Ironman 70.3 Kansas - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

No wetsuits, and that is fine by me as I rarely practice in mine, and am more comfortable without one. I was the last wave to go off, which meant two things. The sun had come up to an angle just right to blind me and the winds had picked up to make it feel like I was in the middle of the ocean.

Pretty uneventful, besides the awful conditions that made you feel like you were swimming in place and getting pushed so far off course that I easily swam an extra 1/4 mile.



Not much. I suppose I could practice in worse conditions. I marked my swim as below average based on time alone.

I took my time here and it shows. I knew it would be hot, so I wanted to cover myself in lotion, get socks on and get my Zoot arm coolers on.

I wasnt going to podium so I took my time. I did what I planned to do.

This was a white knuckle 56 mile ride. I knew it would be windy, but I didnt expect it to be this bad. I ride in wind all the time, with and without my race wheels. HED3s were not built for the crosswinds we had out there.

I felt unsafe for the entire ride. I had to break on the downhills and was out of the aero position for at least half of the ride.

Then the hills came. There were several people walking their bikes up the hills. I even saw two people come to a dead stop and fall over sideways. Climbing hills like those is hard enough. Doing it into a 30 mph headwind was brutal.

I was ecstaic to get into the park and get off the bike.

Not sure if shallower wheels would have helped or not, but I am just happy that is over with.

Found my rack, got my shoes off, helmet off, running shoes on and grabbed my hydration belt.

nothing. Once again I took my time and made sure everything was in order.

As hot as it was this is actually where the wind felt nice. Running through the campgrounds, was pretty cool. There is only on stretch down to the lake where you werent surrounded by people cheering for you. Lots of kids with squirt guns, lots of adults with hoses and sprinklers.

I didnt have a very good run, but I enjoyed the course. Saw a ton of people I knew along the way. My wife even made it out for the run and I was able top see her 5 or 6 times. What a boost that can give you.

I was slow, but I had fun.

drank and ate. Hung out with Patrick(jayhox), Lisa(Lisac957), and Mark(maburghart). Found some shade, traded war storied, and ate.


The conditions were out of my control. I have practiced this bike course several times, but it kicked me in the a$$ on this day.


The pros called it a brutal day. I agree. I can handle heat, but when you couple that with the high winds it broke me down. I still managed to have a great time all weekend. It was great to see so many BTers and put a face with the names.