2007
World Duathlon
Championships
Richmond Virginia
Sunday,
October 21st marked the day of the first Duathlon Long
Distance World Championships on United States’ soil. It was a
spectacular day and a very well run event. Four hundred and
seventy-five athletes from 25 countries qualified in their home
countries to race the Long Distance Duathlon World Championships’
9.2 mile run, 49 mile bike, and 4.6 run course through the streets
of Richmond Virginia.
Since 1993, I
have had a goal to finish in the top 10 of the World Duathlon
Championships. My only prior WC attempt was in 2003, when I
qualified for Team USA in the 45-49 age group, traveled to
Switzerland, and finished 28th. Since 2003 I have run
3,500 miles and ridden 23,000 miles in hopes of the Top 10 finish.
The WC race
course was scenic but very difficult. I was able to do one recon of
the run course and one recon of the ride course prior to the race
but due to heavy traffic it was impossible to ride the course at
race day speeds. The number of turns, bridges, cross walks, lane
changes, etc was daunting. We racers knew this was a technical
course favoring criterium racers over roadies.
The first run was
9.2 miles; some on a dirt path, then on a road, then over a James
River bridge (the Mayo), then city streets to the River walkway and
back to the transition area. We did this 4.6 mile loop twice on the
first run. There were only two minor hills to deal with so the run
was pretty straight forward. I entered the transition area in 11th
place in my age group. The bike course was not “big guy friendly”
and I am considered a “big guy”. The course was four laps of 12
miles. Each lap contained three long bridge crossings (with
expansion joints that punctured a dozen racers’ tires) and city
streets with 30 turns of 90 degrees or more. This meant 120 total
turns in 48 miles.
The temperature
increased to 75 degrees during the ride segment making hydration a
key to finishing the race without cramps. I completed the bike
segment in 2 hours and 15 minutes, re-entering the transition area
in 7th place in my age group. Overall, my bike leg
averaged 20.9 mph and was 72nd out of 475 competitors.
The second run
was one circuit of the previous run course. It was, as they all
are, very painful. It took half of my energy reserves to physically
propel myself forward; the other half to concentrate on relaxing,
fending off cramps, seeking secure foot placement on the
cobblestones, etc. I completed the second run in 34:43 (7:27 pace)
which was 10th in my age group and 106th
overall.
I crossed the
finish line in 8th place in my age group and 90th
overall and I am pleased with both results. A top 10 finish amongst
this level of committed athletes is very rewarding. Victory, or
medaling would be nice but most of the competitors at these World
Championships considered qualifying for this event to be the
victory and representing their country to be the primary award.
There was very little “coulda, woulda, shoulda” post race talk and
excuses by the partcipants. Instead, there were a whole lot of
sincere and genuine congratulations being shared amongst teammates
and competitors alike. It was a beautiful moment, and for me, the
icing on this cake was that Sara, and son Charlie, were there to
share the experience.
At the starting
line, I dedicated this World Championship race to my wonderful wife
Sara for all the tolerance and support she has given me over the
past 15 years of my racing and training. It may sound corny to
some, but I truly feel like a world champion everyday by being
married to her.
Finally, this
race was different in another way, too. I prayed three times during
this race; and none of those prayers were to go faster! They
were all prayers of thanksgiving for possessing the ability, skills,
circumstances and support (family, friends, SIMRT teammates, and
business associates) to be able to compete at this level.
And, now on to a
new chapter…..I wonder what it will be…..
Duathlon National
Championships 2007
Wow,
what a day. The weather was perfect; 59 degrees for the first run
(5.1 miles), 63 degrees for the bike (38 miles) and 69
degrees for the 2nd run (5.1 miles).
I aged up to the
50-54 group this year. For fifteen years it has been a goal of mine
to medal in the Nationals Championships. I figured this year would
be my best chance. Interestingly, my age group is an anomaly
because it is a big bubble of athletes moving through the Duathlon
age group ranks. It has been one of the largest groups for the 15
years I have been racing. I know most of the top 20 guys. At this
year’s National Championships 300 racers participated and the 50-54
group was the largest with 28 guys racing for the top three
medals. Also, bringing out the top racers were the six slots still
available for Team USA/World Championships in Richmond, VA on
10/21. Since I qualified for Team USA in July I at the Kansas
Qualifier, I was here to race for a medal.
