REV3 Knoxville - HalfREV

The weekend that I've been waiting for all Fall, Winter and Spring had finally arrived, RACE WEEK! I left the house at 4:30 AM on Friday to make the 460 mile drive to Knoxville to race REV3 Knoxville.    I met good friends, Brain and Rachel Jastrebsky for breakfast in Salem, Virginia and then headed down I-81 for a very long time to Knoxville.

The host hotel overlooked the race expo and finish line.

Friday afternoon consisted of packet pickup, finish line recon and then a quick 30 minute run with Brian.

Finish line recon

I had planned on participating in ALL that REV3 had to offer during the race weekend, which started with the Glow Run 5K on Friday evening. The Glow Run 5K, a family friendly event, was held as a fundraiser for a former University of Tennessee swimmer, who was traumatically injured by the bombings at the Boston Marathon. It was a fun, low-key, very family friendly race. If you participate in a REV3 event, make sure you participate in all the events!

I ran socially with Wattie Ink teammate, Chris Hanson, but not before taking a picture with former Ironman World Champion, Mirinda Carfrae.

Finish line of the Glow Run 5K

The Glow Run 5K was followed by an outdoor showing of Wreck It Ralph on the jumbotron, complete with popcorn.

Saturday began with a recon of the bike course with Brian. We got back to the hotel just as it started to rain and it never stopped for the next 36 hours. At noon, at the SWIM OUT, there was a practice swim and another REV3 event, the Ugly Wetsuit Contest. SPOILER ALERT.... I won a blueseventy wetsuit for my troubles. Thanks to my support crew. You know who you are. Saturday afternoon consisted of bike racking and feet up. One of the benefits of REV3 Knoxville is the location of the transition area. Transition is in the first floor of a parking garage = DRY! The rest of the evening consisted of making sure my gear was in order and getting mentally prepared. 

I woke up Sunday at 4:00 AM, 30 minutes before my alarm. I was ready to go. I had a few goals that i had not shared with anyone. I wanted to win my division and fulfill 1/2 of the qualifications for REV3's Age Group Championship. I had been following results from my West Coast Wattie Ink. Elite Team teammates and I wanted to live up to the hype. This would be my first race on the Wattie Ink. Elite Team and I felt like I had something to prove. It was time to rock the W. 

The weather was exactly as forecasted... 52 degrees with rain, heavy at times. Awesome. I was pretty much soaked by the time I made it to transition. I got my race area ready and put on my new, custom Wattie Ink. blueseventy Helix wetsuit. By far, the best on the market.

Custom, Wattie Ink. blueseventy Helix. 

I met up with the rest of the Wattie Ink. athletes racing for a team picture. 

SWIM 1.2 Miles

38:48

The water temperature was 58 degrees and it definitely got the better of me. The swim was roughly 1/3 upriver, around two buoys and then 2/3 downriver to the UT Boathouse. My goggles stayed fogged up and the cold water kept me from getting into a good rhythm. The swim is never my strongest discipline, but I was hoping for a swim around 33-34 minutes. I was very happy with my blueseventy Helix wetsuit. Amazing. 

T1

5:06

Transition was roughly .35 miles across a road and into the parking garage. This is a LONG run between disciplines. 

BIKE 56 Miles

2:46:54 (20.62 mph average)

The bike course consisted of a few miles in the city of Knoxville, followed by country roads with 4 big climbs. I have now realized that there is not a flat portion of Knoxville. It is either up or down. With the amount of quick descents and the pouring rain, my plan was to not overdue it and possibly end up sliding across the asphalt. I took two bottles of PowerBar Ironman Perform and four PowerBar PowerGels. My Kask K.31 Crono aero helmet held up very well in the poor conditions. This was my first race with my new Reynolds wheelset. Despite having carbon breaking surface, they kept me safe, but most importantly, fast AND upright!

T2
1:48
I could tell coming back into T2 that I was the first to rack my bike, so I was in good shape for my division.

RUN 13.1 Miles
1:41:02 (7:42 min/mile pace)
I headed out on the run, in the pouring rain, in my K-Swiss Blade-Light Run 2 shoes. Within 1 mile, my shoes and socks were completely saturated. Luckily, the Blade-Light Run 2 shoe is made to maximize drainage and that is exactly what they did. The course, an out and back, exactly like the rest of Eastern Tennessee, was either sloped up or down. On the out portion of the course, the path was being flooded by some streams that had overrun their banks, causing many ankle deep puddles. When I returned to  these "puddles" on the back portion of the run, the were now mid-calf deep. Once again, thank goodness for the Blade-Light Run 2 shoe. They never got heavy, despite ALL that Mother Nature threw at me. For nutrition, I took fluids at every water stop and a PowerBar PowerGel at miles 3, 7 and 11. I was happy with the way I attacked the run course. I think I can improve on my time at REV3 Quassy in 1 month.

Mile 12 on the run!

70.3 MILES
5:13:38
1st Division
26th Overall
24th Male

Podium in the pouring rain

BOOM! 1/2 way to the Age Group Championship!

Thank you all who supported me. The afternoon after the race was super long. I packed up my car and drove home so that I could be there when Will woke up for his 5th Birthday.

I can't wait to enjoy both REV3 Quassy and Williamsburg in June with Lauren, Katie and Will. It will make it that much better.

Cheers.

Columbia Triathlon is NEXT.

Rock the W.