The Ogden Valley Triathlon held on September 16, 2006, turned into a duathlon (run/bike/run) as early morning conditions in the Ogden Valley dipped towards freezing temperatures. Event producers, TriUtah, considered the safety of swimmers in the cold conditions and made an early morning decision to alter the event. The race was delayed 30 minutes as organizers adjusted run courses.

TriUtah later gave TriHive the following statement:

“This was the first time in 8 years that TriUtah has cancelled the swim at any event. The extreme cold weather that we experienced was not typical for that time of year in Huntsville. Later we were told that it was the coldest weather they have had on that date in over 60 years. Early race morning, we met with local law enforcement and other race officials to evaluate the current weather and review our contingency plans. The National Weather Service was contacted, and reported that air temperatures were not forecasted to reach above freezing until late morning, and potentially not until noon. Thunderstorms were also possible throughout the morning. Due to the potential for hypothermia, the safety of the athletes came first and the swim portion of the 2006 Ogden Valley Triathlon was cancelled.”

In lieu of the swim Sprint distance racers ran 1.5 miles and Olympic distance racers ran 3.1 miles, starting at separate times.

Nathan Cisney of Ogden won the men’s Olympic race in a time of 2 hours, 26 minutes and 04 seconds, edging out runner up Keith Anderson by 11 seconds. Malaik Homo of Salt Lake City won the women’s Olympic race. Homo finished the course in 2 hours, 33 minutes and 16 seconds, beating Sara Jarvis by over 8 minutes.

In the Sprint race it was Brett Wilking of Salt Lake City finishing first in a time of 1 hour, 16 minutes and 52 seconds. Bri Klug won the women’s Sprint with a finishing time of 1 hour, 26 minutes and 19 seconds.

According to event timer, Milliseconds, 95 of the 247 registered Olympic distance athletes did not start. 146 of the 627 registered Sprint distance athletes did not start.

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It’s good to get away from the road sometimes and do some cycling on the trails. Mountain biking has always been one of my loves that predates my triathlon days. The route I ride on the Wheeler Creek Trail (near Ogden) is a scenic 12 mile ride which consists of rocks, single track, and pavement.

To get there from Salt Lake City, head north on I-15 to the 12th street exit in Ogden (exit 344). Take a left onto 12th street heading east towards Ogden Canyon. After driving through the canyon, the trailhead is located just west of Pineview Dam on the south side of Highway 39, the actual road through Ogden Canyon. Right before you pass the dam you’ll see on the right hand side a gravel road leading down to the trailhead. You can either drive down about 50 yards and park by the Wheeler Creek Trailhead, or park just off the road to ride your mountain bike down. You’ll see a gate and a wooden bulletin board with the Wheeler Creek Trail map and Forest Service announcements.

For about the first 2 miles you will be riding on a rocky section going on a slight uphill, through a small canyon and will be riding alongside a stream. At the top of this gradual ascent at mile 2 is the Art Nord Trailhead, which is a popular starting point for horse riders. On your right hand side you’ll see more Forest Service signs. There is a small wooden cross marking the beginning of the single track portion that you’ll take. By the way, Art Nord was an exemplary Forest Service employee who you can read more about by the trailhead.

For the next 3.7 miles you will be riding on a dirt single track, through some dense shadowy forest sections, and over a few small wooden bridges going over streams. There are blue diamonds posted on trees and signs to help guide you to the Maples Trailhead. One of the bridges has a few steps at the end so be careful when negotiating this. I’ve also found that if you stop for too long you may get mauled by horseflies so you may want to bring insect repellant or a fly swatter.

At approximately mile 5.7 you will reach the Maples Trailhead. Again, you’ll see a signpost for your reference just a little off of the dirt road that you reach at the end. You can go back the way you came, all the way to Wheeler Creek Trailhead, if you’d like. What I like to do is to take the dirt road heading left from the Maples trailhead that leads to Snow Basin Ski Resort. Once you reach the end of this dirt road you will hit a gate right before it goes onto paved road. Take a left onto the paved road. This will take you by Earl’s Lodge, which you will ride past until you reach what is the actual traffic entrance to the resort.

From here, which is about 6.35 miles into the ride, take a left onto Highway 226 for some really relaxing downhill (about 3 ½ miles worth) that you can air yourself out with. You’ll eventually loop back to the Art Nord trailhead. From here you go downhill on the rocks back to the Wheeler Creek trailhead.

This completes an easy to moderate ride that is fun to do if you don’t have a lot of time to spare out on the trails. My ride time ended up at about 1 hour and 40 minutes, and this was with me going at an easy pace. It is also going to be used as part of the regional Xterra Championship Triathlon bike course in August, which is something you should check out if you plan on doing the race. Have fun and happy trails!

-Mick M.

slamkablam@yahoo.com

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Click HERE for photographs of the 2006 Ogden Valley Triathlon.

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I’m a firm believer in the use of interval training to improve speed and endurance in all three disciplines. The distance of the race that a person is training for will influence and determine the length and duration of the interval. For instance, for the run I recommend speed work on the track six to eight weeks prior to a major event with an appropriate taper.

On the bike, mile repeats are a great way to help athletes learn pacing During the tri season (at least once per month) I have my athletes do a flat, race pace, seven-mile time trial. This block measurement is a great tool in interpreting an athlete’s current cycling fitness level. The key is to consistently maintain speed and heart rate over the distance.

Without some form of interval training in swimming, swim training would be pretty boring. Aimless laps lead to slow swim times in the open water. Other than a monthly 30-minute timed swim, all of my swim workouts employ intervals. The key to getting faster in swimming is improving the 100-yard swim time. I base all intervals for my athletes off their 100 yard swim time. For instance, a 10 x 100 yard swim set (with 10-30 seconds rest between each 100) is a great way to determine an athlete’s average 100 yard swim time. With this information, athletes can determine their pace and rest times for longer swim sets.

Scott Kelly has over 25 years of training and competing in endurance athletics. Additionally, over a three year period, he worked extensively with two New York City area based swim coaches Doug Stern and Terry Laughlin. In May, 2005, he attended a USAT Level 1 training clinic at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Popularity: 13% [?]