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| Back of the tee shirt from Woodlake Triathlon |
One of the great things about being American is our freedom to come and go as we please and do just about anything our hearts desire. This past Memorial weekend was no different for me. I was able to travel, freely from Pennsylvania to North Carolina without anyone stopping me to see papers or see where I was going. In fact, no one really knew or cared what I was up to unless I told them, because that is my own private information. Freedom. Privacy. The ability to do what I want when. Imagine living in a place where you could not travel freely? Memorial Day is such an important day as it signifies our ability to live freely in a great country and show appreciation for those that lost their lives giving us this wonderful gift. Let us never forget our gift of freedom.
What a wonderful way to celebrate our great nation and commemorate our soldiers than to attend or participate in a sporting event.That is exactly what my family and I did on Saturday to kick off our Memorial Day weekend. The Woodlake Triathlon took place in Vass, NC on Saturday May 28th at 8am. A fifty minute drive south of Cary, NC is Woodlake Country Club, a cute, very well manicured retirement area. The venue for the triathlon was perfect. There was a large marina area for the swim and bike transition. The bike took place on a rolling hill course through the country side.The run was flat and fast within the neighborhood. I enjoyed the scenery around the lake and out onto the road through the pretty golf course community.The team of folks running the event did a great job. There were plenty of volunteers at each and every turn on the out and back bike course, as well on the run portion. The volunteers on the course were a comfort because this was a smaller event and there were no maps in my race packet, which freaked my type "A" personality out at first. My husband calmed my nerves and said,"don't worry, just follow the crowd and I'm sure there will be plenty of people directing." Famous last words. I've done a few races in the past where there were not clear cut directions on the bike ride, leaving athletes going much further distances than needed and leaving them in a less than cheerful mood.
The swim was a quick 600 yards of up and around the orange buoys. This would be a great swim for a first-timer. I was told you could pretty much stand up at anytime as the water was fairly shallow." If you panic put your feet down,"was what I overheard one woman say. Spectators could easily see the swim at this race which was also really cool.There have been events that have not allowed for spectators at the swim start. See my swim tips from my last post.
Prizes and food always make for a great race and Woodlake Tri was no exception here either. They gave everyone finisher medals, and for the age groupers an additional medal that said Woodlake on it. I was happy because I received both a finisher and a 3rd place age grouper award. The real winners of the whole race received a cool trophy of cyclist . The food spread consisted of good old American fare of hot dogs, baked beans and plenty of Gatorade and drinks. My kids loved the hot dogs. Of course the more traditional race fare of bananas and bagels appeared as well.
During all events I make a point of talking to other athletes. I love to meet new people and although I usually don't make life long friends out of it, I love it because I always take away something valuable. Woodlake Triathlon was no different. I met a great girl of thirteen years named Wiona. She was doing the triathlon as a team with her family. She was walking on the run and I grabbed her and said,"Come on lets go together." We ran for a little while and she told me this was her second triathlon. Her dad had done the swim portion, her mom the bike and now she was completing the run. I told her how great I thought it was that she was doing the race. What she didn't know was that she was helping me get through the run myself. By talking to someone else it took the focus off how hot and humid it was, and how much I wanted to be done. Talking is a great distraction when racing.
When I finished I learned that my family too had been talking to other spectators and we met a great family from Cary, NC. It turns out that they are originally from New Jersey, my husbands home state and that they had a son named Luke exactly the same age as my son Nick. The boys both play lacrosse. Through our commonality we made some new friends that day.
My favorite person at the race was a seventy three year old finisher named Sharon Roggenbuck. As we were waiting for results I touched her arm and let her know what an inspiration she is to me. I have seen her on the circuit in North Carolina for the nine years that I have been doing triathlons. I should have asked her how long she had been doing them, but I didn't want to seem like a stalker. She asked me how my race was and then I walked away. Later during awards she cartwheeled up to get hers. She has the brightest blue eyes I have ever seen and a zest for life and triathlon that I hope I will continue to have into my seventies and beyond.
Even my husband had a good time on Saturday. He said, "You know, I love the positive attitudes around here. These events promote such positive thinking and values. I love to be around such positive energy!"
It's contagious and that is why I am still at it. The day ended with a cheer from everyone for a guy who came in without finishing. It is always so hard and sad to see that. He just didn't have enough time and the event coordinators had started shutting down the course. He came in and the man running the awards made a special announcement for him. We all clapped and cheered for him because we know how hard is it, even a sprint distance can be tough. The announcer said it best, "He gave it his best today."
Tri- On!
Kelly
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| Kelly coming into finish |
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| Kelly's finish Woodlake Triathlon |
I'll have more pictures to share soon:)
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| My Son Bryce in transition area |
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