Posted on

Waterloo lived up to it’s name.

13782242_1257226357644656_2106800813476769421_nWhen I first started racing triathlons a number of years ago, I came across this wilderness race, and put in on a to-do for my future, when I felt ready. A truly unique race featuring trail running, lake crossings and road biking, the Battle of Waterloo is a ten-stage triathlon held every other year in Waterloo Recreation Area near Jackson. Turns out, 2016 was the year I was going to make it happen (ready, or not).
About 150 athletes lined up for the 7:30 start. As soon as the horn sounded and we were off, so came the rain. Leg 1 was a short trail run, followed by a quick transition to Leg 2 on the bike. All running and swimming gear stowed in my pack, I pedaled out of the park for 20+ miles. The non-water legs were hilly! Waterloo is a beautiful park, the woods were thick and green and the highway was very, very wet.
Our 2nd transition area was on Clear Lake, and thus began the swim-run x3. A swim buoy held my running shoes and running backpack while swimming, the backpack held my buoy and goggles while running. The rain really came down during the first swim, and it was a unique experience swimming as raindrops pierced the water’s surface. The run legs were mixed single track and two-track roads linking the lakes. Mill Lake, was particularly “wild” with weeds. It was during this swim I heard thunder rolling above – I took that as the “get-going” signal! I was lucky enough to get to the beach and was allowed to proceed to the run, while other athletes had to wait out the weather to swim.
The storm passed during my run, and I never was delayed for the weather. The rain, however, was there to stay for the duration. Another lake crossing and run, and I was back at the T2 area and so very happy to see my bike! A six mile spin and another quick run (Leg 10) and I finished my goal from many years ago, the Battle of Waterloo.
~Katie
Posted on

The Xterra that wasn’t….

This may be the shortest race report ever…..

Dan Frayer set out to put his hard training efforts to the test at the Ionia Xterra on July 24th. Clouds rolled in along with lightening and storms. The event was cancelled and Dan was hopped up on caffeine with no place to go, which left him feeling like a caged bull. Better luck next time! At least he remembered to get some pre-race shots for the blog. 13641193_10154305397118604_3661696014797655761_o (1) 13641023_10154305397533604_4282987890819731164_o 13731069_10154305397528604_1961489670845809544_o

Posted on

The Battle Creek Half Marathon and 5k

Prints and digital files available at http://bit.ly/16BattleCreek

The first ever Battle Creek Half Marathon and 5k had WSI members involved in all aspects of the race from planning to pacing to lead outs and more! The Battle Creek Half Marathon and 5k, in its first year, brought over 700 runners to the start line. Participants got an up close view of the Field of Flight and Hot Air Balloon Show that is a tradition in Battle Creek during the 4th of July week. Participants even ran right in front of the Thunderbirds which provided a great photo opportunity!

WSI and Custer Cyclery riders took to the start line on bikes to lead out both the half marathon and 5k. It was quite the experience to ride past the Thunderbirds and on airport runways! In addition to the lead out, WSI’s Charles and Danny both ran in the event.

For Charles, the race started at 4:30 am as he helped to set up the event. Surprisingly, he was then able to run his best half marathon time to date, coming in under 1:50.

Prints and digital files available at http://bit.ly/16BattleCreek

Danny loved the course, the shirt, the event staff and volunteers. He was impressed by the organization for a first year event and commented it definitely put other long standing events to shame. For Danny, the half marathon was a bucket list item that had never really worked out for him. His lonest run had been 10 miles a few years ago. With an Olympic Triathlon in his back pocket from the previous weekend, he knew the fitness level was there, but it was still uncharted territory for him.  His duathlon runs were in the 6.45 minute/mile range but knew that was probably not a good idea for this race – he lined up with the 7.30/mile pacers and that worked out well. Comfortable pace and the two leaders were good to chat with – made the miles go by quickly. A few of the miles were at a quicker pace but that was fine. At 10 miles the legs started to feel the distance and time out running. Staying with this group was not a great idea so he backed off the last 3 miles – pain, pain and more pain. But he kept the pace around 7.45 or so and finished. With all of the turns, my overall distance was a hair short at 12.8 and his watch said 7.30, officially my pace was 7.17 for an overall time of 1:35. For his first half marathon he was super happy with his performance. “I finished 30th overall and 7th in my age group (a bunch of freaks in my age group). I will definitely do it again once all of the soreness goes away…”

Lastly, WSI’s Katie Bridges ran the race too but not for herself. Katie was an event pacer for the 12:30 min/mile group. Her job was to keep runners motivated and help them to reach their goal of crossing that finish line. She did just that with a smile on her face the WHOLE time!

