Elephant Man Long Course -- THE first in New Mexico!

Elephant Man Long Course Triathlon

Well, New Mexico’s first Long Course Triathlon is finally a reality. And, it definitely lived up to all the hype and anticipation. I can say for sure that this is definitely the most difficult long course race course I’ve ever done. I won’t say that it was a death march or anything like that, but it was definitely not for the under-prepared. I really enjoyed the course and felt like it went by fairly quickly, except for a couple of sections. If you’re up for a big triathlon challenge, this one is for you.

I’m pretty serious about challenging our tri folks to take on some of the bigger local triathlons. It’s kind-of frustrating to see so much effort being put into these bigger races, but then have the turn-out be somewhat lighter than it should be because people are either too scared to take that next step to swim in open water, or won’t drive the tiny little bit farther, or are “training” for a “real” triathlon somewhere else. Well, I can tell you that there’s plenty of real challenge right nearby. That being said, this is probably THE best bang for the buck, and the scene at Elephant Man is pretty cool.

We have made the trip down to the Elephant Man 4 times now, and it never disappoints. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take on the first long course race in NM, and after reviewing that course and knowing the terrain in the area, I was extra motivated. Again, this one was the real deal, and if you have designs on stepping up to the Ironman, you should do the Elephant Man long course first.

We have fully subscribed to the “camp right there” plan because it just works with a little one in tow. Not only are we skipping the morning commute to the race, but we have so much fun playing on the beaches and in the water at these open water venues. It’s the best time. Elephant Butte is like a second chance at a real summer time weekend in late September. The water is still warm and the air can even get a little hot. This year was the hottest weather we have had yet, but it still wasn’t too bad.

Camping out was great for this year’s race: my race started at 7:00 A.M. Dina’s started at 8:05 A.M., and Suzie Schillaci was so kind to watch Mila for us. That was a big deal, as I was gonna be out for the better part of 5 hrs and Dina would take nearly 3 hrs. We didn’t have to go far to set up transition and got to test out the water all we wanted the day before. Plus, it’s just nice to camp right next to water. We were luckier with this year’s situation, as the Park limited camping to mostly just race participants. Things quieted down a lot earlier than usual and we all got to sleep with no problem.

The water level was also very low this year, due to the drought. If you compare this year’s pics with those of 2007, 08, 09 and even last year, it’s clear that the lake has lost a LOT of water. It looked like little more than some puddles surrounded by the desert hills and mountains, whereas other years it looked pretty good, especially 2008.

Because of the low water level, they had to make an unusual swim pattern, but it worked out pretty well. It was a “T”, but with the top part the longest and the “tail” the shorter part. With the low light at the start and the color of the buoys, we had some trouble sighting at the front of the race. We rounded the second left turn and it was a long way to the far end of the T-crossing. The kayak volunteers were floating back and forth, and at times they obscured our view to the far end turn buoy. That caused a group of us to get off course for a few minutes. The guys in the big boats (mainly Kori Mannon’s dad, Ron) yelled at us to head left and get back on course. Thanks to him, it wasn’t a long way out of our way, but still added a fair bit of extra swimming. The first two guys didn’t get off as much as my next group of four.

I made it out of the water in 4th and passed the 3rd place guy in transition. I caught the 2nd place guy before we even got out of the park, so I figured 1st (Justin Newcomer) was just up ahead. I pretty much just figured I’d forget about him and ride my own race and quickly settled into a steady and comfortable rhythm. I was actually enjoying my ride and the air was nice and cool, with just a slight breeze out of the northwest. I had actually forgotten about the 1st place guy until I saw him on the two big climbs out of Monticello Canyon. Those are two pretty big hills, so he looked closer than he was. I didn’t catch him until we got to the crossing of I-25. He was going pretty well, so I was happy to catch up to him.

We stayed on the Olympic course until that big aid station at the Sierra County airport, where we made the turn out onto the longest and most lonely stretch of the whole race. This section was like going onto the dark side of the moon. It was a 30 mile out-and-back on a pretty lonely stretch of highway in some desolate terrain. It is pretty out there, but in that desolate, southern New Mexico way.

Soon, that little light breeze began to be a wind. It was picking up steadily as we made our way to the semi-ghost town of Cuchillo. We got a little respite from the steady grind with the descent into Cuchillo, but then were punished with the long climb into the wind out of Cuchillo. This was probably the most difficult part of the race and I was glad I had put on a lower gear on my race wheels than I normally use in a race like this. My speed dropped down to a crawl.

