2015 Maple Grove Triathlon Race Report

This was my 6th straight year at Maple Grove, I have done all 6 years of this race.  This was my 3rd weekend in a row doing an Olympic distance triathlon.  Not sure how my body would handle 3 weekends in a row.  Going in I did not feel too bad.

Maple Grove posted some free pictures, which I will intermix through the blog.  Of course, my usual pictures are in here also.

Up early for this race, due to early start time, transition closes by 6:45AM, so I was up about 3:30AM, to get there by 5ish.  Usual morning, breakfast at home, with donut, coffee, and water along the way. Parking is kind of far away, so it is a bit of walk.  Rack spots are assigned, by AG, so you get an idea of who is there with you.  Setup was easy, went pretty.  Nice to have an early start, so you can get done with the race and get out.  Also, if it is going to be a hot day, you can get done before it gets too hot.  This morning was unseasonably cool, second year in a row.  A little humidity, not too bad.  Windy, very windy.  At race start it was clear skies.  Pretty morning.

Me, before the start.

Swim start is by AG, but time trial start, with 2 at a time.  Line up on hill and to stage and then head down to start.  As windy as it was, the lake is kind of down in a valley with tress and has some protection, so it wasn't wavy.  The swim was uneventful and it was my fastest swim of this year. I felt pretty good coming off the swim. 

A series of pictures of me coming out of the swim

It is not a short run up to transition, and the Olympic distance people are racked closer to the back.  When I got to the rack it looked like there were still a number of bikes on it.  I left towards the front at the TT start of the swim, so it is hard to gauge where I was at in the AG.

Heading out on the bike.

The wind was pretty severe out on the bike.  There was a headwind for the first 3-5 miles.  I think it was 3-5 miles.  My legs and me did not feel that great and I thought I was going to have a terrible bike, but as I got going I felt better.  The tailwind, which occurred a few times, felt pretty good.  The headwind, felt horrible.  Depending where you were on the bike course, there was an occasional crosswind, that also made for difficult riding.  I actually thought I came in at an hour and was going to be closer to 23MPH, which would have been amazingly surprising.  When I saw my time, I was a little disappointed, until I realized last year at 22MPH was my fastest, and this year was 21.9MPH, so I am not so disappointed.

Coming in from the bike.

I got off the bike and felt ok.  Initially, the run out of transition is uphill.  Kind of steep.  I think this run is one of the harder run courses around.  Two loops and lots of up and downs, some pretty challenging hill.  The weather the last two years has been extremely cooperative.  When I crested the first hill out of transition and started a short downhill I was a little worried.  I wasn't feeling great, but I got in a rhythm that felt pretty good.  The last two miles I started feeling a little nausea, which is odd.  I usually don't feel that way.  It wasn't so bad it slowed me down.  It didn't feel so great either.  I think I pushed it as hard as I could, and I ended up only 30 seconds slower than last, which was my fastest time on this course.  So, it turned out to be a pretty good run.

Going out on the run, on the run, and finishing

 

 

Adjusting for the shorter bike, my time was only 19 seconds slower than last year.  Last year was my fastest time on this course, which was my seconds fastest Olympic distance race.  That makes this year's Maple Grove my third fastest Olympic distance race. 

I am pretty happy with how this race went.  Overall, it was my best Olympic distance race of the year.  It might have been my last race of the year, I have not decided if I am going to do St. Croix Valley Olympic.  If it is my last race, it was a good note to end on.

Distance\Time correction for each year, to match 2014 time. 2013 swim and bike corrected, all other years corrected for bike only.

