The Race From HELL

Could this experience possibly have been any worse? I seriously doubt it.

On Saturday the Sports Academy (local gym) hosted a Family Fun Triathlon. The race was designed for kids and beginner triathletes, with different distances for each age group. Brittany had decided she wanted to participate, well she wanted to swim and bike but she didn't want to run. Brooklyn did want to run so I registered the girls as a team. The swim distance for Brittany's age group was 75 yards and the bike route was 2.5 miles. The run distance for Brooklyn's age group was 0.5 miles. I thought this would be a lot of fun and a great experience for them. My family is often following me around to support me in my races so this time I was really excited to sit on the sidelines and be the cheerleader. Andy and Mallory had also decided to compete so it was really going to be a family event.

The morning began well enough, Brent was still in the Windrivers so I was on my own with the kids (what else is new?). We loaded everyone and everything into the car and headed for the race. Once we arrived, the girls got their race number and we set up their gear in the transition area. Brittany's bike tires were a little low on air and I wanted to pump them up because you will ride faster and more smoothly with fully inflated tires. A few days earlier Brittany and her friend were playing in the garage and the friend was goofing around with my bike pump and she broke it. Not having a pump of my own, that I was used to, I borrowed one from a friend at the race. I could not get this borrowed pump to form a seal on Brittany's tire spout. With Andy's help, we finally forced it on and inflated the tire. Well, then I couldn't get the pump off the spout. I kept tugging and twisting and it just wouldn't come off. I finally just pulled really hard and the pump came off, along with the entire spout, ripping a huge hole in the inner tube. The force of the spout ripping off also ripped off one of my acrylic finger nails and took a small portion of my real nail with it. It hurt so bad and I was bleeding but I didn't have time to worry about that. By this time the athletes had been called to the pool deck for instructions. I hadn't bothered to bring tools or extra tubes like I take to my own races, this was just a kiddie race and surely I wouldn't need the extra gear. Since Wal-Mart is only a half block away from the Sports Academy, I decided I had time to run there, get a new inner tube and change the tire on the bike.

I ran into the store and down the aisles dodging people on my way to the bike section. I grabbed two different tubes, each a different size just in case I wasn't remembering correctly what Brittany's tire size was. Thankfully there was no line at the register and I made it back to the race in about four minutes. (I had actually looked at the clock in the car, don't know why.) Oh, and my finger was still bleeding from the nail being ripped off. I'm sure the girl at the register was totally grossed out but I didn't care.

Back at the pool, the race hadn't started yet and I breathed a sigh of relief. Now all I had to do was put the new tire on and blow it up and Brittany would be ready to go. I ran to the transition area and realized that Brittany's bike required a 20-inch tube, not the 16- or 18-inch tube that I'd bought. It also hit me that I didn't have any of the needed tools to get the wheel on and off the bike frame. I felt so defeated. The girls were so excited for this race and now they weren't going to be able to participate. The first heat of swimmers still were not in the pool so I decided there was still time to fix this. So back to Wal-Mart I went. This time, I decided it would just be easier and faster to buy a new bike. I grabbed the first one I saw, paid for it (again, there was no line at the register, how weird is that for Wal-Mart?) and headed back to the race. When I arrived, the race had begun. Andy and Mallory were swimming, which left my 3 kids without supervision. Brittany and Brooklyn were standing beside the pool cheering for Andy and Mallory while Damon was sticking his hands in the pool throwing water at them as they swam by.

I got after Damon and made him follow me while I took the new bike to the transition area. Brittany would be swimming in the next heat so I had to hurry so I'd be able to watch her. The tires on the new bike were a little low on air too so I hurriedly pumped them up. (I'd bought a new pump the first time I went to Wal-Mart, just like that one at home that was broken so I would know exactly how to get it to seal to the spout.) Then I realized that the new seat was way too low for Brittany and it would require a wrench to adjust, a wrench I didn't have. I asked a few other parents if they had one but nobody did. By this time some of the swimmers from Brittany's heat were arriving in the transition area to get their bikes. I knew Brit wouldn't be far behind so I gave up trying to find a wrench and figured she just have to do the best she could. I ran back to the pool and Brittany was just heading for the bike area. I'd missed her entire swim. I felt really bad. Brit dried off, got her shoes and socks on and headed out for the bike course. Once again, I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the drama was over. I was SO wrong.

Now I had to start thinking about getting Brooky ready to run. Unfortunately, the course was very poorly marked and I had missed all of the pre-race instruction because I was at Wal-Mart. I wasn't sure where she was supposed to start running or where she was supposed to turn. There was another mom that I knew who was standing next to the spot where the bikers re-entered the transition area so I went to ask her if she knew where Brooky's age group was supposed to run. She didn't know either and at that moment, this little boy rode his bike into the area at full speed. Well, of course Damon was standing right in his path and he plowed right into my son. The impact knocked Damon over backwards. He went down hard and hit his head on the pavement and had a huge goose egg. His knee was also scratched. Damon was hurting and crying and scared so I picked him and just then Brittany rode in and finished the bike portion. I still didn't know where Brooky was going to run and there was no one around that knew what was going on. I knew I couldn't send her off blindly so I figured I'd have to run with her. I was still holding a sobbing Damon as we started to run. A minute later a friend caught up to me and offered to take Damon. I ran with Brooky a little farther and then these two other boys in her age group came up behind us. One of them had his dad running beside him so I figured they would be going the right way. I told Brooklyn to follow those boys and turn where they turned and I would watch her cross the finish line. She took off and I went back to check on Damon and put ice on his bump. At that point, the realization hit me that Brittany hadn't done the correct bike route for her age. The woman helping to direct the bikers at an intersection had told Brittany to turn (instead of going straight) and she ended up doing the shorter distance that was meant for the younger age group. Brittany was really disappointed but we soon learned she wasn't the only one that had been mis-directed.

Damon had settled down a little and was sitting well out of the way of race traffic so I headed over to the finish shoot to watch for Brooklyn. I waited...and waited...and waited. Finally I saw the two boys that I had told her to follow so I figured she would be coming right behind them. I kept watching and waiting....and waiting...and waiting. No Brooklyn. After a few minutes I decided she must have gone the wrong way and I had better go look for her. (Brent and I often tell each other that it is a good thing Brooky is so cute because she will have to get through life on her looks, she can be such an airhead.) Just as I was about to run the course backwards to find her, Brooky came around the corner with a huge grin on her face. She had a great time.

We learned some valuable lessons: Damon learned to make sure he was not in the way and I learned that I should always have extra inner tubes and tools with me, even if it is just a kiddie race. I have also learned how difficult it is to type a blog entry with a great big band-aid on my right index finger. My finger still hurts.

I had taken my camera with me intending to get some fun video clips and pictures of the girls. Needless to say, I got nothing. However, there is a shot of Andy, Mallory and the kids posted on their blog, if you're interested. (Click on Andy and Mallory on my blog list.) And be sure and note the Speedo Andy is attempting to show off.