Alex Pape
Age 22
Millstone, NJ
Wetsuit: Zoot Zenith
Bike: Cervelo P3C
Race Day Shoe: Brooks
Alex and his best girl, Michelle
This has been a great season for me. I was thinking back over it recently and was struck by how much has happened this year and how many disparate places I've raced. Since people keep asking me why I was MIA from JSTC until the fall, I thought I'd sketch out the highlights.
It started back in March with a Georgetown tri team spring break training trip down in the Bahamas, which was certainly the best possible use of team funds. A few weeks later I competed down in Texas at collegiate nationals, where I went a disappointing 2:34 for the olympic. At the time it was disheartening, because it made it seem as though all the runs in the snow and cold morning rides all winter hadn't paid off. I had no way of know at the time that this race would be far from representative of the races to come in the season.
In May I raced the Kinetic Half down at Lake Anna and put up a 4:58, which was just shy of a PR on a tough course and good enough for 28th OA. The next day on a dare I raced the Kinetic Sprint and took 32nd. A few days lated I graduated, and then went on vacation with my family to St. John in the USVI, where it just so happened the "St. John Power Swim" was taking place. My girlfriend and I both raced in that very cool 3.5-mile swim, which goes beach-to-beach for 4 beaches on the island (she beat me by 5 seconds). When we got back, we then both did the Navesink-or-swim 1.2-miler, where I was promptly beaten again, this time by nearly a minute, despite having a PR for the distance.
Then it was on to Eagleman, where I basically rode my way to a 4:49 (Michelle, my girlfriend, went 5:39 in her first half...amazing). After Eagleman, Michelle flew home to CA, and I drove to Missoula, Montana, where I spent most of the summer training. As for the questions as to why I chose Missoula, Montana...I threw a dart at a map. At one point I drove out to CA to visit Michelle and watch her race the famous Treasure Island Tri (she won the collegiate division). The next weekend we raced a local sprint, where I took second, and, not to be outdone, Michelle won again. Then back to Missoula, and then up to Calgary, where I raced the inaugural Calgary 70.3. I had a great swim-bike, but really struggled on the run; fortunately, I had enough of a time cushion to grab a qualifying spot to Clearwater. A few weeks later, I drove back to home.
Alex centered around his close Georgetown class/tri-mates
I raced the CPC Pier House 5k in 19:11, which was a nice PR for me. The next weekend I wanted to race Vice Versa, but as you all know it was postponed, so I did the Great Atlantic race instead, which was a blast (especially the swim), and managed to take 2nd. The following week was War at the Shore, where I was able to take 4th and felt like all my run training was starting to pay off. The next weekend I drove down to Georgia, picking Michelle up in DC, for the inaugural Augusta 70.3. Fast swim...tough ride...and again felt like the run training was paying off as I clocked a 4:34 (Michelle, in all her ridiculousness, went 5:12 in just her 2nd half). The next weekend I raced a 2:14 for the Giant Acorn olympic down in Lake Anna. Two weeks later I ran the Seaside half mar in 1:32.
As I'm writing this, I'd down in Florida at a friend's place getting ready for Clearwater. It's been a great road here, not just this season but since I started doing this sport a few years ago. Definitely the most fun part of the season was the fall - it truly is great to be able to race weekend-after-weekend on great courses along the shore and see the same consistently friendly (and competitive!) people each time.
I can't wait for Saturday to roll around and to get started on the course. I'm in the last wave, so I'll be able to watch Joe and Dave go off and fantasize about catching them (yeah right!!). It will be great to have my family and Michelle, both of whom have been with me every step of the way, meet me at the finish line.
Then maybe I'll work on getting a job.
Cheers,
Alex