2015 = 2:27:14
2014 = 2:26:55
2013 = 2:38:00
2012 = 2:33:45
2011 = 2:31:25
2010 = 2:33:29

Time corrected, 2014 was my fastest time by over four and a half minutes and eleven minutes faster than 2013, and 2015 was 19 seconds slower than 2014.  Not too bad.  Pretty happy with that.
2015 Maple Grove Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yards) = 25:37 (1:34/100 yards, just a hair off last year)
T1 = 2:59
Bike (23mi) = 1:03:00 (21.9 MPH, just a hair off last year)
T2 = 1:08
Run (6.2mi) = 49:35 (8:00/mi, just a bit off last year)
Total = 2:22:18 (Correct for short bike = 2:27:14, puts me 19 second slower than my fastest)
Overall = 75/373
AG = 11/46
Overall Pace = 4:44

2014 Maple Grove Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yards) = 25:28 (1:33/100 yards, fastest swim)
T1 = 3:22
Bike (24.8mi) = 1:07:34 (22 MPH, fastest bike split at this race)
T2 = 1:27
Run (6.2mi) = 49:05 (7:55/mi, fastest run split at this race)
Total = 2:26:55
Overall = 74/392
AG = 19/58
Overall Pace = 4:36/mi

2013 Maple Grove Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yards?) = 32:27 (2:03/100 yards)  - This was NOT 1.5Km (~0.9mi)!
Corrected to 1968 yards = 1:40/100 yards
T1 = 3:39
Bike (26mi) = 1:16:01 (20.6MPH, slowest bike split at this race)
T2 = 1:10
Run (6.2mi) = 54:05 (8:43/mi, slowest run split at this race)
Total = 2:47:47
Overall = 120/438
AG = 23/62
Overall Pace = 4:45/mi

2012 Maple Grove Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yards) = 28:26 (1:48/100 yards)
T1 = 1:57
Bike (26mi) = 1:13:14 (21.2MPH)
T2 = 0:54
Run (6.2mi) = 52:12 (8:25/mi)
Total = 2:37:09
Overall = 103/367
AG = 18/47
Overall Pace = 4:45/mi

2011 Maple Grove Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yards) = 27:29 (1:44/100 yards)
T1 = 2:26
Bike (26mi) = 1:13:32 (21.2MPH)
T2 = 1:12
Run (6.2mi) = 50:15 (8:06/mi)
Total = 2:34:49
Overall = 44/216
AG = 9/33
Overall Pace = 4:41/mi

2010 Maple Grove Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yards) = 27:23 (1:43/100 yards)
T1 = 2:27
Bike (26mi) = 1:13:12 (21.3MPH)
T2 = 1:03
Run (6.2mi) = 52:49 (8:32/mi)
Total = 2:36:54
Overall = 31/167
AG = 3/22
Overall Pace = 4:44/mi

2014 Maple Grove Triathlon Race Report

This is the 5th Anniversary of the Maple Grove Triathlon, and it was my 5th time at this race.  All 5 times completing the Olympic distance.
I went into this race with some of my fastest times I have ever raced.  I was hoping to continue the trend.

This race is challenging.  Mostly because of the run course.  The bike course is not easy, but there are more challenging bike courses around.  The run is hilly and doesn't have a lot of shade, in the past it has been sunny, hot, and humid.   I was expecting the same.  Turned out this was the best weather yet.  It was cloudy the whole time, it was humid, not terrible, but still could feel it.  No sun out really helped.  There was some wind, and it was a relief.  At times it made the bike more challenging.  Again, there had been wind out that was worse.

