Local wins big at 3rd Triathlon

Thanks to Eston Williams, one of the Local Methodist preachers and Pearl Cantrell the writer for the leading newspaper in Cedar Creek

Lake. The hard copy will be out Sunday morning with the following photo of me running just before the final turn to the finish line!

This week has been filled with gluttony (fried pies, BBQ, hamburgers, cheesecake, and more), the sin that Baptist preachers don't preach about.

www.themonitor.net

Local wins big at 3rd triathlon
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
GUN BARREL CITY– The triathlete coach who helped a Seven Points man start a new sport as a triathlete has himself won a major competition.
(A story on these two men and their accomplishment was published in the July 26 issue of The Monitor.)
William Ritter, who works at the Olympic Center in Gun Barrel City, won the overall competition at the Lake Conroe Iron Star race this last weekend.
The 25-year-old was the first to cross the finish line after completing a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike race, and a 13.1-mile run.
It took him 4:23.55, smashing his former best time at a 70.3-mile race of 4:42. Last year at this same race, he finished ninth in 4:49.
Everyone at the Olympic Center congratulates Ritter on his accomplishment.
“I’d like to thank Jesus Christ for letting me making out of this race without getting seriously injured and of course for my second triathlon win ever and my first half win! Also, my parents for putting up with me and getting the hotel room and keeping their boy fed and my coach, Brent Poulsen, who has been guiding me since May, and setting me up for a good race,” Ritter said. “Thanks also to SBR Multi Sports in New York City for sponsoring me this year.”
It was his third 70.3-mile distance race, with last year being his first.
The swim was a beach start with 20-29-year-olds in the last wave, which put Ritter about 20 minutes back from the first wave.
He completed the swim in 34.57 minutes, despite getting whacked on the head by another swimmer and later being tackled and kept down by another crowd of swimmers, he reported.
Ritter also had some trouble with the wetsuit “strippers,” getting his wetsuit stripped off over his enormous calves. The effort left him with a rug burn and a sore bum at the start of the 56-mile bike race.
It was the first time he wore a heart-rate monitor in a race. “I was surprised to see my heart rate over 180 after the swim. On the bike, it gradually came down,” he said.
About a mile into the bike race he hit a bump crossing a bridge that knocked his water bottle off. Ritter was left with just his second bottle of sports drink, which he would have liked to have alternated with the water in the lost bottle.
His goal was to go all out on the bike and take the lead, regardless of the first group’s 20-minute head start. He did the 56 miles in 2:19:04, averaging 24.2 mph.
Then came the 13.1-mile run. He hoped to cover one mile every 6.15 minutes. That pace lasted the first two miles then started slowing down.
Eventually, there were just four runners ahead of him, and the leader five minutes in front of them. After passing the first group, he caught up with the leader at the 9-10 mile marker.
“That’s when I knew I had a good shot at coming in first,” he said.
But with just over a half-mile to the finish, Ritter started puking up Gatorade. He had to stop. He was gagging, and wasn’t sure he’d be able to finish. But he got enough out of his system to begin feeling better and began to run again.
It took him one hour and 27 minutes to finish the half-marathon run. Upon crossing the finish line, Ritter puked a lot more and was put on an IV.
“They told me my lips were blue and I was looking pale,” he said.
The Gatorade didn’t settle too well, but overall it was a good break-through race, he added. His efforts left him with the fastest bike and run splits for the day.
Ritter thanked motorists for not running him down while he trained on his bike on Gun Barrel City streets.

Iron Star Triathlon 70.3

Here are some photos from the Iron Star Triathlon weekend I'd like to share in Lake Conroe.

Here is me and my mom at IHOP the afternoon before the race.

Me and my training mate Loc Ly he went sub 5 hours!!!! If you need drugs he is your guy too.

At the medical tent with an IV. I was pale and had blue lips afterwards of puking gatorade.

Coming in on the bike to only have to go and run now.

This guy is a blog reader of mine that came up talked to me, also inspired of Scotty's story. Has a 2 year old of his on.

With my homeboy Stephen, sucks he got a flat would have gave me a good run for my money.

End of the 1.2 mile swim

It was a beach start ...so CHARGE!!!!

Out of water looking for the strippers.

The final stretch of the run. I left some gatorade a couple of roads back.

Me and my old man at keep it poppin' like thugz at IHOP the day before. The man can eat more than I can. Probably where I got my eating habits.

I just completed my final race of the triathlon season the Iron Star triathlon on Lake Conroe, Tx. It was my third time to do a 70.3 distance race with last year being my first. I had a pretty good block of training starting after the U.S. Open tri to prepare myself for this event just to the point where your just about to crack and then you get to recover before the main event.

