Karyn Eminem provided a great update on the NETT B teamers at the Mass State Triathalon in Winchendon. Here's her update:
Our Team #1, doing an Olympic distance, was composed of Eri-the-Fish Verter, Doctor Ron, and our very own poet athlete, Jean Dany.
It took The Fish almost as long to get into his wet suit as it did to swim the 3/4 of a mile, but he did it with such speed that he literally almost fainted when he got out of the water. Doctor Ron took over on the bike leg and took off for his second-ever race and his first time riding 25 miles. He re-emerged about 80 minutes later, sprinting into the finish chute -- the onl
y athlete carrying his bike instead of rolling it. Jean Dany took off on the run so quickly we barely saw him speed by, and he passed almost EVERY athlete on the course, finishing in about 40 minutes, despite the 90-degree heat. The effort earned the team 3rd place in the male Olympic relay.
Team 2
was composed of resident musician Daniel (or DMM as his friends call him), running, and two non-NETT women biking and swimming. Daniel (who's been concentrating more on music than running of late) confessed that he started slowly, until some guy came by and said "Hey, I'm in the relay too" at which point he took off and ran the second half of the race minutes faster than the first half-- passing half a dozen people in the last quarter mile (which looked great!) That effort earned his team a 3rd place in the Mixed Sprint Relay.
I was the final athlete in the NETT roster. My swim went surprisingly smoothly. Somehow I didn't have to vie for a clear corridor. So I didn't make any stops at all along the way and felt great at the finish. My transition was slow (how do people do it so quickly????). I couldn't get my socks on my wet feet and started heading out without a helmet (oops) and headed back for it. Once I was on the bike I realized how hot it was, and also how hilly. I got passed a fair amount on the flat and downhill portions, but passed literally a dozen people on the first 1.2-mile-long hill (okay...some of them re-passed me later) and half a dozen people on the second long hill. So I wasn't disappointed. W
hat I had forgotten is how hard it is to actually run when you get off a bike. Yowch! The run was fine -- I didn't set any personal records, but I didn't get passed either, and had some satisfaction running by nearly every woman who had sped by me on the hills. I think my time was in the mid 23's (haven't seen the official breakdown yet). I came 5th in my age group, satisfied by the effort and humbled by how talented real triathletes are.
It was a great day and we missed the NETT'ers who weren't there!
The Mini Ponies ran, biked, walked and did everything we could to burn a few calories before indulging in t
he First Annual (I hope!) NETT Brunch and Ice Cream party. One group rode their bikes while another ran the Battle Road all in the name of ice cream.
y athlete carrying his bike instead of rolling it. Jean Dany took off on the run so quickly we barely saw him speed by, and he passed almost EVERY athlete on the course, finishing in about 40 minutes, despite the 90-degree heat. The effort earned the team 3rd place in the male Olympic relay.
was composed of resident musician Daniel (or DMM as his friends call him), running, and two non-NETT women biking and swimming. Daniel (who's been concentrating more on music than running of late) confessed that he started slowly, until some guy came by and said "Hey, I'm in the relay too" at which point he took off and ran the second half of the race minutes faster than the first half-- passing half a dozen people in the last quarter mile (which looked great!) That effort earned his team a 3rd place in the Mixed Sprint Relay.
hat I had forgotten is how hard it is to actually run when you get off a bike. Yowch! The run was fine -- I didn't set any personal records, but I didn't get passed either, and had some satisfaction running by nearly every woman who had sped by me on the hills. I think my time was in the mid 23's (haven't seen the official breakdown yet). I came 5th in my age group, satisfied by the effort and humbled by how talented real triathletes are.
