Dino Tri, A Hidden Gem!

What a fantastic weekend I had at the Dino Tri with my TriEdge teammates! I must confess I was unfamiliar with this race until this year, and I didn't really know what to expect. Amber's aunt and uncle were incredibly generous with an invitation for the team to stay in their gorgeous home, so with a place to stay and good company, I was excited to race.

The Dino tri is held in Vernal Utah which is basically a dinosaur artifact hotspot. I found Vernal to be a good mixture of southern Utah red rock dessert, and northern utah greenery. On Friday evening we picked up our packets and arrived at T1 to drop off our bikes. I was overwhelmed at the heat as we racked our bikes and I stood dripping with sweat in the 100 degree inferno. The lake was beautiful and inviting and was the perfect way to cool off. After our little swim we headed to Cafe Rio for our favorite pre-race meal. I was thrilled that Vernal has a Cafe Rio!

Race morning my alarm jolted me awake at 4:15 after a four hour nap. I'm usually too excited and nervous to be tired. We were a little late leaving the house, but Laura made up the time by driving about 80 miles per hour to T2. We arrived in perfect time to drop our things and board the bus that would take us up to the lake. I love races with two transition areas, I don't know why, but I think it makes things interesting. At 7:00 it was already starting to get warm. The start time was about 30 minutes delayed because one of the buses had technical problems. This made the Olympic racers a little nervous and the Sprint racers like myself, glad we were doing the sprint. There were a lot of videographers walking around interviewing people before the race started. I was interviewed and asked what I love most about this sport. I don't remember what I said, but as I thought about it later, I LOVE racing with friends and being a part of a team. I headed down to the water and waited to start my race.

The swim was AWESOME! One of the best venues I've swam. I'm not speaking of my swimming abilities, I'm talking about the lake. The water felt so good and the course was well marked and well anchored (no drifting buoys). As you come out of the water, you have a little hike up the long boat ramp to get to T1. Normally I will jog to T1 even if my heart feels like exploding, but I knew the bike course I was up against and decided to race smart. 

The bike course is great. You have about 25 ft. of parking lot after exiting T1 before you start climbing a very formidable hill. I'm so glad I live in Utah county and climb mountains and hills frequently otherwise the first 1.8 mile climb would have freaked me out a bit. I knew exactly where the downhill would begin and couldn't wait to shift into my big gear and zoom down the hill. I passed so many sprinters that I realized how slow my swim was. I love my Kestrel and feeling the power of a quality bike on the downhill stretches. I passed so many people just peddling their hearts out and probably wondering why I was so fast. It's not me, it's the bike! I have had pretty severe issues with muscle cramping lately so my game plan was to not go all out on the bike and save some juice for the run. My bike time was pretty decent, considering I usually treat sprint distances like time trials. 

Coming in to T2 I heard Jen cheering me on and ringing her cowbell, it's so fun to have that support! I took off on my run trying to beat the heat. The run course had a lot of out and back loops which I personally don't mind because you see a lot of people and it's very social. I had some fantastic runners fly past me like it was nothing to them. I know I'm not a strong runner but I was especially disappointed in how weak I felt on the run. I wasn't wearing a watch but my pace felt like I was jogging 11 minute miles. I was so grateful once again to be doing a sprint that day and not an olympic. There were a lot of great volunteers and spectators cheering everyone on, I wanted to feed off their energy and just take off, but my legs wouldn't allow it. I managed to sprint my last 100 meters, I like to cross the finish line with nothing left in the tank, leaving it all out on the course. My perception of my run time was a little off, I thought I ran 11 minute miles, but I managed to finish my run in 26 minutes, about 8:30 minute miles. I felt a little better about that. 

I was lucky enough to place first in my division that day (you never know who is going to show up to race on any given day). This is where Dino Tri blew me away. Usually finishers receive a medal, and then the first three overall finishers receive extra swag such as drink mixes, a trophy, or t-shirt, or a certificate reminding you that you're the coolest. Dino Tri took it to the next level. They awarded cash prized to the first three overall for sprint and olympic AND gave cash to Athena and Clydsdale first place finishers...what?! I've NEVER been to a race where Athena and Clydsdale received anything but a finisher medal and reminder that they should have a salad for their post race meal. They wanted to show some love to those categories and I'm still amazed by that. Winning any amount of cash is cool, but winning $100 is even cooler. Top finisher got $150. I could walk away with my Benjamin and be happy but that's not all. Extra swag awards were given to the fastest run split, and the King/Queen of the mountain (the person who booked it up that 1.8 mile climb the fastest, our very own Amber). Oh, I'm not done, do you think they gave out little trophies to all the 1st through 3rd place finishes? Nope, they gave HUGE STONE PLAQUES with first or second or third carved into them. Seriously, they're gorgeous and it's going to sit in my garden as a reminder of the coolest race ever. The post race food was good, the misting tent was refreshing, and the atmosphere was fun and supportive. 

The race director and his crew asked us for our feedback after the race, they wanted to know how to improve and what we liked. We couldn't think of any complaints, we suggested another aid station for the olympic bike course, but we had nothing but praise for this race. I know they could have not given the cash awards or spent the money on the stone plaques and they would have still had an awesome race, but the race director made it clear that it's not about making a ton of money, but putting on a great race people will want to be a part of. Mission accomplished.

Thank you to Dino Tri for a great race. Thank you to our wonderful team sponsors; Kestrel, HEAD, Flexr Sports, Switch Eyewear, T3, Bearpaw, GU, and Coach Keena training for taking a chance on a "non-competive" women's team. Thank you to my teammates for cheering me on and celebrating my efforts whether I reach the podium or not. A personal thank you to my husband for supporting me in my love for this sport, and cheering me on while home sick and caring for ill children with no complaints so I can race.