Onionman Olympic Triathlon Walla Walla May 2012

Saturday morning we hopped in the car and made our way to Walla Walla to do the Onionman Triathlon as a team.  Sheila swimming, Jackie biking and Deanna  running! We stopped at Starbucks for coffee in Ritzville.  We never do that but thought we would start a new tradition.  Haha.  We always stop for coffee.   Sporting Team Gleason shirts!

As many of you know we have an unofficial, official team called Elite Athletes Only Different.  We travel a decent amount to different activities.  Saw this bus and it is for sale.  Can you picture it now?  The official team bus.  Only $2,000 ladies.  Little paint and the initials EAOD on the side?  Perfect!

Another stop along the way.  Yummy.  We actually got the eye from one of the employees with lips moving saying no picture taking.  Why not?  They are enchiladas.  So these are illegal pictures.  :-)  Enjoy.  Living on the wild side I am!

 Off to see the wizard for a brain!  Taking Mr. Scarecrow with me.

 Sheila and Deanna were considering driving the tractor the rest of the way but decided it might take a bit too long. 

As usual we checked out the start the evening before.  Sheila was the champ of the day. This water was 51 degrees at about 10 inches below the surface and only 10 feet out.  You know it was colder than that once you got farther away from the shore.  BRRR!

 Next dinner.  I don't think I had ever been to Walla Walla.  As Deanna said, "Walla Walla isn't on the way to anything!"  You have to be going there to see it."  Cute town.

 The dinner decision making process takes awhile.  Gotta have just the right kind of pre-race food.  

 We ended up at the OLIVE.

Remember the leg warmers that were knit or crocheted but it the 80's?  I used to make them for my girls.  They like many other things are coming back.  Only now they are for trees.  Love seeing things cycle back around.

 Dinner of champions?  I think so.

 Breakfast of champions for sure.

We had to unload our stuff and take this creative shuttle back to the lake.  It worked.

Picture time before the race.  I wasn't awake yet.  Eyes still closed.  It was cold and windy!  Really windy! Wind is not our friend in the water, on the bike, or running.

 Age and numbers!

 Nice strong legs.
Here is the finish line before the race.  As it turns out it was a good thing I took this picture.  Only upright picture I got!

 Sights before we started!

Here is Sheila marching down to the lake.  Never once did she complain about the wind, or swimming in the cold water.  Deanna and I were another story in the complaint department until we saw Sheila walking down to the water in her wetsuit.  We were very thankful to be biking and running.

 Here she goes!

 She is in!  Purple cap!

 The group getting ready to start.  Men first and then women and teams.

Blast off men.  Didn't take long for a couple of people to decide they couldn't swim in the cold water.  They hitched a ride on the kayaks back to the shore.

 Women and teams are off.

 Nice triangle of swimmers.

She did it all.  1500 meters in the cold, dark, murky, water.  Sheila you were awesome!  She told us later that she had a lovely conversation with the kayak guy as he followed her in.  He is a civil engineer. Then another kayak person joined in the conversation and mentioned kayak guy number one might be more like an uncivil engineer.  Chatting with the kayakers as she was swimming.  Love it!  That is what EAOD does!

 Transition. Fastest transition I have ever had.  All ready to go.

These were all the big dogs that did this.  The bikes were expensive and there was no body fat anywhere.  Pretty sure the quote of the day came from Deanna talking to her mom on the phone.  "We were the oldest and had the most body fat"  Mom says, "Did you get an award for the most body fat?"  

 Deanna is waiting for the cyclist to come back.  ME!

 A volunteer.

This is what we were up against.  Cycling practice before and after the actual ride.  Really! Look around.  No body fat anywhere.

 Zero!

 Oh, there is hope! Here I come!

 Nope it wasn't me.

Now I am finished.  Lots of wind and a rather slow ride but I did so much better on any hills with my seat up higher.  I was the oldest woman in the whole deal so I was happy to get it done.

 Relax and bend your darn elbows Jackie

Sheila wanted Deanna to stop so we could take a picture together at the transition.  This is the picture she got.  Deanna sprinting off.  We were close to last place but we knew Deanna would pass people.  She is a runner.  One guy asked her out on the trail how she could still be running.  She confessed and told him she was part of a team.

 Whew.  I did open my eyes while I was riding most of the time.

On no! The wind blew the finish stand right over.  Luckily no one was finishing at that particular moment.  I told you it was windy.  Really windy.

 The volunteers carted it off to the side.

 Here comes Deanna and she passed several people!

Hey why did you take the finish line down????  We didn't it blew down they told her!

 So to get the traditional finisher picture we had to make adjustments.

We had fun and learned that we need to step up our training for the Olympic we are doing solo in August.  Maybe by then we will have no body fat.  Pretty sure we won't have $10,000 bikes but I will settle for no body fat or at least less!  WE had great time.  So thankful that at 59 years old I am able to do this stuff and with great friends.  I am truly blessed by God!