Lisa Hurley's Race Report

It was my first go at an off-road tri! I love mountain biking, but don't consider myself terribly skilled at the technical stuff. However, I was in for a rude awakening and a "crash course" the morning of the race! As we wandered to the swim corral, a handful of the women were chatting about toughness of the bike leg. A few had come out and ridden it the week before or even a small piece the day before the race. One gal said she got into the trails and had been riding for 40 minutes & had only gone 2-miles! I knew I was in for a beating...but summoned the "bike gods" and asked for some assistance to get me out in one piece!

It was an overcast morning - my favorite! No heat stroke today...thankfully!! The men took off five minutes ahead of us, then the number of strong-willed women dove into the 70+ degree water. The swim was a leisurely wallow (for me...not a fast swimmer) alongside a few breast-strokers & one guy that was hanging on for dear life. Super manageable for even the weak at heart.
Got out of the lake NOT in "last place" (woohoo!)...and was greated by my daughter, Madi, who was helping in the transition area. That day would be one in which she would prove to be the most patience 15-year old imaginable! Thank goodness she was well entertained by her volunteer compadre! Everyone was so, super nice and helpful!!

Alright, I thought...now the FUN begins! Hopped on my well-worn hard-tail, equipped with a new rear tire and brake pads (a last-minute "good call" and cue from the local bike shop fellas!). Immediately I realized this was no ordinary whimpy mountain bike trail! Gonna have to hydrate and "gu"-up along the connectors from trail-head to trail-head... This, for me, was going to be a constant battle to stay afloat! But...wait a minute...I know what I'm doing here! Maybe not with the big LOGS in the trail (those are for the dual-suspension folk!)...Okay...and maybe I'm gonna have to cave to some of the gnarlier downhill, segments with loose dirt or the uphill with tons of rocks! I managed to finagle my way up and around most of the obstacles! But, admittedly...this was some twisted trail action, much of it with 8-10 inch rocks hogging up the center of the single-track...yikes!! ...Alright...I can do this! I looked up a few times, noticing others - both male and female - with all intention of making it out alive! One gal - in her mid twenties - was literally carrying and running her bike around by the handle bars!! That made me laugh! Either she didn't want a "bad time" or she figured, hey...this is way over my head!! ;)

Either way, we were ALL in this one together!! The fast folks were politely requesting us pokier folks to help them get by. This beautiful, technical, wooded course - complete with water-crossing (two times) - was truly "single-track"...to the point where pulling over, meant stepping off the course to let the speedsters do their thing! No worries...everyone was completely cool about this. While I didn't feel like any sort of expert...I do have a "one-ness" with my mountain bike. We go places together...but rarely has the little hard-tail taken that sort of beating! By about the midway point, I was settling in nicely. There were a number of others who were hovering around the same pace, we'd pass each other back and forth a bit. But because I'm a slower swimmer and a bit more competent at biking, it was mostly me passing those that had borrowed a bike for the adventure, or were a little more tenuous on the course. Oh, there were plenty of "close calls" and spills along the way! I've got the scrapes and dings to prove it... :) ...But, eventually, I made my way to the water for the second time!! LOVELY feeling that nice cold water soaking through my old suede high-top bike shoes!! YES!!! THIS IS THE LIFE!!...

It's home stretch on the bike now. Someone shouted "Just a quick run after this!!"...Getting excited to feel as though I was going to LIVE through the toughest bike I'd done to-date!! Just finishing the rougher, rockier segment and getting ready to hit the last, cool leg of soft dirt-trail switch-backs through the woods for the second loop. A very fun leg, a bit easier than the earlier sections. My bike and I were taking on the last bit of baseball-sized rocks riddling the trail...when...all of sudden...CLANK!!! ...What the???!!! ..My seat goes flying off my bike from underneath me (I was standing on the pedals)!! OMG...I hear the bolts and parts clatter against the rocks of the trail!! I had no idea how this happened??!! I don't remember hitting anything WITH my seat...Apparently, the torque and beating the hard-tail had taken after colliding with more rocks and roots that it had seen in one sitting finally tooks its toll! ...OMG...what the hell do I do now???!! My mind is racing...I can't just stop now!!!! Unconsciously, I gather the parts and take a look at the center bolt. It's cracked in half! I shove the pieces into my bag. One of my compadres pulls a bike tool from his bag and offers assistance. I thank him, but it's no use...I ask if he wouldn't mind letting someone know I'm without a seat. He agrees. Next order of operation...what the hell do I do with my seat? ...Leave it on the trail???? I figure I've got less than two miles to go. ...Think, Pooh, think!!... I shove the thing down my bike jersey! It's stretchy and heaven knows there's room in there!! (wink) ...Alright...LET'S FINISH THIS THING!!!...

