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Miyakojima, one of the southern-most islands of Okinawa and self-proclaimed “Triathlon Island” hosted a lovely race this past weekend. Miyakojima has ocean like a postcard from Bora Bora, the kindest people I have met anywhere, and some great, empty roads for riding! The race is not quite a full-distance tri - the swim is 3K, the bike 155K and the run 42K. Each year about 5000 people, mostly residents of Japan, apply for 1500 bibs. The population of Miyakojima is only 56,000 and I have no doubt every single resident was out on Sunday, whether it be racing, volunteering or just cheering us all on with “Waido!” & “Gumbate!” - loosely translated Waido is “you can do it” and Gumbate is “go giant blonde girl” or something like that.

This was my second go at a long distance triathlon, and apparently I still have a lot to learn. See race rundown for details:

The swim was a mass start, wetsuit legal in 23 degree C water. It was brutal! I was scared for my life. But I came out alive in 47 minutes, in 5th place among the women, with a bloody mouth and my first wetsuit swim accomplished.

The bike course took us around the island 1.5 times, and across two bridges onto nearby islands. The headwinds and rolling hills made it challenging in places, but the scenery was gorgeous. With 140K down and only 15K to go, I got dizzy and my vision started tunnelling and I suddenly knew the meaning of the word ‘bonk.’ I stumbled (literally) into T2 and ate everything I could get my hands on. I had bumped up two places into third while out on my speedy red Trek, but was unsure that I was going to be able to run in my dizzy state. I vaguely remember being unable to focus on the RD’s face and wondering aloud to him if he was going to find my body on the side of the road somewhere out there.

The out & back marathon took us through the center of the island - downhill on our way out and then on back up. I spent the first 10K jogging, eating, getting my vision back and trying to stay cool in the extreme heat/humidity. Somehow I recovered enough to see straight, but I was still focused on my health and not feeling at all competitive. At the turn around I checked my watch and realized I had managed to maintain the 4 min deficit I had on the leaders at T2. My roommate, German superstar Silvi Czaika, informed me at 25K that I was only 2 min back and that the leaders, Japanese pros Emi Shiono & Naomi Iwaizumi, were running side by side and ’struggling’ and to GO GET THEM! At the top of a long hill near the 30K marker I caught a glimpse of the press car lights - just the motivation I needed to pick up the pace. At 35K I rounded a corner to find them less than 800m up. I passed with 5K to go as fast as I could and then just held on for dear life. Naomi, an incredible athlete and IM Korea champ, chased me for 2K before falling back, and then Emi, the defending Strongman champ, made a go as well. By now we were climbing towards the stadium where the race finished and I was playing every mind game I could come up with to hold the pace.. all the while cursing myself for passing too early and being stuck with this ungodly pace for an entire 5K.

In the end it paid off and I won, eeking out a 3:23 marathon, a little better than the 6-hour deathmarch I was envisioning when I left T2! Total race time was 8:44 and change, with Emi coming in 1:10 back and Naomi another minute behind her for third.

The Miyakojimans know how to celebrate. The party was awesome and I made many new friends. I was given a return trip as a prize, among other great gifts, and will certainly go back to do it again next year. If any of you are considering a long race that’s off the beaten path, I can’t recommend Strongman Japan enough. I met wonderful athletes from Germany, Austria and Australia, and look forward to seeing Emi & Naomi in Kona this year - they were so much fun.

I have also decided that earthquakes are lucky - we had a rocking 6.0 centered in Miyakojima two days prior to the race while sitting in the mayor’s office on the 5th floor of a building of questionable engineering. Very exciting!

~rr

I have a little race report. Mostly I just need an excuse to post a photo for the girls of Team Timex. While many of our superstars were out racing Arizona today - Juli Fiocca finished her first in under 11 hours! - I was doing a teensy 57-minute sprint in Lanikai, on the windward side of Oahu. My new TTX sealed the win, only 9 men beat me today and the Bachelor wasn’t one of them:

Ummm…err, what was I talking about? Oh yes, I also wanted to review the Blue Seventy Helix. In preparation for my first wetsuit-legal race this Sunday in Japan, I was instructed by my coach to get familiar with my wetsuit. Blue Seventy rocks! For the first time in my life I got in the water and didn’t sink like a brick. Here are a couple of pics of my wetsuit and I getting acquainted, working up to actually swimming..

Seriously - the Helix fits like a glove and I actually feel like a person who swims somewhat efficiently while wearing it, making me wonder if maybe it’s magic? I may have to move to a cooler climate just so I can wear it all the time. Thank you Ben B. & Blue Seventy!

Congratulations to everyone who raced today in Arizona - can’t wait for some race reports!

~rachel

A group of athletes that compete in an individual sport, often against one another, gathered for Team Timex Camp last weekend, proving over a period of four days that “triathlon team” is not an oxymoron. Over the course of Camp, we became experts on our sponsors’ products and learned about nutrition, injury prevention, aerodynamics and more. But just as importantly, we became confidants, cheerleaders and friends. Yes, it’s hideously cheesy, but someone has to say it. This year I will be hitting refresh at countless race web sites to see how my new friends fare. And instead of waving to some guy I’ve never met in a jersey that matches mine out on the course at my races, I will know my teammates’ faces and race goals, and I’ll support them by name.

In addition to the hoards of specs and tips offered by our presenters, here are a few other bits I picked up at camp:

• The mechanics aren’t going to hand over “the thing that attaches that thing to the other thing” until you figure out the correct name for it. Charades don’t work either.
• Immodium stock might be a good addition to one’s portfolio.
• Jordan Rapp is likely a genius. A confident one. In a pink visor.
• Ukranian athletes don’t approve of O’Douls.
• The white, skinny dog in the road is a coyote. Were it alive, it might be dangerous.
• Many of our incredible athletes have babies. And some of our incredible athletes look like babies.
• Two triathletes in one hotel room for four days = stuff explosion.
• There are 20 million people in the greater Mexico City area, making outdoor cycling difficult.
• According to the folks at Trek, a 5 mm spacer is preferable to no spacer at all. Bonus info: the spacer is the ring-shaped thing that goes between the thing and the other thing.
• Our olympic swimming champ is a 6’3” goddess, so I can never use “long, heavy legs” as an excuse for poor swimming performances again.

Thank you, everyone, for a wonderful start to the season.