The Final Cassadagaman :-( (First place AG)

Originally, I was going to go to Cassadaga, NY, to cheer on my friends who were going to do the race. I just wanted a quick girls' getaway weekend as it's a long weekend in the US (Labor Day weekend). I did not feel like I had had a break since I got back from France (bike accident -> summer teaching -> Ironman -> volunteering, etc -> Fall semester started). August just flew by in the blink of an eye O_o. 

Two weeks ago, my friend (T.) texted the group saying that this would be the last year that they would hold the Cassadagaman race because of low participation. I did this race as my first 70.3 distance in 2020. Then, I did another one in 2021 before I stepped up to the Ironman distance. Because this race was always on Labor Day weekend, it did not work well with my Ironman training schedule. However, I decided to sign up for the intermediate distance as it's going to be the final year. So, I went from "having a fun non-racing + knitting weekend" to "Alright, I am just going to do the race for fun". I told my coach that I did not feel like racing at all. This academic year has already been crazily busy, with only two weeks into the semester. He said, "Then, don't. Just go have fun".  

The race was on Saturday, Sep 5, in Cassadaga, NY. The Friday before the race, I had a 6-hour college meeting starting from 9am. I left the meeting feeling super drained and mentally exhausted. Then, I drove straight to Cassadaga and arrived at the packet pickup around 6:30pm. My friends were already there ,and all of us went out to grab dinner at a local bar and grill (my husband, Chef P., could not care less about hanging out in the middle of nowhere in NY, so I was glad that my friends were there with me). 

The cabin that we stayed in was about a 5-minute walk from the start line (yay). So, we had time to get ready in the morning without feeling rushed. 

Swim - Slow, steady, and... the wetsuit strippers!!!

The last time I did this race was in 2021, when there was only one distance (70.3). In recent years, they added the intermediate distance (1.2-mile swim, 28-mile bike, and a 10K run). So, it was not really the standard Olympic tri distance because the swim and the bike were a bit longer. They still did the in-water start. I went into the race with the "I just want to have fun" mindset, so I did not really think about where I would seed myself in the group. In my head, it was just another morning swim in a lake. Because it's a pretty small race, the swim was nice and uneventful. However, it was hard to sight at times because there were only four buoys for the whole course. I had to stop and look for the next buoy often. The good thing was that someone's family members volunteered to be wetsuit strippers. What a luxury to have wetsuit strippers in a small, local race like this :) 

Bike - Hilly, but super fun

Because I had done the 70.3 at this race (2 loops on the bike course - 56 miles) in 2020 and 2021, I remembered the course and the hills too well. I knew exactly when to expect the hills, the climbs, and how steep they were. The bike course at IM Ottawa was flat and fast (and wet), which was good for my lack of training going into the race. However, I have to admit that the flat course was somewhat boring, and as much as I didn't like hills, I tended to do better on hilly courses. I was able to pass some people on the bike. At the end of the loop, I was glad that I did not have to do the second loop. 

 

Run - Hot and meh

The run was pretty smooth and uneventful. I did not remember the run course as well as the bike course but it seemed like the run course this year was less hilly than when I did the race. I started out strong with no stomach issues (thank God) but then after about 4 miles in, it started to get too hot and I had to walk up some of the hills. It was good to see friends on the course and they took pictures of me and other friends who were doing the race. 

My friend, C., is a very good runner. I passed her on the bike course, and she passed me on the run. It was fun to race with friends and to see them on the course (and cheer them on). I crossed the finish line feeling great (and kinda regretting not racing harder). Oh well. I did not know how I would feel on race day. I was happy with my time. Most importantly, I had fun :)

After crossing the finish line, I saw C. and A. there. C. finished a couple of mins ahead of me. We went back to the transition area, chatted with other CTC members/friends, and went to the picnic area (for beer and food). They started to announce the winners and give out awards. I found out that I placed first in my age group O_o. After the awards and some food, we sat in the shade and waited for other friends to finish. Then, we all walked back to the cabin to shower. Originally, we had been thinking about staying one more night and driving back on Sunday, but all of us were too tired and wanted to sleep in our own beds. So, we all decided to drive back on Saturday afternoon. 

My time was not my best but I am happy to have spent time doing what I love with friends. The weather on race day could not have been more perfect (a bit hot at the end). This was my last triathlon race of 2026. I will have to go back to the pool more this winter to improve my form and techniques. Two years of little to no swimming made my form worse :( 

Overall, the Cassadaga weekend was fun and I am glad I signed up and did the race. 

Sydney