Race Report- Rev3 Pocono Mountain

Rev3 Pocono Mountain is a new addition to our local race scene in Eastern Pennsylvania. Just 40 minutes north of Bethlehem, this race is new, but not so new. In 2010 and 2011 there was a race on a course very similar to the one we raced on Sunday, but it was put on by WTC as an Ironman branded race. I didn't race either of these events for one reason - the race was in the Pocono Mountains on the first week of October. While I am not a fan of crazy hot conditions, there was a legitimate chance of race day temperatures in the high 30s or low 40s which I just didn't want to deal with.

After a year with no race, Rev3 decided to put the race back on the schedule, offering up two race distances - Olympic and 70.3. I raced the 70.3.

Pre-Race

Packet pickup was on Saturday afternoon. The Queen and I jumped in the Prius and headed north a little after 11 am. The trip was easy, mostly on major roads. We arrived shortly before noon to a steady rain. The expo was small and packet pickup was simple and fast. The staff were helpful in eliminating my confusion about the race course. Unlike most races, Rev3 Pocono Mountain features two transition areas between a point-to-point bike. But we'll get to that latter.

We hung around waiting for the pre-race meeting, talking with friends and goofing around. See, Rev3 is a bit different than other race production company. Before races they have an iPad set up for pre-race pictures. Some people take it serious, and other people do this:

Didn't even stick aroundfor the meeting.

Instead, me and The Queen headed over to the lake to race my bike in T1. Other than some rain, everything went smooth.

Pre-race on a cold morning. Source: Rev3 Pocono

On Sunday morning I woke at 4:20 am, loosened up, had my normal pre-race meal, and cleaned the pipes before hitting the road around 5 am. I arrived around 5:40 am and easily parked close to T2. After chatting with Danielle, I quickly set up my T2 and headed for the bus over to the lake. Philippe ended up on my bus, which worked out well for both of us. It gave me someone to talk, while my chattiness appeared to help clam his nerves.

I arrived at the lake about 30 minutes before my 7:05 swim start. Being the almost too laid back pre-race guy that I am, I still had my pants on 10 minutes before I entered the water. After Philippe zipped up my wetsuit we headed down to the shoreline where Danielle, Cassie and just about everyone else were waiting for their turn in the water.

Swim - 1.2 miles 32:16

Men 40+ and Aquavelo were in the second wave, scheduled to go off at 7:05 am. The 1st wave (men 39 and under) started a few minutes late, so we did as well. From the chatter in transition I got the impression the water was 70 degrees. Getting into the water told a different reality and a water temp probably closer to 67. With the air temperature around 44, not bad. Personally I prefer cold to hot so no big deal.

When the gun went off I worked to stay on a pair of feet. Unfortunately for me, the feet I tried to draft were faster than I expected. There were a few guys who just hit the gas pedal and there was nothing I could do about it. Spent the rest of my swim in a place I find myself a lot at smaller races - swimming alone. I'm not fast enough to hang with the speedsters, but too fast for everyone else. Oh well.

After the first turn it became hard to see as we were swimming directly into the sun. Fortunately I had started to swim through the first wave, giving me people to sight off of. I swam steady while purposely staying a bit to the outside to avoid contact. Such a strategy gave me a drama-free swim and a slowish time of 32:16.

Source: Rev3 Pocono

The only complaint I would have of the swim is that it had to be long. Unfortunately, I don't have very good Garmin data. For the first half of the swim I kept feeling the watch buzz, meaning it was losing connection and reconnecting with the satellite. Then, I didn't hit the button until after I ran into transition and was at my bike. I know it wasn't the 1.97 miles my watch said it was, but swim times were generally slow on the day, as the best swimmers on the day were in the 29:xx range.

T1 - 4:03

Slower than one would hope for two reasons. First, with this being a two transition race, all participants were required to pack up everything into a bag before exiting for the bike. The bag would be brought up to T2 and placed at your station there. Second, I wanted to make sure to stay warm on the bike, so I took some time to dry myself off and put on a long sleeve shirt.

Bike -56 miles 2:27:57

A very interesting bike course with the most fun I have ever had during the first four miles of a bike section of triathlon. After a short jaunt away from the lake we started a 4+ mile descent down to route 209. Because of the previous day's rain a bit of caution would be necessary on the descent. But just a bit. Honestly, it is just too fun balling down a winding road with, in some spots, as much as a 9% decline, to ride with too much caution. So I went fast, but not stupid. I passed a half dozen people and was passed by one.

