Zach and Katie Adventures

PRE-RACE At packet pick-up the day before, I asked if I could race in the Open division. After being informed it was "invite only" (you had to race in a previous year), I pulled something that I never do: kindly asked if it was possible for an exception. Nobody really wanted to give me an answer - there was a lot of hemming and hawing - so I pulled out the only thing I had left in my arsenal (but was trying to really avoid saying): "I placed at the World Championships last year." One of the volunteers was the daughter of the Race Director. She asked for my name and said she'd text her Dad, and text me with his response. Within an hour she had texted me that I could race Open.  Thus, my plan was to win the race and prove that I belonged there. So....that one time I raced Open at a small, local race, it went something like this: SWIM I started in the Open wave - there were about 8 Open men, and 4 Open women. The men shook hands and introduced themselves...