I’ve raced 7 of the past 8 weeks including the Minneman Tri this past weekend. I was happy to be back racing along side my local buddies. I had a solid race setting a new course record but more importantly this race day was about Kiersten.
This was her first tri, she was excited, and the memory of watching her experience triathlon is one that I’ll cherish for a very long time…
I was in the first wave and “Kierst” was in wave 10 the last wave. This gave her plenty of time to get used to the water (she basically does not like water, and her lake water tolerance is extremely low). She used my old wetsuit, which helped, but she did admit that sidestroke was her stoke of choice for the .3 mile swim.
Timing was perfect because when I arrived in T2, Kierst was exiting the water and making her way to her bike. It was great to know she made it through the swim without any sort of panic attack :) We exchanged cheers in transition and she took off on the bike just as I was leaving for the run.
After I finished I headed back out on the course to watch for her come in on the bike. It didn’t take long before I spotted the pink helmet and the huge smile. I met her at the T2 exit and decided to run along with her for a little while and see how she was holding up… She told me she felt great and was having SO much fun out there, she even expressed a desire to race again! Another rookie is hooked ;-)
There were so many people cheering her to the finish, and seeing her cross the line was truly special. We exchanged big hugs and a few tears. She was so proud…and of course I was too. That pure joy of accomplishment is WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT.
Congrats Kiersten your first place Novice AG WIN!!! Let’s find you another race ;-)
