Cap Tex and Combat Triathlons

It was a busy weekend for Finish Strong athletes with multiple races taking place. In addition to my race up in Arkansas (see story below), others raced at Cap Tex (Olympic and Sprint distance race in Austin) and Combat Sprint (a pool swim sprint tri in Texas City).

Casey Clark and Jim Harrington raced the Olympic in Austin. Casey had the 67th fastest run (out of 1327 competitors) on his way to a 2:23:42 finishing time. Jim had a solid bike (142nd out of 1327) to clock a 2:26:40.

In the Sprint race, Lisa Tilton-McCarthy won her age group with the help of a blistering 21:59 5k which was the 29th fastest run (males included)!

At the Combat Sprint tri, Hannah Barron won the girls 14 and under title and her sister, Katherine placed 3rd. Lane Barron finish 3rd in the boys 14 and under. Lane, who is 10 years old, was 140th overall out of 275 competitors. Carolyn Barron (mom) had to work hard to say ahead of Hannah. Carolyn continues ti improve with each race.

Kent Morris was 5th in his AG (45-49) and 42nd overall while David Holsey was 4th in the 60-64 AG and 91st overall.

For those contemplating their first tri, the Combat Sprint with it's time-trial-start pool swim is an excellent race.

Du for the Parks

It was a much longer drive up to Hot Springs, Arkansas than what I had expected but with the whole family along for the trip the time I didn't mind too much. This was our first time to Hot Springs and we wish we could have spent more time there. Scenic with lots of things to do if you liked being outside.

We made the trip so I could race the Du for the Parks which was the Arkansas State Championship race this year. The race course (2 mile run/12 mile bike/2 miles run) is rather scenic but it was raining and the course was slick. The goal for the day was to stay up right!

There was a lot of good competition on the start line and the first run started very fast. I was about 6th off the run in 11:34. Jim Griffis, also from The Woodlands, ad a good first run but slip coming into T1 and crashed into a barrier (see "slick course" statement above!). Out on the bike, the leader crashed going into the first high speed turn and that seemed to slow all of the lead group. On the out and back rolling course it was hard to get into a good rhythm but I was able to work my way up into a loose group of 4 riders. A young man from Tulsa was off the front and riding well. A quick transition got me on the second run with 3 others who had all out run me on the first run. I settled into a good pace but about 1/2 mile into the run I knew I had to do something as I was running 4th along side one with the other 2 about 20 yards up the road. I put in a surge but the guy stayed with me so I put in a second surge and broke him. I bridged up to the other two and kept on going hard. Todd Hink held on for a while but I could tell he was working hard so I kept the pressure on. I guess that I was running sub 5:30 pace during this time. Todd fell off just before the turn around and then I just did what was needed to stay comfortably ahead of him and the others (as you can tell by the picture of me looking over my shoulder!). I finished 2nd overall a little over a minute out of first place.

It was a good, competitive race which I like. And it was a very nice venue, one I would like to come back to. Especially if it's a nice sunny and dry day!

Silverlake Sprint Tri

The Silverlake Sprint Triathlon is held in west Pearland on the south side of Houston and has become a popular early season sprint race. The bike is fairly technical with lot's of turns and if you are not paying attention, you can easily bike off course as a few did this year.

Leading the charge for Finish Strong coached athletes was Tim Monk who finished 2nd overall and easily won his AG. Marshall McInnis was having a solid race before he, and others around him, rode off course (no volunteers at the corner). He still placed a respectable 13th in his AG. David Holsey won the 60-64 AG using a strong bike and run.

The Barron family once again did a great job! Lane (10 years of age) clocked a 1:07:06 placing 4th in the 10-14 AG while sisters Hannah and Katherine placed 2nd and 3rd respectively in the girls 10-14 AG. And Carolyn (mom) continues to improve with each race, finishing 9th in the ever competitive 40-44 AG.

Tri Girl Super Sprint Triathlon

Finish Strong coached athletes Carloyn, Katherine and Hannah Barron participated in the Tri Girls Super Sprint triathlon on May 10 in Houston.

Hannah had a super strong swim beating both her mom and older sister out of the water. Carolyn's average speed of 19.4 mph on the bike was a personal best. Katherine raced well on her new tri bike averaging 19.2 mph and also had some fast transitions!

The Barron girls took home a lot of hardware! In the 10 - 14 age group Hannah placed 3rd beating out her older sister by a mere 8/10th's of a second. Carolyn placed 5th out of 53 in her age group to make it to the podium. Additionally, Carolyn and Hannah placed 1st in the Mother Daughter race category. What a great way to start out Mother's Day!

CB and I Sprint Triathlon

It was another great day for Finish Strong Coached athletes and coaches! Nine finished on the podium and 5 placed in the top 10 out of 944 participants. In all, 22 Finish Strong athletes participated in the the race.

First Place in Age Group

• Tim Monk, 35-39, 7th overall
• Ed York, 45-49, 9th overall
• Mike Bard, under 40 Clydesdale
  

Second in Age Group

Richard Mac Namee, 40-44, 5th overall

Tom Schwarzkopf, 45-49, 15th overall

Third in Age Group

Jm Harrington 45-49 19th overall

Rodrigo Abascal 15-19 58th overall

First Female Overall

• Michelle LeBlanc 2nd overall

First Master

• Dana Lyons 3rd overall
  

In the 45-49 age group, Finish Strong athletes also placed 4th and 5th.