Categories: Race Reports

http://www.triroanokevalley.com/

I did this race with, and on the recommendation of, some friends ... it was not on my original plan but figured it would not hurt and would be fun.  I was right!!!  This was the 2nd year they did this race, and the idea is to bring the level of support and meaningfulness of an IRONMAN to a small race. 

And folks, I kid you not, they pulled it off.  For such a young race it was extremely organized and very well laid out.  The course was just challenging enough, and there was support everywhere you might need it.  The coolest thing they did was set up bleachers along the "shoot" and held up an IM like finish line for EACH athlete to break thru!!  Another nice touch was that every finisher got a medal to wear and their picture taken in front of a "Finisher" backdrop. 

Pre Race:  The packet pick up was in a gym, and the set up was so similar, I felt like I was back in Lake Placid, NY hanging out with my IM friends as they picked up their packets.  By the way, the race is still fairly small right now so there was no line for the INDOOR bathroom  :o)

The Swim:  300 yards in a 6 lane pool.  Which meant up and back in the same lane before crossing over.  I was skeptical at first but it went off without a hitch.

The Bike:  14.8 mile out and back.  Some rolling hills but nothing too major.  The biggest issue was 1) dealing with the chilly weather- it was about 48 degrees when we emerged from the aquatic center, and 2) the wind- the entire ride out, was into the wind.  But of course, that means the entire ride back in, was GREAT!!  

The Run:  3.1 mile loop through a nice neighborhood.  This is where the hills really came into play.  They were short, steep-ish, and plentiful.  It made it fun but, for me, it made it difficult to find a good rhythm.  There were two water/Gatorade stops on the course, if I had to guess they were at mile 1.5 and 2.5.  There was one last hill right before you ran the last .1 of a mile (flat) to and through the shoot.

Post Race:  There were medals, pictures, oranges, bananas, bagels, cookies and the list goes on!  There were also funnel cakes, but they weren't free  ;o)  For the award ceremony they had an actual 3rd/1st/2nd place podium for the athletes to stand on, and a picture was take of each group.  By noon, the day OF the race, I had an email in my inbox that detailed my entire day- where I placed and how I paced, etc... I was VERY impressed with this!!

All in all this was a really fun race to do.  I did this race report because I want to help get the word out ... this is a great race to start the year off with.  If you can, spend the night and plan a nice long ride the next day over in the lake Gaston area.... it is absolutely gorgeous up there!!

Happy Racing!

Aneis Andreoli