Nationals - the Road Race

We wrapped up the week on Friday with the road race.  As it was on the other days, it was very, very hot.  The course was 4.72 miles and the guys had to do 2 laps.  This event had a field of 50 - 2 didn't start and one was disqualified because he didn't have junior gearing.  (Kids 18 and under must use special gearing so they don't below out their knees.  There is a special review called a rollout for each race, which one of the kids, the one who won the Crit, failed for this race.)  Another didn't finish.  I am convinced that the 2 who didn't start went to look at the course before the race.

By Friday, James was exhausted.  On Thursday night at dinner, he sat there in a zone.  We would have to repeat questions a few times to get a response.  In looking at the results, we have noticed that several of the 10-year-olds didn't attempt all 3 events.  Probably not a bad strategy since they were all 3 so brutal.  Any way, we were up early on Friday and getting him to drink constantly.  It was so dry and hot we wanted to be sure he didn't get dehydrated.

As it turns out, it was a tough race indeed.  The field was very strung out and James finished 32nd.  Again, respectable given his age and he was ahead of quite a few.    All in all, he had a very successful trip.  He learned a lot...how to deal with his nerves, some strategy and just what nationals is all about.  We think he is well-positioned for next year.

We especially appreciated Joel and Stacy making the effort to come from San Francisco to see him race.  He was a little disappointed that he didn't finish better for them, but I think they understand.  They have been such great supporters of his ever since his first triathlon 2 years ago.

The end of the races marked the beginning of the amusement parks for Christopher.  He had been looking forward to those for days.  We hit DisneyLand right after the race and then Legoland on Saturday.  He conquered his fear of roller coasters and even rode one twice.  The highlight of the entire trip was finally finding a real wool fedora just like the one Indiana Jones wears.  He tried on every single one in the shop and spent over a month's worth of allowance (after a subsidy from me for his being so good and patient).  Once I've had a chance to get a proper picture, we'll get that posted.

All said and done, it was a good trip.  It was a long trip and a lot of work, but we enjoyed it.  Who knows?  If James works hard, we may be back next year.