Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Marlene S.
Redwood City, CA

  (05-26-2010)

"Complete blog posting is here: http://www.accentfitness.net/accent-fitness/2010/05/2010-mor gan-hill-sprint-triathlon.html

Great fast race at the 19th Annual 2010 Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon. The race was fairly well organized again. Showing up a little before 6AM almost puts you in the 'late' crowd. Luckily, I did it right this year but not parking in the event parking lot and opting instead to pull to the side of the road about .5 miles away from the venue and then biking in. This worked out great because I was done by 9AM and able to sneak out on the not-closed side of the road while runners were still occupying the other side.

I reduced my time in all segments of the race so all of these extra minutes added up to about an 8 minute improvement from 2009, which I believe is very good considering the short distance of this race (.75 mile swim, 16 mile bike, 5 mile run)
Ranking: 5th Place in Age Group
Overall Time: 01:46:14
Swim: 00:18:21 - 2nd in Age group
T1: 00:48:7
Bike: 01:46:07 - 3rd in Age Group
T2: 00:51:8
Run: 00:40:06

2010 Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon Bike Race

2010 Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon Run Race

Comparison from same race in 2009:

* Overall Time:1:54:37
* SWIM TIME: 19:28.9
* T1: 01:45.0
* BIKE TIME: 49:51.5
* T2 : 01:13.5
* RUN TIME: 42:17.8
"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2010

Lynn A.
Morgan Hill, CA

  (08-13-2009)

"The forecast called for an excruciatingly hot 105° but I knew my chances were still good for a PR at this event. Having just completed a half ironman two weeks ago, I was confident and prepared.

Swim
Water temp was 65° and Uvas Reservoir was 80% full, quite a difference from two years ago when it was nearly empty due to lack of rain. I was in wave 9 which forced me to wait 25 minutes after the pros started. This year, there were more bouys on the course, making siting and navigation easier. I managed to swim the entire course in a straight line and surprised myself when I stepped out of the water in 23:06, a full six minutes faster than my split two years ago. Nowhere near the 14-minute split for the pros, but I was really pleased with that result and made my way to T1 where I had found a good spot just a few paces from the bike exit.

T1
I'm not terribly fast but I don't waste a lot of time in transition, either. I've learned how to get out of my wetsuit, which generally causes the biggest delay. I could probably cut 50% of my T1 time if I learned how to leave my bike shoes clipped in, but I have never taken the time to practice it, so T1 was just average.

Bike
I still had the Reynolds racing wheels my local bike shop had loaned me a few weeks ago for the Napa Valley Vintage Half Ironman, so I knew I could easily beat my previous race pace of 18.5 mph on my Bontrager wheels. I was also in decent bike shape this year. The benefit of a morning ride is less wind, and it made a big difference. I knew I would pass lots of people on the bike but that is no indication of success when there are eight waves of people in front of you. My biggest advantage is that I know this course because I train here. I knew exactly which gear I wanted to be in at every point on the course and knew where I could make up time where others didn't know how to take advantage of the course. I knew I had a good time going when I finished the bike averaging 20.2 mph, my fastest ever.

T2
I got back to my bike rack to find the place littered with all kinds of gear and my stuff pushed around in all directions. That's what happens with poor event planning and an over-crowded transition area. T2 takes longer than it should for me because I choose to run with my orthotics which means I need to wear socks. It was already 75° so I also took the time to gulp down a half a bottle of water and decided to take a water bottle with me so I wouldn't have to slow down at the aid stations.

Run
Upon exiting the transition area, I knew I had a PR going but I'm also not a heat runner. Last year, I really suffered in the heat. So I decided not to take it too hard. Keep a pace I could sustain and then run a negative split.

I was waiting to see how far behind I was from Kevin, my Transrockies Run partner. It never occurred to me that I had actually beat him out of the water and also on the bike, so I didn't see him until I made the turn on the run. I have never even come close to beating Kevin in any kind of race over the years, so imagine my shock when I found myself ahead of him with two miles to go. Of course I had the advantage of having just completed a half ironman and Kevin had almost no training on his bike, having just run the Boston Marathon in April (I have yet to qualify for Boston).