This year they got the swim distance fixed.  Last year they went extra long.  This year, back to correct distance, or at least close enough. It was foggy on the swim.  The swim is a basically a rectangle.  When you were going parallel to the shore, out far, you could not see the shore due to the fog.  Also, could not see the markers.  Not bad enough to cause problems on the swim, just a little strange. 
Due to construction, the bike course was shortened to a more normal Olympic distance, a little under 25 miles, as opposed to the usual 26 miles.  No fog on the bike course. 
I came out of the swim feeling pretty good.  Went out on the bike at a pretty good clip, trying to be a little aggressive.  I have a co-worker who does triathlons, Tim, and he was doing this race.  We went back and forth on the bike a couple times.  It was nice to have someone out there that I know and that we were challenging each other a little bit.  The only issue on the bike course were 2-3 idiots who were drafting, riding side-by-side, and just riding dumb.  They were blocking and all kinds of stuff, really irritating.  Tim commented on them after the race, he was equally annoyed with them.
Coming off the bike, I was doing really well, but this run can be a killer.  I felt ok coming off the bike.  The run out of transition is up a decent hill.  Long, steep at first, flattens a little, then steepens again.  One of many inclines on this two loop course.  I decide to come out a little slower and try to go up the hill slightly slower and steadier than previous.  I tried to concentrate on my stride and cadence.  It seemed to work.  I saw a number of people on the course that I know, which was nice.  The run seemed to go by faster, because it did go by faster.  It was my fastest run ever on this course.  It was my fastest overall time on this course.

Also, I got to meet a someone I am Facebook friends with, but had never met in person.  His name is Brian and he seems like a pretty good guy.  He recognized me first.  It is always nice to meet new people at a race.

Distance\Time correction for each year, to match 2014 time. 2013 swim and bike corrected, all other years corrected for bike only.
2014 = 1:26:55
2013 = 1:38:00
2012 = 1:33:45
2011 = 1:31:25
2010 = 1:33:29

Time corrected, it was my fastest time by over four and a half minutes and eleven minutes faster than 2013.

2014 Maple Grove Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yards) = 25:28 (1:33/100 yards, fastest swim)
T1 = 3:22
Bike (24.8mi) = 1:07:34 (22 MPH, fastest bike split at this race)
T2 = 1:27
Run (6.2mi) = 49:05 (7:55/mi, fastest run split at this race)
Total = 1:26:55
Overall = 74/392
AG = 19/58
Overall Pace = 4:36/mi

2013 Maple Grove Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yards?) = 32:27 (2:03/100 yards)  - This was NOT 1.5Km (~0.9mi)!
Corrected to 1968 yards = 1:40/100 yards
T1 = 3:39
Bike (26mi) = 1:16:01 (20.6MPH, slowest bike split at this race)
T2 = 1:10
Run (6.2mi) = 54:05 (8:43/mi, slowest run split at this race)
Total = 1:47:47
Overall = 120/438
AG = 23/62
Overall Pace = 4:45/mi

2012 Maple Grove Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yards) = 28:26 (1:48/100 yards)
T1 = 1:57
Bike (26mi) = 1:13:14 (21.2MPH)
T2 = 0:54
Run (6.2mi) = 52:12 (8:25/mi)
Total = 1:37:09
Overall = 103/367
AG = 18/47
Overall Pace = 4:45/mi

2011 Maple Grove Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yards) = 27:29 (1:44/100 yards)
T1 = 2:26
Bike (26mi) = 1:13:32 (21.2MPH)
T2 = 1:12
Run (6.2mi) = 50:15 (8:06/mi)
Total = 1:34:49
Overall = 44/216
AG = 9/33
Overall Pace = 4:41/mi

2010 Maple Grove Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yards) = 27:23 (1:43/100 yards)
T1 = 2:27
Bike (26mi) = 1:13:12 (21.3MPH)
T2 = 1:03
Run (6.2mi) = 52:49 (8:32/mi)
Total = 1:36:54
Overall = 31/167
AG = 3/22
Overall Pace = 4:44/mi

