Lake Metro Parks Pirate Triathlon

I have competed in the Lake Metro Parks Pirate Triathlon about 8-9 times so my review of the race certainly comes from a position of experience.  The race was formerly called the Lighthouse Triathlon but a few years ago it was re-branded as the Pirate Triathlon.  As much as I liked the old name with ties to the lighthouse in Fairport Harbor I will say Lake Metro Parks have done an outstanding job with the branding and fun of the pirate theme.  Pirate decorations adorned the finish line and transition area that included pirate inflatables and flags.  There were even the skeletal remains of pirate bones clinging to the buoys marking the swim and kayak course.  

The water leg of this race is mostly inside the break wall of the beach area.  The water course runs parallel to the beach and break wall.   Paddlers who are mostly in kayaks head straight out 100 meters then turn right around a buoy before heading parallel about 1K to a turnaround buoy.  For paddlers the difficulty of the water leg depends on the size of the waves.  Most of the more competitive paddlers are using composite high performance boats that can be very fast but also unstable particularly when hit with waves from the side.  I have seen waves at this race swell to 3-4 feet and several top competitors flip including myself.  Kayak choice at this race is critical and I often bring two kayaks to this race and use the one better suited for the conditions.  Luckily this year the lake conditions were very calm and fast.  The swimmers are much closer to shore but the waves certainly do effect them as well.

After the water leg competitors make their way off of the beach and to the bike transition area which is located in a grass field about 100 meters away.   The bike course for the most part is fast and flat with the exception of the start which begins with a steep hill out of the beach park area.   The course loops through the Fairport Harbor area.  The back half of the course offers some beautiful views of the lake.   There do tend to be some higher winds at times especially on the back half of the course. The bike course finishes at the bottom of the hill at the same transition area.

The run like the bike starts with a steep climb up the hill of the beach park area.   I have learned over the years to take it easy up the hill otherwise it takes a long time to recover.  Once up the hill the run course is mostly flat with a much needed water station at the half way mark.   The finish line is a festival like environment with music playing and lots of people gathered to cheer and motivate you.   

The race swag is always great at this race.  Pirate themed tech shirts and finisher medals are given to all participants.  The color and design of the shirt changes each year but they always look awesome.   The finisher medals started being offered last year and are a great addition to the race.   Awards for many years were custom beer glasses that would change style and size from race to race.  They have now gone back to traditional trophies.  I personally liked the more custom awards rather then the generic old school trophies, but I understand their decision to mix it up and offer something different.

As for my race experience this year I was very pleased with my effort and results.  I was the 5th kayak and 3rd solo competitor out of the water.  I was just 30 seconds to a minute behind the fastest kayak to finish.  My transition to the bike was good but not great and I had a decent bike leg.  I got passed by 3-5 competitors on the bike which I knew would happen.  Another good transition and it was off to work my way up the hill for the run.  I took it easy up the hill and recovered fairly quickly.  It took me about a half mile to find my legs and settle into the run.  From there my pace increased and I started catching and passing runners ahead of me.  I passed 4 runners I knew where in the kayak triathlon.  The last runner I passed was about a half mile from the finish.  I wasn't sure if he was in the kayak or swim triathlon, but I knew I was close to being one of the top finishers so I pushed hard to catch and pass him.   Turns out he was in the kayak triathlon and I beat him to finish in 3rd place overall.   This was my best overall finish place at this race and I beat my 2019 time by 2 minutes.  I was a little disappointed to learn that only 1st place overall was awarded, but I did receive an award for winning my age division.   

I look forward to competing again next year and encourage anyone looking for a triathlon or paddle triathlon to consider this race.