Emma Garrard

The weekend of May 4th was my first trip to the Wildflower Triathlon Festival. Local triathlete Rob Lea and I made the drive from Park City, in my Toyota Matrix filled to the brim with bikes, food, tents, and my dog.

The drive was a whopping 1,868 miles round trip to the venue at Lake San Antonio, California near the Central Coast.

The event has quite the reputation and one I was excited to experience. The “Woodstock” of triathlons.

I opted to race the Mountain Bike triathlon, as it’s the discipline of triathlon I generally compete in and I was not prepared enough to compete in the half-iron distance. Also, with the ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships two weeks after, I’d rather spend time quality training rather than recovering from a half.

Little did I know the mountain bike race was 80 percent on the road hence the reason it’s called a “mountain bike” triathlon and not a “mountain biking” or “off-road” triathlon. I came to realize it was more of a “I don’t own a road bike” triathlon.

…Which brought back memories from my first triathlon — a road sprint on my dad’s mountain bike. I’m pretty sure back then I didn’t know what a road bike was, let alone a TT bike.

I kinda knew this wouldn’t be a pro race but didn’t realize how the race was perceived. Those who knew me asked why I wasn’t racing the half or at least the Olympic. Those who didn’t ask assumed I was a beginner. It went something like this:

“You’re racing Saturday. Wow!”

“Ah, I’m actually just doing the mountain bike triathlon.”

“Oh.”

…Definitely didn’t leave the impression I would be competing in a World Championships as a professional triathlete later that same month.

Our campground, Rob's cool tent

For two nights before the race we camped out with the Purple Patch age-group team along with their families (Rob is coached by Matt Dixon.) Pros racing the half are very well taken care of by race organizers and get to stay in cabins.

For me in my tent, it was a lot of fun hanging out by the campfire, roasting s’mores, playing soccer and having a true Wildflower experience.

We happened to have the camp spot right next to the Cal-Poly Tri Team, all 140 of them. And besides the “naked run” Saturday evening, they were surprisingly quiet, perhaps because most were racing in the Olympic on Sunday.

Specialized had a big presence at the festival and I’m glad they supported me to do the race. I felt somewhat guilty getting World Cup treatment but their mechanics are always professional. Champion System, also my sponsor was there over the weekend and was good to meet face-to-face.

Specialized had some heavy hitters in the half and Olympic, with Jesse Thomas and Jordan Rapp finishing one/two. Macca won the Olympic too, which didn’t make me feel as bad for sand-bagging.

I raced on my Fate with Renegade tires pumped up to 40psi, twice what I usually race on. I managed to average 18.2 mph on the bike course, most mountain bike races I average more like 10-13. So if anything, it was good practice riding fast.

So despite the lacking pro field, this was one of the biggest mountain bike triathlons I’ve ever participated in with more than 800 competitors. And at a $150 a pop for a race that took 54 minutes (it’s a 500-meter swim 12-mile bike and 2-mile run) it was also the most expensive.

It was awesome to see that many people want to do a mountain bike triathlon, the women in particular. My only hope is the athletes having a positive experience for their first race know they can still continue to improve and compete on a competitive level in mountain bike triathlons and not necessarily have to switch to road once they get “serious.”

On top of that, I would hope they see that people don’t just ride mountain bikes because they don’t have road bikes; they ride them because they want to ride off-road — so ultimately that should be where the race takes place.

…Kind of like a friend I tried to convince to do the race, a strong, talented mountain biker who’s always wanted to do a triathlon. She couldn’t justify the entry fee and I’m so glad she didn’t compete because to her and to anyone who really mountain bikes it’s kind of a joke.

That being said, and besides the major issues Wildflower has with timing/posting results for the event — like not being able to tell who wins the overall race for both the men and the women, I had a great experience at the race and the festival.

Wildflower does a great job of putting on lots of events at the same time but could be the reason they had issues with timing. If someone pays that much, even if it’s the least important race of the weekend, you owe it to them to have reliable timing.

Back to the race. We started off in waves, 800 people starting within 20-30 minutes so it meant we were all out on the two-loop bike course at the same time.

The packed course was actually a lot of fun. Weaving in and out of riders, even if it was on the road, actually required some skill. People were super friendly and clearly having a good time out there. There were even some road triathletes in the mix. Perhaps we were on the same course as the half or sprint. I know, I know they were probably beginners but how good does it feel to pass someone in aero bars when riding a mountain bike?

And then there’s the volunteers, by far the best thing about Wildflower are how cool the volunteers are. Most are Cal Poly kids and are having all kinds of fun at the aid stations. Cheering, singing, dancing, wearing not a lot, if any clothing.

