Last Sunday at 6:35 a.m., I was prepping to race the Nation’s Triathlon in Washington, DC. This would be the largest triathlon I’d ever entered. It was a beautiful morning in our nation’s capital. The sunrise over the Washington Monument was spectacular; the sky perfectly blue and clear. I was pumped up, to say the least. I had a few pre-race jitters, but I was super excited. I said to myself, “Let’s do this!”
Triathlons begin with the swim and then racers’ biking and running gear is organized and waiting in individual transition areas. The Nation’s Tri staff had a strict closing time of 6:55 a.m. At that point, everyone had to be out of the transition area and making the 100-yard walk to the start on the bank of the Potomac River.
While there were some nerves, I felt great about the race and confident in my training. Before I started my walk out of the transition area to get a “good-luck” from my cheering section, I felt I needed to check my bike’s tire pressure.
Front tire. Check. Back tire. Holy shit, it’s flat.
Was this really happening?
While I’ve changed a tire tube before, I’ve never done so in less than 15 minutes under such an intense time crunch. Here I am, at the Nation’s Triathlon, my back tire is flat before the race begins and I’m thinking, “All that training for nothing, race over.”
This is where the sport of triathlon separates itself from other competitions.
Sportsmanship, support, encouragement and comradery seem so paramount with this sport. The events that unfolded during the next 15 minutes will show you why triathlons are so special.
Once I realized my back tire was flat, three of the competitors near me saw the horror on my face and quickly volunteered, jumping into action to assist me with getting the tire fixed. Luis, Jeff and Jeff, all direct competitors in the 40-44 age group, showed a side of this sport only witnessed as a participant of triathlons. 
Ten minutes prior to realizing I had a flat tire, we were all organizing our stuff, chatting about other races we’ve competed in, discussing the water temperature, and other normal transition area pre-race conversations. Then suddenly, we were all hunkered over my flat tire, working on fixing this unfortunate situation with only minutes until the proverbial transition area doors slammed shut.
The weather was cool and everyone’s hands were a little numb. Taking a tire off the rim is hard enough on its own, but when temps are frigid, your hands are cold, and the clock is ticking, it is especially difficult.
As added pressure, the announcer was counting down, over the loud speaker, every minute we had to get out of the transition area.
Luis, Jeff and Jeff could’ve easily said there was no way to get the tube out, replaced, put back on the bike and pumped up in 15 minutes or less. They could have told me I was on my own, that it was my problem, but they didn’t say these things. These guys helped a fellow competitor during a desperate time of need. With about two minutes to spare, my tire was fixed and pressurized to 100psi.
Wow, my heart was absolutely pounding; all pre-race jitters were gone and out the window. During those 15 minutes when I would have normally been thinking about the swim or how cold the water was going to be (69 degrees), all my focus was on fixing my flat tire. Any anxiety had disappeared very quickly. I was ready! Somewhat in shock, 
but I was ready to get the race started.
The Nation’s Triathlon was my absolute best triathlon to date. I finished the race in 67th place overall, out of 491 racers and was 7th in my age group, out of 30. I had personal best times in each segment of the race and finished feeling very proud of how I performed in this amazing event.
I could find tons of inspiration from many parts of the race or could easily write about the unbelievable weekend I had in DC. My race results and memories of the entire weekend will always hold a special place in my heart, but the acts of those three men was the first thing I wanted to highlight on my blog. Luis, Jeff and Jeff, whom I’d never met before and will probably never see again, willingly gave away some of their pre-race preparation time to help me overcome the adversity of a flat tire.
The sportsmanship and character of the competitors and racers like Luis, Jeff and Jeff, is what makes triathlon so special. Yes, the sense of accomplishment and adrenaline rush you get at the end of a race help make the sport addictive, but it’s more than that. The support and encouragement that you feel as a triathlete, even from direct competitors, is something that can only be experienced as a participant in this great sport.
Many times, I’ll hear, “nice pace, keep it up,” or “great job, keep pushing,” as racers pass me or run alongside me during the run. No matter how fast or slow I am, other racers and spectators are always encouraging and cheering one another along the way.
Last week, three competitors pitched in to help me in a crunch, allowing me to compete in one of the most amazing triathlons in the country. I will never be able to repay them for their acts of kindness, but I will always remember the generosity of Luis, Jeff and Jeff. They put me, a fellow competitor, before themselves during that integral 15 minutes before the race.
