FitEgg.com Multisport Reviews
The Parris Island Sprint Triathlon is the first tri of the season in the South Carolina Triathlon Series by Setup Events.
The swim was 500m and held in the Recruit Training Pool on the base. The place was a damn sauna. Heather tried to take a few pics, but most were fogged up because of the temperature difference. The water had to be 80 degrees, too hot for my taste, but what the hell. I started 393 based on my self-submitted swim time. I knew I would be a bit fast and expected to have to pass a few people to get into my stride. However, I didn’t expect so many people to fudge their swim times. Heather and my other friends guessed that I passed at least a dozen folks. Now, that seems ok, but it’s pretty tough to pass in a lane when there is two way traffic. There were 10 lanes, 25m each way. So you entered, did a full lap, and then switched lanes. I almost had a head on collision about half way through. A lady in front of me absolutely refused to yield, even after foot tapping, total lack of situational awareness. Anyway, I made it out of the pool and into the first transition in 10:01, including about a 100 foot barefoot run on asphalt.
T1 took me 1:29.
Parris Island is flat and fast, but there can be some serious headwinds. I averaged 19.2 mph on the ride. I was disappointed to notice that the course had been cut to 11 miles. About halfway into the ride, I noticed a young guy, under 18 I’d guess, pedaling with only one foot. As I neared, I noticed his pedal was stripped out and he could only use his right foot. I passed him in the last mile or two of the race and he was still plugging along. Pretty dedicated. I made it back to the transition in 35:48, not bad, for not pushing too hard.
Now the dreaded run. About a month ago I started having serious pain in my foot during and after training runs. A trip to the physical trainer and behold, plantar fasciitis. I have not pushed myself on the runs lately and it really showed. The start of the run was a pain, I was a little tight from the ride and it took the first two hundred meters or so before I fell into a decent pace. The out and back was nice, fast and flat, so the run felt pretty short. I crossed the line with a 5K time of 27:01. This is about three minutes off my normal, not in pain, time.
This is a great event by Setup Events. If you’ve never done one of their races before, you’ll be pretty spoiled by their attention to detail and the generally flawless nature of their races. It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out or if you’re an Ironman, this is a great race every year. Make sure you register for the 2010 Parris Island Sprint Triathlon.
