They say change is always good…

As the leaves turned from green to vibrant red, copper, and gold on the slopes of the Wasatch, swarms of athletes from across the globe and support and camera crews arrived at Snowbasin, Utah during the usually quiet shoulder season.
 
On Sept. 26 the XTERRA USA Off-Road Triathlon Championships was held at Snowbasin for the first time — relocated from the shores of Lake Tahoe in Incline Village, Nevada.
 
Coincidently, I had just moved to the Beehive State just days before the start of the race from Lake Tahoe, the eight-year home of the championship race.
 
As I was unpacking and trying to figure out where to buy the best burrito, get my bike tuned and car washed, my competitors from as far away as Austria and South Africa were getting used to the new venue — the water temperature, the altitude and even the consistency of the dirt.
 
Before I knew it, race weekend was here and I was tearing through boxes to locate my ‘racing red’ lenses.
 
...Finding my old photo albums from high school and yellowed college papers was no problem ...but that’s how moving goes.
 
The race started on the shores of Pineview Reservoir.
 
Fall temperatures meant it was a definite wetsuit swim, but not nearly as brisk as Lake Tahoe.
 
When the gun went off; a mass start of more than 300 professional and amateur athletes created a mad dash to the first buoy, obscured by the morning sun.
 
Lots of kicks and elbows on the first lap of the 1500-meter swim, but soon I found my rhythm in my USAT Sonic Wetsuit and Speedo goggles.
 
Water temperatures were not as big a concern as how cold the air temperature would be once we got on our bikes.
 
One thing I did know was 3000 feet of climbing on the bike would most likely warm me up.
 
I headed out on my Blue Competition Cycles Ryno and soon caught a handful of pro women on the first section of the climb (and moved over for a handful of age-group guys) ...about 1500 feet in five miles on both fire road and singletrack heading up to Snowbasin Resort.
 
Next was a fun, high-speed descent sprinkled with fallen leaves.
 
The trail was complete with rock gardens, bridges over creeks and sharp switchbacks that could easily have you off trail if taken too fast.
 
After getting my breath back, I headed up the second, and even more grueling climb past the Snowbasin Lodge where spectators gave enthusiastic cheers for racers.
 
“You’re looking strong!”
 
“You’re having a great race!”
 
“Stay hydrated!”
 
Despite the obvious pain, the helpful reminder to drink more in the dry, high air was enough to make me smile as I reached down for my hydration pack’s mouthpiece.
 
And then there was the greatest support of all…
 
“Woof!”
 
“Kip says go fast!”
 
I looked over and saw my Border Collie Kip tugging on his leash watching my every pedal stroke.
 
It was enough to give me a second wind as the terrain went from a reasonable singletrack climb to a grueling, loose, granny gear climb straight up the ski resort with nowhere to hide, the course was lined with people.
 
“Nice tempo.”
 
“There’s some girls right in front”
 
“You go girl!”
 
I ducked down to keep my traction on the climb as I passed several competitors pushing their bikes.
 
Age-group guys surrounded me, something I’ve grown used to, and we exchanged words of encouragement to get us through the last few miles of the climb.
 
Now we returned to singletrack on the backside of the resort before the descent down some nice switchback turns to the run transition at Snowbasin Lodge.
 
Usually excited and confident to start the run, I was full of uncertainty.
 
A knee injury meant I hadn’t run for almost two months prior to the race.
 
Rather than trying to make up a few spots, I wanted to make it through the run without pain.
 
The first mile of the 10k run was again a steep climb up the resort and back onto very rocky singletrack. I opted to race in my Inov-8 Roclite 295 trail shoes (slightly heavier) to handle the harsh terrain.
 
My knee was feeling fine, my body not so much due to my lack of run training.
 
I tried to relax and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Rather than looking ahead, I kept peeking over my shoulder in hopes no other women were gaining on me.
 
After more running up ski slopes we came over a crest and headed downhill to the finish.
 
I heard a loud cheer form my friend Tina Burgos, who was going in the opposite direction on her bike. Tina had let me crash on her vacation-rental couch the night before the race.
 
I felt a boost in confidence and decided to ‘go for it’ with hopes I could gain one more spot before the finish.
 
I managed to catch few more age-group guys before crossing the finish line in 11th place and the 4th American.
 
The result was enough to place me 8th (3rd American) in the XTERRA USA Cup Series.
 
The cool morning temperatures enough for gloves and beanies had changed to a warm fall afternoon, enough to leave the spandex on as athletes congratulated each other and enjoyed the post-race barbecue, live music and beverages.
 
We talked about our races, how beautiful it was to ride through the many colors of fall, the new venue and different course, and of course — my new home.
 
Alas, change IS good.
 
Emma Garrard is a professional triathlete on the USA Triathlon Trade Team and a freelance photographer/writer living in Park City, Utah. Although she found her ‘racer red’ lenses she is still looking for the best deals on bike tune-ups, car washes, and burritos in the Park City/Salt Lake area. Find out more at emmagarrard.com. She can be contacted at emmagarrard@gmail.com