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Donner Lake non-race report

My favorite race has been canceled this year.

I am very disappointed.

The Donner Lake Triathlon has been nixed because there is too much smoke in the air up there. At first I felt a little let down but now I'm pretty deeply mired in disappointment about it. I don't blame the race director, nor do I envy him having to make this decision. It's nobody's fault. But I'm really incredibly sad that I'm not doing the race this year. (If you look at the fire labeled "American River" in this photo, Donner Lake is to the right, directly under that thick smoke plume. Ugh.)

My second-ever triathlon, back in 2001, was the Donner Lake sprint distance. The following year I went back and did the international-distance race, and I got schooled. I was very nearly the last finisher, taking over 4.5 hours to complete the race. It's a pretty tough international-distance race, featuring a noticeable lack of oxygen and climbing a mountain pass in the first three miles of the bike. But I loved the course and went back the next year, taking an hour and ten minutes off my time.

I have been back every year since. It's the one race I repeat every year, and it's like an anniversary for me. It's Donner time. It's mid-summer, it's blueberry season, the air is clear and warm and the water is cool and clear. I always spend an hour the day before the race just floating in the lake and loving the clean water and the blue sky. The race is an annual test of my fitness and a celebration of my ability to do this sport I love. I tend to spend the run thinking "Has another year gone by already?" and reflecting on what I've done in the past twelve months. It is always a highlight of my year.

And I was hoping to do especially well this year as my swimming has improved a lot and I've been climbing well on the bike.

Here are my race reports from the last two years. I still sort of can't believe we're not driving up to the lake on Saturday. I considered going anyway, as part of what I love is the trip up to Truckee and the hanging out before and after the race. But I don't really want to use the tank of gas or spend the money if it's horribly smoky. And I sure don't want to be there if Sunday dawns clear of smoke -- that would be too much to bear.

I know it's just a race. It will be there next year. But it's my race. I miss it already.

July 10, 2008 10:53 PM