Sarasota Triathlon Race Report

Pictured above: Patrick and his Loyal Freshmen Legion (From left: Brian Long, Patrick Martin, Megan Balog, Kevin Scrock)

A day after arriving in Clermont, Florida for Tri Club spring break, Patrick and his loyal freshman legion (3 novices to outdoor triathlon) were already leaving for the Sarasota-Bradenton Triathlon. Sarasota awaited us with the promise of pain, maybe some glory, but mostly pain.

Early in the morning, Brian, Megan and I blindly followed our leader Patrick two hours away, with Greg in tow, to Sarasota. We arrived at the race two hours ahead of schedule and were able to watch parts of the mixed-team relay. We also got to see the junior racers with their fancy suits and intense looks. It might be sad to say, but we were intimidated by the 12 and 13-year old’s that seemed like they could beat us in a warm-up, but the loyal freshman followed anyway. We received our bibs and attempted to make it look like we knew what went where on our bike and bodies. Sooner than expected, the race rolled around; I was the only one wearing a speedo and was scared, intimidated, and excited all in one before the race even began. I can’t speak for Brian or Megan, but they might have felt the same, except with their tri suits on it looked like they had a small grasp on what they were doing. Brian, a high school swimmer, went out fast with the goal of winning the swim and ended up leading the freshman pack by a long shot. I came out close to last in the swim and Megan ended up meeting me in the transition due to my sluggishness. Overall, we raced our hardest and the Triathlon was a blast before during and after, well worth the nasty sunburns we received and the sourness that would follow in the days to come. Our leader Patrick pushed us out of our comfort zones and allowed us to see that we can achieve our triathlon goals.

Full results can be found here: http://www.sarasotatri.com/2017resultscamtriagegroupnondraft#0_6AADB4