Race Coverage

"A Target on My Back".....

Sunday, 17 August 2014 00:10

By Heather Lendway (heatherlendway.com)

USAT NATIONALS RACE REPORT - Going into nationals I had a target on my back. Winning the USAT AG National Championship last year was a pretty big surprise to everyone, but this year people would have high expectations. Could I repeat my overall win?

The week leading up to the race I actually wasn’t too nervous because I had raced the course before, I knew my competition, and my body had done this many times at this point. The nerves finally kicked in on Friday, maybe in overload, as I was feeling somewhat sick trying to eat dinner. I got to bed early and surprisingly easily thanks to my earplugs. After the nighttime noises at Pigman and Trinona I learned not to travel without them.

Race morning was pretty calm. I woke up at 5 with no hurry to get to the race site since my wave wasn’t until 9:50. I ate breakfast on the drive to downtown, got setup in transition fairly quickly and found a nice place ...

to sit down for a while and watch some racing. Since Marcus Stromberg and Gear West teammate Matt Payne were in the first heat I saw them take off for their swim and got to cheer them when the left on the bike and run. READ MORE