H.O.T. - Hammerhead Olympic Tri - TriathlonOlympic

Good start although I went real wide & had to make up that distance. After the first turn I found similar age grouper & drafted him for about 3/4 of the distance. Drafting this guy made navigation easier & he also cut through the earlier waves as we caught them.
The finish was tough because the sun is at that angle in the morning that is directly in your eyes. I followed the leading trail of swimmers for navigating to T1.

I'm pleased w/my swim strategy, just need to keep working on technique & pace.

No issues here other than went to put on the sunglasses and one of the lenses was missing. Took a shot of e-fuel, ran out with the bike to start the 2 lap course.

One day learn how mount w/shoes already clipped in...I have practiced this techniuque but can't get it perfected enough to use in a race.

Second race with the new Cannondale 200 IM...What a great bike...I had outfitted with my Mavic SL's from my Cannondale 2000 road bike & put the upgraded pro racing tires on the rims. got through the 1st lap ok, worked the smaller chain ring more on the rollers in the 2nd lap & seemed to help with saving the legs.
Because of the heat I tried to keep to a pacing strategy & only exert energy on a few passes. On one pass I tried moving left but couldn't because of the officials on motorcyle, so as they're passing I'm into a pass of another rider & look up to see the ref timing my pass so, I hammer the pedals to get through...apparently no penalty given & can't tell you how long the pass took but was somewhat hindered by them!
I really tried to keep up the hydration based on training rides, had one water bottle & one E-Fuel bottle. Ingested one of the complimentary gel packs about mile 10 & then took an E-Gel pack at mile 20. A side note here...comparing the contents of the 2 gels;E-Gel has 2 to 3 times the sodium & potassium.

Hydrate more & more often...should have done 3 E-Gels...read on...

Great transition, took feet out of the pedasl at about 100 yards out & pedaled w/feet on top of shoes to a good one sided dismount & into run to the rack. Took a swig of now WARM water sitting in bottle next to bike. Shoes have the quick laces w/cord locks...no socks...put on running hat & grabbed the race belt to head out for the run.

I think I've got this T2 part down.

OK - Here comes the fun...the start of the run is fine, I've done enough of these along w/regular brick workouts that the transition from bike to run is not an issue.
The first water station is at the 1st mile & the wonderful part is they have cold sponges available! Take a 30 sec walk break, use 2 sponges & drink a cup of water.
Moving on - right turn in to mile 3, slight grade up & now the sun is blasting your back side down this open road. I can see the the next water station & seems to take forever to get there! Same drill as the 1st station - the volunteers were young girls somehow connected with the military & they were phenomenal with their encouragement & help...one of the girls would run along with you encouraging you (To which I commented to another racer; "Hope this isn't considered outside assistance"):)
It was a nice touch & everyone really appreciated their attitudes & their help.
Ok - on to the final miles..my calf started twinging about mile 3 & became concerned but fortuntately it subsided after about a mile. Mile 4 or 5, I can't remember heads up the hill & now I start to feel the first twinges in both quads that I've never felt before in my quads on a run - now I'm getting a little concerned about finishing. I just kept thinking "one foot in front of the other - press on."
I walked the last 2 aid stations & forced down gatorade...just after the last station they were handing out gels but my stomach just didn't feel up to it.
Now the quads are talking to me & as I approach the homestretch & the thought of totally cramping up is concerning or should I say scaring me. I did a couple of high knee lifts to try to stretch things out..seemed to help a little. The last mile comes down a slight grade, then teases you with another incline into a corner that obscures the finish. You just keep thinking...this is the longest dam$ mile I've ever run. My neighbor, who started in the wave 3 minutes behind & did the swim 8 minutes slower, passes me & all I can do is watch him keep pulling away...Good for Him!
1/2 mile away & now I'm beginning to have visions of collapsing before the finish...the quads are screaming & the heat is becoming unbearable. At this point I see fellow church member just starting her run...OMG! I hope she makes it in this heat! (she did but I have yet to speak with her)
Finally, around the last corner & I see my son standing there...just the inspriation I needed...who put him there & thank you!!! So, I finally finish this run through Hades and can barely walk but keep moving around because now my hamstring feels like it wants to roll up like a yo-yo. I made it, it's over! That was the most brutal run I've ever done!

Go back to lake & swim instead!

I felt that if I sat down the legs would cramp & probably not be able to stand up again so I kept walking around...they had a large sprinkler system for athletes to stand under & cool down...spent some time there & just kept after water bottles.


I thought I did a good job in the days prior to the race with nutrition & maybe so, but on race day I severly underestimated the additional racing effort that requires more hydration & electrolyte relplacement under these conditions. I have done training sessions in this heat, training sessions that last as long & have done fine w/hydration without cramp issues. Big Difference Here - I underestimated the additional effort of race day & all the adrenaline that requires more energy. Also should have done more pre-race hydrating...shame on me! Oh yeah - Still need to work on running...


This race is put on by the local tri club of which I'm a member. The first time I've done the race & depsite the heat, I really like it & maybe a little bias:
-The course is challenging & closed,
-The lake is much prefearble to the ocean for swimming
-Only about 300 participants so there is not the chaos of throngs of racers. (the race did grow by 120 participants from last year)
Overall a great venue & great race - wait til next year...