When we arrived to the transition area at Hunter Springs in Crystal River, it felt like any other triathlon. Although there were only 17 participants, the atmosphere felt familiar. There was music, spectators (crew for each athlete), an announcer, lots of signage, rules to follow, race volunteers and staff, and a fenced in transition area. While this event was technically called a "gathering," it felt really good to be showing up to a triathlon race - especially after a season of cancelled races.
After setting up our transition area and turning in our run gear bag to the race staff (for them to bring to T2 - which was ~102 miles away in Ocala), it was almost time for the national anthem, followed by the athlete pre-race meeting. The energy around us was positive and there was a strong sense of camaraderie among the group. We instantly felt like we were all part of a family.
Karel and I lined up near the front on the grassy/sandy shore and exactly at 7:30am, the event officially started. We were treated with a crystal clear swim but sadly, no sightings of any manatees this year. The swim course was 10 loops of a ~350 yard counter clockwise course. While ten loops may sound tedious and boring, it was actually a great way to start the race. Once we got familiar with the loop, it was easy to settle into a good rhythm. In typical fashion, Karel went out fast for the first two loops. Later he told me that he didn't feel like it was a hard effort, but he said it felt really easy. I couldn't help but laugh at Karel for swimming away from me.
In my head I chuckled at myself and thought "don't you worry Karel, I'll catch you soon." After a few laps, I was back on Karel's feet and swam away from him. I got myself a little confused on my laps near the end so I lifted my head up and our crew support Al told me that I was on lap 8. The race staff was keeping track of the loops for each athlete as it was a continuous swim in the water (no exiting the water). I started to build my effort a bit and finished the 2 mile swim in 50 minutes and 18 seconds. Karel exited the water around 20 seconds behind me in 50 minutes and 39 seconds. Our average pace was around 1:24/100 yards. 
Within a few steps, I removed my wetsuit, cap and goggles and handed my swim gear to Al who was outside of the transition area (crew wasn't allowed inside the transition area). Although our typical motto is "nothing good happens in the transition area - get in and out" we didn't feel too rushed transitioning from swim to bike. I even sat down to put on my gear. We turned on our Garmin bike computers as well as our Varia radar lights and put on our cycling gear. Although it felt like we were in the transition area for forever, it was all of less than 3 minutes (2:16 for Karel and 2:50 for me). Karel left on his bike just a little ahead of me but by the time I mounted my bike after the mount line, I was still able to see him in the distance. We were required to wear our bib numbers on the bike and all normal USAT triathlon rules applied (ex. no drafting). And if you were wondering, Karel and I had no plans to ride together (and no way he would let me beat him out of the transition area) but it was nice to know that we were somewhat close to one another throughout the first hour of the bike.
Going into this event, Karel and I felt a little overwhelmed with the course maps. Even after reviewing the course maps that were provided to us online and in our race swag bag (a full binder of printed maps), it was still a bit different for us knowing that we would be self navigating throughout each bike leg. Although the race staff did a great job marking the entire course (all but the trail sections which were not allowed to be marked due to the permits allowing us to only be a "gathering" and not an event due to Covid), we were required to follow all of the rules of the road like stopping at stop signs and lights. We also had to navigate through a few busy segments of roads (crossing lanes) to get to the more quiet segments of road. Whereas most triathlon races have police to control certain segments of road and you can often rely on having athletes around you to keep you on course, this part of the race was a very different from most races.
But like most events (even the ones that are familiar), sometimes our thoughts of what could be are different than what really is. In other words, sometimes the mind can make a situation more scary or confusing than it really is. After a few miles, all of my worries started to settle. Between the course being well marked with plenty of ground and sign arrows, the course map loaded into my Garmin and Karel being within eye sight ahead of me, I felt much more confident. At one point, Karel and I ended up at a red light together and after a few lights, Karel rode away (he got lucky and got a lot of green lights while I got the red lights). And just before I made my way to the Withlacoochee trail, Al drove up behind me in our car at a light so it was nice to see him (Al didn't follow us on the course but instead met us at our pre-decided SAG stops).
Although this was a different style of racing with 3 days of triathlon events, stage 1 felt really familiar. It felt much like a normal Ironman distance triathlon so we raced it as if we were racing any other long distance event - but without the pressure or need to dig deep. We set out wanting to give our best, explore our limits and of course, have fun. We didn't take it easy and didn't ease up a lot if it felt too hard. We trusted our good health and resilience that we would be able to overcome the fatigue from a long day of racing to do it all again the next day (and the day after).
Once I got onto the trail, I had almost 30 miles of something that we don't get to do very often - ride aero! With almost 30 miles of flat, paved, car-free trail, it was fun to spend a bit of time in the aero bars (I still got out of aero every now and then to stretch my back/hips). Although there were plenty of aid stations (around every 20 miles) throughout the bike course, we only relied on Al for our refill stops. We coordinated our refuel stop at mile 66 (which was also an event super SAG stop - plenty of items to refuel). Not only was it necessary to grab our prepared bottles from Al (to fuel and hydrate for the rest of the bike) but it was something to look forward to. Like the special needs stop in an Ironman distance triathlon, it really helped looking forward to an opportunity to put our feet on the group. Knowing that we could have a quick break to experience Al's positive energy and to break the long bike portion into two segments was something to keep our mind in a good place. Karel and I had our phones on us (allowed and encouraged at this event) in the case that we needed to communicate with Al but we only needed him for that one stop. Al continued driving on the main roads to T2 so that he would be there ready for us after our bike.
