St. Anthony�s Triathlon�Race Report
This past weekend I competed in the St. Anthony�s Triathlon in St. Petersburg, Florida. This was my third year in a row competing in the event and it is one of my favorite early season races. In 2006 and 2007 I was the runner-up, so this year it was great to break the streak and finish up on top! This was a special year for the race because it was the 25th anniversary and the race was offering some special perks, including $1000 primes for the fastest swim, bike and run splits. I was very pleased to finish with two of the three primes (swim and run). Every year I return to St. Pete�s it seems like the race is getting bigger and bigger. This year the pro field was the biggest I have seen and many age groupers came to race from all over the country.
The race began very early (6:52AM), but I would gladly take the early start time as opposed to starting later and dealing with the hot and humid conditions that develop later in the morning. The swim was a bit choppy, but I was able to exit 50 seconds ahead of the second place. I felt strong and controlled on the swim, although it was slightly difficult at times to sight the buoys due to the chop. Once out on the bike course, I was able to check my position over the other competitors several times and noticed I was maintaining close to a one minute lead. I was working hard on the bike, but kept the pace controlled and steady. When I began my run, my legs felt heavy at first, which is often quite normal after a non-draft bike. Around the half-way mark, I began to feel like I got my legs under me and was feeling well. Half-way was also the only time I was able to see the other athletes on the course. Crossing the finish line was a great feeling because I hit my goal to be up on top of the podium! I finished 70 seconds ahead of Rebeccah Wassner and several minutes ahead of third place, Miranda Carefree.
It is always nice to walk away from a race with a win and I am looking forward to returning to St. Anthony�s next year to defend my title. The race organizers always do a wonderful job putting on the event and I am very pleased with organization and professionalism of the event.
I also got the opportunity to speak to a Team in Training group from St. Louis, Missouri. The group raised $17,000 for cancer and every athlete finished the race! It was great to speak with a hometown crowd and answer questions about triathlons.
I am currently headed to St. Louis for a few days to visit my family and then off to Des Moines, Iowa to speak with nearly 5,000 4th and 5th grade students from all over the state of Iowa. Some other triathletes and Olympic gymnasts will be speaking with the students about �Character Counts�, healthy eating, and triathlon.
I have a long training block until my next race, so I will be training hard the month of May to prepare for the World Championships in Vancouver, Canada, but more importantly the final Olympic Trials race in Des Moines, Iowa on June 22.
