We started from a timing mat, two at a time. I understand why a bigger race would not do it this way, but I really liked the stretched out field. I overtook a couple of swimmers and was overtaken by a couple of others, but there was no scrum and I didn't get kicked once.

The river didn't taste too bad. The current was not strong, though it was noticeable. The cute lifeguards on surfboards made coming up to take a breath a little more enjoyable.


Train more.

Simple and smooth.

I wasn't able to get onto the climbing ring, and I had to pull over at the top of the first hill and dry-heave a few times. At that point, knowing there was a 1.8 mile climb that had kept me up the previous night, I was contemplating when I was going to turn around and take the DQ. On the big climb I was able to get into the climbing ring, which made all the difference. About 1/3 of the way up the big hill, I got off and walked a few feet up a driveway to get some momentum back. Coming back down the big hill was a lot of fun, and I got going pretty fast.

Train more, train more hills. There was a fizzy electrolyte tablet in the goody bag, and I made the mistake of putting that in my water bottle before the race started and then didn't think to taste it. It was disgusting, it worsened my heartburn, and prevented me from hydrating properly, so I definitely would not do that again.

Smooth and simple again.

I was happy with my run, untrained as I was. I had to stop at the very beginning and stretch out some nascent calf cramps, but they didn't bother me the rest of the way. Whenever I felt like it, I stopped and walked fifty paces or so. The water station had good pump-up songs (Lose Yourself and We Will Rock You) playing both times I came by. Carl, after his finish, came out and met me for the last mile, and that was huge. My ankle started to feel a little mushy the last half mile, but nothing severe.

Train more.

Water, sports drink, orange slice, cookie, soda.


Spending all spring on a baseball field instead of training.


I really enjoyed this race, and thought it was really well run. With 4 different triathlon distances, at least two different duathlons, and 400+ participants running simultaneously, there were all the ingredients for a genuine cluster. However, I thought everything went really smoothly, and I would certainly do this race again.

I have always said that you could stub out your cigarette, finish your beer, and complete a sprint triathlon, and I put that maxim to the test at this race.