Searching for a Race: Having run many triathlons back in the States, I was eager to find a nearby race in which to participate. One of Peep's cousins had run a triathlon in Thailand, but didn't remember the name. After some intensive searching on the internet, I came across the Triathlon Association of Thailand, which holds the Mekong River ITU Asian Cup every year. This year, it was being held in Mukdahan, Thailand. Having found the race I was looking for, I immediately started making plans to compete.
The day before the race, I packed my bike up in the car and headed across the bridge and into Thailand for the four hour drive to Mukdahan. Once there, we settled into our hotel and headed out to race headquarters to sign up for the Olympic distance race. We had a couple of hours to rest before returning for the pre-race meeting. After the meeting, we had dinner at our hotel. I noticed many other competitors also loading up on carbohydrates for the race the next day.
The Race: I set up my transition area and did some warm-up stretches before heading to the dock to board the boat that would take me to the start of the swim. With the swim being held in the Mekong River, the current pushed me along and I was out of the water before I knew it, nine minutes faster than in any previous race of the same distance. I put on my biking shoes and helmet, grabbed my bike and headed out on the roads of Mukdahan. This was supposed to be a non-drafting race, but I soon noticed a group of bikers behind me as I climbed up the one hill on the course. They passed me at the top and I was unable to overtake them for the remainder of the race. The bike course was a double-loop, so I repeated my ride a second time before returning to the transition area to change into my running shoes. The run course also consisted of two loops, and there was very little shade out there to protect the runners from the harsh sun. After a fast swim and an average bike, I could only manage a slow run due to the heat, despite the cups of ice water made available to the triathletes. After crossing the finish line, I was finally able to cool down with the aid of towels soaked in ice water and plenty of drinking water.
The Trip Home: After a short recovery and change into some more comfortable clothes, I collected all my race gear and packed it into the car for the trip back to Vientiane. Peep took over all the driving duties, allowing me to rest. Besides the triathlon, an aquathlon and duathlon were also held on the same weekend. Perhaps next year, I will run all three.