The night before our race, the two of us contemplated waking up at 4:30am to drive through a thunderstorm and compete in a triathlon in the pouring rain. (Throwback to the Season Opener.) Note: this course features a 2.5 mile, 10% grade downhill with vertical cracks and frost heaves so perilous that passing is discouraged.
Naturally, we decided to go for it.
In the morning, we woke up with the sun and made our way to Franconia Notch. While Sonia drove, Catherine enjoyed a smoothie that resembled "straight-up mud." Miraculously, the weather held up -- a perfect 70 degrees and overcast -- for the entirety of the race.
Despite some minor mishaps, including Sonia biking 5 minutes in the wrong direction, we were ultimately very successful. Sonia came in second and Catherine in third for all female athletes. This is where it gets interesting.
We sampled post-race treats ranging from muscle milk (hard no.) to "maple water" (soft yes…). So engrossed were we in taste-testing that we did not hear our names called over the loud speaker during the awards ceremony. Luckily, they called the women's awards a second time, later in the ceremony, commenting on the outstanding intelligence of Dartmouth students. At this time, we received our -- get this -- baby trees!
The rain gods were apparently on our side, as it began to torrentially downpour only moments after we drove away in Catherine's car. Luckily, the weather cleared just as we arrived for a short hike at the Flume Gorge.
There, we dazzled many a young family with our matching neon race t-shirts, Garmin watches, body markings, and Dartmouth Nalgenes. After a quick stretch in the parking lot, we hopped back in the car and were so engaged in writing this post that we got on the highway in the wrong direction.
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Catherine and Sonia
About the Authors
Catherine Rocchi is a tri team ’19 studying Environmental Studies and Ethics. She’s passionate about climate change and fossil fuel divestment, and loves to spend her off days having outdoor adventures.
Sonia Rowley is a '19 on the triathlon team, studying Psychology and Spanish. She loves peanut butter/banana/honey sandwiches from Collis.
