Racine Analysis - A "Dr. Cragg" Race Report

Analysis of the weekend courtesy of Dr. Bill Cragg...

On the menu Sunday morning, served up by notable chef of Sidney St. Café, Kevin Nashan (et al.) was a bit of “Humble Pie” for Team St. Louis. The Ghisallo Boys (led by 24 year old Peter B) dropped under the un-heard of 5:00 hour mark. I guess there is something else to shoot for beyond just finishing. Well done for their inaugural Racine Race. Judges question the very “similar” bike times of Mr. Corky Miller and Mr. Kevin Nashan. I am sure they are aware of the draft rules…lol. Nashan proves that good food (and may I remind the rest of you…beer the night before), doesn’t hurt any triathlete. I am switching over to their training schedule next year unless I see (first hand) Rosenthal eat a piece of cheese pizza (with the cheese still on it) and drink a beer. I’m going back to the Clydesdale Rankings where I belong. The several comments made to me about my weight is making me feel as I have joined the “Manorexia” club.

Surprise, surprise...look who showed up for the race this year! Dr. Noda made his debut at Racine putting in an amazing effort. Looks like all that secret training paid off for this Japanese native. Coincidentally, he credits his performance to the dis-use of his Lipitor medications that allegedly caused cramping in previous races. The drug labs initial reports show slight increase traces of EPO and other enhancement drugs. Seems as if this cardiothoracic surgeon has some “other” extracurricular activities (other than training a lot for someone that is supposed to work a lot, golfing a lot and taking multiple naps). Rumor is that Strassner has applied to medical school. Nice job Dr. Noda. He ripped off an impressive 5:29. Due to his penalty, a 3 minute time add-on for discarding a banana peel outside of the marked areas while going through an aid station, Seiichi finished 2 minutes BEHIND Rosenthal instead of 1 minute in front of him. I don’t know if he voted for Gore in 2002 but lets be friendlier to the environment. Is there a coincidence that Rosenthal and Noda also shared a hotel room together? Hmmm, getting awfully cozy aren’t they?

Rosenthal came back to Racine with a “green light” from coach Luc and put his plan together for an impressive 5:27 and a PR (20 minutes faster than 2006). Luc’s analysis of TR’s workouts was “…great, keep it up…excellent job…” The question remains…”can this guy be caught” in Madison. How will he hold up on the long course. “Gill” had an impressive 37 minute swim under mild water conditions on Sunday.

John “Stress-ner” ,as deemed by the Ghisallo Guys, proved paying a coach and listening to his advice could pay off to be the smartest plan yet. Sticking to his coach’s philosophy John raced an intelligent day through the course finishing in a comfortable PR time and having more fuel in the tank to continue. Madison could prove breakable by this guy if he keeps it up. He didn’t give into temptations of peers or an “easy” course on race day and finished a respectable 5:41. By the way, his ride home was also in record time on Sun. 75 miles an hour with Bill leading was simply not enough. When given the chance he bumped it to 85mph. I guess there are only some places where he allows passing him up (ie the bike course).

Dr. Pepper and Bill proved that nutrition plans can help and they can hurt. Following his finish, Pep took to the floor of the recovery tent fighting back some illness and possible dehydration on his way to yet another impressive 5:35 finish. Doesn’t seem to be anything that can hold him back. He returned to Racine hoping to hold onto his championship performance from 2006. He also celebrated another birthday that weekend…coincidence??? The same cannot be said about Bill’s nutrition plan. 6-GUs, two Ogwalla bars, 4 scoops of Carb Pro, 6 bottles of fluids all went down during the bike leg. Approximately ½ GU, some miscellaneous fluids and “chunks” of Ogwalla bar were left somewhere around the Run portion’s 10 mile marker by way of reverse consumption, if you will. All was not lost that day as he finished with a somewhat respectable time. If Pep and Bill can work out the kinks on the nutrition plan, they could catch up with the rest quickly on the long course. Bill’s transition times weren’t too bad either except T-3. yes, T-3. This one was in Bloomington Illinois by way of a flat tire on the Explorer. Changed in under 30 minutes. NO help by Strassner who looked at Bill with a confused look on his face and asked…”can you change one of those too?” Not needed at that point, Strassner ventured back onto HWY 55 South and headed home to Suzy who had an evening spinning class to attend to. He did call Seiichi, trailing miles back to make sure he stopped to assist if need be...lol. Better hope for no flats in Madison my boy.

First timer, Fransisco Perez put together a great finish for his first half-distance finishing just over 6 hours. This anxiety laden racer was comforted by the fact that the calm water on Sunday morning was not going to be a repeat of the 2-3 foot swells from the day before. Last I checked the Phillipines are surrounded by water. Unfortunately, growing up in Canada during later years doesn’t encourage swimming in the cold temps of Toronto. He turned his 55 minute swim into a tough race by putting together a great bike and run following. Good job Doc!

Again, an amazing weekend was had by all. Everyone did great and remained healthy. The road to Ironman goes through Racine and was well traveled this past weekend. Place a check in the box next to this half-ironman, get some rest, and I look forward to seeing everyone back on the training plan this week.

DR. BILL