What really inspired me was the 2nd place overall finisher was Jeff Zickus, bib number 1422. I was bib number 1421; our bikes were right beside each other in transition. This Jeff was one of the Jeffs that willingly helped me with my flat tire before the race and who went on to stand on the podium as the 2nd place overall male finisher. I knew I wasn’t going to win the race that morning, but I had goals set to beat my previous times. Someone that finishes 2nd overall goes into the event knowing he can and was trying to win the race. Jeff wanted to win, coming very close, yet he took the time, prior to the race, to help me with my tire. That’s some amazing sportsmanship right there.
For many reasons, the Nation’s Triathlon in 2017 and the weekend in DC, will always hold a special place in my memory. Today, though, is about how the acts of complete strangers inspired me in such a great way. I hope sharing what inspired me can also motivate someone else out there because what Luis, Jeff and Jeff did to help was beyond special.
Have a great week!
Matthew
I have really gotten addicted to the exercise, the competition and the fun I have with this multi-discipline sport. It’s something that is hard to explain because it can be so tough and challenging on the body but yet so rewarding both physically and emotionally. This is a topic that I’ll be writing and sharing more on in the near future.
and was able to keep a run pace at eight minutes per mile. At the Lake Lure Triathlon, I ran at a nine minute pace, so if I can get it down to close to eight, that’s a three minute difference in my total time. I feel good about my training and look forward to seeing the results in DC. I have one more week of hard training and then it’ll be race week. It’ll be here before I know it and I can’t wait!
was 6:33, almost an hour and a half from the start. I had plenty of time to get my registration packet and organize my transition area. As I parked, I had my Spotify playlist blasting ALO and Jack Johnson’s “Girl, I Wanna Lay You Down.” Some of the people in neighboring cars, who were unloading their bikes, may have thought that I was being a little obnoxious to keep it playing loudly with my doors opened, but I didn’t care. I was into the song, one that I had recently added to a my playlist because well, let’s just say it’s a good song that has a great “groove” to it and it really gets my heart pumping. Music allows me to focus mentally, and this song was doing just that. I didn’t care what others thought at that time; I was going to let the song come to an end before I turned it down.
know if you are competing against them in their age group or not. Once I completed those tasks I organized my transition area, the small area where you store your bike, change into your shoes and get ready for each element of the triathlon. It was 7:30 and I was ready!
time, is so important. As I stood there at the start line, I kept my mind focused on getting to each site-buoy, keeping my “form,” and maintaining my pace, not the other racers’ paces.
before pushing my bike out of the transition area where I would start the next phase of the race. The bike portion of the race was 22.5 kilometers of mountain roads with long, steady climbs and fast descents. I did my best to settle into a consistent cadence and power my way through the hills. Getting into the right gears, at the proper time, was a strategy that I knew was important to keep good momentum on each and every decent-to-ascent along the course. Missing a gear, or waiting too long to change the gears, can really cause you to lose some serious momentum and allow other racers to pass with ease. During this race, I felt like I did an excellent job with implementing my bike and gear strategies, allowing me to cut over 9 minutes off of my previous bike split during my last Lake Lure Triathlon. The last descent back into the resort was very steep and very curvy. Proper braking was required to ensure that I made the curves safely. Emergency crews were standing ready at the top and bottom, ready to help, if needed. Fortunately, all racers remained safe. Forty-six minutes after I mounted my bike, I was back at the transition preparing for the last leg, the run!
ever ran in a triathlon, you know the feeling you have when your legs are used to going in circles from the bike and then all of a sudden you are trying to get them to go up and down. To make it worse, the first half of the Lake Lure run, when my legs felt mostly like Jello anyway, was all uphill. I was struggling to keep a decent pace, but was determined to keep up with the runners in front of me; I was going to finish strong. Just as I got to the turnaround to head back toward the finish line, my left quadriceps kept feeling like it was going to cramp and the medical bracelet holding my time chip was cutting into my heel with each stride. “Mind over Matter,” I kept telling myself. I altered my stride just slightly and the cramp never came and I ignored the pain coming from my bloody heel. I was getting close and could think of nothing but picking up the pace and finishing the race strong. Coming around the last turn and hitting the white sandy beach at Rumbling Bald Resort was quite the feeling. Sprinting to the end, I 
made it through the corral, lined by spectators cheering on all of us racers. I crossed the finish line as the announcer welcomed me in by name. The amazing volunteers at the race draped an iced towel over my shoulder, handed me water and kept congratulating me on the race, like I was the winner or the only one there. What an amazing feeling to be welcomed at the finish line after a race like that! I finished the race in one hour and thirty-six minutes, 65th place out of 157 male racers. I was proud of my results and my accomplishments.
Humbled Dad, Humbled Man 