At the bottom of the hill we made a right hand turn and rode a short ways to the first turnaround on route 209. After the turn it was a 20 mile out-and-back before the final 10 miles to T2, located at Shawnee Resort. The final 10 miles were mostly on Community Drive.

The 40 miles on rt. 209 were rolling and, for me, a bit lonely. After the first turnaround I had only a few people around me, all of whom I passed except for one relay cyclist. When he passed me around mile 8. I thought about going with him, but opted to race my own race (I have a bad, recurring habit on the bike of racing whomever comes by me that I have been working on). Really glad I did as the rollers were a touch more of an energy drain than I had originally anticipated.

After the turn around I did see people coming at me but still no sight of those in front of me. Until ... around mile 38 I see a cyclist who appears to be struggling. Turns out relay guy went out too fast and was now paying the price. A few more miles up the road  I passed another rubber legged cyclist.

At this point I had two things going on. First, my legs were feeling less than ideal. Not cooked, but not what I wanted. Second, I had to pee. This is not a usual feeling for me, and one I embraced. Having to pee = proper hydration. So here I am happy to be hydrated, yet a little concerned because the legs are feeling heavy.

Bike Profile

Community Road changed all that. After making the turn onto this section you almost instantly hit the biggest climb of the day. Into the small chain ring, out of the saddle, I made my way to the top in as efficient a manner as possible. Totally forgetting about the need for a toilet, as I hit the modest descent my legs started to feel much better again. Apparently a nice little climb equals happy legs!!!

Back to the rolling terrain ... and the worst roads of the day. There were potholes everywhere. Not the fault of Rev3 by any means, but a problem none the less for two reasons. First, there was tree cover and, with the sun out, it because difficult to see exactly what the road looked like at times. Second, there is a section where the runners and cyclists shared the road, making it feel even tighter, especially with other cyclists around. Again, not Rev3s fault, but I would hope the local authorities would at least patch the road.

T2 - 1:33

Shoes and helmet off, shoes and race belt on. Other than nearly falling over while putting on running shoes, no drama here.

Run 13.1 miles 1:49:51

If you recall, I had to pee while on the bike but opted to keep running. With no port-o-johns in the transition area I had to take a stop just after entering the bike course. That stop took 2 minutes. I raced in a one piece tri-suit which I normally only do at shorter races for just this reason. My inner klutz took over. Long story short, I really had to go and I really had technical difficulty. Rookie mistake.

Once on the course I was feeling OK. My nutrition to this point had been good so no stomach issues while my legs were hanging in there. The biggest concern I had is the lack of run miles my legs had on them. The longest run this year had been just 10 miles. That 10 miles had been run on the flat towpath, not rolling or hilly terrain.

For the most part I hung in there until mile 9 when my lack of run legs showed up. By mile 10 it became a struggle. By 13.1 I was glad to be done running ... or should I say "running."

Run Course and Profile

Overall - 4:55:42 36th overall 5th in AG45-49

When I put this race on my schedule it was for the sole purpose of testing out my fitness in prep for Ironman Florida. Judging from my results I feel I am on pace, but with some concern when it comes to my run legs. With limited run mileage I need to step it up a notch over the next four week to make sure I give myself the best chance for the day I think I can race on 11/1.

As for Rev3 Pocono Mountains, it is a race I would recommend and plan on doing again. The swim venue is interesting, the bike is a nice challenge, and the run course can eat you up if you've overdone it on the bike. The venue is an easy trip with adequate parking. The two transition areas - something I had concerns about - turned out to be no big deal. In fact, it is a nice change of pace to ride point-to-point.

Just as important, the bike and run were accurately measured as well as well marked. I really can't stand an in accurate race (see here for an example). When you hit mile 10 on the bike, there was the 10 mile marker.

The run course we ran was not the original course, which turned out to be a good thing. What we ran was a nice combination of road and trails. If there were one thing I would change it would be to add a additional water station between miles 4 and 7. My hope is they stick with what worked this year.

You may notice there are no pictures of me racing. Appears I was a ghost as there was not a single picture taken of me by the on course photogs. Even for the free finishers photo, they got 10 of the guy in front of me and 10 of the guy behind me but not a single picture of yours truly.

One more thing worth mentioning: If you take a look at the picture below you can see what looks like a black dot just up the road on the side opposite the cyclist. I heard some rumblings about a bear out on the course but didn't know if I should believe it or not. That black dot ... yeah, that's the bear. I guess he was friendly enough.

black dot = black bear

 Thanks for reading.

Up next: it's all focus on Ironman Florida on November 11 with (maybe) the Runners World 10k as a fast workout on October 18.

Train hard. Stay focused.
Jon