2009 Lake Las Vegas Triathlon

Ugh...where to begin. I'm really hoping that Chasquis Morgan, Tristan and Nick will post accounts of their own experiences at the Lake LV Tri this past weekend, so that I can focus completely on my own sob story.

Well, it really wasn't that bad, but it kind of was. Tristan, Nick and I decided to relay the Intermediate Distance of the triathlon, meaning that Tristan would swim just under a mile, after which I would bike 25 miles, then Nick would run about 6 miles.

So, we went ahead and saw Tristan and Morgan start the swim and watched them swim away until we couldn't recognize who they were anymore. Then I decided to head back to the transition area to get ready for the bike race. Naturally, I wanted to be as light as possible on the bike, so I decided to use the restroom before it was my turn to race.

Well, to avoid graphic detail, I"ll just say that what started out as a pit stop turned into an oil spill, and cost me a lot of time in the little boys' room.

By the time I came out, I could hear my voice being called over the loudspeaker. "Jordan Bunker, your swimmer is waiting for you in the transition area." Tristan had been the first swimmer out of the water and finished much sooner than I thought he would have. He was waiting for me in the transition area.

Now, if you've run a Ragnar Relay with me, you know that there is NOTHING I hate more than someone missing the hand-off of the baton. NOTHING! Yet there I was - missing the hand-off of the baton. Needless to say, this did not put me into an optimal mental state for the rest of my 25-mile bike ride.

So, I quickly threw my shoes, helmet and jersey on, exited the transition area and mounted my bike. About 15 feet into the ride, there is a very steep driveway to get out of the Loew's Hotel parking lot and onto the road. I was out of the saddle going up this driveway, trying to make up any time that I had lost during my butt malfunction. As I made my way up the short hill, I noticed my front tire was squeaking an abnormal amount as it roll over the pavement. I looked down, and it was flat.

As this is a family friendly blog, I will say that what went through my head was, "Are you kidding me?" Use your wildest imagination to conjure up what I may have actually been thinking/saying during the next 15 minutes as I changed my tire and you'll probably be right.

Finally I fixed it and was off. I had no idea where I was in comparison to the rest of the cyclists in my group. Before this whole debacle, I was aiming to finish the ride in between 1 hour and 1:15. Who knew how long it would take me now?

The bike course was tough. I know it was tough because Morgan said so, and it relieved me that even he thought it was a rough one. Any time I am able to complete something that he regards as difficult, I can feel pretty good about myself. The course turned left out of Lake Las Vegas and followed Lake Mead Boulevard through the entrance to Lake Mead Recreational Area and continued for about 12.5 miles until the turn around point. If you've been on that road, you know it's a rollercoaster, full of ups and downs and twists and turns. As usual, I was able to make up significant ground on the downhills and on the very few flat areas. Weighing in at right around 200 lbs, I naturally struggle on the climbs, but this race was probably the best I have ever felt on the ascents. That's not to say that I climbed quickly, but I didn't suffer nearly as much as I am used to suffering on a climb, and I was able to turn the pedals over at a higher cadence than usual, so that was cool.

On my way back, I passed another unfortunate bloke that had flatted. I asked him if he needed anything, and let him know that he wasn't alone and that I had suffered the same misfortune at the beginning of the ride. I think it made him feel better.

The rest of the ride was relatively uneventful. After the last incline, I put it in the big gear and just mashed as hard as I could to get to the finish and cut my losses as much as possible.

My official time on the course was 1:44:27. Subtract 15 from that for changing a tire, and I was still about 15 minutes past my goal, but oh well.

We all still finished and had fun doing it.