The 7th edition of the Buffalo Triathlon was held on Sunday, 06 June, along the shores of Buffalo Lake in Buffalo, MN.
The weekend started off on Saturday in Buffalo. My son’s girlfriend, Liz Abbas, had a fundraiser at her parent’s Driving Range, Buffalo GolfMaster’s. Liz is the current Miss City of Lakes and will be participating in the Miss Minnesota Pageant towards the end of June. The fundraiser was for the Children’s Miracle Network benefiting Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare. The weather for the event was less than ideal but I’d say successful regardless. Liz participated in the triathlon Sunday as well, her first solo, and she did great! She now can add Triathlete to her list of accomplishments.
This was my 4th Buffalo Triathlon. I really like this event, and it will hopefully remain on my event schedule for many years to come. The event is well organized (Dr. Brett Oden, MD is the event organizer). There are always lots of volunteers (I heard upwards of 400 this year). The Buffalo Triathlon is the second largest triathlon in the state, only Lifetime Fitness is larger. There were 1500 combined participants for the sprint and Olympic distance races.
The race has featured a pro athlete the four years that I have participated. This year Chris Legh, two time Ironman Champion, was the pro draw. I briefly spoke to Chris at packet pick- up Saturday night. He was not able to fully compete on Sunday due to injuries he sustained when
he crashed his bike on a training ride about 2-months ago and still has 6/8 weeks of additional recovery before he could fully return to training. He did participate on a relay, where he did the swim and bike, and Brett Oden’s daughter did the run.
The weather ended up being spectacular. Temps at the start of the race were in the upper 50’s (F) and by the end of the race were in the low 70’s (F). The little bit of wind was from the NW and would provide a nice tail wind for the last 8 miles of the bike.
The Swim – 1500M
I watched as the waves before me entered the course. Chris Legh was in wave one, and I watched as he dolphined out. He continued this well beyond all other swimmers in his wave and it looked like it paid off for him. I decided to try it when my wave was up (wave 7). The water was warm. I did not hear an official temp, but it seemed comparable to Square Lake last week which was in the low 70’s (F). The water was a little choppy but did not prove to be a problem. I stayed a little wide, but I’ll take this over the 2500 churning bodies at Madison any day of the week. It’s nice to be able to just swim. Swimming is not designed to be a full contact sport anyway. About halfway around the counter-clockwise triangular course my energy waned a little. I pushed these thoughts out and focused on the next giant yellow duck buoy that marked the course. As is now my normal routine, I swam until I could touch bottom with my hands before getting to my feet and running to shore. The night before at dinner I learned something new about my wetsuit from Liz. You can pull up on the zipper cord, and the zipper breaks away allowing you to just pull it apart. I’ve been using this wet suit for three years and have been traditionally unzipping it. The tip saved me a few seconds and the contortion act that I had been doing to get the zipper down. Thanks Liz!
The Bike – 40K
The bike course at Buffalo is kind of a big rectangle with a couple mile out and back about halfway around. I would describe the course as moderately hilly with no really big climbs, just some nice rollers. The roads are decent except for a mile stretch that was scheduled for repair starting on Monday. I had to work pretty hard the first 14+ miles to keep a good pace. The little bit of wind was in your face but the thought that it would be at my back on the home stretch kept me motivated. I saw several riders on the side of the road and hoped my trusty steed would get me back without incident. When I started the final 8 mile stretch with the wind at my back I found a new gear on the 08′ Felt S22. I felt strong and was focused on getting to T2. I downed a gel and some water just before entering transition.
The Run – 10K
The run course is an out and back affair. There is a decent climb to the turn around. They changed the course two years ago and eliminated the run through the cemetery and added a short mini-out and back around mile 4. My heel hurt from beginning to end on the run. I’ve been battling what I think is plantar fasciitis for about a month or so now, since mid April actually. I have good days and bad days with it. On this day the pain was tolerable but was present. I had a decent run but had to back off a little here and there along the way. The last half mile or so back into Sturgis Park, along the shores of Lake Buffalo, is lined with spectators and makes the finish fun.
The Results
The day produced a new Buffalo PR by more than 9 minutes. It was my best swim and bike on this course yet. My run was 69 seconds slower than last year. I’ll use the injury excuse even though I don’t want to. My T1 and T2 times were improved and were better than my previous three attempts here. But honestly, between me, you, and the fence post, my transitions need a lot of work. I consistently leave a couple of minutes within the confines of the transition area.
I highly recommend you consider this event when planning your race schedule for next year. Whether you are a first timer or a veteran this race has a lot to offer. If you do not race but are looking for a weekend getaway, Buffalo, MN is a great place to visit.
