Chase the Police 2012 | Walker, MN

I was shooting a wedding during last year's Chase the Police triathlon so I wasn't able to watch and photograph it. Matt won the law enforcement/military division last year, and immediately decided to come back to defend his title this year.

My wedding schedule left race-day open this year, so I happily ventured up to Walker, MN with my mom to cheer Matt and the other racers from LAMS on.

Just to note, I had a couple of difficulties during the day:

1. I thought it was going to be a cool day, so I decided to wear a floor length maxi skirt to the race. Easy to move around in, right? I didn't anticipate the sun blasting down on me and the ZERO airflow that would come through my skirt. [I have SO MUCH SYMPATHY for my poor brides now, who have dresses much heavier and thicker than my maxi skirt. You girls are troopers!] I was dripping wet, and resorted to holding my skirt up in a big bunch to get a little air around my ankles. [TMI?]

2. The conditions made it challenging to photograph the racers. Alternating bright sun/dark shade, and athletes who are moving a million miles a minute results in a very technically-challenging race in terms of photography. I got my workout just trying to manipulate my manual settings fast enough to properly expose the racers. [If you're not a photographer, your eyes probably just glazed over during that last part.]

There were less LAMS racers at this race than at the previous week's Tri for a Cause race, but there was still a pretty decent turnout. Once again, Matt won the law enforcement/military division, and he beat his last year's time by a whole bunch. He was actually the first one to cross the finish line. However, he started 2 minutes before the bulk of the male racers, so three people who crossed the line after him actually raced the course in quicker times, so placed ahead of Matt in the final results. Matt ended up in 4th place over all [maybe 300 racers?] and 1st in his division. I had one happy husband on my hands after that race! And I'm sure he'll be back next year to defend his title. Well, he will if it doesn't interfere with his Ironman training.

This girl is 11 years old and this is her second triathlon. She was barely breathing hard at all when she crossed the finish line! Imagine what she's going to be like in a couple more years?! Rockstar!

This lovely lady is in her 70's and this is her first triathlon. She also said this would be her last, but as many triathletes say, she might get bitten by the tri bug and not be able to quit! I heard through the grapevine that she took a spill when she was coming into transition off her bike, and hurt her shoulder. They told her she couldn't run, so she walked the whole 2.8 mile run course. That's why she's holding her arm like this, and I believe she was taken to receive medical attention as soon as she crossed the finish line. What a tough lady!