American Zofingen Race Report - By Mitch West

This past May 20th I headed up to New Paltz, NY to compete at American Zofingen long course duathlon for the my fifth time.  This is a magnificent race that is easily one of my favorite races each season.  We had a nice TT crew up there competing in one of the four race distances offered and the post-race hangout looking at the mountains is unmatched.  The long-course race is a 5-mile trail run, 84-mile road bike, and 15-mile trail run.  While the distances are not especially daunting, the bike has over 8000 feet of elevation gain while the run is around 3000 feet.  I never really know exactly where my fitness is each season until after I do this race.

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The weather on Sunday was just incredible, with highs in the low 80’s and brilliant sunshine.  The long day got off to a strange start as one of the turn arrows in the woods was taken down and not at all marked.  The lead group of about 5 did not take the turn and ended up accidentally shorting the course by about a mile.  My group passed the turn and then ended up heading back up the trail to get back on the course, adding about a 1/2 mile to our first run.  Thus, I came into T1 and got the word that we were done about 15 minutes to the race leader(s)!  While this was definitely not a great feeling, I just kept telling myself that it’s a really long day. 

Once on the bike, I probably pushed harder than I would have to try and pull some guys back.  I was happy to see that my first loop was somewhere under an hour an a half, but wondering if this was too aggressive.  My second loop of the bike was about the same as the first and the day was heating up.  While I was catching people, I knew that 2 or 3 of the guys in the lead pack were still ahead and I had no idea if I was gaining or losing ground.  About half way though the 3rd loop I caught one of the lead guys which gave me a major infusion of energy as I knew I must be near the lead.

Mitch West - at the finish!Back in transition, I saw one other guy and who had about 45 seconds on me and I was told that he was the leader.  I caught him about 2-3 miles into that first run and was now in the lead.  I would say that I then ran scared for the final 12 miles, but I didn’t always run.  There are 3 climbs per run, and I walked the steepest sections to prevent my heart rate from skyrocketing and I simply did not have the leg strength to run them.  Mentally, I kept telling myself that the competition was closing in and I needed to stay strong.  I received another huge shot of adrenaline as I went out for my final 5-mile loop as my buddies who had already finished the short and medium course cheered me on.  Fortunately, my pursuers were not lurking on my heels as I feared and I was able to hang on for the win. 

Post Race CelebrationsIf you’ve already wasted (I meant spent) your time reading this far, I’ll close with 3 “takeaways.”  One, races like this are really long.  My buddy Frank Poe told me at the end of run number one to “hang in there,” and that’s great advice.  You just never know what’s gonna happen in a 7 1/2 hour race.  Second, indoor bike training works.  Down at the Greenwich shop, I rode the entire Schwazwald course several times this winter and spring-- no course is as hard as that indoor ride.  Ditto for Stelvio, Tourmalet, etc. Finally, racing and training with great friends and great people is a blast.  Enjoying a beer and making up lies after the race, looking out over the mountains, makes all the suffering worth it.

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