2013 Maple Grove Triathlon Race Report

This was the 4th year for the Maple Grove Triathlon, and it was my 4th year doing this triathlon. I have done this triathlon since the beginning, which is cool to say,  and every year I have done the Olympic\International distance.  The race is now owned by Lifetime.  Aside from the advertising, the race was run the same as always.
The bike is a little long for an Olympic distance race, at 26 miles, I am guessing that is why they labeled it as an "International Distance".  The swim was a little long this year too.......more about that later.
I was up early, as usual.  I went through my usual routine and got there pretty early, about 5ish, transition opens at 5AM, and got into transition by 5:30.  Long walk from parking to bike, and I was finishing my donut :)
In the past, you racked your bike by wave, anywhere you wanted on the rack for your wave.  This year, everyone was assigned a number.  Somehow, somehow, I lucked out and my number was on the end of a rack.  Hooray. 
I setup, chatted with some people, which is nice, as always, took some pictures, and wandered around.  I decided to go for a little ride, so I grabbed my bike and went to head out.  The night before I put new cleats on my shoes, see my race report from last weekend, and I was pretty sure I did it right.  I discovered I put my right cleat on backwards.  Lucky, I tend to check my stuff on race day.  I got a screwdriver and fixed it.  No problem. 
I was feeling ok this morning.  Not great, not super tired, just ok.  This race has a tough run, it is two loops, it can get really hot, and it is not flat.  So, not feeling fresh can be a bad thing.
I was in the 10th wave, which sounds like a long wait, but it was not.  They did waves, but with time trial start within each wave.  Two person side-by-side start. 
I started off well.  Sometimes it is hard for me to have a fast start with TT.  You don't get the same rush you get with a group wave start.  The TT does give you a little more room at the start, which is a nice trade-off.  The swim felt like it was going well, but it seemed like it was taking a long, long time.  When I got out, it had taken me 32+ minutes!  What!  The longest previously, here was 28 minutes, the last two years I was in the 27 minute range. I know, I know I was not swimming that much slower.  After the race I talked with people, we all agreed, it was long.  I overheard that someone with GPS on the swim said it was closer to 2000 yards, which is over a mile.  I think I let my swim time get to me a little during the race.  I was trying to shoot for a goal time, and I let the longer swim time get into my head a little. 
The transition run was longer this year, they changed the transition to make it more neutral.
While I was transitioning from the swim to the bike, a guy two bikes down from me started talking to me.  He asked if I was Chris Hawes, and when I responded yes, he told me his name and said we graduated from high school together.  Odd.
I got out on the bike and it did not feel too bad at first.  The wind was harsh, there were points I felt like I was not moving.  I am surprised my average speed was not worse.  I like the bike course, I think if there was little to know wind, it would be one of my fastest bikes of the year, but the wind is killer.  I tried a gel pack on the bike.  Not sure this was a great idea.  It didn't taste great going down and it felt ick in my stomach for a little while.  Luckily, the ick went away before the run.
As I was coming into the last half-mile or less of the bike I decide to start getting out of my shoes.  I reached down to undo the Velcro on my right shoe, and a massive ab cramp came.  I locked up a little, then I tried to stretch myself out a little.  Eventually, it went away enough for me to get out of my shoe.  I went to the left and it happened again, not as bad.  I did get out of both shoes and the cramps mostly passed by the time I had to dismount.  When you come into transition, from the bike, you  take a sharp right, go down a short and steep hill to the dismount line.  For some reason, people think they don't have to slow down.  A bunch of people passed me going into the right turn and down the hill.  When I got to the bottom there was about a 12-14 person cluster, with someone on the ground.  People need to learn that there are times it is ok to slow down. 
I came off the bike feeling ok.  I took it a little easy on the way out, partly because of the steep uphill on the way out.  They changed the run a little, since they now have the run going through the park on the second loop.  I felt about as good as I think I could feel, especially with the difficulty of this run.  I started the second loop, going up the hill through transition, and I could start to feel myself slow down.  About mile 4 it started to become the real mental challenge.  Just telling myself it was about 2 more miles, don't walk, keep running.  There are two tough hills near the end, and I did not want to walk them.  I ended up not walking, I was able to "run" them.  It definitely was not my fastest 10K, but it was not my slowest.  The water stops out there were lifesavers
It is amazing how this triathlon has grown, both in number and competition.  There was 62 people in my AG this year!  That is almost 3 times as many people as 2010.  The first year I got third in my AG, now I am not even close.  Everyone is soooooo fast now.
So, I had my slowest run and my slowest bike of the 4 years I have done this race.  I doubt it was my slowest swim.  I think my swim was probably about the same as previous years and close to what I have been swimming this year.  I really want to go under, it is actually a goal of mine, to go under 2.5 hours for an Olympic distance tri.  If I went 2 hours and 33 minutes, or so, I would hit that goal at Maple Grove, due to the long bike.  Even if you take out about 5 minutes for the swim, I wasn't even close.  That is somewhat disappointing.  But, the fact that I finished, and it wasn't too terrible, makes it ok.  At least by not going under 2.5 hours for an Olympic distance(ish) race I still have a goal to shoot for.  I think I will continue to do this race.  It is well run, mostly, and challenging.  They could make the racer post-race food and refreshment area a little larger and with some better shade.  It is a little crowded and they were out of some of the food.
This coming weekend, as usual, I am doing St. Croix Valley.  Last year I was my absolute worst race of the year.  I am not sure what happened, but I, for lack of better phrasing "shit the bed".  It was one of my worst races of all time.  I had nothing.  This is the race I have the best chance for going under 2.5 hours.  Not sure I can do it this year.  I am definitely going for better than last year.

