Gloucester Triathalon

Andy ran his first triathalon last weekend in Gloucester. He's been training all summer, getting into pretty good shape to tackle the wet, speedy, sweaty, frenetic spectacle that is a sprint triathalon. This was Gloucester's first triathalon too, and they had a great turnout with over 800 participants and at least 10 times as many spectators. It was a zoo!

Micah and Becky's other brother-in-law, Steve, was also doing the tri, so we all hiked across town to watch the race. Minus Becky, who was stationed as a race volunteer along the bike course. Steve had done one triathalon previously, so he had some sage words of advice for Andy... such as, "I was so incredibly nervous at my first one, I almost puked in the water"... Becky, the only other triathalon veteran among us, also tried to inspire some confidence, "Just wait until some 250 lb woman on a pink huffy passes you on a downhill..." Although it may not seem like it, these nuggets of wisdom did relax Andy a bit and made him realize that pre-race jitters are normal- the important part is to have fun and enjoy the experience.

Jenny, Cal & Freddy walking to the race start

Andy (second from L) and Steve (farthest orange cap on R) at the swim start

Andy finishing the swim

We made some rockin' signs to cheer on family and friends and tacked them to the car in M&B's driveway. The bike loop went right by their house.

Iconic Gloucester fisherman getting pooped upon

Andy on the bike loop

Steve shortly after crossing the finish line

So far as I could tell, Andy sailed through the three portions of the race with minimal difficulty. Each time he passed by us cheering him on, he had a smile for Aiden (ok, on that last run loop it might have been a half-grimace) and he finished in about an hour and 40 minutes. Not bad for a first try/tri! His biggest complaint was that for most of the bike portion, he was stuck behind a racer wearing just an american flag speedo and nothing else, and he got sick of looking at the guy's buttocks. I think Andy's got the bug now, because he's already registered for another tri in Weare, NH in September. I have to admit that it did look like fun. The energy is infectious and even though the racers looked tired, you could tell everyone crossing the finish line felt like a million bucks.

Patriotic speedo man and Silicone Barbie cross the finish line

Andy on the run

Andy crossing the finish line


Steve and Calvin enjoying some oranges post-race

Chocolate gelato helps when you're looking for Dadoo among hundreds of bodies speeding by...