WHISKY DICK REVISITED
By Brad Vaux
While waiting in line for body marking, all of us knew this year’s
Whisky Dick Triathlon could be very different.
A cool westerly breeze was greeting us at the Vantage Boat Ramp.
It’s been three years since I’ve raced here before taking a hiatus from
triathlon. I’ve always been partial to
this race due to its inherent challenge.
For me, it’s something about moving the body through this point-to-point
course starting with a 1 mile brisk and possibly choppy swim in the Columbia
River at Vantage, to the 12 mile cycling hill climb to Whisky Dick Ridge and
its descent, followed by the 9 mile run through the sultry farmland of
Kittitas, city streets of Ellensburg, and on to the finish at the Kittitas
Fairgrounds. Mix in some very
unpredictable weather conditions and you will always “earn” your T-Shirt on
this race.
After a very brief warm-up for the swim, the mountain man and his
musket-shot sent us off. I relaxed into
the swim. With cooler water temperature
in the low 60’s, it always takes me a bit longer to get my “gills”. I ingested some of the Mighty Columbia and
felt a bit strangled by the thick plant life towards the swim finish, but
otherwise it was quite rudimentary.
In past years, I recall ascending the “Damn Hill” on the bike with such
strong headwinds in the 95+degree heat it resembled a blast furnace. And always after finishing the bike section,
there was never much left in the tank for the run. However, today there was actually talk of a tailwind and fast times. The first 12 miles of the
bike leg are spent looking upwards at pavement and sage. New for me this year, however, was the sight
of wind-turbines slicing through the sky.
The first 12 miles of punishment ended sooner than expected as I crested
The next 14 miles of descent are
briefly spent enjoying the scenery, before getting in total aero-position with
head down and back flat winding your way through the Kittitas countryside.
I approached the bike-run transition in Kittitas with a little life left
in my legs. As I meandered through the
Kittitas farmland on the 9 mile run, I felt a little more spring and bounce in
my stride than normal. It seems the blood in my legs made the shift from
cycling to running a little easier than usual.
I was able to “reel-in” a handful before finishing in Ellensburg at the
Fairgrounds in