The swim was a beach start with the 20-29 year olds in the last wave which put us about 20 minutes back from the first wave. The goal of the race was to get in the draft behind my buddy Stephen Milford and then hammer the bike and be the first one to cross the finish line regardless what group started first. Stephen let me know he wasn't gonna let me draft today. He can be a cocky mutha sometime. I got off to a good run start into the water only to be passed up as soon as we started swimmer then somebody whacked my noggin' pretty good, then later in the swim, I thought I had entered a UFC Water Fight as someone tried to tackle me, but luckily they didn't take me down too bad, and finally I was whacked in the back my club mate Steve Farris ;) I am out of the water in 34.57 but a lot of people are saying it's long maybe by 50-100 meters. Then the "lil' wetsuit stripper boy" couldn't get get my wetsuit off around my enormous calves so I was like hold on as he was dragging across the carpet and it caused me to have a sore bum as I ran into T1.

On the bike it was my first time to use my HRM in a race and I was surprised to see my HR at 182. I thought I would be in trouble early on. I stuck to the plan and hammered the bike. Within a mile of the ride I hit a bump across a bridge pretty good which knocked my aero bottle of the down tube. Now I only had one bottle of sports drink I use and I was hoping to be able to alternate it between that and water. At around mile 20 I finally caught Stephen I thought about giving him a love tap on the rear on the way by like he did at me at Galveston as my tire was going flat but I thought better of it (b/c I didn't wanna flat) but it turns out he flatted at mile 39 and another guy who had the chance John Robertson also flatted around that same area. The bike course was hillier than from what I remembered from last year, there was a lot of rolling hills the first. The second half was more into the wind and miles 40-46 is what I like to called the "energy lab" as it was straight into the wind and deceiving uphill. I don't think I was even crackin' 20 mph on this baby. The last 45 minutes was a struggle to keep speed up as I running out of people to leap frog around. I finished the 56 mile bike ride in 2:19.04, to average 24.2 mph.

The run was supposed to be with whatever I had left with hopefully a 6.15 pace. That lasted about 2 mile and then it started slowing slipping way down to 6.20s, 6.25, 6.30s and then 6.40s. I was staying hydrated on the course with water and gatorade and I was still taking in power gels. When I stared I had about 4 guys just in front of me and another guy about 5 minutes up the road. When I caught the lead guy of this first group I asked him if anybody else was up ahead and he said one guy (Kevin last name too long to spell) was 5 miles up the road. But it turns out he actually said 5 minutes as volunteers and other runners were giving me updates on how far he was ahead. I finally was able to run him down between 9-10 miles then I knew I had a good shot at coming first across the finish line. Around 12 1/2 miles all the gatorade I had consumed decided to make an exit and I bent over and started gagging, then I would try and run again and started puking and puked some more, I didn't know if I was going to be able to finish now. That mile went up to a 7.52. Ouch! After I was done or so I thought I told the guy who was directing me towards the finish "Let's go, I feel better now". Then we started talking more I asked him if I was gonna break 4:30 and he said I was cutting it close then I told him we better get to work then. I finished the run in 1:27 minutes and some change, I had 12.2 miles or so on my GPS so a little long and I then I puked much more at the finish. I asked the paramedics for an IV they said I was looking pale and my lips were blue.

I finished the race in 4:23.55 smashing my old time from BSLT 70.3 of 4:42 and last year at Iron Star I finished 9th OA in 4:49. I'd like to thanks Jesus Christ for letting me making out of this race without getting seriously injured or hurt of course for my second triathlon win ever and my first half win!!! Also for my parents for putting up with me and getting the hotel and for keeping their boy fed. My coach Brent Poulsen who has been guiding me since May set me up for a good race. Thanks to SBR Multi Sports in New York City for the sponsorship for the year. Make sure you check out there gear and products on the online shop at www.sbrshop.com. Thanks to Lance Vernon and Rocio Mullins for taking turns with me taking me to the pool 30 minutes away at the Cain Center in Athens and for many other people for their support and their couch. To my club East Texas Triathletes and Colonel's Bikes for their service and keeping me riding fast.

Also for people who have been keeping up with Baby Scott the lil ' man who gave me inspiration this season finished his 8th round of chemo not long ago and found out the cancer is still there but it is shrinking and I think he has been cleared of cancer around the skull. Thank you for ALL the people who have donated online and the Olympic Center desk where I work his family appreciates it very much! I plan on doing a few winter run races and I'll be getting the 2010 schedule ready!

This is It!

No, I'm not referring to the Michael Jackson movie. This weekend I'll be racing in the Ironstar triathlon in Montgomery, Tx on Lake Conroe, it's a 70.3 distance. It wil be my second year to do it. I just finished a good block of training. I wrapped it up this weekend with Brent Poulsen, Loc Ly, and Jarrod Stevens this weekend. We did a 2 hour TT on a hilly route with a short run at goal 70.3 pace. The TT had me mentally prepared to ride flat out this weekend and I was riding scared because I knew BP and Jarrod were chasing me. On another note the SMW rankings just came out today, I moved up to finish out 4th overall and 1st in the 25-29 males.

Below are a few pics I'd like to share.

DFW Area triathlete party, it was over about 9pm.

Brent and I at the party with water bottles.

We saw Michael Phelps at 8.0's

My roommate Josh's Eustace High XC team. The boys were 2nd in District and the girls were third. This weekend they will be at the regional meet in Arlington.

I decided to look normal for once while I mowed the yard the other day.