The 8th Annual ‘Spring Classic’ Oakdale Duathlon started on a most spectacular note. The weather on this Ides of May day truly was amazing, blue bird skies, no wind to speak of, and early morning temps in the low 50’s with a high expected of mid 70 F.

The race takes place at Lake Elmo Park Reserve in Oakdale, MN. Lake Elmo Park Reserve is 2,165 acres (3 ½ square miles) with 80 percent of its acreage set aside for preservation and protection. This portion will eventually resemble the land as it was prior to the arrival of the settlers in the mid-1800s. This park reserve offers gently rolling hills with a variety of landscape types, including forest and prairie. Watch for pheasants, weasels, red fox, woodpeckers, cardinals, cottontail rabbits, squirrels, white-tailed deer, and the occasional multi-sport athlete. When I drove into the park I received a free vehicle pass. All Washington County parks require a vehicle pass to enter. An annual pass for 2010 is $25, and a daily pass is $5. The ticket for not having a pass is ~$140 (at least it was a couple of years ago, whoops). I’ll end up buying an annual pass, I like to swim at Square Lake, and The Ravine in Cottage Grove is literally across the street from my house.

I still get excited race morning and this morning was no different. I was up @ 5, had a banana, took a shower, checked the weather forecast, and started getting my race gear ready. I bought a roof top rack for my car (my new sporty little Salsa Red 2008 Saturn Astra XR, actually a Vauxhall/Opel Astra) but have not received it yet (coming from the UK). So I had to put the old bike rack on the car also. I then had another banana and drank some water. I left the house for the race at 07:00 for a 09:00 start. Lake Elmo Park is 8-1/2 miles straight up CR19.

Registration and Transition Setup

Registration and body marking was painless. A good number of volunteers on hand and everything seemed to run smooth. Kudos to Vacation Sports for providing a very nice event. I’ve done several of Randy Fulton’s (race director) events. The events are typically laid back but with enough support to make the day run smoothly.

The transition area was roomy and I did not feel crowded. They announced about 500 entries for the event. There are times in transition that you feel like your fighting for enough space but I did not feel cramped at all today. Obviously a little less gear to deal with then with a Triathlon.

Run 1 (3 Miles)

The start of the race was in waves. Wave 1 was the Elite Athletes (which there were 13 men and 4 women). I was in wave 3, the waves started 2-min apart, there was a total of 5 waves. Both runs take place within the park and on paved trails. The run course is not flat, I would categorized it as slightly rolling and fast.

I was not at a 100 percent on this day. I’ve been fighting the creeping crud over the past several days. I had thought about pulling out but felt well enough to persevere.

I felt like I was working hard on this run. It’s kinda funny that I wear my Garmin because I intentionally never look at it during a race. I race on how I feel not what the watch says. Plus I don’t want to look down and find out that I still half n miles left. I analyze the data after the race and try to learn from it.

The Bike (14 Miles)

The bike course is basically a big rectangle loop, around the block so to speak. I would again classify it as rolling hills. I did not get out of the saddle once and did not feel the need to. On this day the course was fast and there was little or no wind. I drank almost my whole aero water bottle contents, not because I was hot, but mostly do to the nasal drainage down my throat. I felt like I kept my cadence high, post race analysis says I averaged 94 rpm, I’m happy with that.

Run 2 (3 Miles)

The second run is the same course but in reverse of the first. The elevation profile from my Garmin data indicates that the first run is slightly uphill and subsequently the second is slightly down. I got into a rhythm quickly and did not stray to much. I did not feel like I could push so I didn’t.

Post Race Food

All I have to say is they had hot dogs and regular ruffles…yum!

Final Thoughts

I highly recommend this race. It had some very high level competitors and yet is geared toward the novice athlete as well. The atmosphere is laid back, was reasonably priced, no tech shirt, but they had fresh off the grill Hot Dogs!