Ledges To The Lake Adventure Race Review

 The Ledges To The Lake Adventure Triathlon consists of a 3.3 mile run, 1.5 mile paddle, and 9 mile bike covering a total of almost 14 miles of the Hinckley Lake Park in Hinckley, Ohio.  I have competed in this race many times but haven’t been back since 2019 due to schedule conflicts and injuries.  Going into the race I had high expectations for myself.  My goals were to finish in the top three overall and with a time of 1:15:00 or faster.

Race day conditions were very favorable.  Chilly early morning temperatures in the 40’s soon increased to the mid 50’s near the start of the race.  There was very little wind or humidity.  As the sun continued to rise the temperatures increased into the low 60’s making for great race conditions.

The race starts with the run leg.  The course is not easy and starts with a long steep uphill road climb then takes a right turn onto the lake trail which is mostly hard packed dirt.  The trail was not in the best condition and runners really had to pay attention to pitted out areas and tree roots.  I had forgotten how many hills were on the run course.  Between the hills, and challenging terrain I struggled to get into my typical race pace.  I quickly found myself behind the leaders.  The race description lists the run as 3.3 miles but it is closer to 3.5.  I was happy when I finally finished the run and made it to my waiting kayak for the paddle leg of the race.  In years past I had changed from my running shoes to paddle shoes but this year I stayed in my running shoes which helped with a faster transition.  Once in my Stellar S18S Multisport Surfski I was off to try to make up time.   I knew I would be one of the faster paddlers in the race and felt with a good paddle I could get right back into the race.  I quickly started passing kayaks in front of me.  My Stellar S18S Multisport sliced through the water as I pushed hard to catch each kayak in front of me.  I hit the final turn hard and fast and was the first solo kayak out of the water.  I had the fastest kayak split time of the solo competitors by far and was now leading the race.   I clean fast transition to the bike and it was off for the final leg of the race.

The bike course consists of three laps around the roads and trails of the lake totaling 9 miles.   In the past the bike course was all on the roads but this year there were a few sections that bikers left the road and continued on the paved bike paths.  I am not sure why this  course change was made.  Perhaps there were some damaged areas of the road they wanted us to avoid.  I was a little hesitant on the bike trails.  They were a little narrow and not closed to the public so there were some walkers on the trail you had to watch out for.   Shortly into the bike course I found myself pushing very hard on the rolling hills.  Soon I was passed by a competitor and then another.   Not sure if the bikers passing me were on relay teams or competing solo I continued to push hard up the hills.   For some reason I just didn’t feel strong and didn’t have the power I usually do.  The bike course really ate me up and there wasn’t much I could do to go any faster.

I ended up finishing with a time of 1:17:12 and 5th overall.   I was a little disappointed with my performance not achieving my goals.  From the start of the run I just never felt like I had my best stuff but I pushed hard to do the best that I could.  I was awarded 1st place in my age division.   Looking back the three weeks prior to the race I had a sinus infection followed by a bout of food poisoning.  I lost a lot of training time and probably was not fully recovered which may account for my lack of power.  In any event, I did the best I could and was happy to finish in the top 5 and win my division.

Rachel Nagle and the rest of the crew at Cleveland Metroparks did a great job organizing the race.  Awards went to the top 3 overall male and female finishers and top 3 in each age division.  The awards were custom medals.  I did find it interesting that the top 3 overall winners also received age group awards.  Typically the winners of overall awards aren’t eligible for the age group awards so awards are spread over more people.  The overall and age group awards were the same so top finishers walked away with two of the exact same award in some cases.  Perhaps there weren’t any other competitors in the age groups where that occurred.  All participants received custom Boco Gear Beanies which people seemed to like.  Many people were making use of their new hats and wearing them pre race when it was cold.  There were also some great raffle prizes of gift certificates and some outdoor equipment.  I really wanted to win the kayak safety throw bag but I didn’t have my name picked for any prizes.  Post race there was food from Jimmy Johns Subs and snack chips.  Unfortunately the race won’t be offered again until at least 2026 because Hinckley Lake is being drained for a two year reconstruction project of the damn.