Thursday, November 26, 2015

Race Report National Aquathlon Championship


" A bad attitude is like a flat tire, unless you change it you aren't going anywhere."- Denzel Washington


Aquahtlon National Championship, 2015

I did not have much time to think about the bad race I had in Chicago, on October 4th I particpated in the Aquathlon National Championship in El Reno, Oklahoma. I would be competing as an age group athlete with another chance to make Team USA and a slot at the World Champsionship in Cozumel.
This is the second year the race was in El Reno, Last year they set the record for the largest Aquathlon ever contested on US soil.  

I flew into Dallas to meet up with my brother. It was great to have him for the drive and for the race. I usually don't have anyone cheering for me. He is always up for a local adventure. I had read about a local diner called Sid's. Their onion burger made a yahoo list of top burgers in the US.  This was a local spot with four tables and six seats at the counter. The service was fast and friendly. The food was awesom.

Sid's Onion Burger

For a national championship event, it is pretty low key. Pretty much like any local race. THe nice thing is you are assigned a rack position by gender and age group. After doing this race last year and the race in Chicago I have made several friends. It was fun to see them and talk about going to the World Championship in Cozumel.

Here is a map of the lake where the 1600 meter swim would take place. Open water swims of this distance are now a piece of cake.


A 10 K run was next and it was fun to see my brother on the course taking pictures. It was two loops of a really flat course. I wish I was faster. I used to be able to cover this distance so much faster when I was running marathons.

The entire race went really well. It was a really different experience from Chicago.  I finished first in the Phyically Challenged Open division and qualified for Team USA and a slot in the World Championship race in Cozumel Mexico in September.  Thanks to the folks in El Reno, here is just some of the race swag I picked up from this race.




*************
Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com

Chris is a triathlete and long distance runner. She is a three time participant of the Boston Marathon.  In 2012 she finished 2nd at Boston in the Mobility Impaired Division. She was on the course in 2013 when the bombs exploded.

She has appeared three times at the Paratriathlon National Triathlon Sprint Championship. She was the 2012 and 2014 National Champion Paratriathlon Open Division Champion.

In 2014 she was the PC Open Champion at the Duathlon National Championship. She has qualified to represent Team USA at the Aquathon ITU World Championship in Chicago in 2015.  

 In 2014 she represented  the U.S. as a paratriathlete at the Pan-American Triathlon Championship in Dallas, Texas.

She travels around the country raising awareness of CMT.

She is the author of the book, “Running for My Life” that details her experience as a CMT affected athlete.

You may visit her author page at:
http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Wodke/e/B00IJ02HX6


Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have 1756 members in 31 states. We also have members in Australia, England,Scotland, Canada, Vietnam, Turkey, Finland, Scotland, France and Iran. If you wish to join us visit our web site; www.run4cmt.com or www.hnf-cure.org


CMT or Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy. It affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS).  It is a disease of the nerves that control the muscles. It is slowly progressive, causing loss of normal function and or sensation in the lower legs/feet and arms/hands.

Symptoms include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet leading to foot drop, poor balance and gait problems Atrophy in the hands causes difficulty with manual dexterity.

Structural foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes are common.

Poor tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have chronically cold hands and feet.

Additional symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing difficulties and hearing loss.

Additional Link
Follow CMT affected Paratriathlete Timmy Dixon
http://cmtamputee.wordpress.com/

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