12-8-2013 Croom, Off Road Duathlon  Brooksville,  Florida

 (10 mile bike/ 7  mile run /13 mile bike)

Race weekend started off  a  little rocky. Saturday after a short pre ride on course I was  putting my bike in the car and snapped off my front brake lever!. There is one small bike shop in town,  run by a  great husband & wife team.   When I walked in the wife said Mark was off today.  I explained what happened, and she quickly made a call to her husband.  Long story short, he did not have parts in stock, so he took the brake assembly off another bike to fix mine.

Sunday the  race started on a dirt road, a mass start with 100+ bikes heading 2 miles down the road to the single track.  It’s a trail I ride often, very tight. I knew a good start would be critical so  I started in the front. The lead pack was about 10 riders,  we hit 45+ down the road in single file. I hung in about 7^th,  as we hit the  single track I was feeling good. I had 2- 3 people pass me, but I knew many were  doing the shorter sprint distance.  I felt I could gain ground on the others in transition after  hearing people talking,  (one guy had running shorts to change into!), and others had no camelback or water on their bikes.  I knew they would be taking time to hydrate (I had everything on my bike I needed) so tried not to get unnerved.

 I passed several riders there in transition 1. As we started the run down a sandy dirt road, I could see 5-6 people and enough shoe marks that there were maybe a few out of sight. After  the turnoff for the sprint, I looked down and saw only 2 pair of prints in the sand. There was an aid worked there, I asked how many in front of me. She said 1!! (other tracks were hers)

I was feeling great and as we hit the hiking trails, I was clicking off 7 minute miles.  On a long up hill I could see the leader. I was closing in on him. On  another long uphill he slowed to look back. That was all I needed it, showed me he was hurting so I poured it on.  As I approached an open area with a water  stop, I was on him. We both grabbed water without stopping. He became  distracted and started to run to the left (bike trail) and I  focused on trail marking which were  to the right (hiking trail). I yelled, he kept going. I stopped, yelled again  he looked back and suddenly realized what he had done. I took off hearing him  yell thanks several times!  I put everything I had into the run, trying to discourage him from  hanging with me. The trail became very technical, logs, tight and twisty , which helped because I was sure he could not see me, which was a plus. I was in and out with a quick transition 2 .  As I headed down the trail I saw him. With less than a minute ahead I  hoped his transition would not be as fast.

I hammered the second bike for all I had. The main thing that kept going through my head was being able to take the overall trophy back to the local bike shop and give it to them, as a thanks for going above and beyond with fixing my bike!

I took the win by a few minutes. Second place was very gracious and thanked me for not letting him do an  extra 3 mile run(  he went off course last year! ). During the trophy presentation I could see the look on a lot of younger racers faces when they realized how old I was !!  It was a moment in time I will savor forever

Ken