The Ingolstadt Triathlon!

Sunday, June 13, was the big day - I was going to try and finish my first Olympic distance triathlon. I was not really sure I still wanted to do it, because a week prior I went out to the lake for a test swim and this is what I found:

It was beyond gross. Duck poop, stuff from the trees and other things I did not dare look closely at covered the water. And not just close to the shore - everywhere. I went in - very reluctantly.

The lake is so shallow that I could almost always see to the bottom - and what I saw in the murky green waters did not make me feel any better. I was VERY happy most of my body was covered by my neoprene wetsuit, but putting my face in the water took real effort. Sometimes I just couldn't do it and had to flip on my back to catch my breath. I swam about 200m, then gave up and headed back to shore.
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So for a full week I was wondering what I had gotten myself into. Maybe I should stick to pool triathlons? And having seen the buyos made me realize just how long 1.5k (roughly a mile) is if you have to swim that distance. A few months ago all I could do was a rather unorthodox version of breast stroke (for, like, a length or two) and now I was going to try THIS? Why had I changed my registration from the sprint distance to Olympic?! I was happy I would be wearing my wetsuit to help me float a bit better. I figured if I became too exhausted I would flip on my back and just drift a bit.

Then my sister Ulli said she would be coming to Ingolstadt to cheer me on. Great, now I really had to do this. :)

So the five of us headed out to the Ingolstadt Baggersee yesterday morning. The swim was to be in the lake, then we'd get our bikes from the transition area, bike 20km to the turning point and head back to the lake (so 40k/25miles total), then run two laps around the lake (10.4k/6.5miles).

Ulli would help Neil take care of the kids, which was greatly appreciated. After all, I figured it would take me at least 3.5 hours to finish - IF I could survive the swim :) . Here we are on the parking lot, Finn hugging the vuvuzuela (in the Swiss colours) Ulli brought. He figured out how to play on it right away, and it's not all that easy! (Note I am carrying my bag with my lifesaver: my wetsuit!)

Then we got to the lake and Ulli said how proud she was of me for doing this. She said, "Look at all those muscle-covered athletes with their professional equipment - and then there's YOU." Um, thanks. You know, people like these:

And then: me. With my cheerleader, Ulli. :)

But then, the real shocker. The lake was declared 0.7 degrees too warm. Too warm for wetsuits, that is. NO wetsuits allowed. Aaaah!
Oh well, it couldn't be helped. Upward and onward. As Ulli said, at least I wouldn't have to take it off after the swim and would save a minute or two that way. (Right. As if it mattered.)



My group of about 200 starters got ready and off we went. I stayed at the back so I wouldn't get run over. The water was actually a lot cleaner than a week before, and the swim wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. I only got kicked a couple times and swallowed some water, but I actually quite enjoyed the swim! While a few people from the next group passed me (they started 10 minutes after we did), I wasn't the slowest swimmer in my group either. The swim took me about 35 minutes.


Here is a cool aerial pic of the swim. The start is hidden behind the metal bar, it's in the top right corner of the picture (you can click on it to enlarge). We swam from the top right to the buoy in the middle of the lake, then down to the buoy on the bottom where you can see the swimmers, then to the buoy in the top left corner of the picture and back to the right. The finish was where the big yellow arch is.

Then came the bike ride. I heard a few comments on my bike when I passed by-standers. As far as I could tell I was the only one doing the Olympic distance who didn't ride a racing or triathlon bike. I loved the bike ride - the roads were closed off and people cheered us on, especially me on my "slow bike". Even a few other athletes did. Needless to say, I had the slowest bike time of all the women. Still, I biked a faster average than usual, despite the hilly route: 27kph. (My usual average is 25kph.) The bike ride took me about 1:30h.

Then I was back in the transition area, put on my running shoes and off I went - right into the first portable toilet I spotted along the race course. :) I decided not to follow the advice I got in the transition area when I asked a race volunteer about a bathroom: "Just let it run..."

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When I ran out of the port-a-loo I almost knocked over my family who happened to be waiting right in front of it looking to the right in the hopes of spotting me. They were quite surprised when I suddenly came up from behind.

I didn't really "race" the 10.4k, but picked a pace that was still reasonably comfortable. My legs were getting a bit tired, but overall I felt good! The best part was when I spotted Neil, Ulli and the kids about 150m away from the finish line, waiting for me. I got to jog the last
100m with Finn, and for a bit Neil and Lily joined us. I wasn't sure if I would be allowed to cross the finish line with Finn in tow, so I let go of his hand before I reached the red carpet leading up to the finish. The run took me about 56 minutes.

After the race.

My total time was 3:15:11. That includes the transitions (they were not timed separately so I don't actually know how long they took me), and of course my bathroom stop. Overall I am really happy about how it went. I was healthy, I felt good, the weather was perfect (not too hot, not rainy), I didn't have a flat tire or took a tumble with my bike. I came in 65th of the 69 women, mostly due to my bike time (and I didn't exactly hurry through the transitions either). My swim and run time I was actually quite happy with. Right now I don't think I will do another Olympic distance on my cross bike, as I said to Neil, it's a bit like entering a horse race with a donkey. I'll stick to the sprint distance for now, work on my swimming, and keep my eyes open for a used racing or triathlon bike.

But not this week. This week I am taking it easy. :)