Xterra World Championship 2011

Sunday the 23rd of October started early in south Kehei on the island of Maui: woke up, had a breakfast of champion (hot cereal with fruit, orange juice, and tea). The bikes were all ready to go from the night before and all the transition bags by the door. 6am we are out the door on our way to the Kapalua resort home to the 2011 World Xterra Championship, the car ride was long and quiet exchanging a few word with my good friend Melissa Norland, we both went through the race course many times in our heads. Arriving at the race site we immediately met up with the Seavey family and John Klish (reassuring to see familiar faces). Setting up transition like the many times I had done before, except this time I had the butterflies in my stomach it was my first world competition, my neighbors on my rack did not speak English… or French. All ready for the race well rested, hydrated, energized I had a little over an hour before the race start, met up with my parents and went to their room at the hotel to apply new skin on my wounds from yesterday’s crash nothing bad, looked worse than it was, but was still stinging bad in the salty sea water. Finally, about 40min to go time to get the swim skin on and get the body moving and ready, thank you TYR for the amazingly fast suit.

All warmed up, I get back on the beach it’s about 8:50am the sun is already pounding and there is not a cloud in the sky, it’s going to be a beautiful hot day. Meet up with my friends Taylor Seavey and John Klish who are both deaf athletes and as I did for nationals I will count down for them on my fingers to let them know when the gun is going off so they don’t get a disadvantage at the start of the race.
One min to go…BOOM the gun goes off all 650 qualified athletes from all over the world and 75 pros standing on the beach run towards the sea and dive in the waves coming in. The swells were not as bad as they had predicted. Adrenaline is pumping through my body, I started swimming got kick from every angle for a good 50yards and then I was able to break away in front of the main group, 350yard to the first buoy the current was stronge and pushing most swimmers of course I was on the inside and it was impossible to hold my line and had to follow the pack. Coming on to the first buoy I got pushed in to the marker and my arm got caught on the rope. Swimmers started to swim on top of me. I thought that it… I am going to die… heck no! There is no way, fighting with the rope and getting swum over I finally got to free myself from the line and swam to the surface for a breath of air. I am alive! and mad... Decided to kick it in gear to the next buoy 150 yards made the turn this time on the outside of the pack, no way I am letting that happen again! Now back to the beach this felt like the longest leg of the swim, swam till I could get carried by the wave and then hit the sand, get up, run through the giant Xterra arch, swing left, run fifty yards in the loose sand and its back out for another lap of the swim, second lap went much smoother as the field stretch out a bit, I got out of the swim in the top sixty people which I was happy with, strong swim and I felt good with lots of energy in reserve
T1, not many athletes in transition, good! take my time, breath, and put my cycling shoes on the appropriate feet, helmet buckled… ok, time to shine, and I am off… grab my bike and run toward the mounting line. First mile was up but smooth on golf course pave path perfect time to hydrate take a GU and slide my gloves on. The next two miles were pretty technical and I took it pretty easy as I met the ground the previous day and did not want to experience that again. Mile marker three, the sign I was waiting for. From now until mile 9 it’s pretty much all uphill with a couple steep pitches where the granny gear will come in handy. I catched up to a little group in which I passed Melanie Mcquaid at the time leading the women pro field, we play cat and mouse to the top, on the way back down I decided to listen to my conscience and did not go all out as the speeds already reaching the mid 40 miles an hour on the red dirt roads, better to be careful than to end up in the hospital. Sometime the dust got so thick that I had to slow down to almost a stop to make sure I was not going to miss a turn. Mile 11, mom cheering me on telling me that I am not far from Melanie and giving me a little boost for the next two miles up that are about to come, dad a little further up the road with the video camera, I got to smile to make it look like I am having fun, rest of the course went well with no competitor in sight, thank you Cannondale for an amazing bike, the 2011 flash 29er ultimate performed like a dream once again definitely suit the course perfectly, last three miles going through the same sections of technical, twisty trails as the first three miles.

T2, Come back on the grassy fields of the kapalua resort dismount the bike and run towards my spot in transition, to my surprise only a few amateur bikes were already in the rest were all on the pro racks, hey I am doing great this is awesome, I put the race belt on with my number take off the helmet and shoes in exchange for a visor and running shoes. Alright I still feel good I drank lots on the bike I think I am good and ready for this run. Well that’s what I thought one mile down and I can feel my legs starting to seize, what I feared most! cramps, of course my body is a genius and decided to cramp literally everywhere at the same time so I must have looked like a idiot trying to still run uphill. Mile two and I still have to reach the top to 1300ft, I had to walk a full mile, my competitor and friend Taylor signed me “good bike” as he ran up past me. Finally reach the top now half way through the course and it all downhill from here well I still could not run. I walked most of the way down sometimes hopping awkwardly to try to go faster. Finally reached the bottom and the 400yard beach run… I had forgotten about that and all the spectator watching, I had to make it look like I ran so I did which was hard but made it through and finally reached the grass of the resort, around transition, up the hill and down the chute to the finish line.

3hours 7min 59 sec….. Done, what a brutal course I gave a little too much on the bike and died on the run... That where an experience racer will have the edge, but hey! it’s my first world competition! Came in 8th in my age group and 134th overall not bad for a first timer, I know what I need to work on, and will come back stronger and hungry for podium on October 28, 2012