Bintan Triathlon

Brian and I observed 13 years of wedded bliss by competing in a triathlon on our neighbor island of Bintan, Indonesia, last Saturday. What better way to celebrate our anniversary than exhausting ourselves on land and sea over the course of the day?!

Our Hotel and Race Site

This was my second sprint triathlon. Last May I was nervous but also eager to compete. This year I was just ready to get it over with and be done with training. The course was more difficult so I knew I wouldn't beat last year's time. I was not eager to race.

We left the girls in Joyce's care back in Singapore because we figured our race schedule wouldn't allow for much family fun Saturday. We took the last ferry from Singapore Friday night and felt sorry for anyone who booked a weekend trip to Bintan without realizing it was race weekend because it was so crowded with race participants, bikes, etc.

Asian Flair on the Run Course

Over 800 participants competed in the triathlon this year, representing 44 countries. It definitely had a more festive atmosphere than previous races and I'm sure part of it was that everyone had arrived from somewhere else to compete. The Olympic field had over twice as many competitors as the sprint distance.

We stayed at Nirwana Gardens, the location of the triathlon and it was wonderful to take a short walk to the race area Saturday morning. I competed in the sprint distance event (750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run) that began around 9am. Brian's Olympic distance event (1,500m swim, 40k bike, 10k run) wasn't until 2pm that day. Obviously I was not jealous of my husband racing in the heat of the afternoon.

Beautiful Bintan Beach

On race day the skies were overcast and it looked like it could start raining at any moment. In the end, we never experienced more than a sprinkle of rain. By the end of my race, it was partly cloudy and stayed that way for the rest of the day.

After getting my gear organized at the transition area, I got my first look at the swim course. The ocean was completely calm and I immediately felt better about the swim. And unlike swimming in the Singapore ship channel, the sea in Bintan was perfectly clear. The swim provoked a near panic attack last year so I changed my strategy for this race. I stayed on the outside of the pack of swimmers and as a result, I had no problems with the swim segment. I could swim my regular stroke and I didn't even make contact with another swimmer until I was about to exit the water.

Women's Sprint Swim

After the swim I hopped on my bike, my weakest leg of the race. After riding my bike up Mount Faber in Singapore a few times after our training clinic in Bintan 6 weeks ago, I felt prepared for the hills. In my last triathlon, I was passed by a woman riding a folding bicycle that people use around town in Singapore. While I didn't encounter her this year, I did get passed by a woman riding a true mountain bike (you never see them in triathlons) and wearing flip flops. I couldn't figure out why someone would wear flip flops for a triathlon race. Needless to say, I kept her in my sights because I really wanted to at least keep up with the flip flop mountain bike girl.

Along the route, I enjoyed riding through the village of Pasar Ole Ole because children gathered on the sides of the road and cheered for the riders. It was such a sweet gesture from the villagers. I predicted it would take me 1 hour with all the hills to complete the bike course and I came in roughly 7 minutes under that. I was ready to finish with the run, my strongest sport.

Throughout the race I appreciated that the organizers had plenty of staff to assist the participants and ensure we were following the course. There was a team of 4 doctors on the course, waiting to help in case of a bike crash or heat exhaustion. My favorite staff were stationed at Drink Station - Kilometer #2 on the run course. There were three drink stations along the run course and at this particular one, they offered isotonic drinks, water and cold water-filled sponges. Most participants grabbed a sponge or two, squeezed them over their heads or neck and kept running. When I approached the sponge area, I was trying to drink my water at the same time, so two helpful guys did the work for me. With big smiles, they grabbed a generous handful of sponges and squeezed them down my neck and back while I took off again. Best. Feeling. Ever!

The run was hot and hilly. A few women were walking up the steep hills and I happily passed them. Then flip flop mountain bike girl appeared again. She passed me near the end of the run. She wasn't wearing her flip flops anymore. Now she was barefoot. I kept pace with her for a bit and then she flew off, leaving me in the dust. I got beat by a barefoot girl who, if you saw her on the street, you might never guess how athletic she would be in a triathlon. She should have gotten an award for best performance by the equipment-challenged.

I finished strong and I was thrilled it didn't take the two hours I had predicted. I finished in 1 hour 45 minutes and 20 seconds. It was slower than my race last year but this course was more challenging so I was perfectly happy with my time.

Done!

I didn't know my exact time at first but the race organizers had advertised "Live Instant Results!" There was a tent set up next to the finish line where you could look up your times but when I finished, I wanted to shower before we had to check out of our room and Brian needed to start preparing for his race in the afternoon. I figured I'd go back to the tent during his race and check my actual time. Well, it turns out the "Live Instant Results!" were just that. If you didn't check them instantly when you finished, it was worthless. When I returned in the afternoon, they told me, "Cannot. Closed now." In the end it took us two days to learn the official results.

I tried to tone down how happy I was to be done racing because my husband was still preparing for his competition. I watched nervously as the Olympic-distance men all lined up to begin the swim. Brian had almost 500 fellow racers starting with him so I immediately lost sight of him when he entered the water.

Men's Olympic Distance Swim

Roughly 30 minutes later, I was delighted to see Brian exit the ocean for the bike segment. I walked over to the pool with every intention of lounging for the next hour while he rode his bike around the island. Except that I had no desire to be in the sun after my morning. And I was completely turned off by the pool because I had also had my fill of swimming. I lasted about 15 minutes and ended up heading back out to watch the participants.

Watching the Olympic guys was a treat for me. Their level of fitness was amazing and honestly, I enjoyed the eye candy! Later in the race, I sat alongside a steep hill that you have to climb on both the bike and run segments. I cheered on the participants, especially my husband.

Brian on the Bike Course

Once I saw Brian pass me for the final time on the run, I made my way to the finish line with the camera to wait for him. I had a rough estimate of when he would get there so I settled in for the wait. I watched guys grab their kids and run with them for the final 50 meters, guys who looked like they were about to vomit at the finish, and everything in between. But I wasn't prepared for Brian to fly past the finish line about 5 minutes ahead of schedule in order to beat a fellow competitor. I missed the photo op but it was priceless.

Brian estimated the race would take him 3 hours, which is roughly the time it took him in his last Olympic-distance event almost 2 years ago. He finished in 2 hours 48 minutes 20 seconds on a hilly course. Obviously he was pleased with his performance. I was amazed.

My Favorite Olympic Triathlete

So, we both reached our goals of finishing the Bintan Triathlon and exceeded our time expectations so it was a great day all-around. Leading up to the race, I told Brian it would be the end of my triathlon career because I had not enjoyed training this spring like I had last year. But after completing the race Saturday, I'm not so sure about that anymore. The atmosphere in Bintan was so nice and race-friendly that I could probably be talked into doing it next May before we leave Singapore.

Memorable Way to Celebrate 13 Years Together :)