Elise's First Triathlon

This past weekend, the five of us drove to the southern tip of Jordan to Aqaba on the Red Sea.  There, Elise would compete in her first triathlon, the 3rd annual Ayla Oasis Triathlon and Duathlon Championship.

We left Amman in the morning on Friday, after seeing our friends visiting from Dushanbe for the past week off to the airport.  After checking into the hotel, Elise headed down to the Red Sea for a short warm-up swim to check the water temps and shake out some day-before race jitters.

Back in Amman, we had just endured our first ran of the season.  Unlike last year which produced a light misting for the first rain, this was a torrential downpour that split apart canyons with flash floods and brought with it cooler weather and a stiff rain.  Aqaba, however, at sea level, was warmer, though the wind of the previous day was still present, and would be a factor on the bike leg the following day.

We enjoyed a late lunch of fish fingers and french fries by the pool, sipping on a couple of cold Carakales, before heading over the race hotel to pick up Elise's race packet and to attend the pre-race briefing.

Besides serving as Elise's initial foray into the sport of triathlon, the race was also host to the Asian Cup and West Asian ITU Championships which meant the race meeting was filled with broad-shouldered, pimply-faced professional triathletes zoning out on their headphones or scrolling through their iPhones in the packed conference room.  Elise was convinced she was the only mother of three competing in the race the following day, and she was most likely right. 

Because of the pro races, Elise's wave wouldn't go off until 10:30.  We had to head down to the race start first thing the next morning anyway, because she had to set up her bike and transition area before the gun went off for the Elite men's race at 8:00.  

Unbeknownst to Elise or I, she was missing a handlebar plug on the end of her handlebar. The open metal tube (though wrapped in tape) can be a hazard, especially in a fall.  They weren't letting Elise into the transition area until the end was plugged; they said tape was fine.  The only problem was we didn't have any tape.  In our haste to get to the transition area on time in the morning, we didn't bring the first aid kit with us (or our snacks for the kids who would tell me they were hungry approximately every 15 minutes in rotating shifts).  

This called for fast, creative thinking.  I looked around for something, anything that could be used to cover a small opening in a metal tube about the diameter of a quarter.  Then, I saw it. Tape. The blue electrical tape that was keeping the carpet Elise and Peter (and a bunch of other random triathlon dudes) are standing on in the photo above connected to the carpet next to it, and so on and so forth all the way through transition and down to the water's edge. I quickly pulled up a small piece and ripped it off, and between Elise and I we fashioned a handlebar plug out of electrical tape in true McGuyver style. 

It was a beautiful morning as you can tell from the photos.  The kids and I watched the Elite men and women's races, cheering for the lone American in the men's race (as well as the Jordanians, Syrians, Palestinians, and Egyptians...when in Rome, I guess). 

Elise (tried to) relax on the beach until the start, and before we knew it, the time had come for her to toe the starting line. 

So, Elise will tell you she didn't know how to swim before she met me.  And will credit me for teaching her to swim when she was pregnant with Peter in Florida.  I don't know how much of all that is true, but the results is quite clear...she can now swim! 

Elise was nervous about the swim, never having swum in the open water before.  A few weeks ago, she and I got up early and drove down to the Lagoon Resort near the Dead Sea.  There is a large, man-made lagoon, a giant swimming pool really where you can drive ski boats through that is a couple of hundred yards across at its longest point.  This was good practice for Elise. 

I watched her receding form carefully to make sure she didn't panic.  When one women had to be fished out of the water by kayak, I squinted into the sun to make sure it wasn't Elise.  Of course, it wasn't, and her swim was much faster than I thought it would be.  As I was tracking her progress, I had her a little bit ahead of one of the medical rafts -- at one point, still at the 3rd and last buoy before making a last left hand turn and heading for shore -- when in actuality she was almost to the finish of the swim!

At the end of the swim, Elise sprinted up the beach and to the transition area to get ready for the bike!

The course called for four laps of a four mile loop.  Fortunately, the road was closed and the course wasn't too crowded.  Though there was the wind and a few ascents to contend with.  

Elise professes she saw a few of the elite women get out of the saddle coming out of the hairpin turn, so she decided to do the same!

After the bike, it was back into the transition area to strap on her running shoes. 

The run was two laps on a 2.5 km circuit, or 3 miles total.  It was a long straight stretch in the hot desert sun, and Elise said it was pretty brutal as it was almost noon by the time she finished the race.  But finish she did!