The Draft and Clearwater

Drafting- disappointing week for me.  Everyone I know who did Ironman Fl said the drafting there was terrible.  I saw some vid’s on the net that showed how bad some of it was.  Apparently there were very few marshalls out there.  Good news, is that I heard drafting penalties were being handed out.  What was really disappointing is the new attitude that seems to be developing.  Many notable people seem to think drafting in a bike race on a flat course is what happens.  There is not much you can do about it.  Sure in the first 10-15miles the front third of the race is pretty bunched up but after that it is pretty easy to avoid the draft. 

I am all for jumping on a train as long as you keep at the legal distance.  I do not think there is anything really wrong with following the rules (some people think you should really abide by the intention of the rule and that is to stay even further back).  But, I do have a problem with blatantly bending the rules when no marshalls are around.  I think it is called cheating.  But, I guess not everyone agree’s or they do not care. 

Most of these people are going for a Kona spot.  For me, I believe in earning that slot.  That is really what makes Kona great.  Sure it is nice place to go, but it is really about paying your dues, putting in the hard work, executing a great race and deserving to go.  If you draft the bike then you really are not paying your dues. 

It will be interesting to see how North American Sports responds in Clearwater to all the drafting complaints.  I suspect a lot will be trying to draft so we will see if NA sports cares if people follow the rules or not. 

Your own race- as you can tell I have some personal issues with drafting.  Pisses me off in a race when I see it.  It took me a couple of Ironman’s to figure out that I need to let go and forget about what other people are doing.  In a sense, you really need to become self-centered on race day and only concern yourself with your race.  Getting frustrated with what your competitors are doing is a big distraction and a big waste of energy.  Some of that could be re-directed or provide greater motivation for you but it is really easy to push too hard in a long course race so you become susceptible to blowing up if you get too motivated.  I have been there. 

This Weekend in Tri

Clearwater 70.3 Championships are on Saturday.  This is the world championship race for the 70.3 series.  For those of you who do not know.  The 70.3 series are a bunch of half ironman races that are now branded 70.3.  It has really grown the last few years and added a lot more opportunities for pro triathlete’s to earn a few bucks.  And as a result, a competitive and top-notch series for age groupers to attend.  This will be one of the best races this year.  The field is stacked in both the men’s and women’s events.  My personal favorite is Craig Walton.  But, he actually has some competition for the fastest swim/bike combo and that is coming from Andy Potts and Bjorn Anderson.  David Thompson can ride as good as anyone.  And we will see if Craig Alexander (probably the favorite) has enough juice to battle it out (after his 2nd place finish in Kona only a few weeks ago).  Same could be said for Samantha McGlone in the women’s race (who also came 2nd in Kona).  Julie Dieben’s just won the Xterra championships so she if fit and Leanda Cave.

SilvermanIron and Half Iron Distance Races are on Sunday.  This is a race not branded by the Ironman name.  But it is the same distance and the course looks fantastic.  Very little drafting here.  They also run a relay as part of the event with $100,000 going to any team that can break the 8 hour mark on the Iron distance course.  I seriously considered this race but as you know, I needed some down time.  Check out the bike course, there are some serious hills in it!  Just saw that Dave Scott is taking on Chris McCormack in the half.  Ummm, good luck Dave.  Good to see the former champ racing though!