Elite Men National Championship - Kansas City, MO

Dec 14, 2008

Day two of nationals for me was the Elite race Sunday afternoon. The nice 50 degrees weather of the previous day was poised to take a nosedive. All the weather reports suggested that a cold front would roll in sometime in the afternoon. As I was packing the car at 10am, it was almost 60. When I left the hotel at 11am it felt like 50. Ten minutes later, parking the car at the race, it was about 30 degrees and still very windy. So much for a normal weather weekend in Kansas City. I felt a little tired while warming up, which did not bode well for a power course against the fastest racers in the country. Fortunately I had a large cheering section of sharks.

So instead of thinking how slow I was going and how cold I was, most of the race I was smiling and laughing at the crazy fans all over the course. A bunch of St Louis racers were gathered on the last run up, urging us on. Thanks for the big cheers!

How do you stay warm while wearing only short shorts? Push ups seemed to work well.

With a lap to go, the front of the race caught up to me. I placed 46th, and Josh ended up 55th. Not the best result ever, but overall this season has been my best yet. I look forward to some rest over the holidays before starting to prepare for next season.

Thanks to Mike Dawson for photos!