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 Swim
Comments: This was the highlight of the race - awesome experience, great fun, and I exceeded my expectations performance wise. Leaped off the boat and started swimming, was a little crowded for the first couple of minutes, but then pretty much open the whole way and I was able to sight it well all the way in. I put my Garmin in my swim cap and it is a pretty straight course from start to finish on the beach. We had unusually calm conditions, which certainly helped. Definitely a unique experience and well worth doing, and in retrospect nothing scary about it. What would you do differently?: Nothing - went just about perfectly for me.  Transition 1
Comments: This includes the longish run from swim exit to transition - I was a little slow through wetsuit removal and getting my running shoes on, but got a lot of help from volunteers and eventually ran pretty quickly and got onto the bike well. What would you do differently?: Need to work on getting oriented quicker at the end of OW swims, I'm always a little slow to get moving.  Bike
Comments: Fun bike course, not quite as bad advertised. Was able to be strong on all the uphills and flats, where I was passing folks. As typical on descents, I lost time and position, maybe someday I'll get more comfortable with those. Went by very quickly with plenty of variety and views. Was crowded initially but was never a problem after the first climb. What would you do differently?: Get better at descending, and could have pushed a bit harder on the flat section at the beginning and end. Transition 2
Comments: This was fine, sat down to put on socks/shoes, and said a quick hello to my family.  Run
Comments: Not what I had hoped, but I ran the whole thing and put in a decent pace on the flats. On the climbs/descents/stairs, I was slow - just not comfortable on that terrain since I never trail run. Definitely a fantastic run that stays interesting the whole way - the beach and sand ladder combo are tough but doable, and add a lot to the experience. What would you do differently?: Run harder on the flat section at the beginning and end, get in some trail running and stairs work to be more comfortable. Post race
Warm down: Drank a protein drink right away, then grabbed a plate of the excellent post race food and met up with my family. Knees and feet took a beating and were hurting, so anxious to sit down for a while. What limited your ability to perform faster: Bike descending, and lack of going hard through the trail sections on the run. Event comments: Great race, managed to meet or even exceed its reputation. Well organized, tons of great volunteers, and a challenging, fun, and unique course. Perfect weather didn't hurt, either. Thankful I got a lottery spot and was able to show up trained and healthy. Last updated: 2011-12-15 12:00 AM
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United States
IMG
75F / 24C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 659/1713
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 75/192
Planned the race at the end of a family trip to California, starting in San Diego 9 days prior and heading through Disney, LA, and Yosemite prior to getting into San Francisco around noon the day before. So not a great training week heading into the race, but a fun trip. Event check-in was well organized, like the entirety of the event.
Got up at 4, had a Clif bar and a drink, then rode my bike the two miles through the streets of the city to transition - never imagined doing something like that three years ago. Lots of other racers doing the same thing. Set up transition, then got on the bus to the pier around 5:15. At the pier, dropped off my sweats and sandals, then hung out on the boat chatting for an hour - went by quickly. The boat left about 6:50, sailed out to Alcatraz, they played the national anthem, the horn sounded, and things were underway.