WILLIAM T. RITTER: Play Tri Fest

It's been awhile since I've last posted. Don't worry though, I am still here and here to stay. I've been busy working, training, and taking naps during the day since school ended for the spring semester, but summer semesters are here and I am very busy once again.

This weekend I went to Dallas with my swimming/training partner Lance, and did the Play Tri Festival olympic distance triathlon. It was his first olympic distance and he put it on the line and did great. I am very proud of him about the way he races. We had a great host, my buddy Derek Bender, who also took the most of the photos below. The photos of his are an example of his services he wants to offer single athletes or small groups who would rather have a photographer focus on them alone out there on the course for them. That is what Derek Bender did for me. You can even see more photos of the event on his or my facebook page.

The night before the race we heard Ahmed Zaher speak at Hully and Mo's bar in downtown Dallas about his horrific bike crash in Hawaii last year when a truck's side mirror hit him and cracked 6 ribs, clavicle, and collapsed a lung then 9 months later he is competing in the Hawaii Ironman World Championships. Zaher owns Play Tri and is one of fastest triathletes in the DFW metroplex. He also dominates his age group at Ironman events. His speech of the accident even caused one guy to pass out and paramedics has to be sent to the bar. The guy was alright.

After the speech we/I was starving and ate at the Olive Garden. I loaded up on way too much salad and breadsticks and barely finished my spaghetti and meatballs. I will have to be sure not to make that mistake again. Because I paid for it.

It was an unreal humid morning. My warmup jogg had me soaked in my own sweat. You could see the smog over the downtown Dallas skyline. About the only thing I go good for me was my swim and even that is not that great. I swam the 1500m in 21:06 which is a smashing PR if it is legit, but I think the course was short. I got in the pack and got a good draft and barely sighted for most of the swim. The guy I was swimming with put some distance on me at the last turn which was a long straight shot back, but after that I kept our distance about the same, but I was working a lot harder to do it. I surprised myself when I beat Michael Dawdy out of the swim.

On the bike I could never get my legs going in a good rhythm for whatever reason, they finally started to feel decent by the end of the bike, then it was too late. The bike course had a few decent hills in it. Overall I think it was a fast course, and I did it somewhere around 58 minutes for 24 miles. But Michael Dawdy rode like a beast!!! He passed me as if I was sitting still. I tried to keep him in sight but lost him when there was confusion at a turnaround point midway.

The run was terrible for me. I think over eating at Olive Garden caused me to have some serious side cramps. These cramps where very intense. I slowed my run down to a slow trot by the first mile and was debating dropping out, but I knew Ahmed was in front of me and I never beat him before. I kept on. I worked on my breathing hoping the side cramps would go away. The run was 2 out and backs, by the time I started the second one the pain was subsiding somewhat and I was able to pick it up and caught Ahmed and held on. The overall and runner-up, Tyler Johnson and Michael Dawdy were too far ahead for to me make and I ended up 3rd OA. With a time somewhere around 2:00.36 hrs.

Special thanks to! Derek Bender for being an awesome host and photographer, Lance Vernon for getting me to Dallas and back. Most of all the good Lord for keeping us safe out there in those humid/hot conditions. Thanks to my Sponsors to include: blueseventy, that speedsuit is very fast!!!, Brandon Perry and Monavie, keeping my joints healthy!!! Brooks for the shoes! And everyone else family and friends for your support!!!

Next up this month I am doing a local 5k run, Pioneer Day 5k in Eustace, Tx, on June 19th and June 26th I am doing Buffalo Springs Ironman 70.3 again for the second year in a row. I have also added a couple of races in August so be sure to check those out.

Thanks for Reading!!!

Cheers!

William

P.S. Enjoy the pics.