9/15/2018

Capital City Challenge Adventure Triathlon

Charleston, WV

4.2 mile run, 4.2 mile kayak and 16.8 mile bike

Scott Orlando

Finish Time: 2:12:39

Division Place:  3rd Place

Race Recap by Scott Orlando.

The Capital City Challenge in Charleston, WV continues to be one of my favorite races.  This was my 5th time competing in the race.  What was thought to be a weather challenged event due to the pending path of Hurricane Florence ended up being a very hot, sunny, and humid day.  Although the run course was very flat and without a single turn, it ended up being the most challenging part of the race for me due to the extreme heat and humidity with little or no shade to hide from the sun.  I started with a fairly fast pace but ended up backing off from the effects of the sun.  I completed the run leg in around 10th or 11th place.  My transition to the kayak was a little slow as I tried to recover a bit from the run.  I didn’t waste time but my movements were very deliberate as to not make a costly mistake.  The kayak leg was my happy place in this race.  I chose to race my Stellar S16 Multisport kayak over my faster but less stable Stellar SR Multisport surf ski.  I chose to make the trip with the smaller and slower boat because of the uncertainty of the weather.  I felt I would be safer and more comfortable with the more stable boat if the weather did make a turn for the worse.  In the end the river conditions were fine for either boat.  I was able to pass a few kayaks in the water while only being passed by one person in a surf ski who ultimately finished 3rd overall.  I had a fairly smooth transition to the bike although still being a little cautious of the heat.  The bike course was two loops of a little over 8  miles each.   The weather leading up to the race made it difficult to get out and train on the bike the way I wanted.  I would have liked to have been faster in the bike leg.    In the end I finished 8th overall and 3rd in my age division.  This was the first time I had broken the top ten in this race and placed in my age division so I am proud of both of those accomplishments.