon basics: http://southlansing.org/Triathlon/Tips/tabid/384/Default.aspx

Swim Starts
8:00  Elite men (race times expected 60 minutes or less)
8:03  Elite women (race times expected 70 minutes or less)
8:06  Boys and Men 29 and under
8:09  Girls and Women 29 and under
8:12  Men 30-39, Clydesdales 39 and under
8:15  Women 30-39, Athenas 39 and under
8:18  Men and Clydesdales 40 and older
8:21  Women and Athenas 40 and older
8:24  Individuals

Water Temp
I won?t have an official temperature until later this week, when the park director purchases another thermometer.  Apparently the last one is at the bottom of the lake.  Oops.  I waded knee deep in the water yesterday and found it unexpectedly warm.  Given the forecast of temps in the mid to upper 80s this weekend (and barring any major thunderstorms), I?m guessing water temp will be low to mid 70s on race day.

Gimme a Zig, Gimme a Zag
Anyone who has done the Hawk-I-Tri before knows this drill.  Newbies . . . pay attention.  As you enter the run, you will notice oncoming racers crossing your path to head for the finish line.  Likewise, as you finish the run, you will turn left, crossing the path of racers just beginning the run.  It?s an annoyance that cannot be avoided, and we get through it every year with no catastrophes.  Just be aware and listen to volunteers who guide you around other runners.

Food
All food this year is vegetarian, and we?re proud to offer locally sourced bean burritos from El Azteco.  Arturo?s tortilla factory is off the grid, powered by fryer oil.   Check out the ?El Az? booth in the Eco Expo.

BIB Transfers
The deadline for BIB transfers expired on Tuesday.  If you registered and are unable to race, the answer is no.  We will not issue a refund.  However, since SLCDA is a nonprofit community organization, we can treat your entrance fee as a tax deductible contribution and issue a receipt.  Thanks Judy, for the great suggestion.

Green Certification
The Hawk Island Triathlon is about to become the first certified sustainable race in Michigan (http://resport.org/certification/standards.php).  In a few days, we?ll send you our work plan for achieving sustainability credits.  We hope you?ll take a moment to look it over and provide feedback on ways we can lessen the environmental impact of our race.

Help Us Go Green!
Bike, carpool, or shuttle.  We know many families and friends train and race together.  Don?t stop there . . . ride together.  If you live in Lansing, consider jumping on the River Trail and riding your bike to the race.  If you?re staying at our official race hotel, Causeway Bay, leave your car and hop on the hotel shuttle.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.  Bring your own (non-disposable) water bottles.  We have a filling station with four spigots in the race pavilion.  Recycle all trash and compost all food waste.  Do not throw wrappers along the bike or run course.  Pocket them and dispose in properly marked containers.  Recycling is easier than ever, thanks to the Capital Area Recycling Team (CART).  You?ll find single-stream recycling stands next to every trash can, and you?ll be hard pressed to find anything that isn?t recyclable!  Click the link http://cityoflansingmi.com/pubserv/wastereduction/index.jsp to learn about materials accepted, and watch a video about Lansing?s single stream recycling efforts.

Visit the Eco Expo.  Racers and spectators (especially kids!) are encouraged to check out a variety of interactive displays promoting environmental stewardship.  Watch as fryer oil is converted to fuel.  Power a blender by pedaling a bike.  Tour a mobile classroom dedicated to renewable energy and resource conservation.  Then check out Motor Trend?s Car of the Year, the eco-friendly 2011 Chevy Volt.

Donate unwanted swag.  We realize that some of you are veteran racers with a gazillion mementos from past events.  We won?t take it personally if you choose to give back your medal.  In fact, we encourage you to brings us all your unwanted medals from triathlons, half and full marathons, and other extreme races.  Medals for Mettle will refurbish them and give them to kids battling serious illnesses: http://www.medals4mettle.org.  While you?re at it, bring us your old tech shirts, latex swim caps, and athletic shoes.    We?ll recycle those, too.

Sponsors
Last but not least, we want to recognize all the sponsors and donors who make this race possible.  If you know someone affiliated with one of our sponsors, or if you visit one of our sponsors, please take a moment to tell them how much you appreciate their support of our race.

Lake Trust Credit Union
Ingham Regional Medical Center

Frazz (Jef Mallett) & Kiefer
Xterra Wetsuits, Shaheen Chevrolet

Playmakers, Hammer Nutrition
Causeway Bay Hotel, TechSmith
ACD.net, Honest Tea
Gillespie Group, Bikeworks

Dewpoint, Denny?s, Spin Bicycle Shop
Lansing Board of Water & Light

Meijer, Kroger, Big Apple Bagels, 94.9 WMMQ


See you this weekend!
Kathie, Chris, Rita, & Carrie

Looks like 63 degrees, partly sunny and 4mph winds at race time. Perfect!

My wife and I will get into town later this afternoon and check in at our hotel and then head to the park for early registration.

How'd everyone do? What a beautiful morning it was out there! I finished my first Sprint Tri and had a great time.

My time was 1:20:34 which I believe put me 36/51 for my 30-39 Male age group.

The swim is what I was worried about the most, more the mental and anxiety component than anything, as it was my first OWS. My thought going in was if I could get through the first 100M I would be fine (400M total). Everything was fine, I went with the group start and just held back to the back of the pack as the mad rush hit the water and then made my move as space permitted. I was surprised at how fatigued I was at the end of the swim. I would not have made it much longer. As I was walking out of the water I was completely gassed. My wife told me after the race she thought I was going to stop because of the way I looked. Total swim time was 8:32 I believe.

I knew I could recover on the bike portion. So I just took my time with T1. Walked the whole way to the bike area instead of running and just took my time transitioning to catch my wind and calm down a little. Total T1 time was 5 minutes. Terrible T1 time I know but it was what I needed to recover.

