My Team in Training event for this year was the Nation's Tri in Washington, DC on September 9th. Call me old school, but my patriot heartstrings start to tug with the thought of being in our Nation's Capital. I was very fortunate that my brother John was able to join us for race weekend. We packed up the van and headed south on Saturday morning, just in time to get to check into our rooms, pick up my race packet and a few things at the expo and listen in to Dave Scott address the national TNT group. He is a six time Ironman World Champion and very well respected in the field of triathlon.
From there we got our bikes and gear and met up so that we could ride to transition at West Potomac Park to rack our bikes. In many races they require that you get your bike into transition the day before to keep the chaos down on race morning! As we gathered in front of the hotel, the winds began to pick up and before we knew it, sheets of rain were blowing in!! Plan B-drive to transition!! Then back to the hotel for the Inspiration Dinner at our hotel.
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| Our Eastern PA Team |
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| Kate, John and Melissa |
Up at 3:30 and have breakfast-a banana and my favorite Sourdough bread from Kath and Tom's BakeHouse oven in NM with fresh almond butter!! I also took a piece with me to have later in T1. Our team met at 4:30 in the lobby and our teammate/survivor Derek shared his story. What an inspiration. Then out into the cool morning air and onto the bus.
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| Kate, Derek and Amanda |
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| Amanda, Derek, Rachel and Melissa |
It was very chilly as we stepped off the bus, but the sight of the Washington Monument rising up into the sky made you forget about the cold.
The Potomac River was a balmy 81 degrees and I couldn't wait to get in and warm up!! I opted for no wetsuit rather than wait until the last wave an hour or so later. I was glad I didn't wear one-the water was beautiful but a little choppy! They also had giant buoys set every 100 meters. At about 300m I noticed something large and white off to the right. I made a point to look and found it was the Lincoln Memorial. How cool to see that from the river! The swim course was set in the shape of an obelisk to mirror the Washington Monument. I remember thinking how this course would be less than one loop of the swim in Lake Placid and was very happy.
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| The swim course on Saturday |
Out of the water and off to T1! There was a lot of excitement as swimmers were still entering the water. I heard "Kate" from the crowd and was so happy to see my brother there smiling. Into transition and onto the bike. Thankfully there wasn't much mud after the previous day's rain storm. Just past the mount line I saw Melissa along the roadside cheering and ringing the cowbell. Another happy moment. The bike course was mostly flat with a few rollers. We passed the Lincoln Memorial and headed north eventually getting into Maryland. On the way back we passed by the Lincoln Center and back into transition.
I was feeling really good and excited to be starting the run course which took us near the Washington Monument, along side the Smithsonian, out to the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial. Aside from one small incline, the course was pretty much flat with quite a few shaded areas.
Then the home stretch to the finish! What a great day. The weather was picture perfect and I felt great the entire way. My brother and Melissa were there with me along with all of my Team in Training teammates. We reunited at the finish and made our way to the TNT tent to check in. Our National tri coach, 6 time Ironman World Champion Dave Scott was also there to greet us and take some pictures!
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| 6 Time World Champion Dave Scott and Kate |
After a bite to eat and a quick change of clothes, we handed off my bike to be sent back to the hotel. Then we made our way to find a taxi with a stop along the way at the Lincoln Memorial!
It was a gorgeous day in DC! Then off to the National Museum of the American Indian for lunch. Add this place to your list the next time you are visiting. The Mitsitam Cafe has five food stations that feature Native foods and is yummy!!
The rest of our day was filled with sight seeing, ice cream, a celebration dinner with the Team and a glass of champagne at the roof top bar of the W Hotel. We overlooked the White House and caught views of the Monuments at sunset.
As you might imagine, we were pretty tired by then! The next morning we had a wonderful breakfast alfresco at our hotel and then packed up the van. We made one more stop on our way out of town-The National Cathedral. We took a short architectural tour that was very interesting. The building and it's history are magnificent! What a fitting way to end our adventure!
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| The Space Window complete with a Moon rock! |
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| Resurrection Chapel |
This event is my 9th as a fundraising event for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. LLS does so many wonderful things for patients and their families as well as research that not only fights blood cancers, but all cancers. I owe so much gratitude to all who have contributed over the years. This year I raised $4,010.60 and look forward to a special number 10 next year!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
* Since I posted this race report, a very dear friend and his family topped off my fundraising account to make it an even $5,000.00. Sometimes there just aren't words to sum up how you feel......
The Nation's Tri-Olympic Distance
1.5k Swim - 37:16
T1 - 3:41
40k Bike - 1:23:33
T2 - 1:51
10k Run - 58:09
Total - 3:04:27
Place 6th in AG
Pre swim-1 PowerBar Gel, water
Bike-2 PowerBar Gels, PowerBar Ironman Perform, Water
Run-1 PowerBar Gel, water, Gatorade
