GATORBAIT TRIATHLON

A couple weeks before we went on vacation, Jay got recruited to be the 10K runner in a GatorBait Triathlon relay team. I was excited because I've wanted to check out this particular event (and learn what a triathlon is all about) since it first started a few years ago, but I didn't want to run it myself (knowing what the weather is typically like here in August, the fact that the runners generally don't even START their event until 9:00am - in the more extreme heat, and how other runners I know who have competed have felt during the days following the race...) We got up at 5:00am, threw the kids in the car at 5:45am, and headed up to Eagle Lake so that Jay could be there for the pre-race meeting and get his team number Sharpie'd onto his arm and leg.

During the pre-race meeting, the kids and I watched the kayak support crew head out to their posts along the 1-mile swim route (a big triangle of giant buoys, adjacent to the mid-lake group of trees where alligators are often spotted - hence the name of the event).

Swimmers heading to the starting line after the meeting.

Last minute instructions for the swimmers. (The kids and I had ventured out onto the pier at this point for a better view.)

Wave #1 (the faster triathletes) entering the water.

Watching the sunrise behind us.

Wave #3 (the relay team swimmers) out at the starting point, awaiting the horn. If you zoom in, you can see waves #1 and #2 out there at the buoys ahead of them with their 4 minute and 2 minute leads.

After Jay's relay team swimmer (a high school girl) came out of the water and through the transition gate (pretty early on), we moved into the shade to hang out while their relay team biker headed onto the course. The swimmers did 1.5k, the bikers did 40k, and the runners did 10k. GatorBait is an Olympic distance triathlon.

Warming up along the lake front about 30 minutes before his expected "baton" pass (really a pass of the ankle velcro chip timer).

At this point we realized that the finish line for the runners was actually a few hundred yards around the lake, not there at the transition area where we'd been parked in the shade, so we loaded up and headed over just in time to see the first runners start to come by. Poor things that were doing the full triathlon solo looked DONE already and quite a few joked with me that they could just make a quick right turn into the finish, right?! I felt compelled to tell them all how awesome they were and that they were in the final stretch and that they looked strong (some really did!)

This guy, who ALWAYS carries an American flag during races, does pretty much all of our local (or semi-local) events. He did the full triathlon today and was one of the first guys out of the water. (Side note: Christina and Sophie and I totally beat him during the Mississippi Blues Marathon - though he had done another marathon the weekend prior...)

Tom ran the 10K for his relay team, which came in second place overall.

There's my Jay at the start of his race, already hot, but still smiling!

This was an extremely unforgiving course... 6.2 miles in the "feels like 100+ degrees" heat, due to humidity over 75%, and not a single meter of shade over the entire out-and-back course along the lakeshore road. This was Jay's view the whole time, plus a bunch of work trucks (even semis) going past the runners on that 2-lane road...

The first runner back was a triathlete (not a relay runner). Check out his time...

The guy cracked me up in his rubber ducky speedo...

There goes Beth, looking like she's just flying along, heading out from the start shortly after that first triathlete finished. Her relay team was running behind due to a slow swim, but she made up a lot of time on the running course.

While daddy ran, the kids played their LeapPads in the shade until Alex showed up, then they ran wild and crazy.

We walked up a hundred yards or so to wait for daddy to appear on the horizon and the kids blew bubbles (in between runners) while they waited, and gave a few runners high-fives (who still had energy left to lift their hands, and there weren't many... I've never seen so many people walk within sight of the finish line, if that tells you how rough the conditions were for this race).

Here comes daddy!

Trying to give daddy high-fives. He tried to return them, and to smile for the camera, but as you can see from the photo he succeeded at neither. His heartrate got higher during this race than it ever has previously according to his Garmin, even during speedwork sprints. He played it safe and covered his Garmin with a piece of tape so that he'd run off feel rather than aim for a specific time goal, and I'm glad he did so that he didn't push himself too hard in the heat.

Chasing daddy to the finish line!

He was so happy to see that finish line... He immediately poured an ice cold bottle of water over his head and grabbed a second to drink, followed by Gatorade and a few other choice beverages. Luckily the aid stations were every mile along the course and he was able to pour water on his head at each. One aid station even had ice cold towels to cool the runners off. I can tell you that just about ever runner I saw cross the finish line headed straight for the grass to lay down...

Jay's relay teammates: Carly and Fred

This is how Cora reacted to her 5:30am wake-up call... she crashed just 2 minutes from the ice cream shop, poor thing! Thankfully she was willing to eat some lunch once we got home, then go back to sleep (we all napped for a couple hours). The heat and humidity around here in the summer just really does you in...

 The verdict? It was cool to see a triathlon in action (I've read lots about them, not that I have any interest since I don't like swimming or biking), the GatorBait seemed well run and the athletes were well supported, and their awards podium surrounded by tractors (the event is sponsored by a local tractor supply store) was very cool. However, August is just a RIDICULOUS time of year to do this type of event in the Deep South, and Jay will absolutely not be doing it again (and I certainly won't be volunteering myself either!)