2013 5150 US National Championship HyVee Triathlon

As it had the past two seasons, the prestigious HyVee triathlon served as one of the final major events to cap off the summer of racing. Year after year, the 5150 US National Championship boasts one of the most competitive elite amateur fields while also offering up over $15,000 to the top-5 elite men and women. This ensured that the 2012 Triathlete of the Year, the 2013 Age Group National Champion and the 20-24 Age Group National Champion would all be on the start list, fit and ready to leave everything on the race course. Without spoiling it too much, here is the recap from the weekend that resulted in one of the best performances of my entire triathlon career!

After a Friday morning spin, a hefty breakfast and some last minute packing/ food-cooler organizing, Dad and I hit the road for the 5.5 hour drive to beautiful Des Moines, Iowa. All in all, the trip flew by as I alternated between eating and sleeping.

The occasional poop made its way into the rotation. 

We got into town around 4pm and the heat wave that was hitting mid-western Iowa was in FULL effect. I had an easy swim on the schedule so I headed over to Raccoon River Park to go ping ponging back and forth in in the 90 degree, bath-like swim area.

Walking over to the hot tub. 

After finishing up my swim, I headed back to the car where Steve was relaxing in the AC. We headed over to Whole Foods to pick up dinner, cruised over to the hotel and checked into our room. I capped off the night with some leg shaving, foam rolling and Normatec-ing; just a casual Friday evening if you ask me!

My usual pre-race shakeout workout on Saturday went perfectly and I was able to do most of the short swim-bike-run on the race course itself. I finished feeling refreshed and reassured that the rolling hills and open roads really suited my racing strengths- especially if the winds picked up on race day. I capped off the afternoon with a short nap and the always annoying mandatory elite briefing where I got the eye up the competition and get reassured that there is pretty much a USAT penalty for everything except riding your bike.

How can't you be intimidated by this sleeping beauty?  

Sunday morning started off with a nice bowl of Quinoa and a strong cup of coffee. As I got my things together and got ready to head out to Gray's Lake, I peaked out the window to shockingly see 40 MPH winds and pouring rain. Thankfully, the storm passed over quickly and the race organizers simply had to delay everything by 45 minutes. Although the weather cleared up, the morning downpour left the corners wet and the wind howling- perfect for the powerful and technical riding style I have come to develop.

We waited in the car for a while before finally deciding to head over to the transition area. I set up my things, went out for a warm up run and finished it off with the usual pre-race dynamic stretching awkwardness.

Don't mind me over here. Just doing this thing I do. 

Dad and I walked over to the swim start where I was able to hop in the water to warm up and add to the pee-bath that is created whenever a triathlon is held in an open body of water. I quickly made my way to the start line and positioned myself right in front of the group. We got the 2 minute count-down and even a :15 second warning before the gun went off and the mens elite wave rushed into the 85 degree lake.

I immediately was able to settle into the middle of the pack without too much of a fight for position. I noticed a few athletes breaking off the front, but kept calm and went to work. About halfway thorough the swim, I was feeling great and moved my way up to the head of the main pack of swimmers. Along with one other competitor, I led the way out of the water in roughly 10th position but was closely followed by an additional 10 athletes as we all sprinted our way to the transition area.

I have tried to brand myself as one of the most well-rounded triathletes in the amateur game and I have always taken pride in the fact that my transitions are wicked fast. Not kidding, I practice them. I was not here to disappoint, so I was out of T1 and on the road with one of the fastest splits of the day.

Once onto the bike, I maneuvered my way through the technical section of the course avoiding a crash in the slick post-storm corners. I settled into a rhythm almost immediately and passed a few athletes before hitting the open, hilly section of the course.  I was feeling great out there, pushing up the hills and screaming down the descents. Even into the headwind I felt like I was maintaining a strong pace as I cued off one of the strongest cyclists in the field about 200 meters up the road. I came into T2 in 4th position but was aware that there were a number of stealthy runners quick on my heels.

Once again, T2 was flawless and I was quickly out on the run course.

I had a inkling that I was in the top-5 at this point, but Dad made it VERY clear that I was in 4th position. 

I started cruising on the first portion of the run course and a strong tail wind made the first two miles incredibly fast. At the 2.5 mile turn around point, I was able to see that I had two competitors chasing quickly and if I were to hold them off, it would require quite the effort. I dug deep and pushed as hard as I could to hold off both of my pursuers. As I passed transition around the 5 mile mark, I got some much needed encouragement! 

I kept pushing but the headwind section from miles 2.5-4.5 put me in a world of hurt and I really started to suffer. Around the 6 mile mark, with no more than 600m to go, Colin Riley (the 2013 Age Group National Champion) put in a dig that I couldn't quite respond to. Although I couldn't match his sprint, my final kick was good enough to hold off the hard charging Steve Mantell (20-24 National Champion) and I held onto 5th position as I collapsed across the finish line. 

Overall, it was a pretty incredible race. I was at the top end of the race all day and battled back and forth with some of the most established triathletes in the nation. With this performance, I established myself as the up and coming triathlete to watch- not only next year, but into the future as I pursue professional racing. I did just turn 20 years old in June...

As always, I took time after the race to cool down in the ice bath, debrief/ celebrate with my family (Grammy included who flew out from New Jersey!) and devour some of the surprisingly delicious post race food. We waited around until the 12pm awards ceremony where I shared the stage with four incredibly talented athletes.

Also, I won this. So that's cool.

Thanks to Craig Strong at Precision Multisport, Vishal at Nuun and Sammy/ Jenna at Sammy's bikes for your continued support as I dedicate myself to achieving all of my goals.

And without my family I would be nowhere. Call me whatever you want, but I couldn't be happier that my Mom and Dad are not only my best parents but they are also my best friends.

Next up for me is a small race in Iowa to qualify for 2014 Collegiate Nationals and then I will be gearing up for my last race of the season, a half ironman in November at Rev3 Florida.

If your season is over, enjoy your down time but if you are brave enough to stick it out for a few late season races, see you on the road!

-Justin