I’ve always felt that overpriced entry fees and expensive equipment means most triathlons are lacking people in there 20s, and that’s too bad. People in there 20s are awesome, they know how to have fun and have an energy we all can feed from. This was more than evident at Wildflower. I feel grateful I had a full ride in college and zero debt when I left so I could afford to do the occasional triathlon. I don’t think this is the case for most 20-somethings today. It’s great to see the growth of college tri teams and clubs but keeping things affordable will help keep them in the sport post graduation.

I passed a ton of people during the race and was the first female across the line; I even had the joy of grabbing my dog before the finish line and crossing with him.

Which had a number of people asking, “Did you do the whole race with your dog?!”

After being awarded 2nd in my age group at the awards and having a discussion with the timing crew confirmed I won the race and was 3rd overall out of men.

I would love to see this particular race improve. It could be a great way to showcase off-road triathlon and could potentially attract more elite off-road athletes and mountain bikers and help the sport grow.

A lot of the sections we were riding on the road there were trails either side so it wouldn’t be that hard to have more of the course off road. It’s never going to be a super technical off-road tri, but it could at least be off-road. It may require the race to be held at a different time so the waves could be spread out more to reduce congestion and this may help alleviate the timing issues.

So overall experience and atmosphere I received at Wildflower even though I ‘just’ raced the mountain bike triathlon, is definitely worth the trip and cost. It’s a scenic venue, laid-back vibe, good camping, dog friendly, friendly volunteers, nice weather lots of trees and water.

Thanks for reading and supporting. I’m off to Pelham, Alabama for the ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships May 19th.

Emma Garrard

swim to the first buoy

The Race: XTERRA West Championships, Lake Las Vegas, Nevada

Distances: 1500m swim, 30k mountain bike, 6.3 mile trail run

Overall time: 2:34:42

Products: Blue Seventy Helix wetsuit and goggles, Champion System tri suit, Specialized S-Works Epic 29er, Trivent Terra mountain bike shoes, S-Works prevail helmet, full-fingered gloves, Salomon S-Lab XT Wings soft ground trail shoes. GU Roctane gels and GU Roctane Brew.

More photos: http://bit.ly/HSRVoN

in water swim start - brrrrr!

The first XTERRA of the season is exciting, it’s good to catch up with friends I haven’t seen since Maui and get the feel for racing tris again. I’d like to think I come into the race with low expectations and with the sole purpose of getting back into ‘race mode’. That being said there’s still points involved and with two less Championship races this year each one is more heavily weighted.

I’ve never had great first races of the season perhaps because I take quite a bit of time off in the off-season (imagine that!!) from the usual tri training to work and because of this stuff called snow. So in someway it’s nice, if I have a bad race, I have an excuse, if I have a good race it’s sort of a bonus, or at least starting off on the right track.

It was cold, windy and raining before the start with water temperatures in the upper 50s. It was my first open water swim of the season and first time wearing a wetsuit but with the flexibility of the Blue Seventy Helix it wasn’t an issue and my swim is already better than last year.

I wore earplugs for the first time in a triathlon hoping they’d help with the loss of balance/vertigo I had last year when I came out of the cold water. It gave me a strange sensation swimming without being able to hear as much, that combined with a very long swim out to the first buoy didn’t help either. Couldn’t tell if I was the one zig-zagging or the swimmers in front of me. Made my way though swimmers to the first buoy and then solo on the way back as my stroke was starting to feel smoother and my body numb from the cold.

Once I came through transition I was in 3rd place side by side with Lesley Paterson, pleasantly surprised to be that far up already. No vertigo so earplugs could have worked. Opted to not put on any extra clothes because of the cold temps hoping my ‘winter coat’ would do the trick. Plus being cold is always good motivation to go harder. Putting gloves on was a challenge as I couldn’t feel my hands. We caught up with Melanie McQuaid so it felt pretty cool to be riding with both of last year’s Off Road World Champions (Lesley for XTERRA, Melanie for ITU) I felt strong on my S-Works Epic 29er on the rough, rocky and loose trail, the bike gives me so much control and confidence. It was really great to have Specialized mechanics on site to make our bikes run smoothly.

I can also give some credit to Max Testa Training. The only riding I’ve done over the winter is teaching 2 90 minute Computrainer classes a week for Max. Consistency and quality pay off – I notice a huge difference in my power this season.

right before the incident

I was bummed when ‘rider error’ caused me to have to a hike a steep rocky hill I really should have been riding and lost contact with Mel and Lesley and getting passed by Renata. Having a ton of wet clay in my cleats didn’t help remounting either.  It took me til the end of the first lap to catch back up with Mel, she was having an off day due to illness, and I could never catch back up with Lesley but she was still in sight on the very open course, two-lap course.

photo by Trey Garman/XTERRA

It was great to have people out there cheering and giving splits, August Teague, who I ski raced with in college was cheering in classic Nordic style, ‘hup, hup, hup!” and running down the hill with me, while I was riding giving detailed splits. Siri Linday, who was there supporting Renata, who she coaches. Liezel, Conrad Stoltz’ wife was super cool out there. Marlene Hatch, who I work with teaching Computrainer Classes and has helped me a lot with injuries as a physical therapist in Park City. I’m always appreciative when people cheer for more than just the person they are there to watch.

