Trinona Sprint Triathlon Relay RACE REPORT!

Back-to-back race reports! This one picks up where my Trinona Time Trial race report left off. I'd just raced the TT on Saturday night (beating my nemesis Dave), Jenn and I biked down the bluff, and I got back to my dorm room for the night. I was a little excited to sleep in a quiet room without a 4-week-old waking me up every few hours... but I'm not used to skinny "dorm mattresses" so I slept like crap. I got maybe 3 hours. Oh well, time to race.

My dorm at St. Mary's the morning of the race,
as the sun is just starting to hit parts of the bluff in the background.

Jenn and I talked about the race the night before at the Time Trial. I told her I looked at all the past year's results, and we'd PROBABLY have a CHANCE to beat the relay course record. But no pressure. She smirked a little and said something like, "Yeah, I know. I looked through all the past year's results too..." We knew on a good day we could be close. Let's see what happens.

One of the first photos we snapped was the "official" team photo of "The Fast and the Furriest:"

My beautifully furred chest, Jenn's long locks, and Jeremy's styled facial hair.


Then we had to take a "good one." You know, for Grandma.
BEST DRESSED TEAM EVER!!!!!


My gross pre-race selfie tradition.


Getting ready to get in a quick practice swim.

Trinona went off as a "time trial" start this year - 2 athletes went out about every 3 seconds. The "Coed Relay" wave was the first wave of the Sprint, so we paired up and got lined up. I was paired with a 13-year-old girl with braces who I KNEW was going to out-swim me. And a few rows back was a pregnant woman who was due in 3 weeks. I was ready to be embarrassed.

The swim was nearly point-to-point, and the sun was at our back. Perfect. I was REALLY happy with how I was swimming - I was keeping the effort up, and I was swimming one of the straightest lines of my life. My overall time wasn't as good as I had hoped, but I was pretty happy with what I did.

A pretty straight line (for me).


This is more than a little exaggerated, but it still shows that I got too slow in the middle.

So I had the 2nd fastest swim in the "coed relay" division. Guess who had the fastest? No, not the girl who started next to me. I was beat by the 8+ month pregnant woman who started behind me. Here she is behind me (but closer to me than she had started) as I run up to transition:

She was extra buoyant. I call CHEAT.


Carefully running because of my sore ankle.




Jenn running out with her bike as I look on and catch my breath. I look creepy.


The awkward disrobing of the wetsuit.

Jeremy and I chatted as Jenn rode the 11 mile course. Before too long, he got to his spot on the edge of transition, and I went to find Jenn riding in on the other side.

Jenn BOMBING down the road in the distance.


Getting ready to dismount (Jenn told me later that she thought the dismount line
was much closer than it really was, so she just had to ride like that for a while).


Rockin' my "Tutti Frutti" shorts.

I ran around transition and tried to keep up. I was too far away when Jeremy hit the run, otherwise I was going to yell "YOU NEED TO RUN A SUB-19:30!" He was just hoping to break 20.

Jeremy starting the run in the distance.


The sign of a good ride: I found Jenn hunched over by the porta-potty like this.

We knew Jeremy would have to really kill it to give us a chance at the course record. (We weren't putting it all on him, but he just happened to be running the last leg. I could be a better swimmer [it's my weakest of the 3], and Jenn noted that she felt the Time Trial from the night before in her quads RIGHT away.)

Jenn and I spotted Jeremy with about 30 seconds to spare before we passed the course record, and we got excited! But then we realized he was more like 60 seconds from the finish line. No course record, but we got a Coed Relay win by almost 12 minutes!

The final stretch!


Into the chute...


... and onto the finish!

Before the race, I told them I'd be the weak leg. Jenn said it'd be her. Jeremy said it'd be him. I said "Nope. Let's look at the team results when we finish - I'm SURE I'll do the worst comparatively." And I was right:

#917, The Fast and the Furriest, Coed Relay Team

Swim 400 meters:
7:14 (1:39 pace)
2 out of 9 coed teams
5 out of 15 teams overall

T1: 0:54 (fastest team overall)

Bike 11 miles:
29:58 (22.0 mph)
1 out of 9 coed teams
1 out of 15 teams overall

T2: 0:50 (fastest team overall)

Run 5K:
19:58 (6:27 pace)
1 out of 9 coed teams
1 out of 15 teams overall

Finish: 58:52
1 out of 9 coed teams [2nd place was 1:10:40]
1 out of 15 teams overall

[The course record is 58:13 from 3 years ago - that time and our time are the only 2 of the 98 relays that have raced at Trinona that are under an hour. Actually, the only 2 in the history of the race that are under 1:01:12.]

So CLEARLY I was the weak leg. I think I have 2 more tri relays coming up later this month, and I'm planning on swimming for each. So I need to hit the pool (and open water) more!

Post race with our medals (that are also fridge magnets and bottle openers!).


Remember in my Time Trial race report, I had 4 bags of Peace Coffee to giveaway.
The final bag went to Jeremy for his awesome run!


I had a VIP pass, so here's Jeremy drinking a beer I snuck him from the VIP tent.
Obviously if they let me in, the "V" and "I" weren't being too strictly policed. :)


My Garmin told me I burned 172 calories in that swim. I took in about 10x that in the VIP tent.
There was ALWAYS a new food coming out, and lots of different beers and wines too!!

We stuck around for awards, and we were called up to the top of the podium for the coed relays:

I posted this on Facebook saying "We totally took down that team of 11-year-olds
to the left, and that woman about to give birth on the right. Yay us."

Jeremy posted that same image to Instagram, but he (smartly) cropped it a little tighter so we looked a little cooler:

Jeremy's caption: "'The Fast & the Furriest.' 1st place relay team, 2nd fastest relay time in
Trinona history, AND best dressed. I'd team up with these two any day. #trinona #triathlon"


Also from Jeremy's Instagram: "Couldn't have asked for better teammates for the
sprint relay today at Trinona! Long live 'The Fast & the Furriest.' #triathlon #relay #trinona"

I hit the road for the pretty drive home along Hwy 61:

From my Instagram: "Heading home from @Trinona. #LakePepin #MississippiRiver #LakeCity"

What a weekend: first I took down Dave at the Trinona Time Trial on Saturday night, and then my awesome relay partners and I take home some awards on Sunday morning. Thanks Trinona! See you next year!!

p.s. Lots of fast racing and podium girls at Trinona - CLICK HERE for my quick Examiner article about the race along with a small slideshow.