Mark your calender - for all of the people getting ready for triathlon season - you might be interested in the "Spring into Action 40K ITT" on March 15 on the Nachez Trace Parkway. LAMBRA (Louisiana Mississippi Bicycle Racing Association) is putting this on. There is even prize money. You need not be a licensed bicycle racer but must purchase a one day USAC license to compete. Categories include mens 1,2,3, 4 and 5 masters 35+, juniors and women. See more info at

http://www.probikeusa.com/events.php

Note: I don't think the online registration works yet, maybe because the info says that the USAC permit for the event is pending.

I am planning on doing this as a warm up for my duathlon/triathlon plans this year. I have never competed in a real bike race so expect to get my a## kicked by people who have great bikes and know how to ride time trials (and aren't in the habit of worrying about how fast they'll run off the bike). But I think it should be a lot of fun, in part because there is no need to run afterward (or swim before). I hope to find a well controlled course, and with 1 minute start intervals, no blatant drafting (which I see too often in multisport races).

I'm sure there will be some great bikes but you will also find me with my aluminum custom painted homegrown made in USA 2001 Schwinn frame so no one else can use 'I don't have a good enough bike' as an excuse. (Although I do hope to try out my Oval Concepts Jetstream fork that day if I get around to putting it on my bike.) Hope to see some of you fast biking guys and gals there!!

sheryl c.

After a lot of hunting it looks to me like the Meridian Sunfish Duathlon will be held on April 5, 2008. It consists of a 5k run/30k bike/1.5 mile run. I had a great time at this race last year - course control, organizers and volunteers were all top notch. Great competitors, too! It is roughly the same bike course (minus over and down the dam road) as the Meridian Sunfish Tri held in July, so a good warm up race for that. The first run goes up the hill to the dam but run #2 is out and back on the flat road over the dam. The bike course is mildly rolling and, in my experiences, usually has some noticeable cross winds during the two times it goes over the lake.
I had hoped that it would be one week earlier that this due to my other plans for this spring, but I still expect to do this race as it should work out as a warm up. This is one week prior to the first Woolmarket race, so you can do two 'dus' in a row!!

sheryl c.

Look on active.com for Sunfish Duathlon. The registration shows it in Collinsville but it is put on by the Meridian Athletic Association.
Also see
www.meridianathletic.com/2008-Duathlon-EntryForm.pdf

for the mail in entry. $25 for early registration (USAT member).

This was a great race last year, excellent course, excellent support and unfortunately not as many participants as the race deserved. However, it looks like the Sunfish Triathlon is changing locales (and distances) for this year so you can't count on this race as a practice for the triathlon bike course. Distances for the Duathlon - 5k run; 18.6 mi bike; 1.5 mi second run.

Good warm up for those going to Powerman the following week!

sheryl c.

Sunfish - Meridian, MS, this Saturday at 9:00 a.m. Last year, this was a really well run race. Great bike course with multiple views of the lake.

Powerman, Whistlestop, Power kids, etc. - next Sunday, April 13 in Birmingham AL. A world famous event and qualifier for Powerman Zofingen, Switzerland, the Powerman World Champs.

If you don't want to travel as far or race as long (or pay as much): Woolmarket biathlon on Saturday, April 12. 5k run/11 mi bike. Great race, especially for the budget entry fee. This might be just the thing to inspire and fire up any runners who are getting a little burnt out. And this race omits the worst, most painful part (run #2 after the bike leg).

see you on the run (and bike)....

sheryl c.

Staying closer to home, I will be at the Pelicanman Duathlon this Sunday and Woolmarket next Saturday.

http://chalmettetrackclub.org/pelman040608.html

_________________
Rock

The Meridian Sunfish Duathlon was, again, a well run and enjoyable event. The weather was pretty much crap although it didn't rain during the race, but roads were wet and there was a fair amount of debris and a few puddles (I got wet feet early on the bike and they felt half numb when I changed shoes for the second run). The t shirts for this year's race are really nice - white with a bright multicolored design including some fish!!! (First Sunfish shirt I have had with fish on it.)

I don't want to try to write a race report until the results are posted - as I knew almost no one who participated. Any female who showed up probably had a fair shot of getting an age group win just because there were hardly any females.

I have talked to some people and posted some thoughts about duathlons, and again, I would strongly encourage any runners who are getting a little burnt out (and own, can borrow, or will buy a bike) to consider trying a duathlon this summer. If this weekend (Woolmarket #1) is too soon, look toward #2 and #3. Duathlon is a good way to enter multisport without the added complication of a swim, although frankly I think in some ways duathlons are harder than triathlons (the second run is killer)! Maybe others agree because the number of participants for the major duathlons is considerably lower than for the major triathlons.

How about a race report from the Pelicanman, Rockola? You probably had heat and humidity there (my favorite conditions!), rather than damp cold rain as in Meridian on Saturday.

sheryl c.

I know your race report is pending, but how did you do? Were you satisfied with your race?

_________________
Catch you on the run!! Audrey

I was not quite 2 min slower than last year, mostly in the run portions. I do not have a good idea of splits and they did not track them this year. I hit my lap button but included transitions and honestly do not recall where I put T2 (in the bike or the run). This race does not mark miles in the run. I think I had a good first mile but slowed down too much at about mile 2 1/2 and never picked it back up to finish the first run. Maybe if I had known my pace???? (but maybe not).

