Race Report - New England Danskin 2006.

Despite including an insane flight schedule, more heat and humidity than I should ever have to suffer outside of Southeast Asia, and utter exhaustion on the back end, this weekend's triathlon excursion was a resounding success. It went sort of like this:

Redeye flight on JetBlue: $360.00

Single at the LaQuinta Inn, Auburn, MA: $80.00

Boisterous carb-loading pre-race dinner at Dino's: $20.00

Seeing 7 of your favorite Imaginary Internet Friends cross the finish line of their first triathlon, grinning from ear to ear: TOTALLY EFFING PRICELESS.

My own race went fine, with satisfyingly above-average times aided by swim and run courses that were undeniably short of their posted lengths. (Oh! And, how could I forget? By the incredible wowicanbreatheness of racing at sea level!) My rented bike was a far cry from my beloved Serotta, but it carried me speedily and caused me no problems. The bike course was gorgeous, very New England Pastoral, and highly enjoyable, aside from a terrifying downhill stretch that was far more pothole than pavement. It even crossed into Connecticut, making this my first triathlon ever to cover two different states.

I wasn't particularly impressed with the organization - even Denver Danskin rated better in this respect. The transition area was crawling with spectators before and after the race, the utter idiocy of the TA layout cost me several minutes at either end of the bike leg, the serious dearth of porta-potties had me fearing I would miss my swim start, and there was no food in sight at the finish. But none of these logistical annoyances detracted much from my very happy overall experience.

And, seriously, seeing my friends' glowing, happy, exhilarated faces as we passed each other on the bike and run courses, swapping war stories with them over post-race beers, and hearing them all planning, already, for next year, made every second of the trip worthwhile. THIS is what the Danskin spirit is all about, and this is what I'd somehow lost sight of during my personal hell at the Denver race.

Also, Aurora Reservoir doesn't have nearly the panache of Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg.*

*Yep, this is really its name, although it is also known as Lake Webster. Supposedly, it means "you fish on your side, I fish on my side, and no one fishes in the middle." As far as I'm concerned, it means "clear, warm, and totally excellent for racing."