This Is How To Do A Triathlon!

Ben Edwards has a very unique perspective on how to complete and win a triathlon. I'm on his team! Thanks for sharing Ben, and congratulations to you and Sean, and Katrine?

Yes, indeed what a weekend.

First off, I'm not sure where all this "Triathlons are hard" stuff comes from. It was a piece of cake. After a some what taxing 21 minute swim I took a quick 2 minute break in the transition area, courteously arranged by Pete Sproul. After which it was off to the East Beach Cafe where I had a nice Santa Barbara Omelette and a big glass of fresh squeezed OJ while Pete took off on his bike. Not wanting to let my teammates down, an hour or so later, I made the long walk from the East Beach Cafe to the transition area to see Pete finish his ride and cheer Eric Forte on as he headed off on the run. Then if was off to the Trader Joe's Athletes tent for some fruit salad, a bran muffin, and a wonderful yoghurt parfait. I have to admit, at this point I was suffering a little, the Parfait was quite filling after the Santa Barbara Omelette, but I managed to finish it. That's the kind of commitment I bring to Triathlons. After a quick nap on the beach I arose in time to see Eric cross the line after blistering the course to bring our relay team home 1st. Again, apart from the first 20 minutes or so, pretty easy day at the beach, so don't believe the hype, with the right strategy (get other guys to do the hard parts really fast) triathlons are easy!

And you know what? The awards Pete, Eric, and I won don't say anything about a relay. They just say Santa Barbara Triathlon: Long Course, and oh yeah, they also say 1st Place. as opposed to... I don't know... 2nd place.

The things I will really remember about this triathlon are all the examples of incredible team work I saw out on the course. I'll never forget how Pete selflessly gave up 2 minutes of our lead to give Blingerman somebody to chase on the bike. I'll always remember how Gabe stood in the surf after his swim, pretending to cramp for 5 minutes, so Matt might be able to equal his swim time. Or how about Mike Cage courageously striking Ramirez in the head during the swim to snap him out of his panic attack. It proves that when we Chickens stick together we can get some marginally respectable results!

The real story of course was those kids! Sunday was indeed the highlight of my athletic career. To be right there along side all those kids as they truly raced the course was amazing. Not sure about how all those ladies in their matching Momentum, Moms in Motion, Tri Divas, and Queen Bees kits felt as a bunch of 9, 10, 11 and 12 year old kids, who looked like the bad new bears, blew past them on the bike and on the run. I highly recommend the parent child triathlon to everybody!

And Matt, as for my head getting two big don't worry about it. Thanks to an Active.com screw up in the results everybody in Ojai keeps congratulating my wife Katrine on her incredible weekend at the Santa Barbara Triathlon. They then ask me why I didn't man up and do it as well.

But I must go now, the phone is ringing and I'm expecting a call from Triathlete Magazine any moment. No doubt they will need me and Sean for next months cover...

Ben

Chickens At The Santa Barbara Triathlon!

Most Chickens just enjoy participating, and competing. So quite a few of them decided to do the Santa Barbara Triathlon last weekend. Below is Matt's report. I'm hoping a few others will chime in as these one sided tongue in cheek renditions of the days happenings must be stopped. Pete, did you get some good seats for Celine? ;o) Enjoy the ride!

What a weekend!

I'm pooped. But that was a blast. Why is it that triathlons have more participants than road or mountain bike races? The timing seems like it would be a nightmare, and yet they're extremely well organized and the results are up and accurate within minutes of finishing? I don't know how they do it, but Joe Coito and his crew from the S.B. Triathlon do a phenomenal job. It's a first class event.

We had several Chicken Ranchers taking part in the festivities with some impressive showings. I'll mention some of the highlights but leave it up to the individuals to tell their own stories.

My own race went something like this:

One mile of very poor swimming.
35 miles of pretty good biking.

5 miles of mediocre running followed by 5 more miles of very painful running.

Doesn't that sound like fun? Well, actually it was fun. Challenging but fun. I accomplished my goal of finishing in the top 10 of my age group. It's getting almost comical but I managed to extend my world record string of 2nd place finishes. But one goal I did not accomplish. I bet Arick Fuller and John McFadden (both excellent swimmers) a burrito, that I would be able to catch them by the top of Toro on the bike leg.... I wasn't even close. So while I just missed feeling the thrill of victory. I can fully experience the agony of defeat. Great job guys. I just sent each of you a gift card to Taco Bell for .99 cents. Enjoy your burrito.

The all Chicken Ranch relay team of Ben Edwards, Pete Sproul, and Eric Forte won the relay division handily. The best part is that after his swim Ben ran into the transition area to tag Pete for the bike leg but Pete wasn't there. He had to wait for 2 minutes for Pete to finally show up and ride and they still won! Apparently Pete was late because Celine Dion tickets went on sale at the Arlington and he didn't want to lose his place in line. Craig Blingermans Team finished 2nd but he retains bragging rights by posting the fastest bike leg of the day. I think Blingerman's legs were a little fresher because he's not a Celine Dion fan......he prefers Barbara Streisand.

Gabriel Garcia and Robert Ramirez renewed their rivalry with Gabriel coming out on top once again. As soon as Robert figures out that the doggie paddle is not the most efficient swim stroke they might actually have some close battles. I also saw Fredrick and Mike Cage out there giving it their all. Nice job everyone!

Sundays short course saw some excellent racing action. My 13 year old son Tyler was offered $50 bucks if he could beat Brad Jellison. Unfortunately, Brad had the race of his life and he beat Tyler by 18 seconds. Tyler was bummed about not getting the $50 bucks but he finished 3rd in his age group and got a trophy so he left happy. Brad finished an impressive 7th place in his age group and left with a sore right hamstring. Brad's 17 year old daughter Kelliann also tackled the course on her own finishing 4th in her age group.

They also had a parent/child division on Sunday where parents could compete alongside their kids for moral support. Ben Edwards and his son Sean, Gabe Garcia and his son Dylan, and me and my son Brennan all took part. Ben Edwards is going to be impossible to deal with for a few weeks because not only did he win the relay division, his 11 year old son Sean also won the parent/child division. Sean is a great kid and is a gracious champion with good sportsmanship. But his father is an obnoxious braggart. So if possible, avoid all contact with Ben Edwards for at least 2 weeks until his ego returns to normal size. Gabe's son Dylan is 9 years old and weighs all of about 60lbs but he was out there running 9 minute miles and giving a lot of adults a run for their money. My 12 year old son Brennan finished 4th in the parent/child division. But more importantly, he had the fastest bike split, and as you all know the bike split is the only one that really matters.

All in all it was a great weekend. I can't wait 'till next year. My blisters should be gone by then and Tyler will be one year older and a lot faster. Brad on the other hand should be one year older and a lot slower. So I think next year I'll offer Brad $50 bucks to beat Tyler then I'll use that money to bet Arick and John that I'll catch them by the top of Gobnador and I'll still end up $48 dollars ahead!

Big thanks to all the people who were out there cheering and yelling. That was a big help.

See ya out there,

Matt