When I came into T2 I was still in 3rd, but some positions had changed. Renata Bucher was in the lead and Lesley in 2nd, both talented runners but I hoped I could make up some time and not get caught by a lot of fast runners behind me. It took a couple of miles before I could feel my legs because of the cold. I raced in Salomon’s S-Lab 4 XT Wings trail shoes that handled the steep rocky hills, both up and down on the 6.3 mile run course.

After two miles I passed Specialized rider Conrad Stoltz who was in the lead (running in the other direction on the lollypop course, I’m not that fast.) It was really cool to see him winning the race, not because he hasn’t won enough races but because of what he’s dealing with in his personal life, class act, certainly and emotional race for him.

I was got splits that I had a comfortable lead from 4th which helped me relax, but hopefully not too much.

My finish was no where near as exciting as that 1st and 2nd but I held onto 3rd in a strong, international women’s field. It was great to see a lot of fast road triathletes competing in XTERRA for the first time, hope you guys come back.  And how about a 16-year-old Hannah Finchamp placing 9th overall and finishing her 100th triathlon?!

Women's top 5

It’s no coincidence that the two times the Specialized crew has shown up at XTERRA Championship races I’ve had my best results. Not having to worry about what I have to do to my bike before the race and knowing it’s in excellent hands is priceless. Knowing I can’t have any excuses, my bike will run perfectly and I will be the only one holding it back from what it’s able of doing. It also creates a team atmosphere reminding me that I owe a good result to more than just myself.

Unsung heroes

It’s also the first time I’ve been on the podium at the season opener and was 6 minutes faster than last year, So it’s great start to the season and I’m glad I still a lot of work to do!

Next up I’ll be heading to Wildflower Triathlon Festival for the mountain bike triathlon before heading to Pelham, Alabama May 20th for the 2nd race in the US XTERRA Series, but also the ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships.

We had a couple relaxing days with Renata post race including some ‘recovery’ training including riding at Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City, swimming in Lake Mead and running on Amargosa trail in Henderson.

Lunch post ride at Southwest Diner in Boulder City, BLTA, fries and Arnold Palmer

Big thanks again to Ryan and Mollie for the accommodation and congrats to all the finishers!

Emma

Despite being Friday the 13th I’m feeling pretty lucky on the eve of my first ‘summer’ triathlon of 2012. I feel very fortunate to have time to train the past month, the unseasonably mild and early spring in Northern Utah, the time to come down to Vegas, the generosity of the Halvorsen’s for a place to stay in Henderson, and knowing my bike is in excellent hands with Specialized mechanics Dave and Joe. (more on my 2012 sponsors below.)

As for the offseason, it few by. I continued to coach, ski instruct, teach computrainer classes and squeeze in some Nordic races and winter triathlon. Tuesday/Thursday’s were long and went something like this: Swim/ski instruct/coach/teach computrainer, which could technically count as four jobs in one day.

I thoroughly enjoyed coaching Junior Nordic again and am continually inspired by the kids I coach, their endless enthusiasm and talent for endurance sports and gear. It’s great to see the team grow each year and have so many kids interested in the sport. We got to take an ‘out of town trip’ to Bozeman, Montana to compete in the Western States Youth Ski Festival which was really fun and a great experience for them, they all came back faster and smarter racers.

Teaching Computrainer classes for Max Testa Training was a great way to get in high quality indoor cycling without the monotony of trying to ride a trainer solo. Overall I probably spent less time riding but was so much more efficient than previous years.  I can feel a lot of improvement in my cycling, primarily with power.

I competed in the USA Winter Triathlon Nationals where I placed 2nd. I also competed in several other marathon Nordic races including the Boulder Mountain Tour, the West Yellowstone Rendezvous, and the Teton Ridge Classic. All races I’d recommend. Also the local Wasatch Citizen’s Series, the best deal around!

Lastly I got to go on a ‘winter break’ trip to Kauai to celebrate my mum’s 60th birthday and by far the island lived up to expectations. The highlight for sure was running 22-miles on the Napali Coast trail.

2012 Sponsors

Specialized

I feel super lucky and honored to be a part of the Specialized Tri team again for 2012 and know I have no excuses out there on the bike tomorrow. I’ll be racing on both the Epic 29er and Fate this year.

