Contact Tri Series Takapuna - TriathlonSprint

Time includes a 200-300m run up the beach and up a hill to T1. Considering I've never done a non-wetsuit OWS I was actually pretty happy with how it went. I started near the back which saved me from getting too roughed up at the start, but it also put me toward the back of the pack from the beginning, and I didn't overtake too many. Couldn't draft anyone because everyone I caught up to was too slow, and all the people a more appropriate speed for drafting were too far ahead I think

I got up too early and even though I knew I should be duck-diving I ended up running/walking through water that was too deep to do so, which slowed me down and tired me out a bit. If I'd even considered the possibility it might be non-wetsuit, I might've considered a one-piece suit too

No separate time given for T1 (pretty sure it's included in bike leg). I'd modified my shoes a little to make them easier to do up while riding - helped a lot but I think there's some more changes I could make. Otherwise T1 went very smoothly, especially thanks to the lack of wetsuit

More practice with jumping on the bike with shoes on and rubber-bands holding shoes in place.

Didn't go anywhere near as well as I'd hoped. Was very tough, and I completely failed at getting into any draft packs, whenever one caught up to me I just didn't feel like I had the legs to get on the back of it, partially because I'd been pushing hard by myself. I did find a draft-buddy for a couple of laps, but a faster rider came through and he managed to get onto his tail

I think my strategy was all wrong, and my lack of race experience cost me a lot of energy. In hindsight, I would've been better off taking an easy pace initially to conserve energy, then getting onto a pack and doing everything I could to stick with them.

Very smooth, except I had my HRM watch attached to the bars of the bike and had forgotten to put it in my pocket before the end of the bike leg, so after racking bike I struggled with it a little to get it off the bars, probably only cost 10 seconds or so but was frustrating.

I felt absolutely terrible for the first 2-3km, bad stitch and my insides just general felt bad, although my legs weren't too bad, but I still was very slow. Eventually I started to feel better and my last lap actually felt really good, and I finished very strong and fast, overtaking a handful of runners in the last km.

Not sure what I could've done differently, although now I'm thinking about it, I do wonder if I was a bit dehydrated and perhaps the water I took on during the run is why I started to feel better.

A bit of walking around and a gentle swim. I'm sure the swim was a bad idea without warm-down stretching or similar, but I needed to cool down


Bad time-management at the start cost me a good headspace for the start, poor strategy on the bike cost me heavily in bike and run, I think.


It's a good and interesting race, very competitive compared to the first tri I did. I'm not sure how the wetsuit/no wetsuit decision is usually communicated, but I was disappointed that in the 45 minutes or so between when I arrived at the venue and the race start that I didn't hear anything. I was overall disappointed with my performance, but as this wasn't an "A" race, and only my second tri, I'll take it as a learning experience.