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Race Reports - 1996

This page chronicles the races of the year 1996.

1996 was a very pleasant year for me. Much of time was spent adjusting to the Texas climate and finding new races and running routes after moving ti Austin in February. I must say that the climate ranges to the extremes, from freezing to high heat, but the hills of Austin are great training. The variety of races and the number of courses at any distance are attractive.

The year is capped up by some very high points:

  • A fun ironman race with Adam Gruman in October in Clermont, Florida
  • The San Antonio Marathon in November, which is just a warmup for
  • The Sunmart Texas Trails Endurance Run in December, my first 50 mile run.
Here are the details on the various races.
  • The Sunmart Texas Trails Endurance Run (50M Run), Huntsville, TX 14 Dec 1996

    Call me Ultraman, I just finished my first ultramarathon. This was an enjoyable experience, 8:48:04 of running through the trails and woods around a lake in Huntsville State Park. I met many nice people and had a great time running.

    In some ways, a 50 mile run is tougher than an ironman race. Although an ironman lasts longer, the 50 mile run is tough because you spend more time using the same muscles. Often during this race I had to stretch my feet and hamstrings. I also realized that I am not ready to tackle a 100 mile race. I need to give my plantar's ligaments more time to get ready for running on the trails.

  • The Great Floridian Triathlon (2.4M Swim/112.5M Bike/26.2M Run), Clermont, FL, 26 Oct 1996

    A fantastic race with great friends on a sunny, hot Florida day. I race with Adam and Joni Vanderveen in a happy reunion in Florida.

    In an epic battle, Adam and I trade positions many times before the outcome is decided. Adam leads by two minutes after swimming the two loop rectangular course in a time of 1:02:22. I catch him on the bike in the hills of the Ferndale Loop at the 20 mile mark. We talk for 5 miles before I drop him at the SugarLoaf Mountain climb. Unexpectedly, Adam catches me at the 40 mile mark and drops me for the rest of the 112 mile ride. Later on the run, I catch him at the climb up Citrus Tower hill at the 2 mile mark. We chat and I leave him for what I think is the last time.

    But the heat takes its toll, and once again Adam reels me in at the 11 mile mark on the run. Knowing that running is my strong suit, I vow to stay with him, and by mile marker 19 I pull away. With the sun and the temperatures dropping, I feel great and finish the race in 11:54:00. Adam follows in 12:10:20.

    Later that evening, Adam has a rough night, suffering from severe dehydration, vomiting, and delirium. Joni and Jeri bring him to the hospital at 3 a.m. After a rehydrating I/V and a night's sleep , Adam recovers to attend post race awards ceremony the next day.

    See some new photos on the photo page.

  • Gulf Coast Triathlon (1.5k Swim/40k Bike/10k Run) Galveston Island, Texas, 22 September 1996

    For the first time I can say I know what it is like to be in last place in a triathlon. FIVE flat tires on the bike add nearly forty minutes to my bike time.

    As I am changing my fifth flat of the ride, the sag wagon, a yellow school bus full of injured and mechanically-impaired cyclists, pulls up behind me on the road shoulder. The motorcycle escort asks if I think I am going to make it. A pick up truck of volunteers follows the bus and removes the traffic cones from the course. A police car with flashing lights follows the volunteers.

    "Yes," I shout, "I am going to make it!" I place the wheel back on the bike and pedal away from the scene. At this time I know the rough course has put two legitimate punctures in my bike tires. I also know the Park speed patches have not been standing up to the heat, the high pressure tires, the road repairs, and the trolley tracks. Yet I am back in the race, slowly leaving the sag wagon behind.

    I recall saying, "Bad luck in Galveston today," to the spectators watching me change my first flat. The local replied, "You bring your own luck to Galveston."

    A decent run brings me a few tens of places out of last place. I finish in 3:02:14, my worst Olympic distance race of all time.

  • Wool Capital Triathlon (1.5k Swim/40k Bike/10k Run) San Angelo, Texas, 11 August 1996

    They call the run for this race the "Dirt Road from Hell" - a hilly, muddy, rocky road, not much unlike the pit of a monster truck tractor pull. The red clay sticks to your feet, making your shoes weigh about 10 pounds each.

    The swim is in the Concho River, a calm, 82 degree freshwater dream. The bike course is flat with rough roads.

  • Advantage Texas Triathlon (1.5k Swim/6.4m Run/21m Bike), Boerne, Texas, 14 July 1996

    Doing the bike last is an interesting twist. My legs are ready for shutdown by the end of the run and do not push the bike uphill very well. Perhaps 5 hours of mountain biking the previous day have something to do with this?

    Nevertheless, I enjoyed this race and the course over the hilly Texas countryside. Boerne City Lake is clean, shallow, and warm (82 degrees). The ride is scenic with hills and cattle ranches and wilderness, but the pavement is rough and strewn with potholes. I finish in 69th place (out of 500), 14th in my age group (of about 60).

  • Capital of Texas Triathlon (1k Swim/18m Bike/5k Run), Austin, Texas, 15 June 1996

    This is a wonderfully challenging course on my home turf. The swim is in chilly (70 degree), fresh-water Lake Austin. The bike route is on my training ride that I do two to three times a week. The run is in a hilly section of west Austin.

    I have a flawless race, although the hills and the heat lead to a slow 5k run. Nevertheless, I have an enjoyable time in my first Texas race.

  • Gulf Coast Triathlon (1.2m Swim/56m Bike/13.1m Run), Panama City Beach, FL, 12 May 1996

    The best race conditions at this site in years did not help me avoid a flat tire during the bicycle. I lose to Adam by a margin of 7 minutes. Nevertheless, the race is a homecoming as I meet old friends who have relocated around the country: Charlotte, Raleigh, Atlanta, Boca Raton.


Other Races

Follow the links to race reports from the given year.

1998, 1997, 1996, 1995.

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