There was no relief once at the top of the climb. In fact, the wind was now blowing with some authority and it was right in our face. There is a slight, but relentless grade on that road, as it heads toward the foothills of the Black Range toward the more famous “ghost town” of Winston. It was just a mental test to keep it together on that stretch. I decided to back off a bit and use the time to ensure I was eating and drinking enough. I knew the run was going to be harder than usual, so I figured I would be smart and conserve where I could. I also knew that my closest rivals would likely see me in the distance and probably work too hard to try to pull me back. Another thing I made sure I did was stand up and stretch a lot, despite the stiff headwind, since my back now gets very achy in the aero position for more than an hour. It really affects my run more than it used to.

It was all a very good strategy, but it was a bit scary to see those guys getting close at the far-end turnaround. I kept my head about me and just slowly dialed it up on the way back, not losing my cool and burning out too quickly. On the way back, we had the tailwind with the slight downhill. It was a super fast section and one that took concentration and leg speed. It was also 15 miles, so it got tiring. We got a break, albeit a scary one, on the frightening descent into Cuchillo. The wind was buffeting our aero wheels as we wound down to the base of the canyon and the town. It was fun, though!

Climbing out was actually a welcome relief from the hunched position we had to be in the previous 10 miles. Then, it was back at it with the tight aero position and the super-speedy efficient pedaling.

The final stretch on the Olympic course was fast and fun, and it seemed like the bike wasn’t so bad when I got into Elephant Butte. But, a check on the watch told a different story: 2:32 for the 56 miles is a long time for me. Even on a slow year at Buffalo Springs, I do about a 2:25, so that gives you some idea of how challenging this course is. It was all fun, though.

Into transition, I knew I had a lead, but didn’t know by how much. About 3 guys were pacing together to pull me back at the far turn around, but I knew I had ridden well those last 20 miles. I knew I had gained some of my time back, but didn’t know by how much. The main thing was that I felt quite good and had good energy going into the run and still was in the lead. I felt confident.

I did the transition just like I would have if it were an Olympic. I hit the run and quickly settled into a long-distance rhythm that I think I held the entire way without falter. It actually felt good at first, although it was a burn on my legs to get up that “dam hill” at mile one. I felt the small pangs of cramps, but they quickly diminished once I stretched it out over that dirt dam stretch.

Everything was going GREAT until about mile 4, when I started to notice that the bottoms of my feet were getting hot and quite uncomfortable. I sort of ignored it for another mile, but then just before the mile 6 aid station (where the Olympic turned down that dirt hill), I had to make a stop to loosen my laces. That helped for a few moments, but climbing the long hill off of that dam, they were really getting pissed off at me. The road surface was just too rough for the lightweight soles on my racing flats. I needed beefier shoes (or tougher feet) for those surfaces and the heat wasn’t helping.

I tried lifting my toes when I landed; I tried landing on different parts of my foot and pushing off differently too. It was much more of a problem on the uphills because I needed to land on my forefoot and push off aggressively. It became agonizing by mile 7.

I took only one gel on the whole run, then figured I had enough energy and electrolytes to make it through the race. I started taking on just water, about a cup per aid station. At the 8 mile aid station, I spilled water on myself and when a little trickled into my shoes, I noticed it made them feel better, just a little. I was so happy about that, because the hills just kept coming and there was not one section of that long course run (especially the "extra" part that we did…) that was flat…not one section!

So, I got extra water cups at each of the aid stations and took a few seconds each time to pour it on my feet. It helped a little and kept me from just losing it.

Finally, we had a steep dirt trail/arroyo to climb, followed by a mile of sandy hills before turning onto the long climb back up to the ridge above the lake. My feet were toast, but that was with 3 miles to go, so I just put it out of my mind and tried to push harder. Up to that point, I tempered my running because of my feet. It was like I was trying to run on eggshells. It probably kept me from running too hard, but I wanted to run harder.

With one mile to go (the run down the steep sandy “dam hill”), I kicked it into gear and finished strongly. In the end, I was tired, but it was my feet that limited my race the most. I spoke to 2nd overall, Richard Sena, who had a very strong and smart race, and he said he had the exact same problem and was limping on hamburger feet too. So, I suppose it was an even situation…he still outran me by 3 to 4 minutes. My feet didn't look good after the race -- like a bubbling hot slice of pepperoni pizza on the bottoms. As I write this, they're still very sore and sensitive and dicolored from the blood blisters, etc. Gotta love triathlons!


I was so pleased with the race overall, despite missing my goal time of 4:40 by about 4 minutes. That’s pretty good for a long-course time estimate. And, I was happy to have accomplished such a tough race finish.

They have an awesome race course there and it would be cool to see more people step up to the challenge. In the end, only 63 people crossed the line. Hats off to all of them. That is a huge accomplishment.

And of course, I want to send out a HUGE congratulations to all of you Triatomics racers who gave it everything to pull in some great results, both long course and the Olympic. I'm always SO impressed with how we do as a group.