Leaving It on the Course

For many years my younger brother has been giving me smack about looking “too fresh” at the end of my races.  Last weekend I wish he were able to see the final 400m of my race in Muskoka.  I think the picture speaks for itself as I pushed myself to the max. 

The race weekend was great featuring a stellar course, beautiful weather and the support of my parents.  My racing has been rough this year and I was glad to have a solid performance north of the border.  It was the first race this year where I felt like I was actually in the mix.  The steep hills leading up to transition set the tone on this challenging course!  Coming out of the water in 11th I rode most of the bike in contact with Shannon Stallard (New Zealand).  We worked together in a effort to close the gap to the guys up the road, but he was able to get away from me over the final 10k.  I came off the bike in 9th and used the third fastest run of the day to push myself through the field and by 12 miles had my eyes set on Stallard who was running 5th for the final money spot.  With about 1k to go I made the pass.  Stallard was able to run back up on my shoulder as we crested the final hill and with 400m to go we both began to surge for a sprint finish.  The lactic acid flooded my body and I immediately began to dry heave.  At this point I came to a standstill and Stallard was able to run across the line 20” ahead of me.

As always I am grateful for the gift of good health and  the support of my sponsors, family & friends.  Next up will be Rev3 Anderson which is shaping up to be one heck of a race!

Keep it smooth,

Brad