My First Biathlon - The Aluminum Man

No, not the winter version combining cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. This is the Maui version which combines swimming and running. Lynsey and I had plans to come to Maui to celebrate our 8th anniversary, so I set out to see if I could find a race while we were here. What I found was the Aluminum Man. A 1/2 mile swim, 1/2 mile beach run, and a 3 mile road run. Here is the "run" down on the race.

First of all, big props to the race organizers. They did an amazing job, everything was clearly marked, and they carried the spirit of Aloha into the race.

First Leg . . . the 1/2 mile swim.
We had an ocean start at the race . . . which was a little challenging as the surf was high, and waves were crashing into the beach. In addition, there were rocks every where and as I was making my way out I smashed my foot on a rock. But I got over it quick as I put on my fins and snorkel mask. (Yes, this was a not so serious race, so they let you do whatever you want . . . as I have never swam competitively, I thought I would use fins for a little help). =)

They said "go", and we were off. This was a tough portion of the race. We swam down the length of the beach. There were several currents and strong waves really made you work for your half mile. It was hard for me to know exactly how to pace myself as I have never done anything like this. But before too long I fell into a rhythm and it felt strong.

The highlight of this section was passing a large green sea turtle in the water.

My time for the swim portion was 16:57.

The 1/2 mile beach run.
As I was getting out of the ocean I was looking forward to this next section. Running. Something I have a little more practice at. But it wasn't more than a few steps before I realized this section was going to be harder than I thought.

Everyone had to make a choice here. Do you run where the sand is hard, which was at a very steep angle, and every couple seconds a huge wave would crash in trying to drag you into the ocean, or do you run up on top of the slant where the sand was very soft, and it was hard to get any forward motion.

I went back and forth, but finally opted for the hard sand, trying to fight it out with the waves. I pasts a few people in this section, but was moving rather slow as I was recovering from the swim. It has never taken me so long to run a 1/2 mile before. But oh well . . . i am in Maui!

Beach run . . . 6:20

Transition
From the beach you had to run to your shoes, they had a baby pool full of water to get the sand off and your running shoes on.

My transition time was 1:33.

The 3 Miler
After the beach run, it felt so good to be in running shoes! It took me about a mile to find my stride, but then I was off. The course had some gentle hills, and of course it was beautiful. I was able to pass a few more people in this section.

After the two previous sections, I didn't have a lot in reserve to rock this leg. But I gave it everything I had left.

My time on this portion was 26:37.

Total Time: 51:29

As a reward for running a race on vacation . . . Valentine's day of all things, I took Lynsey to brunch at what used to be the Maui Prince (they have a new name as they are going through foreclosure), and we ate sooooo much incredible food, it gave me the food sweats while I was eating.

It was amazing!
Oh yeah . . . I almost forgot. For dinner we had my favorite Hawaiian treat Shave Ice.