Race Coverage
"Dad, You Don't Look So Good"....
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Monday, 25 August 2014 00:10
By JP Fahey
HITS - WACONIA FULL DISTANCE RACE REPORT - “I awoke last night to the sound of thunder, how far off, I sat and wondered!” No die hard triathlete sleeps well the night before their next triathlon. What would the weather be like? The forecast called for high 80s with high humidity, an older triathlete’s nightmare. Saturday August 16, HITS 140.6 Full distance triathlon, Lake Waconia, Waconia, MN. 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 run, a 140.6 miles of pure bliss and hell! This was the first ever race in the Midwest sponsored by the upcoming East Coaster HITS. Also this was the first time there has ever been a 140.6 distance triathlon race conducted in MN.
As we prepared our gear in T1, we looked across the calm waters of Lake Waconia with the majestic Coney Island as a back drop. The temp was near 70, foggy, overcast and humid. The 70.3 and 140.6 participants started together at 7:00 am. Lake Waconia, although green this time of year, was very refreshing. The overcast skies held until about 1:00 pm, letting the athletes push their bikes to the limits. The sun burnt off the forgiving clouds and turned the HITS marathon course into an oven! High temps and high humidity make for cramping and walking during the run! ...
I am 52 years old, married to my high school sweetheart Janet for 21 years and the proud parent of sons Jack, 15, and Jerid 13! I have lived in the community of Norwood Young America (NYA), 9 miles from Lake Waconia, my entire life and proudly served as Mayor of NYA from ’09 –’11. I had done one tri in the ‘80s, 2 tris in the ‘90s and started back up hardcore in 2009. Ventured into the Ironman arena at Madison 2011, scared ----less! I had a stress fracture in my heel that summer and ran a total of 50 miles prior to the Ironman. Stayed within my box and finished under 14 hours. A success, very happy, got the tattoo and moved on! Continued to do multiple sprints, Olys and Halfs thru 2012 and 2013. And then it 
happened, I crashed my bike on a training ride in August 2013. Fractured my right hip, ER, bed ridden, wheelchair, walker, cane and back to swimming months later. Then I heard about HITS. To do a Full Tri in Waconia, in my back yard, was way too tempting and I signed up. Could I compete once again?
I came out of the water in 14th place and thru T2 in fourth. I was content, it was smoking hot out, I just wanted to finish. Athletes were walking, cramping and puking, overall I felt pretty good. I began to pass runners one by one and was in first place at mile 16. Could I finish, could I win? My family and son Jerid met me at the 20 mile water stop and he said “Dad, you don’t look so good but you are in first place!” It was the motivation I needed to finish and hold the banner high! As you know there is always the banner shot and I had never dreamed that would happen to me! To overcome the bike crash, the heat and improved by 140.6 time by almost 2 ½ hours, 3 years later, was unreal. I cried in my wife arms at the finish! I was shocked, surprise, emotional and totally spent. I, at age 52, had won Minnesota’s second 140.6 mile triathlon!
If case you didn't know, Minnesota's first Full Distance Tri was staged in Austin in 1984.
- Hey MTN Guys – Thanks for the opportunity! Do what you want with the piece, I am just happy to be called a triathlete! Every day for the last 5 years, I have trained, trained and trained some more! I eat a salad every day for lunch and then treat myself to 10 plain M & Ms! Yes, only 10!