I knew I didn’t
have a chance for the gold medal. Curt Eggers is a multi-National
Champion. He is in a league of his own. It doesn’t hurt that he is
married to a duathlete (and she is also a coach) so Curt gets a lot
of grace in his training regiment. So, when you combine his natural
ability with ample training…he is untouchable. I hoped for a 2nd
or 3rd place which I knew would be a challenge given the
quality of the competitors and the toughness of the course.
Both the run and
ride courses were very, very hilly. The first hill was just ½ mile
into the first run - a 1 mile long hill with 8-22% grades; followed
by more hills. The ride course had four significant hills requiring
39x25 out-of-the saddle work. It was all I could do to keep the
bike from falling over on these tough pitches. I saw a couple
racers running their bikes up these hills. Suffice it to say, the
course was friendlier to the 5’8” 140 lbs guys than the 6’1”, 180
lbs guys.
The preliminary
results showed me as the 50-54 3rd place/bronze medal
winner. I was 7:00ish minutes out of 1st (Eggers) and
just 20 seconds out of 2nd place (Henderson). It wasn’t a
perfect race…but then there never is a perfect race. All racers
make mistakes or think they could have gone faster in one of the
disciplines….this must be what keeps us coming back. I met my goal
to medal in the National Championships. Now, it is on to the World
Championships on October 21st where my dream goal has
always been to get a top 10 finish.
Charlie
2007
ABR WORLD TIME TRIAL CHAMPIONS 50+
Fantastic
result this weekend by the Scheller's team of 50+ the guys who once
more dominated the championships with a convincing win!
This year
was a particularly rewarding win especially for the 2 newcomers to
the event Charlie Scott (left) and Preston Conrad (center left), who
joined the seasoned veterans of the event Frank La Rondie (canter
right) and Terry Martin (right).
The team
set a blistering time for the conditions which had the younger teams
of riders in awe of their accomplished performance.
They
firmly put down their success to their camaraderie and communicative
teamwork and our congratulations go out to them, their win is richly
deserved...well done team!.
2007
MS150 RIDE RAISES OVER $12,000
Wow!
what a weekend of riding, it was so nice to see everyone once again
at the "festival" fund raising ride. Thanks for participating in this event
and helping raise money to find a cure. Schellers was the 4th
highest fund raising team!!!
**Remember
next year that $500 raised, you get a MS150 jersey!
Once again our Team riders, Mechanics, Support crew are vital
resource at the ride and "Team Schellers" family once
again contributed to a fantastic and very worthy event.
Thanks
to all the SIMRT teammates who participated in the MS 150 this
weekend, both on and off the bike. Once again it was a very well organized
bike tour and very enjoyable in which to participate. The route
as always is a pleasure to
ride as our photographs can attest.
The customary welcoming feel of everyone you meet with the free food
and drink makes for a satisfying experience.
Once again
Scheller's made a very big impact and contributions to the ride.
The honorary members of the Scheller's team, the Bush Family once
again were excellent riding companions for the return trip.
This was a terrific event, and everyone's participation is
appreciated.
Lance Armstrong generously
poses with Charlie Scott in full SIMRT Dinner Colors to support
local racing
This
week my race report isn't actually a race report because I did not
race; however I think you will like it just the same.
Last weekend was the Indy 500 weekend in Indianapolis. As such,
there was a lot going on in town. One of the really cool things
about this year's Indy 500 was not only did Estridge have a car in
the race, but Lance Armstrong was the pace car driver! In addition
to driving the pace car, since Lance was treated in Indianapolis at
Indiana University Medical Center for his testicular cancer, he made
it a point to help the IU Medical Center with a fund raiser while he
was in town. (If you have read his book you know he thinks very
highly of the staff at IU Medical Center.)
The
black tie fundraiser was scheduled for the night before the Indy
500, at the Indianapolis Colts’ practice complex. The featured
speaker, of course, was Lance. The organizers announced a need
for two hundred cyclists to serve as the welcoming committee. These
cyclists were asked to attend in full race kits, with bikes. The
cyclists were instructed to line both sides of the red carpet and
receive the arriving attendees by ringing bells, cheering, etc. The
local cycling teams learned of this fundraiser, and Lance's
attendance, via chat rooms and emails. This sounded like a fun
thing to do, and many of my riding pals said they would attend, so I
decided I would be one of reception line cyclists, too.
