Rebel Man Sprint Triathlon

March 29, 2008---Rick and J.R. competed in the Rebel Man Triathlon held today on the campus of Ole Miss. The events included a 0.25 mile swim (400 m), a 13 mile bicycle ride (21 k), and a 2.6 mile run (originally scheduled as a 3.2 mile--5 k-- run but the course had to be altered for safety reasons). Rick finished 9th out of 20 in his age group with a time of 1 hour 19 minutes 03 seconds--pretty good for his first race of the year. This was J.R.'s first triathlon and he finished with a time of 1 hour 31 minutes, 46 seconds--24th out of 27 in his age group. Not too shabby for a first-timer! Rick says triathlons are similar to childbirth---you are cussing and in pain the entire time but when all is said and done, you still want to do it again. I'd really like him to experience childbirth and then we'll see how it compares to a triathlon. I'm not saying I haven't (or wouldn't) be in pain after an athletic competition but can it really compare?

The kids and I hung out with Carla while the guys were racing. We wished they had some sort of ETA board (like at the airport) so we could track the competitors during the race. We were poolside for the swim and that was fun (except making sure Jackson didn't fall in) but stood on the side of the street between the Turner Center and the transition area for the rest of the race. The competitors are wearing chips on their ankles so it wouldn't be hard to monitor them. I'm not asking for a GPS unit or anything, just a "S" for swim, "B" for bike, and "R" for run. The transition area was located behind Turner Center and we never knew when they would be coming in so we have very few pictures. Racers were steadily coming past us and it was impossible to have my camera out and ready, confirm that it was Rick or J.R., and take a shot before they had sped past us. So, I don't have a picture of Rick on the bike. The Bergerons came out just as the race was over and we all hung out for the door prizes but left just before the awards were passed out. Rick won a door prize of Hammer Gel (which is supposed to taste awful) but neither Rick or J.R. placed.





Rick:
























J.R.:




















We all went to Ajax for lunch. We were extremely lucky to take over the entire front area by the bar and the television. This gave the kids room to play rather than being confined to a table or booth in the dining room. Everyone who came in immediately turned their heads to see if the tables was empty. I'm sure they were hoping to find an open table so they could watch the NCAA basketball tournament while having lunch and/or drinks. Instead, they found that all three of the tables had been pushed together to accommodate six adults and four children (ages 5 and under) watching cartoons. In our defense, the television was on CBS but the game had not started yet. Several groups of people just stood, watching us like hawks, waiting to take our table. The Bergerons and Rick took the kids out while J.R., Carla, and I stayed back to pay. A group of "holier that though" females took the opportunity to cut in front of the others who had been patiently waiting and actually sat down at the table. We were still waiting to pay. The waitress let them know how rude they were but they didn't budge. The people who were still waiting in line were extremely mad to say the least. Can you blame them?





Then it was off the Treehouse Toys where the kids (and adults) played for about half an hour or more. Then we tortured the people at University Sporting Goods as Jackson screamed because he didn't want to try on a belt and he wanted to go back to the toy store. He eventually calmed down after Rick took him into the alley and had a talk with him. The kids enjoyed playing on the steps of City Hall and climbing on Mr. Faulkner's statue. Next we went to Square Books Jr. where we killed at least another half hour letting the kids read books and play with the toys. By then it was nap time so we loaded the kids into the van and called it a day. They were exhausted and crashed almost immediately. I have no pictures of these events because my camera was in the car. Even without the photographic memories, we had a blast hanging out with J.R., Carla, Joe, Julie, and Molly. The DragonFly Triathlon is June 14 and we plan to make a day out of it at Sardis. We can't wait!!