Salomon

Another great company making great products. I’ve witnessed the support and sense of team Salomon has given it’s athletes at Ultra racers and really proud to be a member. They are really passionate about trail running and their shoes show. I’ll be running in S-Labs Saturday but can’t wait to get my feet in the new Sense.

Champion System

Champion System makes custom just about anything, and makes it well. I will be racing and training in their kits this year. An easy company to work with with tons of options.

ProBar

A local Utah company that makes organic, vegan, whole food bars, which make you forget you’re eating ‘a bar.’ I’m excited to work with them and help promote a local company that helps me fuel healthily for racing and training.

Blue Seventy

I need all the help I can get in the swim so I’m really fortunate to wear a Helix. Blue Seventy makes high quality fast wetsuits, speedsuits + goggles.

GU

Sports nutrition that hasn’t let me down yet. Great flavors, pre, during and after racing. If you haven’t tried the new Roctane Brew and Peanut Butter Gel give it a try. The stuff works!

Thanks for reading and good luck to all racing XTERRA West Championships!

Emma

packing the car

The race: USAT Winter Triathlon Nationals (also Powderhound Winter Triathlon)

Location: Homestake Lodge, Montana

Distances: 5k run, 10k mountain bike, 5k skate ski

Overall time: 1:21:22

Place: 2^nd female, 9^th overall

Products used:

Salomon Spikecross 3 CS trail shoes – Mud and snow grip, climate shield upper, spikes for ice

Salomon windproof tights – slim fitting and light but also windproof, great for winter riding, running and Nordic skiing

Specialized S-Works Epic 29er with Captain control tires (2.2 front, 2.1 rear)

Specialized Tri Terra off-road bike shoes, Velcro straps make for an quicker transition

Salomon S-Lab Equipe 10 cold skate skis

Salomon S-Lab carbon poles with quick release straps – the grips are great for winter tri to save time in T2

GU Roctane gel and Roctane Brew

Smith Pivlock V90 Optics

Coverage: USA triathlon photo essay: http://bit.ly/zWnvjp , slideshow on USA triathlon website: http://bit.ly/wkf21X

I’m not always in the best mood when I wake up race morning.

Especially when I realize I forgot to update my USADA whereabouts this weekend. I have to let USADA (US Anti Doping Association) know where I am every day three months in advance (pretty sure this is near impossible for anyone to do accurately.)

Due to the race being moved from New Hampshire due to lack of snow I wasn’t planning on going to this race 3 months ago. Enough about that, it was a quick fix thanks to free wifi, something plentiful in Butte, Montana

My mood quickly shifted when I was given a free espresso from Leah at Beans and Cream, a drive thru coffee joint outside the Motel 6 we’d camped out in for the past two nights.

Today would be a good day.

On the way to the race

We’d been treated with nothing but hospitality since we’d set foot in Butte – an old copper mining town resting on the edge of the Continental Divide, at one point it provided a third of the worlds copper supply and was certainly a booming town around the 1920s.

Eating breakfast at the BS Cafe in Butte the day before the race

“Notice how everyone at the bar said bye when we left the restaurant?”

An observation from my pre-race dinner at the historic Pekin Noodle House in Downtown Butte, a family run Chinese restaurant that’s been in business for more than 100 years. Rumor is it used to be an old Opium Parlor.

The race was about 30 minutes east of Butte at Homestake Lodge – a private and scenic Nordic Center tucked away off of a Forest Service road. There too, we’d been made to feel like family. Homemade soup and cookies, and one of the nicest waxing facilities I’ve seen.

Chris the owner, had been up almost the whole night marking the course and shoveling snow over some thin spots on the course.

After setting up transition and a quick pre race meeting, the race was off and running – literally, a fast 5k out-and-back on groomed trails.

Having only seen part of the run course I opted to race in my brand-new Spikecross trail shoes from Salomon. A cardinal tri rule broken I know but I was more than happy with my decision. The shoes, similar to the Speedcross but with spikes on the bottom, meant I could run on any surface with confidence, especially black ice.

I lead for the first mile with Rebecca Dussault tucked in behind me and Nicole not far off. Soon Rebecca took lead with myself and Nicole side by side.

I tried to focus on finding the firmest snow on the trail although there were times when post-holing was the only option. By the time we headed back up a long hill to T1 Rebecca had broken away but not out of sight.

5ks are always short and hard, making a quick and smooth transition after challenging.

Off on the bike – Nicole was in front of me as she’d passed me in transition.

