Black Diamond Olympic Triathlon

I decided to sign up for the Black Diamond Olympic Triathlon on a whim. The last time I competed in a triathlon was a sprint triathlon in 2010 in Bucyrus, Ohio. This summer I biked a fair amount more than usual and my running was at the usual level. However, I had not swam in over a year. I hoped to get through the swim on cardiovascular fitness alone. 

The race course started less than 10 miles from my house. I arrived at Lake Nolte State Park around 0800 and set up all my gear and went for a quick jog before making my way down to Deep Lake beach. I squeezed into my wife’s wet suit and jumped in the water and things got under way at 0900. The ambient temperature was 58 degrees under cloudy skies but the water temperature was in the low 70s. The swim race course was in the shape of a diamond. There was about a 132 swimmers in the water and it was disorienting. I struggled to keep a straight line to the first buoy and by the time I reached the middle of the lake I was questioning if I had the upper body strength to complete the swim. By the time I made it back towards the shore for my second loop, things had spaced out much more and I was not being kicked by other swimmers. I was quite fatigued but made it through the second loop in about 25:30 after completing the first loop in 21:21 for a total time of 46:51 (1500 meters).

I was dizzy coming out of the water and as I was running up the ramp, my body was swaying to the left. I was the 124th person out of the water and had a lot of catching up to do. My official time to the first transition was 47:52 and then it took me 2:56 to get out on the bike. The majority of this time was spent trying to take off the wetsuit. Once I exited the State Park onto Cumberland Veazie Road I was shivering cold. It took me quite a while to work up enough body heat to feel comfortable. The route was fairly flat with a few rollers. I biked up Cumberland Kanaskat Road and then onto Kanaskat Kangley Road. The route then went down Kent Kangley Road almost to the intersection with Ravensdale Way. From there we doubled back on Kent Kangley Road to Retreat Kanaskat Road. This was the biggest climb as we passed by the power substation. The route then continued back to Nolte State Park via Cumberland Kanaskat Road with a short out and back on Cumberland Franklin Road. I made it back to the second transition  with the 39th fastest bike in 1:16:49 (24.92 miles with 1093 vertical feet). The second transition took me 1:23 and I was off for my strongest portion of the triathlon, the 10K run. 

I hit the ground running out of Nolte State Park and onto Cumberland Veazie Road. The route generally headed south before turning eastward on SE 384th Street. From there it was just an out and back to the park. I continued passing people the entire way. Once I got back in the park, I did two clockwise laps around Deep Lake before sprinting into the finish line. My time in the run was the fastest of the day (37:00), but due to my slow swim I only managed 40th place overall. 

Overall I was very happy with the effort, considering that I had not swam in over a year and I managed to cover the 1500 meters. One of the advantages to getting out of the water in 124th place was that between the bike and the run I was able to pass 84 people. The weather was generally perfect with cloudy skies and temperatures ranging from 57 to 64 degrees. I also managed to average 19.6 mph on an old bike without TT bars and did not have any mechanical issues. Thanks to the race directors and all the volunteers. 

Course Description

Nolte State Park is the host sight for this event and it is a very special place to me. I frequent this park throughout the year for faster runs. The state park is 117 acres and encompasses Deep Lake with 7174 feet of shoreline. The lake itself is 39 acres and reaches a depth of 76 feet. The lake receives water from Deep Creek with headwaters in the Cascade foothills. There is no outflow from the lake, the water percolates through the surrounding gravel. The lake was either carved by glaciers or was a kettle, which is a depression formed by buried melting ice blocks. The swim route starts at the beach on the south end of the lake and creates a diamond. The swim is two laps and it goes to the center of the lake. 

The bike route begins in Nolte State Park and then exits north along Cumberland Kanaskat Road. This road passes through downtown Cumberland and then through the rural landscape of the area with the Green River watershed to the west and Cascade foothills to the east. The road passes over the Green River and then the railroad before turning onto Kanaskat Kingly Road. Kanaskat Kangley Road is a gentle rolling roadway that is bookended by houses and pastures to the west and McDonald Mountain to the east. The next turning point is at the junction with Kent Kangley Road and the McDonald Mountain trailhead. The route follows Kent Kangley Road westward towards Maple Valley and passes by rural residential neighborhoods with Sugarloaf Mountain looming to the south. The turning point is just before the intersection with Ravensdale Way paralleling Ravensdale Retreat Natural Area. Instead of traveling all the way back on Kent Kangley Road, the course dives to the southeast along Retreat Kanaskat Road. This is the most significant climb on the course as it passes by the electric substation. Eventually, the route turns back south along Cumberland Kanaskat Road repeating the early section of the course. Just before Cumberland there is a quick out and back section along Cumberland Franklin Road. This road follows the Green River Gorge, but the course stops short of the most beautiful section of the Gorge in Franklin. After the turn around, the route heads back to Nolte State Park via Cumberland Kanaskat Road. 

The run route also begins at Nolte State Park and immediately leaves the park before heading southbound along Cumberland Veazie Road. From here there is a random turn east onto SE 384th Street (near Coal Creek) before an arbitrary turn around back to Nolte State Park. This is probably my least favorite section, mainly because the cars and neighbors do not seem to like runners or bikers. Unfortunately, this has been my experience living in Ravensdale as well, it is not a very welcoming place. Upon reaching Nolte State Park, the course continues clockwise around Deep Lake. This trail is crushed gravel and hard packed soil, which feels good on the legs after the asphalt, but it runs a little slower than the hard roadway. After two laps, the race finishes near the south beach of Deep Lake.