Just a quick line

to say that I had the most absolutely lovely day at the Survival of the Shawangunks triathlon! Saturday was very fun in many respects but utterly chaotic also in a way that doesn't suit me, and on top of that at the pre-race briefing they announced that flooded roads post-Tropical Storm Lee meant not just an even more challenging bike course but also an alternate route to the race start that meant we could no longer ride our bikes from motel to race start, which led to many further complexities: it was a tiring evening! But everything went beautifully once we were actually racing. Fuller report to follow, but it is an amazing race in terms of both the spirit and the volunteers. Also, contrary to my worries, they were not at all enforcing time cutoffs: you have to have done a sub-7:00 half-ironman or equivalent to confirm your entry, which I did do 2 years ago but on a very flat course & under fitter circumstances than I am now in, but there is truly an atmosphere of inclusion, and I felt like a rock star the whole way, even though I was literally the last person on the course from about 2/3 of the way through the first climb!

More TK - I really was the very final finisher - beautiful trail running, much more of it downhill than I had anticipated - beautiful lake swim - gorgeous landscapes throughout - results aren't posted, and I didn't really register my final time, but it was a little over five hours, pretty much what I thought it would be.

Thanks to Loren for instigating and Ben and Carolyn for crewing! (And to Lauren K. in absentia...)