I’d guessed on the bike course too, I was under the impression it was firm, and ran a fairly high tire pressure for winter tri (15 psi.)  After a descent into the valley I found out otherwise. Temperatures had been much warmer than anticipated the night before making the snow sugary and easy to punch through. I did just that on the first gradual uphill. Not really losing much time pushing my bike instead of riding but definitely losing time trying to get back on.

I could see Nicole up ahead which gave me an idea of the terrain. I never had to dismount again which was a relief.

I came into T2 in 2^nd place with no sight of Rebecca and the chances of me catching her on the ski would be slim.

The ski was a challenging 5k. The trails at Homestake were nice and narrow with lots of cornering and steep up and downhills – a sure advantage to those with a skiing background, but something that’s not a rarity in Montana.

Came across the line in 2^nd.

I was sandwiched between two Olympians, Rebecca in Nordic skiing and Nicole in cycling ( I spent a week with her in Finland last year for the 2011 Winter Tri World Championship but she still hasn’t told me.) Proving our point you can tell who the fast athletes are because of their modestly. I  feel I let the top 3 down by not being an Olympic runner or something.

Rebecca and I after the finish

All three of us were on Specialized bikes and Rebecca and I were both using Salomon shoes and skis.

Women's podium

It was cool to see Mike Wolfe, perhaps the best ultrarunner in the country and Montana local, win the men’s race.

Nothing tasted better  post race than a bowl of homemade chili and bread rolls from the hard-working kitchen crew at the lodge before awards.

A good day done  – thanks to all who supported, and thanks for reading!

Emma Garrard

World Championships in Finland, 2011

It’s still only January and my 2012 triathlon season is underway, but not the kind of race most expect.

This will be my 3^rd season competing in Winter Triathlon and I’ve had the great opportunity to compete in the ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships each of those years.

I’ll be competing in the 2012 Winter Triathlon National Championships are in Butte, Montana Sunday January 29th http://www.usatriathlon.org/news/articles/2012/1/012512-winter-tri-preview.aspx

Winter tri is no where near as known as its summer counterpart but equally as challenging and fun. I consider it a good opportunity for more people to get involved with multisport, especially those who live in colder climates or those who come from ski backgrounds instead of swimming background.

So back to my point about not a lot being known about winter tri, here are some of the most common questions  I am asked about the sport answered.

Do you run in snowshoes?

No. Winter tri races are generally held on groomed snow or plowed snowy roads. In fact, according to ITU rules snowshoes are not allowed. Most competitors run in a trail shoe or a racing flat with Yak Traks on. If conditions are icy a track spike or spiked trail shoe (like Salomon’s Spikecross) is a great option.

Do you have to use studded bike tires?

Generally not. Most of the bike courses are on snow so studs don’t really provide any more traction just extra weight. If the course is icy they would be awesome to have, but generally a wide well-spaced knobby tired works best.

Do you need a fat tire bike?

As in a bike with 3.8 tires. No, winter triathlon has been around longer than fat tire bikes and competitors have been doing fine using a more standard mountain bikes. That’s not to say they’re not good bikes and are most certainly an advantage in some conditions, primarily very soft snow.

Last year there was one fat tire bike at the ITU World Championships, which probably has to do more with the accessibility of them rather than a competitors choice to use one or not.

I will be putting some knobby tires on my Specialized S-Works 29er for the race, the bike I race XTERRA and mountain bike races on in the summer.

Take a skate ski lesson

The ski leg is the equivenlent of the swim leg in a summer triathlon. It requires the most technique and efficency is key.

If you don’t know much about ski wax have a professional do the job

Ski wax is a big part of Nordic racing and can literally win races. That’s why an inch block of wax cost well into 3 figures.

Run in snow

The uneven and soft surface of snow can throw speedy runners off their form. Practice running in the stuff before you compete

Run low tire pressure

I run about 10 psi in my tires for winter tri, less than half of what I do in the summer, to give me the best traction. It’s pretty difficult to flat in winter tri, but trust me it can be done.

• Just registered 4 the #tetonridgeclassic this weekend + #bouldermountaintour Feb 4th, that left a hole, better go deposit some checks #

Powered by Twitter Tools.

• TUNA relays this Sunday @WPTNordic ! #
• Great 2 have some Ski Utah folks out @WPTNordic today, y'all come back now! @SkiUtahNews #

Powered by Twitter Tools.

Race: XTERRA World Championships, Kapalua, Maui

Distance: 1500m swim, 18 mile mountain bike, 3000ft climbing, 10k trail run

Result: 8^th pro women

Time: 3:58:42

Products used: Blue Seventy Point Zero swimskin + goggles, Specialized S-Works Epic 29er, Trivent Terras off road tri shoes, Fast Trak tires, Avia Avi Bolts, GU Electrolyte Brew, Roctane, Rudy Project Noyz glasses with photochromatic lenses, Squadra race suit.