Fortunately, the next connector trail came quickly and the kind, Black Diamond resident volunteer, with a cowboy drawl, offers to take my seat back to the transition area. He asks what I plan to do... I shrug and tell him I guess I'm gonna try and finish without it! The incident allowed a few folks to pass me, but I was sort of charged-up by the challenge. ...I end-up passing a couple back again, to my surprise, biking out-of-seat for the remainder...praying that I don't slip and send the bike through a body part! ...Thank goodness for training out-of-seat!! I had been biking the Tolt Pipeline back home on this thing...so this wasn't going to be impossible...just SLLLLLOOOOWWWW going!! Okay, bike gods delivered...out in ONE PIECE!! Me, that is...not the bike!

Bumbled my way to transition! One of the volunteers noticed the missing seat..."Oh my god, where's your seat!!???" A few kudos from the volunteers kept me jazzed-up and ready to run!! I pass my daughter, Madi, at the run-out and tell her about the bike misfortune!...then on my way! Trail running is my favorite! I'm thinking, "Alright - 10k...piece of cake!"
Heading up the hill and into the sweet, meandering trails! Awesome...I'm psyched! Immediately, I'm feeling confident and pass a couple folks. I'm thinking I should be done with this thing in under an hour. A few of us are chatting a bit. I'm asking others how they're doing...excited to be out there and alive. I'm just telling one of the other racers about my seat breaking, pardoning myself to pass a guy that looks capable of kicking my butt once he finds his stride...when my left toe catches a root and I'm face-planting into the bushes!! Immediately I feel my right hamstring screaming & I let out a yell!! About four other runners stop dead in their tracks to help (bless them all!!)..."Are you okay?"..."Do you need us to get some help?"...I requisition a hand to help me to my feet. My mind is whirling..."Can you walk?"...all I can say is, "I dunno...maybe?" One very kind soul behind me tells the others to go on ahead, that he'll stay with me! I'm hobbling along...trying to avoid the relentless trail traps underfoot. My buddy offers to carry me! "I'm a big guy...I'm sure I could carry you...really...if you need me to!" I thank him profusely and tell him I'm gonna just keep walking and see how I feel. He asks permission to pass and it's granted...

After accessing the damage I realize my hamstring is in tough shape. I'm gonna be shuffle-walking the entire 10k, at best! ...I'm contemplating quitting. A fella with a Australian accent asks me "how ya doin'?" I tell him I'm not sure I can finish...and mention the hamstring. "Awww...ya gotta keep going!"...he prods in his thick accent. (...and so it is!).

The rest of the lovely trail leg ends-up a mental test to just get 'er done! Several folks continue to saunter past me...as I chug along at a snails pace. I cringe as they tell me "good job"...pushing my ego aside. This was supposed to be the "easy part"...Oh, well...it'll make a great story!! I come through the first loop, and the cheerful volunteer women hand me my red arm band, signifying I'm officially a second looper... I ask them to pass on a message to my daughter. "Please tell her I've pulled my hamstring and it's gonna take me a long time to finish!" My friend, Tracy Brown - volunteer Gu-Girl - sees me during the straight stretches of each loop. Each time I pass her, she offers words of caution and encouragement... I'm now consumed by humility...laughing and enjoying myself.

I finally pop out of the trail near the end of the run leg...and there's Madi...my sweet, beautiful, patient daughter (and running enthusiast). "Hi Mom!...They told me you got hurt...I'm gonna run in with you!" (She's came to volunteer, but hopes to do a triathlon one day...thus her motivation for partaking in the festivities!). The cars in the grass lot are almost gone now. As they empty the lot, passing Madi and I they continue to holler...GOOD JOB!! ALMOST THERE!!!... I'm mostly walking with Madi...the cheerful volunteers encourage me to jog / shuffle to the finish... They're breaking down the transition area...but, look! There are still a handful of bikes left! Amazingly, there are a few more stragglers out there... The remaining racers, volunteers, Madi and I cheer as we slowly gather our belongings and check the results. The last few competitors complete their challenge! It was a great workout...perfect weather...what more do you want?! :-)

Lisa Hurley