The Vikingman in Burley, Idaho was a beautiful change from the heat of Las Vegas this summer. Swimming in the Snake River was surprisingly warmer than expected, it was a sunny day with light breezes. The event was well coordinated and supported even though there were so many different races going on at the same time, aquabike, half-marathon, half-tri, olympic tri and duathlon. The courses were flat and fast which was also a nice change from the rolling hills and climbs around Lake Mead where most of the races in Las Vegas are held. If the drive wasn't so long I would definitely plan on making the Vikingman an annual event, but we will see about next year.
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| Climbing out of the river, what a relief! |
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| Jelly legs, need to run, don't feel like running. |
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| Ok I guess I will run, on to T1. |
Another thing I liked about this race was that there was only one transition area and it was on grass. The people were also very friendly, I heard lots of "good job", "have a nice ride" and "doing awesome" from the other racers. The bike course left T1 and turned right out to some flat country roads, a head wind picked up slightly causing a little discomfort heading East but made turning West so much more enjoyable. Two laps completed the Olympic distance 29 mike bike.
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| Dismounting the bike and running to T2. |
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| Racking the bike, feeling good. It is always fun to hear Jonas shouting "go daddy". |
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Swapping bike shoes for running shoes, someday I might figure out how to transition faster here but
it feels so good to sit for a few seconds. |
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| Stopping for a second to realize I have to run 6.2 miles. |
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| Guess I better start running. |
The run left T2 and went over the bridge, around the airport, over the railroad tracks along a dirt road through a cow pasture (thanks cows for everything you left behind) and back. It was good to see the finish line, and my family waiting for me.
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| Staring at the finish line |
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| Home stretch |
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Yes there was food at the end, another good reason to come all the way back.
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| Me, Kiera and Brian - our first Olympic distance. |
