Tri Zones Training

The 2006 Austin Triathlete's Dilloman Sprint Triathlon was on September 10. I only did the bike leg as part of a relay, so instead of a race narrative here is my review of the race for posterity.

Packet/Packet Pickup

Pickup was painless at Jack and Adam's on Saturday. The packet was standard fare with a white T-shirt and a pair of socks. I relieved to get another white T-shirt; I was almost out of white race T-shirts. On the plus side, the shirt is more attractive than the super ugly, but coolmax 2005 edition.

Getting There

The race site is in Pace Bend Park way West of Austin. It was a long drive, but there was no traffic and getting into the park was painless. Parking was well organized and quick. The walk to the transition area was shorter than many races.

T0/T1/T2

There was no assigned racking and there was a surplus of rack space. So, if you did not care about your transition time you could show up a little late and rack your stuff in the empty racks at the back (that was us). The lack of rain this summer has Lake Travis very low (55% capacity). This meant the swim was quite a hike from the transition area. The path from the swim exit to the transition was long and rocky.

After the long run up the hill, the transition area is small and easy to get in and out of. The path from T1 to the bike was rocky and slow with your bike (it took me 1 min to go from the timing mat to the mount line). This course is not good for those athletes that leave their bike shoes attached to the pedals.

Swim

The swim course was an interesting layout, but well marked and supported by kayakers. The swim exit and entrance were on opposite side of small cove, so swimmers had to swim across to the start. The swim exit came fully loaded with a shoe drop for your long run to the bike.

After the long run up the hill, the transition area is small and easy to get in and out of. The path from T1 to the bike was rocky and slow with your bike (it took me 1 min to go from the timing mat to the mount line). This course is not good for those athletes that leave their bike shoes attached to the pedals.

Bike

The bike course was 20km over two laps. (The announcer repeated called the course 20 miles which caused mild panic among a few racers). The ride was in clockwise direction with car traffic restricted to the other lane traveling in the opposite directions. Traffic was not a problem. There was basically no cars out and the racers where spread out nicely for a race with laps. The only bottle neck was at the big hill around mile 5/11. The course is hilly with continous rollers, 1 steep hill (mile 5/11), and three significant turns. Overall, the bike was fun and challenging. The only negative part about the bike course is the rocks between the transition area and the mount line. (My feet are still sore days later.)

Run

The run course is a looped, offroad, 5km course. The undulating terrain and uneven footing make the course slow. However, the scenery and not running on asphalt are a nice change.

Post Race

The food included baked potatoes and beer. Awards included a generous supply of door prizes to allow us slower atheletes to win something.

Overall

The slow run course and rocky transition areas make this race a training race instead of a goal race for me; however, Dilloman is fun and well organized race (this year anyway).
Pictures are available in the Dilloman photo gallery.