Chicago Triathlon - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
Capri Events
64F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 43m 1s
Overall Rank = 818/4243
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 113/394
Pre-race routine:

Woke at 3:15 b/c I had to bike downtown to the race from home which takes about 40 minutes. It was dark and the wind was pushing waves up over the break and on to the bike path. One spot in particular was a little hairy and I got my shoes got soaked. Got transition set up and took off to walk down to the swim start. I was hoping to jump in but I was too late. Saw the first wave go off at 6 AM and then walked up to the swim finish to check for markers to use to judge distance. Watched a few swimmers from wave 1 come out of the water. Quite a sight watching the sun rise over the lake front and watching the first wave of swimmers at the break of dawn. Then I walked over to the Hilton Hotel to find a bathroom and a place to rest.
Event warmup:

A little rest, a 30 minute stretch, then walk back over to the swim start to finish preparations.
Swim
  • 33m 25s
  • 1640 yards
  • 02m 02s / 100 yards
Comments:

Time includes the 450 yard interval between swim finish and transition plus another 100 yards to my spot on the far end of my wave rack which was closer to the bike in/out.

I thought the swim went well for me. I train in the lake pretty often and I am used to the temperature and what not. Time was not quite what I wanted. I started a little slow to get my bearings and it was a slow start with 150 people in the wave and a fight for position for the first 1/3 of the swim. I was pulled under water by more than one fellow swimmer who attempted to crawl up my back. That is how it goes I suppose, but it slows you down. The great thing about this course is that navigation is so easy. You really don't have to worry at all whether you are swimming in the right direction.
Transition 1
  • 02m 26s
Comments:

Pretty good.
Bike
  • 1h 11m 33s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 20.84 mile/hr
Comments:

Strong head-wind on the northbound leg and strong tailwind on the southbound leg. Very bumpy track which caused me to slow up periodically. Very crowed on the road with a fair amount of unavoidable drafting. The condition of the road limited the room to maneuver. I almost got taken down by the huge seam in the road around northbound North Avenue. Time was decent, but I tried not to wear myself out.
Transition 2
  • 02m 26s
Comments:

Not much to say here. Time is basically the amount of time required to run from the far end of transition to the exit on the other side.
Run
  • 52m 57s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 08m 32s  min/mile
Comments:

Decided not to take in any hydration or nutrients as I could feel some rumbling and I did not want to make it worse. Time was about five to seven minutes slower than what I would like and I obviously have to improve this area.
What would you do differently?:

Eliminate/substitute certain parts of my pre-race nutrition. Something does not fully agree with my system.
Post race
Warm down:

Nothing

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Some GI stress but not as bad as Pleasant Prarie two weeks ago.

Event comments:

My first Chicago Triathlon was completed safely and I enjoyed most of it. The sheer size makes it a little intimidating, but I tried to focus on doing my own race and not worrying about time and place.

Complaints:
(1) Lake Shore Drive is an abysmal bike course given its condition which is pretty much the same year to year.

(2) I was disappointed by the post-race party/picnic. I was trying to feed my young sons and they would give me only one hamburger. Family was not allowed to enter the picnic area. Quote: "The Chicago Triathlon Post Race Party takes place on Columbus Dr. just north of the finish line and runs from 8:30am until 3pm (see schedule below). Open to participants, friends, family and volunteers." The party consists of the picnic. But the picnic is not open to family. At a minimum, the web site is a little misleading and they could give me another burger. I made a big commitment in time and money to this race.

(3) They really need to consider opening transition the night before. It sucks having to be there so early when you start as late as I did in wave 46 at 9:16.

(4) Swim gear check needs to be a little better organized than it was.

(5) It would be nice if the race could be concentrated more. It is silly to have the transition, swim start and the finish line separated to such an extent. It just completes the hassle factor of this race.

Will I do it again? Probably.




Last updated: 2009-08-24 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:33:25 | 1640 yards | 02m 02s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/394
Overall: 1728/4243
Performance: Good
Suit: Sleeveless
Course:
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 64F / 18C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 02:26
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Yes
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
01:11:33 | 24.85 miles | 20.84 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/394
Overall: 524/4243
Performance: Good
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course:
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Good Hills: Average
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:26
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:52:57 | 06.21 miles | 08m 32s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/394
Overall: 1522/4243
Performance: Below average
Course: Southbound along lake front and through Museum Campus, Soldier Field and McCormick Place. Very pleasant.
Keeping cool Good Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4