Racing the Mt. Vesuvius 5k Champion

Yesterday was my opening race of the 2013 Triathlon Season. It was the inaugural Westfields Sprint Triathlon race. The race was local in Chantilly, VA in the neighborhood that I teach. I didn't know how many people would be racing, and speculated whether to sign up (they had to postpone the race from last fall because of lack of participants). It was truly a solo race- no racing friend, no team, no sherpa. The only other competitor I knew was the "Vesuvius 5k Champion."

Umm... no thanks.

Mt. Vesuvius? Yes, that one, the old Italian volcano that erupted thousands of years ago, burying the city of Pompeii. The local race is put on by the British Naples Forces and is popular among all NATO military personnel and their family. So, who is this mystical runner? Well, more on him later...

I arrived to the race 45 minutes before hand. Upon me, the smallest transition area I have ever seen. Just a couple racks, enough for about 100 bikes. To my delight, I did find a few TeamZ mates, including an old relay partner. After a very long race brief, the staggered snake swim started. People entered the water every 5 seconds. Not a lot of time in between but provided for a very interesting pool swim that resembled the grit of an open water swim. As a slower swimmer, I was one of the last to enter, at one time noticing 6 people coming up one lane fighting to get ahead. With a tap of the shoulder, I was off. Reach, catch, pull, kick, float, breathe, all of the tasks I was told to do but never quite synced. I was surprisingly calm and noticed after a few laps I was catching people ahead of me. I thought to myself I must be doing pretty decent, and with just 275 yards and 11 laps, I jumped to the ground running.

That's me second from the right.

The bike was my time to excel, I knew that was the only edge I had over the "Vesuvius 5k Champion." A headwind, a tailwind, a nice man commented on my "cool shades" and the cheers of a few locals biked me in at PR 12 mile ride with a time of 38:29.

With just a 5k left, I did the best I could do in 44 degree weather. Still wet from the pool, and too lazy (aka "not worth it") to put on additional clothes, I ran with numb toes and a runny nose. After a pretty uneventful 1.5 miles, I spotted the "Vesuvius 5k Champion" at the turn around. With no shirt, hair blowing in the wind, and a big smile, he gave me a thumbs up and "good job!" I wondered if I was beating him, I wondered if I was beating anyone. I must be doing okay, there weren't that many people at the start. I hoped I could at least win my age group.

I crossed the finish with a okay 5k time with two of my students at the finish. One was there cheering for her dad (the overall 5th place male finisher!) and another, the "Vesuvius 5k Champion," Brett.

Brett witnessed the magic of Kona at only 2 months old when his dad, Lieutenant Mark Shaffer, was selected to represent the US Navy. Last year, the Shaffer family was stationed in Naples, Italy and decided to sign up for the local race. Brett entered the 5k which was an uphill run finishing at the top of Mt. Vesuvius. To everyone's surprise, Brett showed up to the finish first. Did he cut the trail short? How could a youth have possibly beat hundreds of Italians and NATO military personnel?

Right now, Brett is back in Virginia and sits in my 2nd period Honors Algebra class. He is kind, great at math, quiet, and modest about his gift of running. He crushes everyone at school during their mile runs, yet never boasts or shows off. He understands the value of hard work, and scored a 59/60 on his midterm after studying for hours. Since his return from Italy, he has traveled to compete in numerous cross country championships. Right now, he can run a 5k under 20 minutes and is less than a minute from beating his Kona finisher dad at that distance (who finished 2nd overall at the triathlon!).

Upon challenging him to the race, Brett said to "bring it on!" It resulted in a 2nd place finish for me, and a 1st place age group finish for him. I have no doubt he is a leader in the next generation of runners and triathletes. I am thankful how racing can bring me closer to students, especially to the minority majority that don't gush about how much they love math class. I am so happy Brett has found (one of) his passion(s) and it reminds me as a teacher how every student can find, grow, and succeed at something they love. I know I won't be his favorite teacher. I know Algebra won't be his favorite class, but I do know he will remember me as the teacher that challenged him to a triathlon (and likely the last to beat him!)

When did this kid get as tall as me?

The aftermath of the race resulted in me sitting on the couch, snacking and sleeping with my remote. On the other hand, Brett went home, diligently studied for his Unit 10 Polynomials test, and showed up Monday morning prepared and proudly wearing his race shirt.


Thank you to the Shaffer family for providing me with all the information and being a mini cheering squad for the day.