MightyMan Montauk - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I've been hitting the pool hard and often. I felt like I had a great swim. I tried desperately to draft a few times but everytime the person zig-zagged and I lost my feet. I felt like I was really cruising and a lot faster than last year. Coming out of the water I felt fresh and energized, but then I looked down at my watch and I was a few seconds slower than last year!! WTF! I suspect the swim was a little long, and I ranked higher in the swim overall from last year, but regardless I was very disappointed and immediatley knew my chances at a Sub 5 had vanished.

On the return leg, just like last year, I kept forgetting the swim back to shore is a diagonal and I kept swimming off course. Overall this probably cost me a around a minute or so.

Swimming at the YMCA, I can keep a good pace; perhaps I need to incorporate more OPWS and train more long continuous swims.

12th fastest OA.

Nothing.

I new my chances at a Sub 5 were all but non-existent, but I figured perhaps I could still come close if I had a very good Bike. I know this course pretty well so I decided to really push the pace. The roads were wet to start but dried by the second loop. My hamstrings bothered me for the first 15 miles, but then they felt fine and for the rest of the bike my legs felt really good. I concentrated on keeping my knees in tight and I just hammered for almost the entire bike.

I shaved off a whopping 12 minutes from last years time on this course, so despite having an original goal that was faster, I really can't complain.

I was a mere :27 seconds off my Eagleman time, and Eagleman is a much-much easier bike course than Montauk. I just need to have a strong Bike Focus this Winter and keep accumumlating more time in the saddle and I will keep getting better on the bike.

60th OA. Perfect flying dismount. Transistion was muddy mess -- looked like Woodstock, so I carried my bike :)

Hesitated a little. I just need to drop and go!

Last year I screwed up my nutrition badly and I paid for it on the run--almost ended up in the medical tent. I had an entire year to think about how miserable I was on this run, and how I blew my chances at an easy sub 5:30 in what was only my 2nd HIM at the time. Today I got REDEMPTION. (I waited a whole year for this!)

I really wanted to run sub 1:45 -- which I don't think is a stretch given what I run 'off the bike' in training and how well I run in stand-alone Road Races. But A.) I forgot how brutal this run course is and B.) I keep forgetting that it's a lot different running after a 1.2 mile swimm and 56-mile bike -- compared to a stand-alone road race.

I never stopped running once, I alternated a mouthful of water and Heed at each station starting at Mile 4, I encouraged lots of my friends -- who returned the favor. Some stretches I felt okay and during many of the uphills I climbed at a 13 min pace and felt like ABSOLUTE CRAP, but I HTFU and got R done.


On the second lap, around mile 8, a dude in my AG passed me (turns out he was 12th in my AG). I decided to try and stick with him. I stayed in his draft, followed his foot patterns, but at the first big climb he dropped me. I tried like heck to stay with him, but I just couldn't. So basically, I gave it all I had during this run and I have to be happy with that.

Cheered in Mike, Charlie, Rudy, Sean and a bunch of people on my triathlete team.


This is my 5th Half Ironman. I'm learning to NOT put time expectations on myself and just go out and just simply do my best. Swim courses are never going to measure the same from race to race and year to year; weather and wind conditions are always going to vary; and when I put time expectations on myself I'm setting myself up for failure due to all these unknowns and many more.

I'm also learning that despite the hours of training and hardwork, I still can't plan on what particular day I'm going to feel great. I'm responsible for the Effort not the Outcome.


Montauk is a beautiful town with georgeous views and natural scenery. It's a magical place, really. I do believe the Race Organization needs to improve in many areas though. For one, packet pick-up is the night before only. Which meeans for many Long Islanders, we need to drive the 1.5 hours plus out to Montauk (3 hours+ round trip) the night before, and then do it all over again 4 AM the next day. This year was even worse because when Charlie and I drove out to pick up our packets, due to the rain!, their computers weren't working and we were unable to pick up our packets. This is really ridiculous. The Race Organizers knew all week that it was supposed to rain on Saturday, and it rained all Race Day last year. They also need to have a Plan B for the rain when it comes to transition. The transition area was an ABSOLUTE MUD PIT. It was downright dangerous.

Another area that needs improvement is the Water Stop on the Bike Course. There is count 'em ONE water stop on the bike. That's it. And they have water; no gatorade or even Heed. And on the Run course there are only two Aid Stations with coke, and the one aid station always runs out right away. There are also a few other areas where the Race Organizers could improve, but thess are the biggies for me. Oh, and NO MASSAGES afterwards either!! After A HIM YOU NEED MASSAGES, c'mon!

Despite the high fee and lack of amenities, I will be doing this Race for many years to come as it is the only HIM on Long Island and the scenery is Priceless.