Atlantic City International Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

Simply INSANE! The surf was > 10 feet in many cases. In wave 1, we were sent out first to try to attempt the course. I started about 50 meters 'upstream' of the waves/current, hoping to circumnavigate the course and buoy. Within 3-4 minutes, I found myself at least 50 meters 'downstream' of the first buoy & the surf was trying to take me further! I spent the next 8-10 minutes fighting the surf with duck-dives and strong-effort swimming to get back to the first buoy. By the time I got to the buoy, I was very, very tired...which hurt me for the rest of the day. The waves continued to be a real nuisance for the remainder of the course; sighting was nearly impossible because I had to doggie-paddle just to see the next buoy & even this was difficult because of the extreme height of the waves. Finally, I found the last buoy, turned for home, and let the waves do most of the remaining work. When I got to shore, the race director said "take your time...do not run" because, after the 2nd wave was sent out and >50 people were plucked from the course by the AC Beach Patrol, the entire swim portion of the tri was CANCELED! Ugh...I was crushed because now I knew that I had spent a considerable amount of effort on the swim when 90% of the participants didn't even attempt it, let alone finish the course. I was told that only 20-25 people finished the swim course...at least I can say I was one of them.

Nothing really. It was the toughest course I think I'll ever swim...the fact that I completed it was a real confidence booster for a guy who couldn't swim more than 4 consecutive laps in a pool just 2 months ago. Out of the ~120 people (all men < 40 years old) who started the course, only a small percentage of us finished. I'm marking my performance as 'good' not because of the time, but because I completed it despite the conditions.

Because the swim was canceled while I was in the water, the race director decided to do a TT bike/run; thus, there was no T1.

Started somewhat tired compared to the rest of the field since the vast majority of folks did not attempt, let alone complete, the grueling swim. Despite being tired, I think it went well. I averaged ~ 21 MPH on the westbound, downhill direction & ~ 17 MPH in the opposite direction. The wind was tough, feeling like it was blowing against us in both directions (?). My cyclocomputer worked this time around (did not work for my last tri) & it was a nice tool to monitor my speed/progress as I completed the course. I hydrated effectively and finished the course feeling pretty good.

Not much...I do need to practice getting into my pedals more quickly; I continue to struggle with getting into my pedals.

Not too bad here...the distance was a little more than most triathlons, so the time was equally long. I had some problems racking my bike because the guy next to me had racked his at an angle.

Nothing.

Coming out of T2, I felt a little fatigued, but doing training bricks definitely helped. I felt strong during the run and caught up to my cousin about 2.5 miles into it; I decided to run with him & complete the course together. I'm fairly certain I could have gone about 3 minutes faster than I did, but I knew I wasn't winning any awards & I could see that he was struggling. The wind on the North end of the course was really bad...sand from the beach was blowing directly into our faces, making it difficult to see.

I might choose different shoes next time. I wore my Newtons for this run and I think my arches were/are sore because I've not trained > 5 miles in them; 2 days later, I'm suffering from pretty extreme arch pain. This is my fault, though...I should have trained longer distances in them & monitored my technique/form more closely during the run.

Water and coconut water...lots of it.


The swim really took it out of me. I was MOP, but could have finished higher if I hadn't worked so hard to complete the swim. I think the race director should have had the lifeguards tell those of us who were completing the course that the swim had been canceled, so that we could have 'quit' and saved energy for the subsequent TT.


This was the inaugural edition of this race. I think they had the best of intentions, but there were several hiccups that prevented it from being a 'good' race. The swim likely should have never been attempted, but I'm told that the AC Beach Patrol was pining to have us try it so that they could be paid...I don't know? At the very least, those of us on the course after the swim had been canceled should have been told that it was canceled, so that we could have saved energy for the TT. I also had a few issues with the 'extras' (swag) because much of what had been promised was not available or was misleading (a $25 'gift card' was actually 25% off of a dinner at Morton's in Philly, a city 70 miles away).