Six Flags Triathlon 2013 Race Report & Photos 10

pre-race Swim start

pre-race Swim start

Today a few friends and myself took part in the second annual 2013 Six Flags triathlon, held at the Six Flags amusement park in Jackson, NJ.

We participated in the Olympic distance race as part of a relay team. This  Olympic distance triathlon featured a 2-lap (1500m) swim, followed 24.8-mile bike loop , and finished with 10k through the Six Flags amusement park, including parts of the animal safari during the run.

This was our second triathlon team relay as team Triple Threat this year. I would take the swim, followed by Tony T. on the bike and Christine as usual would anchor us on the run .

The weather had rained the night prior but was a nice,cool and dry 60 deg. on race morning.

ALL FREE RACE PHOTOS

We took 700+ photos check the Picasa Six Flags Race Photos direct Link  Photos are FREE , Feel free to share on Facebook or with friends.. kindly leave a comment  below if you like them.

SWIM

James, Cathy and Tony

James, Cathy and Tony

The swim begins at the park’s aquatic arena which is on one end of a lake in the park. The arena has a grandstand (water shows are performed here), so its an excellent swim course for spectators (As they can see the whole thing). This year’s course was different instead on one 1500m loop (out and back), there would be two 750m loops. The start was also different, no waves this year, rather a time-trial start, where athletes single/double file, cross the timing mats and hop into the water and start. No chance to warmup because of the long walk to the swim.

The start was pretty mellow, with everyone jumping in one behind the other, there wasn’t too much jostling in the beginning, but it did make for a lot more contact throughout the swim. My navigation lap one was less than perfect as I seemed to be swimming to wide, drifitng right of the counter-clockwise turning buoys.

Swim Exit leader

Swim Exit leader

At the start of lap two the rising sun peeked through some clouds and caused some immediate glare issues, but then it became covered again, so it became less of a problem. I think I did a better job of sticking closer to the buoys on this lap. Still the two loops course caused a bit of a crowded swim I had to break my rhythm and stroke often as I came upon slower swimmers quickly . Also the buoys were not in the shape of a circle or oval , so trying to navigate point to point was the key here. But after turning for home on the last yellow buoy it was just a matter of aiming for the center of the grandstand and out of the water I came. I was disappointed with my time, I had been swimming great in the pool but not sure if I did extra distance or what, just not happy with my performance.

T1 Run

One unique thing about this triathlon is the long .45 mile run from the swim exit to T1. If you’re serious about competing here, you need to factor that in as its around 3+ minutes worth of running. I came out of the water and immediately stubbed my toe on a raised piece of sidewalk,ouch, then I put on my running shoes (why people run in flip flops here confuses me) and ran as fast as I could to T1. There I saw our cyclist team-mate Tony, still with his warm up jacket on.. I yelled “jacket!” and he immediately took it off. Then is was a quick chip exchange and off he went.

BIKE

Tony nears end of bike ride

Tony nears end of bike ride

Tony had ridden this course last year and several times in training rides, so he was pretty familiar. The rains the night before did pose some challenges in certain sections of the course, especially with wet leaves and other debris.
Tony as well as other riders lamented at the fact that volunteers instead of pointing out the dangerous patches, couldn’t have just swept the debris off the course..

Tony nears Bike end

Tony nears Bike end

Tony’s strong bike performance, similar to last year gave us a good advantage going into T2. According to Tony, there was a bit of drafting off of him, he mentioned another rider saw a train of riders hanging onto his wheel for miles on end. In non-drafting triathlon cycling, it’s really unfair and shows poor sportsmanship for the drafting riders. Local races don’t usually have course race marshals so it’s harder to officiate and penalize. But at the end of the day, you should follow basic rules of your sport.

The familiarity with the course helped Tony near the end as a short but hidden hill behind a curve allowed him to be in the proper gear and time his effort so that he manged to pass a significant group of riders as he crested the short rise.

I saw Tony return to T2 in strong fashion.

RUN

Finish Line Christine

Finish Line Christine

With another quick chip exchange Christine was off and running, the 10k run featured two 5k loops through the park including parts of the animal safari. The run is mostly in trail areas and the rains the night before did add some extra puddle hopping to the run.

Christine didn’t feel her performance was strong , but it was good enough for cementing our first place relay finish.

FINISH & RELAY Results

Christine, Tony, Tony T.

#1st Place Team Relay! Christine, Tony, Tony T.

Below are the Olympic distance relay results:

Team Name Swim T1 Bike T2 Run Finish
team Christine N. (Our Team) 29:41 04:49 1:09:02 0:35 54:17 2:38:27
team Larissa M. 33:17 5:37 1:26:21 0:30 47:25 2:53:12
team Jennifer M. 28:03 16:05 1:14:17 0:42 57:21 2:56:29
team Donna R. 33:29 5:35 1:32:26 0:33 54:38 3:06:43
team Amy A. 33:27 6:28 1:34:45 0:41 1:00:07 3:15:31

(bold indicates first in segment)

Our team’s 2013 vs. 2012 Results:

Year Swim T1 Bike T2 Run Finish
2013 29:41 04:49 1:09:02 0:35 54:17 2:38:27
2012 25:12 4:01 1:07:15 0:22 53:43 2:30:34

Keep in mind , every year same course has different race-day conditions.

As usual it was a Overall it was a fun day.

Race Organization

For a local race the race was fairly well organized,the only points were there was some confusion as to where the 5k run/walk (a simultaneous event started). Also porta-potty locations could use better signage. Also starting at 6:45 is a bit early, plus you have a long walk to the swim start..which causes everyone to rush to get there.. Maybe close transition at 7 and start at 7:30.

Also friends were there supporting injured cyclist/triathlete Cole P. who suffered an serious accident the week earlier. Lend your support for Cole visit this page for more details.

Post race you get a breakfast at the Six Flags park and entry into the park as well.. so it’s not a bad way to spend the day with family and friends.

Photo Stream

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10 thoughts on “Six Flags Triathlon 2013 Race Report & Photos

  1. Reply Alberto Blanco Sep 24,2013 4:38 am

    I like it the team kicking ass once again,the time was pretty much the same from last year to this year.
    you all look too pretty,I might have to go up there and spoil the party next year.

  2. Reply Christine Sep 24,2013 5:05 pm

    Alberto, come on, we challenge you. You would get your butt kicked and chicked all in the same day. T2 was a little slower..it was my fault with the timing chip strap.

  3. Reply tt Sep 24,2013 6:46 pm

    alberto, are u saying you can beat our combined time????
    if so we may have a challenge on our hands…

  4. Reply Nancy Mack Sep 25,2013 2:42 am

    You captured the day well! Great pics.

  5. Reply Ken Thomson Sep 26,2013 12:20 am

    The pictures are amazing. I found a great one of me giving my Mom a high five at the finish line. Thanks for the awesome photography.

  6. Reply Robert DeMeulemeester Sep 27,2013 2:10 am

    Great race report. You guys did great. I’m glad the baboons just sat there and watched us with a sense of amusement.

  7. Reply Christine Sep 28,2013 2:47 am

    Robert, I didn’t see them on the second lap. I wonder where they went off to. They probably thought we were boring.

  8. Reply kevin Sep 29,2013 12:42 am

    Excellent photos … they captured the very essence of this unique event at Six Flags. Loved the actions photos of the swim.

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