However, my plans changed a few days before the event when HH Gregg
extended me an invitation to the actual fund raising dinner. The
invitation was for four people. Obviously, I was going to take my
wife Sara. It then took me about 30 seconds to decide that teammate
Frank LaRondie and his wonderful wife Elizabeth should be our
guests. Frank was one of my top picks because he has inspired
(that's a nice word for it!) me, in more ways than he will ever
know, to become a better cyclist. That is another story, though, so
back to the Lance story.
Since this was a black tie dinner, I thought it would be
interesting if I wore a Scheller’s Indiana Masters team jersey as my
tuxedo shirt. My first hope was that I could get a picture with
Lance in order to promote our sponsors and our team. As a back-up
plan, I figured at least some of the 200 cyclists along the red
carpet would get a kick out of the jersey/tux combo. And they
did! I received much more attention than most of the real VIP’s.
After the cyclist receiving line, we entered the reception tent for
cocktails and then went into the dining area. The only thing that
would have made this night more special would have been if Lance had
walked down the red carpet to the cheers of the many local cyclists
who gave their time to help make this event special. Unfortunately,
that didn't happen; the organizers very quietly ushered Lance in a
back door of the facility.
Our
group was seated for dinner and the food was great. After dinner,
the program kicked off with Dr. Larry Einhorn, who was Lance's
doctor during his cancer treatment at the IU Medical Center. Dr.
Einhorn spoke for 1/2 hour about Lance's successes, but more
importantly he spoke about the wonderful progress made in testicular
cancer research and care in the last few years. Several other IU
medical personnel were also acknowledged, especially the
all-important nurses who provide the majority of the personal care
for cancer patients and their families. After Dr. Einhorn finished
speaking, Lance addressed the audience. The vast majority of his
remarks were about the need for more cancer research and the
delivery of testicular cancer treatment around the world. He told
us that through efforts like Dr. Einhorn's, IU Medical Center's and
countless other doctors and hospitals, the testicular cancer cure
rate has improved from just 5% to nearly 95% in the past 10 years.
WOW! Many give credit for this astounding progress to IU Medical
Center and Lance for bringing focus to this type of cancer. I
thought that it was interesting that the Indianapolis 500, known as
"The Greatest Spectacle in Racing", picked "The Greatest Testicles
in Racing AND Cancer Fund Raising" to drive the pace car. I
probably should have kept this thought to myself, right?
Lance was followed by Tony George, owner of the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway and the Indy 500, and Jeff Saturday, center for the Colts.
Everyone who spoke at the event was a great public speaker. I was
especially impressed that Tony George, who must have had 1,000
places to be the night before the Indy 500, spent three hours at
this cancer fundraiser. After the speakers were finished, there
were a couple of award presentations and some ad-libbed, humorous
stories. I was very impressed with how sharp Lance was at thinking
on his feet. He was really, really good.
It
then became obvious to me that as soon as the on-stage events
wrapped up, Lance was leaving. As the activities on the stage
neared completion, I asked Frank to grab his digital camera and
follow me. I was hopeful that I could ask Lance for a picture with
me to support local racing. As he headed directly from the stage to
the exit, I moved close enough to ask him if he would "allow a
photograph to support local racing and team sponsors." Lance looked
at my team jersey, held his hand up as if it were a "stop" sign, and
signaled for me to get back. He then turned to an older gentleman,
who I believe was associated with IU Medical Center, and asked him
to move in close for a photograph. Lance then turned in my
direction, looking past the first couple rows of people, and said,
"Now, you, quickly!" I walked up and said, “Thank you very much!" I
saw "flash" (from a professional photographer) and another
"flash" (from Frank). Lance took one more look at my jersey then
turned quickly and headed out the door. All said, it was very kind
of Lance to allow the photograph. I was lucky as dozens of other
people brought books, jerseys, and other memorabilia for Lance to
autograph, but he only stopped for two quick photographs before
heading out to other Indy 500 events.
There is probably a lesson in this story about being prepared,
being motivated, and being in the right place at the right time.
Kind of like bicycle racing, and everything else in life, don't you
think?
Side
note: Our team has two pictures to choose from for our usage. I
tried to open my coat as much as I could without looking obvious.
Due to his angle, Frank's pictures shows the entire "Scheller’s"
name and logo, while the professional photograph is better composed
and of higher resolution (no offense to Frank).
degrees for the 2nd run (5.1 miles).
!!
