'Tall Guy' Speaks Out (with Race Photos)

So if you read my race report from the Cinco "Du" Mayo Duathlon (and I hope you have - it's a good one!), you heard me mention "tall guy" a lot. He was one of the 2 guys around me, and he was the ONLY person to beat me to the finish.

Well, over the magic of Facebook, a mutual friend "introduced" us. It turns out "tall guy" has a name (Erich), and he also has a blog. Here are some quotes from his race report, and I LOVE seeing a different perspective on my race report.

Here he talks about me catching him on the first run:

However, I could hear one distinct set of footsteps that I suspected might be Steve. I didn't bother turning to look back and it appeared there were just two of us out in front. Sure enough, about .5 miles out, Steve passed me. 'Good morning!' he said in a way too enthusiastic tone. I laughed and greeted him back as he passed.

That's me... "way too enthusiastic!" :)

Here are 2 photos of Erich and I nearing the turn-around shortly after I passed him:

Heading back the other way.

Then on the bike, I noted that "tall guy" caught me near the top of the first real hill about 1 mile into the ride. Here's what he wrote on his blog:

I knew there were some tough hills in the first couple miles and understood that was where I'd probably catch him, if I was going to. It didn't take long, right about one mile in and on the first steep hill when I caught him. Steve said something as I went past, but I didn't catch it or have the breath to reply. It sounded friendly though. :)

I'm glad if people can't fully understand me, they at LEAST assume it's friendly! :) I don't remember what I said, but it was probably something like "hey there" or "nice pace."

On the final run, I noted "giving 110%." I had to try to catch Erich who was on his way back to the finish:

At this point in the race, Erich said this:

As I turned and ran back for the finish, I saw Pete in second. It seemed like he was closer than he actually was. As he ran past, he said, 'Nice race, Erich.' 'Shoot,' I thought, 'it's not over yet!' A few seconds after seeing Pete, there was Steve. He didn't make eye contact as we criss-crossed and looked very determined. Oh man.....

I had first noted in my race report that I had no shot at the lead, but I still went HARD in case something happened to "tall guy" up there. And it's not that I didn't WANT to make eye contact... it's just that I was dying. Well, not "dying"... just giving it EVERYTHING I had:

Passing long-course athletes, feeling like hell.


Passing "man in black" to take 2nd place.


Running away with second.

In my race report, I noted looking for "tall guy" on the final run: "But when I got to the top of the hill with about a half mile left, "tall guy" was no where to be found. He was well on his way to a victory." It was probably right around that SAME moment that that Erich looked back:

I rounded the top of the hill coming back in and saw the sign for the park. As I turned right, I shot a look back over my shoulder. No one there. I looked at my watch. 51+. I looked to be in real good shape!

Oh yeah, he was in good shape to take the win AND TO SET A NEW COURSE RECORD!! So I REALLY can't complain about not being able to catch a guy who just set a course record. I'm JUST fine with 2nd, thankyouverymuch. :)

So stop by Erich's blog to read his race recap, and make sure to scroll down (or click here) to read my race report. (And here's my Examiner article with more photos if you're interested.)