Stonebridge Ranch Triathlon - Olympic - TriathlonOlympic

Longest swim for me to date. I started to get cold towards the end. The bouys seemed to be awfully far apart making navigation more difficult than expected. It was a double loop course and the distance, coupled with little time in the pool, took its toll. I didn't swim train nearly enough for this. But, the course was fairly open, not too much contact early. I did pass quite a few folks in earlier waves. No shoulder pain.

Train more for the swim and probably have a wetsuit on hand just in case.

Run from swim exit to T1 is pretty long, hence the bigger times. There is a steep grassy downhill that can be treacherous, and the T1 exit is a bit narrow, could get congested.

Nothing really except maybe eat something more hardy than a gel.

It was windy and on the first section into the wind speed averaged around 16-18 mph, but after the third turn we got a nice tailwind and my speeds averaged around 28-30 with comfortable effort. The one big hill coming out of T1 was tough, knocking me down to 9-10mph (still working on hills with the tri-bike). Felt great until the last half mile when the stomach cramps started.

Not much. It was a good split and a comfortable effort. I felt great until the stomach cramps started, so there may be some nutrition issues.

Plagued by stomach issues.

Stomach cramps! It was brutal. I actually had to walk a bit after the first half mile and then slowly work up to a jog. For the first 2 miles it was walk-jog. By mile 3 they were easing up enough for me to get into a steady pace, albeit nothing I am used to. Was able to finish strong, with a decent (but not typical) time and pace. Legs felt great, and there wasn't much difficulty from the wind or the heat.

This has to be a nutrition issue and I ate horribly the day before, lots of junk food and high-sugar foods. Also, I think the swim takes more calories than I once thought so it wouldnt be a bad idea to eat something hardy after exiting the water. The cramps continued until I sat down and ate a full meal then, miraculously, went away completely. Seems to be combination of not eating enough before race and eating too much junk the day before.

Dumped ice water over my head and sat. Juliet and Jen tracked down some chocolate milk to save the day. Finally, I felt better after eating a real meal.


I didn't train enough for the swim distance and wasn't prepared for the cold water. Bring a wetsuit next time. Stomach issues killed my run time. But still, I finished 2/9 in the Clydesdale category with a time that would've been 15/22 for age group. Not bad considering the mistakes I made.


This is a good race and challenging enough for any athlete. The water was colder than expected so having a wetsuit on hand is a good idea. The four loop bike course is great, and square-shaped so that any wind works to your advantage as much as it is detrimental. The run course has a few hills and it is hot but nothing unbearable. It's a great race, well organized. The only complaint is the long run down a steep grassy hill from swim-exit to T1, but it's only a mild complaint. I will be back.