An iron duo

Congrats to Teddy and Jamie!!

In so many words they are an excellent Duo - Teddy, with his natural athleticism, and Jamie, with the will to dominate all life forms. Together they would train, and Jamie would observe stealthily the young triathlete’s talents. Okay, maybe it didn’t happen exactly like that, however, as the Santa Cruz Ironman 70.3 race approached, Jamie was convinced that she would have an opponent worthy of her. It is true, she would say, that Teddy is an excellent cyclist, and that she would have to out swim and run him. Teddy on the other hand, suffered greatly from his co-workers, who in a pool, deigned Jamie to be the winner of the two.

And then there were us - Jane, Jim, and yours truly. I can see now where Jamie gets her determination to be number one, as Jane and Jim flew in to surprise her. They were so giddy about her race, and wondered how many she would compete against, and if she really was better than Teddy after all. They truly brought to the race an element of excitement, and Jamie knew the pressure was on. To win her age group would be a miracle - but to beat Teddy - now that, was at her fingertips. The Perins licked their lips, and the feast began. Poor Teddy.

It was such a great weekend, and a weekend for BOTH athletes to be proud of. On our way down to Santa Cruz we hiked around a lighthouse, which turned out to be the turning point for the bike portion of their race. As we continued down Highway 1, it was beautiful to see the rolling hills that in so many hours would be the grueling course of the triathlon. But when race day did come, Teddy was not an ounce nervous. He thrives off events like this, and his energy was contagious. They made an excellent duo, but when the race began, so did the competition.

Jane, Jim, and I watched their progress on the mobile app - Jamie got out of the swim 10 minutes ahead of Teddy. At mile 12 of the bike, Teddy had gained back those 10 minutes. At mile 40, Jamie was now at a 19 minute deficit. Jane hit me over the head as I worried aloud that it was too large a gap to close. She would have to be a minute faster than Teddy to be number one. And yet Teddy kept crushing the bike time, at as he began his run, he clocked in mile 1 at just over 9 minutes. Exactly Jamie’s pace. I admit it - I despaired. Another wack over the head.

But as I mentioned, Jamie’s Will would not allow it. Seeing Teddy pass her on the bike, meant that she would pound the pavement in the run in an attempt to pass him. She had to. There was no other choice. She had started her run, and Jane, Jim, and I headed to what I thought was a beachside bar. But instead Jane and Jim stood rooted next to the finish line. It took three times to tell them that she would not cross it for another couple hours, and that we needed pina coladas. But there they stood, anxious and excited to watch their daughter cross the finish line. Thankfully, they agreed that a drink and chair would be a good way to pass the time.

Ding! The app showed us that at mile 6 of the run Jamie was now only 1 minute behind Teddy. His pace had slowed to 10.5 minute mile run, while hers was at a steady 9 minute mile. And as Teddy tells it, at mile 10 he felt a tap on his shoulder and a blaze of blonde hair streak passed him. “Jamie…Damn it!” he shouted as he hobbled forward, his stride mirroring the exhaustion within him. While Jamie came out the Victor, they were both champions. This was practically Teddy’s first triathlon, and he did a half iron man. And man, did he give Jamie a run for her money.

It was awfully thrilling, you had to be there.

And a huge shout out to Jane and Jim for surprising us all, and being a wonderful support crew. You made the weekend so special!

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Jamie: Bib #597
(39 out of 74: age group) (194 out of 473: gender) (924 out of 1624: overall)
Swim: 1.2 miles @ 00:40:20
Bike: 56 miles @ 3:19:34
Run: 13.2 miles @ 2:00:22
A complete time of 6:10:19 !!!!!

Teddy
(119 out of 168: age group) (786 out of 1149: gender) (1005 out of 1624: overall)
Swim: 1.2 miles @ 00:48:24
Bike 56 miles@ 2:54:20
Run 13.2 @ 2:19:01
Total time of 6:17:21 !!!!

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