Scott Shea & I were donning our new TRH Racing Team suits sponsored by The Runner's High in Los Altos. My sister and her friend were also there... as well as Alexandra Paul... to cheer us on.

Before we started, they sent the "Challenged Athletes", the 50+ men/women, and the relay teams off 10minutes early to see if we'd be able to break through the waves. Well done.

I practiced some body surfing and then headed for the line. What a sight, 100 of the "Young Guns" throughout Western US, spring-loaded at the tape, hands on stopwatches, goggled eyes staring at the crashing waves, and thinking about National Championships. Well, I was just excited to race in this classy event. The announcer yells, "And they're off!... America's Young Guns!!"

I sprinted down the beach, jumped breakers, dove beneath the waves, and repeated until we were in the deep. With the cross currents we became spread out, making for unrestricted swimming. Plowing through waves & launching over the top was fun... until you took one in the face. The course is around the pier and as we make the turn, the northerly current helps us along. Heading back the sun is bright but I have a good draft and I rely on him to sight. On the beach are 2 big signs, "O" and "K". Surfers & swimmers must stay 100ft from the pier otherwise the signs say "KO". Keep away and you're "OK". Now the adrenaline picks up as we look for a free ride in. I move to the side of my draftee so I don't plow into him, then WHOOSH I catch a good one and next thing I know I'm on the beach jumping out of my wetsuit.

I race up the sand, through the showers, slip on my shoes, and run the 1/2 mi down The Strand, up the stairs, along the street, and under the railroad tunnel, carrying my wetsuit to my bike. I pass a bunch trying to run in wetsuits and bare feet. Scott's 4min ahead of me. He ran it fast barefoot but his weathered feet are used to it.

We race through town and the exuberant spectators. The course goes through another tunnel under the railroad tracks and then into beautiful Camp Pendleton. It's a gradual climb with a tail wind until the turn-around and hill at Rattlesnake Canyon. I'm riding well, 24mph, and working my way up through the field looking for Scott. It actually starts raining on us but I hardly notice. It's a beautiful day for racing (compared to the weather lately). Across the canyon I see Scott flying down the descent... 2min ahead. Into the wind and light rain I hammer back but can't see him anymore. After the tunnel I see him winding up to the boulevard back to town. 15sec ahead. Coasting towards the transition I stretch and get ready to dismount and run my bike in. Tracy and Matt seem to be everywhere! The support is great. Scott & I cross paths at the rack and soon we're off on the 10k rolling run along the seaside neighborhoods.

My lower legs feel like hardening cement and Scott is pulling away, and a competitor blazes by me, and I'm way over 6min pace, and it's not getting any better after 1mi. and then another one goes by... But at 2mi they're not pulling away as fast anymore. I see Scott at the turn as well as many others but some are relay members or younger racers. I think I'm around 8th. I take a GU. At 3mi I'm just off 6min pace. At 4mi I'm at 6min pace exactly! Now I'm excited, forgetting about my 5th place goal, and hoping for my best 10k of the year! I take a little more GU and pour it on. I see Scott doing battle with other 25-29 guys and I set my sights on those he spits out. At 5mi I'm at 29:55. I make a move and pick off a guy as we curve down onto The Strand. The finish is in sight and there's a line of guys ahead of me. At the sudden up/down hill at mile 6 I'm 15secs behind the next guy and 30secs behind Scott. I dig deep and, although couldn't catch them, finished with a 37:00 10k! I gave thanks to God for such an enjoyable race.

My time was 2:11:55 (22:46 swim, 5:22 T1, 1:05:01 bike, 1:37 T2, 37:00 run). I had gotten to within 8secs of the next guy and he turned out to be 10th which would have been nice. But the competition was extremely impressive. There was 5 of us who finished in the 2:11's. And judging from the 3 Arizona guys that made top 6, I'm convinced that's a state to avoid racing in. I guess those N.A. runners have learned how to swim.

The stiff competition only intensified with the exciting multi-loop format of the professional race. The start into the waves was like watching dolphins. At the end of the swim, the chase pack surfed their way passed the leader. The transitions were blazing. The new young pros were untouchable. Paula Newby Frasier was 10th and at 9th was Gina Kerr, another Cal Poly Alumni I used to train with! In the men, none of my favorites, Mike Pigg, Greg Welch, or Greg Thompson even made top 10! Also very exciting was the legalized drafting allowed on the bottom half of the bike course. The lead pros were trying to shake and break the wheel suckers.