Reporting from the Grand Elysee Hotel on Friday night

Hamburg was filled with races today…nonstop triathlon mania from 7am until 7pm. First, the Junior Women kick-started the chilly morning by diving into the lake for their wet-suit-clad 750 meter swim. Unfortunately, two American athletes were unable to keep ‘rubber-side-down’ on the slippery and narrow roads that comprised the 20K bike course. Megan was able tough out the road-rash, get back on her bike, and keep racing. In the end, a Britton was first to finish the 5K run while our rising American stars finished in 51st and 55th places.
The second race of the morning was the Junior Men. At this point of the day, the weather was still extremely cold, the sun had not broken through, and the clouds were building and darkening. The 82 athletes shook the entire starting dock when they dove into the water (same race distances as the women). A few of the USA men were disappointed with their positions exiting the swim and got stuck in unhelpful bike packs (no one was sharing the work at the front). Off onto the run, the American men used their fast feet to plow down some of the leaders. Greg Billington was the top American in 12th place. (Not bad for the eighth or ninth triathlon of his short, but impressive, career!)
At noon, the rain started. It was a heavy and windy downpour and it didn’t care that the U23 women’s race was about to begin. I borrowed an umbrella from the front desk and watched this entire race from the sidelines. For the past two World Triathlon Championships, this was where I competed…it was a bit nostalgic and exciting to be cheering instead of racing.
Here comes one of those “Top Secret Secrets” that I promised…side salad, pasta with vegetables, and a scoop of ice cream for dessert…that’s the secret pre-race meal for America’s first medal at the 2007 Triathlon World Championships. Jasmine Oeinck brought home a well-earned SILVER medal this afternoon in the women’s U23 race!!
The swim broke apart early in the 1500 meters with two Americans in the lead group. The lead group of five women blew apart in transition which left Jasmine off the front on her own. With 39 of 40 kilometers to go, she put her head down into the pounding rain and made the decision to “Go For It”! It was a gutsy move and the wet weather, combined with the slick roads, made her efforts extremely successful.
Riding all alone, Jasmine gained time on the chase group during every lap. She dismounted into transition with over a 1 minute lead on the eight or nine chasers. As soon as she was off her bike, the rain took a temporary break and let a few rays of sun shine through and warm up the soaked spectators (myself included:).
I was shouting tons of encouragement to all the American athletes each time they passed my location on the course. The huge and extremely motivated USA Triathlon staff was also spread all over the race course doing the exact same thing. They were all in strategic positions (corners, transition, uphill inclines) and had radios to relay splits and other information. I knew how much Jasmine was gaining each lap, even before I could see her from my position!
At the end of the run, after one of the strongest 10Ks I have ever seen from my teammate and training partner, Jasmine got to cross the finish line waving the American flag and enjoy the sweet celebration of a World Championship medal! The news of her solo bike efforts and fantastic finish was quickly relayed back to everyone resting at the hotel for the upcoming races. I could feel the wave of encouragement that spread though the Elite men and women. Just like Jasmine, we all know that we have logged the hard work and training time that can result in great performances…now we just have to get onto the course and give it everything to bring home another medal!
The U23 men’s race was the fourth and final event. They raced in the late, late afternoon and were subject to the same torrential rain as the women. Unlike the women, though, the first group of men on the bike was 55 members strong. Except for a two-man break-away on the final lap, everyone entered transition in a huge group and the strong runners literally ran away with the race. The latest addition to the American team and the current Collegiate National Champion (Go Gators), Kevin Collington was the top American finisher in 24th place with a very impressive run.
The day is finally over and everyone is exhausted. Fortunately, we get a nice long break to sleep, rest our legs, and recover before going back outside and braving the whims of the weather for tomorrow’s single race…the Elite Women’s World Triathlon Championships (yes, this is the one I am racing:)!! Live on TV here in Germany, on many channels around the world, on ESPN 360 in the USA, and on the ITU website…the gun goes off and we dive into the lake at 8:50am East Coast Time!