T100 Lake Las Vegas Contributed By Team Parcours Athlete Zach Josie
The T100 race series is perhaps currently more well known for the Professional series. 20 professional athletes racing in seven events around the globe, collecting points and prize money and to see who will come out on top, at the end of the series. What many don’t realise, is that there are also age group races along side. A great way to watch the Pros race one day and then hit the course yourself, testing your own limits.
The T100 recently headed to the lights and dazzle of Las Vegas, which saw two incredible races by the professionals, as well as hundreds of age groupers taking to the course. Taylor Knibb (USA) delivered another classy and dominant win, making it a priviledge to watch an athlete such as Knibb execute her race On the men’s side a foot battle between Jelle Geens (BEL) and Martin van Riel (BEL) had everyone on the edge of their seats, Geens taking the win. From an Age Group perspective, Parcours ambassador Zach Rosie, didn’t want to miss out. Zach has a rare type of dwarfism (Ellis Van Creveld Syndrome), but doesn’t let this stop him, in fact he thrives from the challenge and any additional pressure he can find to motivate himself on race day! Zach retells his day, and receiving the Pro treatment during his stay! 
T100 Lake Las Vegas
From the very moment I heard the announcement that the PTO was taking the T100 World Tour to Lake Las Vegas, I had no choice but to register and immediately book a room. The lake has become a favorite vacation destination for my wife and me, and I thought it would be a missed opportunity to not race there. *The T100 World Tour is a middle-distance triathlon series that takes place in several countries. With a unique looped course, 100k distance, and a focus on the professional field, it makes spectating just as exciting as participating.
It’s not unusual for me to find a way to add pressure to myself on race day, it seems to help me perform at my best. This pressure typically comes in the form of me setting a few hefty personal goals, but this race took on a new (but exciting) pressure as I was selected to share my unique experience of being a triathlete with a rare type of dwarfism (Ellis Van Creveld Syndrome, a type of disproportionate dwarfism) by working directly with the PTO on an upcoming project, The Diary of an Age Grouper. This project will follow me through the months of training leading up to the race, the race itself, and post-race.
Ashlee (my wife) and I began the drive to Vegas from our home in South Jordan, Utah the Tuesday night before the race. It’s just a few hours’ drive to the 70.3 in St. George where we stayed for the night, and another 90 minutes from St. George to Vegas. Driving, for me, seems to make the race travel less stressful as I don’t have to stress about my bike making the journey. The projected weather for the race had been super-hot and most likely windy on race day, but as the week progressed the forecast seemed to align with more than perfect race conditions. The temperature dropped out of the 90s (Fahrenheit) and the water cooled just enough to bring the wetsuit.
Arriving at the race hotel on Wednesday, I was instantly star struck by the professional athletes so nonchalantly walking around the lobby and common areas of the hotel. The imposter syndrome set in very quickly when I realized I would be interviewed and filmed all week by the exact same team as the Pros. I have had opportunities in the last few years to share my experiences and struggles with local media outlets, but nothing on this scale. I finished the day with a run, it would be my last hard workout before the race.
Thursday, I swam early and had a light jog before the PTO staff met me at the pro bike mechanics room to go over my bike. I’ve never experienced bike service at such a high level. The mechanics had every part for every bike specific to each professional athlete. That’s 40 different bikes for 40 different athletes with numerous different bike brands. The best part of all this was due to Rico Bogens time on the tour, and the recent Wild Card addition of Marlene Deboer, this was the first race I have ever been to with spare parts for my bike. The mechanics inspected my bike, changed the 1x chainring back to a 2x (because the course was so nasty), and asked many questions about my experience with Alex Bok and the Kú team as well as all the other crazy customizations I had to do to make the bike rideable to me.
Friday was the day to hit the expo and registration. After a light bike ride, I headed to the expo with the media team and registered for the race. One thing the T100 does better than any other race organization is the Swag. Bags, bottles, and race shirts were definitely a step above the rest.
Saturday was the Pro Race, and I probably spent a little bit too long spectating but the T100 makes it so easy and fun to watch! The women’s race started at 8am, so my wife and I spent the morning following them from the swim to the bike to the run. I took the men’s race at 2pm much easier, mostly so I could stay off my feet. But both races were so exciting and action packed, and it was so cool to see up close and personal the run battle between Marten Van Riel and Jelle Geens.
Sunday… the big day! I started the morning like every other race morning, eating an early breakfast and managing a very nervous stomach. With the transition being right in the parking lot of the resort I got to take an extra hour preparing in the comfort of my hotel room.
The swim start was incredible, a private beach with a jump off a pontoon to begin the swim. I had the luxury of a great friend and mentor following me in through the swim line and helping me stay calm. When it was nearly my turn to head down the ramp, The PTO film crew once again took over, adding that little bit of pressure I love so much. The swim was average, which was frustrating (I’ve trained super hard to swim so incompetently). However, I PRd my T1… with a 5m14s transition. Embarrassing, I know, but it’s a huge improvement for me.
The bike was brutal, but I was ready. With similar elevation gains to the 70.3 in St George, a race I’ve done a million times now, I definitely felt I had an advantage. The course was 4 laps of about 12 miles each (to make up 80k) with 900 ft of climbing per lap. This would prove to be my strongest discipline of the day. The bike has been hit or miss for me in the weeks leading up to the race, so I was happy to be able to perform as expected.
The run… this was not as expected. In 9 years of triathlon racing, I have never ran on a course this brutal. The hills were steep both up and down, and they seemed to be never ending. The phrase “rolling hills” was an exaggeration in a bad way. In the last 2 years, the run has become my best and most consistent discipline, but this time it destroyed me. After an unusual amount of time walking the aid stations, I ended up running just barely over an 8 minute pace and finishing in a total time of 4h 46m.
This race was everything a race should aspire to be; from race week, to the pro race, and finally the age group race. Having the privilege of getting the pro treatment and a small amount of attention from the PTO, my opinion could be skewed; however, I can honestly say that even without the interviews and cameras, the T100 put on one of the best and most challenging races I’ve ever participated in. I will definitely be back next year!
Along with my tailored wetsuit, tri suit, and custom made bike shoes (basically everything on me has been tailored or customized) I rode my Kú TF1 bike that was manufactured to my exact specifications. Due to my unique shape and size, Kú made a few small modifications to make the frame fit me perfectly. My Ramus saddle was customized to have a shorter stack height, allowing me even more room to play around with height and position. I found 135mm cranks from Appleman Bikes that work perfectly with my sram AXS group set. Lastly, but certainly not least, I rode on the Parcours Strade. The lighter wheelset helps with the climbs and the wind; however, I think we can all agree it’s time for a disc wheel upgrade!