But with less than 20 minutes to the finish, my entire focus suddenly changed to just beat Kevin. I knew he would try to catch me and I wasn't sure how much distance I had put on him. I kept telling myself to not look back. I knew if I saw him I would panic. Somehow the inspiring pro race between Chris McCormack and Chris Lieto which had long since finished was not nearly as thrilling as the nailbiter I found myself engaged in with my own training partner. I finished a couple minutes ahead of Kevin, but he had a very good race considering he had not trained. I'm lucky to have him as my partner for Transrockies.

Summary
Finish :: 1:53:46
Swim :: 23:38
T1 :: 1:52
Bike :: 47:21
T2 :: 1:39
Run :: 39:14
Overall :: 190 / 782
Men :: 154 / 495
M45 - 49 :: 22 / 90

I love this event and it's great to have a tri like this in my home town that now draws world champions. In fact, my little town of Morgan Hill is now home to numerous past Olympians and Olympic hopefuls. But there were a few things this year that caused me to wonder what's going on at USA Productions.

I chalked up the lousy cotton t-shirt, no medal and no post race BBQ to the crummy economy, even though the medal and BBQ used to be the two best features of this event. The transition area was set up differently this year, and somehow they had not planned for all the bikes. There were nowhere near enough bike racks. I'm guessing it was because the event did not sell out and they allowed same day registration. The result was over-loaded bike racks and bikes leaning all over the fences in the transition area, crowding the people who were close to the fence, like me. Everyone had to get in one line for body marking and the marking was done with such a fine tip pen that you couldn't read most numbers after the swim.

It also seemed like everyone who chose to do packet pick-up on race morning didn't get a number for their bike and helmet. I've never seen that happen, especially when they require USAT membership or charge $10 for a one-day USAT pass. But it also meant there was no way to cross-check bib numbers with bikes when leaving the event. Someone could have easily walked away with my bike. And it didn't help that the race started 10 minutes late on a very hot day.

Having said that, I was supremely pleased with my 1:53 finish, a PR by a good margin for this event. I thought 1:55 was a stretch, but with a surprisingly good swim and a better bike split than I expected, I'm eager to compete in more tris. Coupled with my good result at the recent half ironman, I feel like I have confirmed to myself that I no longer race in the middle of the pack. This event marked my transition to training for the Transrockies Run. I'm hoping to do a few more tris in Sept. - Oct. Until then, I have another adventure to conquer."

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2009

Marlene S.
Redwood City, CA

  (07-13-2009)

"What a great race! I was a little apprehensive about doing this race at all since it was not planned for in my initial race schedule and I had the open water swim clinic on Friday and Saturday. Getting up two days in a row at 4:15AM was not ideal but I did manage a good 6 hours of sleep so between that and the medium McDonald's latte (Starbucks is not open at 5:15AM), I felt good upon arriving at Uvas Reservoir.

Before leaving, I had my traditional double oatmeal breakfast and new favorite beverage of warm Gatorade (thanks for the tip, Gary). After I grabbed by transition spot (good thing I was there early since they were unmarked), I powered up on an Odwalla bar and then a Hammer energy bar shortly after. I brought a banana but it was looking pretty brown so I passed on that. I opted for a energy gel right before the swim start.

The water was warm and pleasant, as expected after I had just been in the bay the previous morning. It was a floating start and knowing that my swim skills are fairly strong now, I positioned myself in the front of the pack. On the start, I launched into a swim sprint. The sun was almost directly in front of us so I was not 100% clear on spotting the first buoy but I knew with swimmers flanked on both of my sides, I was heading in the right direction. Buoys were to stay on our left and we swam around an island thing and exited on the other side. During the swim, I could definitely feel the affect of having swam the previous two days and not doing a true taper week like I usually do on my A+ list races. But know that the swim was not too long (3/4 mi) kept me motivated to hold the pace. And of course, passing men from the previous wave always makes you feel good about your speed and progress. :-)

