Lake Country Triathlon- A Disappointing Day

"If it was easy they would call it golf." - unknown

There are lots of reasons why I choose a particular race. There are usually lots of options for racing here in Milwaukee.  I did the Lake Country Triathlon on August 12th. I could have gone to Omaha and raced at USAT Age Group Nationals. It was tempting since I had friends racing and I qualified for the Olympic race.

Iron Girl was also the same weekend. I've done the course for Iron Girl several times in other races. Lake Country would be a new race and new course for me.  I signed up for the Olympic to get some practice doing a longer open water swim. The bike distance of 26 miles and run of 6 miles were pretty much the distances I need to cover on my training plan. Plus the race organizer was the same company that had done the Beer Garden 5 K series I had just finished. They were fun and well organized so I was looking forward to this event.

Plus I noticed last year there was no one in my age group in the Olympic. I was looking forward to a top three finish since I have not finished in the top three in a triathlon since May.

The first piece of bad news came the afternoon before the race. The swim was cancelled due to high bacteria in the water. I was disappointed, but knew it was a good decision by the race organizers.

I got to transition early and set up.  I went for a warm-up run since there would be no warm up swim. I noticed a line of porta potties at the beach but only two in transition for 600 athletes.

The line was so long there was no way to visit them before the race started.  Athletes lined up on their bikes two at a time for a time trial bike start. I was with all athletes doing the Olympic distance.

About 5 minutes into the race I had to stop and visit the bushes to answer the call of nature. I never do that in a race, but knew I could not last 26 miles.

I followed all the other athletes on the bike leg.  I passed many and was passed by few. I was having a great bike leg. I would average about 18 mph.  I kept looking for a sign where the sprint and olympic courses split. I never saw it and after 16 miles was back in tranisiton. I had done the sprint race. Even after looking at the course map, I do not see where they split. I emailed the race director to tell them they need to mark the course better and get a volunteer out there.

There may have been pre-race instructions, but the race announcer was set up over by the beach and could not be heard over in transition.

Because of this I dropped down to the sprint race and did the 5 K run loop instead of the 10 K. I visited the timing truck at the finish line to let the timers know I  had switched.  There were three women in my age group, but only one finished the Olympic course. So I may not be the only athlete that had to change races.

I would have gotten a medal and more importantly got in some much needed training. I had to do a long bike the next day to make up for the miles I missed.  I still have a couple of triathlons on my race schedule. I will have a chance to redeem myself in a couple of weeks.
And next year I will probably choose a different race.

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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 and at the Aqua bike National Championship in 2016. She represented Team USA at the Aquathon ITU World Championship in Chicago in 2015 and at the World championship in Cozumel in 2016.  

 In 2014 she represented the U.S. as a paratriathlete at the Pan-American Triathlon Championship in Dallas, Texas.  She has won state championships in cycling and triathlon as a senior Olympian. In 2017 she placed 2^nd in her age group at the Winter Triathlon National Championship, earning a spot on Team USA for the World Champsionship.

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.

http://www.henschelhausbooks.com/catalog/memoir-biography/215-running-for-my-life-winning-for-cmt-9781595982827.html

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 215 members in 38 states. We also have members in Australia, England, Scotland, Canada, Vietnam, Turkey, Finland, Scotland, France, Poland, Iran, Norway, Sweden and Ireland. 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/

Follow CMT Author Chris Steinke
https://cmtandmesite.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/what-is-charcot-marie-tooth-disease/

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