I have had a lot of difficulty with my running all spring, mostly just not that fired up to train and not feeling like I am training well. However, I turned the corner last week when I had a good inside session (1/8 mile intervals) plus a pretty good run yesterday with 1/4 mile intervals. This is a little too late to help me with current racing like Powerman this Sunday, but hopefully bodes well for later in the spring.

Anyway, I like the race because I like the course, but it was a pretty rotten day. Didn't stop raining until just about start time, so I was walking around in a raincoat putting plastic bags on everything while I set up my transition area. Only the die hards were there, I think, the people who came had nice bikes and raced well for the most part with the exception of some drafting and near drafting I saw since the course wasn't monitored. I am beginning to think that this is the norm whenever people can get away with it, and it seems to be (what I see anyway) some of the guys who come in pretty fast who are most guilty of it. The winner, though, was pretty far away from everyone else I believe, so no one was hanging on his wheel!

Don had a great performance, especially as this was the most running he has ever done in a race (5k + 1.5).

Keeping up with how my spring is going, the long term forecast is showing pretty terrible weather for Birmingham this Sunday. I am packing my tights but not looking forward to wearing them.

sheryl c.

First the weather; dry no rain, overcast, humid and stiff winds. The runs are flat and fast, one mile out turnaround one mile back to transition. The bike course is a double loop, flat except for the Violet Canal Bridge which you climb four times. There was only one eventful thing that happened worth mentioning. The race director set up a table with water and cups at the turnaround about one half hour before the start of the race. The plan was to start the race and the lead vehicle would drop off three race workers, two to work the water table and one to work the turnaround. When they got there they found out that the water and cups had been stolen, so we had no water on the first run. Water and cups were brought out for the second run. Other than that one incident the race went as planned. After the race we enjoyed beer, pasta salad, beer, hot dogs, beer, sandwiches, and soft drinks, did I mention beer.
For results go to:

http://webpages.charter.net/earhart/CTC/PelicanMan%2004-06-08.htm

_________________
Rock

A couple of people have mapped the bike course for Powerman on www.mapmyride.com.

Look for rides in Irondale, Alabama. One is listed as Powerman, the other is listed as Whistlestop. Since the Powerman is just Whistlestop times two, either works. I did my own version (it is not saved in the searchable database) based on the race map before I found these and they are all about the same. Click on the elevation check box on the left to see what the course really looks like. The long climb appears to be more than a mile long and maybe pretty steep at the top. You go down as well but end up with 4 (CORRECTION, only TWO, I was doubling the 'out and back' course) long climbs in Powerman. It isn't as quite steep as the course I rode in Arkansas last year (Iron Mountain Man Half Iron) but that course had a very long flattish stretch that this one lacks, and had some nice descending that carried you part of the way up some of the climbing.

Since I am 3 years removed from living in New Mexico I assume I will struggle with this. (Actually, even when I was more used to climbing, the best level I achieved was 'slow and steady' anyway). My winter singlespeed training plan (geared 48 x 16) was meant to help counter the flatness of training in H'burg but I felt the little climbs in Meridian fighting back, so I imagine a long, hard grind in Alabama will feel like...well a long, hard grind.

Looks to be a crap shoot whether the hardest thing about this race will be the weather or the bike course. I know a lot of runners like 30/40 degrees for the start of a long event but I don't think so many cyclist are fond of those temps. Even given my (often expressed) hatred of cool to cold weather, I am staying focused on this although if it sleets or snows it is likely that I will not race. It won't be the race to work on speeding up my transitions if I end up bundling up for the bike ride.

sheryl c.

I just read Sheryl's race report on the website and I think she failed to mention that she was the overall female winner. Congratulations!

Female Overall 1:11:33 Sheryl Chatfield 1:26:07

_________________
Becky Ryder
hryder29@comcast.net
Hattiesburg, MS

I will write a report on Powerman one of these days. I would like to include a link to some race pix (when they are posted), since we never bother to take any. (It is getting harder now that Don is racing, too.)

It was a great race and a tough course, and the day turned out warmer than the early forecasts. I've had a good 48 hour rest (with only a short, easy swim yesterday a.m.) which is one of the nicest parts of racing. I'm hoping to ease back into some running and biking over the next few days.

Sorry to have missed the first Woolmarket although it looks like a lot of names I expected to see weren't on the results list. I hope we have a big crowd of Pacers, (esp. women!) at Woolmarket #2.

sheryl c.

Congrats Sheryl, way to go.

Has anyone seen or heard of this triathlon series. I just stumbled upon it this past weekend. They have an event on the weekend of May 24-25 on the Louisana North Shore (Mandeville) which is less than 2 hours away. The triathlon includes three different distances - the longest being 2k swim, 60k bike and 15 k run, and short course of half the distance and a sprint distance event. There is even a kids tri.

http://www.triamerica.com/

I think that it looks like fun... I think that I might sign up for the regular distance event.

Any one else interested?

Sounds like a good event. Sorry I didn't know about this earlier - and I would have tried to find a way to fit this in. This is a lot closer (distance) than the Florida early season races.

Good luck, James, let us know how it turns out.

sheryl c.