today was the (first annual?) madison mennonite mini-triathlon at devil’s lake. i organized it in about two weeks (it was very informal and low-key) with some help from a friend who just moved up and is still job-hunting and looking for projects to keep her busy (she picked up some of the freebies i discovered). everyone who participated got a blinking orange light from a local bike shop that donated them and everyone who participated got some sunscreen samples from a local dermatologist’s office. then, everyone got to choose from a variety of prizes that i had purchased at the dollar store. i had some nice shoulder/messenger bags (they were pretty popular), some small chamois-like absorbent towels, and some water bottles (no one took any of the water bottles). oh, and i also threw in a running cap that i won free when i was in the crowd to cheer on ironman finishers but i never wore it.
fifteen people showed up and 6 of us did all three events (participants were invited to pick and choose their favorites, so some people just did some parts.). i was excited that i finished the whole thing and that i don’t feel just about dead right now! i did walk a little tiny bit of the run because my shins started feeling “iffy,” but other than that, i felt great on the other parts! especially the biking. even though i came in mostly last on mostly all the legs, i was still happy with the fact that i’d been able to complete it!
i also created logos. (two different ones). that was fun.
also, one of my friends who also happens to be a major organizer of the aids ride showed up and volunteered to be our “sag” vehicle. she rode along beside us as we biked, playing loud rhythmic music and cheering us on. she decorated the windows of the car. she gave us gatorade leftover from this year’s ride. she rocks.
it was a non-competitive mini-tri, meaning that we started each different leg of the race together as a group. so…transition times were a little skewed from what would happen in a real race, but other than that it was pretty authentic. i think.
everyone seemed to have a fun time and i think that means that my mini-tri was better than any old triathlon with fancy time chips and numbers to pin on your jersey.
then, we had a yummy potluck lunch.
