In seven world championship triathlon events, Durangoan Dave Rakita never had seen mud like it before.
It was a gloomy, rainy day at the 2014 Zittau International Triathlon Union Cross Triathlon World Championships, which took place in August in Zittau, Germany.
Cross triathlons differ from regular triathlons in that the cycling is mountain biking instead of road biking.
Zittau is a town of just less than 30,000 people about 1½ hours southeast of Dresden in eastern Germany near the border it shares with the Czech Republic and Poland.
“It’s almost a Durango-type town in Germany that sits on the edge of some mountains,” said Rakita, a physical therapist by trade, who placed second in his age group. “Really a delightful place to go.”
The weather didn’t feel like cooperating with the scenery, however.
It rained throughout the 1,500-meter lake swim, 36-kilometer cyclocross bike race and 9-kilometer run on Aug. 16.
“It was probably the craziest conditions I’ve ever raced in. Cold, dreary, raining the whole way through the bicycle. Rivers of mud,” said Durangoan Michelle Blankenship, who also raced in Germany. “One section, there’s this really long hike-a-bike, and it’s the longest hike-a-bike I’ve ever done, plus you’re pushing in slick conditions.”
The athletes swam two laps around Olbersdorfer Lake before embarking on a longer-than-typical bike race and finishing with a run around the lake.
Typical cross triathlon bike sections cover 30 kilometers.
There were fans cheering along the length of the course, despite the weather.
“They had amazing fan support, the people of Zittau. It was pouring rain and uncomfortable conditions, and the fans were everywhere cheering us on,” Blankenship said. “It didn’t matter we were American. There was cheering, clapping, swinging bells. It was one of the most fan-supported events I’ve ever been a part of.”
The mud and rain didn’t hold back Rakita, who finished second in the men’s 65-69 age group.
Pavel Podesva of the Czech Republic came in first.
Podesva has ran triathlons professionally for 30 years and has won the two previous world championships.
“It’s certainly real gratifying. You’re out there, and it’s a little more dicey than usual. Durango prepares you well,” Rakita said of his finish. “There were a lot of people falling. I wore a raincoat for the first time ever (while racing).”
His son, Branden Rakita, who graduated from Durango High School, placed 23rd in the men’s professional group.
Blankenship, who works at ConocoPhillips in Farmington, took 15th in the women’s 45-49 age group, second from the bottom.
“It was a personal victory for me,” she said of finishing.
Blankenship has struggled with pleurisy for most of the summer, which is a condition that causes inflammation in the lining of the lungs.
“It hurts when I breathe. I’m on some anti-inflammatories, but I wasn’t able to train hardly at all through June or July. I pretty much raced off the couch,” she said. “I’m happy to finish where I did. The level of competition, I wouldn’t have been at the top anyway.”
She has been competing only for four years, and Zittau was her first ITU triathlon.
The ITU is analogous to the International Cycling Union (UCI) for cycling, and sponsors official international competitions where racers are representing their countries.
The other primary purveyor of triathlon events is Xterra, which is a private company that sponsors events all over the world.
Xterra will host Dave Rakita’s next competition, the U.S. nationals Sept. 20 in Ogden, Utah.
Dave Rakita has won nationals five times and finished second three times.
After nationals, Rakita will race at the Xterra World Championships on Oct. 26 on Maui, Hawaii.
“People get my age and they’re afraid to mountain bike,” Dave Rakita said. “They don’t want to do it anymore. They’re afraid to get hurt.”
For Rakita, it doesn’t hurt to tri.
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
