Chad, Sandy and Shannon before the race. Note the white on the ground in the background!
Dewey Kvidt Memorial Duathlon up in Grand Forks, ND.
There was not much information on-line regarding the reasoning for the memorial side of the deal. I asked questions at the start and did not really learn any additional info other than Dewy Kvidt (1955-2005) died suddenly of cancer. He was into triathlons and this event is in memory of his passion. I saw some photos on the web page of the 2005 Thief River Falls Triathlon that is typically held this time of year up in TRF. I just so happened to do that race the same year and can say that I have had the pleasure to compete first hand with Mr. Kvidt.
I went up to GF with Chad, Sandy and Shannon. The temperature was 41 degrees in Fargo when we left and only got colder as we went north. On top of that, it started snowing in Hillsboro and got worse as we headed into GF. When we pulled into the parking lot it was 32 degrees, snowing with poor visibility and a pounding wind from the NE. Crazy conditions for May 10th for sure, I was loving it!
I had all of the outerwear that I needed and was going to sacrifice some time during the transitions to make sure that I was going to be comfortable out on the bike. I am a runner and a biker, but not a transitioner. I lack the experience and equipment to transition properly, but knew enough to keep me out of too much trouble.
The weather conditions definitely kept a lot of people home in bed. I would guess that there were 50 people on the line at the start. The dual is in conjunction with a 5K run so I had no clue as to who was doing what which made it all the more interesting.
The 5K was completely on bike trials heading south with a turn around 1/2 way out and back. Of course the wind was on our backs first. I like that as I was able to warm up and get loose before I ducked my head and headed into the wind.
As mentioned above, my transition was slooow. I was the third person in from the run and the 6th person out of the transition area. But, I had my booties on, it was wet and I was comfortable. I have ridden enough in the cold months to know that my hands and feet need to be somewhat warm in order for me to operate at my full potential.
The bike leg was 15 miles with the first three heading south with the wind. I was able to pick off 2 riders before we turned west. The wind still was giving us a push but I knew what was coming. We turned back east for 4 miles and then headed south again with the wind before the final turn and a head wind north for 6. The turn north kind of caught me by surprise as it took me awhile to find my legs along with the right gear to push the wind. I was holding my own, but the guys riding the Tri bikes had an advantage in the wind, big time. There was one guy in front of me and strong riders coming up from behind that I was determined to hold off. The last turn into the transition area was sweet. Again, I transitioned slow on account of my booties. I felt a couple of cramps in my calf but was able to move fast enough where it did not cause a problem.
Shaun Shatz from Fargo had a great bike ride and was following closely behind me on the bike/run transition. Shaun is a tri guy and knows what he is doing and in turn is a threat that needed attention. Mike Langseth is another Fargo tri guy that participated and used this event to prepare for his half iornman in June. I had been running through snow banks all winter with Mike, he has improved greatly and will do well this season.
The last leg, another 5k was tough at the first but got better with each step. There is something about jumping off a bike and then hitting it hard on your feet. It is a shock to your body that requires a bit of time for adjustment. Again, my lack of experience showed.
I was able to get the kinks out and finish 2nd overall. Remember, there were a lot of people that stayed home in bed so the numbers were down.
Overall, the Fargo group did excellent. Sandy pulled off a third place overall in the women. Shannon was first in her age group. Chad who opted not to train for the run at all leading up to the event hammered on the bike which allowed him to finish in the top.
By my Garmin I was in at 1:28:21 with an average HR of 152. Definitely a higher HR then if I would have run long this morning.
Overall, it was a great time. I am looking forward to doing it again next year.
The first of the season MTB race tomorrow (not to mention Mothers Day) down in Mpls. My legs are in rest mode for sure.
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