This year, 2021, was my first year getting back into racing since my swimming days before injury and college. I particpated in 4 different triathlons and made the podium for each race. It was a great year of rediscovering passions and competition, and my 2022 calendar is stacked with races beyond just triathlons.
Here is a recap of some of the fun I had!
Xterra Lory: June 18th, 2021 at Lory State Park.
This was my first official triathlon EVER! Olympic distance Xterra, which means an off-road triathlon. The course was beautiful, there was great camaraderie amongst all participants (which tends to be a theme amongst Xterra races), and I had a BLAST.
I came 1st in my agegroup of 20-24, and 21st out of 109 females. Kiko beat me to the finish line, naturally. Results.
Steamboat Lake Olympic Triathlon: July 24, 2021 at Lake Catamount outside of Steamboat Springs, CO. This was my first traditional triathlon, unlike the Xterra off-road races. I road my trusty Gary Fisher Presidio with some aero bars strapped on front and my donkey in the middle. I LOVED this race.
I placed first in my age group, and 16th out of 91 women. Results.
Lake Nighthorse Triathlon: September 11, 2021 was the inagural Durango Lake Nighthorse Triathlon, put on by my local triathlon club! It was sweet to wake up in my own bed, race, and then not have to drive all day or night to get back home. I was able to compete with friends from my triathlon club, and the course is what I train on every week!
Placed 2nd in my age group, and 5th woman overall. Results.
XTERRA USA Championship: September 25, 2021 in Ogden, Utah. This was the largest race I participated in this season, with over 800 participants. I qualified for this race, as well as the World Championships in Hawaii (which I opted out of due to COVID).
For this race, the swim ended up being cancelled last minute due to HAB. It was a run-bike-run, which is a disadvantage for myself as swimming is my strongest component, and running is my weakest. The bike portion consisted of 30 kilometers of single track at Snowbasin Resort high on Mount Ogden- definitely my toughest race yet!
I placed 3rd in my age group. Results.
I am so thankful for this year, for jumping into this sport and all of the opportunities that have come along since. 2022 will be another year of excitement and racing- stay tuned!
