After spending Monday-Wednesday in Detroit, my schedule left me in a bit of a "grey zone." I had already moved my stuff from San Diego, and I knew I wanted to race in Dallas on June 1st. The question, then, was what I should do in the meantime.
After a gracious invitation from Brandon and Amy Marsh I booked a ticket to Austin, Texas. I had heard great things about Austin, and I was eager to check out the scene. While in Texas, I would race the CapTex Triathlon in downtown Austin on Memorial Day then back it up with the Dallas ITU Continental Cup the following Saturday.
A highlight of my time in Austin was the Barton Springs Pool. This 200+ yard pool is fed from natural springs just outside downtown Austin. The city decided to put four walls around these springs sometime during the 1920s. Instead of building the pool then filling it with water, Barton Springs Pool actually started with the water! There's something I like about that synergy between nature and man--something that says, "We've already got the water, turtles, and fish...let's make this thing a pool so we can swim here too!" It was very cool to swim with the aquatic life and then to look up at downtown Austin's modern skyscrapers.
Those familiar with Austin's "party scene" will note I did not mention 6th Street as my favorite spot in town. I was on my best behavior during this trip! I only took a short drive through the famed "party-section" of town, but I could see myself having an awful lot of fun on that bar-lined boulevard. With the rental car windows down, the pubs' live music called like the famed sirens of Greek Mythology. I kept my seatbelt fastened and contented myself with a drive through.
My race in Austin, the Lifetime Fitness CapTex Triathlon, was Memorial Day morning. The whole course was held in the center of town, and it was very cool to see 3,000 triathletes take over the city's main thoroughfares. Particularly inspiring were the para-triathletes, who were competing for the USAT Paratriathlon National Championship. These guys and girls were physically handicapped in different capacities, but they were out there just the same.
One of the wonderful parts about sport is how it unites people from all different backgrounds and circumstances. We competed together--an inspiring symbol of individuals from all walks of life overcoming obstacles to achieve a goal. I think the sight would have made the Americans we remembered proud.
Below is a journey of my race through photos (photos courtesy of CapTex Tri):
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| A view of transition before the day began |
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| Leading the way out of the water! |
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| Turning off Congress Ave. during the 40K bike |
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| Pretty happy to finish 2nd overall |
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| Men's Podium: (left to right) Cam Dye, your boy Joe Maloy, 2013 CapTex Champ Hunter Kemper, and Ben Collins |
The race was the second race in the 2013 Lifetime Fitness Triathlon Series. Below are the men's top-3 series rankings after the first two stops:
1) Ben Collins- 18.5 points
2) Joe Maloy- 18 points
3) Hunter Kemper- 17.5 points
Finally, to end on a few quick personal notes...
- It was a blast racing with college friends Jeff Benson and John Nicholson. Some days I think we've come a long way from 19 Braemore...and then other days I know we haven't!
- Brandon and Amy Marsh were exceptional hosts. We shared some great laughs, and I cannot thank them enough for their hospitality.
- I'm very happy Triathlon Squad training partner and friend Eric Lagerstorm recovered from some scary heat exhaustion following his 8th place finish. Colin O'Brady and Jenna Besaw were incredibly helpful--they were also great company.
- Thanks to former Boston College swimming teammate Maeve Sloane for making sure I was well connected while in Austin.
- And if you've read this whole post...thank you!
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