Accenture Chicago Triathlon - Olympic - TriathlonOlympic


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
70F / 21C
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 42m 43s
Overall Rank = 707/3708
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 148/538
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 4 AM, transition opens at 4:15 AM and closes at 5:45. I was warned to get there early. Had a quick bagel, headed downtown. My wave was #32, 8:25 AM. I took a snooze at the start line.
Event warmup:

Nap from 7 AM - 7:45 AM at the starting line - some warm-up :>). Can't swim prior to the event, so I did some light stretching. If you have to pee, get in the line early. Although there is a small city of portojohns its still a 20 min. line.
Swim
  • 31m 28s
  • 1640 yards
  • 01m 55s / 100 yards
Comments:

The swim went very well, I was out of the water at about 29:00 but it took a few minutes to jog to the transition area timing pad. There were a ton of swimmers, I swam through a few waves to get to the finish, best advice is to stay off the wall about 30 ft to keep out of traffic. Water was very clear and clean for a metropolitan harbor, there was a chop from a strong north to south breeze. I hit my swim-time goal so I was satisfied.
What would you do differently?:

I should have swam out from the wall (melee of swimmers) earlier. About 1/2 way through I broke from the pack since I was having a tough time squeezing through.
Transition 1
  • 03m 16s
Comments:

This transition area was so big that it took more time to run in and out than change my stuff. Otherwise, the transition went very well. I brought a very bright towel to mark my spot, that helped.
What would you do differently?:

Not much, maybe get in earlier to get a better spot. Bikes were jammed in after I left.
Bike
  • 1h 15m 58s
  • 24.85 miles
  • 19.63 mile/hr
Comments:

I knew going into this that the bike was my achilles heel since I have little time on the bike. This is my first year biking, I had a target of 20 mph avg. I came really close. The course was very rough but I did manage to stay in the aero position about 80-90% and did well into the wind. I learned to see the rough spots from far away - that's where all the water bottles, saddle packs, and misc. bike parts fell on the road off of peoples bikes. There were many wrecks and flats.
What would you do differently?:

Train, train, train some more.
Transition 2
  • 03m 10s
Comments:

Again, transition area is huge. I did my thing and got out. My transition time was average among everyone else but good for me.
What would you do differently?:

Next year I will practice the flying dismount.
Run
  • 48m 49s
  • 6.21 miles
  • 07m 52s  min/mile
Comments:

My plan for this was an "easy" first 3 miles then step it up on mile 4. When I got half way I delayed my tempo change until mile 5. Being my first oly, I thought I'd have more gas for the finish. I am happy with my run but next time I will work on having more speed to the finish. It was a huge rush to come under the roadway and see the crowds and fencing to the finish. I broke into a mad sprint to the finish, one of the best feelings ever.. period.
What would you do differently?:

Train, train, and train some more. I should have done more bricks in the weeks leading up to the event, that would have helped.
Post race
Warm down:

Standing under the Aqua-fans, lots of water, a few bananas and much walking. The walk from the finish back to the transition area was about a mile. I had many supports who I thank for showing up to the race to cheer me on.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Hey, this is my first Oly - I am happy to finish.

Event comments:

I love this race. This is my first Oly distance and I am hooked. The event for nearly 7000 athletes was well organized and had a festival feel to it. The pre-race expo is a great event to see new equipment. I recommend the pre-race talks at the expo for newbies like me. The post race party looked like fun but I had to go.


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Last updated: 2006-05-08 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:31:28 | 1640 yards | 01m 55s / 100yards
Age Group: 102/538
Overall: 621/3708
Performance: Good
Suit: Orca Sleeveless
Course: Starting inside Chicago harbor, headed south along the retaining wall about 400 yards nearly to the Shedd Aquarium, then turn north and pass the start line. Continue along the retaining wall to the finish. There are scaffold steps with several volunteers that yank you out of the water then a 400-500 yard run to the transition area. That run was long, especially if your bike is on the other side of the transition.
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 03:16
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Average
Biking
01:15:58 | 24.85 miles | 19.63 mile/hr
Age Group: 270/538
Overall: 1290/3708
Performance: Average
Wind: Some with gusts
Course: Two laps on Lakeshore drive, the entry is an on-ramp to the bridge over the Chicago River. The course is the inside two lanes going both ways. The odd thing here is cars are on the right side and passing fellow bikers is on the right. I was the guy yelling "on your left, errr... I mean right!". The surface was very rough in spots.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Too much
T2
Time: 03:10
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
00:48:49 | 06.21 miles | 07m 52s  min/mile
Age Group: 113/538
Overall: 664/3708
Performance: Average
Course: It starts with a downhill jog out of the transition area along the harbor past the swim finish and start. Then the next few miles go around the Shedd Aquarium, down and back to the planetarium. After that its past the McCormick Center, turn around and back up to Soldier Field. Then its a run to the finish southwest of Buckingham Fountain.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Too much
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5