The entrance/exit is a steepish boat ramp to water about 4' deep. It gets deeper quick. The good news is that it's right next to the transition area. Very nice.

There were two waves of maybe 175 people each which is larger than most races around here. The course was clockwise and most guys were on the right. Bob went to the front with the other torpedoes and I moved to the left side of the group which was far less crowded. Pretty much the same distance to the turn though. I started near the back which was a mistake.

There was no warning or countdown, the gun just suddenly went off. Unfortunately I was still putting my wedding band on my watch band as it has a tendency to fall off in the water and I forgot to take it off earlier. I lost about 10" there putting me near the very back at the start. I passed a LOT of people in the first 200 yards. I dont' usually pass people in the water, it was an odd feeling. I kept swimming up on guys and having to not only sight, but sight for paths through the crowd. I got hung up a number of times behind group of slower people.

Put the pedal to the metal for the middle part of the swim and passed more people. huh. Slowed down the last 200 yards so I didn't blow up on the bike or pass out in transition.

72F is a perfect temp for swimming for me. Not cold enough to be uncomfortable, but enough to invigorate and motivate.


Train. Learn to swim. Pay attention to tactics and strategy.

If I had started further up and been ready, I could have taken one or two minutes off my time.

Nice not having to run far to transition.

Learn to put my feet into my shoes while riding. When I ride with my feet on my shoes, the tongue becomes impossible to slip my foot under.

Lame. Lame. Lame. My cycling has really worsened over the past couple months. Not enough time in the saddle, not enough hard workouts. Bleh. I did pass a few people, got passed by more. I was also conservative because of the road conditions. Probably moreso than was warranted.

My bike computer stopped reading half way.

Be a bit more aggressive on the downhills and turns. Be willing to blow up on a sprint, see how long I can redline it.

That's in addition to actually train properly of course.

almost lost the bike running in due to the wet

29 in my AG? I'm usually pretty good at this transition.

Started off ok. Battled up the hill to start, passed a few. Thought I'd use the blonde woman who exited T2 at the same time as me as a PB, but she promptly made that impossible without a telescope or jets on my shoes.

Half way in, I was right behind a guy and we passed a guy who I saw on the bike and run course no less than 4 times. He was riding around on his bike stopping various places and yelling encouragement. So he yells at me and this guy something to the effect of "that's right, pace each other, help each other".

So he starts chatting with me, tells me he's been doing this 3 years, did the Musselman HIM 3 years ago on a dare like a week and a half before the race, got his rear end handed to him and was hooked. He then basically dragged my butt the last half of the run, totally coached me through the push at the end and I swear he held back to finish at the same time as me.

Our final times are the same, but I placed ahead of him. Must of been a difference of < 1 second. So as far as I'm concerned, Steve Patrick finished 83rd and I finished 84th. I didn't see him after the finish, s o if anyone who reads this happens to know Steve Patrick from the Cortland area, tell him I said thanks and I'd like to buy him a beer or an Accelerade or something.

Not much. This was ok.

Warm down? It was 55 degrees and raining. I've never seen a race site broken down so fast.


Poor training habits. Not enough volume on the bike.


Recommended. The town is pretty, the lake is great, the race is well run. It's held in the center of a picturesque lake town with some nice looking shops and restaraunts and seems like a nice weekend getaway. I'm told hotel rooms go very quick. Parking is very close to check-in and transition. The swim exit is also right next to transition which is nice for a change. The tri is part of a weekend long series of races, including an OWS and a 5k.

The number of volunteers and their enthusiasm was outstanding. The weather this year was rough as we got the remnants of a tropical storm but they were still out there in big numbers. Every turn on the bike course was well covered.

I'll definitely be back to do this race.