Once we arrived in Auckland, all the work was done and it was just time to recover as best as we could from the months of training and mentally prepare ourselves for what lay ahead. We previewed the race course in pouring down rain, swam in the frigid water, and addressed any last aches with the treatment team. There was a lot of concern around whether or not we would be racing in the rain, as the Auckland bike course is universally considered to be the most difficult and technical course on the world circuit. A rainy day would mean lots of crashes and a much slower ride. The weather was completely sporadic in the days leading up to our race, so it was anybody's guess what race day would bring. After our final team dinner of spaghetti the night before the race, we turned in early and tried desperately to get some sleep.
The U23 Men's race was scheduled for 4:15pm, as many ITU races are, which meant a full day of sitting around, trying to stay calm, and not waste too much nervous energy. As Greg and I made our way down to the race course on our bikes, we had a few drops of rain fall on us, but by the time we reached the venue, the skies were relatively clear and a full 100,000+ triathlon fans were happy and dry, cheering on the elite women who were racing before us. We went through the pre-race motions, getting our bikes inspected and weighed, photos taken of our uniforms to ensure compliance with regulation, and other ITU checkpoints. The hectic nature of the athlete check in, combined with the security and throngs of people ended up cutting into my warmup time, but there was nothing to be done about it as I jogged down to the swim start after hearing my name announced after, "and representing the USA..." What a rush of adrenaline!
Lined up shoulder to shoulder among 60 of the World's best triathletes under the age of 23, I focused on my task and cautiously let the adrenaline prime my muscles for the 300 meters battle royale to the first turn buoy. Going anything less than 100% at this point in the race can mean the difference between 1st out of the water and 31st as I have found out in past races. You need to be already warm and prepared to hit the water at terminal velocity and maintain it until the kicking, scratching, and flailing of limbs is behind you. Then it doesn't hurt to hold on a little longer.
As I approached the first buoy, I prepared myself for the possibility that I wouldn't get a breath for the next 30 seconds as 60 guys tried to fit through a space wide enough for 2. I knew I was off to a good start when I made it around with relative ease (only kicked in the face once) and saw just a handful of arms churning in front of me. Fast forward to the end of lap 1, and my realization was confirmed as I ran out on to the dock, seeing only 5-10 athletes in front of me before diving back in and continuing my battle to stay in the lead pack. From this point on, I just focused on monitoring the distance to the lead swimmer, and staying on the feet of the athlete in front of me. I exited the water around 12th place, right at the tail end of the lead pack! I looked frantically around for Greg, hoping that he had come out right next to me like our race in Coronado, but it wasn't until I was exiting transition that I saw him run in. This meant that I would need to wait for him and try to help him close down the 40 second gap to the group that I was now letting ride away.
As I rode easy and starting preparing myself to give everything I had, Greg was riding up to me with a group of 15 or so other athletes. When they got to me, I positioned myself near the front and started working. It was apparent almost immediately that the lack of bike warmup and the easy kilometer I had just ridden had left my legs completely flat and lacking in blood flow. I wrenched myself up the first climb, 580 meters of 13% gradient, hoping that I could shock them out of the coma they seemed to be in, but they hardly responded. This theme continued for the next two laps, and despite my strong cycling abilities, I was unable to overcome the botched warmup and I was dropped on the big hill. I rode solo for two more laps before getting caught up by the third group on the road. Almost at the moment they caught me, my legs suddenly came alive. I felt strong going up the hills instead of like I was lacking oxygen, and I cursed myself for my mistake. I knew that I could not help this group chase after Greg's group, as that would run the risk of bringing stronger runners up to compete with Greg, so I sat in and recovered.
Coming across the line in 33rd place was not what I was hoping for, but I am more upset and disappointed that I wasn't able to help Greg when he needed it most. I am optimistic about the future, because I have shown that I can swim with the best out there, and my run is constantly improving. My bike warmup is a fixable thing, and the next time I encounter such a course, the circumstances will be different and I will be ready.