I continued to fuel and hydrate like I would in any other Ironman event but I did try to take in a bit more calories than normal of solid food knowing that I was not just fueling for this day but also in need of keeping my body well fueled for the next two days. I didn't consume any "real" food during the event but all sport nutrition products (easy to consume, easy to digest, well formulated and effective). I took one bathroom stop along the trail and while I needed to go once more after I stopped to see Al, I was able to wait until I arrived in T2. Karel stopped a few times for bathroom breaks. I did stop a few times to stretch out my back as I was having a few tight spots (probably from so much time being aero) and didn't want anything to get too sticky in my hips/back and affect me on the run.
As for the effort that we gave during the bike, it was steady and strong. I wouldn't say that we held back too much but instead, just rode a strong effort with the energy that we felt from being fresh on day one.
Like usual, we had low moments and had to adjust. The weather was great - in the upper 60's when we started. It stayed cloudy most of the day as the temps entered into the 70's. As we raced, we made sure to keep things in perspective as we wanted to race with gratitude. We thanked the volunteers and anytime we saw other participants (ex. run) we cheered them on. Karel felt really good on the bike and didn't have any major back pains. We both enjoyed seeing some familiar segments of road that we would drive on when we visited by parents in New Port Richey when we lived in Jacksonville, Fl.
It was great to arrive to T2 because it was a location that we were familiar with! Back in 2014, Karel and I raced the HITS Ocala half distance triathlon in the same location of the run of Stage 1 and the swim of Stage 2. Karel finished the 102 mile ride in 4:44 and I rode 5:05. This includes all of our stops. Actual ride time was 4:55 for me and 4:39 for Karel.
18.6 mile run
When I arrived to the transition area, Karel was already out on the run course. Al greeted me at the transition area. I took my time in the transition and also went to the bathroom before the start of the run. I didn't rush the transition from bike to run. My transition time was 6 minutes and Karel's was 3 minutes. I wanted to make sure that when I crossed the line to start the run that I was ready to start running.
With a 3 loop run course, my plan was to run the first loop to get into a good rhythm and then run loop 2 with Al. Per the rules of the race, we were allowed to have a run support with us (on two feet, not wheels) during the run of each stage.
Karel was flying on the run although I never saw him running. As for myself, I felt tired and stiff. It was a long run for me and I really struggled at times. My shoes felt heavy and the trail section (which I usually enjoy) didn't feel too good. But with this race experience was an opportunity to push through boundaries and barriers. So instead of giving up or finding the easy way (walking), I just broke down the race into one mile at a time. I made the mistake of running too long without a walk break on the first loop so after Al joined me, I started to incorporate more planned walk breaks. I know that not taking walk breaks in the first loop contributed to never feeling good for all 18.6 miles of the run. And that's a long time to run without feeling like I ever settled into a rhythm. Al strategically put the cooler with our running flasks at mile 3, which was allowed us to access it twice on each of the 3 loops. Our crew was allowed to give us nutrition at any point on the run. I really enjoyed having Al as my pacer as it helped me to keep my mind busy and off the motions of running. Once more athletes started to arrive to the venue, it felt good seeing other people on the course. With an ultra endurance, 3 day event like this one, it was clear that every athlete was racing for their own reasons - not against one another. I was passed by a lady who was part of a relay and she was flying.
It worked out great that I was nearing mile 12 as Karel was finishing his run. This was perfect timing because I was refilling my flask and I was watching Karel cross the finish line as first overall. He ran a blazing fast time of 2:09 (6:58 min/mile)! I'm used to Karel finishing around ~6 miles ahead of me in Ironman events so this was no surprise for me. Talk about the gut punch when Karel is done and I still have another 45-60 minutes of running to go. After Karel cleaned up, he went back to our cooler stop (mile 15) and cheered for the other athletes and helped to keep me going as I was about to finish up loop 3 (the trail section). The run was ~3 miles pavement, ~3 miles trail). Al ran almost 12 miles with me and it was so good to have his company. I finished the run in 2:45 (8:54 min/mile) which included a lot of short walk/stop breaks after the first loop. I didn't feel empty or too sore when I finished but I was certainly exhausted and tired.
Karel finished first in 7:49.49 and I finished 2nd in 8:50.14.
Funny story: As Karel was starting his run, the race staff was not expecting him so quickly. Karel ended up running past the volunteer girl who was marking the run course. She told him where to run as she was marking the course. :) They also weren't expecting Karel to run so fast so they made him run back through the finishing chute again so that he could hold up the finisher tape (it was so special that every athlete got to hold up the finisher tape for crossing the finish line).
RESULTS STAGE 1
STAGE 1 PHOTOS