2013 Maple Grove Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yards?) = 32:27 (2:03/100 yards)  - This was NOT 1.5Km (~0.9mi)!
T1 = 3:39
Bike (26mi) = 1:16:01 (20.6MPH, slowest bike split at this race)
T2 = 1:10
Run (6.2mi) = 54:05 (8:43/mi, slowest run split at this race)
Total = 1:47:47
Overall = 120/438
AG = 23/62
Overall Pace = 4:45/mi

2012 Maple Grove Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yards) = 28:26 (1:48/100 yards)
T1 = 1:57
Bike (26mi) = 1:13:14 (21.2MPH)
T2 = 0:54
Run (6.2mi) = 52:12 (8:25/mi)
Total = 1:37:09
Overall = 103/367
AG = 18/47
Overall Pace = 4:45/mi

2011 Maple Grove Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yards) = 27:29 (1:44/100 yards)
T1 = 2:26
Bike (26mi) = 1:13:32 (21.2MPH)
T2 = 1:12
Run (6.2mi) = 50:15 (8:06/mi)
Total = 1:34:49
Overall = 44/216
AG = 9/33
Overall Pace = 4:41/mi

2010 Maple Grove Triathlon Results
Swim (1640yards) = 27:23 (1:43/100 yards)
T1 = 2:27
Bike (26mi) = 1:13:12 (21.3MPH)
T2 = 1:03
Run (6.2mi) = 52:49 (8:32/mi)
Total = 1:36:54
Overall = 31/167
AG = 3/22
Overall Pace = 4:44/mi

Kerry Yndestad, Yndecam, took this picture of my ugly, ugly feet.  Enjoy!

 

Maple Grove Triathlon Results - Olympic Distance

The inaugural Maple Grove Triathlon was better than expected, especially for a first year triathlon. I would do this race again.

The toughest part of the day was the wind, it made the swim a little more difficult, and it made the bike a lot more difficult. The swim had some chop, but nothing I that could not be dealt with. On the bike, it was pretty brutal. With the wind to my back I ran out of gear on the bike, even in the flats, the wind was that strong. Going into the wind, or with some of the cross-winds, it felt like I was using everything I could do go forward. The bike course itself, is relatively flat and the road surface was great. I like the bike course and look foward to trying it again with less wind. I think it is a course I could PR on.

Back to the swim, I thought the swim layout was good, only issue is that when you make the last turn into shore the sun is right in your eyes. It required me to do a little breaststroke on a couple occasions to make sure I was coming in ok.

The transition area was probably the roomiest, and one of the nicest, I have been in all year. It was nearly the entire park parking lot and there was plenty of room. The bike out of transition is uphill, so coming in is downhill, and care is need coming in and out. Luckily, I had no traffic coming in or out, but I could see issues if there was traffic, especially with all the novice racers on the course.

