DAMPSKIN 2007
Wouldn’t you know it: the year I FINALLY make it into the DANSKIN Triathlon it ends up being one of the wettest on record.
Yeah, yeah, yeah; I know what you’re all thinking: “It’s SEATTLE, Betsy; it ALWAYS rains in Seattle.” Well, you’re wrong. Sure, we get our fair share of rain, but August typically is hot and dry. While one can expect to be greeted with foil blankets at the end of the Seattle Marathon (held the weekend after Thanksgiving), you’d NEVER expect to need one after a race held the third week of August (and unfortunately they weren’t handing them out; you had to be in pretty bad shape to get one).
I have longed to do the Danskin since the early 90s. A bunch of us had traveled over to Spokane to watch one of our friends compete in the Troika half Ironman; while that distance (1 1/4 mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, 1/2 marathon) seemed unattainable at the time, the Danskin was within reach (1/2 mile swim, 12-mile bike, 5K). The fact it’s a women’s only triathlon increased its appeal (sometimes you just don’t want to deal with all the testosterone). But although I was in shape at the time, I never bothered to enter. Then I got out of shape, and even just a 5K seemed daunting, let alone the swim and bike legs.
Fast forward to last year. By March I was down 30 pounds, I was running consistently and had signed up for a half marathon in July. I knew with just a bit more training I could do my first triathlon. However, when I went to sign up for Danskin I saw it had sold out the day before; RASSENFRASSEN! But I then heard about the Subaru Tri, another all-women’s race, held the second weekend in September. I signed up, trained hard (especially in the swim) and had a respectable finish. (I loved it so much I signed up for another tri the following weekend). The Subaru was probably an even better tri to start with, as it’s about a quarter the size of Danskin. But I knew I wouldn’t be happy until I could participate in that race.
Knowing it sells out quickly I started monitoring the web site in November (yes, I’m a freak). I also asked my sister Robin if she’d like to do it with me. To entice her I told her I’d pay for it; the only way she’d have to pay me back was if she ended up not participating. In early February the Danskin site stated registration was slated to open February 26, but I continued to monitor it just in case. On Friday morning, February 23, I received an email from the LUNAChix (a local tri team) that registration had opened. Within minutes I had signed us up (good thing too; it sold out by 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 26). In order to race together we entered in the mixed age group (Robin’s 11 years older).
Whereas for the Subaru Tri I swam more than a dozen times — both in the pool and open water — ran several “bricks” (bike to run drills) and even did a couple of practice mini triathlons, I did none of that for Danskin. My goal would just be to finish, and I felt confident I could easily swim a half mile (besides, I wanted to concentrate my training on Medoc). But by early July I was concerned I was being cocky, so I worked in a couple of half-mile swims in Greenlake. And with the three brewery/winery bike rides under my belt, I figured I was good to go.
Robin, meanwhile, truly got into the spirit. I had hoped to train with her, but my schedule became too booked. So she signed up with a tri coach on Vashon Island (which I think benefitted her much more than training with me). Because she had given her bike to her daughter, she’d be using my old mountain bike. My darling tuned it up as best he could, then Robin and I took it out for a 6-mile practice run the day of the expo. Since she had been training on the hills of Vashon, the flat Burke-Gilman was no match; she couldn’t believe how easy it felt.
I had an afternoon wedding to attend, so we headed to the expo first thing hoping to be able to register early. We were in luck; while most of the other lines were several people long, ours just had two in front of us. Score! We grabbed our timing chips, got our body markings and headed to the expo for our other goodies. We already had matching black Danskin tri tops, but when we saw the magenta zippered jackets we had to have them (it was promising to be a cool day for the race). We then headed over to Genessee Park to rack our bikes (because there are so many participants, racking the day before is mandatory). We picked a spot that was relatively easy to find (next to the only red-leafed tree), but we also laid down two bright orange & yellow towels for even quicker identification.
The weather during the wedding portended what we were to experience during the race. Although it was hot and relatively sunny in Seattle, by the time I arrived at Lake Tapps — an hour south — there was a full-on downpour and I questioned my decision to wear a sleeveless dress. However, I also had the foresight to throw a cashmere shawl over my shoulders, mainly to hide my triathlon numbers (although truth be told, I hoped someone would notice them and think me a bad-ass). The wedding was an outdoor affair; although the reception area was tented, the ceremony was not. Thankfully both the bride and groom had a sense of humor who quickly said their vows as we in the audience got drenched.
After a mostly sleepless night I awoke to the sound of more rain. sigh. After a quick breakfast of bananas and steel-cut oats with blueberries, Robin and I headed down to Qwest Field to catch the shuttle to Genessee Park (my darling was away attending the 2007 “Festival of Man”: a weekend of debauchery where a bunch of guys stand around drinking beer, belching, eating roast pig, pulling each other’s fingers, and — in my darling’s case — stirring up a yellow jacket’s nest, getting stung at least 8 times, going into anaphylactic shock and ending up at the local clinic. And yes, fortunately he’s okay now).
