2013 REV3 Quassy HalfREV

What an awesome weekend! Another great REV3 race and another REV3 win!

I was excited to race REV3 Quassy and I was even more excited to travel to Middlebury, Connecticut with the whole family. This was also going to be a great weekend, as the race also served as the Wattie Ink Elite Team East Coast event! I'd finally get to meet all the Wattie's that I routinely conversed with via Facebook.
We left home early Friday morning and made the 350+ mile trip to central Connecticut, arriving a little after lunchtime. Friday was HOT and HUMID and it looked like the weather for that evening's REV3 Glow Run 5K and 1M Fun Run that evening was going to be the same. The Glow Run 5K was Katie's FIRST 5K and she ran with Lauren. I was lucky to run the 1M Fun Run with Will.

Katie and Will, ready to rock the Glow Run!

Lauren and Katie finishing the 5K!

Saturday was still warm, but not nearly as humid. I had plans to attend the practice swim, rack my bike and meet up with the rest of the Wattie Ink Elite Team for team pictures.

Wattie Ink. Elite Team taking over the Pro Panel. Questions?

Sunday, race morning, started with a 4:15 AM wake up. I had my normal breakfast and headed to the lobby of the hotel for some coffee and to meet my teammate, Bill, for a ride to the race venue. The weather looked to be hotter and more humid than I had raced or trained in this year. I love racing in the heat!

Ready to Rock the W!

SWIM - 1.2 Miles

34:56

The swim took place in Lake Quassapaug, in beautiful, 70 degree water. The swim course was 3, righthand turns, with 1/3 of the swimming DIRECTLY into the sun! This was also my first race to be a beach start, which I liked. Thanks to my badass, BlueSeventy Helix wetsuit, I was able to set a swim PR for the 1.2 mile swim.

Love my blueseventy Helix!

T1

2:24

T1 was uneventful. 

BIKE - 56 Miles

2:49:53

19.10 Average MPH

Wow, this was the hardest bike course I've raced on yet. My Garmin recorded 4,200+ feet of elevation over the 56 miles. I had the plan to consume 2 bottles of PowerBar Perform which I had on my bike, plus I planned to utilize on-course nutrition. I also had 5 PowerBar Energy Gels in a small FuelBelt flask. As an athlete who sweats more than most, I rely on these PowerBar products to replaces lost fluids, sodium and potassium. 

I was pumped to race on a beautiful, sunny, New England morning. This could only mean one thing... I finally got to race with the visor down on my Kask K.31 Crono helmet! This helmet is well ventilated, cool and super comfortable, not to mention it looks badass. Pics to follow as REV releases them.

The New England roads are super smooth, with very few cracks or potholes. This allowed me to reach my fastest speed on a downhill to date, 46.9 mph! It didn't take much to get my Reynolds wheelset moving.

That climb at mile 24...OUCH!

T2

1:46

I came into T2 with only one bike on the rack. I knew I had to run one guy down. I strapped on my K-Swiss Blade-Light Run 2 shoes and headed out onto the run course. 

RUN - 13.1 Miles

1:46:40 

8:24 min/mile 

Coming out of T2, I saw Lauren, Katie and Will for the first time. This is ALWAYS makes me happy and put a smile on my face. Next, I was greeted by the Wattie Ink. Elite Team cheering squad, including the famous, Eurostar!

Heading out on the run course

The run course was mostly shaded and involved two, out and back sections, allowing me to scout out the competition, which I passed at mile 4! The run course did involve a long, 1.2 mile climb, allowing me to put some distance between me and those chasing. 

The highlight of my race was getting to cross the finish line with Katie and Will. Winning my division wasn't bad either. Securing my spot in REV3's Age Group Championship, held in Knoxville, 2014, was awesome too. 

My favorite finish yet!

TOTAL - 70.3 Miles

5:15:39

FIRST PLACE DIVISION

119th OVERALL OUT OF 997

Rocking the W on the Podium with the Eurostar

Wattie Ink pro, Heather Jackson and me, rocking the W with the Eurostar

Then, it was time for the Wattie Ink after-party!

Cheers! Prairie Fires all-around!

Thanks to Sean "Wattie" Watkins for putting together an awesome weekend. Congrats to Heather Jackson on a solid finish in the pro race. See you guys soon!

A very special thanks to Lauren, Katie and Will. Thanks for making my race weekend the best yet! Love you guys and let's do it again soon. Next up, the Clarke family takes of Williamsburg for REV3 Williamsburg!