The chop was pretty high going out for both loops. I'm not accustomed to it, and had difficulty with navigation the first loop, going wide. I was in 1015th place after the first loop. On the second, I was better acclimated to the conditions, sighted much better, and passed over 200 participants. On the 2nd another fellow inadvertently knocked off my goggles. This startled me, and both hammys cramped. It passed after a half minute. Whew! 2:03 per 100m for first, 1:58 per for the second. Negative split! Overall, a very good swim for me.

Practice in choppy water, if I could.

Very pleased with this transition. Suit down to waist. Strippers were excellent. Get bag. Cap, goggles and, yes, booties (wimp!) off. Changing tent. Helmet on. Sunglasses on. Bike jersey on. Arm warmers on. Gloves on. Bike shorts over tri suit on. Socks on. Shoes on. Bonk breaker down. Hug volunteer, to his obvious discomfort. Out of tent. Run down wrong row for bike. Receive aid and suffer reprimand from volunteer. :-) Hit the mount, clip and pedal, brother!

Nothing. Except maybe go straight to my bike instead of taking a tour of the racks.

I followed my race plan by taking it very easy for the first quarter, getting as much nutrition on board as I could. More than 220 participants went whizzing by me the first 35 miles. Saw quite a few out of the saddle on the Mica grade. Very windy conditions on the 20-mile highway out and back, on both loops. Averaged 16.5 MPH first loop. 16.9 for the second, for another negative split. Passed a couple hundred participants on the second loop, and regained my race position, improving eight spots. Hit 44MPH on a downhill!

Nothing.

Another good transition for me. Left shoes on the bike, and love just handing it off to a volunteer. Grab bag. Changing tent. Glasses off. Helmet off. Glasses on. Bike shorts off. Running shoes on. Volunteer said he'd take care of repacking. Thanks, my friend. See 'ya!

Nothing.

I've done quite a lot of marathons, and was told by Ironman veterans it's extremely likely I'd have to walk some. I didn't believe them then. In training, however, I realized they're absolutely right. Worked a 4-minute run, 1-minute walk strategy as long as I could, walking aid stations, too. Turned to 3-1 after a bit. Then some bargaining with myself for a few extra walking seconds here and there. Took in a lot of calories. GI issues forced prolonged stops at miles 5 and 15. Never really bonked, and was able to finish the last couple of miles strong. Talked with participants as they'd let me. Danced with a volunteer to "Get Lucky" at mile 10. No one directly ahead of me at the finish on Sherman, so just soaked it in. Wonderful finish. Moved up more than 150 spots on the run.

Nothing. That was likely my best performance for the day.

Say hi to family & friends who, unbeknownst to me, were wearing matching "Go Rob" t-shirts. Get chocolate milk. Take nearly lethal dose of Advil(TM). Walk what seems interminable distance to retrieve bags and bike. Get photos taken with friends and family. Get rented Zipp(TM) 404s switched out. Go home. Eat pizza. Shower. Get and marvel at race results. Analyze them to death. Enjoy admiration of friends. Check Facebook for praise from others. Comment on same. Return phone calls of congratulations. Watch midnight finish online. Go to bed. Fall asleep reliving the day, the finish, and Mike Reilly's voice -- the sweetest sound on Earth after twelve and a half hours.


Choppy and windy conditions on the day. Median swim times were about five minutes slower than 2013, and median bike time nearly 30 minutes slower. Run times were about the same.


This is my one and only race at the distance. I'm a mid-forties professional with a family, and while I had a lovely raceday experience, I can't justify putting my family through another training cycle like this. Nor do I think I could improve on my enjoyment of the day. So I'm one and done. I'd toyed with the idea of an Ironman for about the last decade. I'm so happy I finally took the plunge. This was a first-class event at the best venue I could imagine, and I couldn't have had a better experience -- the conditions notwithstanding. I'll enjoy being an Ironman, and all that it entails -- mostly bragging rights. :-)