As we wound our way to our bike rack our friend Kelly called out my name; I had forgotten she had also signed up! She too was in the mixed age group and when we asked her where her spot was, she says, “I’m right next to the two women with the bright orange towels.” Of all the spots in our section, she managed to pick the one right next to us!
After a quick visit to the port-o-potty we shimmied into our wetsuits and waddled down to the water’s edge. The rain had stopped, but it certainly didn’t look like it would be clearing up. The mixed age group is the last one to go, and they seed us every 115 women or so. We thought we were toward the front, but then realized we had to funnel through a small opening in the fence. Wave after wave went ahead of us, and we were still stuck toward the back. Finally our group was ready the go: the absolute last one. But at least we got to swim with Sally Edwards, the spokeswoman for the Danskin tri series and an elite triathlete (she’s always the last to finish the race).
After having approximately 3,300 women jump in ahead of us, the water was pretty choppy. I couldn’t do my regular swim stroke for fear of getting kicked in the head (plus I always have trouble breathing in the beginning; probably my nerves!). So I swam to the first buoy with my head above water. I was able to get in a few more freestyle strokes between the first and second buoys, but I still kept swimming into people. I was finally able to break free after the second buoy and swam strong to the finish. Normally I’d run to the transition area (after shaking off the initial dizziness from coming out of the water), but since I’d be waiting for Robin I just walked. By now the rain had come back with a vengeance. sigh. I HATE biking in the rain!
Robin was a few minutes behind me; we threw on our matching (and thankfully dry) Danskin jackets and ran our bikes to the bike start. I had intended to stay with her, especially since I wasn’t sure how my old mountain bike would perform, but my competitive nature took over and I sprinted ahead (sorry Robin!) The route is relatively flat, save for a short, narrow and steep uphill at the Day Street entrance to the I-90 bridge. I powered up it, somehow managing to sneak by those who were walking.
The bridge was slick with rain and littered with paper bike numbers. I kept my speed fairly slow since I didn’t want to wipe out. However, I still passed several bikers. By now I was thoroughly soaked, but the Mercer Island tunnel provided a bit of warmth and also dried out the jacket somewhat. But I was then hit with the full force of the rain and cold when exiting the tunnel. I saw Robin a few minutes after the turnaround (thankfully she looked happy!), and then saw Sally Edwards bringing up the rear on the bridge. The Day Street turn was even hairier going down; although I stayed on my bike I did unclip one foot just in case.
By the time I made it back to the transition the rain let up somewhat. I again waited for Robin, but we had already determined we wouldn’t be running together (her ankles bother her, so she’d be walking). After a quick hug I took off. Finally, I was in my element. My legs were a bit stiff from the ride and I was rather chilled, but I knew I’d be able to run the entire way. Practically everyone was walking by now, and I had to wind my way through. By the time I hit 2 1/2 miles I realized no one had passed me; WOO HOO! I powered up the short, steep hill at the last 1/4 mile, but as I was heading back down I heard another woman at my heels. No FREAKIN’ way was I going to let her pass! I sped up, and with the volunteers cheering me on I hit a full-on sprint to the finish line.
Of course the rain had returned, and since I didn’t want to walk all the way back to the transition area to get dry clothes I stood shivering waiting for Robin. About 15 minutes later there she was — smiling and happy. We did it! But unfortunately we weren’t through yet; we still had to catch a shuttle to the car and come back for the bikes. The shuttle line was about 20 minutes long, but fortunately I had a dry towel to throw over my shoulders. Once on the bus I also put on my dry fleece, but it didn’t do much to stave off the chill. I couldn’t wait to get into my car and turn on the heated seats!
Once at Qwest Field we had to deal with the Mariner’s traffic, but we finally made it back to the park and picked up our bikes. Everything was soaking wet, but fortunately we had a bunch of garbage bags to stuff everything in. We made it back to my house, where my darling was waiting with hot cups of roasted tomato soup. A quick nap later and we were both as good as new!
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:23 am
Great photos, I love the tri numbering in the wedding do dress! What a pro.
August 22nd, 2007 at 6:49 pm
I am delighted, and also envious that you were able to do this with your sister. The photos are great. She looks so happy — you look so cold! I also love the dress with the numbers! Great job of toughing it out, and very nice numbers. Your training program for Medoc is really paying off. Congratulations!
August 23rd, 2007 at 3:48 am
Congrats on the triathalon! I loved the photo of you dressed for the wedding sporting your numbers. And it is awesome that you got to do this with your sister.
I have to say I am very impressed with your sister (being 11 years older than you and participating). Good job!
August 23rd, 2007 at 7:15 am
Doesn’t she look totally awesome? I think I may have to kick her skinny arse 🙂