2016 Gildan Esprit de She Lakeville Duathlon Review

I was uber active this last weekend. On Saturday I had my first golf lesson (more on that later) and on Sunday I completed the 2016 Gildan Esprit de She Lakeville Duathlon and then played volleyball for 2 hours in sunny 80-degree weather (not complaining, just saying). This morning I was actually glad to just go to work and sit all day.

Overall I think it’s a great race. If you sign up early the price in reasonable enough, considering all the swag. When entering and leaving the transition area they check your wrist band and bib ID, so I never worried about my bike or stuff being stolen. Last year they did waves by age group and this year they did it by pace and 4 racers every 10 seconds. This was a much better and safer setup for all the athletes. One thing I will complain about is the part of the running course that goes over a curb and through some grass to get to a path, and what’s worse it that it’s right at the start/finish line. Sprinting through that wasn’t fun—can you imagine falling or spraining your ankle literally 10 feet from the finish line?

I didn’t race with my phone, so I don’t have any pictures of the whole post-race “festival” but they had several tents set up with fitness, health and beauty companies. I registered for a free Specialized bike, got free samples (including Fruit Smoothie Stinger Gel!!), and chowed down on some healthy snacks. But the best swag was the Moxie Cycling jersey and skirt.

I own several Moxie cycling tops (including the won I wore for this race) and I love them! They are perfect for summer riding, but even with sunscreen they give you a terrible tan line.

I completed the race last year when it was rainy and cold in 1:18:22, but I had done a lot more training, so I wasn’t surprised that my timing was slower this year (1:31:18). I stayed at my mom’s house on Saturday night, because she lives much closer to the Lakeville Lifetime. I packed a few race-day snacks though. I ate a peanut butter chocolate chip LÄRABAR before leaving her house in the morning.

I ate the peanut butter cookie LÄRARBAR after getting my bike set up in the transition area. I was there earlier than I planned, but it gave me plenty of time to get everything situated. I even asked a few questions of a very nice professional looking racer. She was super friendly and genuine, so being the stalker that I am, I looked up her time and she got first place!

Run 1
2016: (2 miles) 19:42 | 9:51 min/mile
2015: Run 1 (2 miles) 17:29 | 8:49 min/mile

I was afraid of my runner’s knee rearing its ugly head, like at Goldy’s Run, so I intentionally tried to keep my running pace slow. In the first mile it hurt a little, but less going uphill. After about a mile it was feeling normal, but I still tried to run slow.
 T1
2016: 2:06
2015: 1:39

Unlike last year I walked through the transition areas too, rather than jogging and you can tell by my slower transition times.

Bike
2016: (13 miles) 46:41 | 16.64 mile/hour
2015: (12 miles) 40:13 | 16.24 mile/hour

I felt great on the bike, and even though the route was slightly different this year, I was fully prepared for the Lakeville hills which surprised me last year. Unlike the run, I enjoyed passing several people on the bike. I ate my Stinger Honey Gel around mile eight, this is the only gel that I’ve found that doesn’t upset my stomach, and once again, I wasn’t disappointed when it kicked in a mile or two later…I would have known the exact mileages but I still haven’t gotten my new bike computer installed yet (I swore to myself that after the MIBR I’d install it. Whoops!)

The rest of the ride went well, this picture was taken near the end when I passed my friend Courtney. That’s my “Oh HHHEEEEYYY, my honey gel just kicked in!” face. Courtney is a great runner, but was riding a mountain bike, which makes a big difference. We chatted for a quick second and I told her she’d pass me on the run.

Run 2
2016: (2 miles) 20:39| 10:20 min/mile
2015: (2 miles) 17:50 | 9:04 min/mile

As predicated Courtney passed me on the run. My legs were shot and I couldn’t catch my breath. I had to walk during several parts of the first mile but then ran the entire second mile. The 1-mile water stop had about 100 young people screaming and cheering, which helped tremendously!
I saved enough to sprint and give a double-chinned half smile through the finish line as the announcer said my name.
After the race I talked with Courtney and we took a picture together. Her sister also did the race, so while she was waiting for her I jumped in line for a massage. I know from previous Esprit de She races that it’s worth it, but to get in line as soon as you can. The line wasn’t huge, so I grabbed one of my free champagnes to sip on while in line. (After hydrating with water too, of course. 😉 )