Media: Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZcZrlx_Rhk&feature=share    Triathlete:  http://bit.ly/uRztkH Slowtwitch: http://bit.ly/p3JE2C

New course

This would be my 6^th time at XTERRA Worlds in Maui, but this year there was a new course in a new location, Kapalua. Unlike the old course we could preride this one, so I made sure I arrived early enough on the island to do so, something that can really be advantageous in XTERRA racing. In some ways it was fairer and nice to start over with a new course; a clean slate. With the old course, people who had raced it more had somewhat of an advantage.

I came into the race excited for the new race feeling it would suit me. The ocean could pose the additional challenge of waves, the bike course was somewhat smoother but did have some singletrack and a lot of climbing on both the bike and run.

Post race it seemed almost everyone was happy with the new venue. The bike course has a ton of potential and I really hope they build more singletrack as it would be a great resource for the island. Plus it would make the course even better!

Nutrition

It being a new course meant I was unaware of how long I’d be out there, or how hot it would be and therefore exactly what I needed for nutrition. The swim was the easiest to predict, unless it was super choppy that day, so for me 23-27 minutes. The bike I was guessing 1:30 to 1:45 for women based on how long it took pre riding. The run, based on the fastest woman in the trail run Saturday, I’d assume it would be between 45 and 50 minutes.

The next question was whether or not to wear a hydration pack. The downside is it takes more time to put on in transition and could potentially weigh more, the upside, easier to drink and drink more frequently. The bike course being smoother meant it was easier to drink from a bottle on the course, but my Epic being small meant I could only bring one bottle. I went with the hydration pack that way I could use my water bottle to cool off with.

Before the race I made sure to drink lots, water, GU Electrolyte Brew, juice. The morning of the race, I made sure I drank a bottle of Electrolyte Brew specifically. I think it’s really important to remember to drink the morning of the race, especially when it’s going to be hot.

I put three GUs on my bike, all Roctane, and attached one more to my race belt for the run if needed. I’d have the first GU after the first hour of racing and one every, on average, 30 minutes after that.

I also left a frozen insulated bottle in transition with a mix of Pepsi and water, (sounds gross, tastes awesome) uncertain if it would still be cold when I got off the bike. The other option was putting my mini cooler in transition, but figured the water bottle was easier.

photo courtesy Jane Garrard

The Swim

Race morning was far warmer than expected; it felt warmer at 8am than it had all week, even in the heat of the day. Also unexpected what seemed like no breeze and no swell at D.T. Fleming Beach.

Lining up on the beach right in front of the shoreline, we had volunteers keeping us back with paddles. These volunteers are brave souls and I hope not too many of them got knocked down.  I managed to squeeze between two paddle holders and a photographer to get in the water when the cannon fired.

The swim seemed more aggressive than usual with the slight current pulling us to the left. Tried to stay relaxed knowing it would spread out eventually. The pro women were really spread out from the start so it was difficult to judge how I was doing. Second lap I could tell Suzie Snyder was near me so I figured I wasn’t doing that badly, unless she was having a sub-par swim. I came out of the water roughly in 7^th place.

Heading into T2 photo courtesy Jane Garrard

The Bike

There was a long climb, mostly paved before we got on a singletrack section so it was key to move around anyone who could potentially slow me down on that section. There was roughly 10 significant climbs on the course a couple that were a mile or more.

On a blind corner I saw a girl fixing a bike, I quickly said “need anything” but was around the next turn before I could hear a response. It was Lesley, and it wasn’t long before she was on my wheel and in her Scottish accent said:

“I had a f&%*ing  puncture coming out of transition, Lets rock this!”

And that was that, she’d go on to win the race.

There hadn’t been any rain the week before  so the course had got very dusty. Big red dust clouds on the descents I couldn’t see anything under my wheel, which I’m sure lead to some crashes.

Like predicted there were far fewer mechanicals, in particular flats, on the course, but I did here of quite a few broken chains. Mostly due to the sharp transitions from downhills back to uphills.

In years past I’ve been slow at the start of the bike, but really picked it up the 2^nd half, and passed girls who passed me earlier in the race. I was sticking to this plan here.

I remember being 30 min into the bike and already had a few girls pass me. I thought, its still early, I’m really going to turn it on’ the last part of the bike’ but that never came into fruition.

The truth is I didn’t feel great on the bike, but not really bad either, a little flat. Maybe it was the heat: maybe it was the end of a long season; maybe I wasn’t going hard enough. Maybe I hadn’t prepared well enough, or not rested enough. Maybe the girls passing me were just better riders than me. These are all things I’ve thought of, but at least was healthy, uninjured, I had no excuses in equipment department and was able to race.

