May Day Biathlon, Morganton, NC 5.2.10 Race Recap
The alarm went off at 4:30 this morning and I was heading out the door for short drive up to Morganton, NC for May Day Biathlon and 5k race.
Truth be known, I was really tired from two days of racing and the thought of racing again somehow just didn't seem that motivating.
But I had preregistered which helped push me out the door.
The May Day Biathlon and 5k has the small town feel but was pretty good size event. The Biathlon alone had 115 people.
The Biathlon and 5k both start with a 5k run at the same time. We hit the mile mark in 5:20 and there was about 6 of us running in a pack. Over the next mile, things started to string out. I ran the 2nd mile in 5:20 and was right behind the leader.
I contemplated trying to stay with him but the effort vs. the actual time gain was too great – at least in my estimation.
I let 3 guys go by and ended up 5 OA in the 5k with a time of 17:21. Roughly 40 seconds of transition time and I was off and riding.
Jay Curwen a former pro rider was right behind me in the transition and took off riding. He has been coming to this race and winning this race for years.
I noticed that his transition time was extremely quick and his riding equally fast.
I rode in 2nd place for about 10 miles before the real cyclist started catching. I was trying to hang tough. This course has some monster hills. My quads were screaming for me to stop.
Once I got back to route 126, I tried to ride a fast as possible. I caught a couple of guys that had passed me earlier.
Coming into the finish, I was a little too hot and flat spotted my rear tire.
The bike course was advertised as 30k but my Garmin registered about 19 miles. Also, my average speed was 20.4 mph which is my fastest ever.
I finished 6 overall and was the 1st MM in a time of 1:15:23.
All positive signs for my bike days ahead.
I like this race enough that I hope to put it on my schedule for next year, but with a little less racing the previous two days.
Thoughts from the Cool Down Runner.
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