I had a good transition from swim to bike. I was able to get out of the wetsuit standing, grab the bike and some shot blocks and took off. Immediately once on the bike, I heard what I thought was the front brake pad rubbing against the rim. John and I had been messing around with the brakes the previous night as he was explaining to me how to adjust them. Because I hadn't ridden from the car to the transition area, I did not have an opportunity to ride my bike around and verify the setting prior to the race start. Big mistake, but correctable. I thought maybe I should just try to power through it but after about a mile traveling at what I knew was too slow of a speed, I decided to stop, pull over and adjust it. I did the best adjustment I could and tried again. It was definitely better but I swear I still hear that sound of brushing. But my speed improved so I decided to stick it out. After a few miles, there was a sharper turn approaching. I was down in the aero bars with right hand on the brake but I should have been out of the handle bars to be able to handle the turn because I was forced to brake fairly hard which resulted in a little bit of a skid. Kind of unnerving but the good thing was that it somehow corrected whatever issue I was having with the brakes rubbing. I was off in full speed for most of the rest of the 16 mile course, probably around 21 miles per hour average. There was one wicked hill around mile 11 that literally took my breath away but luckily it was not too long.

Transition from bike to run also went smoothly. Now just have to deal with running 5 miles. The biggest challenge for me on the run is the mental part. It just seems like so long in the beginnging. The first 1.5 miles are the hardest for me. I need to get that part done and then I feel like I am in a running grove. I decided that since the course is very flat, I need to maintain at least 7.0 mph race. Not fast by any normal runner's standard but fast for me, as the run is my weakest area in triathlon. So despite the heat, I did manage to maintain an average speed of 7.0 and pace of 00:08:27. I was thrilled at mile 4 knowing that only the last mile remained. I pushed hard and ran across the line with vigor. I thought I heard the announcer state that I was 7th in age group. Turns out that I was 6th in women's 30-34 age group. Pretty impressive indeed!

Marlene's RACE TIME: 1:54:37
Age Group Place: 6th
All Females Place: 39th
Overall Place: 204

Breakdown

•SWIM TIME: 19:28.9
•T1 (Transition from swim to bike): 01:45.0
•BIKE TIME: 49:51.5
•T2 (Transition from bike to run): 01:13.5
•RUN TIME: 42:17.8"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

barbara S.
Los Altos Hills, CA

  (05-23-2009)

"This is a great race to start the season with. Nice swim in clean reservoir water. Rolling bike course in beautiful surroundings with an overall flat run.

This is USA productions first year running this race. There were a few organizational problems (race day packet pick up delayed the start time) but i'm sure they'll have it all worked out by their next race in late June. My race results were posted incorrectly- i contacted them and within 24 hrs they were corrected on the results page. I was really impressed by their responsiveness."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Brett M.
San Francisco, CA

  (05-18-2009)

"I chose to do this race because it has the Clydesdale class along with the Age Groupers. Not many races provide this award, so I jump at the races that do. It is in between a Sprint and an Olympic at 3/4 mile swim, 16 mile bike, and 5 mile run.

Even with the delayed start due to late arrivals, the temperature didn't spike up in Morgan Hill until after the race was over. It probably hit 85 on the run, but that is bearable. 95 at the awards after.

The swim for this is as described by the races promoters. The course (3/4) takes your around a peninsula in the lake, which makes it a little more interesting than most out and back swims.

The bike course was very fun, but wished they didn't have sharp turns at the bottom of steep downhills. You want to ride or drive the course ahead time. With the exception of one really steep grade, the rest of the course is rollers. There is traffic on the course which caused a few minor issues.

The run course is an out and back course with a slight grade out, so slight down back overall.

While there were not finisher metals, I guess it is just a sign of the times. The actual race was well supported, so I guess you have to give credit for that. You got a water bottle when finishing, and the packet pickup bag is a good grocery bag.

Make sure to arrive early as the bike racks are not numbered for you and you must claim your own space.

I'll do this race again if it doesn't conflict with any other big races."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009