Prints and digital files available at http://bit.ly/16BattleCreek

As a race director for this event, I couldn’t be more proud in watching how the community came together and supported this event and loved seeing WSI team mates being a part of it in so many different ways! Way to go team!

~Nikki

Posted on

No aquabike this time…

Saturday, July 16, WSI’s Matt Wright competed in the 89th annual Goguac Lake Swim presented by the Battle Creek YMCA. For Matt, this event was just the first half of his preferred race; the aquabike. It was a cool July morning with water temps higher than air temps as over 100 swimmers ranging in ages from 7-77 got ready to dive in. This year the event offered 3 different distance options: a 250m swim for the under 17 crowd, a 750m swim new to the event this year, and the traditional 1.1 mile open water swim.

Matt competed in the 750m event and took first in his age group and 3rd overall.

13754313_10208331243056811_820718444818187812_n

Posted on

Bridges Guys on the Road…..to Iowa

 Scott

 

We headed to Iowa for a three consecutive criteriums in three days. The first of which was the Snake 20 percent grade cobbled climb that challenges any rider. After the 100 feet of climbing it was a gradual decent into sharp corners of downtown Burlington, Iowa. The junior race was first, 45 of the best junior riders in the mid-west and a few more. I had a poor start, and entered snake ally near the tail end of the field. Given that this is a very unique race, there was a very unique way of racing it. You would climb snake ally at your own pace, descend alone. And if you were lucky you would get so sit on someone’s wheel on the flat portion of the course. By the end of the race I moved up to 18th place. I had no idea what to expect. I was happy with the result.

The cat 4 race was later the day. I got a really good start and kept myself in the front. Out of the forty-some riders to start, only five were together with two laps to go. The last time up the climb a junior got a few bike lengths ahead of me as we crested the top. The gap stayed as we went on the decent, I went for a “don’t lose it here” approach. The junior pressed on and grew his gap on the decent. I tried to close the gap and thought I was going to have plenty of time and road to play with. On the final stretch he held his gap and crossed the line a few bike lengths ahead of me. I headed to the podium for my though to be second place but I was told that the winner was disqualified for not reporting to junior roll-out, therefore, I was awarded as the winner. To be completely honest, in my mind, I don’t consider this as a win. Although I received the plush snake, brick, upgrade points and $75, which was nice. I’m very happy with the way I rode the race. It looked like a great start to a long weekend of racing.

Attachment-1 (1)

The next day was the Melon City criterium. A crit that featured a longer steady climb, with a fast decent and a speed bump that acted as a ramp. Going down at 40 miles per hour you would hit the “ramp” and jump a hand full on inches off the ground and land on skinny tires, because normal crits aren’t dangerous enough. The junior race stared in the morning. The same riders as the day before joined me on the start line just 24 hours earlier. For the first few laps I stayed with the group but eventfully I saw my self in the second group. We hung behind the lead group while a few of the best kids in the country went off the front. I managed to be the first finisher out of the second group and snagged 18th place yet again. I was happy with the result.

The cat four race later that day had some bigger names. It stared hard and fast. There was a few crashes that I was almost caught up in. one guy fell over and landed on my hip and his head ran down my leg eventually hitting the ground. It happened fast, but I was focused, and in control and his crash didn’t slow me down. On the last time up the climb I managed to get fourth wheel going into the last turn. I held onto it until the finish. I was happy with my result considering how hard the race was.

The third and final day was the Quad City criterium in Davenport, Iowa. This course had a steep hill and a fast decent along with two tricky corners before the finishing straight. I woke up with a cold. I tried my best to not let it effect my mind before it effected my legs. I didn’t say anything about it out loud before the race because I knew if I did I would have lost any chance of a good result. I wanted a top 15. The race started hard, not a surprise. Again I found myself in the second group suffering. I managed to get 26th is the race. I was disappointed. But hey, one bad result out of a six race weekend, that’s not too bad.

In the time before the cat 4 race I wasn’t feeling great. I was not my best with my cold. But I knew I came here to do something and I had a job to do. So I started the cat 4 race and stayed with the lead group until two laps to go. Then a small group formed. I lead the decent for the group and two riders came around me on the finishing straight a I got ninth place. I was okay with the result given the circumstances. Overall I was happy with the results I got in Iowa and I really enjoyed the courses, because theirs nothing like getting to your max heart rate every two minutes.

 

Kevin

 

I raced the Snake Alley, Melon City, and Quad Cities Criterium in Iowa on Memorial Day weekend. All three of these races had a lot of climbing and technical down hills. The climbs and the high level of riders caused the weaker riders like me to separate from the field very quickly. My finishes were towards the back, but considering the level of competition and the difficult venue I am glad I raced these events. Hopefully my next race will seem easy.

??????????????????????????????????????