Race Coverage

Reality Reconfigured...

Thursday, 16 April 2015 00:10

By Ruth Brennan Morrey (ruthbrennanmorrey.com)

Trial #2:

Monterrey 70.3 Race Report

Since racing Ironman Chattanooga in September, Monterrey 70.3 would be my first race of the 2015 season on March 15th. For most professional triathletes, each race serves a particular purpose/s— a) prize money, b) Kona or 70.3 World champ qualifying points, c) test of fitness, d) sponsor obligations, e) springboard for a future race, and/or f) the pure joy of competing and utilizing athletic gifts. For me, the purpose of this race was b, c, e and f. Put prize money in your mind as a priority, and you are doomed before the race begins...

Monterrey was also chosen because it played to my strengths and was perfect timing to start building up the season. Mark was able to join me for the weekend— one of the only races he will be able to see this year. With impeccable timing, we left our babysitter, Jennie, with a recovering flu-like mess of a daughter, and a 5 yr old son who was flu-bound a day after we left—a situation that resulted in my own demise race day.

TRAVEL/Pre-race: It was an uneventful trip, but always comical when traveling with Mark as his impersonations and idiosyncratic charm don’t allow for a moment of boredom. We giggled constantly at our suffering Spanish and attempts to navigate the roads, taxis, and shops without proper espanol. With some Spanish in my back pocket, my ability to string together several words to create a coherent question was sometimes impressive, however, I said “No te entiendo”, just as many times as I asked a question. Expressive language B+. Receptive language D-.