We had a small turnout for the first Truman Lake Off Road Duathlon down at the Truman Lake Mountain Bike Park a week ago. I've been very busy with work and kids last week and haven't been able to post any pictures.
I would have liked to post the results but we had a slight (and by that I mean major) snafu that really negated all our results. Mac Vorce of Warsaw Parks and Rec had laid out and marked a sweet run and ride course for the race on Sunday. The field of runners were instructed to duck or go around a section of yellow tape at the end of the run as it was part of the bike course. The runners all finished out without a hitch and transitioned to mountain bikes. About two miles into the bike, one rider thought he remembered being instructed to cross yellow tape on bike as well and busted some, following the yellow trail into a swampy quagmire that he soon realized couldn't be part of the race. He headed back to the turnoff but not before the down tape had collected several other riders.
With the small turnout, I was cleared to compete on a borrowed bike (and pants). Well past my prime, I trundled through the run and transitioned to the bike near the very back of the pack. I figured I'd catch at least a few riders on the bike section. I didn't see a soul. I rode the first two miles hard. Seeing the tape down, I remembered Mac saying we wouldn't be riding the swampy section so I made the correct turn even without tape. I finished out the following 5 miles of bike, seeing only two bike tracks ahead of me. This couldn't be right. I figured at least one of those had to be Mac's when he hung tape. Now I was wondering if I had made the right turn. I continued on, not seeing a single rider and finished to much fan fair....in third place overall. What?
My son Matt took second. He was in first place until about a mile before the finish. The eventual first place finisher just passed the tape before the guy busted it. All the other riders, including Matt's co-worker and friend, Jason, had ended up biking 9-11 miles to our 7.5. They crossed the line smiling even after hearing how they had been thrown off course. We all had a good laugh and we handed out gold medals to everyone, and I do mean everyone. One kid about three was just standing there watching the whole thing and he won gold that day.
Oh, to make matters worse, Matt beat me soundly...riding my single speed. Dang kids these days have no respect for their elders!
The trails were in surprisingly good shape after a week of constant rain (except for the poor souls who ventured into the swamp). There were a couple sections that you could see mother nature was trying to reclaim but Mac and his boyz put in a bunch of work to keep it all clear for us.
I had a great time. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves even though the results really mean nothing. It was a great fund raiser for the Truman Lake Bike Park and Warsaw Parks and Rec. Thanks Mac for having us down.
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