gator Terra Off Road Triathlon

By Roy Robertson, XTERRA Rep

(Gator Terra Off-Road Triathlon Post Race story - Ruston, LA– May 14, 2005)
Ruston Louisiana - the sports minded would think…the Grambling University, Louisiana Tech. The XTERRAist would think… the site of XTERRA`s first mainland race in 1997.
Mountain bike hall of famer Ned Overend once called this trail the hardest bike course he ever raced. That is probably because it never ends. Twisting tight tree lined single track is the norm.
The bases of trees are so close in spots that a bunny hop is needed to clear them. There’s even a spot called “Spider Tree”. Picture this, a huge tree with an exposed elevated root system of 15 to 20’ in diameter. The best line is to ride high across the roots next to the tree base; anything else would result in a foot dab.

I know, because I’ve raced mountain bikes here since 1994. My lower back hurts just thinking about it. It’s hard to believe that such a tough trail could be hidden among such a beautiful setting with lush green grass and tall piney woods. Rain and humidity keeps it that way. Oh, and humidity is what adds to the agony later in the race (read misery). This is also the same venue used for the USAT Off-Road Duathlon National Championships held in late October. Park Superintendent James Ramsaur built these trails in the early 90’s, and keeps it maintained with a labor of love. It really shows.

At 9:00 a.m. Saturday, the first race of the South Central XTERRA Region is about to take place. Gator Terra’s 2-lap triangle shaped swim with 50 feet of beach run in between laps start with a blast from the P.A. system. The swim was a “no wetsuit swim” = 79.5 degrees and smooth as glass. First out of the water, followed by a 70 feet run up to transition, was Chris Pickerell (18/Collierville, TN) 12:43. Within 30 seconds, the top 5 were out of the water including first timer Jennifer Strong (21/Wichita, KS), XTERRA Ambassador, Karen Robertson (46/Grapevine, TX) was second female out at 15:04, followed by Linda Cole (wife of XTERRA ambassador Steve Cole) and Lisa Merritt (35/Ruston, LA).

Merritt passed Robertson just out of transition, and Robertson never saw her again. Using her home field advantage, Merritt was able to build on to an increasing deficit being generated by mechanical issues Robertson was dealing with. Lisa gained nearly 2 minutes of lead, before going into the run. Using her run skills, Lisa was able to tack on an additional 2 minutes, finishing with 1:42:31 on the clock. Newcomer Kristi Henne (18/Plainview AR) finished third at 1:52:47.

Using his transition prowess, Boomer Leopold (33/Germantown, TN) was first out on his bike, followed closely (5 seconds), by Chris Pickerell. Halfway through the bike, Boomer hammered out a one-minute lead over Chris, followed 10 seconds back by Tige Lamb (34, Lenaxa, KS).
Coming in from the bike it was Boomer, Tige, Chris. Run out, it was still Boomer ahead of Tige by 15 seconds. What a race! But that wasn’t the only race…Mike Carter (43/Austin, TX) and Kyle Grieser (22/Marble Falls, TX) were busy putting the hurt to the others, steadily moving up the ranks.

Wouldn’t you know it… just as the run gets going the sun pops out running the already humid air up into the 80’s. Remember that race misery I mentioned earlier. That run was all about weaving through the trees, running up/down ditches, along narrow poison ivy lined trails and long stretches of jeep road, stuck out in the sun. The tale was told at the finish line as Tige Lamb, 1:25:57, edged out Boomer Leopold by a mere 23 seconds, followed by, ‘I told you he was haulin’, Mike Carter 1:27:51, Chris Pickerell 1:27:55, and Kyle Grieser 1:30:29.

I mention Kyle because he started his weekend journey after graduating Fire Academy the night before, then driving all night (with family) arriving at venue around 3:00 am. Then racing into fifth place. Congrats Firefighter Kyle.
More congrats goes to Team Challenge for their unconditional volunteer support, Fred Phillips of DLTmultisport.com for putting on such an awesome event, and James Ramsaur for building and maintaining such an awesome venue.
The top finishers (covered in dirt, bloodied a bit, and limping around because of race battle related crashes) all agree, “That’s XTERRA”. XTERRA is spirit driven, and that’s why the “Spirit Award” means so much. Renae Mitchell (25/Hammond, LA) started racing here three years ago and finished well into the 3-hour range. Always coming back for more, always shaving time, bit by bit. Most of all…always having the biggest ear to ear smile, no matter what. She enjoys racing so much that she is now helping USAT SC Regional Board. She smiles miles and gives back to the sport she loves. That’s a true example of “XTERRA SPIRIT”. Renae was so taken back by receiving this award she started crying. Ever see someone crying and smiling at the same time? That’s Renae. WE LOVE YA, KID! Next week it’s the Dirty Tri at Canyon Lake, TX. Another great race sure to produce more great fun.
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