The bike was interesting, the Olympic distance people went first, and I was in the 4th wave, and at the head of my wave. On the bike I was going back and forth with another guy, I passed some people in the first quarter of the course, after that I saw barely anyone until I got back onto the last portion that shared with the sprint. Once I got back on that part of the course, the sprint waves were out, so there was some traffic, not too bad.

Coming in from the bike, I made my first successful "flying dismount" and had my fast T2 in a triathlon, ever. I was out of T2 in 54 seconds. The "flying dismount" helped a lot.

On the way out of transition there is a significant hill to run up. There were also some decent uphills along the course. More than I expected, all of them doable. Once off the part of the course that was shared by both sprint and olympic, I was running by myself, for the most part. It was strange. Again, there was one guy I was going back and forth with. We cheered each other on a little bit. It was a good run for me, I ran hard, and it felt good to run after last week's 13.1 mile run/jog/walk at Pigman.

A number of people complained about the lack of signage or direction on the run and bike. Apparently people had missed turns. I had no real issue, when I came to a corner I was not sure of, I slowed down and confirmed. I looked at the map a couple of times and had a decent picture in my head of the course. It is the racer's responsibility to know the course.

The water stops and volunteers were great. There were people cheering along the course, which is always great. Jackie and her friend Sarah came and watched, which is always great.

To my surprise I finished 3rd in my age group. I admit, it was a weak field compared to other races, but every once in awhile you need a bone thrown to you. It is only my second podium finish (3rd AG at 2008 MinneMan) as individual, and 3rd ever (Also, 3rd relay finish at Cannon-Wells Duathlon in 2009). I have a picture of my 3rd place "trophy" posted above. It is a hand made pottery plate, nice trophy. I like it better than a medal.

It was a really good race day for me, possibly the best of the year.

I would definitely do this race again. I can find no glaring fault with the race. If it gets too big, then it might be problematic, the current size, maybe a little larger, is good. Maybe a little different food at the finish (cut oranges, watermelon, and some soda), and some more directions on the course, but now I would be nit-picking.

My goal was to go 2:35, I went about 2:37, I think without the wind I would have gone under 2:35.

2010 Maple Grove Triathlon "Olympic Distance" (Bike a little long for Oly) Race Results

Swim (0.9mi) = 28:26 (1:48/100yds), 2nd in AG to an Elite

T1 = 1:57

Bike (26 miles) = 1:13:14 (21.2MPH), 3rd in AG, again Elite was first

T2 = 0:54, this was FAST for me

Run (6.2mi) = 52:12 (8:25min/mi), fast for this year, and I happy with this, especially for the course

Total = 1:37:09

Overall = 31/167

AG = 3/22, 1st Place was an Elite. I got some hardware :)

Brian also has his comments on the race here - http://www.tundrat-zone.blogspot.com/

Maple Grove Triathlon Pre-Race Thoughts

I am not sure I have much to say, since this is the inaugural running of this race, and I am trying to keep my expectations in check. They limited the participants to 500, which I think is a good idea for a first year race. Also, there are no relays.
Brian, has a very good pre-race post at: http://tundrat-zone.blogspot.com/2010/08/race-preview-maple-grove-triathlon.html
I agree with his comments. They seem be talking this race up a lot, especially for a first year race. Hopefully they can keep up with thier hype.
There is an Olympic distance and a Sprint Distance race. I am doing the Oly and I am feeling really good. I will throw out an estimated result.
Let's assume I have the best Oly of my life, I PR this race - 2:35, I think this is realistic. Fast, but realistic. I feel good this week, so I think a PR is possible. I think I can pull off the swim and the bike, it will hinge on the run. If I can run 6.2 in 50minutes or less I can probably pull out a 2:30ish Oly. If I did that it would be huge.
As usual, I just have to race my race.