Hagg Lake Race Report

I've raced at Hagg Lake 3 out of the last 4 years. For those unfamiliar with this venue, it is rich in triathlon history. Many the founding fathers of our sport have raced Hagg Lake: Scott Tinley, Scott Molina, Mark Allen, etc. In preparing for Ironman Canada this year I wanted a race a little under two months out that would test my fitness, but not require me to take extra time off from training post race. Basically I needed a tough Olympic Distance to race. Hagg Lake was a logical choice. This past week in Oregon has been extremely hot and it appeared Saturday was going to be a bright and sunny day as well. The alarm went off early Saturday morning and Meg and I made our way out to the lake.

My goal going into the race was to swim hard, attack the bike, and see what kind of fitness I had left on the run. I wanted to go sub 2:20 on this challenging course. My PR was 2:23 so I thought this was a realistic goal. I got checked in quick enough and set up my transition. Had some interesting people sharing my bike rack, very interesting people! Anyways, made my way back down to the lake and put on my wetsuit.
I didn't realize there was an elite wave so I was starting in the second wave, just one minute later. Perfect, I love rabbits on the swim! 10, 9, 8, 7...1 and we were off. I quickly took charge at the front of the group and started to set a fast pace. We rounded the first buoy and I was already catching some of the elite group. I settled into a long, smooth swim stroke and tried to enjoy myself. As I rounded the the first lap, I put the pedal down a little to try and catch the final couple elites in front of me. I made the final turn and headed to shore. I had the fastest swim split overall at 20:57 although I think the overall winner of the race might have out split me but his timing chip didn't work on the swim portion.



I had one of the quickest transition of my career at 1:52, third fastest of the day from what I could see. Off to the bike, I was in second overall. Hagg Lake is one of the more challenging courses in the area. Two loops around the lake with some decent climbs on each loop. It is a very honest course. Small climb to get out of the boat ramp and then another climb to start the two loop section of the lake and I could tell something was wrong. I was really struggling to make the pedals turn and was passed by 2 or 3 people. I looked down and instantly saw my problem, my damn brake pad was forced up against my front wheel. I spent the next mile trying to fix while riding, losing precious time. I finally thought, this is insanity and pulled over. It probably took me 20 seconds to fix, but unfortunately lost time getting off and on the bike, plus the time messing around with it while trying to ride. I slowly started to get back into a rhythm and at the turnaround I could see the few people in front of me heading back. I was a few minutes down to the leaders. I will admit, I was pretty frustrated with myself, my goal was to split a 1:07, maybe 1:06 on this course, but in order to do that I knew I needed to be riding with these boys.

The second lap was routine. I gained speed and confidence on the second loop. I entered T2 in what I believe to be 9th place overall. My bike split was a disappointing 1:10:21, good enough for 23rd overall. My goal of a 1:06:30 would have put me at 10th overall. I believe the mechanical cost me between 60-120 seconds, but it's so hard to know.

Anyways, quick out of T2. 1:11, which was a little slower than I wanted, but I struggled pulling my shoes on for some reason. I quickly took off for the hilly 10k run. I quickly picked up my pace and thought I was going to have a decent run. After about 1/2 mile, my asthma told me it had different plans! Oh crap. I knew I wasn't fully healed from Boise one month ago, but I was pretty frustrated that I was still struggling with this. The run course is very hilly as well which is not good for me when I'm struggling with asthma. I'm much better on a course where I can set a pace and not have to move too much off this pace.
That being said, I made the turn back home with 5k left and was feeling ok. I had been passed by a 2 or 3 people and thought I was in 12th overall. I put my head down and continued on my 7:15 pace. There is one final nasty climb before you enter down into the finish area. I made it up that final climb and happily entered the finish chute. I checked my watch and knew I was going sub 2:20. I picked out Meg and my parents and gave some high fives before crossing the finish line. Run split was 45:08 (7:15 pace). Total Time = 2:19:29. This was good enough for 12th overall and 4th in my age group.


Overall, I feel good about the race. I was happy to have my swim back, felt ok about the run despite my lungs still healing, but was disappointed with my bike. The good news is I know what I need to work on for Canada. No problem. If I take out the mechanical, I'm still a few minutes from top 5 bike split which is where I feel like I should be riding. The thing I like about Ironman though, I don't have to worry about being a fast twitch guy (speed guy). I mean you have to be fast, for example my goal on the bike at IMC is to average 21.5 which would get me in around 5:10 to 5:15 for my bike split. I entered the season with a goal of going sub 5 for my split at IMC, but not sure that is realistic. We'll see, so much can change in two months, especially with a solid taper. Anyways, I enjoy the longer distance where you can get into a rhythm and the race becomes a battle of fitness and mental strength. Very much looking forward to Canada next month. Thanks for reading!!

-T