I signed up for the olympic/international distance since it was the first triathlon of the season in the region. Packet Pick up was at Northwest Cycling Center and they provided everyone with a cardboard box that contained bibs, numbers, a tech shirt and a participant’s guide. Prerace. I woke up around 4am and got to kemah around 520am parked around 530 and arrived at transition around 545 with only 15 minutes to set up my transition before it closed around 6am. I had to race to get all my stuff to the transition area, find my spot, set up my gear in record time, run barefoot to the boat area and the race hasn’t started yet. We all boarded the boat and sat on the floor waiting for it to take us to our destination. I’m on a boat, mother****er! Or at least I was until we were transported to the dropoff point and each triathlete crossed the electronic start line and jumped into the water to swim to shore in a deceptive straight line. I’m not a big fan of swimming as I felt that there were a lot of waves and a current pushing me off course and disorienting me at times so I would have to frequently sight the buoys. That and I feel like I’m drowning in the water when I swim. I remember hearing lots of people dry heaving and I was thinking that it was glad that I didn’t eat any of the donuts on board the ship. The buoy were large and easily visible. There were wetsuit strippers to help me get my suit off me so I could run to the transition area on the carpet path. The bike portion was flat, smooth and didn’t go over the kemah bridge. There were about two turnarounds that we had to slow down at. The headwind coming from the north was brutal but at least it turned into a tailwind that helped me go around 27mph with a high cadence as I headed back south. The run portion consisted running around a neighborhood, around the kemah boardwalk and up/down the kemah bridge twice. They had some accelerate electrolyte drink that I took a sip of and spit out. I have to buy one of those race belts that lets you carry personal fluid to avoid situations like this. I just had water at every station from that point on. The start of the run was tough since I haven’t done any brick training and was focusing on just not stopping. I actually got stronger toward the later part of the run as many were fading away. Post race. They give you a medal, bottle water and various honey milk once you cross the finish line. The post race food included chicken rice bowel from my fit foods, bananas, granola bars, cookies, pizza and soda. There were tables to eat your food but the chairs were all being hoarded by different groups of people.
Arnel S.
Place rating: 4 Houston, TX
Aaron Palaian and the rest of the Onurleft Sports crew really know how to hold a triathlon. Held in Kemah, Texas, the Gateway to the Bay Triathlon includes a Saturday sprint-distance triathlon(500m swim, 12.5 mile bike, 3 mile run) and a Sunday olympic-distance triathlon(1500m swim, 40K bike, 10K run). Not only does this triathlon offer a saltwater swim leg, when a lot of triathlons in Houston and Austin only offer freshwater swims, the Gateway to the Bay Triathlon offers top placers entry into the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Once you are registered for the event, Aaron will send you a weekly newsletter with important information and updates. Plus, for me, when I needed something changed with my registration info, he personally emailed me back, telling me he updated my info. Something that I really liked about this triathlon was that there was no race to grab a prime bike spot on the racks in the transition area. Spots were assigned on the racks according to your bib number. I wasn’t lucky enough to have a spot at the end of a rack, but I was lucky enough to meet the 2 people right next to me, and we all made sure to accommodate each other. For the olympic-distance swim, the organizers chartered boats(the kinds you take a seated tour of the bay on) and dropped us off at the start buoys, 1500 meters from shore. This was my first olympic triathlon and my first saltwater tri swim. It would be an understatement to say that I was nervous. And it didn’t help that the organizers kept saying that if it wasn’t your day, stay on the boat. My mind echoed that in my head, «stay on the boat… stay on the boat… stay on the boat…» But, seeing the sun rise over the water, watching pelicans and seagulls fly around the boat, and feeling the wind on my face relaxed me. It was beautiful out there. Buoys were about ever ¼ mile apart, leading the athletes to the exit ramp. Two more things that I liked about this triathlon were the wetsuit strippers and the carpeted trail leading from the swim’s exit ramp to the transition area(the carpet was nice on my feet). My wetsuit stripper took less than 10 seconds for something that would have taken me at least a minute. It was funny – my dad happened to be right behind the wetsuit stripper as the stripper was yanking off my wetsuit, and my dad got smacked in the face with my suit. The bike leg was mostly flat save for the up-and-down over the Kemah Bridge(146). It was steeper than I thought it was. The rest of the bike course was flat. And the organizers of the triathlon were able to get plenty of the local law enforcement to hold and direct traffic. The race officials warned us that there would be only one set of portapotties on the bike leg. Luckily, I didn’t have to use it, but I could see how some others might have wanted a few more out there. By the time I got to the run, it was hot(I’m not the fastest triathlete!). There were plenty of aid stations along the route serving gels(I tried an apple cinnamon gel… it was gross), gatorade, heel(another kind of energy drink), and water. And there were a few more portapotties along the route… but, being a dude, the portapotty situation isn’t as crucial, if you know what I mean. When I got to the finish line, I was given a medal, a wet, commemorative towel, a water bottle, and a finisher’s shirt(along with the participant shirt). That’s a whole lot of schwag for a small triathlon! Plus, there was a lot of food(pizza, bananas, pretzels, My Fit Foods was out there giving out food) and drinks(beer, water, gatorade). And there was a live band playing, too. Parking was great. The organizers secured the Kemah Boardwalk parking lots and the use of the Boardwalk garage. My parents, who came out later in the day, were still able to find parking. The only two things that I would have love happened(and, hopefully, can happen next year) are: the olympic run route going around the Kemah Boardwalk, which is something Kemah is known for. I like running around sites the host city is known for. I believe the sprinters got to run around the Boardwalk. The other thing is… well, it’s kind of silly, but I like to drink chocolate milk at the end of a long race. So, if anyone from Onurleft Sports is reading this, can you get some chocolate milk for me at the finish? And thanks to all the volunteers, law enforcement, and organizers, who made this a great day for me.
