The race this year in Richmond started off for me at 3:30am in the morning. I'm one who enjoys sleeping in his own bed so I decided to wake up early and drive the three hours from Chapel Hill, NC to Richmond. Unfortunately when preparing my race-day checklist I had forgotten to put goggles on the list. This oversight had me turning my car around about 15 to 20 minutes into the drive. In the back of my mind I thought it would be possible to do the swim without goggles but then realized I was suffering from temporary insanity and needed to go back and get them.

The drive to Richmond was uneventful and, with return trip included, I managed to get there at 7:15am. The race start was scheduled for 8:30am so I had plenty of time to set up my transition area and warm-up for the competition. As with most XTERRA races the 8:30am start time came and went leaving everyone to wait another 15 minutes before the race commenced. In that time I was able to swim out onto the course and get a feel for the current and underwater terrain. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of swimming in the James River to say that there were a few rocks (more like boulders) to climb over would be an understatement. Swimming is definitely my weakest leg of the triathlon so the extra obstacles would be sure to make my experience in the water much more enjoyable.

As the start of the race approached I noticed another IF team kit floating in water. The person in the kit turned out to be fellow XTERRA racer Mark Russell. Mark and I raced Richmond together last year and it was great having him back to share with me in the pain that is off-road triathlon.

The gun sounded and the swim was underway. If the boot I received in my face at the start was any indication of how the swim was going to go I was in for a long effort. The first part of the swim was rather chaotic but once everyone settled in to their stroke it was much more manageable. In true XTERRA style the whole course was littered with boulders you either swam over or swam into. After hitting every body part imaginable on a rock I emerged from the swim leg. Other than a bloody shin I was fairly unscathed from the river carnage.

I had a quick swim to bike transition and was now off to tackle the urban singletrack that awaited me. On the bike leg I was riding a Steel Deluxe Singlespeed, my dream machine. The singlespeed served me well in my last XTERRA (special thanks to Rob at Back Alley Bikes for putting my bike back together) race but today it would show me no love. I felt good the entire bike leg but was unable to use fitness due to the large amount of flat fire road and paved road sections on the course. My day on the bike was spent passing people on the singletrack and climbs, watching them pass me on the flats, and then having to pass them again on the singletrack and climbs. The one bright spot on the bike was seeing Mark Russell having a great effort and being able to ride with him for a while. I think next time I will be running gears on this bike course.

My transition went well and I had a feeling I was going to have a good run. I was able to settle into a nice pace and pick up quite a few fellow racers on the way to the finish. Climbing up the Aztec steps was quite taxing on my already cramped and fatigued hamstrings so it was a wonder I was able to run straight off them. The last part of the run I started to feel the heat of the Richmond sun and I was very happy to see the finish just ahead. Crossing the line was sweet relief.

Despite having a mediocre bike leg I was able to drop six minutes from my previous best time at Richmond. I also cracked the top 10 in the 30-34 age group and garnered 49 points. These are points that will help me qualify for the national championship race in Lake Tahoe, NV. The race of the day goes to fellow IF triathlete Mark Russell. He dropped more than 20 minutes off his time from last year, very impressive on a challenging course like Richmond.

All in all I had a great time and after the race I was able to catch up with Mark and another IF racer Jeff Herrick. After a long day of racing there is nothing a few Cokes and a great burger can't fix. Thanks again for picking such a great spot Jeff.

I look forward to punishing my body again real soon.

Steve