Team,
This year TriAmerica (Clermont, FL) came out with a new "distance" triathlon - 2k swim, 60k bike and 15k run. It was actually a really nice distance. Not quite an all-out effort like the Olympic distance, but long enough to really test your stamina. Unfortunately, that racing company does not put on the highest quality of races sometimes. With a tornado warning in effect for later in the morning, the RD still decided to go through with the race. Maybe if everyone was out on the bike when the thunderstorm hit he'd be okay...
We made it through the swim okay, but there were way too few rescue boats. The word is that every boat was full on swimmers who had strayed or needed saving. On the bike the gusts were 35-40mph (they were supposed to be 50-60 so we got lucky). Then the torrential rain came - there were literally floods throughout the bike course with areas 2 feet underwater. Riders could not see and the rain pelting us hurt like needles. I saw 2 bikers crash and a 3rd get run over (literally run over!) by a truck when the cop was too wet and had gone in his car = no one to control traffic. But i think the worst part was the intense lightning that went off for 30 minutes during the bike. Our spectators (inside dry cars) told us the lightning twice hit the lake where we had swam causing large "geysers" of water into the air. Unfortunately, I do not have any photos to share with my story - the race photographers quit with the rain!!
Mark
This year TriAmerica (Clermont, FL) came out with a new "distance" triathlon - 2k swim, 60k bike and 15k run. It was actually a really nice distance. Not quite an all-out effort like the Olympic distance, but long enough to really test your stamina. Unfortunately, that racing company does not put on the highest quality of races sometimes. With a tornado warning in effect for later in the morning, the RD still decided to go through with the race. Maybe if everyone was out on the bike when the thunderstorm hit he'd be okay...
We made it through the swim okay, but there were way too few rescue boats. The word is that every boat was full on swimmers who had strayed or needed saving. On the bike the gusts were 35-40mph (they were supposed to be 50-60 so we got lucky). Then the torrential rain came - there were literally floods throughout the bike course with areas 2 feet underwater. Riders could not see and the rain pelting us hurt like needles. I saw 2 bikers crash and a 3rd get run over (literally run over!) by a truck when the cop was too wet and had gone in his car = no one to control traffic. But i think the worst part was the intense lightning that went off for 30 minutes during the bike. Our spectators (inside dry cars) told us the lightning twice hit the lake where we had swam causing large "geysers" of water into the air. Unfortunately, I do not have any photos to share with my story - the race photographers quit with the rain!!
Mark
1 comment:
Hi Mark,
Do you remember you bib number from TA Clermont? I can not believe that we do not have a single photo of you. Was you bib number showing? Have you checked the no id section? BTW, when the storm really took hold for that hour, we were still shooting on course (along the lake and at the finish).
Let me know your bib number and I will double check for you.
Thanks,
Mark
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Mark E. Lepow
Professional Triathlon Photographer
co-owner, Lepow Photo
lepowphoto.com
Winter Garden, Fl.
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