Beach 2 Battleship

Yes, I am a little slow in posting this.  Day late and dollar short - that's me.  Anyway, I did want to give a review of the Beach 2 Battleship iron distance race on November 7th and give congratulations to all who competed, especially those that did their first iron distance race.

The day dawned COLD as...  Let's just say it was cold.  The race starts with a brisk swim in the Intracoastal Waterway.  The iron distance event (there is also a half iron distance race that starts about an hour later) starts at the South end of Wrightsville Beach, just past the Coast Guard Station.  The air was cold enough that the 67 degree water felt good and believe it or not, some people were nuts enough to go without wetsuits!  Can you spell hypothermia boys and girls?  

Anyway, the swim is with the tide and is FAST.  I did the swim and was amazed how quickly Harbor Island zipped by!  A new record was set this year (0:39:49 for 2.4 miles) by Todd Pletcher, beating Matt Wisthoff's record by 10 seconds.  

The swim ends at the Seapath Yacht Club (just like the Wilmington YMCA Triathlon) with the first transition area across the street in the field near the WB municipal buildings.  

     

Dale Lamb Doing a Great Job Representing the WFD

The bike course leaves Wrightsville Beach and heads out I-140, up 210, down 41, and finally  back to Wilmington on Hwy 421.  Reports were a tailwind right up to the point you headed home on 421, when you encountered about 40 miles of headwind.  I rode up 421 for 30 miles +/- cheering people on (yes, I was the guy going the wrong way) and stopping to offer a tube, a CO2, or anything else I might have to anyone that might need something.  When I finally turned around to head back to Wilmington, I was glad I didn't have the extra 50 miles on my legs that the competitors did.  That headwind made itself known pretty quickly and you were in it right up to the point you reached the Battleship.      

DJ Spricigo Proving That Manual Labor Counts as a Taper

Ahh, the run.  That wonderful part of the race we all look forward to.  The B2B run course was revised this year to only tie up one of the bridges into Wilmington.  Runners leave the 2nd transition area at the Battleship and head up 421 to the Elizabeth Holmes Bridge and into Wilmington.  The run fairly closely mimics the first half of the Battleship NC 1/2 Marathon (see previous post), but has a turn around halfway around Greenfield Lake.  This loop is done twice to get the required 26.2 miles.  

Famous for Dominating His Age Group in a Run Earlier This Summer, Mike Jones Attacks the B2B Course

It is always interesting for me to see the changes that take place over the run in an iron distance race.  Some people make it halfway through and look like the walking dead.  Others look great only to be forced to dig deep within themselves as the final miles unfold.  Meanwhile, there are always those that look fine all the way through.  I was really impressed to see my friends and training partners falling into the last category.  You guys may have felt like collapsing, but you did a great job putting your game face on.

Brian Moxey Knowing He Has Another "Uncrustable" in His Special Needs Bag

Again, congratulations to all the finishers and especially to the first timers out there:

John Holbrook

Mike Jones

Dale Lamb

Brian Moxey

DJ Spricigo

Sorry if I missed anyone, it was not intentional.

John Holbrook Proving He's Not A Crook

A big congratulations also goes to John Holbrook for not only completing his first iron distance race, but doing it in 10:25:46 - placing 3rd in men 45-49.  Great job John!

This Weekend

First things first, (i.e. running) - Doing 20ish miles this Sunday morning.  Anyone interested let me know!


I know there will be several people not up for anything but some rest come Sunday.  


GOOD LUCK to everyone competing in B2B this weekend.  I have had the pleasure of sharing plenty of training time with you B2Bers and now is the time to go for it.  Sell it out guys!  You have all off season to recover.  


We'll be out there cheering for you (after I do the swim and have some hot coffee)!!!

Battleship Half Marathon Report

Battleship North Carolina

The Battleship North Carolina Half Marathon was Sunday.  I find the half marathon to be a great distance; it is long enough that you need to do some training, but short enough that it is a reachable goal for most people.  That said, last weekend also rewarded those that don't mind heat and humidity.  

I had a long run on the schedule, so I decided to get started with a 2 mile warm up by running from the house to downtown Wilmington for the race.  I knew hydration would be important when I was already pretty sweaty after just 2 easy miles.  I got to the Battleship about an hour early (yes, we forgot to switch the clocks in our house) and went on a mission to find water.

Who Hangs Out With People Like These?

The race started at about 8:00 with a 5K leaving 10 minutes later.  The race takes you out the access road to the Battleship NC and up Hwy 421 to the Elizabeth Holmes Bridge.  You then run through historic downtown Wilmington (love the cobblestone and brick streets) and out to Greenfield Lake.  A lap of the lake and you head back to the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, up 421 for under 1 mile, and back to the Battleship.  

Christine Carmine Enjoying Downtown Wilmington

Every year, they warn the runners to be careful on the bridges and every year at least one person shows up bloodied.  The decking gets slippery and it is basically jagged metal.  This year you also had the danger of heat and humidity.  Several people collapsed on course from dehydration and heat exhaustion during the race.  It is amazing how quickly the body forgets summer and adapts to the cooler weather that had been prevailing (right up until race day).  

Luckily, I generally like hot and humid weather, especially when the alternative is being cold.  So, my biggest problem was legs worn out from training for IM AZ.  However, I sucked it up and managed a pretty good race, winning the 30-34 men and managing 10th overall.    

Heading Into the Finish

The best part of the winning the age group was the award.  Ed Fore managed to get Kids Making It to engrave pieces of teak from the original deck of the Battleship North Carolina as the trophies.  It really means a lot to me to have that piece of history.  That little piece of wood went around the world over 60 years ago helping my grandparent's generation to defend our country, our freedom, and our way of life.  God bless those that served our country then and continue to do so today.   

I would like to thank Katie Wagner for all the pictures in this post.  Not only did we forget to change the clocks, but also left the camera at home.  Luckily we can always count on Katie to have hers!  Thanks Katie!!  

Also, thanks to Ed Fore for putting on another great race.