Bike went very well. I was consistent with my training times for biking. I was surprised and caught off guard by the amount of inclines during the biking. I assumed we'd be riding in the park which is fairly flat but it was all road course, with several freeway overpasses which were tough on the legs but I made it through just fine. Total bike for the 10 miles was 36 minutes and change.

Had a very speedy T2 as I don't use bike shoes so it was just a matter of dismounting from my bike and then heading to the run course.

Run time for the 5K was slightly over 27 minutes. Got off to a great start running. Felt great with very little "dead legs" effect.  1st mile was fine. In the 2nd mile my ribs started cramping up real bad and you see so many people walking to take breathers it did cross my mind, but I just kept telling myself if I fought through 1 more mile I'd only have 1 mile to go, and that I didn't want to walk after all the training I put into this. In the second mile ended up grouping with a female who was 35 (I am 36) so we just kind of ran together the rest of the race and pacing one another helped take my mind off the cramps. By the start of the 3rd mile I was fine and ended feeling quite well.

Very glad I set this goal for myself 3 months ago and saw it through to completion. Lost almost 25lbs in the process and now only have 10 more to go to reach my goal of 185. The race was physically grueling and very humbling. I thought it was going to be a lot easier than it was...training can only prepare you so much!

BP you must of passed me sometime in the run because I finished in 1:20:52.

My swim was just a comedy. My plan was to start in the front and stay there. Yes, I need to improve on my planning. What happens is a whole crowd of guys surge up around me, swimming faster than they aught and start this commotion similar to the running of the bulls. I know they were swimming too fast because just when most of them get by me, I start gaining on them. I was lucky to escape with my teeth when they went by; next thing I know there's that heel again. The vision of this dude's heel coming out of the murk to within inches of my face...anyways then we got to the first pylon and it was a cluster***k trying to get around that; I finally got clear and finished the swim in 8:42, which was good enough for 11th out of 30.

I thought I biked rather well, but apparently so did everyone else; I finished that in 33:13, which was only good enough for 18th.

My legs had had enough by the start of the run and refused to answer my order for more steam. I was able to finish with a strong kick but that's about all that went as planned in my run; I guess I know what I need to work on.

Well that and my transitions; I didn't emphasize them at all, and I need to get serious about them.

Your time would not have improved my standing in my group, the 40-49 group; I finished 20th out of 30. Apparent 'over the hill' does not happen in this decade. 

That was fun, it truly was. It motivates me for my next event, the Ann Arbor Tri in July.

I was really happy to see familiar faces.  made it in 58:22, which took overall male masters by a narrow margin.  I think my swim was 8:02, bike 26:22, run 20:5x  I think my bike split was fastest overall, will have to confirm when results are posted.  Lost my water bottle over the 1st railroad tracks on the bike, never got a drink out of it so a thirsty race.  Water too cold to drink on the run so just dumped it on my head.

Sorry I had to bug out so quick had to meet family later in the day and our hotel stay had expired.  Had a great time.

Congrats first-timers and everyone else who raced yesterday....it was a beautiful day!  Sorry I missed meeting you fellow BTer's, I was looking for the canopy but for some reason couldn't find you guys.

Have a great rest of the year!

Sweet Moose, great job on finishing your first tri!  I ride up and down Bryon Center road quite often.  I am going to race on July 2nd at the Bostwick Lake Tri up in Rockford.  I believe it is a 700 yd. swim, 14 mile bike, and a 5k.  I haven't raced in this one before but a friend of mine said it is a friendly 'backyard' type of race.  If you don't race in that one I would definitely recommend Millennium Park Tri in August.  That was my first one last year and it was well ran and is beginner friendly.  The Reeds Lake Tri (east grand Rapids) in another great race and has an awesome atmosphere but is a little longer, that one is in Sept.

Good Luck in your training!  If you are ever up for a ride or anything let me know.

Here are some pics wife and a friend took throughout the race yesterday at Hawk Island.

http://s780.photobucket.com/albums/yy82/bripow14/Hawk%20Island%20Triathlon%202011/

Results are up

http://results.active.com/pages/displayNonGru.jsp?pubID=3&rsID=111553

Nice job BP!  Sounds like you had a smart race and squeezed out everything your body would give.

Results just posted here

This race is an awesome way to start the year.  I was a little faster in all 5 areas.  I was really hoping for an AG medal, but finished 4th at 1:00:50.  I was also toying with going under an hour, but am not really disappointed that I didn't quite get there.  59:xx next year...

I decided to start with the "elite" group, which worked out real well as I was chasing fast guys all day.  I'm glad they added that option.  It was nice to have a pretty good idea of what was happening in the race in real-time.

I still have plenty of time to gain both in terms of training and race execution.  Still not sure whether it was the right decision to wear the wetsuit in terms of swim time saved vs. transition time lost.  Lost at least 10-15 seconds in T1...

knewbike... awesome job on the Masters 1st place... I know you said you were going under an hour...but you took me by surprise when I heard your results yesterday, usually it is Derrick Fries (who finished 3rd, and is now maybe slowing down at 57!) at the top.

Also, I do have to correct your statement about the bike split... Jeff Plotzke (JPLOTZKE on the forum, I believe) had the fastest bike split at 25:59!  (Just had to give a shoutout to a fellow RACING GREYHOUND!)

Very true.  I read the age group ranking as an overall ranking yesterday.  My apologies, and thank you.

Looks like she got some awesome pics, good job.

Hey BP, I wonder I was the 35 year old you were pacing the run with? I'm the girl in your second shot (turquoise with the bike). I kept stopping to pick up cones though. LOL.

It was an awesome race and I'm pleased that I beat last year's time by four minutes. I think the weather couldn't have been more perfect.