White Lake Sprint Triathlon I - TriathlonSprint

This was my first Open Water Swim besides my two short training swims in Jordan Lake over the last week and a half. My swim has really improved over the last few months since my last tri, but open water is very different than swimming in a pool. I would have finished 750 in a pool much faster. I was almost 7 minutes behind the fastest in my age group and almost 9 minutes behind the leaders. Since this was my first in open water, I really can't be upset. My navigation was good and I'm excited that I now have something to build on. I got kicked and hit a few times, but I dealt my share of blows as well. It's all part of the chaos of an open water swim.

Get more experience in open water and possibly employ the benefits of a wetsuit. I wasn't cold, but I know wetsuits add a speed advantage.

I'm very happy with my run from the water to the transition area, and how quickly I got the bike and headed to the road. The most disappointing part of my transition was my mount. I do a "flying squirrel" style mount, and the guy in front of me at the dismount line stopped dead in his tracks and took his sweet time getting on his bike. It totally killed my momentum and I almost fell off the bike. It took forever to get clipped in after that. Once I did finally get control, I got up to speed quickly and down into aero.

Pay more attention to what the guy in front on me is doing at the dismount line.

After I got up to speed following the near fiasco at the dimount line, I made it my first order of business to pass the dude that held me up. I got in my highest gear and down into my aero bars. There were a few people who took spills on the bike and an ambulance showed up for one rider. I passed a lot of people on the bike and made up some of that time I lost mounting my machine. Not quite as fast as I was expecting, and I drank too much, but a good bike leg none the less.

Don't waste time getting into top gear. Learn to go through turns in aero, and possibly get a handlebar hydration system, I had to get out of aero to drink.

Lost a shoe when I dismounted and decided to leave it, but luckily I wasn't penalized for "abandoning equipment". Overall it was a good transition.

Don't lose shoes.

I drank too much on the bike, so I didn't need to hydrate. I threw a cup of water in my face as I left transition in order to keep cool. My stomach was churning after downing a full bottle of HEED on the bike. I felt good despite the stomach discomfort. During training, I began breaking in a new pair of race shoes and they had been rubbing my ankles and making them bleed. To prevent this on race day, I covered the areas of skin with 4 layers of New Skin the night before the race and used some Hydropel as lubricant in my shoes. That combination worked beautifully and I never once felt my shoes rub. I gradually upped my tempo on the run, especially after the turnaround. I ended up running the second half a minute faster than the first. As I got closer to the finish line, I felt a guy drafting off me, and decided I was done with him. I upped the tempo one final time in a big way and left him. I ran hard to the end and when the announcer read my name at the line, he said I had the "best mustache of the day"!(I sported a big, thick handlebar mustache for this race).

Push a little harder on the first half of the run. I'm extremely pleased with my run time, but I'm still curious as to how fast I can run off the bike.

Walked around and spoke to a few people. Ate some of the provided food and waited around to see results.


Not enough experience in open water and poor decision making at the dismount line. Other limitations may have been due to equipment or mentality.


What a great event! I loved this event, and I plan to try to do atleast one White Lake race every year.