Giant Acorn 2009

I competed in the Giant Acorn International Triathlon on Saturday, October 3, 2009. I previously competed in the Giant Acorn Sprint in 2006 and 2008. Since this race was double the length of the Sprint, it made up for missing the Sprint in 2007.

The addition of an international-distance (aka Olympic) race proved to be immensely popular. 295 men and 165 women competed in the event, which helped ease registration on the Sprint, which was held on Sunday. In previous years, the Sprint has sold out months in advance of the race. This year, the Sprint still sold out, but only weeks ahead of the race.

The swim course for the International was at the southern end of Lake Anna in Bumpass, VA. It took swimmers around a grassy peninsula, which allowed spectators to see the entire swim from one point. The bike was 2 laps of the Sprint course. This was helpful because bikers could memorize the course their first time around.

The run was on a different road from previous years. It was hillier and even included an off-road portion through the woods. My swim and bike times were on par with my performance at the Nation’s Triathlon; however, the hilly run seemed to take its toll. I finished the race in 2:47:08, which was good enough to place 167 of 295 men, and 23 of 34 in my Age Group. All in all, it was a good time. Enjoy the photos.

Impromptu Emmitsburg!

Though the original plan was to go camping on the Potomac with Tom, rain forced team NORSA to the Stone-Drinking-Fortress in Emmitsburg without Tom. Ordinarily, NORSA goes to Emmitsburg to ski, but this trip provided an interesting change.

The weekend basically consisted of having dinner at the Shamrock and building a big fire in the fireplace. We got a sampler of Sam Adams and decided which flavor was the best. The next day, the weather improved, so we went to breakfast in Thrumont, and hiked the Catoctain Furnace Trial where we discovered mystical ancient ruins. All in all, it was a really fun and norsariffic weekend.