The Cabbage Head Duathlon is a 5K Run, 30K Bike and 5K Run Event. Super Fun!!Photos by Roger Wieck

Today was the final installment in the Mile High Duathlon Series. I really enjoyed the previous two races so I was excited to finish off the third with a bang. They give away a series award to the person in each age group who accumulates the most series points. You are awarded points for how well you finish in each race. I was tied with another lady going into this race. This makes things particularly dicey. I have a bit of a competitive streak in me, so let’s just say I was gunning to beat a “certain someone” today, and she shall remain nameless.

I like duathlons b/c I don’t have to swim :). It makes transition easy :).

After a beautiful drive up to Wiggins (again BFE) Colorado, I decided to give our friend Chris a call. After all, it was 7am on a Saturday. I woke him up and convinced him to get in his car in the next 20 minutes and drive to Wiggins (40 minutes away for him) to come cheer me on. He totally did it and even got here in time. Roger, my FIL, also called us on his way out of town saying he was heading out to watch. You have no idea what the support of Chris, Roger and Troy means to me. I can not put it into words. I was one of the only people there with a cheering section, and I am always so humbled by the fact that my friends and family get up early in the morning on a weekend to come and watch me race. By the way, at the end of this race several people were asking who “Sonja” was, and they were even called the lady who won “Sonja”. This was all because everyone heard my cheering crew. That’s how AWESOME they are!

The first 5K was fast, fast, fast. It was a hot day and the ladies in the lead were duking it out! I kept wondering who the girl in the lead was. She looked so familiar, but I couldn’t place her, and it was more than just a normal “seen her at a race” familiar. Humm. I finished the first 5K in fifth place, BUT I CAME OUT OF TRANSITION IN THE LEAD. That’s how smokin fast I was! My first transition time was 28 seconds and there were several men who had a faster first transition, but no women...not a one. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I don’t know what but this just makes me laugh, b/c it’s like free time!

The bike was THE BOMB. I got passed by Heidi who is just the best person to race with b/c she says all these nice things to you when you pass her, and when she passes you. AND she always thinks of a new nice thing to say. She is like the Hallmark Card of Triathlon. I loved it. Plus, she’s just a super cool stud chic! Two months ago, at the Barkin Dog Duathlon, Heidi beat me by almost 3 minutes on the bike so I really wanted to stay with her today. I have been working so hard on my bike that I really wanted to push it here. We passed each other back and forth, back and forth. Always, a nice comment from Heidi...did I say how much I love this girl?? Somewhere in there Sabrina passed us like a bat leaving purgatory. Sabrina is the “familiar chic”. Again...where do I know her??? I continued to push hard. I knew that both girls are great runners and I needed to stick close to them if I had any chance in the run to get them. I biked like I have never biked before :)

Transition #2 was studly fast as well, but not as exciting b/c I didn’t pass 5 girls in it! I just put on my shoes and took off my helmet. Kinda basic.

The second run hurt. I couldn’t get my legs to return like they usually do. Even at the one mile mark, I still felt icky. It was hot, I was hot, I just didn’t have a lot left. It was a-okay though. I was happy.

I finished in 3rd place for the age-group women competitors. If you add in the Elite women (who go in a special wave ahead of the age groupers) then I was 6th overall woman. I had a better race than the lady I was tied with for the series award so I ended up winning that. I got a gift certificate to a Boulder bike shop...woo hoo! Heidi is in my age group so I ended up with 2nd in my age group :)

So after the race Heidi, Sabrina and a few other ladies were introducing ourselves and I remarked that Sabrina was rocking the house on the bike. I asked if her bike had a name and she said yea ‘The Bear Basher”. SUDDENLY it all became clear. Like two days ago I was reading an article about a triathlete who hit a bear on the bike course of the Boulder Peak Triathlon. Yea, she totally hit a bear and crashed her bike. The Boulder Peak triathlon is in two weeks and I am doing it this year. So now I know why she looked so familiar. HAHAHAHA! Here is the article

SHE HIT A BEAR!!!

Stats: Total: 1:34:42 Run (5K): 20:36 T1: 0:28 Bike (30K): 49:36 (22.55 mph...I was going zoooooom) T2: 0:32 Run (5K): 23:32 2nd in 25-29 women 3rd age-grouper woman 6th woman (including Elites) 55th finisher out of 250

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