Rapperswil Race Day

I woke up before the alarm as I do sometimes just before 6:00 AM Sunday Morning. I had taped the nips and prepared the Endurance beverage the night before so all I had to do was get into the cool 2XU kits PowerBar Europe made for us, grab our bags and meet down for Breakfast at 6:30. I don’t get so nervous when I first wake up and I was excited to see everyone else with their pre-race attitude and introduce everyone to Jessica. After enjoying the VIP tent at Wildflower I knew that a hearty bacon and egg breakfast was great race fuel and the Swissotel buffet had a special juice blend that I had been enjoying all week. We got on the bus just before 7:00AM and headed down to Rapperswil- the 45 minute drive would be very relaxing.

We arrived in Rapperswil and already started sweating on the walk to the transition area. It was going to be a hot one today. I’ve done enough of these now that my transition area set up is fairly simple. I’ve checked a lot of pro set ups where all you see are sneakers and sunglasses since the bike shoes are attached to the pedals already. Two minute transitions? I’m not that hard core, I would be happy with five. We gathered as many PowerBar people we could for a few pre-race photos and then one last trip to the port a potty. I was thinking about dropping off the kids but there wasn’t any TP so there you go.

The course consisted of a one lap swim, a two lap bike and a two lap run. The swim start area was surprisingly calm and everyone spread out nicely. I spoke briefly with another American who did the California 70.3 and said that the water there may have been colder. He was a nice gentleman who I saw a few times on the run. They don’t have a countdown to start the swim just an announcement of “One minute to go” and then “Go!” I couldn’t get into a rhythm early on like I normally do. I was worried that I would have to deal with that for a while but then I slowly got into it and started to wonder when my wave would thin out and I would be swimming by myself. It wasn’t too long. I remember thinking that the first leg out was taking a long time. I would occasionally switch my breathing to the right side so I could glance at the snow capped Alps in the distance. I thought that if I was going to be out there a while I might as well enjoy it. The swim altogether was fine though as I swam into the exit area I caught my arm on a pole and earned some remarks from a few Germans who were right there to see it.

The run to the transition was fine and per the usual my bike was easy to spot. I counted maybe five other bikes in my area so I thought maybe I wasn’t last out of the water from my age group this time. The bike out to the main road was fine and I got a cheer from Emma and Samantha (The Australians) right outside the transition area. What lay ahead may be the most difficult bike course I’ve faced. At about 10K into the bike you hit the first hill called the Witches hill. Scary, in more ways than one. You cross a road and quickly it turns into an uphill that is filled with spectators. Think “Mountain Stage” of the Tour de France. I immediately shifted down into my granny gear and found myself breathing heavily- almost struggling. The cool part was that the spectators were very supportive and made it feel like a real Tour de France stage. “Hop, hop, hop!” is the cheer as you cycle by. I heard it quite a bit with an added “Hop, Zho-well, hop!” when they read my name on my bib. It was cool but I also felt like they were berating me in German. They had people dressed up as witches with big masks and burlap cloaks that were really intimidating. I was definitely the slowest one except for a Swiss gentleman named Patrick who had to walk the Witches’ hill both laps. He would eventually overtake me later but we saw each other a few times and I made a point to give him a shout of support. The second hill of the course was called the Beast and it was pretty well named. There was pain in thinking that we had to do it twice. Would I be able to do it twice?

Other than the two hills everything else was fantastic. I used to think the Donner Triathlon near Tahoe was the most beautiful race I’ve done but this beats it on so many levels. Besides swimming in scenic Lake Zurich and then biking in the hills with the Swiss Alps in the distance, there were cows with huge bells right next to the road, fields of who knows what growing in pretty rows, houses and building that making you think you are in Disneyland. It was just wow. My only regret is that I could not take any photos during the race itself to capture the views.

After the second lap it was definitely warm and I was glad to be out of the saddle. The two laps of the run were split up in two areas, one through town and the other through countryside. The town part was really cool as you felt like a pro racing through a major city. The aid stations were all very well stocked and the volunteers were top notch. Midway throughout the city area you have to run up to a castle that they call the “Stairways to Heaven.” When I got to it most people were on their second lap but I enjoyed the cheerleaders strategically placed at the top. The cobblestone streets weren’t so bad and winding through back alleys was actually a pleasure in getting to see all the nooks and crannies of an old European city. I started to take sponges at every aid station to deal with the heat, grabbing one for each shoulder and then another one to squeeze on my head. Heat management is another thing I need to deal with on most courses and this was no exception. The second half of the run lap through the countryside is a little more boring and equally as hot. The fields are pretty to look at but I need something a little more dynamic if not populated to help. At the run turn around I saw Joel, Chad and Todd cheering us on and taking photos which was really cool. They helped send me back out for lap two which I wasn’t looking forward to.

I had been calculating all day how fast I would need to go to finish before the final cut-off and I had some doubts on the run if I could do it. I would need to finish under 8:00 hours which would be a personal best. I had decided that I really could only stop running briefly at the aid stations and keep it consistent throughout to be successful. What helped me going was that I found my Swiss friend Patrick from the bike going at about the same pace as me on the run. We greeted each other and gave encouraging remarks each time one would pass. When he or I would get too far ahead we would turn around to see where the other was at. It was really cool, especially since I didn’t know any French and he didn’t know much English, I think. It was a special friendship that would last only a few hours. I saw David on the run a few times, Nicole several times, some of the Europeans occasionally and we would all give a thumbs up or words of encouragement. It really did feel like a team. Zibi and Asker, who had finished HOURS earlier found me on the end of my second lap and ran with me for a bit. We chatted and it helped keep me consistent which Zibi confirmed was a good thing. When I felt better I thought I could possibly increase my pace but didn’t want to anger my calf that had been teasing me with cramp possibilities since the start of the run.

The finishing shoot was fantastic and as I’ve mentioned somewhere before, all that matters is getting to the end. The finish area was packed and I was able to spot Jess in the final straightaway which was a treat. The cheerleaders were there to welcome me back as were Phil, who just finished himself, Zibi and Asker. I was hoping to find some food at the finish as I was really hungry but found only empty beverage bubblers where a chocolaty shake used to be. I tried an ice cold Red Bull but it did nothing for me. I eventually found Fabienne who offered some strawberries- delicious. A cold shower was just what I needed to get me going until the next happening that night.

At the PowerBar after party it was great to hear everyone’s experiences. Zibi beat everyone with no training and a sore throat. Eric Zaltas scorched the course on a borrowed bike as his never showed up from his flight. Sanchez was so powerful he broke his pedal off and crashed though conveniently meeting a cute doctor in the process. Several people completed their first triathlon and a few of us PR’d. There were a few awards given out by Phil including the grand prize of a Suunto heart rate monitor watch to Zibi for the fastest time. At the end Zibi came back up to say something about someone being deserving of working the hardest on the course by being out there the longest and proceeded to call me up there to give me his gift. I reluctantly accepted and blew kisses to my adoring fans. Although I was called out for being the slowest of the group- hey, at least I was getting a cool prize. There were tons of grilled meats and in classic Phil style, unlimited beverages. If only all of my races could be like that.

Check out a great video of the race here. You can get an awesome view of what the race was like. You might also recognize someone's back just past the 7 minute mark.