Wet Dog Triathlon Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Eric W.
Gadsden, AL

  (07-23-2009)

"Wet Dog Triathlon:

I ran into Scot at the pool and he mentioned the Wet Dog Triathlon to me in Decatur. Even though it was late notice I tossed my entry into the mail and cleared the schedule. While not a sanctioned race it did seem t pretty popular and a triathlon in Alabama is not something to be skipped lightly since there are so few.

Raceday. I made it over to Scot and Athena's at 0-dark-thirty. We loaded up the bikes and made the two hour drive to Decatur in plenty of time.

We arrived and saw that there were plenty of spots in transition but we went and tossed our bikes in before we got our packets. We both got decent spots, but it was good that we did it early because afterwards people were just laying their bikes in the grass because there was no space.

We went and searched for packet pickup. We couldn't find it because there were no signs.... We did find out where they were giving out numbers so we got those, chips and were body-marked.( we found packet pickup later, after the race) It was in a small room in the community center, near the finish line, not near transition... bizzaro+ no signs)

I went and finished up my transition set up and went to the beach for the race start. No one was around so i went and warmed up in the water then waited FOREVER.

The race started pretty late- which always stresses me out, but I survived. It sounds like there many more people racing than ever before( Scot didn't even get a shirt) We got into a rough line because there was only a very short chute and people just kind of started and got in line when they wanted to. Very low pressure start.

The swim was a a semi triangle mainly out and back with the start and stops being at either side of a small swim area. The buoys were very small and low in the water, but then again i usually have a hard time sighting anyway. I felt like i swam my pace, was passed a few time but passed a few others. I made it to the turnaround and nearly ran into the buoy! a propane tank!
I made my turn and pointed right into the sun to get home, it was hard to see, but once again i just swam hard and made it to the finish.

When I got out of the swim i tried to press lap on my GPS but realized I never started it... doh! I decided to to fiddle until t2. I made it to my bike after a long run through a supportive crowd. As I was running i realized there was no mat, so our transition times were just tacked on the bike.

I put on m gear but found that my endurolytes had been knocked into the grass- i dug some out and eat them--a little extra fiber didn't hurt. I ran out of t1 and hopped on the bike and passed some people before i even had my shoes on, thats a good sign. I got all ready to go and opened it up. I passed a ton of people. the course was great, very flat and traffic wasn't bad since most of the course was pretty controlled. There was a bit of drafting and tons of blocking, but it was to be expected at a non sanctioned race with no marshals. since it was flat and with gentle turns (except the turnaround) I was able to stay in aero the whole race. I was able to pace pretty well and only had to burn a few matches when there were slight slowdowns for passes and turns.

I was determined to beat my cramping issues so i sat up a little earlier than usual and spun really hard and a woman I passed a mile before passed me back. I spun for a good 500 yards in the little ring. Then i made the flying dismount to the oohs and ahhs of several people watching :-)

I racked my bike slammed on my running shoes and went off on the run. I felt a little rough at first but i quickly got it out of my system and started pushing the pace on the run. The course was beautiful with a lot of time spent on a dirt trail in the woods. I ran very hard and was able to contastly push myself. I took one quick water, but kept my heart rate high and my turnover higher.

I passed a pile of people and only two passed me.

when i looked down at my Garmin after I passed the finish line i saw 22:50. I was impressed with myself, I felt like i pushed pretty hard on the bike and i ran one of my fastest 5Ks of the year--including just running events.

There was a nice area at the finish to grab a drink and cool down, and afterwards i tracked down a restroom and my packet. put up my bike and found scot at the Car. He finished after me, but somehow I never saw him on the course. We grabbed food and checked the results. I didn't podium in my AG but i was 5th. my run time was a little longer on the results, but I must've biffed on starting the Garmin, oh well it wasn't far off. I made it under my goal time of 1 hour to i was pleased.

It was a good race if not a little disorganized. I would certainly do it again.
5th in AG 53 overall Eric Wright/25 GADSDEN AL SWIM:8:08 BIKE:27:39 20.2mph(with trans) RUN:23:11 PACE:7:29 OVERALL:58:56 "

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Adam G.
Florence, AL

  (07-20-2009)

"This was not only my first time to participate in the Wet Dog, but also my first triathlon. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I had a blast!

This year was the 10th annual, and the event hit its record number of participants (almost 500). Word on the street was that it was a great event for first-timers, and it seemed to live up to that. I bet 15-20% of the participants were new to the sport.

The course involved swimming (400 meters) around a buoy in a tributary of the TN River. To transition, participants had to run app. 100 yards to a grassy transition area and then head out onto a 15K "out and back" ride on a main street. Police officers were at all intersections to insure no cyclists had to slow down for traffic. The 5K run was mostly on a gravel trail along the tributary, with the last mile or so being on a road.

The bike and running routes were both incredibly flat.

Microchips were used for timing. They timed the swim and the run, and counted all the time in between (including both transitions) as the "bike" time.

Everyone involved was encouraging and everything ran very smoothly. I will definitely participate again next year!"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009