I just got back from Long Course Triathlon Worlds and will first say that the Henderson/Las Vegas area is amazing and has some of the most beautiful and challenging terrain I could ever race in. I will be posting some pictures shortly and doing a proper report.
As some of you know, the swim was cancelled and as much I try to avoid slowtwitch like the plague, I could not help but take a peek and see what people were saying. Of course, most people commenting how lame it was to cancel the swim were not there and had no real knowledge of the circumstance, the ITU rules surrounding the decision and how this was set up.
First, I believe it was about 37 degrees race morning. There is an ITU rule that takes the water temp and air temp and a decision is made to shorten or cancel the swim. Ours had to be canceled. So, when something like this happens out of your control, adapt, move on, and have the best race you can have. No use whining or wishing for something else. I was not happy, or disappointed, just moved to plan B and tried to find as many clothing layers as possible to put on!
Our gear was soaked from sitting in the pouring rain all night, even though it was in our gear bags. Shoes, jackets, socks, helmets, were all put in front of the heater in the changing tent. We were all freezing and debating what to wear or not to wear. I think the swim was possible, but how would we feel coming out of already very cold water onto bikes in 30-some degree temps? This is where whether we liked it or not, it was a smart decision.
For the people saying “why couldn’t they just do a duathlon with a run first?” Our shoes were over 10 miles away at T2 in Henderson. So an interesting start to an interesting day! More to follow with pictures.