When Sara Tarkington caught up to me she asked me if everything was all right, and I was asked numerous times by my folks if I had had a mechanical – was I really that slow?

The Run

Before the race I’d hoped I’d be fighting for a top 5, maybe even podium spot on the run but now I was fighting to stay in the top 10.

I felt better than usual coming off the bike and my cold bottle of Pepsi (yes it was still cold) tasted awesome as expected. I was pleased to hear there was a pack of girls not far in front. The run was pretty much uphill for 3.5 miles, with a few breaks, and then mostly downhill after that.

photo courtesy Jane Garrard

I caught a couple of girls in the first two miles and kept getting splits from guys I passed I was close to my Specialized teammate Sara Tarkington. I could see here just in front of me and could see her looking back so I kept chasing.

It was hot out there but the nice thing was there were aid stations almost every mile. I wasn’t drinking a ton but using the water to cool off.

At the top of the course I passed Carina Wasle who was drinking water at the aid station. I’d later find out she was unable to finish, along with Melanie McQuaid who was forced to drop maybe 200 yards from the finish.

I really enjoyed the downhill section although I dreaded the last half mile of the run: across a beach and up a steep hill to the finish. The beach was no way as brutal as the ones on the old course in Makena.

photo courtesy Sara Rottman

I was starting to get hot again as it had been a while since the last aid station. As I approached the last climb Kathy Tank, XTERRA pro Cody Waite’s better half, gave me a much-needed boost, and a cup of water, to get me up the last climb.

“Lift your knees! No Regrets!”

Kathy’s awesome. Too bad she wasn’t on every climb.

I crossed the line in 8^th in a time of 2:58.42 a minute out of 6^th since turning pro I have placed 12^th, 11th, 10^th at the XTERRA World Championships so I’m pleased to jump up to 8^th this year. At the same time I’m humbled by how fast the women were in the race and know I have a lot of work to do next year. For example, Lesley Paterson who won the race ran as fast as the men’s winner.

Really glad I nailed my nutrition at this race and was able to finish which was challenging as it was hotter than expected and on a new course so going into the race I really didn’t know how long I’d be out there. I guessed pretty accurately pro women would be finishing between 2:40 and 3:05.

On top of that, I’m really fortunate to come into this race healthy and uninjured unlike previous years, unlike a lot of XTERRA girls who could not compete this year. Needless to stay the women’s field was still as competitive, if not more competitive than ever.

Super happy for Renata Bucher who has had bad luck the past two years at XTERRA Worlds and finished a strong 4^th only 10 seconds out of 3^rd. She’s been a great friend and training partner of mine. Also my Sara Tarkington who was top American and finished 7^th. Both girls had overcome some serious injuries this year so it’s great to see them back in form.

Having Lance compete in XTERRA again is obviously great for the sport and helps get the new venue in good standings. It’s cool to see him come out and race hard, learn from experience and finish despite some bad luck. At the end of the day he’s not racing XTERRA as a career move and doesn’t anything to prove.  He enjoys getting out there and racing, and I’m glad he chose XTERRA.

This was the first year I went on the post-XTERRA group ride lead by local character Steve Fisher (mauiskibus.com.) Steve has competed in every XTERRA World Championships, even when it was Aquaterra in 2006. I enjoyed meeting more XTERRA athletes and especially the locals I’d have to say the unexpected highlight of this trip was getting to ride with a macaw on my shoulder.

Big thanks to my sponsors: Specialized, Avia, GU, Rudy Project and Blue Seventy, and all those who supported and helped me this year, it’s been a great one, and clichéd as it is, I couldn’t have done it without you.

I placed in the top 10 in 3 world championships. I won my first national title at the USA Winter Triathlon Championships, was 3rd at the ITU Off Road World Championships, won my first XTERRA pro race at XTERRA Brazil Costa Verde in and was 5th (2nd US) at the USA XTERRA Championships.

I look forward to the off-season, and getting ready for snow to fall in Park City.

Mahalo!

Emma

Finished 8th at the 2011 XTERRA World Championships Oct 23rd, 2011. My best finish yet at XTERRA Worlds and bringing an close to my 2011 triathlon season. Check out a video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZcZrlx_Rhk&feature=share

Happy to place in the top 10 in 3 world championships this year and manage to make it on the podium for one! This year has been great, I won my first national title at the USA Winter Triathlon Championships, was 3rd at the ITU Off Road World Championships, won my first XTERRA pro race at XTERRA Brazil Costa Verde in  and was 5th (2nd US) at the USA XTERRA Championships.

Big thanks to my sponsors: Specialized, Avia, GU, Rudy Project and Blue Seventy, and all those who support and help me out.

Enjoying a few days in Maui before heading back to Park City.

