Vegas Sunrise Race Report and Thoughts on Race Integrity

On May 10^th I had the awesome opportunity to race in honor of my dear friend Megan Peterson (if you missed my earlier blogs about the girl, check them out here and here) by supporting the Melanoma Research Foundation at the Your Cause Sports event, Vegas Sunrise.  This event was put on at the same venue and by the same incredible crew as Rage last month.  Knowing how beautiful and how much fun Rage had been, I had high hopes for the event; I definitely was not disappointed!

Going into race day I had four goals: 1. Race faster than last month, 2. Beat the boys, 3. Make some friends, 4. Have fun!!  I didn’t hit all of my targets (next time I’m throwing sticks at the three guys who came in ahead of me) but hey, three out of four ain’t bad. 

Halfway through the bike, I found myself ahead of the women by a decent margin and far enough behind the lead men to catch up.  The race was fairly small so I was racing alone for much of the course.  However, my goals were never far from my mind and as I strove to reach them, the day morphed from a pure physical challenge to a mental test and a test of what I like to think of as “race integrity.”

What the heck is race integrity?  Does that mean not cutting the course when no one’s watching, thanking volunteers, and not throwing sticks at those pesky fast people?  Nope.  While these things are clearly important, my version is about going hard when no one is watching.  Could I have slacked off a bit on the run?  Yes, I probably could have (and the volunteer I accidentally threw water all over in my effort to keep the pace up probably would’ve appreciated it); but where would that have gotten me?  Race integrity is about giving the event, your preparation, and the other racers busting their butts out there the respect to push your full potential. 

I believe this sentiment extends far beyond race day to a foundation of a fulfilled life.  We all know that jerk who skates by in life doing everything halfway and getting away with it.  While we’re secretly jealous of said individual and their outwardly easy life, I have a hunch that deep down the slacker lifestyle isn’t exceptionally rewarding.  Anne Frank stated, “Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction.”  For example, to say I struggled with my science classes in graduate school is an understatement of epic proportions; in both human physiology and neuroanatomy I devoted hours to studying on a daily basis, attended study groups, and utilized multiple tutors.  The letters next to these classes on my transcript are far from stellar but completing them was two of the happiest and proudest moments of my entire educational career.  The joy was not in a “win” but in the knowledge that I had put in every ounce of effort possible.

Next week, I will toe the line of my first official pro race.  The competition will be stiff and I think a win would require six girls to break their legs in the next week and another six to get flats on the course (and that’s being generous).  The test will be not to stay strong and keep pushing when I’m ahead but to keep pushing from behind, to have race integrity no matter where I fall in the rankings.  In the words of Theodore Isaac Rubin, “Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best.”  Win or lose, we must strive for this happiness not only on race day but every day. 

All smiles with my first place finish!

**THANK YOU Your Cause Sports for the opportunity to race and to Blueseventy, Hammer Nutrition, and MP Multisport for supporting my win and another happy day!

Race Details: 

1st overall female and 4th overall finisher

Fastest female swim (3rd overall)

Fastest female bike (8th overall)

First overall run split (regardless of gender)