By Katya Karpitskaya
Crawfishman Triathlon is one of my favorite races early in the season. It’s a long-ish distance sprint in beautiful Grade Hills Estate, in Bush, Louisiana. The swim is 1000 yards in a man-made lake with very muddy and slippery bottom and a shallow turn-around point, a fairly fast bike on great smooth roads (not typical of Louisiana races), and a very hilly grueling 4 mile run. The after-party is always fabulous, with plenty of beer and margaritas, great food, and music. The swag bag is ok, but the T-shirt is very comfy, and they always give you a finisher’s beer glass. The awards have been coffee mugs for the past three years.
This year the weather looked ominous on the weekend of the race. The race director has kept us updated on the decision process, with options ranging from having the full race, to having a super-sprint, to having no race at all. I decided to go ahead and drive over there the morning of the race regardless of the weather. It turned out to be a super-sprint, 400 yard swim, 8 mile bike , and 2 mile run.
The race itself was super-fun! It was great to see the local triathletes, and my teammates, as well as our counterpart men’s team - Gulf Coast Tri Team. I was pretty happy with how I did (2nd Overall Female), after racing IMTX a month ago, and having pretty unpleasant dental surgery three weeks prior to the race (side note—I NEVER want to have ketamine again!). The post-race food and drinks did not disappoint, and the pineapple-grilling hippie-looking dude was there, as always. I did miss homemade pork rinds he also makes sometimes, but I hope he cooks them again next year.
A big thank you to the race staff and volunteers for keeping us informed and safe. As well to the property owner’s of this beautiful venue – a slice of paradise in rural Louisiana. Also, thank you to our loyal sponsors that continue to believe in our team and promoting the multisport.
This year the weather looked ominous on the weekend of the race. The race director has kept us updated on the decision process, with options ranging from having the full race, to having a super-sprint, to having no race at all. I decided to go ahead and drive over there the morning of the race regardless of the weather. It turned out to be a super-sprint, 400 yard swim, 8 mile bike , and 2 mile run.
The race itself was super-fun! It was great to see the local triathletes, and my teammates, as well as our counterpart men’s team - Gulf Coast Tri Team. I was pretty happy with how I did (2nd Overall Female), after racing IMTX a month ago, and having pretty unpleasant dental surgery three weeks prior to the race (side note—I NEVER want to have ketamine again!). The post-race food and drinks did not disappoint, and the pineapple-grilling hippie-looking dude was there, as always. I did miss homemade pork rinds he also makes sometimes, but I hope he cooks them again next year.
A big thank you to the race staff and volunteers for keeping us informed and safe. As well to the property owner’s of this beautiful venue – a slice of paradise in rural Louisiana. Also, thank you to our loyal sponsors that continue to believe in our team and promoting the multisport.