Overall Women

1. Lesley Paterson (GBR) 2:45:59 — $20,000
2. Marion Lorblanchet (FRA) 2:48:08 — $12,000
3. Helena Erbenova ( CZE) 2:51:51 — $7,000
4. Renate Bucher (SUI) 2:52:04 — $4,000
5. Danelle Kabush (CAN) 2:54:35 — $2,500
6. Erin Densham (AUS) 2:57:46 — $1,500
7. Sara Tarkington (USA) 2:57:59 — $1,000
8. Emma Garrard (USA) 2:58:42 — $800
9. Brandi Heisterman (USA) 3:03:39 — $600
10. Jessica Noyola (USA) 3:04:25

Overall Men

1. Michael Weiss (AUT) 2:27:00 — $20,000
2. Dan Hugo (RSA) 2:27:33 — $12,000
3. Eneko Llanos (ESP) 2:28:26 — $7,000
4. Josiah Middaugh (Vail, Colorado) 2:29:14 — $4,000
5. Ivan Raña (ESP) 2:29:31 — $2,500
6. Olivier Marceau (SUI) 2:29:40 — $1,500
7. Ronny Dietz ( ) 2:29:47 — $1,000
8. Richard Ussher (NZL) 2:29:54 — $800
9. Jan Kubicek (CZE) 2:30:54 — $600
10. Christopher Legh (AUS) 2:31:10 — $500
11. Sam Gardner (GBR) 2:33:15 — $400
12. Jan Froderno (GER) 2:33:20 — $300
14. Nicolas Lerbrun (FRA) 2:33:57
16. Tim DeBoom (USA) 2:34:23
23. Lance Armstrong (USA) 2:36:59

After seeing the new XTERRA Maui course the week before the race I can definitely say I’m excited about the race. Here’s why:

The Swim - It’s a real ocean swim complete with waves, chop and currents which should be a lot of fun. How often do you get to practice body surfing for a race?

Bike - I’m still formulating my opinion on the bike and how it compares to the previous course. Overall I’d say it’s easier and will take a significantly less time to complete it. It’s smoother, the climbs aren’t as steep (no hike-a-bikes) or as long, as they’re broken up with more descending. It’s definitely smoother, but not as smooth as I was lead to believe or looks in the XTERRA.TV preview, this is a good thing if you’re riding a fully. It also means flats can happen on this course, although I doubt as frequently as in Makena. And crashes too, as we’ll be riding a lot faster on this course and I’m sure a lot of the turns will be washed out.

There is, although not a lot of it, some singletrack, most of which is freshly cut, and I expect to be super dusty by Sunday with the amount of people preriding. That being said, cornering plays more of a role in this course than Makena’s it seems like at the bottom of each descent there’s a near 180 degree turn so being aware of gears is key too. Preriding it took me just over 2 hours including a lot of stops and bike adjustments.

Overall, I’m not in love with the bike course, but it has potential and the climbing should suit me. And hey, it still beats the best road tri course any day!

Run - I’m super excited about the run, and glad I’ve pretty much been running nothing but techy uphill trails in Park City the past month. As the runs seem to be going these days in XTERRA, way more technical and interesting than the bike. It’s pretty much straight uphill for three miles, with a couple downhills to break it up.

Primarily on a soft grass surface, which, most of the time as uneven, off-camber footing. It’s constantly twisting and turning, again on newly cut trail. Once you run past the lake at the top you’ll run through a forest which had me thinking, “Am I really in Maui?”

After hitting the ‘summit’ you’ll descend for a mile or so on some pretty fun trails but don’t expect the uphills to be old news. On top of the twists and turns there’s tons of logs to jump over, crawl under – in typical XTERRA fashion.

After some fun times jumping over stuff and smelling flowers and lilikoi, the fun comes to a grinding halt as you make a sharp and easy to miss right hand turn up this:

Renata - anyone else wouldn't be smiling

And then that turns into a steep paved uphill road, but not for too long, and then there’s perhaps the best piece of singletrack on the island – too bad you can’t take bikes down here.

The last mile will be pretty brutal, tricky footing through a river bed, weaving through trees and roots, then directly across Flemming’s Beach.

Lastly a quarter mile straight uphill to the finish.

I chose not to partake in this ‘race’

Not a bad finish view! The run took us just under 1 hour, with a couple of stops, but running at a decent pace. GPS says it’s a hair under 6 miles with 1020 ft of elevation gain. As for heat acclimatization, the elevation gain on the run should pay us a favor there. As you get higher, there’s more breeze, so I expect the run to not be the scorcher Makena Beach was.

Lastly and if I’m not in last, I’ll cheer on the rest of the racers from here as I sip on a lava flow.

Mahalo!

Emma