Tri the Parks - John Tanner State Park - TriathlonSprint

So I'm glad that other people who did this tri thought that the swim start sucked. They had us going off to the right directly next to the roped off swimming area. Since you can't go through the metal pipes that are 'roping' the area off, everyone came together into a tip of the triangle. I have NEVER been that abused on a swim start. I had lined up at front knowing that I could stay fairly ahead of the competition, but I was taking arms and legs to the face and head for the first 250 meters. Cleared out a little after that, but then I started running into the yellow and green capped guys who got to go 3 and 6 minutes ahead of us.

My friends said that there were people hanging onto the buoys at each turn. I kind of wish that I'd seen that. I think that I'd be scared to hang onto one of those things.

Not much. Time above (10:20) reflects the run up the hill from the lake to transition. When I was getting out of the water, my watch read 9:38 - which puts me at 1:28 min/100 yards.

You know - I might consider wetsuitting it for temps this low. I mean, you really start to doubt your decision when you see Carole Sharpless (a local pro) getting into her wetsuit.

No suit to worry about. Found bike easy enough. Had a little trouble getting my socks on and so I rode with a twisted sock the entire time.

I think that i need to practice mounting my bike a little better. Also, since i replaced the cleats on my tri shoes, I've noticed that my left foot is a little hard to hook into. Maybe see if I need to do some readjustment there.

Nice bike ride. I had trouble getting my heartrate down in the first 1 or so. After that it was just a fun ride. The course is so small and there were so many people out there that it was hard to get away from anyone. I swear, I passed the same people again and again.

The hill on mile 5 was killer (I thought), but I was happy to see hard work rewarded with some nice downhills.

Age group competition passed me around mile 7 or so. I was so frustrated, but I knew that I had to do the best that I could do.

Not let my competition pass me!

Rack bike, shoes off, helmet off, shoes on, visor on, race belt in hand and go.

I'm happy with any T2 under :45.

I left TA feeling really, really good. I was a little thrown off by the run course. I guess that you should look at the course before you actually get out there. The first 1/2 mile was on this paved trail around the lake and I thought that was awesome -- kind of like running on the Silver Comet up here. My legs felt strong and I was looking forward to a fun (AND SHORT!) run.

After turning onto the dirt and country roads, I had some doubts in my head about how well I was going to do. I seriously considered walking up that last big hill before the turnaround. I was wondering if I really should have done a brick 2 days before the race. I just told myself to keep pushing to the turnaround and see how i felt then. Made it there, turned around and felt awesome. No troubles at all. I really think that the way back was a lot easier than the route out.

Some BTers had issues with one of the turnpoints because a volunteer left, but luckily they were all still there when I passed by. I would have totally just followed the crowd.

I'm pretty sure that this 5k is a PR for me (i've never really tracked my 5k times). Still, I was 5th in my age group for the run. What kind of robots are these girls I'm competing against?

Run faster, if possible?

Water at the finish line and then I walked down a little bit to wait for Joe and Deb finish. I missed Joe running right by me, but heard his name over the intercom. We cheered for Deb as she crossed.

Got a banana and quarter of a bagel. Cleared stuff out of TA and packed in car. Changed clothes and went back for awards cermony and to get detailed results.


Nothing. Perfect racing conditions. I guess I could wish that the water had been a little warmer, but I'm the one that chose not the wear a wetsuit so I only have myself to blame for that.


I like the Tri the Parks series. They are put on well and they are great way to be introduced to the sport. I don't know how many more I'll be doing this summer because of other races and also because they always leave me wanting more. :)

2nd in age group. I was 8th female across (out of 79) so that is a little more exciting to me. Also - I got to meet my local competition for the next few years when they handed out awards at the end and we had to take pictures together. She's really, really good. I need to train!