Pigman Triathlon - Long Course - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I really struggled with sighting during the race. For the first part we swam into the sun and I couldn't really see where I was going. All of the sudden I looked up and realized I was way off course and had to slowly work my way back. I would see a few people swim past me and I would try to catch their draft but they were too fast.

Once we got to the first buoy it made it a lot easier to see, or so I thought. I didn't see a single buoy for a while until I looked over and realized I was about 50 yards off course! I started to work my way over towards the line and started really settling into a good pace. Kept my heart rate down and got a good breathing down.

Rounded the last buoy and I realized I was almost done with the swim! I made sure that when I got to the beach to not get up right when I could touch the ground. When I got out I saw that Steve was right in-front of me which was a bad sign, I should have beaten him out of the water!

Get better sighting and drafting. Otherwise it was really good.

Worked my way past Steve and got on the bike as quick as possible. Had a little trouble with getting the wetsuit off my foot but otherwise it went great! 2nd fastest T1 in the whole race!!!

Get the wetsuit off!

Right away Steve pulled away from me. I knew I had 56 miles ahead so I didn't chase him. Heading out I had a strong pace. Each time I saw my pace above 23 I would shift down and try to get a higher cadence and slower pace. I needed to save my energy. When we got to the hills I reminded myself of Lookout Mountain and all the climbing I did when I was in Colorado. The hills seemed a lot easier than last year.

Once again I had a blast with the feed zones! I spiked a few bottles and threw others pretty hard. It was a nice way to take out some frustration I would say. Also, I enjoyed snagging the bottles.

I got to the turn around pretty calm and saw that my time read 1:15:20. If I could push just a little more I could break 2:30! I've noticed that it takes me a few miles at the start to get my legs juiced up and they were ready to rip. I started focusing on using good cadence up the hills and then shifting at the top and getting speed down. About the second hill back my chain came off the front! I started to panic but started to do a little back pedal and play with the shifter and got it back on the ring without stopping. That might have made me cry. Kept a good pace for a ways going through towns. Heading into the last feed zone my chain came off again and I had to do the same thing to get it back on. Luckily I did it pretty quick and grabbed a bottle before I got out of the feed.

During the bike I felt side cramps for a lot of the way. I noticed that HEED did a good job of taking away the cramps but was filling me up too much that I couldn't get my nutrition in.

With the last few miles I started to settle back and stay in line with another rider so I could save up for the hill leading into the park. I got it pretty strong and realized I was on perfect pace for 2:30. When I got into the park I started looking for Dan, Kyle and Steve. I saw Dan about a half mile from the transition on the run but no Kyle or Steve. As I turned into transition I saw Steve right in-front of me on the bike. I caught him in the second half and passed him into transition

Hold back just a little bit so I can run faster. Otherwise the most amazing bike performance I've done!

I almost forgot where my bike went!!! I got my shoes on and grabbed my shirt, hat and race belt and took off.

Find my spot?

When I left transition I saw Steve right ahead of me. Right in-front of him was Kyle! I thought for sure I'd have to chase him down on the run course but he was right there! I yelled at them to get moving and I dropped them and kept going. My goal was sub 1:30 and I needed to get going.

Cramps were all over my legs. I could feel them from the start and I was worried they would go all out after about a mile and I would get caught. I slowed a little but kept moving. I needed to get Dan.

I had a pretty good system at the aid stations of water, HEED, and ice. I kept my nutrition going and at mile five I saw Dan right up ahead. Just then he slowed to a walk, then he started walking off the course. I started to panic thinking something might be wrong! Turns out he just needed a bathroom break. Laughed at him and kept going. That was the last I had to worry about any of them.

I made the turn around and started trying to chase down the head guys. I knew I needed a stronger finish than start to pull off a great race. I started eyeing down guys and my pace improved. At one point I saw a guy in-front of me eyeing his GPS and I asked him what our pace was and he said 7:20. What!? I thought we were going? I tried to convince to come with me to a sub 7:00 but he refused so I went alone. I think I did the next mile about 6:20, I was pretty aggressive on that one. With about five miles left my body started to feel bad. I though for sure I was going to throw-up and kept moving hoping it would go away some time.

I had a few guys who would pace with me and as we headed to the hill leading into the park I was ready. I climbed the hill with strength and determination. All the racers I passed were quite impressed with how I handled the hill. With the hill out of the way I only had two miles until I was home. When we got to the final turn I tried to push one of the other runners to come with me but he wasn't having it so I took off. Once again, I finished pretty strong, running down the finish by myself and leaving others in the dust. I didn't make my 1:30 goal but I finished with a total time of 4:41:01!!!

Save more off the bike.

I got a massage and got under a water shower. Finally after waiting a few hours I looked at my results and saw that I qualified for the World Championships!!! It was my goal for the last ten months and all my hard work paid off. I was so happy I was bouncing around. Nobody else I expected to qualify did.


Biked a little too hard. Sighting on the swim.


Love the Big Pig!