Santa Fe Triathlon 2009

The 2nd Annual Santa Fe Triathlon was this weekend at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center. The cost of the tri increased $5 over last year's (early registration) fee (from $50 to $55), but since I enjoyed the race last year, I decided to go for it again. As far as I saw, Tina, Kim Katco, myself, and one guy I didn't know but was in uniform (sorry, Mister) represented the Triatomics.

The day promised to be a scorcher, with no clouds and a predicted 90+ degree high. Fortunately, the organizers mitigated this by starting the race at 6:30am. I'm not much of a morning person, but I did appreciate being done long before the temperature really climbed.

Around 280 people showed to race, and as usual, it was a squeeze to find a place to rack the bike (it didn't help that I was a bit late after a quick run-in with the SF policia -- who knew that if the light turns red while you're under it, that counts as running the light?). Parking is at the nearby fairgrounds, so it's a couple-minute walk with your stuff... not a big deal.

This sprint tri is a run-bike-swim. The run start was moved a bit this year to start on the street instead of in the parking lot. This was nice, since there was no squeezing to wind around/through the parking lot exit. They extended the run near the end to make up the difference. The first 3/4-ish miles is on Rodeo, part of which is blocked off from traffic for the runners, heading downhill toward's Sam's club. There was plenty of room to pass, which was important since it was a bulk start, and I passed a bunch of folks before I found people going at a good pace. Then the route cuts onto trail (some paved, some hard-packed dirt - all easy and decently wide), and it's a winding, very low-grade uphill back up to the GCCC. This year they had timing clocks at miles 1, 2 and the end, so you could track your mile-by-mile pace. I enjoyed this and was psyched at my 7:20 first mile. Of course, that was downhill. There was an oddly placed water station just after the 1st mile - it was supposed to be at 1.5mi, but oh well. The run ends with a quick uphill to get around the GCCC - I came in just under my my goal time and moved on to the bike.

The bike is an out-and-back, heading south on Richards, past the SF community college, west/SW on Avenida del Sur, and then east on A Van Nu Po. It's rolling terrain with very little traffic, the latter due to both the early start and the fantastic support this race provides. Although technically an open course, they have a load of cops and volunteers to help with the various intersections and 2 roundabouts. Excepting one section of glass, the road(s) were in good condition with little debris. With some wind and the rollers (and most likely my effort on the run), though, I had trouble maintaining the speed I'd hoped for on the ride and missed my goal time for that event. I believe they changed the end of the bike route to make it less of a jumble at the parking lot entrance/exit, which was nice, though it's possible it was like that last year and I just don't remember.

The T1 and T2 times are not separated at this race and are rolled into the bike time (as far as I can tell, based on my own timing). Also, the transitions are a bit longer than some other races. The transition area is a bit long in length, and there is a downhill run to the pool which, in barefeet especially, adds a little time. Anyhow, I got by bike racked and ran down to the pool.

The pool area was warm, but the water felt OK. Last year some folks complained that the water temp was too warm, but I thought it was fine both years. The lanes are nice and wide -- 3 people can swim abreast without too much irritation, and that's saying something coming from me, who is still trying to get comfortable with that many people in the water around me. This makes it nice since I did actually pass some people, so I could get in the middle of the lane on occasion and still leave room on the left for the others who were still passing me like mad. Excepting an early-on foot cramp, the swim was pretty standard for me, and I popped out and ran to the outside finish.

The after-race events included decent food (fruit, drinks, and bagels with cream cheese, jam, or lunch meats & cheese) and a free massage booth. I didn't hang around for the massage this year, though I did last year and it was great -- just get your name on the list early! The end-of-race area doesn't have many places to sit and is mostly in the sun, so it's not really conducive for hanging out, unless you really want to stay for the awards ceremony.

Overall, I beat my last year's time by a few minutes, shaving off time mostly in the run and a little in the swim, but losing a smidge in the bike/transitions. I like this race because it's local; it starts early; it's extremely well-supported and well-organized; the course is very well-marked, fun, & has little traffic; and they provide good food and massage at the end. Swag bags are standard, with a water bottle, cotton T-shirt, and a few ads/samples. Although maybe a bit pricey for a sprint distance, I do think they try to give you your money's worth.