Once? Twice?1? Three Times!@%&*!??!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, the Guam National Triathlon Championship day had arrived. I had been training to do this Olympic distance race as a relay member of TEAM TRI-W. I was training hard for the bike portion for awhile, and my teammates Catherine-the swimmer- and Matt -the runner- were all well prepared as well.

We had sized up the competition over the previous few weeks and began to realize we could very likely win the Relay Division. I have been riding harder and faster out here in Guam than ever before, and Catherine is a former Clemson University swimmer with former swim students currently in the Olympic trials for Beijing. She also won the overall female Cocos Island Crossing race earlier this year. Matt is built to be a runner, and delivered on his prediction of 7min miles despite the absolutely grueling race course in the Guam mountains.
As a sidenote- a member of the AIR FORCE International Triathlon Team said it was the most difficult Olympic distance tri he'd ever seen. He travels the world doing them, so I guess he'd know. The ocean for the swim was very rough, the skies opened up a tropical deluge on the bike course, and the run was under a muggy oppressive sun. It doesn't get much better than that.

Race started early. 430 am wakeup. No sleep that night and ready to tear it up. My adrenaline had never been this high for a race.

Catherine hit the water to get the race started. She could've pulled a wakeboarder behind her. The ocean was very choppy, and several people abandoned, some in tears, before their swim was completed. She was the first of about 70 people out of the water. She had given our team the position of the leader on the course with a few minute head start going onto the bike portion.

She ran to the transition, tagged me and I was off on my shiny new carbon fiber bike. My adrenaline was pumping, and I felt sooo strong and confident. I made it about 15 feet before my rear tire blew. I was stunned. In utter disbelief, I stared at the flat tire in rage. Regaining my composure, I flipped the bike up, did a tube change and was off with several guys in front of me now on the course. I caught 3 of them very quickly as I channeled my rage into the bike. I flew by them like they were standing still, then a few more. I don't think my butt was in the saddle for the first 2 miles. Then, it started to pour rain. Tropical downpours are bad on a bike course when you can't see anything and are still pedaling the bike like you stole it. The roads were under as much as 3 inches of water in some spots....not to mention the roads are potholed and broken pavement in many areas to begin with.

At the halfway point, I was within 1:30 minute of the overall leader on the course and still feeling super strong. I was averaging around 22mph despite the rain and crappy road conditions. Inside the 6 mile to go point, I was within a short sprint of the Relay Division leader, maybe 1/8 mile at most. There were 3 of them in the group and I felt strong to catch them. I was having the race of my life, even the ride of my life. Never felt better or riding faster and had lots in reserve. I think I was actually getting stronger as the adrenaline of returning to this lead group surged. Then, in an unbelievable turn of events....Pffffffffffttttttt. Another blown tire? This can't possible be 2 in the same race? Not in the Guam National Championships! Not when I am in the race and riding like this!!! Not when I have teammates that will be let down.......

But it was true. If the first flat was unlikely, the second was devastating to me. I contemplated riding it flat, but knew that 5+ miles would destroy the wheel and not make it to the finish line. Regretfully, I stopped and changed the tube....again. Patched it actually, because the spare tube was already used earlier. I couldn't find the small puncture. It took way too long. Finally, I found it, and was off again after about 5 minutes total for the repair. Ugh! Well, I thought.....go. Go harder. Go like you've got teammates and friends depending on you. Turn yourself inside out if you have to, but go. And so I did, for about 50 feet.

Yes, in races as in life, sometimes it isn't a matter if you win, but you're going to finish one way or another and hopefully, there are friends around you when it's over. Due to unforeseen events, your race may end earlier than you expected, you can even abandon the race when it gets too tough, or you can put your head down and go. Alot of people had passed me after that 2nd flat tire. Some were people I had passed earlier in the race after hammering out the first 12 miles following my first flat. And there they went. Winning was now out of the question, but I was determined to go....yet, it happened again. A nearly comical, unfathomable 3rd flat, a mere 50 feet or so after my second. I wanted to just walk back the 5 miles in the rain. Just getting back up, only to be kicked down again.

Stunned and hurt don't begin to describe the feelings. For comparison sake, I haven't had 3 flats in the 6 months I've been riding out here, never mind on the same day or ride. How in the world could this possibly happen?

I was very near one of the race officials when this happened. What to do? Call for a ride back, or get up and go. I patched and cursed this 3rd flat, pumped it up, and got back on the bike. Those feelings of disappointment and "what could have been" turned to a deep feeling of anger and rage like I've rarely felt. Throwing all caution and good sense to the wind, I clenched my jaw shut and pushed the last 5 miles like an all out, leave nothing on the course, screw the cars, get the hell out of the way because I am NOT merely racing....I am living. I passed many of those who had passed me after my 2nd and 3rd flats. I knew I couldn't catch the leaders again after that long of an ordeal (7-8 minutes) , but I didn't care at that point. I wanted to put LIFE on notice that I am sick of being kicked around for this year. I'm not complaining here, but it's been a rough year. It's time to pick on somebody else. So, I got back on the bike and didn't care about winning. I wanted/needed to prove to me that I was unstoppable, if only for 5 miles.

Coming into the bike finish area at around 30mph, I hadn't even realized how quickly the last 5 miles had gone. I was a bit surprised I was there already. As I got off the bike and tagged Matt to start the run, both calf and hamstring muscles simultaneously cramped and I fell beside my bike. I was unstoppable for those 5 miles and not a foot more. Everybody in the transition area (KW, my team and some others) had heard about what had happened to me on the course with the last 2 flats. I don't know if other competitors or the officials had relayed what happened.

Matt was off on his hell-run and I was lying in the grass staring at the sky, wondering what should have been. Clearly, we didn't win. Matt turned in one of the faster times on the run, though. He finished strong.

When all was said and done, I still felt terrible about what happened. Catherine had won the swim, Matt was a very solid runner, and I would have had about the 5th fastest time at 1:08 on the bike had better luck been with us, according to my computer. Instead, I was in at 1:23 (about midpack)...15 minutes and a 1st place medal lost to 3 flat tubes and karma. As it was, we still finished 3rd overall in the Relay Teams, bested by another Coed team and an All Male team.

The three of us had done our absolute best, and we knew it. I could never have expected us to do any better individually or as a team. I'd love to race with them again, we kept it fun and still competitive despite the hard knocks. I guess you can't always control what bumps life throws at you, but you better get back on the bike. Whether it's 25 miles to go, 5 miles to go, or 5 miles minus 50 feet to go.....you can't let life push you around. Get up and push back, again and again and even again if you have to....and maybe get some tubeless tires to help along the way.