Timberman Triathlon Half Ironman - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I have only been swimming for 4 months so I was the most afraid of this segment. I just kept telling myself to stay relaxed and it will be over before you know it. The one thing that really concerned me at the start was that my stomach starting growling with hunger...uh oh. There was nothing I could do about it at this point...at least my chin had stopped bleeding. The start was pretty uneventful. There was a little bumping but not too bad. I have done a lot of OWS which really helped. My sighting was great and I was at the 1st buoy in no time. Along the back stretch I had to stop twice when I lost sight of the buoys but otherwise it was pretty clear sailing. I did struggle a bit down the last stretch. When I rounded the buoy, I got a cramp in my calf, which never happened before. I stopped and stretched it out and started off again. I sometimes have a problem when I swim that if I start swallowing water, I start to gag...of course this happened as well. I had to stop several more times and I had drifted off course a bit. I finally finished and ran toward transition.

Considering I couldn't swim 50 yds 4 months ago, I was very happy. I just need more time in the pool and continue to develop better form

I was in no rush so I took my time in transition. My bike was on the exact opposite end of the swim entrance so it took a while to get over there. I took off my wetsuit with no problem and got ready for the ride

Nothing...if this was shorter race, I would have had a little more sense of urgency.

I didn't know what to expect on the bike as I have not been riding for 3 weeks with knee problems. I was just hoping to not feel any pain. It was early on that I realized this was going to be a pain free ride...nice. There were some steep hills at the beginning but where I live, there are huge hills everywhere so it did not mother me at all. For the middle 30 or so miles, it is just flat and fast. I only put aerobars on my bike on Wednesday so I had a grand total of 20 minutes on them before the race. I felt great on them and they really made the ride more comfortable. For some reason, I really screwed up my nutrition. I think it was just a lack of racing experience but I did not drink enough water or eat enough food. Since I was hungry before the swim, I should have been focussed on eating as much as could and for some reason I simply did not do this and I was about the pay the price

Obviously eat and drink more. I felt great on the bike and did not feel like I pushed it too hard.

Pretty good transition, I didn't rush but I didn't sit around either. Overall I was happy

Ahhhhh the run, fianlly we are at my event. I have been a runner since I was 12 and I was looking forward to getting into my comfort zone. I came out of T2 and felt pretty good. I came through the 1st mile in 8:00, nice right on pace...uhh oh, something doesn't feel right. At 1.5 miles, I started feeling week....at 2 miles I had feeling I was in trouble...at 3 miles I was dead. My whole body just felt utterly exhausted. I was severally lacking calories and in hydration. For the first time in my life, I had to walk during a race, and there would be a lot more of that. I ran the flats and downhills and walked the uphills. My stomach felt terrible so I was only drinking water (dumb mistake #38). By mile 6 I knew the only way I was going to finish was if I started to get some calories. I tried a pepsi and my body said YES, THAT IS WHAT I NEED. Next stop I tried HEED..YES, NOW YOU ARE GETIING IT DUMB@#$. Okay, I finally got the hint. It was too late to have a good run but it would at least carry me through the finish. I took a water and either HEED or Pepsi at each aid station. I ran when I could, walked when I couldn't. The last two miles are pretty much downhill but as I tried to run, my right calf and left foot would cramp horribly. Okay, we will take a nice walk to the finish. In the last 1.5 miles, the only thing I ran was the finishers chute and that was only because it was lined with people and I had to run. It might have been the longest 200 meters of my life.

Drink and eat, drink and eat, drink and eat...now write that 300 more times until it sinks in

Drink and eat, drink and eat, etc.

I collapsed on a chair and put a wet towel over my head. I had this frozed electolyte popsicycle that was pretty nice. I then went into the lake. My feet started cramping like crazy but they eventually settled down. I knew I should eat and drink but my body was not cooperating. I went to my car and turned on the A/C as I was really hot. I drank a little water and started to feel a bit better. I went around and said goodbye to the people I knew and began my 4 hour drive home. After about 1/2 hour, I knew I wasn't doing well and pulled over the side of the road and got sick. This happened 3 more times until my stomach finally settled down. It was then that I knew I was going to have major problems if I couldn't drink. When I finally got home, I went to a local medical center and they gave me two bags of fluid. By noon on Monday, I was feeling pretty good. Regardless of all this, it was a great race and I am so excited to have finished.


I didn't account properly for the change temp during the day. What started as overcast and cool turned into full sun and 90 degrees. It is easy to get dehydrated on the bike because unlike running, it is not as easy to notice how hot you are.


This is a great race and the support is amazing. I could not have a picked a better race for my first HIM