The 2008 Diamond in the Rough Triathlon

The Diamond in the Rough Triathlon was yesterday in Perryville, MD, and my son, neighbor, and I cheered on the athletes at a couple of points along the course. Conditions were about as good as one could hope for in mid-July; although the temperature and humidity rose as early morning progressed into mid-morning, and swimming progressed to biking and running, the water was calm and there was not a noticeable wind.

Checking out the progress of the swimmers

Not wasting any time, these participants ran to their bikes

We watched the swimmers exit the water of the Susquehanna River/Chesapeake Bay and run to their bikes in the exchange zone. As it is difficult to really observe a mile swim from land, we wanted to find a nice place along the bike route to cheer. We selected a parking lot in Port Deposit, about ¼ mile from the last big climb of the day – the Alpe d’Huez of Cecil County. Ok, so maybe comparing any hill in Maryland to the monster of a climb that Lance Armstrong absolutely dominated in route to winning the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times is a bit of a stretch. But to us mere mortals, this hill in Maryland still poses a respectable challenge. I have climbed this hill on my road bike several times and it always makes me suffer. Well, we watched most of the bikers from this point and my son really enjoyed waving, clapping, and blowing his Thomas the Tank Engine whistle as the riders passed us by.

Cheering for the bikers

These guys were fast

Watching a triathlon can only hold the attention of a two-year-old for so long, and after about forty-five minutes of cheering on the bikers, my son adamantly stated that it was time to go home. So we didn’t get to watch any part of the run – we ate lunch instead – and then took a nap:) Never having participated in a triathlon, the event appears to be well organized and staffed with many volunteers. Congratulations to the participants and kudos to the event directors and volunteers that make it all happen. If triathlons are your thing, and you can travel to northeastern Maryland next year, check out the Diamond in the Rough Triathlon, and we’ll see you next year. Cheers.